Finally found a bookshop that sells english books! Yey!
It's a little over a year and I've been slacking in my reading and so disappointed and frustrated that I have not read a good number of books this 2014. :-(
Finding english books that are reasonably priced here in northern part of Thailand is quite a challenge. I've searched online before and found one but I just couldn't figure out how to understand the map. Orn's bookshop is the only second-hand bookstore in Chiang Rai that sells and exchanges multi-language books and is highly recommended by well-known travel advisers.
After days of struggling with Mr. Google Map, I've finally found a site that shows direction with roads and landmarks that are familiar to me. I braved the scourging heat of the sun to find this bookshop and, viola! Found it!
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| I only planned to buy 1 or 2 books depending on the prices. Well, guess what? I got 3 books and 1 free DVD with big discount! :-D How cool is that? |
The books are reasonably priced and there is a wide selection of genres and languages. They were also arranged by topics for easy browsing. I must say that the owner knows the books by heart and is very much helpful in recommending good books to customers who maybe overwhelmed and cannot decide which one or how many books to buy (Yep! You've guessed it right, that's me!^^) So here are the books that I got today:
1. The Vatican Collections. The Papacy and Art. This book is an official publication authorized by the Vatican Museums. How did I know? It says so in the book ^^ 168 pieces of arts that includes paintings, sculptor, artifacts, tapestry, and more. The moment I saw the cover and skimmed through it, I know I've got to have this book. It's a bit pricey than the others but it's a keeper.
2. Falling Leaves. The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah. I'm excited to read this book and hopes to enjoy it. I read a lot of reviews, good and bad, about the story and said to myself that every reader is different. So I'll know if I like the book after reading it up to the last page.
Synopsis: Her grand aunt formed the Shanghai Women's Bank. Her father was known as the miracle boy with the power of turning iron into gold. Yet in this affluent Chinese family the fifth child and youngest daughter, Adeline, suffered appalling emotional abuse.
Set against the background of changing political times and the collision of East and west, Falling leaves describes how, despite the legacy of her painful childhood, Adeline Yen Mah survived to make a successful career. Told with all the suspense and emotional force of a novel, this true story is moving in its eloquent simplicity and, through the dignity of its indomitable protagonist, finally uplifting.
source: Goodreads
3. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. Recommended by the bookshop owner himself. I've read about Haruki Murakami in several book blogs before, so when he showed me the book, I couldn't resist it. Most of Murakami's book covers are pictures of women that I have come to believe that he is a woman, until I saw his picture online. Now that was silly^^
About the book:
From the bestselling author of Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle comes this superb collection of twenty-four stories that generously expresses Murakami’s mastery of the form. From the surreal to the mundane, these stories exhibit his ability to transform the full range of human experience in ways that are instructive, surprising, and relentlessly entertaining.
Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, and an ice man, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we might wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii, or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami’s characters confront grievous loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distances between those who ought to be closest of all.
source amazon.com
Bonus: The owner gave me a DVD for "free" and I could keep it as long as I want but have to return it back when I'm done watching. Hahaha... I just find if funny!
It was really a nice first visit and I'm sure I'll frequent the shop whenever my budget allows. The German owner, who speaks fluent Pasa Thai, is very accommodating and he knows his books very well. My love for books and reading perked up again knowing that english books are now available in my side of town.
Here's a link to a map to find Orn's Bookshop when you happen to visit Chiang Rai.
Address: 1051/61 Jet Yod Soi 1 57000 Chiang Rai, Thailand
Cel. No. 081-022-0818 (English) - 086-062-4080(Thai)
Open from 8am-8pm.
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