Melaka Bookstores, Missing in Action

I always feel sad when I hear a book store closing. Especially cause I used to frequent the Pay Less Bookstore in Amcorp Mall when I was living in KL. Its sad because the closures reflects the state of Malaysian readers. We Malaysians are really bad readers, choosing movies over books. I can't count the number of times I've heard someone saying, "Aw, why read the book. I'll wait for the movie to come out".

This reminds me of the sorry state of Melaka Bookstores. My family relishes trips to KL as we get to go book shopping at one of the many wonderful book stores there. At Kinokuniya, MPH, Borders, Times, and others you can get practically any book you want there. They even entertain special orders.

You might wonder why I have to go all the way to KL to buy books. Of course I can buy books online, but the feeling is different. Browsing lets you feel the book in your hands, read the excerpts, the synopsis, and so forth. And also, there's that minor issue about having to wait for the delivery.

In Melaka, we have just 3 notable book stores. (SHOCKED GASPS!!) MPH has a small 1 lot shop in Mahkota Parade. The book selections are quite good, but the browsing experience is sadly lacking there. The shelves are too closely together, and you always bump into someone when you're browsing. Definitely a NO for claustrophobics.

Thai Kuang Books have a bigger store in Mahkota Parade. The selections are ok, the shelves are more widely spaced.

Popular has 1 bookstore in Gajah Berang. But getting parking space there is a horror, so I won't comment on the bookstore. And another Popular store in Jaya Jusco and in Tesco. But, I have to say the selections at Popular are not really up to my taste, although I'll admit Popular are getting better at it.

I find these bookstores cannot compete with the wonderful bookstore experience in KL.

And why in the world do they have 2 good book stores in Mahkota Parade. I for one rarely go to Mahkota, who wants to go through all that traffic jam, especially on weekends, to go to the book stores there.

Why oh why are there no good bookstores elsewhere in Melaka, are we Melakans that bad a reader? Is that why the stores are concentrated in Mahkota Parade, the center for tourists. Where have all the bookstores gone to? Or maybe, the question should be, where have all the readers in Melaka gone to? Maybe the title of this post should be, Melaka Readers, Missing in Action instead.