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Showing posts from February, 2011

TIMES BOOK FAIR @ fahrenheit88!

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Venue: Concourse, Ground Floor of fahrenheit88 Date: 23 Feb - 6 Mar 2011 Time: 10am - 10pm Shall I go??? **itching** But I'm only free on the 5th...I'm sure all the good books would've been bought by other bookaholics by then :( *sob*

Blackmail Bride by Normanda Whyte

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Title/Author: Blackmail Bride/Normanda Whyte Publisher: Ink-Slinger ISBN: 978-1-908138-00-2 In a nutshell Stalked by her abusive ex-husband, Lucy Grant is desperate for a protector. Lucy aims for the one man who is tough enough for the job, ex-convict Jack Welsh. Found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit, Jack Welsh is convinced Lucy’s ex set him up. Jack will do anything it takes to clear his name - even if it means marrying Lucy. What I liked Although I'm not much of a romance novel fan, I enjoy reading about the relationship between Lucy and Jack - seeing how they helped and complemented each other in many ways. Jack's confidence and protective nature helped Lucy with her fears and insecurities, while Lucy's intelligence helped Jack in proving his innocence. I'm in the middle of finishing the novel, but just couldn't wait to put this up so that you could enjoy this story too :) You can read the first chapter for free and buy it from here . It’s Ellen Whyte'

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

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Title/Author: Ish/Peter H. Reynolds Publisher: Walker Books Pages: 28 ISBN 13: 978-1-84428-296-8 In a nutshell To sum it up very simply, ish is about a boy named Ramon, who loved to draw, but was criticised and given harsh remarks by his brother, Leon. Ish is the sequel to The Dot . What I liked The first thing that grabbed my attention was the title, 'Ish'. My first reaction was, 'Ish'? As we know it, 'ish' means 'almost like it', or 'not exactly'. For example, when you see yellow that is not really yellow, you say 'yellow-ish'. In Malaysia, some of us use 'ish' to express 'I can't believe you did/said that'. So, instead of saying that, we say, 'Ish ish ish...' To find out what it meant in this story, I browsed the pages. Ahh...it's that 'ish' that is 'almost like it' and not having to be 'so perfect'. I believe there's a perfectionist in everyone of us; the tendency to be

Some Reads for Valentine's Day?

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Found these reads in Times Bookstore in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. Thought it'd be quite apt for Valentine's Day. According to reviews, the first one's funny, the second one is helpful for someone who needs tips for a new husband in 5 days...hmmm... Title/Author: Asian Aphrodisiacs/Jerry Hopkins Publisher: Periplus Editions/Berkeley Books Pte Ltd (31 Jan 2007) Pages: 272 ISBN 13: 978-0794603960 Synopsis: "Tiger penis soup? Rhino horn on the oyster half shell? Give me a break!" So says bestselling author Jerry Hopkins as he meets the people, visits the places, and "road tests" dozens of Asia's most popular aphrodisiacs in the first definitive survey of the region's best and worst "turn-on's. Hopkins travels from Bangkok to Tokyo, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Kathmandu in search of the region's most exciting pick-me-ups. Along the way, he discovers that Asia was first in the development and prescription of aphrodisiacs, first in pornograph

Hector And The Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord

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Title/Author: Hector And The Search For Happiness Publisher: Gallic Books No. of Pages: 180 ISBN 13: 978-1-906040-23-9 In a nutshell Hector, a successful young psychiatrist, sets off round the world to find out what makes people happy and sad, and whether there is such a thing as the secret to true happiness What I liked I liked the overall simplicity - from the front cover to the language and style. Hmmm....and Hector (on the front cover) somehow reminded me of Dilbert. But what I don't understand is, why have 2 different depictions of Hector? (Refer to another cover below) Is it because it's published by different publishers? Even so, they could have avoided depicting two different versions of Hector and stuck with consistency. And Hector's voice in the book, somehow, to me, resembled Alice in Alice in Wonderland (Probably due to the fact that I read this book after reading Alice in Wonderland haha). I also liked the simple list of 'What's Happiness' that

Facts you didn't know about Alice In Wonderland

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I came across these facts about Alice in Wonderland in one of the many versions of the book, and thought they were interesting. So I'd like to share them with you :) #1 The author, Lewis Carroll, whose real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was very meticulous and had this habit of making lists and keeping records of everything that he did. He even kept records of all the letters that he wrote - a total of 98,721 letters, from January 1861 until his death in 1898! #2 Mock Turtle soup IS REAL ! It was a popular dish in Victorian times. It was made from parts of a calf. #3 Alice Liddell is the little girl who inspired this story. Read more here . Read a review of a historical fiction based on Alice Liddell's life (Alice I Have Been) here . #4 In the 1930s Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass , were banned from publication in China because the Chinese authorities objected to the animals in the story talking like humans. #5 Before it was called Alice'

Some of My Favourite Buys in 2010

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I've been keeping these pictures in my phone for awhile now. I'm uploading them here to share them with you :) These are some of my favourite buys in 2010. Why do I love them? 1) As you can see, most of them are classics :) 2) The beautiful pictures! The illustrations are so breathtaking they come alive in my mind. 3) The indescribable feelings they evoke when I turn the pages. (These are the things an e-book can't do!) So what do we have here: 1) Illustrated Tales from Shakespeare 2) The World of Pooh Collection 3) The Secret Garden 4) Life of Pi 5) Alice in Wonderland

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

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The Story behind Chinese New Year So. What's the story behind Chinese New Year (CNY)? There are various versions of this celebration. According to myths and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a terrible mythical monster called Nian (means 'year'). He would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. A wise old man came to know about it and advised the villagers to ward off the evil Nian by making loud noises with drums and firecrackers and hanging red paper cutouts and scrolls on their doors because the Nian is terrified of the color red. The villagers heeded his advice and the Nian was defeated. On the anniversary of the date, the Chinese recognize the “passing of the Nian” known in Chinese as guo nian (过年), which is also synonymous with celebrating the new year. Taboos of CNY 1. The entire house must be cleaned before CNY . Put away all brooms, brushes, dust pans and other cl