Lately I have been spending my nights studying at Borders. Every now and then I like to look at the cover art. "The Ramen King and I" and "Holy Cow" both caught my eye in the travel section. I think my version of "The Ramen King and I" would be appropriately subtitled "How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fed Me through College." (¡Broma!) Some of these authors would passionately write about their experiences in Latin America, Europe, Asia - but the very first page to them all seem a bit dry to me. Maybe I have to delve into it a little more.
The other aisle I meticulously stalk is the foreign language section. I like to think of it as my own literary garden. I always check on it to see if anything's been added or bought. Lord knows the staff must think I have some kind of disorder. My pick this week is Isabel Allende's new release, "La Isla Bajo el Mar." The cover art is inspiring! I'm saving up to buy it.
[Tysonsito pretending to read]
It's interesting to see how small the Spanish Literature section is at Ward Borders. It makes sense, Spanish language novels and books are not in high demand - the majority of locals in Honolulu do not speak the language. But then even before I became interested in learning Spanish, I liked how there were books available in other languages. I'm sure if there were privately owned book shops, there would be books in Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Tagalog or Chinese. One of my dreams is to own a book shop that represented what I am, what I like and what I think culturally diverse people would be interested in.
[The foreign language section at Victoria Ward Borders]
Until then, check out the foreign language section at your local Borders. It's divided into Spanish, Italian, Russian and French sections - perfect for foreign language students!
