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Book lovers’ paradise
Offering books at discounted prices, the International Book Fair proved a satisfying treat for book lovers
By Ishani Ranasinghe
Been looking for a particular book for ages and never got your hands on it? Well, maybe you should try the International Book Fair, now on its last day, at the BMICH. Bringing together several leading publishers under one roof, the book fair opened last Monday. Sultry Indian writer Shoba De had many book lovers making a beeline to it.
Within the halls, every corner is stacked high with books of all sorts. It is a sight worth seeing.

After spending two days at the exhibition what can I say? Well a lot. I never realized how many computer books were available, not to mention the piles of self-realization books. After purchasing a book I had been looking for months I bumped into a bunch of teenage girls crouching near a rack and giggling away... They were all happily stocking up on teenage romances being sold at Rs. 50.00.

Strolling through the fair and fighting the impulse to spend all the money I had on books, I scouted around to find the most expensive book that was available. I was truly shocked to find out that there was not one but two books that cost over Rs. 100,000. 'Mahmoud Farshchian' came at a cool Rs. 130,000 and 'Buddhist Sculptures of Tibet' almost as much. Words failed me as I flipped through their glossy pages.

This book fair was also about encouraging reading, especially among the younger generation. Competitions where children under ten years had to read and win prizes were a big attraction with the children's books being very attractively displayed.
Book lovers by and large were happy with what was on offer. Mrs. S. Weerasinghe who was carrying an armload of books said that she was thrilled with the choice. "When all of these people are here you are given a better choice of books," she said.
Convenience was also a factor.

"Some of the book stores are not really in places that we can go to easily but here it's really convenient," commented another book lover. What about the prices? "Well they do give quite a good bargain," said Shehani. "Most of the books here are relatively cheaper than in the shops." Most people appreciated the efforts the publishers had put in to bring these books to them.

One young reader Ravidu (10) said he was happy, as he had managed to get his mother to buy quite a few books for him. "I really like all the books I bought and will start reading them soon," he said quite enthusiastically. Silently agreeing with him, I walked away from the fair, my wallet lighter but my mind happier as now my bookcase is quite a few books richer.The book fair ends today.

Going nuts over books
By Aditha Dissanayake
My heart goes thump, thump, thump when I see them. I lose my self-control. I forget the time pass... I will give anything in the world to have them... What am I talking about?

Food? No.
Clothes? No.
Men? NO.
Books? Yes BOOKS!
Thousands and thousands of them.

On Monday, September 15, at twelve noon I found the BMICH covered with bookworms, who jostled one another, bumped into long-time-no-see friends, popped popcorn into their mouths and gulped down bone-decaying cold drinks in plastic cups. But among everything else, the siri-siri bags in their hands showed they had been devoted book-buyers too.

All together there were over a hundred and fifty stalls brimming with books, stationery, cassettes, small statues of the Buddha, posters citing the Koran and pictures of historical places.

There were books for everybody, for the student of law, the chemist, the novice computer analyst; cross-stitch books for the housewife, the art of marriage for newly weds, secrets of slimming for the 'Over-weights', and books for idiots too (Idiot's Java).
"Do you know wasps lay their eggs inside caterpillars?" asked a five-year-old from his father, reading from a book in his hands.

The children were the luckiest. Their books were the cheapest. But for others, in spite of the 10%, 20%, 30% discounts the prices were still exorbitant. Many young people browsed through the textbooks only to put them back on their shelves when they calculated the price - even with the discount it was way beyond the money they had in their purses.

Meanwhile, "so many books, but not a single motor mag," laments my companion and kinsman daydreaming of buying a BMW one day. "Are you sure? Perhaps you should look some more," I suggested, helpfully. "You have to be kidding. My legs need oiling after all this walking, can we go home now?" he begged me.

To appease him, I turned to the Omar Khayyam I had just bought and read out the lines " If the heart is awake do not waste this moment/ there is no proof of life's continuance". He paid scant attention. His mind was on the motor mag, which he was sure, was not available in any of the bookstalls.

In spite of such minor disappointments, and the constant reminder "last year there were more books" voiced by many, this year's International Book Fair proved to be a success. To those whose heart is awake to the world of books there’s not a moment to waste. The International Book fair 2003 appeased the thirst of many a bookaholic.

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