FROM children’s books on local traditions to translated classics, the Johor International Book Bazaar gave book lovers a chance to discover something beyond their usual reads.
B. Preesha, 35, and her husband K. Narvend, 37, were among parents who used the bazaar to look for books for their children.
“We bought books about Indian weddings, traditional kuih, batik and songket.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to explain to children what is happening during an Indian wedding. With a book, they can see and understand it page by page.
“Similarly, as teachers, we wear batik on Thursdays and the children would ask about it. With books on Malaysian culture, they can learn more,” added Preesha.
Narvend, an avid reader who regularly visited book fairs, appreciated the selection of local works and translated titles available at the bazaar.
“There are more local authors and local books here. There are also many children’s books.
“I also came across translated versions of classics as well as Korean and Japanese works in Bahasa Malaysia (BM),” he added.
Sales operations executive Farini Ainan, 41, stumbled upon the bazaar by chance and ended up buying several books.
“I did not know there was an event here, but I am a reader, so I decided to have a look,” said Farini, who usually reads history and war books in English and BM.
She said the selection was a welcome change as Johor readers might not always have easy access to a wide variety of titles.
“It is quite difficult to find different kinds of books in Johor, but here you have books from different countries, including the Philippines.
“As a reader, you get to explore more and widen your horizons,” she said, adding that the variety could also appeal to those beginning to develop an interest in reading.
For student Alicia Goh, 15, who visited the bazaar with her friends, the event was an opportunity to browse for new reads.
“There were a lot of books that I find interesting, including books I have never heard of before.
“Coming here with my friends, who are also avid readers, made it more fun,” she said, hoping to see a wider selection of English and Mandarin titles at future editions of the bazaar.
“Having more books in different languages will give readers more choices, especially for those of us who read in more than one language,” she said.
