Book Adulterer

I am a book adulterer.

I read several books at one time

and am never loyal to just one book 

though there may be periods where I just cling to

one book refusing to part with it till it ends

and I finally put it down with a satisfied sigh

or at times with a scowl or with a tear in my eye.

I love books. 

*happy sigh*

Since everyone was talking about 'The Hunger Games',

it piqued my curiosity and I googled it and loved what I read.

Was not able to catch the movie in the cinemas sadly 

but will surely watch it once the DVD is out.

So back to 'The Hunger Games'... I managed to buy

myself a boxed set and started reading them last week

and I could not put it down.

It was nothing like how I imagined it to be.

It was quite gruesome and brutal.

I would NOT like to be Katniss Everdeen that's for sure!

My night time... sometimes day time indulgences.

Then there is my 'Game of Thrones' books.

I am currently at book 3 part 2.

Have taken a hiatus to reading it since I have been

having several dreams involving scenes from the 

book/tv series. B thought it best to stop for a bit and it has

helped heaps. I also just finished reading some fluff 'The Manny'

and am about a quarter way with 'The Story of Beautiful Girl'.

A pretty good story so far but fantasy stories have

always been my weakness.

If only there were more hours in the day for reading.

My book list is heaving and I have not finished the

things I wanted to read for the month of May!!!

*gulp* Well here's to reading and to books.

LOVES LOVES LOVES!

How do you measure life?

An interesting read about

how you would measure your life

by Harvard Business Review.

So how would you measure your life?

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection

The Most Beautiful Bookstores in The World

I have always loved reading books. When I younger, I used

to reread the books my parents got me. I never had many

classics, mostly Enid Blyton's and fairy tales but they were

enough for me. I lost myself in this marvelous world and 

never looked back. Instead, as I grew older, I read more

and more and more and at the same time, I acquired more 

and more books so much so that I doubt I will ever have

the time to read all the books I have bought which is sad

sad thing indeed. 

As I was surfing the interweb, I read a post from a friend of

mine about 'The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores In The World'

and could not resist to browse that article. And as you can

tell, I could not help but sharing this lovely photos of some

of these beautiful bookstores ~ click their article to read 

about all 20 bookstores. God willing, I will be able to

see some in my lifetime *smiles smiles*

And let's hope that one day, Malaysian's will be able

to have such amazing bookstores too. 

We can certainly hope!

A gorgeous converted Dominican church 

gives the power of reading its due diligence.

 Selexyz Bookstore, Maastricht, Holland.

Stairs as reading and display areas, the wall-to-wall bookshelves, 

and a simple, clean design. Plural Bookshop, Bratislava, Slovakia

Modern design at its finest in a store full of art books. 

The Bookàbar Bookshop, Rome, Italy.

*Perhaps I shall visit this place soon*

This divine neo-gothic bookstore, opened in 1906, 

contains what we consider to be the ultimate 

definition of a stairway to heaven. 

Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

Somehow, this bookstore manages to be both 

whimsical and slightly macabre all at once. 

Cook & Book, Brussels, Belgium

This majestic converted 1920s movie palace uses 

theatre boxes for reading rooms and draws 

thousands of tourists every year. 

Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

This is a bookstore that seems to be made 

almost entirely out of books — down to its dramatic front doors. 

Livraria da Vila, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For those who like their green spaces (and coffee shops) 

to invade their bookstores. 

Cafebreria El Pendulo, Mexico City, Mexico

For those browsers not as impressed by architecture 

as they are by the beauty of books upon books 

upon books in narrow hallways — not to 

mention a place to nap. Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France.

*Perhaps I shall visit this bookstore too*

We’re suckers for rounded ceilings and 

decorative lighting. Barter Books, Alnwick, UK.

*Read more about Barter Books here*

How could any kid (or adult, for that matter) 

resist those delicious reading nooks? 

Poplar Kid’s Republic, Beijing, China

"Keep Calm and..."

If you love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters,

you will love this simple video of how the poster came 

about. Also if you are in the Northumberland area, UK,

do check out Barters Books a unique bookshop which

was originally a railway station {I would love to
visit this bookstore and find some incredible reads},
that uncovered this simple and special 
"Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that we

now love and enjoy! 

I have also listed below some of my favourite

"Keep Calm and ..." posters for your viewing pleasure:

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection

Mum's List

Hi all. Fancy me writing again today!

I was surfing the interweb and came across a very interesting article titled 'Dying Mother's List Becomes Bestselling Book'. The article was basically about Kate Greene and her family and how she struggled with cancer and left this earth a little too early. Before he departure, she basically wrote a list for her husband and sons and her husband, St. John Greene. Her husband published the his wife's list as a love letter to her and since then he has been trying to go through the list with his sons. Some of the things that Greene and his sons have done are visiting Egypt and seeing the pyramids, snorkling  in the Red Sea and skating in the Natural History Museum in London.

The book is titled "Mum's List: A Mother's Life Lessons to the Husband and Sons She Left Behind " and is a book I would like to read but am afraid of reading. It will surely make me weep. I reckon this is also the kind of story that could change your life for the better. So, if you have read the book, do let me know how it goes. Btw, a movie tie-in is in the works.

 

Seen @ Good Reads

Bookshelf Porn

It's no surprise that I am book lover. 

I think I have mentioned before on numerous occasions

about the wonder of books and how e-books will

never take over my love for the real deal.

Could it be the cover with its alluring picture, 

the title that tickles our imagination,

 or the cover that glitters or is embossed

has a glossy or matte finish...

or perhaps it is the crispy row upon row

paragraph upon paragraph of text...

or the smooth paper with its distinct smell 

of print and paper...

*smiles*

I love books.

Always have.

Always will.

This brings to mind the wonderful things that store books.

Bookshelves.

Most people don't quite pay attention too bookshelves

but really, they are essential for every book lover.

However, if you are like me with budget and space constraints,

you just got to do the best that you can in terms of 

storing your books. Hopefully I will be able to get some more

bookshelves for the Love Nest. 

Now why all this talk about bookshelves,

Well, I stumbled on this website called Bookshelf Porn 

which is a porn site for book lovers and just knew

that I had to share it with all of you!! 

Bookshelf Porn is a sit which has an amazing collection 

of awesome bookshelves from all around the 

world and really, some of them are so amazing!!!

*smiles smiles grin grin*

I hope you enjoy the collection of bookshelves below

which are some of my favourites.

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection 

New BOOKs

This will be a quick post. 

Just wanted to let you guys know that 

I have uploaded more books onto The Knick Knack Box. 

In total, I have 6 stashes of books and 

its great that I have already sold 9 books!

*pats myself on the back* 

Hopefully I will be able to sell more in the days to come.

*smiles smiles smiles*

Seen @ Saying Images

On another note, I feel a tad sad parting with these books 

which have been sitting on my shelves for ages. 

They have been my companions and my comfort 

and a good distraction from the sometimes hard realities of life.

I will miss them and hope they go to good homes.

Happy Wednesday all.

The Knick Knack Box

Dear Readers of My Little Piece of Heaven,

"I turned one of cant's into a can!"

{do I hear a *woot woot*}

I have just opened a little blog stop/shop, 

The Knick Knack Box {of the KKB for short}!

The KKB is divided into three broad categories, 

namely the "Gloriously New", the "Pre-Loved and Will be Missed" 

and the "Crafted With Love" {will hopefully be whipping up something soon}

I have already started selling some My 1st Stash 

and The Black Magician Trilogy.

Seen @ The Knick Knack Box

I do hope you will enjoy browsing through my little blog stop/shop. Do stay for awhile, enjoy the view, drop by every other day. All proceeds go to the "Project Love Nest" and "Project Happily Ever After" fund *smiles smiles* 

Family Sunday

Nasi Lemak: A popular dish in Malaysia ~ super yums!

I woke up today at 6am as I needed to help my folks sell hot dogs at the church cafeteria. Ruby my sister-in-law and I were in charge of the nasi lemak {rice boiled with coconut with egg, anchovies and sambal} stall and we managed to sell all 150 packets of it quite quickly *smiles smiles* In fact, I guess I was a little competitive I guess, wanted my stall to be the first one to sell everything and I guess we did win! *woot woot* I then helped my dad and B to sell the hot dogs and they managed to sell theirs not long after we finished selling our nasi lemak. It was quite a tiring morning and I feel myself slowly falling drowsy...

I just wanted to write this post as I have been neglecting my Little Piece of Heaven for other things {like Project Happily Ever After, TV series and Zuma!}. It was great spending time with B, Ruby and my family working together as a team *smiles* Now, I will head of to my room, cuddle under the comforter, and savour the last few pages of my book 'One Day' {it's almost ending which is such a pity} ~ I can't wait for the movie to be shown here. 

Well, here's to an awesome Sunday ahead ~ might be going for an Elvis tribute night {btw, B was asked to guest star as a tribute artist but he didn't take up the offer this year ~ maybe next year he will do the King proud!}. We have a long stretch of holidays coming up and I am super glad for it {let's hope I get to blog more, meet up with old friends, start on 'Game of Thrones', work more on Project Happily Ever After' and finally post up the photos for my 'Week In the Life of DW'}.

Game of Thrones

After having a mini marathon with B to watch 'Game of Thrones' on Saturday, I became a bit to engrossed with the show and decided to google and wiki it. This then led me to wonder about 'A Story of Fire and Ice' {'Game of Thrones' is the first novel in the series} by George R.R. Martin and so I googled and wiki-ed a little more and I couldn't help but want to read the books.

I have seen this series of books previously, but never bothered to pick it up to read through the synopsis or anything. However, I think after watching the series {I am halfway through and savouring it bit by bit} I became more convinced that I needed to buy all the books and read them as it would be heaps good.

So my darling B decided to buy the books!!! *smiles smiles smiles* I have 5 neatly wrapped books {I have not bought 'A Dance With Dragons' yet as it is still in hardcover} in plastic waiting to be devoured ~ yay yay! There was also a 20% discount on the books which was uber awesome. So here's to more months of fantasy and reading and to 5 more episodes of 'Game of Thrones'.

One Day

I saw the movie trailer {several times} for 'One Day' and thought to myself that this was a must see type of movie. My kind of movie. And then I found out it was a book  written by David Nicholls and naturally I will be buying it and indulging in it. Am thinking this will be the first book I start reading in the Love Nest *smiles*

Anyways, the summary of 'One Day' is as follows: Emma Morley and Dexter Meyhew, meet properly for the first time on the 15th July 1988, the night of their graduation from University. We meet them again, on the same day each year for the next twenty years. Each chapter of the book, covers Emma and Dexter’s lives on that day, following their lives, loves and tribulations, and more importantly their enduring friendship. You see, Emma and Dexter have one of those friendships, that is so strong and deep it is often to the detriment of others in their lives.

Seen @ Lea Thinks Aloud

I reckon I am going to heart the book and the movie!!!

The Calligrapher’s Daughter

Seen @ BookXcess

The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim         RRP: RM99.90 Price: RM19.90
Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. Smart & headstrong, she is encouraged by her mother-but her stern father is determined to maintain tradition, especially as the Japanese steadily gain control of his beloved country. When he seeks to marry 14-year-old Najin into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives & instead sends her daughter to serve in the king’s court as a companion to a young princess. But the king is soon assassinated, & the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end. In the shadow of the dying monarchy, Najin begins a journey through increasing oppression that will change her world forever. As she desperately seeks to continue her education, will the unexpected love she finds along the way be enough to sustain her through the violence & subjugation her country continues to face? Spanning 30 years, The Calligapher’s Daughter is an exquisite novel about a country torn between ancient customs & modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love & a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.

This will probably be the next book that I purchse {yes yes... I know I have heaps of unread delights waiting in boxes and big big black bags... but you know me, the book collector and lover}! The synopsis of ths story sounds really good and look at the price!!! RM19.90! You know what that is right? A steal! 

For the benefit of my readers who are not familliar, books in Malaysia are not cheap. They go from RM32.90 upwards depending on who the publisher is, whether it is a paperback or a hardcover and if they are new books or older ones. Most savvy Malaysians and of course book lovers will know to shop during sales. 

The best book sale I have been to is the Big Bad Wolf book sale. I bought heaps and heaps of books for a fraction of the price {I paid maybe 10%-25% of the original price} and saved heaps as well. My parents kinda support my passion for books but hate the fact that I have so many boxes of them. I hate that too but really, with the job that I have and my passion for arts and crafts, interweb surfing, TV series watching and etc... books get sidelined at times.

BookXcess the company that also organises the Big Bad Wolf sale is also an awsome place to buy books as the prices are reduced quite considerably. I love the fact that more people have access to books now. I can't wait to dive into my new books and flip through the pages and touch their covers.......... {ok... I just sounded like a wierdo. forgive me! I just love books!!!}. So if you are a Malaysian who loves books and has never been to BookXcess, please please go {Btw, am not endorsed or paid to write this. I just heart books}. It's an awesome book haven! Happy Reading all!!!

My Name is Memory

During lunch the other day, B and I went to Kinokuniya in KLCC to browse after a lunch of McD's prosperity burger. As always I went towards the left hand side of the shop to browse the stationary section and later made my way to the book section, stopping first at the 'New Arrivals' section. It was there that I picked up the book 'My Name is Memory'. With such an amazing title, it was hard not to pick up the book to read the synopsis and since it was written by Ann Brashares, it was impossible not to pick it up to browse.


I have always been a fan of Ann Brashares. My first book that I bought that was authored by her was 'The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants'. I liked the book immensely even before it became a movie and have since become a fan of her work {I believe I have all of her books}. Her words were simple to understand and yet, they captured perfectly the feelings and emotions of the four friends in the book. I have a couple of her books but due to the alarming number of books I have acquired last year, I reckon I will be holding off from buying books for the moment.

Now to know more about what 'My Name is Memory' is all about, do read the synopsis and the excerpt from the book {I know its a tad small, sorry} and if you have the time, do read an interview that was conducted with Anne here...

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Last Summer (of You and Me) comes an imaginative, inspired, magical book-a love story that lasts more than a lifetime.

Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together, and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. 

From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.

I wanted to buy this book but I know that I should not as I need to be saving more this year for the upcoming 'Project Happily Ever After' and 'Project Love Nest'. So, after reading the synopsis of 'My Name is Memory', I placed the book back on the shelf and walked away. I am now waiting for the paperback to come out or to get it from my fav store in Amcorp, Book Xcess. If you have read this book, do let me know how it goes. Till then, I will try to get through my mountain of magazines and books and wait patiently to read this novel which apparently will be made into a movie {I can't wait}!

Remember: "Hoarding & Collecting is not a crime. It is an art!"