I Spy Book Shop
Went to check out the book shop today and it is open. Small shop but it has a nice selection of kid books and kid educational items. Adult book selection isn't huge but it is a small place and they are still getting set up. Nice lady running the store. They do have mood rings so can it be that bad. :)
costing a little less than QR100 (it was shipped to a friend in the US, making it much cheaper). Before ordering, I went to Villagio, they had 1 of the books & it cost QR94....sad really!
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--I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
Thanks for the info:)
Aramex is off Salwa - between Decoration Roundabout and Wholesale Market. It's on the left side of the road coming from the city. Has a red sign.
How do you get Aramex?
>>>Shipping directly from amzon.com is way cheaper....
but the vagueries of Qatari customs & Qpost are involved, if you dont mind waiting 6-8weeks for something to be delivered go ahead
with aramex, assuming you buy more than $35US with amazon you get free shipping, buy 5 books that weigh 2kilos - you pay 83rials shipping - as apposed to the 20dollars shipping you will pay with shipping direct with amazon - plus you will get the goods in 5 days rather than 2months via qpost (if you get them at all)
No, don't use Aramex to ship your book. It is hell expensive and the rate basis is at normal goods. I know some shipper will discount the rate upto 50-75% if the goods we ship is printed material. So if you order one book with 600gr weight, you're going to pay 8 + 5 USD ($8 first half and $5 next half) = $13 for one book...!. Imagine if you order 3 or 4 books. Shipping directly from amzon.com is way cheaper....
Was there today, paperback books were 48QR to 56QR about same as other in town. I order mine at Amazon and get them from Aramex shop&ship. Cheaper if you want a lot of books, for one or two, pay the local high prices.
thanks for the tip Ivanhoe.
will check the store afap.
Burnout.
Beware! :)
As a side note, having to do with the topic of books and book stores, go to the Barnes and Nobles website (http://www.barnesandnoble.com) and find a book you are interested in. Then try to read the description of the book and see that Q'Tel blocks the descriptions....
I'll add that if you know where the Nokia phone dealer is, then you will find the book shop just behind it.
The book shop is small, but nice. My wife found and purchased a couple of good books there. She also talked to them about ordering some books. As a test she gave them some titles (with their ISBN numbers) to see if they will order the books, how long it will take, and what the charge will be. I think it is a good test and will report the results.
Go to Starbucks on the second level of City Center. Go up the escalator behind Starbucks and Modern Home. At the top, turn around and you will see it. Bright new store with plenty of seats. And you can take your coffee up and browse for a while.
A decent newspaper would be nice too, no? Also, could someone please give me directions to this new bookstore?
Peace
Plus getting books from Amazon (or anywhere else) is expensive. My last order of two books took almost three weeks to arrive. The books cost $28.91 USD, while the shipping was $22.97!
A flight to Dubai would probably be cheaper than my twice a month book buying habit.
Hooray for a new bookstore!
I have mentioned this to some Qatari friends of mine. A good bookshop is a surefire winner.
Yes, you can get books through Amazon but you have to know what you want. Its fun browsing a good bookshop and picking things out.
A good bookshop will inprove my enjoyment of living in Qatar immeasurably. The weird thing is that the selection of books in duty free in the airport is better than Jarir (not saying much I know.)
I share the same sentiments w/ you andy. Plus, it's really difficult to find nice mediums to read from other bookstores. It's just so limited.
Well, no, that isn't the point. If one orders a book from Amazon.com, one can expect a wait of about 6-7 weeks for it to arrive - unless you have an Aramex account, which speeds the process right up.
Besides, it's ridiculous that a supposed leading player in the Middle East economy doesn't have a decent bookshop. Books are education. That's why people are narked for the lack of a decent place to buy reading material.
Can someone explain to me why the opening of a bookstore is getting so much attention?
Someone even mentioned in another thread that the Dubai airport is the closest place to find a decent bookstore.
Isn't it easier to go to amazon.com and buy your books rather than obsessing over some new bookstore in the mall or flying to Dubai??