I'm willing to admit this to you, my dear reader. I am such a voracious consumer of books that I used to steal in order to satisfy my need.Former book buyer with Kinokuniya Abby Wong starts an occasional column of things book related in Starmag and begins by telling us about her obsession. Another avid reader, Christine Jalleh tells a heartwarming story about how a stranger in a shopping mall turned Book Angel. (And, you know, we could do with a few more of those!) Elsewhere, Kuan Guat Choo hobnobs with ghosts. Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reiterates the message that Malaysians don't read enough, as he launches the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2009. (But there's no word about where his statistics about reading are taken from. Perhaps it is the mythical National Library Survey?) And Datuk Lat gets orchestrated.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday Shorts
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10 comments:
Malaysians don't read enough? How about reducing the price of books? Is he going to try solving the problem or just state the obvious? At least tell us something we don't know already.
hahahaha good one drachen
-jeewan-
dun worry, the DPM will contribute by publishing his own books soon for u to read.
Thanks for posting this, Sharon or I wouldn't have known the article appeared!
It'd be really nice if that nice Chinese man read the article and contacted me - I couldn't thank him enough :)
I'm really curious about the statistics quoted also because the bookstores are crowded every weekend, book warehouse sales are flooded and even the little Penang state library's jam packed.
It seems to me that Malaysians are picking up on the reading habit!
At least when I went to the book fair this weekend, I thought Malaysians were reading a fair lot.
But I have to admit that fiction did not have much shelf-space.
As usual, I went ahead and bought a dozen books or more. (I really have to do something about this serial-book-buying habit.)
Damyanti -
But if you did, how would you be able to justify making more money? it's not as if there's anything worth a lot more to be spending it on.
Anon:
Ummm, I don't mind the spending money on books bit (not that I make tons, but anyway), what I really hate is not being able to finish the first lot of books before buying a second stack.
I have so many unread books lying around in the house, they are stressing me out. I always thought of myself as a reader, not a buyer. Sigh.
It's probably retail therapy. It's also tax-deductible I think, isn't it? I might have an interesting project soon, which got derailed a bit because I got distracted. I might pick it up again, there's always something to do where lots of books are concerned.
Anon:
Alas, it is not retail therapy. That is supposed to make you feel good. This simply stresses me out. As Chet said the other day someplace: so many books, so little time!
I have decided to donate a few to Daphne for her stall for the alternative book fest. They will mostly be hubby's thrillers though, and a book or two of with I picked two different copies at different times.
When we move from Malaysia, I think books will count for most of the increase in weight of goods.
And well, I'm now trying to figure out when to go to the MPH sale...arrrrgh!
ouch...typo: which, not with!
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