Sharon and the Big Red Dinosaur

Here's me and a big red dinosaur I met at the KL International Bookfair on Sunday. I am the one on the right, and the photo was taken by blogger extraordinaire Eyeris whom I bumped into as I was leaving the event.

He must think I am totally without conversation because we went for noodles after that and I was too shattered to have much to say. (Eyeris, I almost slumped face down into my Singapore mee hoon soup and started snoring.) Just getting to Putra World Trade centre by the LRT and dodging another afternoon deluge and then navigating the huge expanse of book displays flooded with families out for the afternoon was enough to do me in.

I didn't see many of the book displays. I went to talk to my friend Elke aka Ms Payless Books (at booths 8064-8067 if you have trouble finding it). Was pretty restrained and only bought one book : The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy.

The KataSuara reading was quite fun, not least because of the musicians Raja Ahmad had co-opted to provide digestive space between the words. Usratika started the event off. Dewangga Sakti played Malay roots music on traditional instruments with a contemporary twist. Tan Sei Hon is a talented singer-songwriter who sounds (I think) like Cat Stevens in the early days.

I read first. Wasn't sure how much anyone was interested or was prepared to listen to something in English, as a lot of the "audience" had really come to sit down for a while and rest. My piece is a bit from my "novel in progress" (which sshhh has not moved any further since I dumped it in the drawer ... though every time I take it out I keep hoping that divine intervention has sorted out the plot holes for me. ) But I like the part I read, and might rescue it for a short story.

The others read poetry in Malay. Laureate A. Samad Said read from his new collection 68 Soneta Pohon Gingko which he wrote during a stay in Korea. His self-published book, which I bought afterwards, is beautifully produced and contains some of his paintings. (He actually has a booth at the Bookfair and a number of beautiful books on sale.)

I met lots of friends including (beside the other readers) Vovin, Pak Adib, Ted and Lina and made some new ones. Also met up with the daughter of the late Usman Awang, another Malaysian laureate, and came away with a couple of his books. (I've more to blog here another day.)

I was much impressed that after I had pointed out a certain grammar error on the KLIBF posters, someone had painstakingly corrected - well most of them, at least! (A little victory for the Grammar Gestapo?)


Eyeris has a great post about the Bookfair, so please go visit him after this! And Ted documents the Katasuara event much much better than I could have.

Your Next Cheap Book Fix

Time to stock up on some cheap reads? I snapped the picture above at BookXcess a few weeks back on my first visit to the shop since it had expanded. Was pleasantly surprised, not just at the cheap prices and the wide choice of titles, but also how pleasantly 'squidgy' the bookshop is. The only reason that I'm not there all the time ... well, you guys can fill in the blanks.

And they also have a snazzy new website with lists of all the books in stock and a map to help you find them.

Pay Less are having another warehouse sale this weekend, this time at the YMCA. (Click to enlarge the map.) I might be tempted meself!

Postscript:

And here's another source of cheap books, found via good-ole Facebook!

Secondhand and nearly-new books for sale at The Dram Projects to raise funds for the MY-UK Project, a creative arts exchange between Malaysian and British kids.

The aim of this exchange is to, ultimately, enable the participants to share with their communities what they have learnt, through performances and workshops.

Saturday, March 1, 2008
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Location: The Dram Projects, BG-6 Happy Mansions, Jalan 17/13, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Pay Less Moves Out

From Pay Less Books:

We are having MOVING OUT SALE in PAY LESS BOOKS below:

Carrefour Subang (Lot B1.01, Level B1) - Until 30 January 2008

Amcorp Mall (Lot 1.70, 1st Floor) - Until 30 January 2008

Summit USJ (Lot 1.32 & 1.33, 1st Floor) - Until 15 February 2008

50% off Storewide!!!

ALL BOOKS MUST GO.

Why, ah?

Over the last few weeks I've got to know Elke, the owner of Pay Less (and a great lady!) who is doing my creative writing class. She tells me that the rentals in the shopping malls have increased and increased to a level where it is no longer viable to maintain the shops. It makes more sense to sell book via the warehouse sales - so expect more of those.

I guess also there is the increased competition from shops like BookXcess and Big Bookshop which are selling brand-new books at knock-down prices.

Pay Less in January

Just in case you need in infusion of cheap books this weekend:

Pay Less in December

Ok, what you really want to know is not whether Asian and Western story arcs are different (and what does it really matter in the long run anyway provided that a novel is well written and we enjoy it?) but when you can get your next infusion of extremely cheap books.

Voila! (Click to enlarge.)

And talking about book buying, has anyone been to the huge new branch of Times at The Pavillion on Bukit Bintang? Like Animah I really am heartsick at the tearing down of a historical building (Bukit Bintang Girl's School) to make way for yet more retail space, but I have always had a soft spot for Times which has tempted me into too many unplanned purchases to mention.

Actually I think I'd better stay away!

Bukus on the Cheap

Does your book supply need replenishing cheaply? This weekend might be a good time to stock up!


And if that is not enough, there's a Penguin and Pearson warehouse sale 16-21st November. (Thanks Synical for sending me the link to the ShoppingNSales blog.)

I've got an invite to the preview .... but I'm not supposed to be buying anymore books, am I? Well am I??

Pay Less at Millenium Square

Ooops! Almost forgot to tell you about the Pay Less warehouse sale at Millennium square, P.J. this weekend. Click on the poster to enlarge for details. The map is here.

I think I might go there right now! It's not that I need books, it's just ...

Pay Less at the Weld

PAY LESS BOOKS will be having a book fair at The Weld:

Venue: 1st Floor, The Weld Kuala Lumpur

Date: 24 - 29 September 2007 (Monday - Saturday)

Time: 10:00am - 8:00pm


Further details here.

Cheapy Cheapy Books

Okay you stingy fellows out there who need a quick bibliofix at rock bottom prices, this is a great time to pick up a bargain.

Pay Less are having one of their amazing warehouse sales:

(Find a map to the place on this previous post.)

Big Bookshop in Atria has new stock piled high at low low prices. It's not so much a warehouse sale these days as an almost permanent fixture! I went on Sunday, bumped into Natasya (who took this less than flattering photo of me in my Sunday morning scruffiness) and Roy, and was happily passing you-might-enjoy-this-es to them. I didn't find the fiction too exciting, but was delighted to find a book I had on my wish list: The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction, and several others I haven't even had time to open yet.

Someone told me that BookXcess in Ampcorp Mall have moved to a larger shoplot, but I haven't been there to check it out.

The hypermarkets did piss me off the other day, but I'm glad that Tesco is selling remaindered Penguin Classics along with the frozen peas. Jordan wrote to tell me that he had picked up some great bargains at the Kajang store including James Joyce for RM6 which is a steal. (Loss leaders again??)

MPH has very generous discounts at the moment for their Merdeka Sale with up to 20% off selected titles and 15% off all books. (I just bought Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union in a beautiful hardback edition for for around RM55 after discount!)

And, dear bookshop people, I am always happy to pass on news of special offers to the readers of this blog, so why don't you drop me a line?

All of these sales I have heard about from friends, through rumours, or by going to the store. Not via email from the booksellers.

KLIBF but Not Glib!

The Kuala Lumpur International Book fair opens today and and runs until 6 May at Putra World Trade Centre. This is the 26th year of the event which aims to exhibit latest local and international publications, and serve as a meeting point for publishers, book traders and readers.

The event is served this year by an extremely well-designed website. Go check it out ... and maybe see you there?

If you need any further inducement, Pay Less books has a booth and will be offering generous discounts!

Pay Less - Again

Sorry.

(Map here.)

Book Sales

Found this news of the next MPH Warehouse sale on the (extremely useful) Shopping and Sales blog. (And thanks Juria for poking me about it!)


And least I be accused of any unfair favouritism, here's a plug for the new Pay Less store which opens tomorrow and has an opening promotion.

Finding Treasure

No money. No shelf-space for more books. No time to read 'em.

And yet, yes, there I was at the Pay Less book sale yesterday with Saras and Mercy. And as always, it was fun and we all ended up with some cheaply purchased treasures.

My best buy was Journal of Katherine Mansfield. I love Mansfield's stories, visited her house in Wellington some years ago and wanted to buy a copy of her journal then - but didn't have enough money on me. This book was waiting for me!

I also got a big fat book on the psychology of dreams: Our Dreaming Mind by Robert L. Van de Castle, 'cos this is a subject that fascinates me (and which I draw on in my writing course).

The sale isn't enormous and the fiction selection was a disappointing, but hey, you too might just end up with a treasure or two.

Pay Less at YMCA

Dare I even mention this? (Another map here.)

Cheapo Cheapo Books

It can't be anything but good news when you come across a source of cheap copies of books you want to read.

I seldom go to Amcorp Mall, but went exploring on Friday and found several book rental shops, a branch of Pay Less and branch of Popular, and this ...

Some four years back Jaqueline Ng (pictured here with her husband) began selling imported magazines in Reissued for a fraction of the cost of current issues - most titles go for RM9.90, and it's possible to get magazines which are just a month or two old. It's a good place to stock up on reading material for specialist interests and some of the titles are not normally sold in Malaysia.

She has now started BookXcess in the adjacent lot, planning to bring in a plentitude of cheap books from the UK. She's using the same suppliers as Big Bookshop and plans to keep prices to the same level e.g. most fiction titles are going for under RM20. The difference is that you won't have to wait for a warehouse sale - the books will be this price year round. A new consignment will be here soon and she has promised to let me know when they arrive.

Meanwhile, if you are in Amcorp, do drop by and talk to Jacqueline about the kinds of books you'd like to see brought in and the kind of prices you'd be prepared to pay. The shop is located at Level 2-10. (And why not go browse when you drop by the Sunday flea market?)

Anyway I couldn't resist a few mags and bought Dreams of Speaking by Gail Jones for RM19.90.

I also went off the the Times Warehouse sale. There were an awful lot of books there - as usual - but a lot I think were "recycled" from their previous sales and there was little fiction that I fancied.

I wasn't tempted go crazy, but found enough stuff to make me happy including Melvyn Bragg's 12 Books that Changed the World (which I had almost bought full price), Writing Poetry (in the Teach Yourself series but surprisingly useful), The Cat Owner's Manual (am a sucker for books on cats and this one made me laugh 'cos it's written in techie speak) An Instance of the Finger Post by Iain Pears (a novel highly recommended by friends some time back), and Shirley Lim's Joss and Gold (to fill a gap in my local reading).

Was a bit sad to see books getting bent and warped by the way they were arranged/ chucked on the tables. Even a remaindered book deserves respect.

And the biggest downside to the sale was the total hassle of trying to find a parking place where there were none at all to be had.

Not enough cheap books for you? The Big Bookshop warehouse sale is still on in Atria until the end of this month, though no new stock has been added. And MPH has a Bookfair and Stock Clearance Sale at its Subang Parade branch 17th-28th January, with discounts of up to 50%.

(Pic nicked from MPH website)

Bounteous Book Bargains

Went along to the Pay Less Warehouse Sale and took along a young guy called Nicholas who writes very well and has just finished his A levels in Singapore. I don't think he expected the sale to be so big or for there to be so many must read books going so cheaply. Yes, it is a very good sale - just have the others have been.

But maybe because I've been to so many sales lately and my shelves are groaning under the weight of unread books, I didn't jump into the fray with such gleeful abandon. Was very picky about my choices. (Not so Nicholas who filled a huge carton.)

Warehouse sales are a good place to socialise. Here's poet and artist Rahmat Harun.

And here's another friend and poet, Raja Ahmad. We went for a drink and chat with them at the A&W afterwards.

I'm beginning to realise that there is a breed of folks you can call Kaki Warehouse Sale. Here's Justin, Margaret and Joel with boxes and boxes of books. I got talking to Justin and Margaret at the last Pay Less Sale, and learned how they are building a library ...

... and they're so systematic about it. Justin has the list of books he wants to find with many of the books crossed off!

I also bumped into Tina whom I'd also met at the last sale and I was adding enthuistically to her pile! And Yvonne Lee. And Simran, who has just joined our book club. And Peter who works in pay Less in One Utama, but couldn't resist coming to look for books on his day off! (He used to work for Tower records and we used to talk classical music whenever I went in there.)

I came home with this pile of books for just RM36. Not a big pile, but good stuff to keep me happy.


So ... what did you buy?

Bankruptcy Warning

Arrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Happiness is Book-Shaped

Okaylah. I went for a second round. This time I gave book browsing my full attention and came away with 22 more books, most of them hardback (total cost RM80).

Some were replacements for copies that have gone "walkies" over the years (the Bainbridge, the Burgess). The Annie Proulx Close Range is a hardback illustrated copy to replace the age-spotty favourite paperback. Then there are books by writers I haven't actually tried yet: Anne Lamott, Elizabeth Berg, E.L. Doctorow (I know! I know!), Jay McInerney.

I hadn't read Betty Friedan before (I just heard Sharanya gasp in horror, I think) but can't put down The Fountain of Age (written for old ladies like me, not for the likes of you).

Happiness is book-shaped. And at prices like these, a reader can afford to experiment.

For example. I feel inspired by the note left by Fei in the comments today. She said that she was Chinese educated and only used to read a couple of English books a year - but thanks to Pay Less, she's taking a risk on writers like Primo Levi, Katherine Anne Porter, Walker Percy.

And then this morning, I got chatting to a guy called Justin and his wife, they were filling box after box with the best literary fiction they could find. (I was jealous 'cos they got to a copy of Underworld before me. But that didn't stop me shoveling "must reads" onto their pile.) Justin was in the shipping line and used to scour the port cities of the world for bargain books. He used to love biographies and is a recent convert to fiction ... now with a personal library of pretty good stuff to get him started.

I met a little boy called Arjun as I was sitting on the floor sorting out my pile. He wanted to show me his books too, a whole basket of them that his mum (browsing the cookbooks) had found for him.

The point I'm making is that it is the availability of plentiful, good quality, astonishingly cheap books that will create a generation of readers. Heck, it will probably do more than all the formal reading programmes laid end to end.

MPH, Times, Kino, Popular ... don't look so worried lah. Once these guys have had their first few fixes they will become dangerous bookaholics searching for their latest hit, diverting the housekeeping money to support the habit. Like me.

Have I mentioned that I love Pay Less?

The Spoils!

My loot from the Pay Less Warehouse sale yesterday. Went with Sham and we had such fun! I hadn't expected there to be so many desirable books - and for next to nothing.

There was such a carnival atmosphere. Everyone shovelling books into huge cardboard cartons with big smiles on their faces. Me piling book after book into Sham's box: "You must read this. And this. And this. And this." And then doing the same thing to all the other people standing around looking at the fiction. Never mind that we hadn't been formally introduced.

Met Raja Ahmad Aminullah, my poet/publisher friend. Thor Kar Hoong of Skoob Books was there with arms full. A very nice young man came up to ask me "Are you Sharon?" Turns out he's one of the silent readers of this blog and enjoys the book recommenations.

I found hardback copies of some of the books I have in tatty paperback and filled in gaps in my library with books by Philip Roth, Barabara Kingsolver, Alice Walker, Carol Shields, Ann Patchett and others. 16 lovely books for RM49!!

Pay Less Warehouse Sale

More cheapy books for impoverished bookaholics: