MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The National Book Development Board (NBDB) had the opportunity to visit the office of 27-year-old content creator Ayn Bernos, where she talked about her deskside bookshelf in the second episode of the book agency’s web series entitled, “Show YourShelf.”
NBDB’s Show YourShelf gives viewers a sneak peek into the personal bookshelves of Filipino creative personalities and shows that books are formative to one’s identity, beliefs, and drive.
Ayn shared that reading and telling her own stories has always been high on her list of priorities. As a TikTok creator whose content is focused on communication skills, empowerment, and confidence, she stressed that her love for books has shaped her life.
“If not for books, I wouldn’t have the ability to tell stories the way that I do now, like the way I create videos, the way that I speak — they’re all from books,” Ayn said. She also teaches English on TikTok. Her tip to viewers? “Read whatever interests you. To me, it doesn’t matter if it’s an academic book, if it’s a non-fiction book, if it’s a romance book, young adult, as long as it’s written in the language you want to learn. Kung halimbawa, nag-aaral ka ng Filipino, magbasa ka ng Filipino book. If you want to learn English, read an English book and that just helps. I think more than the genre or the type of book or the title, I think it’s the habit of reading that you need to foster.”
Her favorite titles on her office bookshelf include works from authors such as Margaret Atwood, Stephen Covey, and Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Filipino books as important tools for the future generations
Books are part of Ayn’s memories of growing up and this is something that she wants to pass down to her future children. She attributes these trips to local bookstores in the area as an introduction to the bigger local publishing industry.
Ayn believes that Filipino books are important to immerse young Filipinos around the world into their roots, language, and culture. She shared her plans on bringing her inaanak in Spain a selection of Filipino books to do just that.
Ayn takes on the NBDB’s Cover Story Challenge
A Cover Story Challenge was also released alongside Show YourShelf. In the video, Ayn was shown five locally made and published books and made to guess their plots based on their covers.
