Another day, another book

I've been an avid reader of romantic novels all my life. I've read the classics, the cult favorites, the trendy chick lit (not a fan of them) and also erotica. 

So of course, with all the buzz of 50 Shades of Grey, I had to go out and get my hands on a copy, right? Wrong.

I got veto-ed, yes VETO-ed by my friendly, neighborhood bookseller. 

Bookseller uncle: Girl, why are you trying to read that? Because it's popular?" (just before I could nod in agreement) Please, lah, can you read something better? The language is terrible! It's worse than teenage writing. The novels that you've been taking are much better for story value and even the sex scenes are better.

Me: Wah, uncle you have a very strong opinion about this!Bookseller uncle: Of course, I don't want my customers to just read nonsense, even it is popular

Daaaaammmmmnn, but the bookseller uncle is fiery! And so, just because I don't naturally trust first-hand advice....I went to look for an excerpt online. I shouldn't have bothered. Two paragraphs into chapter one and I clicked off the page. I'm sure the writing will be just as scintillating for the entire series. Zzzzzzzzzzz

Ok, maybe it's the hype but I don't understand how a book like this could be so popular. Or why many well-read friends are actually promoting it. Hopefully it's just a bad phase, but its a highly disturbing one. I am hardly a book snob but at the same time, I don't like reading badly written material. I especially don't like how scenes from the book are paraphrased and reproduced. C'mon! You can do better than that!

I've told a number of friends that if you want to read a good book that has lots of sex, pick up a romantic novel or better, some erotic anthologies. While romantic novels may contain the requisite  heaving bosoms and the virile men, at least the books are well plotted and written. Need a more spicy read? Go for erotic novels. Don't be shy. after all, people have been turning to these books for ages to get new ideas to bring a little heat into their bedrooms.

So what should you read? For the curious, I'd recommend authors like Susan Johnson (go for her earlier titles), Beatrice Small, Zane  and even Anne Rice's take on BDSM Sleeping Beauty Trilogy. I'm not sure if the last one is available here but, hey, there's always Amazon.com. The last one gave me a bit of a nightmare, but that said, it's a very different take on a classic children's tale and written for a more sophisticated audience. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

But for the non-believers, you can always go back to this:

An avid bookworm, I've been renting books all my life. Well, since somewhere between primary and secondary school, to be honest.

I have nothing against libraries. I love them because they introduced me to adventure, romance, fantasy and fairy tales in the likes of  Three Musketeers, Ramona and Beeszus, Mary Poppins and Jungle Book. Oddly enough, I attempted Romeo and Juliet at Primary Five and while I didn't get any of the play's nuances then, it was an illuminating first look into what this bloody Shakespeare man offered. Hey, I was in Primary Five, I had no idea who he was!

Visits to the library were peppered with other visits to the bookstores. I was ok with toys, but much preferred the company of books because they offered that much more escapist entertainment. What else would keep me occupied and happy while being dragged on endless shopping trips? It's hilarious how things turned out because, I still hate going on long shopping jaunts.

Anyhoo, when I was around 14, my cousins took me to a new place. This was the much loved Sunny Bookstore of yore. When it used to be tucked in a corner on the second floor of Far East Plaza. To a kid who really liked to read, this was a little piece of heaven! Why? Because unlike libraries, these guys stock the latest books! I could also get series' which were not available in the libraries or even books which contained themes unsuitable to libraries, such as American Psycho or Anne Rice novels. The kicker? It operates much like a library and I'd only need a small part of my allowance to start renting books. And I get to keep the books that I really liked. Woot!

The bookstore and its people grew with the customers. While other stores had retail staff, Sunny's staff remembered their customers' names and more importantly, the type of books they liked so that they can recommend new authors to try or tell you when a new book comes in. Since these guys have changed ownership over the last year, things have gone down the drain. They are back to being a regular bookstore with bored retail staff. As a customer, it's a great feeling to come into a store to chat with the staff about the newest arrivals, which authors have launched new series' or even ask to review books that you've heard of but never had the chance to read. There are small, rental booskstore which still operate similarly to the old Sunny Bookshop, but it ain't the same. It's people (who've become friends) will never be replaced.

I don't buy books because I don't have the luxury of space in my tiny, cramped apartment, which is why renting is a great option. I'll usually take out about 10-12 books and these will last me about two months. And while I know that you can download books on electronic devices, I'm not fond of being overly reliant on devices to the point that they seem to be glued to me.

At the end of the day, I'm somewhat of a traditionalist when it come to books. I still love the smell of new books, the grainy texture of the paper on limited editions and of turning that page to find out what happens next. I want to curl up in bed, sit on the train or cafe and just dive into a good book. I can read it on planes too! Don't have to turn anything off to read a book, y'know. Plus, I want to be able to just set the book aside or shove it into my bag without worrying if I have enough battery to last through the day or, is there an electrical point where I can change my device? I already have enough of that nonsense in trying to manage my laptop and mobile phone.

I know that it sounds silly and non tree-huggy, but it will suffice for now.