If there are two words that excite my soul it is "Book" and "Exhibition" being uttered in the same sentence. Last year I wasn't paying close enough attention and I missed it, so this year I was determined to go. I set up my Google Alert in March last year. It worked.
Not knowing quite what to expect I bowled up with fellow book enthusiast,
Catherine. She had horror stories from the previous year of having to beat a path through rabid credit card reps so we had decided to combine forces. Luckily for us, this year there were no such reps so we were free to browse in relative peace - you know, as much peace as an exhibition hall can really offer.
As awesome and fantastic as a whole hall filled with books sounds, in reality I find it a little disorienting. There's something about the bright lights and people thrusting pamphlets into your hand that can really put a bookworm off her stride. After two and a half years of living in Asia, you'd think I would be better at the whole "crowd" thing but the truth is I'm not nearly as good as I should be. Especially where buying books is concerned. It's a sensory overload - there are just so many books and not nearly enough time.
Which is not meant to sound like a complaint - it's really not. The opportunity to look at so many English language books all at the same time was really magnificent and there were some really fabulous displays of stationery and arts and crafts related stuff. I ended up purchasing
Solar by Ian McEwan and
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, two books which have been on my "Strongly Desired" mental list for quite some time. I think next time I will set aside more time for this whole experience. I think it's something I'll do in stages next year and now I know what to expect, I can go in with a clearer idea of what I want to achieve.
I used to go every year and found it very interesting and fun. I especially remember tons and tons of fun educational books for kids! :)
ReplyDeleteBig hug!
//Hellen
Thanks for stopping by :) Yeah I was blown away by the number of books for all sorts of people in all sorts of languages. I thought it was great!
DeleteI loved Roald Dahl's Matilda and would read it twice a year from the ages of 10-18. I always loved the way he didn't talk down to kids. And of course, my vocabulary expanded quite a bit thanks to him.
ReplyDeleteI can't see myself being able to have a great time at one of these things. Faced with huge spaces and too many options, my ADD kicks in and I get headaches. I know, I'm such a baby! ;)
Oh Roald Dahl. How much do I owe you? I love all of his books but Matilda will always have a special place :) I think next time I will be better prepared and structure it more so I don't get overwhelmed by taking regular breaks. I totally know how you feel!
DeleteI've never been to any kind of book exposition, and now I really want to go to one! But, I can see why it might be a bit overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteIt was so much fun, if you get a chance to go to one, do!! My only advice, stagger your time in there and have time outs with coffee or something to avoid overstimulation :)
DeleteI used to exhibit at this every year when I worked for Cambridge University Press...it is huge and lots of fun. Back then it was the third largest book expo in the world. Not sure where it ranks now...
ReplyDeleteAnyway it is fun to go to book expos. The Mecca of course is the Frankfurt Bookfair in Germany. Put that on your bucket list Kath...
That is the mother of all fairs. I have had the good fortune to go once; eleven football fields of books from everywhere in the world imaginable. Of course now it is probably just 6 iPads in a room at a hotel...:)
Frankfurt Bookfair is now on the list. Eleven football fields o books. I'm pretty sure that's where I will go after I die if I've been good.
DeleteHow lucky you were to go to the exposition! I loved the Alan Bradley book and have read all of his. I didn't know about the book, Solar, by McEwan. Hope you enjoy reading your books!
ReplyDeleteThanks Harvee! A lot of people have given Solar a bit of a bad rap but I read the first page and was hooked, so that's good news. I will let you know once I have finished them :)
DeleteI went to the taipei international book exhibition this year too but didn't come across the English-novel stands. Probably I didn't spend much time searching for the stands since the book fair was too crowded, kind of like you said disorienting, and overloaded with Chinese books. The overall experience was interesting though.
ReplyDeleteHi V! Thanks for coming by and for following me :) The English language books were off to one side in the "International" section. We needed a map to find it.
DeleteHey I'm glad that you replied the comment. :) And thanks! Next time if I happen to be there I know where I should be heading! By the way, you can check out my blog as well, cheers ;)
Deleteeverything ok? wondering how you are!
ReplyDeleteHi! Yeah I'm totally fine thanks for asking :) Just in head down/bum up mode for the end of the thesis road. I submit at the end of next month!!! Excited much?!!!!
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