I got me some new books!

Let's start from the bottom:

1. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
2. The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
3. The Fourth Estate by Jeffrey Archer
4. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
5. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
6. Catching the Sun by Tony Parsons

That was a good book haul, wasn't it? Bought them from Borders at Queensbay Mall yesterday. Got quite a pretty good deal, I think. They have this 'Buy 1, get 2nd at 50% off on the same stickered items, the least expensive book is discounted' promotion going on.

I had to choose proper-sounding titles as this would be off my company's book allowance. It was also important that I have the interest to read them! :)

How about you? Any good books that you've bought lately?

In My Mailbox (Aug 14, 2011)

I've got a good stack of new books so I'm participating in In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren.

I went on a book shopping spree recently as I've been given book vouchers from kind-hearted souls. :) Here's what I bought and received from a giveaway (the books are in no particular order):

1. Speeches That Changed the World by Emma Beare
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers
4. Paper Towns by John Green
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green
6. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
7. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
8. Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
9. A Brief History of the Future by Stephen Clarke
10. The Help by Katheryn Stockett
11. The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad
12. The Writing Circle by Corinne Demas
13. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I also bought Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella on my own.

A few days ago, I received two ARCs which I won at Lori's blog, Pure Imagination! Thanks, Lori!

1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
2. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

Whew! It's gonna take me awhile to finish all these books. 

In My Mailbox (June 20, 2010)

Received for review:

1. The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
2. Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck
3. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
4. Fame by Daniel Kehlmann

What books did you guys get?

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

***Have you joined my current giveaway? Check it out here!

In My Mailbox (May 02, 2010)

In my mailbox recently:

1. The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent
I forgot that I've already featured this book in my previous IMM but nothing wrong with posting about it again! :) The author, Christine Trent even wrote a lovely note (in white envelope) for me. I won this book from a giveaway held at Enchanted by Josephine.

2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I won this book from a contest by MPH (local bookstore) through a local magazine called Galaxie. What a beautiful hardcover copy too! Also included are reading group guides for the book.

3. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

Have you read this before? Do you watch the TV series Bones? Well, this book was the inspiration for that show starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz (that guy from Angel). I won this book through the book blog, Book Galaxo.

That's all for this week! What did you guys get? Hope you got some really cool books too! :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

In My Mailbox (April 12, 2010)

Folks, I've been busy recently with my assignments and final year projects. Now I have to prepare for two exams! Hmph. I guess I can fully concentrate on blogging and reading after my final paper which is on April 29, 2010. :)

Anyway, the books didn't stop coming though. The first one, Read, Remember, Recommend by Rachelle Rogers Knight was sent to me for review from Sourcebooks. I think that it's a really cool and handy book journal (my first one too!) and please look out for my review of it.



The next book I received was The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent. I was lucky to win it from a contest held by Enchanted by Josephine.



It's incredibly exciting to win stuff especially books isn't it? :) Recently I was one of the winners for Storywings' contest. Unfortunately, I was so caught up with schoolwork that I didn't check my e-mail for a week and missed responding within 48 hours. :( That was quite a sad occasion. Now I'll be sure to check my e-mail every couple of days no matter how busy I am! Definitely an important lesson to be learnt. :)

In My Mailbox (Feb 22, 2010)

Won: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Editorial review from Amazon:

Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally - she has been in his nightmares for months).

What follows is a smart, modern fantasy - a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret. Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering what happened to the last few hours (and how many more you're willing to give up).

To tell too much of the plot would spoil the thrill of discovery, and believe me, you will want to uncover the secrets of this richly imagined dark fantasy on your own. ~Daphne Durham

This book came last Thursday. Finally, it's here! Yay! I won this book from a contest held by The Eclectic Reader. Thanks again, Teddyree!!!

So, what books did you guys get? :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

In My Mailbox (Feb 15, 2010)

For review: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn

About the book (from GoodReads):

An astonishing novel that removes Emily Dickinson’s own mysterious mask and reveals the passions and heartbreak of America’s greatest poet.

What if the old maid of Amherst wasn’t an old maid at all? Her older brother, Austin, spoke of Emily as his “wild sister.” Jerome Charyn, continuing his exploration of American history through fiction, has written a startling novel about Emily Dickinson in her own voice, with all its characteristic modulations that he learned from her letters and poems.

The poet dons a hundred veils, alternately playing wounded lover, penitent, and female devil. We meet the significant characters of her life, including her tempestuous sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert; her brooding father, Edward; and the Reverend Charles Wadsworth, who may have inspired some of her greatest letters and poems.

Charyn has also invented characters, including an impoverished fellow student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, who will betray her; and a handyman named Tom, who will obsess Emily throughout her life. Charyn has written an extraordinary adventure that will disturb and delight.

About the author:

The author of 38 other books, Jerome Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and has received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Charyn was born in the Bronx in 1937 and lives in New York and Paris. Entertainment Weekly wrote that his previous novel, Johnny One-Eye: A Tale of the American Revolution, now available in trade paperback, belongs in the “great British tradition of picaresque novels,” and according to a starred review in Publishers Weekly it “deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime.”

In My Mailbox (Feb 06, 2010)

Each of these books arrived on three separate days, so I jumped for joy every time I saw a white packet in my mailbox! It felt like getting a present every day.

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith
2. Wake by Lisa McMann
3. Frostbite by Richelle Mead

I won these fabulous books from a contest held by Reading with Tequila.

In My Mailbox (23 Nov 2009)

Won from a giveaway held at Lizzy's Literary Life:

The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin



Decadent, tantalizing Berlin in a Germany torn apart by war at the turn of the 20th century...

The illegitimate, orphaned daughter of a cabaret dancer, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite's early life - and that of her only friend Hanne - is one of reinvention. Transformed from maid to war bride via tingle-tangle nightclub girl, she lands in the heart of the glamorous motion picture world and quickly becomes one of Germany's leading silent film stars. But when she falls in love with a Russian director, she has no idea that the affair will span decades, cross continents and may ultimately cost her everything.

In My Mailbox (Nov 02, 2009)

Bought:

1. No Fireworks by Rodge Glass
2. Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Read them before? If yes, let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Have a great reading week! :)

Random Quote:

A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. ~Author Unknown

In My Mailbox (Oct 26, 2009)

Bought:

1. Mudlark by John Sedden


2. The Bank Robber Diaries by Danny King


3. Loving April by Melvin Burgess


4. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn


5. The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories by Roald Dahl

Random quote:

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. ~ Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)

In My Mailbox (Oct 19, 2009)

Received from nylusmilk:

1. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
2. Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Thank you so much for sending these two books to me! :)

Bought from the Times Mega Book Sale:

1. Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl
2. Leaving Home by Anita Brookner
3. The Accomplice by Kathryn Heyman
4. Fearless #8: Heat by Francine Pascal
5. Fearless #9: Blood by Francine Pascal
6. Fearless #16 Naked by Francine Pascal
7. Fearless #20 Hurt by Francine Pascal
8. Fearless #31 Normal by Francine Pascal

In My Mailbox (Oct 11, 2009)

I've heard so much about this weekly event and decided to jump on the bandwagon too! This is my first time participating in In My Mailbox. It's being hosted by The Story Siren and to know how to go about it, visit here. It's really easy!

For Review:

The Blue Umbrella: A Novelby Mike Mason


I really like the cover of this book! The title's design is pretty captivating along with the colourful building on the right side.

Product description from Amazon:

An orphan faces an evil magician in this literary fantasy for readers of all ages that probes the depths of good and evil.

The life of ten-year-old Zac Sparks changes overnight when his mother is killed by lightning. He's sent to live in Five Corners with his Aunties, two cruel old hags who obviously don't like him. It isn't long before Zac knows something really strange is going on. Five Corners is populated with weird characters--a midget butler, a girl who doesn't speak, a blind balloon seller, and a mysterious singer who is heard but not seen. Then there's the Aunties' father, Dada. Zac's first encounter with Dada is so terrifying he faints dead away.

The one bright spot is Sky Porter, the proprietor of the general store across the street, a friendly soul who encourages Zac--when the Aunties aren't looking--and shows him a kindness that is sadly lacking from his dismal life. But Sky isn't what he seems either, and when Zac learns Sky's amazing secret he realizes, to his dismay, that this wonderful man may have a very dark side as well.

Discovering that Dada is an evil magician who has found a way to live forever, Zac knows many lives are at stake, including his own. With time running out, he must turn to the one person who might be able to help: Sky Porter. Can Zac trust him?