The Sunday Haul and News of the Book Fair

The Sunday Haul

One book that most books on writing recommend aspiring writers to go through is Natalie Goldberg’s ‘Writing Down the Bones.’ Needless to say I have managed to get hold of this book sometime last year. I have started reading this book last week but did not pay much attention to the introduction which was by another writer. At Abids I came across a book by an author whose name seemed familiar. It was Judith Guest’s ‘Ordinary People’ and I picked it up after reading on the front cover that it was a bestseller and such praise by the Washington Post. I got the book for only twenty rupees. I found that the introduction to Natalie Goldberg’s book was by Judith Guest. It was quite a coincidence.

I don’t know why I picked up the next book. It was an uncorrected proof copy of Robert Daley’s ‘Hands of a Stranger’, a yellow covered book with strange markings on it. I wanted to see how an uncorrected proof looks like so I picked it up. It was in a heap of books selling for only ten rupees. It was more than three hundred pages long and looked quite hefty.

The next book I found was one I have several copies of and one that I recommend others to read. It was Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year in Provence’ but the copy I found was a hardcover edition that I was getting for only ten rupees. Not one to let go of a good bargain I picked it up and added it to my growing collection of second copies.

More Books Ahead

One annual event I look forward to eagerly is the annual Book Fair in Hyderabad that is usually held in the month of December. The 23rd Hyderabad Book Fair begins on the 18th, i.e., the day after tomorrow at Necklace Road. Last year I had found a few good books including a magnificent copy of the jeweler and penmaker Cartier’s ‘Art of Writing’ that I got dirt cheap. This year too I hope to land some good titles and I hope to stop buying any more books after the book fair if I can help it, that is. The fair is for ten days and I read only today that a special stall this year is for Writer’s Stall where writers who have written only one book can display their work. It seems a very good idea.