Mailbox Monday 16th May 2012: Another Melbourne edition

You may (or may not!) have noticed that I was making sporadic comments about conferences and food last week on Twitter. That’s because I went to Melbourne for work purposes. Fortunately I am a fast walker/free tram traveller, so I managed to slip in a few bookstore visits as well.

First stop was Reader’s Feast, to look at their new store in Collins St (not that new anymore, it opened the week after I left Melbourne last year).

This book is you guessed it, all about chickens. The pictures are gorgeous!

I had been looking for The Beauty Chorus for some time, and was pleased to find it here. Crippen
was another book on my wishlist (and the book I’m currently reading references it). Up and Down Stairs
is a non-fiction book looking at the life of English servants (yes, very Downton Abbey). Running the Show
was on display and looked interesting. It covers those who governed the outposts of the British Empire in its heyday and how they were chosen, not to mention how they ran their corner of the world.

Finally, who could resist such a gorgeous version of Valley of the Dolls? I love these hardcover Virago Modern Classics.

As always, I had a lovely time at Reader’s Feast browsing and discussing with the helpful staff. A must if you’re in Melbourne!

I also had a Dymocks voucher, so went to the huge store in Collins St to spend it. I had a fun time browsing and eavesdropping on a conversation where it seemed that the caller could not locate Collins St…eventually it turned out they were in the wrong suburb!

Another one from the wishlist, The Sparrows of Edward Street
is an Australian book, set in post WWII-Sydney. (Australian readers, why is it that so many books are set in Sydney?)

My last stop was the $5 bookstore (proper title: Allbooks4less), where I managed to score some good finds after careful browsing. (The key to the huge store at South Wharf is, I believe, to go through every aisle slowly, because the covers are generally different to those commonly seen in Australia).

I managed to find two of the Orange Prize shortlist (good as I haven’t been very accurate in my previous shortlist predictions), The Forgotten Waltz and Foreign Bodies. I remember that The Violets of March
had positive reviews when some bloggers reviewed it last year. I enjoyed Kate Kerrigan’s Ellis Island, so The Miracle of Grace will tide me over until City of Hope becomes available (haven’t seen it anywhere in the two states of Australia I have checked!)

Yet another two from the wishlist – The Colour of Tea (complete with beautiful macaron cover) and The Love and Death of Caterina.

And yes, my case made it to 30kg again – winter clothes, boots and books/reading material from the conference made it difficult to lug home!

If you’ve enjoyed my Mailbox Monday, please do check out the other participants this week by visiting Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf (our host for May). Be warned though, that you’ll leave with a long wishlist and may be forced to have a big splurge!

Have a great week J

Mailbox Monday 9th April 2012: The Singapore Haul

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week.

Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday is c ‘on tour’ and being hosted by Cindy’s Love Of Books
this month.

 

Singapore is a fantastic place for bookstores. I love that Kinokuniya is as full as a pub on Friday night and absolutely jam packed by 10:30am on a Saturday morning. I love that prologue sits in the same shopping centre as Louis Vuitton and that Times, Popular and Harris contain just as good ranges in a smaller area (plus the stationery! But that’s another topic for another day).

 

Despite the fact that I have a perfectly good ereader, some books were cheaper than the e version due to the strength of the Aussie dollar against the Singapore dollar. Some books were available in a small paperback format rather than the larger (and more expensive) format we get here. Some books were just new to me. I like having books as souvenirs from holidays!

 

Below is what I bought (and yes, my suitcase was underweight by 200g on the way home):

 

 

Top Row, L-R:

• In 5 Easy Steps, Lum Kit-Wye: A light Singaporean chick lit. Looking at a well-thumbed copy in prologue, this made me laugh out loud!
  
• Rules of Civility, Amor Towles: The story of a girl in New York City, 1938. Absolutely brilliant, watch for my review. I dropped everything and read and read…
  
• The Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue: I enjoyed Room, but reviews on this one don’t seem too good. Part of the Orange Prize long list.
  
• Number 9 Dream, David Mitchell: This was about Japan and seemed quirky. Plus Times were refunding the GST (is this normal or do I look like a tourist?)
  

Bottom Row, L-R:

• The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh: This was so expensive at home – I thought. Then I looked at the junk mail and it was $10 at Big W. Oops.
  
• Do No Harm, Carol Topolski: The red dot says I’ll like this if I like Sophie Hannah. Sounds interesting, about ‘bad’ doctors with ‘secrets’.
  
• The Reader, Bernhard Schlink: No, haven’t seen the movie. But love the cover, part of Orion’s 20^th year celebrations. (More on book series later).
  
• Rival Passions, Zoe Miller: Light lady-lit about a big house/hotel, warring families etc. Technically ‘free’ because I bought it at the airport with my GST refund.
  

• The Paris Wife, Paula McLain: Everyone’s read this but me. Another airport purchase.
  
• A Different Sky, Meira Chand: About Singaporean history, from ‘local authors’ section of Kinokuniya.
  
• Gillespie and I, Jane Harris: THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT! MUST READ! I read this until my eyes hurt yesterday.
  

So that’s a very big mailbox! What did you get this week?

The Orange Prize reading longlist has started…

Well, kind of. I’ve bought two of the books. Which one should I read first?

Mailbox Monday 19/12/11 – The Melbourne Edition

The last Monday before Christmas – funny to think that next Monday is Boxing Day! I promised to show you my haul from my Melbourne trip, so here it is. Do drop by Let Them Read Books, who is hosting this month for more mailbox fun. Melbourne has some great bookshops, from Dymocks to Readings to Reader’s Feast. There is also a great discount bookstore called All Books 4 Less (i.e. $5 or $10 for big books).

All bar Villain are from All Books 4 Less. I bought Villain from Readings as a giveaway for a Literary Blog Hop next year. Stay tuned and read my review here.

We have:

• City of Dark Hearts – James Conan (actually two people writing together)
• Remarkable Creatures – Tracy Chevalier (had this on my wishlist for ages)
• Once a Land Girl – Angela Huth (found out this is a sequel, can’t find the first book anywhere!)
• Villain – Shuichi Yoshida (love it)
• East End Angel – Carol Rivers
• The Debutante – Kathleen Tessaro

From Dymocks, 2 Richard Yates books (Collected Stories and A Good School) and The Group, my first Virago Modern Classic by Mary McCarthy. Readings had the final book to complete my Richard Yates collection, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness.

More $5 books:

• Tides of War – Stella Tillyard
• The Gallows Bird – Camilla Lackberg
• Half of the Human Race – Anthony Quinn (highly recommended by The Australian)
• Lasting Damage – Sophie Hannah

And finally, from my favourite movie, The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook. So glad I bought this – haven’t seen it anywhere back home.

What were your finds this week?

Mailbox Monday 5/12/11

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted at Let Them Read Books in December (great blog title). I have unashamedly been buying books with a passion recently, as there’s sales left, right and centre. However, this mailbox is the product of a book voucher I got in return for some lecturing. I chose to spend it entirely on the Vintage 21 series, which makes for a beautiful rainbow as you can see. (For more information, check out this website for a list of titles).

 

Notice I didn’t get any pink ones? (Not yet anyway). I ran out of money on the voucher L (They are a nice $12.95 AU though). Next time!

And the best thing – check out the page edges:

So pretty!

How is your mailbox this week? Is it full?

Mailbox Monday 19/9/11 – Popular Penguins and Vintage Classics

I can’t seem to stop buying books! The more I read, the more authors and series I discover. One of my favourite publisher series for finding new authors is the Popular Penguins series. Not only do they look good, but they’re great stories and a nice price ($9.95). What’s more, Dymocks had a buy three and get a cool bag with the titles listed on it:

The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay Have read many of his other books (loved The Story of Danny Dunn, Jessica and Fortune Cookie) but not this one.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – F. Scott Fitzgerald I haven’t seen the movie, but I enjoy his other books.

Ragtime – E.L. Doctorow This sounded Jazz-Age too and was one of the new releases.

I stopped by another Dymocks (Hay St Mall) later in the week and couldn’t resist picking up some more of another great publisher series, Vintage Classics. I wonder how many there are in this series…

The Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe
I Am Charlotte Simmons left a profound impact on me, so I thought I’d try another of his books.

Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks I’ve never read him, but this sounded too interesting to pass up.

I also received a bookmark so that I never forget the Hay St store’s details – don’t think I will, as I’ve been shopping there for 20+ years but just in case…

Do you read series put together by a publisher? Or do you choose books individually.

Mailbox Monday – The Final Borders Haul

Well, this is it. The start and finish of my multiple hauls of the Borders closing down sale, carried out across many weeks. I just can’t bring myself to go down town now during my lunch hour; Borders was a great place to chill out, read and buy some great books. Here are my 17 titles, starting from the above picture:

Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto Always looking to read more Japanese fiction and haven’t read any of hers yet.

Tender is the Night by F.Scott Fitzgerald Gorgeous cover (silver and black) and a lovely edition.

Small Wars by Sadie Jones Still haven’t read The Outcast yet, but I love the cover of this.

Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe Her books are light and a lot of fun (the sticker is for a free fake tan, UK only damn).

We Had it So Good by Linda Grant This got some very good reviews and was on my wishlist.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Probably a good one to read soon with the Jane Eyre movie coming out, hope it’s enjoyable!

In the Kitchen by Monica Ali
Brick Lane was interesting, if not my favourite, but willing to have another go. This looks quite different to Brick Lane.

Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous These are light, funny and good to read when on call.

The Voyagers by Mardi McConnochie An Australian author, set in the war and looks good. Yes, that is ‘a love story’ underneath.

The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah Others have raved about her books, so I thought this would be a good time to try.

Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig One on my wishlist from ages ago.

Ghost Writer by Robert Harris It has Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan on the front. ‘Nuff said.

The Marrowbone Marble Company by Glenn Taylor Another wishlist found.

Disco Boy by Dominic Knight I follow Dom (of Chaser infamy) on Twitter and he’s always funny.

Mr Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomons Would you believe I still haven’t read this?

Come Back to Me by Sara Foster Loved Beneath the Shadows, this book looks great too. And Perth gets a look in!

The Rainy Season by Myfanwy Jones Another wishlist from long ago!

Have you read any of these? What were your Borders finds?

Mailbox Monday is hosted this month by Life in the Thumb. Do visit and check out some other great mailbox finds!

Mailbox Monday 18/7/11

Another working Monday over! Fortunately, I have a few new books to tide me over:

 

These three books were some of my more recent purchases:

Last Man in Tower by Avarind Adiga – set in India, this is about a building, the people who live in it and the need to redevelop into a dazzling new skyscraper.

White Tiger also by Avarind Adiga – this was free with Last Man in Tower. I thought it was a good deal as I haven’t read this book. This is also set in India and involves a confession of a murderer.

Hello Dubai  by Joe Bennett – I’ve already started this. It’s non-fiction, about Joe going to Dubai simply because he doesn’t know very much about it. It describes parties, business and the varying lifestyles. It’s quite detached at times.

What books have you come into possession of lately?

 

Recent Purchases

Hope everyone’s having a lovely weekend. I’ve been a little lax on the posts lately, mainly because of a short business trip to Melbourne.  I didn’t have much time for shopping or photographs but Melbourne is as lovely as always. I managed to check out in a couple of hours the Lindt cafe with its delicious Delices (macarons), the new Myer (dare I say it’s lost some of its charm without the uneven floors and hidden escalators), my favourite Cue store (271 Bourke St Mall, Best. Service. Ever.) and finally, Reader’s Feast. I felt a little guilty going into the store about 20 minutes before closing time, but the staff were as friendly as always.

This is what I picked up:

Yes, I went on a Richard Yates haul – very cheap at $12.95 each. I cleared the shelf! The four titles are Liars in Love, Disturbing the Peace, A Special Providence and The Easter Parade. (It’s so hot here I refuse to turn lights on for photographs!)

Back home today, I spent the last of my Dymocks voucher (not encouraged – much – by the promise of double Booklover points) on these:

Can you believe I have never read To Kill a Mockingbird? This will also be my first Sebastian Faulks.

As it’s so hot this weekend, I plan on doing a lot of reading (reading two long books, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth and Bill Bryson’s At Home. Both excellent, but so long!)

Have you made any interesting purchases this weekend?

December’s Books

I know it’s the end of the year, but I thought December deserved its own wrapup (2010 wrapup to come soon!)

December was my busiest month in terms of visitors – thank you for taking the time to visit, especially with the busy holidays involved! It was also the month I participated in the 2010 Virtual Advent Tour, talking about cooking rather than books!

I read 12 books in December, including three ebooks (Inheritance, The Carrie Diaries  and A Tiny Bit Marvellous). Only one was non-fiction (Full Circle by Michael Palin) and I read one book of short stories, before I worked out they’re not really my favourite thing! It was also the month I got stuck into a few classics (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Agnes Grey and Around the World in Eighty Days). I discovered Persephone Books, received some lovely books as well as buying a few more! It also happened to be my birthday, so I was very, very busy!

My favourite book of December was an easy pick – The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Surprise of the month would be Around the World in Eighty Days – I really enjoyed it! The Carrie Diaries was my biggest let down – I knew nothing could compare to Sex and the City, but I did hope…

In terms of statistics in December:

• Most of you wanted to look at my post Christmas purchases!
• Busiest day was the 27th- were you all sick of your Christmas presents?!
• Most people came from the Vogue forums to visit.
• A lot of you were looking for Maeve Binchy’s Minding Frankie and Sony eReaders. (I hope Santa delivered). I couldn’t help you with Sapo and The Silence of the Lambs.
• You were most likely to look at the Persephone Books website after leaving my blog.

Happy New Year and happy reading!