Bookish horror!!!!

Sometimes horrible things happen to the booklover. Things that only other booklovers can understand.

When my husband was going for business trip, he asked me to lend him one of my books. He is not a booklover, therefore I wanted to give him interesting and absorbing book that would caught his attention from the first page. So I gave him my beloved Snowman by Jo Nesbo. Before his departure, I repeated multiple times that he should take care of the book and bring it home safe and sound. Needless to say that I had the gut feeling that something bad was going to happen to my treasured book. 

After my husband arrived to his destination he said that something really bad happened and begged me not to get angry. Here was what happened to The Snowman. After plane had touched down, my husband left laptop and the book on his seat and was trying to collect his hand luggage. In a short moment of inattention, The Snowman was gone in mysterious way! Nobody knew what happened, nobody seen anything!

I felt like somebody kidnapped my child. I do not have any kids, but I assume if I had one I would feel like this.  Terrified, scared, angry and powerless. There was nothing that I could do. There is no booklovers police that I could call and tell them that some heartless person committed bookish crime.

The book was not priceless or rare. I bought it in second hand book store but this was my beloved book though… it had torn cover and a beautiful old book smell.  Ohhh, The Snowman and I been through so much together! Evenings of passionate reading and fear to switch off the light afterword! I was covering the book with other books before I went to the bed because I did not want to see those penetrating eyes of the woman on the cover. And, I always was watching the entrance door, the killer would come anytime!

 Till today, I am asking myself, what kind of person could steal somebody’s book? Without a doubt, that person was not a booklover. A real booklover would never do that.  That thief was selfish and heartless book criminal. Every booklover knows what kind of feeling it is when you lose your beloved book.

 So this is my message to that heartless book theft, whoever and wherever you are…

You deprived me of something so precious. You took from me not only a piece of paper, but you also kidnapped my dear companion, Harry Hole! Even if I buy identical copy of The Snowman, it won’t be the same. Despite all negative feelings that arouse in me after this horrible incident, I decided to forgive you. I hope you enjoyed the Snowman as much as I did. Be good for this book, it really deserves it…

And, small advice to everybody. Never lend your books! Terrible things might happen if you do!

My 10 favourite quotes on books and reading

 Last week I was searching for inspirational quotes on books and reading for my work assignment. This motivated me to gather my favorite and inspirational quotes of writers, politicians and businessmen.  Definitely, some of the below quotes are not the most famous but they are special for me... humble booklover.                                                        

1. “Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light”      Vera Nazarian

2. “Books allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today” Mark Zuckerberg

3. “I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot” Bill Gates

4. “At that moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into library, we change their lives forever, for the better. It’s an enormous force for good” Barack Obama

5. “A good day is one where I can not just read a book, but write a review of it. Maybe today I’ll be able to do that. I get for some reason somewhat stronger when the sun starts to go down. Dusk is a good time for me. I’m crepuscular” Christopher Hitchens

6. “I love the smell of  book ink in the morning“ Umberto Eco

7. “Sometimes I sensed that the books I read in rapid succession had set up some sort of murmur among themselves, transforming my head into an orchestra pit where different musical instruments sounded out, and I would realize that I could endure this life because of these musicales going on in my head” Orhan Pamuk

8. “If you only read the books that everyone is reading, you can only think what everyone is thinking” Haruki Murakami

9. “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that would or stab us. If the book we’re reading doesn’t make us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for?” Franz Kafka

10. “If people buy my book for vanity, I consider it a tax on idiocy” Umberto Eco 

Let's read, booklovers!

Booklover's favourite places in Dubai

There are several places where readers can buy new and second- hand books in Dubai. In my opinion, some of those places are particularly noteworthy because of offered collections and great atmosphere.

Book World by Kinokuniya at Dubai Mall        

                                         

This marvellous and the biggest bookshop in UAE is located at Dubai Mall. Although the Mall is like a jungle and I always get lost, it is a booklover’s instinct that leads me straight to the Kinokuniya. Ever since I bought my first book there, I feel nostalgic about this place. Honestly, this is heaven on Earth for every bibliophile! Kinokuniya is so spacious that when you enter you cannot see the end of it. Place is also sophisticated, bright and very well- organized.

You can find any genre you like and extremely nice staff is always helpful and courteous. You can always ask whether particular book is in the stock; they even order books which are not available at the moment. Over half a million books are offered in several languages. In other words, Kinokuniya provides excellent selection of books of all sorts. In addition, you can purchase gifts vouchers, comics, magazines, action figures, stationary, and games.

Although I truly admire this place, books cost arm and leg there! Some books can be found cheaper in other stores around Dubai. I am particularly interested in history and social sciences books but horrendous prices make be dizzy sometimes. Too bad that Kinokuniya does not make any special offers and sales. Actually, I have never seen any book on sale. I would expect bookstore like Kinokuniya to make nice deals from time to time.

Personally, I do not buy books online because I could not miss the pleasure of exploring all the shelves filled with thousands of beautiful books, but for those who do not have time or do not like crowded shopping malls Kinokuniya offers online store.

In overall, it is heaven for booklovers, 4- 5 hours is not enough to explore everything what Kinokuniya offers.

House of Prose at Jumeirah Plaza Shopping Centre and House of Prose at Garden Centre

The House of Prose first started in Muscat, Oman 23 years ago. Then Mr. Mike McGinley, in 1997 established a shop at Jumeirah Plaza Shopping Centre on the Beach Road  in Dubai. This tiny and lovely second- hand shop offers variety of books at very affordable prices. Furthermore, if you return book in good condition you will get 50 per cent refund. Since each of book is stamped with House of Prose stamp you can return to either of their locations. With loyalty card, after buying nine books you can claim a complimentary book, or coffee. When I first visited that store I was amazed with variety of books; some of them really good tittles in perfect condition, and still at a fair price. In my opinion, it is senseless to spend a fortune on the same books in stores in the shopping malls. But, what I really like about House of Prose is that you can find interesting old books, which new book stores do not offer.

Second store is located in Garden Centre, Al Quoz, on Sheik Zayed Road. Although tiny in size, it is really charming corner where you can sit on little chairs and look through the collection. Both places have souls and characters. I have been visiting them regularly ever since I arrived to Dubai almost two years ago.

You can follow House of Prose on Facebook to check out new arrivals and you can book by phone those items you are interested in. I recommend to visit the store’s website and watch short book reviews by Mr. Mike McGinley.

I think that House of Prose is a great project and I hope to see more place like this around Dubai in the future.