Introducing Paulo Coelho's new book

Paulo Coelho, of The Alchemist fame is coming out with another book next month. The title is Manuscript Found in Accra.

I enjoyed reading The Alchemist but unfortunately have not read anymore of Coelho's works. But I received a review copy of his upcoming book and I can't wait to read it!

Here's more information on his latest book:

The latest novel from the #1 internationally best-selling author of The Alchemist.

³There is nothing wrong with anxiety. 
Although we cannot control God¹s time, it is part of the human condition to want to receive the thing we are waiting for as quickly as possible. 
Or to drive away whatever is causing our fear. . . . 
Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it‹just as we have learned to live with storms.²

July 14, 1099. Jerusalem awaits the invasion of the crusaders who have surrounded the city¹s gates. There, inside the ancient city¹s walls, men and women of every age and every faith have gathered to hear the wise words of a mysterious man known only as the Copt. He has summoned the townspeople to address their fears with truth:

³Tomorrow, harmony will become discord. Joy will be replaced by grief. Peace will give way to war. . . . None of us can know what tomorrow will hold, because each day has its good and its bad moments. So, when you ask your questions, forget about the troops outside and the fear inside. Our task is not to leave a record of what happened on this date for those who will inherit the Earth; history will take care of that. Therefore, we will speak about our daily lives, about the difficulties we have had to face.²

The people begin with questions about defeat, struggle, and the nature of their enemies; they contemplate the will to change and the virtues of loyalty and solitude; and they ultimately turn to questions of beauty, love, wisdom, sex, elegance, and what the future holds. ³What is success?² poses the Copt. ³It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.²

Now, these many centuries later, the wise man¹s answers are a record of the human values that have endured throughout time. And, in Paulo Coelho¹s hands, The Manuscript Found in Accra reveals that who we are, what we fear, and what we hope for the future come from the knowledge and belief that can be found within us, and not from the adversity that surrounds us.

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho;
Translated by Margaret Jull Costa
ISBN: 9780385349833
On Sale: 4/2/2013, $22.00

More links: To pre-order the book
Manuscript Found in Accra on YouTube
Facebook
Audiobook version of the book

Lovely surprise in the mail!

I love getting books in the mail. But since I participated in several Secret Santa exchanges this year, it has become an even more exciting occasion.

What better way to greet me at home after work yesterday than a lovely red package from Australia??? Check out the picture above. My Secret Santa from The Broke and Bookish Secret Santa Exchange sent me Nation by Terry Pratchett, a Classic Penguin/Penguin Classic tote bag, a lovely 2013 calendar, a special bookmark and a cute Christmas card - all tied up neatly in a funky red and white string!

I love the presents! I can't wait to start reading the book, to fill in activities for 2013 and to use the tote bag.

Thanks so much, Kayleigh of Nylon Admiral! =)

Teaser Tuesdays (Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild)

Current read: Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild

Page 128 of 224

It was no good John being proud. He had no more idea what to do with twenty-five horses and forty-two monks than he would have known what to do with Sally's ballet. He came down to Philip, his face scarlet.

'You tell them, I can't'.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Book Giveaway at Bookish

Wow, this giveaway hosted by Evie at Bookish should get you book lovers extremely excited. The winner will get a box of books - 10 books to be exact! This giveaway is international too!

If you win (lucky you!), you can choose 10 titles from the list on Evie's blog. That's not all, she will be adding more titles later on. This means you have more choices of books you want to win!

Her contest ends on Dec 31.

Book Giveaway at The Hollow Cupboards

Don't miss out on this exciting giveaway being hosted by Chey of The Hollow Cupboards to celebrate her blog reaching 1,000 followers. It is open to all her followers and it is international! Yay! So don't miss it. =)

Her contest ends in 49 days so that would be around early next year. Lots of time to enter!

Now Reading: Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Book Journey

Right now I’m in the middle of Party Frock by Noel Streatfeild.

According to a website on books by Streatfeild, Party Frock was published in 1946 and the US edition in 1947 was called Party Shoes.

Now, it is only available as Party Shoes in the UK. It is no longer in print in the US. Fun facts, huh??? =)

I bought my copy from the used bookstore at the Chowrasta Bazaar in Penang. I wished I remembered the year I bought this book. I’m guessing it’s some time in 2009. Yeah, and I’m only reading it now!






But I think I have quite a special edition of the book. It’s not in perfect shape. In fact, pages began falling out when I began reading it last week. Now I’m torn between (no pun intended) giving away the book or keeping it for myself after I finish reading it. My copy, published in Armada Lions in 1971, is titled Party Frock, and as we know now, Party Frock is no more in print! This means my copy is sort of valuable, right??


So far I’ve only read two books by Streatfeild – Ballet Shoes for Anna and White Boots. I initially did not think I would enjoy reading Party Frock because of the book’s miserable condition. But it has since become quite a little page-turner.

It is unbelievable how seven children (Selina and her six cousins) plan to hold a pageant just because Selina received a frock and satin shoes from a godmother in America. It is mostly because there would not be any other suitable occasion to wear the frock as it was in the middle of the Second World War and times were hard.

But the children are as optimistic as ever. They still intent to go ahead and plan a pageant that involves a number of their neighbours in the village.

I’m at page 118 or 53% into the book now. Can’t wait to see how the pageant turns out!

If you have read this book before, let me know what you thought about it! =)