Book me up, Scotty!

Life is about making choices. Inevitably the question of ‘should I or shouldn't I’ will come to mind when choices are made.

I am talking about THE event of the year. The Big Bad Wolf. For those who are living in places where information is limited, the Big Bad Wolf is a book fair, strike that, book EVENT of the year. Once a year, bibliophiles will brave the horrendous traffic, pack their biggest luggage, put on their comfiest shoes and hunt for books sold at very, very low prices.

My deliberation of whether I should or should not go to the BBW ended when I saw the report done by my colleague on Friday morning. A text message from a friend asking me to keep him and my housemate company made the decision even easier.

So after work, traffic and inaudible yet accurate directions from Waze, we made it to the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre. The last time I went to the BBW was two years ago, when it was still held in Universiti Putra Malaysia. I came back with just one book. I was overwhelmed.

Upon entering the hall, I was immediately taken aback by the gigantic space. People of all ages and races, browsing through paperbacks. The prices were low. RM8 for paperbacks, RM10 for hardcovers. I spotted some really nice coffee table books for RM25, a handsome, thick book on the Pharaohs for RM50. (At this point, I wanted to grab everything, but alas, my pocket was not that deep)

Like many who came unprepared, we picked our empty boxes, provided by BBW, and went to the fiction sections. Man, it was crazy! We had to resort to judging the books by its covers and pick the ones that look interesting (I almost went to the corner and cry). Shallow, I know, but considering the fact that there were probably 20 tables, full of fictions alone, that was the best way to go if we want to make it to the end of the hall in two hours.

A few books caught my attention. Mostly biographies and travels (I’m a sucker for ‘travel experience’ books). It was quite difficult finding the books that I really wanted. The BBW has a slight limited selections, but good selections nonetheless.

Unlike the smart ones who brought rolling luggages, the box in my hand was starting to get heavier and heavier by the minute. One hour in, I was already struggling to carry it and I wasn't even close to the coffee table sections. So I went to the left hand side of the hall to deposit my box at the holding area. I must say, the storage section is a very clever idea.

With my hands free to explore the hall for the second round, I look for people to interview.

Meet Raja Nurul Anis Raja Jamal from Kuala Lumpur. A lass I met while she was busy looking for Khaled Hosseini’s in the fiction section. Raja Anis’s box was already filled with interesting selection of fictions. This is her first time at BBW. A fan of Dan Brown, Raja Anis loves reading during her free time. Unlike me, she did some research before she came to BBW. She plans to spend up to RM200.

I walked to the young adult sections to talk to these three lovely girls, Karrthini, Vaanishree, Sashmitaa. They were looking for the Maze Runner by James Dashner, the Twilight trilogy by Stephenie Meyer and the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Just look at the loot in their boxes. Man, these girls can read. According to them, the book sets are much cheaper at BBW, compared to the chain bookstores in Kuala Lumpur. One set could set them back close to a hundred ringgit. These brave girls don’t really have a budget.

Vanishree has been to the BBW three times and she bought 22 books during last year’s BBW (she proudly confessed to have read all of them).

Carrie Choo were looking for books for the daughter and sons. She was also contemplating on coming back again to search for books for herself. She arrived at 11pm and thought, like me, midnight would draw less crowd. This is her first time to the BBW. Her fear is not having enough time to look around at the other sections. She thinks she will go over her set budget. But she is fine with that because after all, these are books. According to her, children books are from RM5-RM10 each.

For those who can’t make it to the BBW, here are some pictures to make you drool.

Alas, after two hours, my friends and I gathered at the checkout counter. My damage came up to RM116 ringgit, for 11 books.

I am a happy bibliophile.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale runs from Dec 5 to Dec 16, 24 hours a day, at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre.