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.