The great thing about working at a bookstore is the spectrum (or is it spectra?) of people you interact with on a day-to-day basis.
Budding musicians want to know which guitar books are best for beginners, parents to be want to know what to expect when they’re expecting and those focused on career want to know about the BSNL TTO and JTO.
Not only does this mean you have to be clued in to what’s around and available, it also helps you broaden your horizons. You get calls and mails, each one with a specific area of interest in mind. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, and then something like this pops up.
here’s email 1:
On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 1:09 AM, V——- <***********@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Tapas,
I am looking for a some books on special subjects. Let me know if you can find anything on ‘How to commit your first crime,’ ‘Crime scene investigation - how to escape,’ ‘review of murder weapons - which and why’ I am told there are books but I dont have any titles or ISBN numbers.
I’d appreciate the search being a discrete one. Thanks.
…and btw while you are at it can you also search for any book on ‘Kinesics’ and ‘The Alexander Technique.’ Thanks for these too.
-v—–
Now I’ve got to know V—— fairly well over the days. He dropped by one evening and we had a long chat, mostly about cool bikes and a fantastic bike store in Bangalore, one he’s closely associated with. We also discussed Jeffrey Deaver and some of his books, about online identity impersonation and theft and about how someone knows where you are and what you’re doing at any given point if you Twitter often, can shadow your blog and know your likes and dislikes - can even enter your circle of “friends” through Facebook.
If this chap happens to serial kill for a living, victims are easy pickings.
V to me doesn’t seem like a serial killer. For one, he rides around on a Lightweight Road Bike and looks like an eco-friendly James Bond meets Batman. His utility belt includes a metal chain which tethers his bike to immovable objects, a face mask to beat pollution and a motley collection of tools, including Allen keys. Oh wait …
He wanted books on crime and kinesics. Sure, why not. (Perhaps he wanted to commit a crime and alter his body language at the same time?)
I naïvely did what I could - here’s email 2:
Hi V—–,
Didn’t find anything on “commiting your first crime”…maybe I was looking in the wrong places. The closest I came was this: http://www.flipkart.com/book-poisons-serita-stevens-bannon/158297456x-wsx3f7g11b
Crime Scene Investigation:
Police Procedure and Crime Scene Investigation
Crime Writer’s Reference Guide
“The Alexander Technique”
Just the first eight. Bogus starts to creep in after that.
Kinesics
Kinesics and Non-Verbal Advantage
These two seem most ideal. We have few on “Body language and Interrogation”, “Reading Body Language”, but I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for.
Any other leads on the crime angle? Most of what I’ve given you is from a writer’s perspective - creating the perfect crime, do’s and don’ts, exiting the crime scene…things of that nature.
Tapas
I thought I had covered things well, until: email 3
Oh gosh!! you didnt realise the joke!! ??
Ok the crime thing was pure fun.
I was actually looking for Kinesics and Alexander Technique.
I see one at 197 for AT - http://www.flipkart.com/teach-yourself-alexander-technique-richard/0340867663-euw3f90rvs
I think I will buy this - see how it goes - and if I get more interested then get one of the higher priced ones. Better buy a Jeffrey Deaver than a higher priced one on Alexander Technique 
Kinesics is a very interesting field but that can come later I guess.
Let me know if you have the one on AT and I might pick it up one of these days. Also, let me know if you wanna read any of the Jeffrey Deavers’ that I picked up the other day and I can lend it.
Hi to all at Flipkart.
-V—–
Riiiiiight … so I’m an ass.
He leaves me no choice.
I see him on Twitter and know where he is on Saturday afternoons. I just have to figure out how to get him to add me as a “friend” on Facebook….
6 Comments
“Nothing seems out of the ordinary,” - and that is exactly why the email was sent in that way.
I wonder if this analogy is true –
You can Be where the other person is,
BUT
Can you Be what the other person is ?
We are a different person when we are writing more than 160 characters.
[ Hint: a Tweet ]
I’m looking for books on ‘how to loot a bank’ and ‘how to handle more than one girlfriend at a time’
Wonder if you have any. ;p
Hey Paresh, this might give you a few tips about robbing banks and this Kundera classic is a great primer on handling more than one lady at a time. Some people have joked i should change my name from Tapas to Tomas and start window cleaning…
…oh, you were joking. Mind if I start social engineering you?
I’ll consider this as the best place for positive feedback.
Recently, I’ve noticed flikart starting to showup in the first few lines of google search results. Maybe this was the first viable alternative to rediff shopping.
This is when I was told (by a friend) that flipkart has very decent delivery target and usually ships in 3 days.
So as an avid book reader and who loves simple e-com websites, I decided to test flipkart. I searched for my book (freakonomics) and promptly ordered it online. This was on Midnight of 25th. I also twittered about it at that time.
Imagine my shock (pleasant surprise) when the book was in my hands within 48hrs. You guys are awesome!
Please continue keeping the website simple and great, looking forward to a excellent online experience on your website - reader reviews, ratings, buying patterns.
What’s the most challenging thing in the world To think.