'Discover the World of Books'

by Pang Huey Lynn, Form 5 Science 1, Class of 2013

BookFest @ Malaysia 2013

On the 3rd of August 2013, I managed to attend one of the biggest book fairs held in Malaysia; BookFest Malaysia 2013. The fair was organized by Popular Bookstore, but it was also hosted and sponsored by many other famous brands. This year it was held in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) for 9 days; 3-11 August 2013. Most of the books were on extreme sale, I say extreme because there was no less than a 25% discount on most of the books. 

For those under the age of 18, entry is free provided you have your Identification Card. However, if you are over the age of 18, there is a small entrance fee of RM2.50. You may also purchase a 9 day entry ticket for RM10.00.

The first section I visited was the 'English Pavilion'. This section was one of the biggest. I spent most of my time here, browsing through books that were on 50% discount. When you first enter the English Pavilion, there is a section dedicated to teens and young adults. Aptly named 'What Teens Want', the books here range from fantasy to romantic fiction and most of them were on 25% discount. It was here that I got to meet the author of the famous Mr Midnight series, James Lee. He was very friendly and even took my name down as an idea for names in his future books.

Next I visited the 'Fiction Pavilion'. There were many famous books written by bestseller veterans like John Grisham, Stephen King, Jodi Picoult and Cecelia Ahern featured here. The latest books were on 25% discount, while the older ones were on 50% discount. 

As I went on my way, the Humanities section caught my eye. With its huge sign promoting a book about Aung Sang Suu Kyi, it’s impossible to miss. This section promoted books on History. There were books on World War I and II, biographies of famous politicians and humanitarians such as Winston Churchill and Mahatma Ghandi, and also many books based on personal experiences. The prices here ranged from RM8.00 to RM30.00 at most. 

After I left that section, I came across a small comic book section entitled “World of Comics”. The graphic novels sold here were primarily Marvel comics. They had Spiderman, The Avengers, X-Men and even Antman. I was especially impressed by the hardcover graphic novels. The prices here ranged from RM12.00 to RM30.00. These prices are phenomenal considering the fact that their original prices were from about RM50.00 to RM90.00. I would highly recommend this fair to any comic book enthusiast out there.

Soon I made my way towards the next hall, the Chinese Pavilion. The pavilion was filled with Mandarin books ranging from comics to cook books. There were books that were translated from English to Mandarin as well, such as The Mortal Instruments series, The Twilight Saga and even Harry Potter. I did not stay there for long as I, unfortunately, am unable to read Mandarin as I never received any formal education in the language. However, if you enjoy reading CHinese books you should definitely pay a visit there as the books were extremely cheap, with discounts up to nearly 80%.

Lastly, I visited the Stationary section which was located on the 3rd floor. Here, they sold a variety of products ranging from pens to vinyl records. There was an entire section dedicated to CD albums. Almost all of them were on markdown prices.

All in all, I had an amazing time at this fair. I managed to get three graphic novels, a new Mr Midnight novel signed by James Lee himself, and some activity books as preparation for the SPM examination at the end of this year. Bookworm or not, I highly recommend that you pay a visit to the BookFest to have a look around. You never know what you may find at amazing prices at a fair like this one!