Singapore's Curious Book Culture

Walking into Books Actually has a lot of books covering many genres

Today my cousin took us to an area called Tiong Bahru which is one of the oldest residential areas in Singapore.

And because the place is oozing with retro design, it's achingly hot now with hipsters.

The store carries many works by Singapore writers

One neat shop is Books Actually, one of the few independent booksellers in the Lion City.

The front part of the store is covered in books, many featuring Singaporean writers, or subject matter, including the political elections last year and random facts about the city. There are also classics like Jane Eyre, but also books on how to draw practically anything, and even poetry using Singlish.

At the back there's a curious treasure trove of random old school items, like beer glasses, rulers from China, even blank cassette tapes -- remember those? -- and I even saw stickers of animals with googly eyes from my youth.

It was so bizarre to see such an eclectic accumulation of things, but also was there a market for these items? Did people really buy them or was this a nostalgia corner for people to reminisce?

At the back are an odd assortment of "vintage" items

Books Actually

9 Yong Siak Street

Tiong Bahru Estate

Singapore
+65 6222 9195