Polymath & Crust. 86 Club Street. Ooh-er, I got lost getting there. Was this really the place?
Oh yesssss, the whole marker on the glass thing feels so… Indie somehow. Thus, I looked down towards the sign below it. Mind you, this was when I got lost and had to call up my friends who were there already.
Ooooooh. By the way, the font and rounded edges of the paper make the whole thing feel so neo-victorian or steam punk or alternate universe in a way! As opposed to Times New Roman or (good grief) Comic Sans on a normal edged paper.
Oh the gorgeousness when I walked into this place. Mind you this was an “empty” shot because EVERYONE else was behind me, or at least behind the camera and was looking at shelves on the other side. Quick facts of Polymath & Crust. It’s the sister bookstore of Books Actually and that it mainly sells non-fiction materials.
Well, non-fiction materials, moleskine, notebooks, stationary, vintage postcards and other funky tools of book making or yesteryear.
A little room with some decorative things like pictures, maps and cartography books.
This Bible History book looks so old but I’m sure it’s freaking expensive and all. It tempts me to see the inside of it though because I like Victorian gothic fonts and art that are inked in books at that time. In the non-fiction category there’s books on food, travel, political science, etc. Just go check the place out yourself! Oh, get a map first before you do since it’s quite a ways off to find.
The cake is not for you. BWURHURHUR. Okay, there was wine, coke and green tea available for us. I had a bun in my bag. Just so you know since I bought one and got on the train to get to Chinatown station and all. I didn’t eat the bun in the end until home BUT, I did eat the nachos that was passed around on a plate during the little “intermission”.
First up was Wena Poon and she read book 4 of the Biophilia series. Some of us gasped because oh GASP, spoiler much!! Also we saw what you did thaaaar. The title was Solar Flare for that book and she was reading something about it. Heh.
Next up was Madeleine Lee, author of Y Grec. I’m not a poetry type of person but I enjoyed the pieces of what she read in her new book… Which I forgot the title of but it’s available at P&C! So you can ask the shop owners and check it there. Definitely about the cow was memorable for me.
Suchen Christine Lim. She read a story from her book The Lies that Build a Marriage. Now, I’ve always seen her book in the bookstores before but I didn’t read it because I’m not that kinda serious fiction girl. However, when she read it aloud, a story about a girl with two mothers… WAAAAAAH, I NEARLY SOBBED.
But since this was a public event, so no.
I am such a sissy though, I semi-sobbed at Monsters Inc when it was the second time I was watching it! So okay, I made a note to buy it there since she was there to sign anywho.
Alvin Pang! He presented the other writers and was like the MC of the evening. He read non-fiction things like stuff from his blog that he was going to turn into a book. It was pretty funny and this is a difficult picture to take of him because he was moving all around animatedly! The stories that he told were pretty funny too.
Lastly, I might be typoing her name but I heard she was presented as Pujanda or something to that pronunciation. It’s Pooja Nansi! She’s around more in the poetry circuit around here that’s why. The expected mystery guest wasn’t able to come due to something which we will not evaaah know but anywho, she read two poems. One of Alvin’s a really… uh hot poem and hers, um, another hot poem.
Well after the first one was finished, there was a sudden silence (probably due to the hot description of hot things. It was very hot.) so I said “Oh my!” and then the applause started. I mean, seriously, someone had to say something!
Thus the readings ended and we were free to ask questions, talk, buy books or get it signed. Yep, this was a semi-secret event and there was so many people! Mind you, yesss, we all STOOD, sat on the floors or some people had stools to sit on for the whole reading. After all, it is a bookstore and not some stage.
Thus, I bought two books of Lies that Build a Marriage, one for me and the other so I could send to my friend in the US! Obviously I got it signed too. Oh and NETS is available at the store. I know some people might be wary since some stores like these might take only cash. They do have NETS so you can go insane in buying.
Anywho the whole event was something like out of a movie or something because the whole atmosphere. The writers reading with faint sounds of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs was played in the background. The warm lighting and the absolute funky decor plus the nice shop owners too.
The only missing is the hunky, tall, dark haired guy who would frown at me while I take the last copy of some hard to get book that he wanted too. Then I would flounce away from him and then he would demand said book from me and oh gasp! He drops the papers he was previously holding (yes, he was) and I help pick it up and gasp again because I realize he writing some story and I read it while he huffs on. His dark rimmed glasses glinting in the light and…
You get the idea. Toodle loo! Go visit Polymath & Crust when you can!
And with that second last paragraph, this blog has totally lost all seriousness. WAHAHAHAH!
Oooh, non-fiction bookshop. Bet it doesn’t have my book though. I’m good a being invisible, as in invisible *to* the world rather than an invisible world.
Liked the Tash Aw post but don’t want to comment twice so will post here. He looks pensive in the photo. Meanwhile, that night, Monday, I was at the … um, okay can’t say it … but an official official event that gave out graduating certificates and I have been depressed ever since because although it was a literary writing thingy not one prose writer — repeat, not even ONE prose writer — was invited to read. Poetry, drama and poetry, even dances — four of them — but not one little, itty bit of prose. Should have gone to Tash Aw instead.
I just have a question. Who is this “hunky, tall, dark haired guy”? Was there one at the reading? I can’t really tell from your post whether he was real or imagined. Please CLARIFY.
BWUAHAHAHA. Imagined! Because it would be so awesome if we had those there. But, I’m sure you can’t import hunky guys out of nowhere or something.
Clive Owen stopped by. You didn’t see him? We were in the back talking about poetry. He came in and went by the back door.
Oh gasp! Well, darn us for being enamored with the books more! Hahahah.
I could see the wheels in your head turning. HAHA. Too bad we didn’t get to use any ice pick looking bookbinder thingy.
P/S – Reminds me, I gotta email Wena about what I was supposed to email her about (*cough*link*cough*) soon!
~ Raven Azure