Solitude quadruples Islamic book collection
By Grace Jiu

Fruit and veggie juices served at Soitude	A cup of indulgence... Tiramisu offered at Solitude. Photos: Jan Shim
Some of Solitude's range of Islamic books

Fruit and veggie juices served at Soitude

A cup of indulgence... Tiramisu offered at Solitude. Photos: Jan Shim

Some of Solitude's range of Islamic books

When Solitude first opened its doors at The Mall about a year and a half ago, it only had around 200 Islamic book titles. However, it now boasts over 800 titles covering various topics on Islamic knowledge.

Solitude is a specialised bookstore, which offers a range of English-medium Islamic books covering art, architecture, society, culture, forensic psychiatry, politics, science, law and even children's books. There are also some motivational and inspirational Islamic books.

"Woman In Islamic Shari'ah" by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and "The Travels of Ibn Jubayr" are just some of the current bestsellers.

Even though the bookstore focuses on Islamic books, it is interesting to note that over 40 per cent of their customers are non-Muslims. It was learnt that most of their customers are women, where sales are three times more than male customers.

The bookstore is an ideal place for people to read anytime of the day. Perhaps over a cup of Tiramisu or a slice of chocolate fudge cake? These are just some of the treats available at the cyber café, which is nestled behind the shelves of books.

Other items in their menu include special tea and hot treats such as Shepard's pie, lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise and chicken pie. There are also weekend specials such as roast lamb or chicken.

The bookstore has a library copy of each book for sale, where customers can have a read through before deciding to purchase it.

Solitude is located at Unit 3.12, 3rd Floor of The Mall in Gadong.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin