mourning borders

The news of Borders UK going into administration is harsh and brutal in these fleeting times. I always feel a connection to Borders, even in their Singapore store at Orchard Road when more than a decade ago I tried to find quiet contemplation. It’s great to see in the website that it’s still thriving wonderfully although with a new owner. The serene aura of their Oxford store (the town, not the street) was my source of enlightenment. There was of course no Borders branch in the Northeast England where I spent a year. But London is different. There are a few Borders in the grand capital. I go there during my birthdays to have my pictures taken. It has been a tradition the last few years san for the june birthday my dad passed away. The interiors are enchanting. The books are beautifully arranged. It’s my kind of surroundings.

Compared to other UK bookstores, or even supermarket chains who also sell a bunch of books, Borders is hands down my favorite. Where is the magazine section at Waterstone’s? What’s the attraction in WH Smith? Foyle’s is pleasing but there’s no branch available at Brent Cross. I can only dilly-dally that much grocery shopping at Tesco and Asda and the books in store are mostly mass-marketed capers. Borders is not doing well in the States either. They have to close a few outlets. Amazon offers competitive prices but nothing compares to the high of impulse purchases after luxuriating in a room full of picturesque book covers.

I grew up without the National Bookstore litanies of the Manila born and bred colleagues. It was a good thing my mom collected books and my lola Nellie sending us boxes of old titles from her base in Burbank. Plus there was the book club of my youth where we pay to rent books. I can no longer recall when I first set foot in a National Bookstore outlet. Was it in Manila or Cebu? I might have been already in my twenties. Then and now, spending time at any National Bookstore branches is oddly fascinating because the salespersons would merely provide a blank affect if you mention an author. I couldn’t help but wonder how did Ivy bring me the precise copies one fine day during one of her homecomings last year.

Reading books or any reading for that matter hardly concerns most people in my hemisphere. So does the wider public in RP or in the UK. But from my viewpoint, the people who read and write widely are tops in my list.