Need I say more?

It's a good time to be Penangites!!

Book Galore 2012

It's another book sale to be held at MIECC starting today! Various English and Chinese books will be sold at warehouse prices here. Surprisingly, BookXcess will also be there, selling books at RM 5 or less & buy 4 get 1 free!!

So tempted to visit the sale. :p

It's a good time to be a bibliophile!!

Be ready to empty your bank accounts, book lovers!!

Beginning this week, there are several book sales going on in Klang Valley.

Review: "Killer Bodies"

Review: “’Tis”, “Teacher Man”

BookXcess World Book Day Promo

Today is the first day of BookXcess' World Book Day Promo. Selected titles at 20% discounts, Bundle Pack Books, Book of the Day and other goodies!! Don't Miss It!!!

I Won!!

I took part in BookXcess' latest Blog Bonanza contest and won myself a Lillian Too's Feng Shui Kit.

I was just trying it for fun, not expecting to win (which happened quite a lot). Guess I got lucky this time.

I'll collect it this weekend and hopefully can use it to improve my fortune! Lol :)

BookXcess Year End Offer Bin Sales

BookXcess started a year-end sale from 26th, offering selected titles at RM1- RM8!! Sure enough, I went there on the very first day to check it out.

BookXcess Christmas Promotion!!

Too many??

Free bookmarks from buying at BBW and showing the receipts at BookXcess. 8D

One for every book from BBW...  Still not enough!! :(

Good day at BookXcess; Bookfest@Malaysia is coming

I only visited BookXcess on 14 August (Sat) out of the three-day celebration, but I still managed to get some good books at crazy prices.

I reached the bookshop before noon and was surprised to meet a colleague with her sister. We headed out separately to hunt for our books. I hit the RM3 book section first and chose five books, "American Gangster and Other Tales of New York", "Blame it on the Rain" and "50 Ways to F**k the Planet" for myself, and two Sudoku books for my mom.

I also bought "'Tis: A Memoir" for RM 17.90. Previously I bought "Angela's Ashes" also from BookXcess but has yet to read it as there are still a lot of books on my to-read list. :P

Despite the anniversary sales with many titles selling at 30% discount plus other books selling at RM3 or less, I only bought four books. But it was a good thing, as I saved money for the upcoming Bookfest@Malaysia 2010 in September to buy more books, probably targeting on Chinese books. I've been reading so many English-language books lately that I felt I need to balance things out by reading more Chinese-language books, and the Bookfest@Malaysia is just what the doctor ordered.

4-12 September 2010 at KLCC

There were a few Chinese books listed in the Bookfest Catalogue that caught my interest, including:

BookXcess 3rd Anniversary Celebration!

BookXcess will be having its third anniversary celebration on 13-15 August 2010.

A good time to expand your collection of books without robbing a bank! Don't miss it!!!

Irresponsible!!!

On 1 August 2010, I was really angry! I just couldn't believe how irresponsible some people can be!!

I was visiting Amcorp Mall that day, one of a few places I would go to when I’m spending the weekend alone. My usual routine was to visit my favorite bookstore BookXcess first, just to browse around or to buy books that I had in mind. Then I would just window-shop at the other stores and stalls at the flea market. Later, I would revisit BookXcess to see if I missed something the first time around.

During the revisit, I noticed a plastic bag with an empty paper cup in it, left among the books at the non-fiction section. I was surprised and angry that someone could be so irresponsible. What made me angrier was that I know who the culprit was.

During my first-round in the bookstore, I noticed a couple with their daughter at the non-fiction section. As I was browsing around, I saw the mother was eating something from a paper cup in a plastic bag. It was the exact same paper cup and plastic bag that was left among the books! I couldn’t be sure if it was the mother who left it there, as the food could be shared with the father and daughter, and it could be one of them who left it.

If it was one of the parents, they have set such a bad example for their daughter. While they did the right thing to encourage their child to develop a good reading habit by bringing her to a bookstore, they failed to be a responsible person by leaving their garbage there. If you couldn’t find a waste basket in the store, then bring it outside and throw it into a garbage can when you see one. Simple logic!

If it was the daughter, then both daughter and the parents were at fault. Either the parents failed to take notice the mistake the daughter had made and educate her promptly, or the parents did notice her mistake but decided to do nothing.

Of course, it was mere speculation as to what exactly happened, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the garbage came from that family. I decided to take a couple of photos and post it in my blog for everyone to see. And yes, I did pick it up and throw it away.

Can you see what wrong with this picture?

Unfortunately, this was not an isolated case. I had previously seen used tissues left among the books or on the floor. For everyone whose reading this, I hope that you would treat BookXcess better the next time you visit it. The bookstore, or any bookstore for that matter, is a wonderful place for everyone to be in. Be responsible. Don’t leave your garbage there. It’s a bookstore, not a landfill.

On a side note, some people still leave books all over the place, such as a fiction book at the non-fiction section, a RM 17.90 book at the “below RM 10” section, etc. Please put the books back where they belong if you decided later not to buy them.

Two books at once

I'm reading two books at the same time now: Feather in the Storm and James Herriot's Dog Stories.

Normally I don't read two or several books at once, especially novels, memoirs and such. I would prefer to read one book, engage myself into its story before moving to the next. It's just how I read.

Feather in the Storm was next on my list of reading, but it's a hard cover and just too heavy to carry around to read while I'm on the train travelling between home and work as I usually do. So I can only read it at home. Coincidentally, the Perhentian Trip is coming this Thursday and I wanted to bring a book to read while I'm there. The book has to be a light read and enjoyable, thus James Herriot's Dog Stories which I bought from BookXcess recently came to mind.

I don't want to put Feather in the Storm aside for too long as I bought the book from Bookfest@Malaysia last year. I couldn't bring it for the trip because first of all, it's too heavy. And second, it's about the writer going through China's Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward. There will be a lot of sad stories initially before reaching the part where the writer triumphed over her hard life. Not suitable to read for a relaxing island trip.

So what should I read instead? James Herriot's Dog Stories became the most suitable option. It's small and light, so I can bring it with me everywhere I go. The book consists of 50 individual stories, which means I can finish a story or two and can still enjoy the trip.

I won't be able to finish the book before the trip ends, but it doesn't matter. I can read it during my train travels. The short stories would also allow me to enjoy Feather in the Storm at home without confusing myself between the two books.

My favourite bookstore

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Just started reading this book today, bought it from the previous Bookfest@Malaysia last year. It about a pet dog called Enzo and his master, with Enzo as the narrator.

I can't remember when and where I first heard about this book, but I do remember at the time I already have books about pets such as Marley and Me, Dewey, My Life with George and A Lion called Christian (Well, Christian was sort of a pet back then, when there was no law against owning exotic animals as pets). I was thinking that it would be interesting to see things from the pets' perspective.

Therefore, I decided to buy it during the Bookfest, which I'm kind of regretted now as BookXcess is currently selling it at RM 17.90. Darn...

Anyway, I've started on the first few pages. I got a feeling I'll enjoy this book a lot!

To Kill a Mockingbird

It's the 50th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

I've always wanted to read this book for quite some time, but I still have so many books yet to read and was somewhat reluctant to buy one.

The other day I found the book was included in a list by BookXcess, selling for only RM 17.90. So I thought I would go there are buy one. Unfortunately, the book was sold out!

I really hoped that the book will be available in BookXcess soon. If not, I might just buy it from the regular bookstore at a higher price.