The Book Attic has an orderly, computerized system, distinguishing it from the cluttered cacophony of Flow (the other used bookstore in Soho). Jennifer's loyal customer's donate almost-new books in exchange for store credit, and her patrons recognize her passion for bringing English books to Hong Kong. She acknowledged that it can be difficult for a bookshop to survive, especially in a place where many people do not read anymore, but she was full of good stories about the people who come through her doors.
I spotted a few readers this week, including three people with Chinese books. A man in the grocery store was carrying a copy of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Leaders by Richard McGregor. A woman on the train this morning was reading Pigeon English. I spotted a girl in the lounge of my gym with a huge book (we're talking 7th-Harry-Potter huge) beside her on the table.
What are people reading in your town this week? Do you have a favorite used bookshop?
Cool, I need to go there some time. What's the exact address?
ReplyDeleteIt's at Cockloft, 2 Elgin Street, Central. The shop is on the first floor, so you need to look for the sign up above a green noodle stand. Here's the website: http://bookattic.info/
ReplyDeleteI wanted to go last night, but was celebrating my birthday (which is today, but I'll be at work!) so couldn't make it. It looks lovely though, so I'll certainly pop along another time.
ReplyDeleteNear my mum's in Canterbury there's a great second-hand Oxfam bookshop, so not only are you buying second-hand books, but the money goes to charity too. They have a huge range of titles in there!
Thanks for this wonderful write-up! I heard about the event and would have gone if I'd been in Hong Kong. I told a friend about it who just landed in HK, but she was too jet-lagged to make it. It's so nice to see your photos of the interior of The Book Attic.
ReplyDeleteToday I spotted someone reading A Reliable Wife. I just started a new novel set in southern Africa at the turn of the last century--The Settler by Brian Duncan.
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a wonderful bookstore! =) I hope to visit it someday. Hong Kong is pretty doable for me, so there's a good chance I will, too!
As for bookspotting . . . I started my current job four months ago, and the best part is that I'm in an office full of fellow readers! I have to train myself to note titles better when I see books lying around, but one I do recall is one of the George R.R. Martin Game of Thrones books. (It was the white one. Mass market paperback. I'm too lazy to look up the title. LOL!)