Bookaholic

Ever since my friend asked me to accompany her to buy English novels at a secondhand bookstore in Ampang Point, Kuala Lumpur, my addiction from Malay novels had diverted to English.

Unknown to me, due to my naivety, there were thousands of English novels written by hundreds of authors, best sellers or not, on the bookshelves. I thought I could try reading one and picked up a book on vampires written by a quite famous author. This book has changed my reading habits since then. Wallah! My journey as a real bookaholic has begun.

I had always been anti-reading during school times. No matter how hard I tried, I could not enthuse myself with reading. I was amazed at how my schoolmates could even finished reading a whole thick Malay novel overnight.

Some time in 1998, my friend lent me a 100-page Malay novel written by a local best seller. This book has started my interest in reading. Since then, I started collecting Malay novels until five years where I changed to English novels. As I was once fanatic about Hindi movies, I used to read and collect a monthly Bollywood magazine called Filmfare for three years.

I enjoy reading a simple, uncomplicated plot which features a typical tall, dark and handsome hero with a beautiful and innocent heroine. To be with such protagonists is such a relief and makes me happy. On top of that, reading something that stirs my interest expands my knowledge and improves my English language.

English books, undoubtedly, cost more than Malay books. But that is not stopping me from indulging myself in them. Every month, I make sure I put aside RM30-RM40 to buy a book. When one book is insufficient, I will not hesitate to increase my budget to RM100 to buy three or four books a month.

Previously I used to visit secondhand bookstores. I did not mind travelling to different locations to buy cheaper books. I did not mind browsing around bookshelves to search for good books.

But I am smarter now, I check up the synopsis, the reviews and the best author on the internet before going to the bookstores.

Currently, my favourite bookstore is the one at Central Market where I can buy new and secondhand books at a cheaper price. I have become a regular customer. Once a month is a must, but sometimes I will go there twice, depending on my reading speed. Though the store allows buy-back for English books but I prefer to own the books I read. However, due to the current economic instability, I now rent the books instead of buying them. But if I like a particular book very much, I am willing to buy it even though I have to cut down on lunch or dinner. If the books are of my favourite authors, I will buy a better version from a commercial bookstore.