Happy 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year from the BookXcess Team! Do you have any bookish resolutions for the year? Share with us! 
When Romance Collides with Reality
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sitting Practice – Caroline Adderson
Price: RM17.90
You’ve met the love of your life and wonder of wonders he loves you too. You date and get to know each other and fall deeper in love. You know you want to be together and so you get married. You say your vows and settle down to living happily ever after. We may not be so naive as to expect champagne, roses and perfect days all our days together but we don’t foresee huge disasters either. Of course you know there will be ups and downs, tears and angry words. But you don’t get married expecting something terrible to happen. It can’t … you’re in love.
In Sitting Practice, Ross loves Iliana. And, to his amazement – she is sane, gorgeous and met him in entirely undignified circumstances – she loves him too. He asks her to marry him. She says yes. Life is improving by the minute. They have the most romantic wedding imaginable – an overgrown meadow, fabulous food cooked in pits by the groom himself, twelve regretful exes and two hundred and fifty merry drunken guests dancing till dawn. And then, a fortnight later, Ross is driving Iliana home, takes his eyes off the road for a second, and the trouble starts.
It only takes a moment for your life to be changed forever—as the characters of this darkly comic novel discover early on. The fateful moment for the newlyweds Ross and Iliana comes with the freak automobile accident that leaves Iliana paralyzed, Ross grief-stricken, and both of them struggling to come to terms with a married life nothing like they originally had in mind.
As the usually affable Ross struggles with guilt and with finding ways to cope with his newly fractured life, Iliana gets used to her unwelcome existence as a wheelchair-bound wife, to her husband’s growing sense of alienation, and to their awkward new lack of intimacy.
What ultimately happens with Ross and Iliana is as unexpected and surprising as the fateful mishap that sets the events in motion in the first place. Sitting Practice is a clever and insightful study of love’s collision with harsh reality, told by an author with a remarkable instinct for the workings of human nature, a nimble gift for language, and the ability to find humor in the oddest places.
Review by BookXcess staff Nesa
BookXcess Reviews Blind Submission – Debra Ginsberg
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Blind Submission – Debra Ginsberg
Price: RM17.90
1. So, what’s this book about?
Angel Robinson thinks she has found the job of her dreams as an assistant to famous literary agent Lucy Fiamma. It isn’t long before she realises that working for Lucy Fiamma is a real challenge, to put it mildly. Her boss is unpredictable, contradicting and demanding, while the authors are peculiar, temperamental and creepy. One in question refuses to divulge his identity and is writing a story set in a literary agency. As the story goes along, Angel notices the similarities between the character and herself… who is this anonymous author who is writing the story of Angel’s own life?
2. What’s special about it?
The story is set in a literary agency – that’s pretty unusual! Most readers would be interested to learn about what goes behind a literary agency, I’d think. True, it’s fiction and may not reflect the true nature of the literary agency business, but it does give us an idea of it nonetheless.
3. What did you think about this book?
Three thoughts about Blind Submission:
1. Interesting setting
2. Enjoyable read
3. Makes you want to learn more about the literary agency business
All in all, this isn’t exactly a life-changing book. However, it makes for an entertaining read and that’s good enough for me!
4. Would you recommend this book to anyone?
Blind Submission is a cross between a chick lit and a mystery, though it’s not as ‘light’ as a typical chick lit book. If you love books and mystery, you’ll like this.
5. Random question: Have you ever submitted a manuscript to a publisher?
No. Just like the character Angel, I don’t write but I read voraciously! If that’s what it takes to be an assistant in a literary agency, I’d love a job where I can read all day long. 
Feed Us with Feedback
Monday, December 28, 2009
As 2009 ends, some of us will be taking the time to reflect on the year that has been. For us at BookXcess, 2009 has been a real roller coaster ride, from giving free books for our World Book Day promotion to organising two of the biggest book sales of the year. Besides that, we’ve also participated in a couple of roadshows, as well as celebrated our 2nd anniversary and Merdeka Day with a shopping quiz! Not to mention getting on the social media bandwagon by setting up our Twitter account, Facebook page and this book blog.
BookXcess Blog began in August 2009 in conjunction with BookXcess’s 2nd anniversary, so it’s a mere 4 months old. We’ve done book reviews, bookish news and Blog Bonanzas! It’s been great to get people excited about books with our weekly giveaways, as well as to inform customers the kinds of books we have available at BookXcess with our book reviews and monthly staff picks.
We hope to make BookXcess Blog a better one in 2010 and we would love to get your two cents! Is there a particular feature that you enjoy at BookXcess Blog? Do you want to see more of something? Do you want something new to be introduced to the blog?
Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment! Alternatively, you can drop us an e-mail too.
BookXcess Blog Bonanza 20
Friday, December 25, 2009Happy Christmas, dear readers! Just before Santa left for the night to deliver the children’s presents 
he gave BookXcess another three books for today’s Blog Bonanza. This time the books chosen are non-fiction.
Don’t be fooled by the colourful wrappers, these are definitely non-fiction books inside them!
To win any one of these books, name the famous Christmas carols by guessing from part of the lyrics shown below.
Christmas Carol 1
“… He led them down the streets of town …”
Christmas Carol 2
“… And soon Miss Fanny Bright, was seated by my side …”
Christmas Carol 3
“… From base to summit, gay and bright …”
Submit your entry along with name, IC number, contact number and e-mail address to sales[at]bookxcess[dot]com. Contest deadline is Thursday midnight 31 December 2009.
Santa will randomly draw three winning entries but the winners have to come to BookXcess to pick up their presents, as Santa will be recovering from his worldwide gift delivery trip. As usual, winners will be notified via e-mail. Whoever comes first to collect his/her prize will get to pick which present to take home!
Blog Bonanza 18 Winners
Thursday, December 24, 2009The mystery is about to be solved!
Thank you to everybody who has taken part in Blog Bonanza 18. Here are the answers for the Mystery of the Names:
1. What is the full name of Sherlock Holmes’s sidekick?
Dr. John H. Watson
2. What is the name of the person who inspired the character Sherlock Holmes?
Dr. Joseph Bell
3. What is the name of the French artist Sherlock Holmes claimed was his great-uncle?
Horace Vernet
4. What is the name of Sherlock Holmes’s brother?
Mycroft Holmes
5. What is the name of the person Sherlock Holmes refers to as ‘The Woman’?
Irene Adler
And the winners are…
Robin Brian Vander Slott
Chia Pee Liang
Irene Leow
Congratulations to the 3 winners, who have just won themselves two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries – The Sign of Four and His Last Bow!
Now, isn’t that the kind of mystery you’d want to be involved in? The kind that wins you books! Check out what tomorrow’s Blog Bonanza will bring!
Have Yourself a Merry Bookish Christmas!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Christmas tree made out of books! Courtesy of the New Yorker.
BookXcess wishes everybody a very happy Christmas!
If you are in need of eating tips for the holiday season, read on for some advice (and a chuckle or two!). Read more
BookXcess Reviews The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard & Margret McBride
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard & Margret McBride
Price: RM19.90
1. So, what’s this book about?
The 4th Secret of the One Minute Manager (also known as The One Minute Apology) is a follow up to the bestselling book The One Minute Manager. That said, it is not necessary to have read the latter in order to read the former. In a nutshell, The 4th Secret shows how an apology can be a powerful tool to make things right between the people in your life and yourself.
2. What’s special about it?
The 4th Secret is co-authored by Ken Blanchard, who is the co-author of the famous The One Minute Manager and there’s also a foreword by Spencer Johnson, who’s best known for his evergreen self-help book Who Moved My Cheese? and also co-author of The One Minute Manager.
3. What did you think about this book?
The 4th Secret is an easy read. It is a slim book and the font is larger than usual, so a quick reader can finish this in a sitting and a slow reader will not take too long consuming it. The fourth secret is revealed through a modern parable that is easy to relate by any reader. Like most self-help books, it feels like it is imparting knowledge that we already know. The difference is that the lesson is summarised so well that remembering it is not difficult at all, which makes it that little bit more effective as a self-help book.
4. Would you recommend this book to anyone?
This is a great book for people in the workforce. However, The 4th Secret can be easily applied to anyone’s life, as it is really about how an apology can improve the relationships in your life. A hardcover book for only RM19.90, it’s definitely a book that’s affordable and more than suitable as a gift to your friend, family or employee.
5. Random question: What other self-help books do you recommend?
I really enjoy books by Paul Arden, who’s most famous for Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite. However, I prefer his first book It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be. The first title sold like hot cakes last year when BookXcess had it in stock!
Lists for the Listless
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
If you’re done with your Christmas shopping list, check out these bookish lists. If you’re not, well, take a break from Christmas shopping to check out these bookish lists anyway.
2009 Best Books by the Washington Post
2009 Best Books for Young Adults by ALA
2009 Best Gift Books by NPR
2009 Best Illustrated Children’s Books by NY Times
2009 10 Best Cookbooks by NPR
2009 Best Memoirs by NPR
2009 Favourite Fiction by LA Times
2009 Notable Crime Books by NY Times
(links above found via The Inkwell Bookstore Blog)
35 Most Collectible Books of the Decade (via Reading Copy Book Blog)
How many books in these lists will we see in BookXcess? All in time, we hope!
A Shark with an Infectious Giggle!
Monday, December 21, 2009If you’re looking for a wacky gift for someone with a sense of humour and loves all things cuddly, get the Go-Go Gigglers Sharky stuffed toy for only RM19.90. The giggle is simply infectious – hear it for yourself! Infectious Shark Giggle
You can also watch the video at our Facebook page.
We can’t get enough of its giggle – so over-the-top funny it’s almost hysterical, but absolutely infectious!