Just for Clarification's Sake

Books R Love deals with both new and pre-owned books. If you're unsure whether a book is new or pre-owned, just look for the labels at the end of the post.

I will only compare prices of NEW books at Books R Love with that of NEW books in retail bookstores. Rest assured that the prices of pre-owned books are NOT compared with the prices of new books (I personally think this is so misleading for buyers!). The prices at which these pre-owned books were bought may or may not be stated, depending on whether I can recall them :)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The RM10 Bargain



A deal you know you'd totally beat yourself up over if you miss.

All the above read-once books, all of which are in good condition, are going for only RM10 each. Because all of them have had a major markdown, please do not ask for further discounts/free postage.

From top to bottom:

The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria by Laura Joh Rowland (bought for RM35.90) (sold)
The Princess Diaries - To the Nines by Meg Cabot
(bought for RM54.90) (sold)
Send Me a Lover by Carol Mason (bought for RM35.90) (sold)
20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo (bought for RM32.90)
The Love Academy by Belinda Jones
(bought for RM35.90) (sold)
The Cradle Snatcher by Tess Stimson
(bought for RM35.90) (sold)
Growing up Again by Catriona McCloud (bought for RM35.90) (sold)
Vanity Drive by Yvonne Lee (bought for RM29.90)

Synopsis:



The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria
Sano Ichiro, Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People, awakens from a turbulent dream into a real-life nightmare. Lord Matsudaira Mitsuyoshi, the shogun's cousin and heir, has been murdered after a night of debauchery in the city's pleasure quarter...
The matter requires Sano's personal attention--more personal than Sano at first imagines. For he soon discovers that Mitsuyoshi's companion for the evening was none other than the alluring Lady Wisteria, a woman whom Sano himself knew intimately before he was married to his beloved wife, Reiko. But the memory of Wisteria still stirs him, and it is with both dismay and relief that he learns she has vanished along with her pillow book, a diary that may contain valuable clues. The circumstances trouble him, as does the possibility that he and Wisteria might meet again with dangerous consequences...




The Princess Diaries - To the Nines
Mia has hit an all-time low. Lilly isn't speaking to her; someone is posting horrible things about her on ihatemiathermopolis.com. Oh, and Michael, the love of her life, has dumped her.
But Mia has more on her mind than recruiting a new Princes Charming. Like solving a 400-year-old mystery that could mean BIG changes for Genovia. But is Mia really ready to throw away her tiara--and destroy a dynasty?
And what differences does any of it make now Michael's gone?




Send Me a Lover
'If I died, I'd want you to marry again. I'd see to it that you did. I'd send somebody for you.'
When Angel's husband promised her this, she didn't take him seriously. They were just larking around, saying things that you say when yo're young and in love, and you can't really imagine your life ending.
But now two years have passed since Jonathan's sudden death. Trying her best to get on with life, Angela takes her mum on a holiday to Greece--where she meets two men with an uncanny ability to connect with her.
Could Jonathan really have kept his promise?
Has he sent someone to replace him?
And how is she going to know who the right one is?




20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Life as a film extra in Beijing might seem hard, but Fenfang won't be defeated. She has travelled 1800 miles to seek her fortune in the city, and has no desire to return to the never-ending sweet potato fields back home. Determined to live a modern life, Fenfang works as a cleaner in the Young Pioneer's movie theatre, falls in love with unsuitable men and keeps her kitchen cupboard stocked with UFO noodles. As Fenfang might say, 'Heavenly Bastard in the Sky, isn't it about time I got my lucky break?'




The Love Academy
Do you have enough romance in your life?
Journalist Kirsty Bailey would have to answer no. She has the essential starter kit--a boyfriend--but somehow Joe seems to have skipped the vows of for better/for worse and gone straight to for granted.
But then just as she's on the verge of settling for a swoon-free existence, Kirsty's magazine sends her to a majestic Venetian palazzo to attend the much gossiped-about Love Academy...Her undercover mission? To prove her editor's theory that this 'school for singles' is nothing more than an escort agency with an Italian accent and fancy glass chandeliers.
But what if her editor is wrong and their promise of true amore is for real? Will Kirsty be able to resist the kind of moonlit temptations she's been dreaming of for years, or is her relationship with Joe going, going, gondola?
If you think Casanova was a bad boy, just wait until you see what Cupid has in store for Kirsty...




The Cradle Snatcher
Clare Elias has always known the risks of being married to a rich, handsome, younger man like Marc. But when she gives birth to two gorgeous babies, she discovers motherhood isn't quite the cinch she'd expected, and Marc is better with them than she is. Desperate to regain her independence running a successful chain of boutique flower shops, Clare hires Jenna, a confident, efficient nanny keen to escape a relationship is going horribly wrong.
Before too long, a deadly rivalry emerges, and as events spiral out of control, Clare finds herself forced to make wrenching decisions about love, loyalty and motherhood.




Growing up Again
Janie Lawson's life hasn't exactly turned out how she hoped. She's nearly forty and stuck in a marriage with a man she no longer loves.
After a gruelling break-up conversation Janie falls into a fitful sleep in her spare room. But when she awakes she's no longer married. In fact, she's not even nearly forty any more. She's fifteen, in her parents' house, with a hideous perm and double physics at nine.
It's 1981 and all the signs suggest that Janie's going to be here a while. Once she has stopped worrying that she must have lost her mind she decides to sit back and enjoy the ride.
But it's only a matter of time before she realises what a gift this trip is. She now has the chance to take a different path and make her life all she ever dreamed it could be. And before long Janie decides that there are a few other people in 1981 who could do with a helping hand too...


Vanity Drive
Women are inherently vain!
No doubt about it. No apologies for it either. Many can't pass by a mirror without catching a glimpse of themselves. While most women go to great lengths to conceal their obsession with vanity, there are some who can't be bothered to hide it. Yvonne Lee is one of them.
In Vanity Drive, a collection of humorous essays, Yvonne muses candidly on women's desire to polish, pluck, prod and pamper every part of themselves to look perfect--sometimes to the extreme. Starkly frank and funny, Yvonne shares her joys and tears, fears and frustrations as she navigates through the vagaries of vanity...Victoria's Secret chicken cutlets for an envious cleavage, figure-casting corsets for a svelte silhouette, killer heels for sexy limbs, fake lash extensions, make-up obsessions or neurotic diet trends.
In essence, Vanity Drive is an intimate and hilarious yet heartfelt book that captures the timeless pursuit for physical perfection. Henri Bergson said, "The only cure for vanity is laughter and the only fault that is laughable is vanity."

Monday, November 16, 2009

Long absence = Super low prices!

*Updated with Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist), Dorothy Koomson, Tash Aw and Marian Keyes!*

Sorry for having gone missing for quite a while, babes. In clearing our stock, we realised that we have several books that are still up for grabs, and as apology for the longest absence in the history of the Internet (haha), we're letting them go at really low prices.

Brand New:



The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho: RM25 (MPH RRP: RM69.90)
(All Sold)



Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston: RM20 (MPH RRP: RM34.90)



The Wonder Spot by Melissa Banks: RM18 (MPH RRP: 32.95 - RM43.95)


Read Once:


Anybody Out There? (hardcover) by Marian Keyes: RM30 (bought for: couldn't recall. MPH RRP for hardcover unavailable; MPH RRP paperback: RM32.95 - RM60.50)



The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: RM20 (brought for RM32.90)



The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson: RM20 (bought for: RM35.90)



The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw: RM20 RM16 due to slight wrinkle at corner of the back cover (bought for RM38.90)
(Sold)



Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman: RM10

To get your hands on one, you know what to do! :)

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Yikes!

Books R Love has gone on a very long hiatus...almost a month, which in Internet years, is a really really long time!

Being bogged down with work is no fun, especially when it keeps me from updating BRL. Also there are some books I'm not willing to let go ;p When I do find one, and when I do find the time, there will be updates, I promise.

On a related note, although Stuff R Love started out as a mini sister site, it's now being updated pretty often! Shows how much stuff I've accumulated, eh.

Besides pre-loves which are worn a few times at most, there are also quite a number of brand new pre-owned stuff, thanks to impulse purchases and incorrect sizes. I love those stuff I bought, but sometimes when it doesn't fit, I can only hope it goes to someone who'll like them just as much :)

Hoppity hop, off to Stuff R Love we go!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Brand New Bag for 40% off!

Besides the awesome To Hell With Fixed Prices promo that's currently ongoing here at BRL--have you checked it out yet? :)--, Stuff R Love has pretty good stuff as well!

Although updated a little sparingly, you can be totally assured of a good bargain. Take, for example, this. The silverish gold quilted shoulder bag, which I'm helping a friend re-sell, is being let go for 40% off the original purchase price. If you're wary because of the huge discount on the bag, which by the way is totally brand new and never used, don't be. It was a purchase of the wrong colour, and my friend doesn't see the point in having two same bags in different colours, so she doesn't mind it being priced considerably lower.

Spaghetti straps at RM8, denim skirts at RM15, Paul & Joe at RM18...it truly doesn't get any better than this!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

It's Already Half a Year!

*This is specially for returning customers and Books R Love's Facebook fans. If you're a first-time buyer, just become a fan here and you'll automatically qualify*

As a way of saying thanks for the good six months I've had here at Books R Love, especially to the many wonderful, wonderful customers I've had the pleasure to deal with, for the first time ever, BRL is bringing you something I'd like to call To Hell With Fixed Prices!

To Hell with Fixed Prices?
Name me your price for the books you'd like to get, and if I think it's reasonable, then you've got yourself a deal.

To Hell with Fixed Prices will run from 24th May till 7th June 2009. During these two weeks, e-mail me your best price. All e-mails will be reviewed on 8th June, and the ones with the best prices will get their hands on the book at the price at which they've stated.

What do I mean by best price? Well, basically, if there are two offers, one at, say, RM38 and another at RM39, the best (better) price will obviously be RM39. So if you're keen on the title, offering RM5 or RM10 for it definitely won't be of much use :)

Begging to be owned this time around, is what's left from the April offer - Paulo Coelho's The Witch of Portobello *click!*.

How much will you pay for a book retailing for RM69.90 at MPH?

April's price for Facebook fans is RM48 including registered post to WM. E-mail me your best price excluding postage (as always, reasonableness is important) and I'll do my best to work something out, I promise.

Oh, one last thing: do e-mail me in the following format to make sorting e-mails a lot easier :)

Subject: To Hell with Fixed Prices!
Name:
Contact number:
Price (excluding postage):

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

There was once a man from Limerick

I have a thing for memoirs, especially sad, poignant ones. Wild Swans, Falling Leaves, and this--Angela's Ashes. Both touching and fascinating at the same time, this book will leave you glued. Wearing shoes repaired with tires, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner, and searching the pubs for his father, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbours--yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness.



Summary:

Angela's Ashes was a true publishing phenomenon. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Royal Society of Literature Award (amongst others), this lyrical and poignant memoir topped bestseller charts the world over for more than two years and has since become a much loved modern classic. A heartfelt account of poverty in Ireland and emigration to America, Angel'a Ashes combines a personal perspective on a little-known aspect of modern history with Frank McCourt's spellbinding story-telling, creating an enduring masterpiece in the process.

Acclaim:

'An astonishing book...completely mesmerising--you can open it almost at random and find writing to make you gasp'--Independent

Bought for RM49.90.

Still in pretty okay condition :)

Angela's Ashes going for RM34.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Due to an increasingly busy schedule ('extremely hectic' would be an understatement), post office days of twice a week is now once a week, on Saturdays (except the first Saturday of the month when the post office is closed; items will be sent out Friday). Restocks of brand new books will also be discontinued indefinitely, save for the totally fabulous May offer.

Please bear with me if I am unable to reply mails within 24 hours. What I can promise, however, is that I'll definitely try my very best to :)

Friday, May 1, 2009

May offer!

The month of May is all about style and high fashion at Books R Love. If you're thinking, 'Books? Fashion? Wait--how do they even relate?' I'm going to show you how.

Here's how the two worlds are connected: 'Lil Miss Vicky B

Ex-Spice Girl, wife of world-famous footballer, mother of three adorable boys, fashion designer, style icon, and now, author.

Who knew silver and purple could form such an attractive combination?

Pulling off an elaborately complicated look.

Ever wondered how Vicky B manages to look absolutely stylish all the time? She carries off everything so perfectly. If you're curious about how she does that, then it's time to check out VB's book, That Extra Half an Inch.

Say hello to the fashion police!

Tulle made glamourous

Her book has been described as a "revealing and practical guide to fashion, beauty and style. In it she shares her secrets on dressing for special occasions, accessorising and making the most of your wardrobe."

Checks and leather gloves--who would've thought?

Absolutely fab in basics: a nightie-ish top and denim

Looking fierce in camel brown high-heeled boots!

That Extra Half an Inch a.k.a. the must-have fashion bible! Tons of glossy colour pictures (I could drool over those clothes all day!), chockful of fashion tips, secrets on what to wear for when, and how to pull off certain looks! If there's one fashion book you have to get, this is it.

LBD

An island vacation on the red carpet

As mentioned in this entry, I can't seem to find the price for the edition I have (hardcover, glossy pages, coloured photos, the works) in MPH.

However, a search on eBay showed the price to be RM200--picture below or here.

(click to enlarge)
(eBay seller selling second-hand for RM80)

Beautifully thick and definitely fabulous

Normal Books R Love price: RM100
Books R Love's May offer price: RM88 (Facebook fans); RM90 otherwise

That's up to RM12 off!

I know it costs a little more than what you normally see here at Books R Love, but trust me, it's so worth it. No ready stock because the last one has been sold, but if you're willing to wait a little, books will arrive end of May.

To secure a copy, you're highly encouraged to make your order and payment by Friday, 29 May, 11.59 p.m.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Coke Is Love! <3

Fans of Coke and collectors of Coke memorabilia, Coke Is Love is one site you definitely do not want to miss!

I'm in the process of sorting everything out and taking pictures, hence the very empty site, so please do bear with me for a little while :)

Do check back soon!

xx Rachel

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Those black and white keys

I've got some second-hand piano books coming up very, very soon...so stay tuned! ;)

Updated: the list!
* The AB Guide to Music Theory Part I
* The AB Guide to Music Theory Part II
* In Preparation for the Theory Exams - Basic Musical Knowledge
* Jazz, Rags & Blues
* Piano Time Pieces 3
* Classics to Moderns
* Chopin - An Introductory Album
* J. C. F. Bach - Musical Leisure Hours
* A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano (Book II)
* A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano (Book V)
* Hanon - The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises

For pictures, details, prices and general enquiry, e-mail me! :)