Festival Of Books: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

Someone once said that there's nothing in the world you can't learn from books,
provided you find the right ones. It's been sometime now since whoever said
that, and in a world where hundreds of new books get in everyday, the latter
half of that statement assumes much more significance that he intended it to.
So fairs like this are always welcome to the bibliophile who never knows where
his next big find will come from.

Although it is no great haven for book-lovers, the Festival Of Books organized
by English Edition and housed in the YMCA Hall, Secunderabad, is a place where
some of the right books can be found. The organizers claim that there are over
50,000 books on display, and though I didn't think it would be very wise to
start counting, it certainly seemed to be big enough.

To begin with, they have dictionaries, encyclopedias and a large number of children's
books. Titles like 50 Ways To Paint Your Face, Dazzling Disguises and Story
Starters might give your kids some new ideas, and titles like How The Body Works
might get you out of some tight spots! The children's section in the festival
is pretty exhaustive, and there's a 30% discount on all on all D K titles.

And then there are books on architecture, interior decoration, Vaastu, Fengshui,
yoga, law, criminology, cookery and a significant number of management titles.
There's also an exhaustive section of computer books. The fiction section, sadly,
is sparsely populated, though I'm not complaining about their collection of
classics (the Bronte sisters, Victor Hugo, T S Eliot, Jane Austen, Dickens,
Joseph Conrad, Thomas Hardy and the rest are all available).

A general section takes care of all those dabbling minds, with books like "Dyes
and Dyeing" and "Life's Little Destruction Book" (a delightful parody on the
"instruction book" series) on display. Most of the numerous titles are appropriately
organized and arranged, though I did find some blunders (like a Mala Sen book
in the management section).

You can browse for ages in the Festival without being interrupted. Discount
offers range from almost 15% off on some cookery books to almost 80% off on
selected encyclopedia. Purchase of books worth Rs. 5,000 and above will get
you free gifts, and all children are given a free gift (somehow I was given
one too!).

If you are looking for interesting books, maybe you should give the Festival
Of Books a try.