A book a day

The Guide went scouting across the city to find out what's hot and what's not at book stores this season

While cynics may believe that reading books may be passé, city bookstores beg to disagree. “At my store, readers bought a variety of novels this season. With the Diwali vacations on in full swing, students chose to read novels to entertain themselves,” said Prabhat Bharti, owner of Pustak Dhara, a store located at ABC Chowk.

A range of books are available across city bookstores

Another prominent bookstore in the city is Akshardhara, which is visited by readers from across Maharashtra. Laxman Rathiwadekar, Depot Manager said that illustrated children’s books are much in demand thanks to the school holidays. There is a huge demand for Diwali special magazines as well as works of fiction.”

It’s not just books that are setting the cash registers ringing at book stores; there are CDs and DVDs as well. Popular Book House’s owner Sunil Gadgil admits that along with books for all age groups, they have started a special CD and DVD section for new readers.u00a0International Book Service, which is the oldest book store in the city, is famous for books on social sciences and technology.

On a sombre note, owner Upendra Dixit of International Book Service pointed out that the younger generation is moving away from reading due to the impact of television and social networking sites. “This is something we cannot help because adapting according to the interest of young readers is practically and ideally difficult for older book stores like us. Therefore, sadly, I have to say that probably the International Book Service is in the last phase of its existence.”

At Popular Book Shop, Deccan; International Book Service, FC Road;Pustak Dhara, ABC Chowk; Akshardhara, Bajiroad Road.u00a0

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