Little else can give a book lover something to look forward as much as a book mela can. After waiting not-so-patiently for a whole working week, I finally went to the Delhi Book Fair yesterday. My family of three came home richer by two backpacks full of these objects of desire. From children’s books to a coffee table book on the history of the world; from new writers to classicists; from essays to poetry – our collection has been beautifully added to.
As I make space on my already burgeoning shelf today, the book lover in me feels rich. However, I also realize how my wallet is much emptier than it was before I went on this spree. You see, when temptation strikes the first thing to go out of the window is financial wisdom. At least for me. Interestingly, you are greedy and a spendthrift at the same time – greedy for the books yet with a wallet with its mouth generously wide open. And that is exactly what happened! When I look at the foot long bill of the loot from yesterday, I get a minor electric shock.
I wish books were cheaper or came with mouth-watering deals all the time. I wish reaching them did not always involve driving 20 kilometers, parking hassles, hunting among the piles, jostling hungry crowds and bargaining for more than a 10 per cent discount after finally finding ones which you can afford to adopt and take home with you. Add to that the motherly involvement of keeping the child fed, hydrated, happy and interested for 5-6 hours at a stretch and in hind-sight it does seem like quite a humongous task achieved.
I think it is time to explore the online world of books beyond the popular portals for book buying and discount deals. You know, something like Amazon coupons or Flipkart coupons on CupoNation. Not just good deals and offers I can grab for myself but also a convenient way to gift forward what I love to gift the most – books.
I think it is time to move with the times. All for the love of books, of course.
I KNOW....
ReplyDeleteI remember I had just come to uk, I was doing a security job.. getting 2 or 3 pounds an hour , doing 12 hour shifts on weekends .. weekdays went in studying .. so money was RARE commodity with all the bills that came
then I found this book place in the local market area.. they had this lovely place where second hand books were sold .. but still a book that cost one pound was a LUXURY :) and I have a loft full of them now ..
When i shifted house i was thinking I have got so much Money tied in the books when compared to what i earned and what i spent :)
you are right it does effect the wallet .. :) and yes a Humongous task achieved
All the best with the move to the popular website portals ....
I want to know about the Security Job. Have you written about it, B?
DeleteYou know, when I shift house I too will realise where I spent my money the most. Exactly where you spent it. Such assets books are aren't they. If only they multiplied in the lockers too. :D
Thanks for reading, Bikram.
it was a normal security job, nothing fancy.. more like a security guard .. it was japanese Motor place in a remote village, so when the factory closed I looked after it , looking at the cctv camera's and making sure anyone who came signed the register .. so it was not a a flashy job but gave me enough money so i did not have to ask my parents :)
DeleteYou are the man with the most interesting experiences to share. I wonder if oyu have ever thought of writing a book. Hm.
DeleteDespite the burning hole in my pocket after visiting the bookstores each time, I go home a happy person with more than a handful of books :)
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have burnt my pockets away, A. :D
DeleteThanks for being here. :)
Next on your agenda should be to populate your Kindle. No running around for books, and cheaper priced books too.
ReplyDeletePopulation explosion is happening there, Rickie. Yes, books are much cheaper there, often their prices reading like jokes. It is time to go un-conventional.
DeleteFor a while I put a stop to buying books because the stock of un-read ones from all previous purchases was getting too big. But then just a few weeks back something took me to amazon and two days later a book was delivered. Thankfully I read that one right away. But I still have many books, some from a couple of years ago, which are still in their plastic wrapping! And yet it is so tempting to buy a new one :) I am generally an online shopper though for books, but haven't migrated to kindle stuff yet...like the paper version still.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have been forced to migrate to Kindle, not permanently but often enough. The books are so much cheaper and I can still make notes in the margins, like I like to. :)
DeleteThere is something about holding a physical book and reading it. But I know that paucity of storage space and even reading places will make me convert to that hand-held device which can carry my whole book shelf in it.
Thanks for stopping by, Beloo.
I have fond memories of flocking to Pragati Maiden for book fairs! Slowly, ecommerce has got us hooked on, but I don't have words to express the joy of being surrounded by books...I feel like a child who has discovered a treasure...so I would still love to visit these fairs!
ReplyDeleteOh, same here, Shaivi. I not just feel like a child I behave like one too when I see a pile of books in front of me, a 'Rs. 100 any book' sign board. That's all it takes for me to jump into the battlefield. :D I love the Book Fairs in Delhi. When I move out of here I will really miss those.
DeleteThanks for reading.
Greedy for books; I too feel the same Sakshi. When I enter a book shop/book fair, I forget all other things. And my friends are the ones who suffer, they wait me outside patiently and then I emerge with a bundle of books!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope they help you carry them too. I carry big backpacks to the book fair. Books are heavy, sometimes as heavy as the discounts on hard bounds. :D
DeleteThanks for reading, Aiswarya.
When it comes to books, my wallet is stolen by my new incarnation, skilful pocket Maar. I end up emptying my hard earned money:)
ReplyDeleteWell, same story. And to think of it, I don't even earn. :P
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