Of Books, of Authors, of Reviewers, of Book Clubs and Moore Market

There was a time when finding a book meant something special. Look at rows and rows or rather piles of books on the pavement on Mount Road, Triplicane, or shops at Moore Market. Haggling with the book-seller, good-natured ribbing and persuasion and getting a deal. Look at the cover, reading the blurb, wondering how different the book would be… All very nostalgic.

Now everything has to be a big-launch, promo after promo, trailers for books – my God, where have we come to… Goodreads, FB, Twitter, stars, reviews, ratings, it is no longer a book for the love of reading and writing. Even the beautiful book has become a blasted product to be glossed, lots of make-up applied, lies pandered, images created, marketing push, review push, page-like push, events, parties, interviews… an endless loop. I gratify your ego, you gratify mine… The self-publishing revolution has unearthed some gems, but has set forth an entire chain of authors who will stop at nothing short of stardom.

OK–Why did I digress? Damn this random sequencing syndrome will kill me. The seed of the post was how book-buying habits have changed. The stores seem to be dying everywhere, except Bengaluru. Online book sales, discounts, stars and review-ratings dictate terms. The joy of finding a new author (hitherto unread is lost). We have blog reviews, newspaper reviews, magazine reviews and celebrity endorsements and how could I forget — Book Club recommendations to go by!!!

OK let me look up for the best deal between Flipkart and Amazon and buy a book…We need patronage for shops like Giggles in Chennai. Blossom and Bookworm in Bengaluru where we can still find gems. My dear book-seller Anna on Mount Road has been away on a long break – Metro Rail, police harassment, traffic, have all taken their toll. At Anna Nagar, used book shops have gone replaced by some store. Moore Market stands a testimony to a time gone by. The engineering, computing and medical books sell like hot cakes. Dig deeper into the complex, there are some thathas still selling old Enid Blytons, dig deeper you may find an old edition of Playboy somewhere, the Readers Digest condensed classics, Perry Masons, Frederick Forsyths and other popular writers all find a place in the dog-eared books.

Time to go visit Moore Market, so who is joining me!!

#BOOKADAYINDIA – My List

With lots of book-loving friends putting up posts on a daily basis about the books they love – #BOOKADAYINDIA.

Here comes my blog-post, it is finally year-end; but no great change in the ‘quantum of work at work’ – life goes on as usual.

But we need to make some time right 🙂 So without further ado —-

Ideal December Read – ‘A Christmas Carol’

Book Cover – ‘Swami and Friends’ – Life in a simple unhurried time!

A book you identify with – ‘Oliver Twist’.

Wisest book I have read – ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’

A book you keep going back to – ‘The Complete Sherlock Holmes’ – Never tire of reading the book.

Your perfect winter read – ‘Pride and Prejudice’

First book that I remember reading – Very, very tough question – ‘He-Man’ pocket comics perhaps!

The book that gives me the chills – ‘Dracula’

My favourite mythological tale – ‘Mahabharata’

The book that makes me want to write – ‘The Jungle Book’ by Rudyard Kipling

A book character that I want to marry – George/Georgina from the ‘Famous Five’ series 🙂 – Wonder how she would be as an adult!!! Fascinated by Lisbeth Salander as well.

A book that I pretend to have read – ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce.

I curl up to read – A good crime thriller – Love Jo Nesbo’s works in the past two years he has become a huge favourite.

My favourite book series – ‘The Famous Five’ by Enid Blyton.

My favourite Jane Austen character – Emma

A book that made you hungry – All Tarla Dalal cook-books 🙂

Favourite Autobiography – ‘My Experiments with Truth’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

A book to read when homesick – David Copperfield

Favourite fairytale character – Betaal – from Vikram and Betaal.

Christmas Gift book – ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’

A book that made me cry – ‘Marley and Me’.

Best book that I got as a gift – Twelfth Birthday I guess – ‘A book of Feluda stories’ by Satyajit Ray.

My favourite family read – ‘Winnie the Pooh’ tales.

Favourite Christmas book – This is an overload of Christmas themed entries here – ‘Horton Hears a Who’

Book on my shelf that I have not read – Well I have two racks full of books to read!!!!!

A book I can’t put down – ‘The Phantom’ by Jo Nesbo.

An author I discovered this year – Barry Eisler.

Best read of 2014 – ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn.

Favourite Rudyard Kipling Character – Bagheera and Baloo.

Most awaited book of 2015 – Probably the next book to be written by Jo Nesbo!