A wide and exciting range of genres like fiction, non-fiction, education, self help, spiritual, fitness, religious to biographies and autobiographies are on display at the book fair that is on in the city.
Organised by DC Books at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium, the fair also features collections of poems and stories of contemporary Malayalam writers and their English translations.
The unique collection of classics and stories in children’s literature, an added attraction this year, has many takers. Everything from epics to self-help books attracts bibliophiles of all ages.
New arrivals include a collection of memories and songs of O. N.V. Kurup- Ormathan kilunnuthooval , K. P. Ramanunni’s Daivathinte Pusthakam , Malayalam translation of Milan Kundera’s ‘The Book of laughter and forgetting,’ Paul Kalanithi’s ‘When breath becomes air,’ and Pulitzer prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee’s ‘The Gene-An intimate history.’
The recently released autobiography of playback singer P. Jayachandran’s Ekanta Padhikan Njan has already joined the list of the best sellers, manager of DC Current Books M.T. Babu said.
Robin Sharma’s The saint, the Surfer and the CEO , and P.S. Meenakshi’s Bhowmajalakam are also in high demand.
“With 10 lakh books, 300 publishers have exhibited their books this time and we are happy to see people talking about good collection,” says senior salesman, Rajmohan K.R.
Cost of books
“The cost of books has risen significantly. The discounts here are a great solace to readers like me,” a voracious reader and regular visitor to book fairs, 78-year-old Kunjiraman Pillai, said.
The fair has impressed people who have attended such events only in the Middle East. Sethuparvathi Regi, a student in United Arab Emirates, says, “I am not very fond of books but this book fair is encouraging you to read.”
The fair also houses books of eminent authors like Agatha Christie, Amitav Ghosh, Devdutt Pattnaik, Salman Rushdie, Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond, and Khalid Hosseini.
The playing of Bollywood songs at the venue has come in for criticism. “It is a book-fair. Why do they have to play romantic Hindi songs here that too in such a loud volume,” asks Malavika S., a Civil Service aspirant.
The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till July 14 and up to 50 per cent discount is offered.
