[TKMCE]

Originally Posted by kaushik60

Does anyone have any experience with the "Just Books" Chain that's opened up recently? They have a nice policy of "Rent, Read, Return", and seem to be growing, at least in Bangalore. They seem have many nice options such as free pick up/delivery of books. I wonder if they entertain requests from members to buy specific books, or get them from some other outlet.
Any reviews will be helpful, as my mom wants to get membership soon!

I was a member of Just Books in my last stint at Bangalore and was a member for around 4 months. Put it this way... I would have been a lifelong member if it was not for the fact that I suddenly had to relocate to a city where they do not have a branch!!!!



I am no stranger to libraries. Way back when I was a 5 year old my Dad made me a member of the British Library at Trivandrum. They had a childens section then. Soon they stopped the Childrens section and donated their books to the Government Public Library at Trivandrum where I was already a "child" member. After that when I started working I was a long term member of the British Lbrary at Chennai, so as I said I love libraries and am no stranger to them.

I found Just Books excellent value for money for the following reasons.

1 In Bangalore where they started from, they have branches at a lot of locations, one is never too far away from any branch.

2 Unlike many libraries, they have computerised their whole set up. Books are issued and returned using your membership card and through a scanning kiosk. There are staff on hand to help if required.

3 You can take out a book from any branch and return at any branch, even in another city. You use your computerised ID card always, so this is a big benefit,especially when you are travelling .Full benefit of this will become apparent when they open more branches in other cities. Chennai I believe has a quite a few already and Kochi has one near Kadavanthra.

4 The whole catalogue is computerised and availability at any branch can be checked anytime either online or at your home branch through a kiosk. You can also place requests for books which are not available in your branch but available at other locations. They wil get it for you at your home branch and send you an email when it comes (dont know whether this is possible from another city but in Bangalore , with a lot of branches it is a big benefit). I tried this out and got a book which I wanted to read (or rather re-read) after a long time - AJ Cronin's " The Citadel". Book was available at the other end of Bangalore from where I was located . No problems-I got my book in a few days and was notified by email that I can pick it up from my home branch. They also have home delivery but those plans cost more and hey nothing beats the experience of spending some time browsing in a library!!!

5 A vast variety of membership plans. For some one like me who doesn't have too much spare time anymore, the one book + one magazine plan was more than enough for me, especially since you can keep the magazine for one week (they send you a reminder after that) and a book for one month. Especially useful for "heavy books". While "The Citadel" I could "re-read" in two days flat, BH Liddell Hart's "History of the Second World War" took me the better part of a month. It is this flexibility and no compulsion to hurry policy which is another thing I liked about Just Books.

6 Dont expect Philip Kotler's "Marketing" or Perry's "Handbook of Chemical Engineering" or Gray's "Anatomy" or such ilk in Just books. This is not a technical library, it is for general reading but does have a more than adequate section on non fiction as well. Books by the new generation of Indian authors like Ravi Subramanian are particulary well represented as are the old favorites like RK Narayan's "Swami and Friends". For Chetan Bhagat fans there are usually enough and more copies of each and every one of his books at each location. As for the magazines, there are enough of choice and not just news magazines. Both the automobile enthusiast as well as the travel enthusiast will have no grounds to complain as both these areas (among others) have a good representation of magazines. There is also a good choice of Business magazines, both from India and abroad.

7 Very child friendly. Libraries are reasonably spacious, well ventilated and all the kids favorites from comics to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews are all there. They encourage people to browse, and the staff are polite and helpful. It is heartening to see parents visiting the libraries with kids in tow.

8 Reader friendly working hours. Most branches are open Sundays and have Monday as their weekly day off Most open around 10 AM and are open as late as 9 PM, a blessing for people like me.

9 Option to renew monthly if you want to . There is a discount if you pay up in advance for 6 months or an year.


And finally when I had to terminate my membership unexpectedly as I relocated to another city where they dont have a representation, the refundable part of my deposit was returned to me on the spot after filling up a simple form and an email confirmation was given as well. I think however you need to be a member for atlast 3 months though for te refund, which is reasonable as they would like long term members.

Overall a fantastic intitiative whih has to be commended. I a waiting for a branch to open in my city so that I can initiate my kiddo to the good old- fashioned hobby of reading.

"Kaushik60" - Since you are in Bangalore , dont even hesitate one minute, go for it. Fantastic value for money.

[prateekm]

If you are a fan of crime/suspense genre, check out any novel by Jeffery Deaver, especially his Lincoln Rhyme series. I'm currently trying to complete this series, just completed the 5th of the 10 books he has written.

[Blue_V]

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Please do not attempt Dan Brown's latest "The Lost Symbol". Its a waste of time. He puts in all the effort to build up the suspense only to lead the readers onto nothing. He says everything he talks about exists in real life, but in the end, as a reader I felt really let down with such a anti climax.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

I was a member of Just Books in my last stint at Bangalore and was a member for around 4 months. Put it this way... I would have been a lifelong member if it was not for the fact that I suddenly had to relocate to a city where they do not have a branch!!!!
.

Thanks for the review.
Have been thinking about joining for some time now.

[kaushik60]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

"Kaushik60" - Since you are in Bangalore , dont even hesitate one minute, go for it. Fantastic value for money.

Hi TMKCE!
That is a brilliant review! I will surely get my membership pretty soon.
Thanks a lot!
Kaushik

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

I was a member of Just Books in my last stint at Bangalore and was a member for around 4 months. Put it this way... I would have been a lifelong member if it was not for the fact that I suddenly had to relocate to a city where they do not have a branch!!!!
....
Overall a fantastic intitiative whih has to be commended. I a waiting for a branch to open in my city so that I can initiate my kiddo to the good old- fashioned hobby of reading.

Thanks for the review. I've been putting away joining up but will do so in the new year as I have one of their libraries close to where I stay.

[chennai-indian]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Any review of Amitav Ghosh's Ibis Triology ?

Two books are :

Sea of Poppies &
River of Smoke

Edit: Actually have never read Amitav Ghosh before, but if he writes like Arundhati Roy then I am not touching his books with a barge pole !

Nothing like A Roy's writing. He is one of the best Indian writers in English. Go for it.

[bond_bhai]

Any "Wheel of Time" fans/readers out here? The "Most awaited" Final book of the WOT Series is now available! More than 20years later the saga is finally ending!

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by bond_bhai

Any "Wheel of Time" fans/readers out here? The "Most awaited" Final book of the WOT Series is now available! More than 20years later the saga is finally ending!

True the series is over but it is a big disappointment that there is no ebook version. I am surprised to see TOR delaying the launch of ebook by another 4 months

[manolin]

Originally Posted by bond_bhai

Any "Wheel of Time" fans/readers out here? The "Most awaited" Final book of the WOT Series is now available! More than 20years later the saga is finally ending!

Originally Posted by indian21r

True the series is over but it is a big disappointment that there is no ebook version. I am surprised to see TOR delaying the launch of ebook by another 4 months

Done. Finished. Book 14. phew. 10 years of reading Wheel of Time series, getting repeat exams because I was sure I would finish the books at least one day before the exams, sitting hunched over a desktop for days because I couldn't afford to buy the hard copies earlier, default reading of the awesome scenes (actually full books) whenever I was bored or depressed. its done now. Thank you Robert Jordan. Thank you Brandon Sanderson. May the Light favour your peace.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by manolin

Done. Finished. Book 14. phew. 10 years of reading Wheel of Time series, getting repeat exams because I was sure I would finish the books at least one day before the exams, sitting hunched over a desktop for days because I couldn't afford to buy the hard copies earlier, default reading of the awesome scenes (actually full books) whenever I was bored or depressed. its done now. Thank you Robert Jordan. Thank you Brandon Sanderson. May the Light favour your peace.

Man I read the series twice waiting for the final edition. Where did you get the hardcopy? From what I see India shipping times are close to 14-30 days.

Or did you get a ecopy?

[bond_bhai]

Originally Posted by indian21r

True the series is over but it is a big disappointment that there is no ebook version. I am surprised to see TOR delaying the launch of ebook by another 4 months

Probably trying to rake up some sales on "Hard Cover" as a collectors item! I am sure people "eagerly" waiting for this book will buy a Hard bound atleast as a tribute to RJ!

Originally Posted by manolin

Done. Finished. ... May the Light favour your peace.

Manolin, you sound as if you are glad that you got over with it! Any reviews? Was it worth waiting so long for the series to end?

Originally Posted by indian21r

Man I read the series twice waiting for the final edition. Where did you get the hardcopy? From what I see India shipping times are close to 14-30 days.

Or did you get a ecopy?

I read it twice too! And, Flipkart has it "In Stock" and it says delivered in 2-3 Business Days.

[Aiel]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Man I read the series twice waiting for the final edition. Where did you get the hardcopy? From what I see India shipping times are close to 14-30 days.

Or did you get a ecopy?

Flipkart and Homeshop18 have "A Memory of Light" in stock.

I had pre-ordered it from Flipkart and it is out for delivery presently.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by bond_bhai

I read it twice too! And, Flipkart has it "In Stock" and it says delivered in 2-3 Business Days.

Originally Posted by Aiel

Flipkart and Homeshop18 have "A Memory of Light" in stock.

Thanks guys. I was searching on google but flipkart did not appear. Will most probably order it now. Paperback seems to be priced reasonably

by the way flipkart also has ebook. India rocks

[manolin]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Where did you get the hardcopy? From what I see India shipping times are close to 14-30 days.

Its available in book stores. I got it from a bookstore called Midlands here in delhi (which specialises in keeping lots of fantasy). I got it for Rs.600 - list price is Rs. 800, but I remember flipkart was taking pre-orders earlier for around 600 only. I knew from the last two books that these bookstores get the book 1-2 days in advance, and they don't care about when the release date is.

Originally Posted by bond_bhai

I am sure people "eagerly" waiting for this book will buy a Hard bound atleast as a tribute to RJ! Manolin, you sound as if you are glad that you got over with it! Any reviews? Was it worth waiting so long for the series to end?I read it twice too! And, Flipkart has it "In Stock" and it says delivered in 2-3 Business Days.

After starting work, one month I decided that this series has given me too much fun/involvement, so went ahead and bought all 11 books which had come out then. Now I am a full hard copy WoT fan, though I kept the soft copy for surreptitious rereads on slow work days.

Reviews: I don't know what to say. I am immensely relieved at the series getting over. Its like a chapter of life getting over, where I was growing up with everything changing about my life (you know the usual stuff - getting into college, working in different cities), and there were only a few constants - this was one of them, which I was always sure would give me fun.

The book does a commendable job of wrapping up the series. Any more and I would be giving out spoilers

Originally Posted by Aiel

Flipkart and Homeshop18 have "A Memory of Light" in stock.I had pre-ordered it from Flipkart and it is out for delivery presently.

If you are in bombay/blore, then I would expect them to deliver in today, some of my friends got their pre-order copies yesterday from flipkart.

btwn, I just realised your nick in the forum :clap