Books Warehouse Sales

I have been restraining myself from going to books warehouse sales and further adding to my already seriously cluttered humble abode. I survived giving the recent Popular Warehouse sale (where all the English books were going at RM5) a pass and I wonder if I'll be able to do the same to the Big Bad Wolf Warehouse sale which is happening now.

I love books. I love reading. I have books everywhere in my personal space. But recently, I went through my piles of accumulated books from past BBW warehouse sales to give myself a reality check. I still have many more books that I have yet to read.

If I were really honest with myself, I have bought more books than I can possibly read in a year in the past Big Bad Wolf Warehouse sales (I have been a loyal goer to the BBW warehouse sale eversince the very first one many years ago in PJ). On top of that, I still have many more BookCrossing books that I have yet to read. Hmmm.... maybe I should sit out the BBW sale this year and make it a more zen year for me.

It has got to a point that in the frenzy of the warehouse sales and also to fatigue of being there for hours on end, I have ended up buying duplicates of the same book!!! Yes, this has all got to stop.

So far, for the record, I have read 46 books this year. I've still got many more lying around my humble abode to keep me entertained.

I have to be content with what I have and to enjoy the books that I have (why else did I buy them if I didn't plan to read them? And when else to read them if I don't make the time to read them some time soon?). Besides, I should be decluttering my life instead of adding more clutter to it. Notice that I'm trying to reason with myself!

I am grateful for having more than enough.

I shall not be greedy, I shall not be greedy, I shall not be greedy..... :D

Bookcrossing

I went by to 1-Utama two days ago thinking that I was going to drop off some book crossing books and maybe see what might be available to be picked up. The little white book cabinet wasn't in its normal spot. Hmmm.....strange, I thought. Thinking that the 1-Utama management had relocated it to another part of the mall (as they had done in the past), I found myself walking to the other end of the mall looking for the Book Crossing Zone. Upon not finding the little white book cabinet there as well, I finally resorted to asking the staff at the Information Counter only to be told that the 1-Utama management have discontinued providing the service! :( The Book Crossing Zone in 1-Utama is GONE!!! :( :( :(

Sigh... and here I was thinking that 1-Utama is a great mall that is involved in community service... I guess I thought wrong. Now, what do I do with my Book Crossing books???

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

This is the last book in the Twilight Saga and it also took the longest time for me to read. Don't know why but I didn't find this book as exciting as the previous three. It felt like it took me forever to finish reading this book.

In this book, Bella marries Edward as a human, but later transforms into a vampire. As it turns out, as a vampire, she possesses special powers. Edward and Bella have a child, Renee, who later is imprinted by Jacob, a werewolf...so, the werewolf who was so in love with Bella at one point, is now so in love with her daughter... go figure!

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

I read this book like moons and moons ago. I can't believe that I haven't blogged about this book before --- hmmm.... I must have missed blogging it in the midst of all the reading that I've been doing.

I found this book along with two others (New Moon and Breaking Dawn) in the series at the Bookcross zone in 1-Utama. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw all three books there as these books were on my wish list. In fact, I found even the first book, Twilight, at the Bookcross zone as well.

This is the third book in the Twilight Saga series... and it is the continuation of the love triangle between Bella, Jacob and Edward. Fancy being a human and having a werewolf fancy you, and being in love with a vampire!

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler

This is another one of my many bookcrossing finds. The book begins and ends with the same line, "I am a man you can trust". The story is about Barnaby Gaitlin, an average and ordinary man. He is sort of the family black sheep with a successful dad and older brother who are both doing financially well.

Barnaby works in a company owned by Mrs. Virginia Dibble called Rent-a-Back that helps the elderly or disabled move things around their homes and other sorts of chores that they need help with. When Barnaby was younger, he used to break into houses with his friends but once they were in the homes, he was more interested in looking at the photo albums and personal belongings of the people who lived there rather than steal. On one of these occasions, he was caught and his father had to pay $8700 for the things that he had stolen. This $8700 has always been a point of contention not with his dad, but with his mom who would bring it up ever so often.

Tired of having to put up with his mom's constant reminder of the $8700 that they wasted on him, Barnaby decides to pay her back. He starts to save money by asking for extra hours at work. On one day, one of his clients who happens to be his girlfriend's elderly aunt lost the cash that she was saving in the flour bin and accused Barnaby of theft. His girlfriend Sophia decides to replace the money back without the aunt's or Barnaby's knowledge as she wanted to "clear" his name. To Barnaby this only indicated to him that Sophia too thought that he was guilty of having taken the money from the bread bin. The aunt later finds her money and remembers that it was she who had changed the place where she hid the money earlier on.

Sophia then keeps reminding Barnaby that she had used her own savings to replace the "stolen" money and that she has no money to buy what she wants. Tired, Barnaby then goes to Mrs Glynn's house with his colleague, Martine, and takes the money from the bread bin and returns it to Sophia in an envelope with a note that says,"Sophia, you never did realize. I am a man you can trust".

There are a lot of real life observations in A Patchwork Planet. Society is so quick to judge you by your past and will always remind you of your past even though you have moved on and have changed your ways. Status is also very important to many people in life. In this book, Barnaby's mother seem to love Barnaby's best friend, Len, better than she does him. She doesn't let Barnaby cut his own birthday cake before Len arrives. Again, you are not really loved if you aren't as successful as your siblings. Such is the case between Barnaby and his brother whom his mother seem to prefer since he is successful.

Trading Up by Candace Bushnell

This is another one of my bookcrossing finds.

Janey Wilcox is a blonde Victoria's Secret model who aspires for more and what she's willing to do in order to  climb the social ladder to the much aspired high society life. Her favorite lipstick shade is "Pussy Pink".

Parallel Play by Thomas Rayfiel

This is one of my bookcrossing finds. This book examines the idea of motherhood, you know, how moms are supposed to be so into their babies and kids. In walks Eve, the main character in this story, a girl who used to party who suddenly woke up one morning to find herself not wife to a stable doctor,Harvey, but also mom to a baby, Ann! How did it all that happen???

Eve sits in the park with her baby with other mothers and wonders how they are so into their kids as she often doesn't feel all the sickly sweet things that other moms do towards their kids. In fact, Eve has a love hate relationship not with her baby but with the whole idea of motherhood as she seems to lack the maternal instinct that is supposed to kick in the minute you have a child.

I think that this book looks at the whole idea of motherhood honestly. I'm not a mother but I'm sure that there are times that mothers look at their babies and wonder what they have gotten themselves into and that it's perfectly normal to feel that way. Written in a humourous manner, I enjoyed reading this book.

Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly

Past Secrets is about the lives that we lead and the secrets that we keep. The story centers around the women who live on the same street. Yes, it is kind of like Desperate Housewives and Wisteria Lane where everybody appears normal but actually has secrets.

There's Faye, a single mom, and who appears to be serious and boring to her daughter Amber but is she really serious and boring or is she keeping a secret away from Amber?

There's Maggie who came home to look after her ill mom but did she really go home to look after her mom and help her dad around the home? She'd been putting up with the wrong man and accepting less for herself for years due to her lack of self confidence. Will she be able to change her circumstances?

And then there's Christie, who possesses the gift to see the future and who everybody seems to go to with their troubles...only that Christie too has her share of secrets to keep and as secrets go, she is afraid of what others would think of her when they find out about them.

This was one of my many bookcrossing finds :)

Or Rau by Kuan Guat Choo

This is another one of my BookCrossing finds.

This story was set in Penang. Or Rau, a girl who came from China with her family, worked for a Chinese family which consisted of only women. The Chinese family members treated her badly to the point of her wanting to commit suicide with her two young children. Lucky for her, she was saved by a teacher as she was walking into the sea with her children.  The portrayal of the first Chinese family is believable as there are still Chinese families today who abuse their maids.

I personally found this book depressing. Although I know that there are people out there who treat others badly, and that the writer's portrayal is accurate, I just feel that it's not right for any one of us to treat others so badly. What right have we got to treat others so badly that their only choice of finding freedom is in committing suicide? 

hanging up by delia ephron

i found this book (which i had already finished reading) under a pile of other book which i have yet to read on my bed (yes, there is a pile of books on one side of my bed).  it's another one of my bookcrossing finds.    

new moon by stephenie meyer

this is yet another book that i finished reading weeks ago but didn't update on my blog (which i am only doing so now!).

i found this book in the bookcrossing zone in 1-utama.  in fact, i found three of the books in stephanie meyer's twilight series (new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn) at the same time at the bookcrossing zone so i'm not complaining. :)  i haven't read all three books yet and they were on my wish list.  i guess, someone was listening to me!

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz

i must admit that this is my first REAL Dean Koontz book.  okay, i know that i've just read a big little life also by Koontz but that was a memoir about his dog.

i have always associated Koontz's books with the more masculine gender thinking that it was more of a "boy's book", as i would refer to them.

i was pleasantly surprised that i actually enjoyed this book.  thanks mph (yup, it's another bookcrossing  find!)

everyone worth knowing by lauren weisberger

my fifth holiday read and another bookcrossing.com find --- thank you mph!  i absolutely loved the devil wears prada (read it a number of years ago) and i got totally immersed in this book in record time.

a big little life by dean koontz

my fourth holiday read, another one of my bookcrossing finds thanks to mph.  

anyone who has ever loved a pet would get dean koontz's sentiment as he writes about trixie koontz, his daughter (as he refers to her).  that's trixie on the cover of the book, by the way.  every new chapter has a snapshot of trixie.  i particularly love the one where she wears ribbons in her hair --- sooooo cute! a MUST read if you're a pet lover.

everyone worth knowing by lauren weisberger

my fifth holiday read and another bookcrossing.com find --- thank you mph!  i absolutely loved the devil wears prada (read it a number of years ago) and i got totally immersed in this book in record time.

a big little life by dean koontz

my fourth holiday read, another one of my bookcrossing finds thanks to mph.  

anyone who has ever loved a pet would get dean koontz's sentiment as he writes about trixie koontz, his daughter (as he refers to her).  that's trixie on the cover of the book, by the way.  every new chapter has a snapshot of trixie.  i particularly love the one where she wears ribbons in her hair --- sooooo cute! a MUST read if you're a pet lover.

retire young retire rich by robert kiyosaki

i came across this book in the bookcrossing zone in 1-utama just before going on holiday.  i found a lot of things in this book that made A LOT of sense.  is someone trying to tell me something???

born bad by josephine cox

another one of my bookcrossing finds.  the second read on my holidays :)

The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer & Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

this is one of my recent purchases in the big bad wolf warehouse sale.  it's about love in jeddah.  kinda sad.

i found this book on the bookcrossing shelf in 1-utama recently.  this is one of  the books on my wish list.  i can see why many people love this book.  just think of it, love between a mortal and a vampire!

this book was sitting on my shelf at home and i finally thought of reading it!!!

The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende

i finished reading this book on monday.  it kept me up late at night trying to finish reading it.  yup, it's another one of my bookcrossing book finds.  thanks for the contribution, mph  :)