With the islandwide celebration of Dewi Saraswati on August 10th, This kind of’s only appropriate to offer a paean to Bali’s bountiful World of Books. The wife of the god Brahma, Saraswati is usually the Indian goddess of wisdom, the guardian spirit of the creative arts, learning as well as knowledge. The graceful Balinese gooseswan, the nearest thing on the island to a true swan — the symbol of the muse — is usually her sacred mount.

Hari Raya Saraswati is usually a day of thanks to This kind of beloved goddess for bringing education to the entire world. Out of respect, This kind of is usually not permissible to read or write via Friday evening until special rites are carried out on sacred manuscripts. On This kind of day all books are taken out as well as dusted, then presented as an offering. Special attention is usually paid to Bali’s oldest “books,” sacred lontar palm leaf manuscripts, which have been taken out via valuable collections, cleansed as well as blessed by priests as well as put on exhibit from the Puja Saraswati ritual.

At Gedong Kirtya (Jl. Veteran 20, Singaraja, tel. 036222645) visitors may view these holy books as well as even take photos. A staff of 24 take care of the 4,000 odd lontar books in This kind of library which record the literature, mythology, horoscopes, black as well as white magic, folklore, rituals, medical science, calendars, genealogies as well as histories of Bali as well as Lombok. The most precious, dating via the 18th century, are kept in a special airconditioned room. Every September 14th there’s a big anniversary celebration. Hours: 7.30 am3.45 pm, closes at 1 pm on Friday, closed Saturday as well as Sunday.

Bookstores of Bali

Bali’s best stocked bookstore is usually the massive Gramedia on the second floor of Mal Bali Galleria (Jl. Raya Bypass Ngurah Rai, tel. 0361758072) which sells thousands of titles in Indonesian, imported books as well as magazines, novels as well as bestsellers.

Periplus, with 15 bookstores all over Bali, sells a very wide range of books, a large number of which they publish themselves. Periplus is usually often the sole distributor of brand-new book titles in Indonesia. This kind of shop carries a range of English titles of local interest, literature, art, Inside decoration, spirituality, cooking, plus novels, interactive children’s books, general nonfiction, maps as well as the latest international magazine. Browsing isn’t encouraged as there are no chairs as well as most books are wrapped in plastic.

Ganesha Bookshop, on the corner of Jl. Raya Ubud as well as Jl. Jembawan (opposite the post office) in Ubud, has been selling brand-new books since 1990. They have a huge stock of books in English on Indonesian literature, language, cooking, culture, arts as well as history as well as books for children. Website http://www.ganeshabooksbali.com for ordering via a comprehensive online catalog. Hours: 9 am – 8 pm daily. Tel. 0361970320. Another Ganesha Bookshop inside Biku Restaurant at Jl. Petitenget 888 is usually open 8 am – 11pm every day. The Ganesha Bookshop in Sanur (Jl. Danau Tamblingan 42) carries a special area set aside as a reading room for young readers to help foster reading for pleasure from the local community.

Specialty Bookshops & Secondhand Books

Respectable collections of art books (of Balinese, Indonesian as well as expat artists), art catalogues as well as scholarly publications are sold at Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), Jl. Raya Pengosekan, as well as at Neka Art Museum Bookshop, Jl. Raya Sanggingan. Threads of Life, Jl. Kajeng 24 (near the Ubud Palace), tel. 0361972187, stocks books on textiles, weaving as well as art. Hours: 10 am – 7 pm.

Enchanted Books, Jl. Raya Kerobokan 69 (tel. 0361734822) stocks a great selection of fiction, nonfiction, as well as bilingual Indonesian/English books for children via infant to 12 years old. Hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily. The reception area of The Yoga Barn (tel. 0361971236), a 10 minute walk south via KAFE down in Pengosekan, shelves the most extensive collection of yoga books on Bali, a whopping 75 titles, most imported via India. Hours: 7 am – 8pm.

Because of the literally millions of travellers as well as tourists passing through Bali, leaving vast quantities of used books in their wake, there is usually no shortage of used books available for trade or purchase. These books end up in hotels as well as eventually in permanent as well as semipermanent secondhand bookstores all over the island. You can usually return the books you buy to the same vendor as well as get back half of what you paid. although in spite of the deluge of books, don’t expect to buy them for next to nothing. Used books cost Rp.30,000 to Rp.50,000, as well as for brand-new bestsellers as much as Rp.100,000. Nevertheless, you can often find books for free. from the lobbies or restaurant areas of little hotels guesthouses as well as homestays, travellers leave behind their books for others or for the hotel to make available for trading.

You are also sure to stumble across little makeshift stalls selling reasonably priced books of decent quality. In some cases, a seller’s stock is usually carried on the back of his motorbike. Look for bookstalls as well as portable vendors selling novels as well as travel books along Jl. 66 in Seminyak in front of the Lanai as well as Zanzibar restaurants, down Poppies Lane as well as on Jl. Raya on the way to the beach in Petitengat. Another common little secondhand bookshop is usually just outside the back entrance to Bintang supermarket.

In each Ganesha Bookshop in Ubud, Petitinget as well as Sanur are glassed cabinets containing unusual, rare as well as outofprint titles on Indonesian history, politics, art, literature, as well as travel narratives. Used books sold in all 3 stores are returnable for a 50% buy back. Anita as well as Ketut may be contacted by email: info@ganeshabooksbali.com, by tel. 0361970320 or on Facebook (Ganesha Bookshop).

Anyone who loves secondhand books — via romance as well as bodicerippers to serious academic titles as well as quality trade paperbacks — will gravitate to Susan’s Book Swap at Dijon, Jl. Kuta Poleng Mall, tel. 0361759636, email: dijonfs@indosat. net.id, near the big Simpang Siur roundabout. This kind of common event takes place on the last Saturday of each month (subject to change) between 1 pm as well as 4 pm. You can take away as many books as you came with, except for children’s books that will can only be traded on a oneforone basis.

Book Clubs & Libraries

This kind of’s no coincidence that will the Ubud Writer’s & Readers Festival, which draws book lovers via all over the entire world, sprang to life in Ubud — a village bibliophiles. Attracting a more cultureoriented longterm resident as well as traveller, Ubud is usually awash with bookstores selling brand-new as well as used books. This kind of is usually the location of the island’s best independent bookshop, Ganesha, as well as excellent secondhand bookstores. Surprising finds can also be made in nontraditional bookselling venues such as Ubud Music, Jl. Raya Ubud as well as the Balispirit Shop. Even the Ubud Post Office sells books!

The Ubud Writers Group meets on the 2nd as well as 4th Thursday of each month via 10 am to midday at Bayu’s Kitchen in Penestanan. Attendance at meetings varies via several to 10 people. The group’s members have published three collections of stories as well as poems about life in Bali. For more information about UWG, email Steve Castley at stevecastley124@gmail.com.

The Ubud Children’s Library: This kind of private nonprofit library from the Pondok Pekak compound shelves an extensive collection of children’s picture as well as activity books, approximately 4000 in English as well as 2000 in Indonesian. A full time bilingual children’s librarian provides English language lessons free of charge to local Balinese children, art activities on the weekends as well as storytelling during the week. The fee to borrow three books every two weeks is usually Rp.50,000 per annum plus a Rp.150,000 refundable deposit. Book group as well as school memberships are also available upon request. Hours: 10 am – 5pm Tuesday to Friday; 10 am – 6 pm Saturday as well as Sunday. For further information: tel. 0361976194, email: ubudchildrenlibrary@yahoo.co.id.