It’s that time of year again, when every Malaysian bookworm makes their annual pilgrimage to MIECC, Seri Kembangan for the 24-hour book party that is the Big Bad Wolf (BBW) sale (ends Mon Dec 18 11.59pm) and boy, do these book lovers know how to have a good time (4am browsing, anyone?). While this year’s BBW sees a significantly bigger children’s book area and a much reduced literature section (only one corner squeezed in between the crime and sci-fi sections), it’s still worth the trip for ridiculously cheap books with prices your favourite bookstore will never have. While everyone’s taste obviously differs, here’s a list of books we say deserve a spot in your BBW trolley this year.
1. ‘The Sound of Waves’ by Yukio Mishima – RM10
In Mishima's 1954 novel, boy (Shinji) meets girl (Hatsue), they fall in love, their family and the villagers say ‘hell no’ because they’re from starkly different backgrounds, and things may or may not take a turn for the worse. Get it if you're looking to complete your Mishima collection or know someone who likes 'The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea', a must-read.
Where to get it at BBW: Literature section
2. ‘The Great Showdowns’ and ‘Great Showdowns: The Return’ by Scott C – RM10 each
There’s no text at all in these books; what you get instead are whimsical watercolours of the greatest showdowns in film history: from 'Donnie Darko's Donnie and Frank to 'Zoolander's male models and a petrol pump (orange mocha frappuccino!). Bring it to your next movie marathon and challenge everyone to guess the showdown (no answers are provided, so the gloating is real when you name the film correctly).
Where to get it at BBW: Graphic Novels & Comics section
3. ‘Inspector Singh Investigates: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul’ by Shamini Flint – RM10
Malaysian writer Shamini Flint is biting and funny in real life, and it translates into her crime series starring Inspector Singh, a portly Singaporean murder investigator who woefully doesn't fit in with Singapore's fastidious police force culture. So, he gets sent all across to globe to crack cases, everywhere except his beloved Lion City. This second book in the series sees our hero in Bali investigating a seemingly simple murder that reveals sinister global consequences.
Where to get it at BBW: Literature section
4. ‘Of Love and Other Demons’ by Gabriel García Marquez – RM10
Acclaimed Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel García Márquez's atmospheric 'Of Love and Other Demons' is at its core a love story, one with an unfortunate pairing of a 12-year-old girl and a handsome priest. Sierva Maria is bitten by a rabid dog and then wrongly believed to be possessed, so she’s brought to a convent for observation where Father Cayetano Delaura tends to her and realises soon after that he has fallen for the girl. Beautifully written with Marquez’s magical realism, ‘Of Love…’ is a worthy addition to your Gabo shelf.
Where to get it at BBW: Literature section
5. ‘Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights’ by Salman Rushdie – RM10
So you cherish 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' and its city so old it forgot its name, 'Midnight's Children' is dear to you, and even 'Fury' (not really Rushdie’s best) warrants some merit. Add 'Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights' to your Rushdie shelf: a jinn and mortal man fall in love, and their numerous children (unaware of their lineage or powers) spread across generations in the human world. In present-day New York City, some of these children start experiencing strange abilities and the veil between the jinn and human worlds threatens to lift.
Where to get it at BBW: Literature section
6. ‘When Martha’s Away’ by Bruce Ingman – RM6
BBW 2017 almost feels like a children’s book fair with its much bigger children’s book area, so we obviously stumbled upon more cute picture books than usual. Illustrated in bright, brash colours, Lionel the ginger cat reveals what really happens in the secret life of cats when his owner Martha is away. The charming feline sets up his easel and paints when the neighbour cat pops over to pose for him, dons a tux for his own piano recital, and more. What a cat, this Lionel.
Where to get it at BBW: Children’s section
7. ‘The Godfather: The Official Motion Picture Archives’ by Peter Cowie – RM30
Here's one for the ardent ‘Godfather’ enthusiast in your life – the one who owns a well-thumbed copy of the novel, spouts choice Corleone quotes for every situation, and who rues reading or watching the scene where Sonny approaches the toll plaza. Former Variety International Publishing director Peter Cowie’s nostalgic, highly tactile and interactive coffee table book outlines the various aspects involved in the film's production with textual anecdotes and physical envelope dividers filled with cue sheets, posters, continuity spotting records and more, giving the impression of an insider’s look into the world of ‘The Godfather’.
Where to get it at BBW: Music & Movies section
8. ‘Stuff I’ve Been Reading’ by Nick Hornby – RM10
We've all had that moment in life when that quote in 'High Fidelity' (you know which one we're talking about: ‘…what really matters is what you like, not what you are like...’) doomed us to look for soulmates who enjoy that exact band and that same book. We’re sure you’ve grown out of that sentiment, in which case you've probably adopted Nick Hornby's other quote ‘Read what you enjoy, not what bores you’ from his collection of columns from the Believer magazine. And if what you enjoy is his writing, get this, what is essentially a wrap-up of the books he's bought and read but written in trademark Hornby style.
Where to get it at BBW: Biographies & memoirs section
9. ‘The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ by Douglas Adams – RM50 for the complete set of five books
The cult comedy science fiction series sees Arthur Dent plucked off a soon-to-be-demolished Earth by human-like alien writer and researcher Ford Prefect, making Dent the last surviving human. What ensues are the duo's misadventures in space with four travellers – Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, Marvin and Veet Voojagig – who contribute their fair share to the chaos. The handsome box set at BBW includes 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe', 'Life, the Universe and Everything', 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish' and 'Mostly Harmless'.
Where to get it at BBW: Sci-fi section
10. ‘JK Rowling's Wizarding World: Movie Magic Volume One: Extraordinary People and Fascinating Places’ and ‘JK Rowling's Wizarding World: Movie Magic Volume Two: Curious Creatures’ – RM38 each
Everyone likes Harry Potter, and everyone knows the exact tone Hermione says 'Wingardium levi-oh-sa' to an eye-rolling Ron. Which is why everyone should get these two tomes on the people, places and creatures that populate JK Rowling's vast wizarding world. The book includes all eight Harry Potter films as well as ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, and each page is filled with curious lift-the-flaps, fun stickers, inserts of props from the films, detailed creature profiles and insights from the making of all the films. Plus, it’s priced at such a steal here.
Where to get it at BBW: Main highlights