subject: Books And More At Odyssey [print this page] Books And More At Odyssey Books And More At Odyssey
What you see - Odyssey in Chembur, Mumbai is not just a bookstore. The expanse of glossy floor space shaped like a giant horseshoe leads you from books and stationery to CDs and toys to an array of gift articles. The store's ambience is very cool and relaxing with lighting conducive to reading. Popular music plays softly over the sound system.
The classy walnut finish wooden bookshelves are built at a user friendly height (shoulder level for a 5.5" person). The vast collection of books is categorized wisely so that manually locating a particular title amongst them is a matter of seconds. There are plush single seat sofas that make you want to curl up with a favorite book and revive the lost pleasures of afternoon reading.
What you get - The Must read' and New arrivals' sections hold paperbacks and hardcovers that are currently popular, while the Popular classics' and Bestsellers' include evergreen titles from Pride and Prejudice' to Chetan Bhagat's creations. A connoisseur for books will rejoice in the wonderfully illustrated and photographically enhanced tomes in Architecture & Interiors, Art, Home & Garden, Food & Drink, Leisure and Sports & Hobbies. The books in the above mentioned categories are the latest.
You will also find Scott Adams's Dilbert cartoons nestled comfortably amongst the regular books about Hedge fund investments. The array of coffee table books and Wisden's mammoth book on the world of cricket will bowl you over. While the Self Improvement' section holds no surprises, the hardback Bird Lover's Backyard Handbook' grabs your attention from across the aisle. It turns out to be charming and informative for an amateur bird enthusiast. Other categories are the regular History, Non-fiction, Biography, Humor, Philosophy and Astrology. Religion and Science sections interestingly face each other standing their own ground of logic and beliefs.
Books for children and adolescents are meticulously divided into sections based on age, gender and type of reading interests. Ranging from Coloring and Activity books to Young Fiction and Young Reference, all books come in the widest possible educational variety to inculcate the value and pleasures of reading in young minds. The books for children are further divided into a sub-category for boys and girls.
At Odyssey, you will also notice the presence of seldom available English translations of famous literature from the south (especially Tamil since Chembur is a dominant Tamilian settlement). So the Indian writing' section not only has titles from Amitav Ghosh and Salman Rushdie but also a beautiful hardbound collection of classic Tamil Sangam poetry occupying a place of pride right next to them.
Other products on offer at the store are school bags, art and craft materials, electronic toys, greeting cards and board games like Scrabble and Monopoly. You'll also find a good selection of CDs and DVDs of international as well as Bollywood chartbusters and Carnatic music recordings. The gift range includes affordable jute bags, clocks, wind chimes, jewelry etc. to exotic Salvatore Ferragamo products and Bvlgari perfumes.
Our verdict - Odyssey stands for what it literally signifies - a long, eventful journey through mindscape. The staff is friendly and resourceful in finding what you want. You can also place an order for books that are currently not on the shelves. They will get them for you. No home delivery option though. Another downside is that membership facility is not available but seasonal discounts are offered on select titles during stock clearance sales. Overall, Odyssey is a place definitely worth a lazy afternoon sojourn. Parking space is ample at K Star mall.
