Friday, May 04, 2012

The Sunday Haul



Of the few things that prevent me from picking up books at will, lack of money tops the list just before lack of time to read. Though I came across more than a couple of books on Sunday that I wanted to pick up I couldn’t do so because it was the end of the month and the wallet wasn’t exactly in a position to support the decision. Nevertheless I picked up two books- one at Abids and the other at Chikkadpally. However the disappointment of not having picked up some books that I had seen overshadowed the joy of finding these books.

At Abids last Sunday I found another travel book- Mary McCarthy’s ‘The Stones of Venice and Rome Observed’- in a heap of books on the pavement. I got this Penguin title for twenty rupees only which is quite a bargain. I haven’t read Mary McCarthy’s other books like ‘The Group’ of which I have heard and read a lot and also come across quite frequently at Abids. But I do plan to read ‘The Stones of Venice and Rome Observed’ one of these days. The blurbs on the back cover make it difficult not to read the book.

More than a couple of years ago I had found Pico Iyer’s ‘Tropical Classical’ which is something of a treasure. ‘Tropical Classical’ showcases Pico Iyer’s essays, travelogues, reviews and other writings in one place. The copy I had found then wasn’t exactly in good condition with the pages coming apart at the spine. Not so long ago I wished I could find a good copy and that wish came true last Sunday at Chikkadpally where I found an almost brand new copy of ‘Tropical Classical’ by Pico Iyer. I preferred to buy this copy of “Tropical Classical’ over Octavio Paz’s ‘In Light of India’ and Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’ that I wanted to buy but couldn’t. Maybe next Sunday if the books are around I will pick them up first thing in the morning.

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