After the Borders trip yesterday I dropped by my parents's house to say hello (and to get free dinner). Mum said it's been a long time since she visited Kinokuniya. Why not we go there tomorrow, she said. I said, fine.
So that's how I found myself in kinokuniya today, and came back out with another four books. I mentioned how I'm addicted to book buying to my mum, and she said, don't worry, it runs in the family. She added: "Better a creative mess at home, then an idle neatness."
Yay! It's great when your mum justifies your book buying spree!
Anyways, the spoils:
The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nicolai V. Gogol
I blame Jhumpa Lahiri for this one.
Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin
I wanted to get Norwegian Wood but they didn't have that in the British edition so I bought this instead.
No god but God by Reza Azlan
I have a love-hate relationship with the Message of Peace. Once in a while I read non-fiction books about it.
Malay Society: Transformation & Democratisation by Khoo Kay Kim
Research material for a novel I'm writing.
I also checked the KinoNavi for Anthony Burgess's The Long Day Wanes (The Malayan Trilogy) and found one copy in their database, but the book itself wasn't on the shelf. I asked the girl at the infodesk, and they dutifully went around looking for it. After some minutes of searching, they gave up and offered to order it for me instead. No thanks, I said. It'll probably get restricted and left it at that.
So that's how I found myself in kinokuniya today, and came back out with another four books. I mentioned how I'm addicted to book buying to my mum, and she said, don't worry, it runs in the family. She added: "Better a creative mess at home, then an idle neatness."
Yay! It's great when your mum justifies your book buying spree!
Anyways, the spoils:
The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nicolai V. Gogol
I blame Jhumpa Lahiri for this one.
Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin
I wanted to get Norwegian Wood but they didn't have that in the British edition so I bought this instead.
No god but God by Reza Azlan
I have a love-hate relationship with the Message of Peace. Once in a while I read non-fiction books about it.
Malay Society: Transformation & Democratisation by Khoo Kay Kim
Research material for a novel I'm writing.
I also checked the KinoNavi for Anthony Burgess's The Long Day Wanes (The Malayan Trilogy) and found one copy in their database, but the book itself wasn't on the shelf. I asked the girl at the infodesk, and they dutifully went around looking for it. After some minutes of searching, they gave up and offered to order it for me instead. No thanks, I said. It'll probably get restricted and left it at that.
mystery solved - the long day wanes is behind the desk 'cos i ordered the last copy (which you can have actually) ... what you say here confirms my hunch that the american version can still come in via kino while the uk version via pansing isn't going to make it over the border
ReplyDeleteglad you have a pile of lovely books. your parents are so supportive - you are really lucky
Ah... so it IS there then. Good to hear we can order the American edition, at least. Don't worry Sharon, I don't need it, I already have a copy (my uncle's actually).
ReplyDeleteMy parents better be supportive! It's their fault I'm like this! Hahaha
It's because of the name GOGOL...isnt it?
ReplyDeleteBibi
Well yes, but in Jhumpa Lahiri's Namesake, the main character's father mentions what he likes so much about Gogol, and there's this one scene that's very moving that involves Gogol's book saving his father's life, so naturally I'm inclined to start reading some of Gogol's work.
ReplyDeleteLucky you... sprees at Borders and Kino AND parents who encourage that!
ReplyDeleteBefore I moved out, I used to sneak books into the house. Books! My parents don't know how lucky they are. Sigh...
Well, my parents aren't exactly encouraging... they just know they can't say anything about it as long as I don't use their money. And besides, they're guilty of it too.
ReplyDeleteyour uncle's copy? did your uncle tell you that burgess sent him several copies of "time for a tiger" and they got lost or stolen somehow. those copies would be worth thousands of ringgit now (signed first editions of a book that became a classic). of course, your uncle could have been bullshitting. (he and burgess had a lot in common, no wonder they got on so well)
ReplyDeleteNo, he didn't. But my grandmother's house is notorious for making things disappear so it's quite believable that he may have lost those copies. (My mother says once a fortune teller told her the house was situated underneath the Rainbow and that brings bad luck. Figures.)
ReplyDeletei like that story! ted, you have so much family history to write about ... and please please do
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked that. I'm planning to sit down with my grandma with a tape recorder one of these days and get her to tell me her stories. Scared one day it'll be too late.
ReplyDelete