Reading a real book or from a screen?

Thanks to technology, now we can read our favourite books or classics from the computer. All we need to do is download and save the file and when we want to read it, we just switch on the computer and read it! With such e-books, we can keep as many e-books as we want in our computers or PDAs(I think) without taking up too much space in the house. Oh yes, e-books do help keep the house less cluttered.

But, for me, I don't really like e-books. I prefer to hold the real book in my hands when I'm reading. Wouldn't it be strainful to the eyes if we kept staring at the screen for hours? It can be tiring just staring and reading real books for a long time.

I don't mind if there are many books at home. I don't mind if they take up too much space. I'll just have to find more space for them then! With a real book, I can relax on the couch to read it. I can't curl up if I were to read from a computer.

Take your pick. The e-book or the real book?

The Ultimate Teen Book Guide - Very Ultimate!

Yesterday, while browsing through the bookshelves of Borders bookstore, I came upon a very interesting book, which caught my eye. Well, I simply plucked it out like I always did with most books. Wow, when I opened it, I was mesmerized. I love the book!

It's called The Ultimate Teen Book Guide, edited by Daniel Hahn, Leonie Flynn, and Susan Reuben. It has 448 pages filled with cool book reviews. Then, there are different categories of books, too, so the reader can find his/her way around the book easily. It's priced at a hefty RM85.95. I might buy it later when I have extra cash or when I strike the lottery.

This book is a guide for those blur teens who don't know what to read next or don't know which book to read. How would you know if it's an interesting book or not? What's the story about? Well, the book has reviews of over 700 cool books. And some of the reviewers include Meg Cabot, Jean Ure, Melvin Burgess, Anthony Horowitz and many more! Now, you know what your favourite authors love to read!

The BookFair's Been Extended!

Good news for everybody! Or for people who simply love to buy books… =)

If you still don’t know, then now you’ll know that the Popular Mega Bookfair will be extended to 02 September 2007! It is deemed the largest bookfair in the Northern Region.

I totally forgot about this fair last week! Can you believe it? I blogged all about it the week before last and I did not even remember that it’s even happening. Oh, I’m such a forgetful person.

However, now I remember. Yes! And I hope that I’ll be able to join in the fun in buying books at discounted prices until the 2nd of September. Oh, it’s held at Midlands Park Shopping Centre. Hmm, it’s not extended at Megamal Pinang, I guess.

Simply Irresponsible

In the university library, there are computers available for students to use to search for books. There aren't many but there are enough, I think. They should only be used for searching books in the library anyway, so going online to send and check e-mail with them is totally out of the question. There's the Internet room anyway but it's usually full, too.

However, what do students care? Somehow, they managed to log on to blogger.com and other websites with the library search computer. No wonder I see some students sit so comfortably in front of it. When I want to search for books and I want to use a computer, I get frustrated when the computers that are available are not working! I move the mouse and click, click on the screen but nothing happens. The page is totally stagnant. Somebody must have caused the computer to hang. Then, when I check on what the other computer users are doing, they don't look like they're searching for books. Some are chatting with their friends or doing something else, don't know what.

There was even a girl who sat with her legs crossed or folded or whatever on the chair! She's getting really comfortable lah. Is it going to take her that long to search for a book or two? What about other students who want to use the computer, too?

You know, they should limit one person to a computer for only 10 minutes. Yes, TEN! SEPULUH! It's enough for a student to search for a book or two right? If they can't find the book, they can always come back to the computer and search again. A student can only borrow 4 books at a time anyway. I don't think they need more than ten minutes to search.

Time To Pronounce Words The Right Way

I get annoyed when I hear some people pronounce some words wrongly. When I tell them the right way, some will change the way they pronounce while some.....are still adamant of pronouncing their own way!

Well, if you want to sound intelligent, here's a website dictionary, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, that you can go to to get your pronunciations right. No, this is not a sponsored post. I'm recommending this site because I think it's good. For you and also for me.

First, type any word you want in the box available. Then, click on 'Dictionary'. You'll get the meaning of your word and if you want to hear the way it's pronounced, click on the red speaker-phone icon. A box will pop out and then, you'll hear the right pronunciation of the word! Click 'hear it again' to listen to it as many times you want.

There, you're on your way to pronouncing every word right! Have fun!

Questions For Book Bloggers

I found this meme at Becky's Book Reviews and it seems easy, so why not do it?

What are you reading right now?

Nothing at the moment. Just finished Shopaholic Abroad and taking a break. Maybe I should get started on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?

I would like to read New Moon after HP and the Half-Blood Prince.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?

Magazines in the bathroom. I don't keep mags in there! But the only mag I have now is Cleo.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?

Erm, my school textbooks? So that I'd be prepared before an exam and no answer in a silly way!

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?

The only library I go to now is my uni's library and no, they don't know my first name. They'll only when I hand them my student card while borrowing books.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?

It happened a few times. Not only one book but a few.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?

Sometimes I'll read while munching on some junk food. What's the use of reading and watching TV at the same time. I'll always switch off the TV for complete silence so I can concentrate on my book. And yeah, the radio will be on. Reading while driving? That's totally ridiculous!

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?

Hmm, I don't remember. I think they never teased me about that.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer!

Back to earn money!

Yes, I'm back doing paid posts for PayPerPost and Blogsvertise. I haven't been very active in Blogsvertise and I'm lucky they didn't suspend my account! They sent out emails to all members warning them to either accept or decline blog offers. If we didn't take the trouble to visit the website to accept or decline the offers, then we might have our accounts suspended!

Well, it's a Saturday night and there's Smallville on StarWorld but I'd rather be blogging now! No more money already lah.... University isn't cheap. And I want to practise writing, too. Haven't written much for months already. So, now it's a good time.

I have a stack of new books waiting to be read, too. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (oh yeah, not Deathly Hallows, see how outdated I am?), I Capture The Castle, A Walk To Remember, Devil Wears Prada, New Moon, and many more! I borrowed a book from the library, I forgot the title. I'll check it out now. Ok, the title is 'Derik's Bane'. It's supposed to be a funny book, so I'm prepared to laugh like crazy.

How Does Your Home Library Look Like?

Whoa, just check out other people's libraries from this blog, that is Your home library. If you are very proud of your big/small collection of books, why not take a good picture of it and send to Kimbooktu, whose idea it was to collect pictures of home libraries from all over the world.

I would love to send in a pic of my own little library but compared to the others, it's quite pathetic! Haha! There is one guy who claimed to have owned 3000 over books and he's been buying 500 books a year since 2004!

Wow...if I were to buy around 500 books a year, it means that I'll be buying around 41 books a month. If I were to buy 41 books a month, I wouldn't be able to finish reading all of them in a month anyway. And let's say a book costs around RM20 (most books now cost around RM30++ but I'm using RM20 as an average), then I'll be spending almost RM820 per month only on books.

Huh! No money lah like that! I love books but I can't be spending almost a thousand ringgit on books alone. Unless I'm a millionaire, then it'd be absolutely not a problem at all!

Hmm...my library isn't that bad actually. In fact, there's no more room for my new books on my bookshelf. That's why I keep the new books on my study table temporarily before I find a comfortable place for them. My shelf is full of Enid Blytons, Sweet Valley Junior Highs (can't bear to sell them off), a number of illustrated classic books my sis gave me one Christmas, and various other titles.

So, it's not that bad, huh?

Truthfully, I was in total awe when I saw the pictures of the submitters' libraries. I've always dreamt of owning tall bookshelves filled with all my books. If possible, I'd want the library in the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. The library in the Beast/prince's castle. Haha! It may only be a cartoon but it's a pretty impressive-looking library. Shelves covering all the walls of the room.

If you don't want to submit a picture to the 'Your home library' blog, why not tell me how your home library looks like? I'd like to hear all about it! Even if it's only one or two rows, I don't mind. It's YOUR library. Be proud of it.

The Popular Mega Bookfair-North...Starting Tomorrow!

Cool! Another book fair for all bookworms to enjoy and take advantage of. The last book fair I went to was in Kuala Lumpur at the KL Convention Centre, where the BookFest was held. And the discounts were great! I like Popular because, well, of the discounts. Most bestsellers are usually given 20% discounts off every now and then for Popular card members.

All the same, this Bookfair will be held concurrently (the word used in The Star) at Midlands One-Stop Centre, Level 5 and Megamal Pinang (Level 2, above Pacific). It will go on until August 26, 2007. The longer, the better. It'll be open from 11.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m..

Oh, it's the largest bookfair in the Northern region. Not bad.

So...sleep early tonight. There's going to be a big day(s) ahead. Have fun choosing your favourite titles and tell me what you bought, ok? =D