This is a counter-entry for the last post (Longing)...
What do I like about UK?
Cheap booksssss!!
New books (paperbacks) only cost around £3.50-4.00 -and that is for bestsellers..(buku tak glamour lagi murah)...but you can buy them much cheaper at secondhand shops or even the market (yes, markets in UK have bookstalls-ada ke pasar tani/pasar ahad kat Malaysia jual buku?)...the books will usually cost around 1-2 pounds.
But you can get it much much much much cheaper at carboot sales, as cheap as 20pence. But once I got a book for 10pence (Small Island by Andrea Levy). Haven't read it yet, I bought it because I know that book is still on the bestsellers' shelves and it is the winner of Whitbread Novel Award and Orange Prize for Fiction Best 2005 (menang je award tapi tak tau lagi best ke tak-dulu pernah baca 1 buku yg author dia Nobel Prize winner tapi campak buku tu sebab tak sedap).
But once I got 2 books for free at a carboot sale. I chose maybe 4 books but then I only had enough change for 2 books, and the minah saleh saw me thinking on which books to let go then she said "you can take all the books and just give me what you have.." hehe agaknya dia kesian tengok korek2 poket takde duit pulak..
As the result, these are my collections now....
Ok this is just 2008 collection, for 2009 I will have to buy another Billy Bookcase from Ikea. Haven't read most of the books, beli je dulu takut menyesal. I usually will go to the bookstores and scan all the new titles or the ones at the bestseller's shelves and then search for them at carboot sales. I can now easily spot the carboot that will give me some 'hasil'. It usually will belong to a nicely dressed lady, or a nicely dressed smiling couple, that arranges their things neatly on the table. Among their other items would be toys, kids' clothing, table ornaments and used jackets. They usually don't sell junks. And that's where I can get nice books. It is almost always a lady. Except once, I bought A Thousand Splendid Suns from a young man who sold it for 50pence. I suspect that book wasn't his (nobody would sell their ATSS). I actually did say a prayer that morning so that I can find that book because I wanted to own it (it was a library book that I read).
Notice my Harry Porter's collection? I bought them for a total of £3.50. Haven't found Book 1 and Book 3 yet (and of course, The Tales of Beedle the Bard).
So here are some carboot pictures (actually carboot sales itself deserve an entry).
Other than cheap books, I also looovvvve Manchester Public Library!
Very efficient, vast collection of books, and the online service is grrreattt.
Just type in title or authors then the list will appear (paperbacks/hardcover/audio books/large print) then you make reservation and you choose a pick up location (the nearest library to your home/workplace). Then in few days time you will get an email asking you to pick up your books. Then you can renew your books online to a maximum of 6 months duration. I don't know how Malaysian National Library operates, maybe someone can tell me. But I once went to Perpustakaan Awam Jasin and that was the only time I go because I found that it is only suitable for schoolchildren. I've never been to Perpustakaan Awam Melaka.
Here are my current loans:
Other than books and the fantastic library, I also love the cheap designer items! errr..not so cheap actually, but at a more reasonable price, affordable by the middle class...kalau kat Malaysia pandang je lah (ni takde gambar ok, nanti orang kata riak pulak).
Chocolates are cheap, too! A Snickers/Mars bar is only 40pence (amaran: Mars takde vegetarian label ok). A Cadbury Dairy Milk bar (the big one) is around £1.50 (99pence if you go to factory outlet)...Not guilty..you need the chemicals for your brain ok..
And of course, who wouldn't be mesmerized by the magical white snow and heavenly golden autumn colours?
Ikea, Harry Porter, Snickers, Mars, Cadbury adalah iklan tak berbayar...
