I am scouring Taipei for bookstores with whatever time is left from sightseeing and road trips. Today I visited the Eslite Bookstore in Banqiao. The selection of books is very good, but this branch didn’t have much English selections. I didn’t come out empty-handed, though. I got a planner which had a delightful quote on reading.
Category Archives: Books
dear bookworms in Singapore, don’t you miss it?
I have been touring your city for the past three days, when it hit me: I have not yet seen a bookstore. From Orchard Road to the Marina district and Sentosa Island; Not one bookstore. I’m sure there’s at least one. Having realized that, I intensified my search and finally found one inside a mall on Tanglin road.
The bookshop consists of one aisle of books, the rest are accessories.
A concierge in one of the larger malls finally told me that Singaporeans mostly read e-books now. I think thats’s amazing that you’re able to do without a lot of space, yet I feel sad for those of you who live for the smell of words on paper. 
Nevertheless, I am very happy you still gave me the perfect remembrance for this SG trip. This set of books were displayed in a Scandinavian gift shop.
It is another quirky mystery to add to the shelves. The title character is an Sikh policeman working in Singapore. The first book in the series is set in both Malaysia and Singapore. The third book is set in Singapore. I would have bought the other titles and read about other Asian countries, but at 18 SGD per book, two books are enough for now. 🙂 Hope I can come back 🙂 Thank you!
Today rocked.
1. Went out with an old friend and a new friend. 2. Visited my alma mater. I got my alumni ID, a T-shirt in the university colors, and more goodies besides. 3. Satisfied craving for Spam musubi. 😍 Double … Continue reading
Book Finds – Terry Pratchett’s Debt of Bones
Debt of Bones is a prequel to the Sword of Truth series (which became a TV series called Legend of the Seeker starring Craig Horner and Bridget Regan). I devoured the series so fast, I had to reread them (heh). It is a great feat for an author to completely immerse the reader in his world for the length of 12 books. Thus when I saw Debt of Bones, I just had to have it. Reading it made me think about finally purchasing the physical books (I only have the series in ebook format).
This is a book about magic, politics, and hard decisions. 
One Gear at a Time.
Pause.
Stop.
Breathe.
Repeat 10x: I am not running a marathon.
Let it sink in.
***
I feel harrassed and pressured with so many things to be done in setting up a book business. This post from a friend, a budding photographer, really reminded me that I want to take pleasure in this dream — each step of the way.
Book Finds! Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct
Have I mentioned how much I love second-hand book stores? Two major factors: Prices are at least half of what one would find in normal book stores. With a little bit of luck, some neck strain, and a whole lot … Continue reading
A Bookworm’s Dream
I’ve been selling used books for a month now. It started as an improvement plan from Project Room Makeover – I had literally boxes of books and zero shelf space. I’ve had to scrutinize each book and decide whether it’s … Continue reading
Book Finds! The Three Investigators
Today, my brother brought home a surprise: a volume of three complete stories of The Three Investigators.
At the time Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys were the popular kids in the detective genre, I was hooked on The Three Investigators. It’s been at least 10, possibly 15 years since I laid eyes on this.
What I like about The Three Investigators:
A simple background story. The boys are always introduced in the first few pages. Jupiter Jones, Bob Andrews and Pete Crenshaw. There are stereotypes: Jupe is the leader and intellectual, Bob is the quiet nerd and Pete is the athlete 🙂 In a formula reminiscent of Francine Pascal, the boys and their background are described in the first few pages.
The quirks. They have a secret office in a scrapyard. They have access to a gold Rolls-Royce limousine. They also get to talk with Alfred Hitchcock often – Hitchcock frequently introduces each book and the last chapter has a scene wherein the boys share the solution to their latest mystery with him.
Their slogan: We Investigate Anything. Like the teenagers from Scooby Doo, the 3 Investigators sometimes get into trouble. Unlike them, their mysteries are seldom far-fetched. Though the solution may be elaborately narrated, they are able to get to the “bottom of it all” using logic and their innate skills. I really enjoy reading about their adventures.
It’s sad that the only chance I get of completing this series is by browsing in thrift stores or secondhand bookstores.
Come to think of it, there are few quality detective series for kids nowadays. That’s even sadder.
Hiatus…
Re-reading the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy has really triggered in me an interest in European politics. Being apathetic for most of my life, it’s only now that I’m starting to be aware of the issues in my homeland. And while reading Larssen’s books, I have an impression that Europeans seem to be a lot more involved in their nation, and that is an admirable trait.
So now I checked Coursera if there is an “intro to political science” or “intro to the history of politics” in their catalog and found this:
I want!!! The course is not yet available though 😦
Simplicity and Felicity 