the roads are getting nearer

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

` Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Just to re-cap on another incident that happened in the weekend at the wondrously browsable Kinokuniya bookstore at Liang Court, where I go to stock up on my monthly supply of foreign magazines like the irrepressible Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire UK. I prefer the English versions to the American ones due to the broader spectrum of interests covered, rather than the ubiquitous guides on how to make the "o" become a bigger "O" (or 2 editions later it'd be how to achieve the ultimate "OOO") that seem to plague the US pages. But a more interesting read translates into a more expensive purchase, particularly in the case of the English mags, so I'm trying very hard to pry myself away from the women's interest section these days, hopefully to save myself from unnecessary monthly wallet damage. Anyway, I digress.

I chanced upon this dubiously-titled fiction "Doing It" by Melvin Burgess when browsing through the "top fiction" seller shelves. The cover itself was eye-catching enough to move one into picking the book up out of sheer curiosity for its contents (eros as earlier mentioned in the last blog, or its sub-category of lust, does sell!). It chronicles a rite-of-passage of some teenage boys deep into their pubescent years trying to outdo each other in the bedstakes. Feeling extremely juvenile and not wanting to read another fantasy chicklit or books inducing "deep thoughts", I decided to pay for it at the counter.

The service person at the cashier was a motherly forty-something lady who had me taken aback by her sudden outburst of enthusiasm at my purchase (hidden beneath stacks of magazines, a clear folder and a purple pen). We managed to have a conversation that transpired like this:

Cashier: Young adult fiction.
Me: Huh? Sorry?
Cashier: This book belongs to the young adult fiction category.
Me(slightly bemused): Oh, I found it at the best seller section.
Cashier (lifts book up and scrutinises the cover): We placed it in the young adults section but had complaints that it was too..... (grimaces)
Me (getting rude stares for the growing queue): Adult? Okay, thanks.
Cashier (assuming I didn't hear what she said earlier and points to book): Young adult section, this one. Means not suitable for young adults. Hahaha! By the way, if you buy Straits Times I can cut out the 20% discount coupon and reduce the price for you. Pay 80cts, discount $2+. Okay?
Me (trying hard to understand the humour and chain of thought): Uh. Oh. Kay. Thanks.

I haven't read the book yet. It's supposedly had rave reviews despite its Adrian Mole-like inclinations. I haven't even unwrapped it from the plastic covering eversince the time I bought it. I wonder if it lives up to the expectations of the saucy cover. Maybe I'd do a book review when I finish reading it. That'll probably take ages. Don't bet on it.

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