To Do: During the School Holidays
Thursday, June 10, 2010How are you enjoying your holidays, kids?? 
Do you know that books can be a ‘friend’ with real lots of fun? 
First of all, of course it is pretty fun to read a good interesting story book!
Then, with a friend or your parents, why don’t you pick a book of arts & crafts to make a fun day of projects?!
When you’re finally done with your arts & crafts, you can stage a puppet show!!
And the fun doesn’t end there! You can also use your arts & crafts for mini role-play or stage shows at home! Pretty awesome huh?
Or perhaps, you can start a mini book club with your close circle of friends! Pick out your favourite story book & share with each other. We can bet it’ll be real fun!!
BookXcess wishes you “Happy Holidays”!! *pssts* Remember, we’re having 20% discounts on more than 50 children book titles for you too!!
Books for All
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Community Bookcase (located in Germany)
“This is indeed a normal, everyday bookcase with glass doors that you can open and contents inside that are 100% free to the public. No library cards, overdue notices or payment required. At this bookcase you simply visit it, find a book (or two) that you want, remove it and put it in your little tote or bicycle basket, and then go on your merry little way. The bookcase only asks that in return, you bring some of your own books back to replenish the supply.”
This bookshelve is located at Bondi, Sydney for the public to browse & pick a good read.
It’s such an envy, don’t you think? On the brighter note, we do have shopping complexes such as 1 Utama making similar effort to encourage reading. Let us all keep our fingers crossed that our country will evolve into a book-reading-friendly country!!
Delicious Detective Reads
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Alexander (R.A.A.) “Sandy” McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, (born 24 August 1948) is a Zimbabwean-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees concerned with these issues. He has since become internationally known as a writer of fiction. He is most widely known as the creator of the The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_McCall_Smith
Here are some McCall Smith’s titles available in BookXcess store:
Love over Scotland RRP: RM89.90 Now: RM19.90
Six-year-old prodigy Bertie perseveres in his heroic struggle for truth and balanced good sense against his insufferable mother and her crony, the psychotherapist Dr Fairbairn, going as far as to make a short-lived bid for freedom on a trip to Paris with the Edinburgh youth orchestra. Domenica sets off on an anthropological odyssey with pirates in the Malacca Straits, while Pat attracts several handsome admirers, including a toothsome suitor named Wolf. And Big Lou, eternal source of coffee and good advice to her friends, has love, heartbreak and erstwhile boyfriend Eddie’s misdemeanours on her own mind.
Espresso Tales RRP: RM89.90 Now: RM19.90
Fans will welcome the second installment in the bestselling 44 Scotland Street series. Full of McCall Smith’s gentle humor and sympathy for his characters, “Espresso Tales” is also an affectionate portrait of a city and its people who, in the author’s own words, “make Edinburgh one of the most vibrant and interesting places in the world.”
In The Company of Cheerful Ladies RRP: RM79.90 Now: RM19.90
This time around, the charming and ever-resourceful Precious Ramotswe finds herself overly beset by problems. She is busier than usual at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, when a strange intruder in her house forces her to confront a painful secret from her past.
The World According to Bertie RRP: RM89.90 Now: RM19.90
“The World According to Bertie” is the fourth in the series and revolves around the many colourful characters that come and go at No. 44 Scotland Street. McCall Smith handles the characters with his customary charm and deftness – the stalwart Tory chartered surveyor, the pushy mother, and, most importantly in this novel, the beleaguered Italian-speaking prodigy, Bertie. This is classic McCall Smith – clever, witty and entertaining – and beautifully illustrated. A chance encounter with Armistead Maupin in San Francisco inspired Alexander McCall Smith to write this series of novels based around the fictional No. 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh’s New Town.
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive RRP: RM79.90 Now: RM19.90
For Mma Ramotswe, there is rarely a dull moment, and in her newest round of adventures, the same certainly holds true. One thing above all else is keeping her occupied–her estimable husband has been hinting that he intends to do something special for their adopted daughter.
Blue Shoes and Happiness RRP: RM79.90 Now: RM19.90
This newest entry in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series continues the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s leading, and only, female private detective. Her personal life, busy agency, and unusual cases are always fascinating–and highly entertaining.
Synopsis source: http://www.alibris.com/
Coming Soon!
Thursday, April 29, 2010Good news travel fast people! Our new shipment will be arriving around mid-May! Which books will be migrating to BookXcess this time around? Sneak preview for everyone!
Speaking of the devil! Just as we talked about books-turned-movie, Dear John is one of our new arrivals!! The movie’s character is depicted by Channing Tatum & Amanda Seyfried, as John & Savannah respectively!
What is the book about?
Dear John is a three part novel written by American author Nicholas Sparks in 2006. This novel is about a young soldier, John, who falls for an idealistic college girl named Savannah when she was on spring break and John was on temporary leave from the army. Over the course of the next seven years, the love letters that Savannah sent to John were one of the only things that kept him going although each deployment seemed more treacherous than the last. However, those loving and heartfelt letters would ultimately yield consequences that neither the brave soldier nor his one true love could have ever foreseen.
What are the highlights about this book?
Dear John has been made into an American romantic drama/war film in 2010, starring Channing Tatum (Step Up) and Amanda Seyfried (Mama Mia). This movie debuted as the No. 1 movie with $30,468,614 in its opening weekend, knocking off Avatar.
Who would love reading it?
One who would love to snuggle up on a peaceful day to read a touching and romantic story. After finishing the book, you’ll be marvelling at the power of love. Read more
The Evolution of Books into Movies.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010When a story unfolds from a book onto the big silver screen, as readers we anticipate anxiously wondering who would portray our antagonist or protagonist, and how successful the producers of the movie will be able to interpret the plots and scenes from the book. Sometimes, don’t we wonder how the writer envisions his or her characters of their stories? Even as readers, before the movie was made, we have our personal imagination of the characters and scenes. Here are some of the movies that have been inspired by famous books:
Classics; “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. The movie features famous stars such as Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kristen Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, and Tini Alvarado as characters of the March family.
Fantasy Epic; “The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien. The trilogy film was made starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom and the lot.
Children’s Book; “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl. Adapted in the year of 2005 starring Freddie Highmore and Johnny Depp, which became a huge box office success.
Chic Lit; “P.S. I love you” by Cecelia Ahern. The main characters Holly and Gerry was acted by Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.
Do you think the movie producers did a good job portraying the books’ content onto the big screen? Which are your personal favourites or disappointments?
Ultimately, we readers get the best of both worlds! Read more
Judging a Book by its Cover
Monday, April 5, 2010
Despite that famous saying, we all do sometimes judge a book by its cover. (Check out what some readers are saying about this on Facebook.) Some covers are so unique and arresting that at a glance, they appeal to us instantly. Take a look at some of the interesting book covers we found while blog-hopping. Read more
What are you reading?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Now that practically every bookworm in town has visited our new store, we’re curious about what you’re currently reading. Do share what is your current read!
In case you’re interested, we share what we are currently reading ourselves. Read more
10 Tips on How to Care for Your Books
Monday, January 18, 2010Many customers buying books from BookXcess prefer a pristine copy over a shabby-looking one. Well, that’s understandable, seeing that you are buying a brand new book. But do you know how to care for your books so that they will look almost like new long after you’ve bought them? Here are 10 simple tips on how to care for your books, especially the more fragile paperbacks.
1. Use bookmarks
Folding the tip of a page to mark where you’ve stopped reading is a big no-no! Why ruin the condition of the book when a bookmark can help preserve the book’s condition and mark where you’ve stopped reading? If you don’t have a bookmark with you at the time, use things around you – a receipt, a business card, or even money! Now that’s a bookmark you won’t lose anytime soon. Some fashionable bookmarks may not be suitable for prolonged use, especially if you plan to keep it inside the book for some time, so choose an appropriate one.
2. Spine care
When books are not read, they should be placed on a bookshelf with the spines facing outward. They can also be placed lying flat. Use bookends to make sure the books stand upright and not slide. This will protect the spine and the overall condition of the book.
3. Room temperature
It’s best to keep books in a dry, dark and temperate place, so the placing of your bookshelf is an important decision that determines how well you can care for your books. Books placed in a moist place can cause mold and mildew to grow on books. Book bindings can be damaged by the sunlight, and heat can make books dry out and crumble the pages. Ideally, books shouldn’t be placed too near the ground or the window. Too much heat, cold, dampness or humidity can deteriorate the condition of a book over time.
4. Clean reads
Books can be easily soiled by dirty hands. Before holding a book, ensure that your hands are not greasy or dirty in a way that will smudge the pages of a book. And no need to remind you that if you plan to eat/drink and read, do so with utmost caution! For books on the shelf, dust them every now and then. If you are trying to remove the sticky residue from the price tag, try Zippo (the lighter fluid refill). That’s what we use at BookXcess. The fluid will dry off and won’t damage the book the way water might if you used a damp cloth to remove the sticky price tag.
5. No scribbling
Scribbling is the easiest way to ‘ruin’ a book, depends on how you view it. Some people actually like scribbling notes at the margin and some like reading those scribbles too. If scribbling is necessary just make sure that it doesn’t ‘mess’ with the print – for instance, an ink pen might leave a blot on the next page and blur the print, or underlining phrases may make reading difficult for the next reader.
6. Gentle touch
When reading a book, handle it with care. Rolling the pages back around the book is a big no-no! The spine will slant and wrinkle over time, not to mention the binding of the pages will be loosened as well. Also, if you are interrupted mid-way during your reading, don’t put the book face down while open to mark your page for too long.
7. Shelve love
Books should be shelved in a loving manner. For one, make sure your book fits the shelf – trying to squeeze a tall book to fit the shelf or cramming one more book to an already full shelf is not giving the best care for that book. Books need head room and breathing room – for that, books should always be placed near the front end of the bookshelf rather than pushed all the way back. Books need to breathe too! With that in mind, an open bookshelf is a better option to the kind with closed doors. Unless the bookshelf’s doors are opened on a frequent basis, perhaps.
8. Animals away
Household pets can be the cause of book damage, so make sure wherever your personal library is housed, it is not accessible by your pets. For unwanted household creatures such as rats, bugs etc. the best way to keep them at bay is to clean around the area of your bookshelf regularly to spot these creatures should they ever make an appearance.
9. Child-free zone
It’s always great to see a child reading, but if you value your precious books keep them away from little ones! Until they are taught how to handle books with care, it’s best not to let them near your books unsupervised. This method may seem to discourage kids from reading but it’s more about protecting the books you cherish.
10. Wrap it
Wrapping a book in plastic will give some support to the flimsy covers of paperbacks, not to mention giving an overall smarter look to the book if wrapped properly. Also it keeps it waterproof (to some extent) and it won’t be easily dirtied.
With all these book care tips, we hope you can take better care of your books from now on. That said, a book will not look the same as it did when you first bought it after years of owning it. Pages will turn yellow over time, the spine might wrinkle or the binding could loosened over time despite our best efforts, as the quality of the book is another factor on how well the book can be kept. The only way to keep a book in mint condition is to buy two copies – keep one wrapped up and use the other one as a reading copy. But where’s the fun in that, right?
If you have your own book care tips, do share with us! Or tell us your thoughts about our tips by leaving a comment.
Cheer Up Your Monday Blues
Monday, November 2, 2009Have you got the Monday blues today? Perhaps seeing covers of famous books being parodied will give you a chuckle or two. Below are a couple of book parodies, the titles of which we have at BookXcess currently.
Watch the book trailer of the parody book above and read about it!
Check out The Huffington Post for more and funnier parody covers!
If you want more humour, read this list of officer performance report statements from the British military. Read more
Reading is Truly Affordable at BookXcess!
Monday, October 12, 2009If your budget is a little tight at the moment but you’re itching to get some books, head on over to BookXcess now! From today until Wednesday, any book from the RM9.90 island (see picture below for location of books under promotion) can be yours at RM5.00 when you say BookXcess makes reading affordable at the counter.
This promotion is valid from 12 to 14 October 2009 for books at the RM9.90 island. Books priced RM9.90 from other sections (such as children) are excluded from this promotion. Offer is valid for 5 books maximum per customer.