I am a Mumbaiite, so I can safely say shopping for books is one thing I don’t worry about. Not many people know it, but there are several places in Mumbai where you can find great authors, prize winning books, bestsellers and at unbelievable rock bottom prices.what will you say if I tell you books like, ’The Da Vinci Code’ is available at Rs.10.
Don’t be shocked! Here’s how you need to shop for books in Mumbai ishtyle!
Churchgate:
Now don’t be surprised that I am not mentioning any book store, because the entire place is decked with books. The closer you move to the Flora Fountain circle the more book stalls line the road.
These book stalls are run by people who have no idea about the true value of the book in the eyes of the readers! The thicker the size of the book, the higher the price. You need to show your bargaining skills to these guys. There are a variety of schemes that these people offer, but will not tell you that voluntarily, you need to have information vell in advance.
Let me share with you two of the schemes I know about:
1. Buy a book today for the amount he charges you and return it when you finish reading. On which you will probably get a refund of 3/4th the price or whatever you manage to convince the guy with. One condition strictly applies the book when returned must be intact.
2. Pay an initial deposit of say Rs.50 or Rs.100 and take home a book. Read and return quickly, which should be around a week or two. Now, on your return of the previous book, you can take home another book by paying just an additional of Rs.10. And the great news is that when you need to close your account with the stall, you get your initial deposit back.
The key words in the above would be bargain and trust!
Establish the above two and you wouldn’t need to look at another book store for your entire lifetime.
Besides Churchgate, book fairs are an ideal place to shop. To know where book fairs are held you need to keep a watch on the advertisements that appear in the local newspapers.
Thats about it from my end. Most of the books I read come from these two places or by postal delivery.
And let me not leave you high and dry with just 2 hot joints for books.
There is yet another great offer that is currently accompanying Readers Digest Magazine. Exclusive abridged versions of bestsellers. So far I have received 4 books with 4 novels in each book, which makes it upto 16 bestsellers. And there seems to be more from where that came from.
Heres a peek into what they have to offer.
The distant echo - Val McDermid
Trojan Odyssey - Clive Cussler
Leaving Eden - Anne LeClaire
Blood is the sky - Steve Hamilton
The king of torts - John Grisham
A week in winter - Marcia Willet
etc etc etc.
The packages come via VPP, which means you of course have to pay roughly around Rs.300 - Rs.700 per book.
But trust me, it is worth it. Hardback covers and the sophisticated manner in which the book and the stories is presented, makes it a collectors item.
Go ahead and get drunk on all those books that you have been longing to have.
Cheers.,
Narmada.