Read Before You Buy

What I like about LoveReading.co.uk is that I can download extracts of a book from their website. Yeah! You can now read the first few pages of a book if you are not sure if you want to buy it or not. You've got to register first before you can download extracts there. Registration is free and easy.

I've just downloaded extracts from 2 books: Un Lun Dun by China Mieville and The Ultimate Teen Book Guide. Not bad. For the Un Lun Dun book, I get to read until page 22 for free. Yeah, until page 22 but still, it's page 22! At least I get the idea of what the book is about.

Well, I actually prefer to read from a real book rather than staring at a computer screen. But, like I said, if you're not sure if you want to spend a few bucks on some book that you're not sure that you'll like, then it's a good idea to download extracts.

It's also suitable for those lazy people who don't go to the bookstores often. =D Or maybe for those who don't have transport to go to the bookstores to check out new books. Whatever....

The Un Lun Dun book has illustrations! Something which is missing from most books nowadays.

P.S. This is NOT a sponsored post. =)

Read My Blog In Your Language!

I've just added an Altavista Babel Fish button at the left side of my blog. You can now change this blog's language to any of the 8 languages that it is able to change to.

If you want Chinese, click on China's flag:

If German:




Next, Japanese!





For French:





If you want Italian:




For Korean:




If you want to read in Portuguese:




And finally, if you want español:




There, you have 8 languages! This is a good flag lesson for me too. Now, at least I know which flag belongs to which country.

And no, you don't click on the flag's which appear on THIS post. You will need to click the flags in the small button on the bottom left of the page. The button is just above my Bookaholic Blogring box.

Monsters of Templeton Book Cover

When I saw this book cover, I was like....'WOW'! Sort of like that. =)



The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff


Well, what do you think about it?

When I see an interesting book cover, I will want to read the book. How about you? Do you judge a book by its cover? The book, for instance, has a beautiful cover. But, we don't know if the story inside the book is just as nice as the outside, do we? The only thing left to do is to read the book!

Here is the book description from Amazon.com:

"The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass." So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel spanning two centuries: part contemporary story of a girl's search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story, this spellbinding novel is at its core a tale of how one town holds the secrets of a family.

In the wake of a wildly disastrous affair with her married archaeology professor, Willie Upton arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton, New York, where her hippie-turned-born-again-Baptist mom, Vi, still lives. Willie expects to be able to hide in the place that has been home to her family for generations, but the monster's death changes the fabric of the quiet, picture-perfect town her ancestors founded.

Even further, Willie learns that the story her mother had always told her about her father has all been a lie: he wasn't the random man from a free-love commune that Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. Someone from this very town. As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, she discovers that the secrets of her family run deep.

Through letters, editorials, and journal entries, the dead rise up to tell their sides of the story as dark mysteries come to light, past and present blur, old stories are finally put to rest, and the shocking truth about more than one monster is revealed.

This book is available at Acmamall (they do have everything, don't they???) and it costs RM87.98!!! Ah...no way! No way!

Dreaming Of More Books

Get 22% off for 2 items, 28% off for 6 items.

That's the promotion for the month of February at Acmamall.com. Yup, you can get books at discounted prices if you buy 2 or more. Did you notice the words that they used to describe their discounts? Like 'Rewarding 22% discount' and 'Smashing 28% discount'.

I think that the discount will only be 'smashing' if it's 50% or 70% off. 28% off is not really 'smashing'.

The only thing I don't like about Acmamall is their delivery charge. RM7.50! Ridiculously expensive. At least MPH's is only RM4.90. Why do they have to charge so much for shipping? I like Acmamall because of their wide selection of books. You can find books that are not found in local bookstores.

Anyway, I checked the price of Stephenie Meyer's 3rd Bella Swan book, 'Eclipse' at Acmamall and it's only RM66.96 (hardcover). Other places are selling it at RM76.90. So, if you buy it from Acmamall and then you add the shipping price, the total would only come up to RM74.46. A little bit cheaper than RM76.90.

Yup, like I said. I can only dream of buying books now. Perhaps tomorrow I will suddenly own 1 million dollars out of nowhere. Then, I would not need fuss so much over Acmamall's RM7.50 charge for shipping. =D

MPH Sale

Am I on a blogging marathon now or what? It's been post after post! Wow...

By the way, just wanted to share with you on what's happening over at MPH Online. If you buy certain books online, you get a 20% discount, like Randa Abdel-Fattah's 'Does My Head Look Big In This?'. Usual price: RM42.90. After discount: Only RM34.32!!!

And the latest Harry Potter book: RM69.90! The price that we've all been waiting for. I've had my copy already anyway. =) Haven't read it yet, unfortunately.

Then, what about the 'Click n Save Up To 50% off' promotion? Books under that category are My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult), Shopaholic & Baby (Sophie Kinsella), Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz), and more.

If you're in the mood for romantic novels, then you shouldn't miss the Valentine's Day promotion. Some books in the romance category are given 20% discounts. So, if you are a sucker for romantic novels, better check it out. Promotion is until 29 February 2008 or while stocks last.

It's the holidays now. Don't watch too much TV. Get some reading done. And I had better stop with my blogging now. See ya tomorrow!

Coming Across A Favourite Author & Love At First Sight With Books

I've missed so many questions from Booking Through Thursday so I'd better start answering at least one right now. The questions that I'd like to answer would be:

1. How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift?
2. Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance?

There are so many ways where one can chance upon a favourite author. I have several favourites and here they are: Enid Blyton, J.K. Rowling, and Libba Bray. Erm, that's all I guess. I do have favourite books but I'm not quite sure if the books' authors are my favourite authors. I may like one of their books but it does not mean that I will like their other books. So, it's kind of hard. Anyway, I've always enjoyed reading books by Enid Blyton, Rowling and Bray's Gemma Doyle books, so they can be considered my favourite authors.

Now how did I come across them? Enid Blyton: through my sister. The first Enid Blyton book that I've read was given to me by my sister. It's the Billy-Bob Tales book. That's where I learnt new words, new names, and new things like snowdrops, cocker spaniels, etc.

And I came across Rowling when the same sister of mine gave me Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Did she give it to me? Yeah, I think so. I don't remember how old was I. I know many of you might already be sick of the Harry Potter books but don't judge them too harshly. The books are actually funny and sometimes, I find myself laughing over some parts of the book. Any book that can make me laugh is definitely a book worth reading again and again. Another book that always make me laugh is Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'. That book's really good.

Finally, Libba Bray. Well, I came across 'A Great And Terrible Beauty' in Borders. Saw the cover, read the back of the book and decided to buy it. I couldn't wait to get my hands on book 2, which is Rebel Angels. Now, the 3rd book is out. Not sure if it's available in Malaysia yet. Will be on the lookout for it.

And the love at first sight thing? I can't really say. It definitely wasn't love at first with my Enid Blyton book. I was too young and didn't know much about books. The Harry Potter book? Hmm...I think it was the first paragraph that got me hooked. And Great and Terrible Beauty? Yup, I did like the interesting cover. That's about it.

Guess that's all, huh? =)

Which Web Host To Use?

I'm planning to switch web host. I've heard of Exabytes and they have a student plan for students too, which isn't that bad. It's cheap too. Anyone using Exabytes who would like to comment on their service? Are they good? I've read somewhere that their customer support is kinda excellent. They work round the clock if I'm not mistaken and they reply to e-mails like the flash of lightning.

How? How? How? I am at a loss. I want good and cheap. That's what most people want too, right? =p

Young Adult Challenge - February

I'm so sorry that I missed January's challenge! I wonder if I can go ahead with February's challenge now that it's already February....??? Been really busy last month what with my class readings and projects! I vow to make more time for reading my storybooks.

However, luckily, I managed to finish 'Maggie Again' by John D. Husband. Fantastic book, if you ask me. It's a story about time-travel and 4 teenagers. It's John Husband's first novel and it's pretty good. Read it then you'll know for yourself.

I'd like to submit this book for Joy's YA Challenge for the month of February. You can find my review of Maggie Again here. Since it's only Feb 05 today, I think I can finish one more book before February finishes. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed! If that's possible, then there are 2 books that I've read for February. Better than one.

Also, if you want to see what other participants have read, go here.

Here is the list of books that I'm planning to read for this challenge.

You Can Listen To The Radio Online!

Hah! It never worked for me last time but now that I've tried it, it works! Yahoooo! One of my lecturers once asked my class if anyone listened to radio online. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to raise my hand, I couldn't cos I don't listen to the radio online. I only listen to downloaded music online! Well, now if anyone asks, I can proudly say 'Yes!'.

How do you do it? Listen to the radio online. Just now I decided to check out Fly FM (I prefer this station rather than Hitz) to see if there is anything interesting. I clicked on 'Listen Online'.






Then, you'll be brought here:





You have 3 ways of listening to Fly FM online.

1. Fly FM Radio Player 1.1
2. Windows Media Player
3. Quick Time Player

The URLs for you to insert in your WMA or Quick Time are given there on the page. So, just copy and paste and click 'Ok' and you're ready to listen to your favourite music online anytime, anywhere! Well, the sound quality isn't as good as a normal radio but still, it's music, you know.

Anyway, have fun!

P.S. I know the pictures are small but click on them and they'll be bigger. =)

I Read So Slow...

How long do you take to finish up a book? 3 days? 4? A week? Or maybe 20 minutes if you can speed read, though I find it is utterly impossible to finish a 200 over pages book in 20 minutes and understanding it at the same time.

I was just visiting other book bloggers' blogs and I'm truly amazed at how many books they can read in such a short time. Almost 200 books read in a year??? Wow, now that is a record. So, it's like 16 books a month, around 4 books a week. Where on earth did they find the time to read so much???

What about me? Sorry! I don't have much time to even finish up ONE book a week let alone 4 books a week. I still have a number of new books on my shelves waiting to be read. Calling out to me to read them and review them. Hah! I don't need to buy anymore books this year 2008...though I'll try to resist buying anymore books! But I really want to read The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. Really want to know what happens to Gemma Doyle and friends.

Also, I still haven't read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet either. Am I terrible or what? Everyone has to be probably sick of the 7th book and here I am, still in the Dark Ages.

Ah, what to do, what to do...I guess the only thing left to do now is to read, read, read during my holidays!!! Haha! Happy Holidays and Happy Chinese New Year!

Holiday Time!

Uh, not really lah, I guess since I'm planning to catch up on my reading during this one week of holiday, which is in conjunction with Chinese New Year. My friends went back home yesterday already. I couldn't rush home yet cos I had Spanish class today. But after the class, it was time to pack my stuff and head off home!

I have tons of readings to read and I'm still behind in my book reading. I know, I know, there haven't been any new reviews lately...just been so, so, so busy! Busy doing what, I have no idea. Busy wasting my time I guess!

I have an assignment due right after my holidays and I just found a book in my library but I'm not in campus anymore! How am I going to get that book from the library??? If only I had found it earlier, then I would have borrowed it before going home. I don't know when the library is open and when they are going to close. Ah...macam mana???

Also, there are not many sponsored posts for me to write anymore. There are NONE available for me! So sad...no income for a while...even though it's a little but it's still some income! Hehe...

Okay, it's late now....12.25 a.m.. Good night!