It has been a busy bookspotting week in Hong Kong, but most of the books I saw this week were not in English. I spotted six Chinese readers on the MTR, one walking through the train station with his nose in a book, and one sitting at Fuel, a coffee shop in the IFC Mall. While I was at Fuel I also spotted this little girl in the window of the nearby bookshop, who was reading the picture book Olivia. I apologize to her parents for taking her picture without their permission, but she was almost too adorable for words. I saw a young man reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom on the MTR, and I saw a woman in a different bookstore reading Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood.
I spent time in three different bookstores this week because I was trying to find the new memoir Eating Smoke about Chris Thrall's journey as an employee of one of the infamous Hong Kong triads. It just came out this month, but I was impatient to find it. Hong Kong bookstores usually have an extensive, if not exclusive, English section. There are not too many of them, but they are usually full of customers browsing through the business books, novels and numerous movie tie-ins.
What are people reading in your town this week? You can leave your comment below, or better yet you can leave it at last week's bookspotting post for a chance to win a $15 Amazon.com gift certificate in my 100 Follower Giveaway.
Great post! The picture makes me want to curl up with a good book in that little window.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I’m a new follower—wonderful blog! Stop by my blog and follow me too? :) http://rachelbrookswrites.blogspot.com/
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI posted my comment in the giveaway post as you suggested, but I have another one for here. =)
Someone else at the same Starbucks was reading a book about yoga. I don't remember the title, but the cover was a bright shade of aqua.
2 people reading Chinese books on the train to Tsing Yi,one lady by our pool with a German novel called Elfenzeit which a quick search proved is indeed Elf Time, a series about elves and fairies written by various authors.That's all this week. But as we prepare for our trip home, I'm sure I'll see lots in-flight or during our Dubai lay-over.See you in October.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever get Chris Thrall's book? If not, you can order from Blacksmith Books, the publisher, and I think they have free shipping anywhere in HK! I'd love to hear what you think of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments everyone!
ReplyDeleteSusan, yes I found the book. I think I just went searching through the bookstores a day or two too early. I'm thinking about posting my review along with a Wanchai walking tour closer to the US release date.
That sounds fabulous!!! I can't wait!!
ReplyDelete