Booked up

Reading seems to be a growing passion in the UAE. At least that's what the 30,000 visitors at the recent Bargain on Books sale suggested.

Pleasant surprise

“Although we were worried about the recession, we're happy to say that there was no sign of downturn during the sale,'' said Mohammad Taher Rafiq, CEO of Pioneer House, organiser of the event. “It was the highest turnout by far.''

From thrillers, novels, educational and pop-up books to encyclopaedias, political biographies and cookbooks, the Bargain on Books sale offered a million books for everyone.

The event's third edition took place at a bigger, 2,000-square-metre location at Dubai Airport Expo and attracted more visitors than in the previous years.

“This is the only event in Dubai that offers an opportunity for serious and casual readers to take home their favourite titles at incredibly low prices,'' Rafiq said.

Bookworms rejoice

Many bookworms from across the emirate waited outside the venue for the launch of the annual event, including Australian teenager Vicky Djurovic.

“The sale offers lots of variety. It has something for the whole family,'' she said.

Bargain on Books carried about 7,000 titles in a wide range of categories, including the latest works in fiction and non-fiction by authors such as John Grisham, James Patterson, Peter Robinson, Patricia Cornwell, Celesta Marsella, Jack Higgins, David Baldacci and Nelson Demille, ranging from Dh12-Dh35 for paperbacks to Dh22-Dh120 for hardcovers.

Among the many non-fiction books available were The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (Dh22) and The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman (Dh72).

Great selections

The Shakespeare Collection: The Complete Works for Dh69 was among the best bargains besides large picture books on architecture, travel and animals for just Dh125-Dh150.

Cookery lovers were overwhelmed with tables and tables of books of all sizes featuring regional, diet and pasta dishes, desserts and vegetarian food, to name but a few.

An impressive collection of children's books was also available, from animal, colouring and interactive books to encyclopaedias and storybooks for babies to teenagers.

The joy continues

Some of the most popular authors of children's books were Stephenie Meyer for her Twilight Saga collection, Roald Dahl, Julius Lester and Enid Blyton.

The Hannah Montana series was popular among teenagers.
New to the sale this year was a selection of computer books such as The Cult of Mac, Flash, Windows and iPhone for Dummies.

Rafiq said this is one of the sections that needed a little bit of improvement, along with books on management.

And there's good news for those who missed the sale.

Bargain on Books is going live online at the end of the month (www.bargainonbooks.com) and book delivery will be available across the UAE.