Mumbo Jumbo: October 2008

Book #1

BOY AND GOING SOLO
(2 IN 1: "Boy" and "Going Solo")

by
Roald Dahl

RM 22

(Original price: RM 51.60 *quoted from www.mph.com.my*)

Description (as at the back of the book):

Now you can read the whole of his extraordinary autobiography in one volume.

"A brilliantly coloured, sometimes grotesque and sometimes magical world" - Sunday Times

"A thrill, a page and a thoroughly jolly read" - Daily Telegraph

"Delightfully entertaining reading" - Financial Times

Book #2

THE BFG
by
Roald Dahl

~~RM 10~~

~~(Original price: RM 26.90 *quoted from www.mph.com.my*)~~

Description (as at the back of the book):

The BFG uses some extraordinary words, but then he's no ordinary giant. He's the kindest giant you could hope to meet and he turns out to be Sophie's best friend. The trouble is, not all giants are quite as friendly and Sophie and The BFG set out to rid the world of the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher and other nasty giants, for ever.

This book was:

The Winner of the Children's Book Award

DONATED TO ORPHANAGE

Book #3

~~The Complete Adventures of Charlie and Mr. Willy Wonka~~
(2 in 1: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator")

by
Roald Dahl

RM 25

Description (as at the back of the book):

Charlie can't believe his luck when he wins one of the five places on a tour around Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. He sees the creation of the most delicious eatables in the world. The excitement continues as Charlie and his family zoom into the stratosphere in Mr. Wonka's glass elevator. Unfortunately, before they know it, they can't get back down to Earth!

~~ALL BOOKS ARE WRAPPED, NO BENDY/DOGGY EARS. ALL PAGES ARE INTACT, NO LOOSE PAGES. BOOKS ARE IN GOOD CONDITION (even though they are a few years' old).~~

SOLD

*updated with more novels up for sale*

since this blog is known as mumbo jumbo, i thought it'd be appropriate to sell off my novels too! :) most novels (except for the brand new ones) are neatly wrapped in transparent book wrapper and are in very good condition.

BOOK #1
Mother Country by Elizabeth Russell Taylor
Price: RM 20

It is 20 years since Antonia last visited her family home, and on her mother's deathbed she returns, determined to make her peace. Yet when the door is opened by her sister Charlotte, the favoured daughter, Antonia is shaken and her resolve weakens, for she is tormented by the thought of her painful childhood. Only the memory of Walter, her secret lover, releases Antonia from the destructive cycle of her past.

BOOK #2 *SOLD*
A Mighty Heart by Marianne Pearl
*based on a true story*
Price: RM 20

The tragic murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is well-known. A Mighty Heart is his wife's emotionally riveting account of this story - one of the most terrifying of our time; unforgettable for its individuality and its horros; memorable for what it tells us about a man and a woman's determination to understand the world; and a deeply moving demonstration of love. A journalist in her own right, Mariane is, as was her husband, profoundly committed to the idea that a more informed public makes for a better world, and to the idea that risks have to be taken to uncover a story. A superb writer, she presents a truly illuminating tale - including her own crucial role in the investigative team, where she was responsible for negotiating unprecedented cooperation between the FBI and Pakistani intelligence and was able to forge alliances with an array of people, from the Karachi chief of police to George Bush. A Mighty Heart is an extraordinary book - a fitting tribute to a dedicated reporter and a profound and heartbreaking love story.

BOOK #3
Just Friends by Robyn Sisman
Price: RM 20

Jack and Freya? They’re just friends, have been for over ten years. And now they’re thirtysomethings who know each other far too well. Of course, they’ve had their differences. Freya doesn’t approve of Jack’s taste in student teenyboppers from Planet Bubblegum and Jack has problems with Freya’s utter scorn for human frailty...especially when it’s directed at him. So when Freya, dumped by her lawyer boyfriend, moves temporarily into Jack’s apartment, tensions arise. And they reach boiling point when Jack agrees to act as Freya’s Significant Other at her stepsister’s wedding. Why, all of a sudden, can’t they get on? Can a man and a woman ever be just friends?

BOOK #4
I'm A Believer by Jessica Adams
Price: RM 20

Mark Buckle thinks he's an ordinary bloke. He teaches science at a junior school in South London. He'd rather read Stephen Hawking than his horoscope column, he's highly suspicious of Uri Geller, Mystic Meg and feng shui, and he wouldn't be seen dead at a sèance. Mostly importantly, he absolutely, positively doesn't believe in life after death. Then, one terrible night, Mark's girlfriend Catherine dies in an accident and his whole world is thrown into chaos. Within days of the funeral, Catherine appears by his bedside and he finds himself communicating with her from beyong the grave. Then, just when he's beginning to adjust to life with his ghostly girlfriend, she decides to send him someone new to love...

BOOK #5
True Confessions of A Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas
Price: RM 20

Teen star Morgan Carter’s mom is trying to kill her. At least that’s what Morgan thinks when she’s sent to Fort Wayne, Indiana after a near overdose outside L.A.’s Viper Room. Morgan’s been sent out of the spotlight. Way out. She’s been given a major makeunder, a new name and a completely different identity. Her plan? To keep a diary of the experience, have it published as a tell-all book and stage a comeback. But when this L.A. girl finds love and a new life in Middle America, will she abandon it for another shot of super stardom?

BOOK #6
Asking For Trouble by Elizabeth Young *RESERVED*
Price: RM 20

Sophy's single and happy about it. She does however, have an imaginary boyfriend, Dominic, a little white lie designed to keep Sophy's mother off her back. Which is fine, until his presence is demanded at a family wedding. So does Sophy admit Dominic is a fantasy? Oh no. Sophy hires an escort. But when the distinctly delicious Josh Carmicheal arrives on her doorstep, Sophy can tell things are going to get a little tricky. And the wedding is only the beginning....

BOOK #7
Up And Out by Ariella Papa
Price: RM 20

TV producer Rebecca Cole has seen better days. Like the day her cartoon creation, Esme made her a hit and scored her a promotion. That was a good day. But, now that her roommate has decided to heed her therapist and appreciate the simpler things in life - outside of New York City - and a corporate takeover at her network has left Rebecca jobless, this food snob has to find a way to afford her rent and penchant for fine dining. Oh, and she should really start saying no to the break-up sex with her ex. Surely Rebecca will be able to draw herself out of this mess and maybe even find a way to eat well in the process?

BOOK #8
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella *SOLD*
*brand new, with MPH price tag still attached*
Price: RM 65 (original price RM 74.90)

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed. Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

BOOK #9
Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Price: RM 20

Now Becky’s back in a hilarious, heartwarming tale of married life, best friends, and long-lost sisters (and the perils of simply having to own an Angel handbag!). What’s a round-the-world honeymoon if you can’t buy the odd souvenir to ship back home? Like the Chinese urns and twenty silk dressing gowns Becky found in Hong Kong…the five kilim rugs from Turkey…the splendid hand-carved dining table (and ten chairs) from Sri Lanka…the, um, huge wooden giraffes from Malawi (that her husband Luke expressly forbade her to buy)…Only now Becky and Luke have returned home to London and Luke is furious. Two truckloads of those souvenirs have cluttered up their usually immaculate loft, and the bills for them are outrageous. Becky’s even maxed out on her second secret credit card, and she doesn’t have a new job yet! Luke insists she go on a budget. And worse: her beloved best friend Suze has found a new best friend while Becky was away. Becky’s feeling rather blue—when her parents deliver some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister! Becky is thrilled! She’s convinced her sister will be a true soulmate. They’ll go shopping together, drink cappuccinos together, have manicures together, and watch their favorite videos together. Until she meets Jessica for the first time and gets the shock of her life. Surely Becky Bloomwood’s sister can’t…hate shopping?

BOOK #10
Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson
Price: RM 30

Eight years ago, Nova Kumalisi agreed to have a baby for Mal and Stephanie Wacken. Halfway through the pregnancy, the couple changed their minds and walked away, leaving Nova pregnant, scared and alone. Eight years ago, Stephanie Wacken was overjoyed at the prospect of being a mother - until she found a text message from Mal to Nova, saying "Goodnight, beautiful". Terrified of losing her husband to his closest friend, Stephanie asked him to cut off all ties with Nova and their unborn child. Now, Nova is anxiously waiting for her son, Leo to wake up from a coma while childless Stephanie is struggling to save her failing marriage. Both women lead separate lives but have secrets that will bind them together forever. Everyone has secrets....will this one break somebody's heart?

BOOK #11
The Cupid Effect by Dorothy Koomson
Price: RM 25

After departing London to follow her heart's desire to become a psychology lecturer, Ceri D'Altroy vows to leave her matchmaking ways behind her for good. Unfortunately, all she seems to do is inspire the new people she meets to change their lives. No one who comes in contact with Ceri is ever the same again. Could this unsuspecting young woman be a modern-day Cupid?

BOOK #12
Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes
Price: RM 20

Bergdorf Blondes are a thing, you know, a New York craze. Absolutely everyone wants to be one, but it's très difficult. You wouldn't believe the dedication it takes to be a gorgeous flaxen-haired, dermatologically perfect New York girl with a life that's fabulous beyond belief. Honestly, it requires a level of commitment comparable to, say, learning Hebrew or quitting cigarettes. Introducing moi: a champagne bubble of a girl about town working at being a princess by day and by night on the prowl for that elusive, must-have accessory every girl simply demands: an impossibly rich fiancé.

BOOK #13
I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark
Price: RM 50

I Heard That Song Before tells the bizarre tale of Kathryn "Kay" Lansing, a librarian who is deeply committed to community literacy and fundraising. She lives in New York and commutes to New Jersey where she grew up. The action begins when she writes to Peter Carrington, the scion of his family's fortune and huge estate, to ask him to meet with her. Kay would like to persuade him to allow her to have the next literacy project event on the estate grounds. A rather reclusive fellow, Peter has retreated to his mansion because years before he was the last person to see Susan Althorp alive. Susan was the daughter of a neighbor and Peter's friend. Kay is delighted that (contrary to his reputation) he agrees to see her, and both are immediately attracted to each other. The event is a success, and after a whirlwind romance of only a few weeks, the two marry. Everyone who knows them, especially Kay's grandmother, thinks Kay has walked into the arms of a murderer.

BOOK #14
Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter
Price: RM 20

After a string of disastrous relationships, Emily Albright has had it with modern men. She'd rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and step into a time where men were honourable and strode across fields in breeches, their damp shirts clinging to their chests. The men she meets are more into pleated trousers, two-timing and internet porn. So when her best friend invites her to Mexico for a week of margaritas and manhunting, Emily books a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. There are no dream men here. The coach is full of pensioners, apart from one Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing a piece on why most women would love to date Mr Darcy. But then she walks into a room and finds herself face-to-face with Darcy himself. And every woman's fantasy suddenly becomes one woman's reality....

BOOK #15
Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell
Price: RM 20

When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she's tempted, of course she is. Stranded together in a remote Cotswold pub while a snowstorm rages outside... let's face it, who would ever know? But Nadia's already met The One. She and Laurie have been together for years – they're practically childhood sweethearts and she still gets butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him. Okay, so maybe she doesn't see that much of him these days, but that's not Laurie's fault. She can't betray him. Besides, when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas – bewitchingly glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop-at-nothing sister Clare – well, someone has to exercise a bit of self-control, don't they? I mean, you wouldn't want to do something that you might later regret...

BOOK #16
Playing House by Patricia Pearson *RESERVED*
Price: RM 20

Somewhere between single girl Bridget Jones and working mother Kate Reddy is Frannie MacKenzie -- baffled, beleaguered and undeniably pregnant. The one thought blazing through Frannie’s formerly trendy, savvy, sharp-tongued New York brain is that she wants to keep this baby -- despite her ultra-small apartment and not being completely sure how to spell the father’s name. Being pregnant is so out of character: how will she break it to her boss, her mother, let alone the father, Calvin Puddie (or is it Pudhey)? Frannie’s problems multiply as she dives headlong into one hilarious complication after another: from being banned from the U.S. and marooned in Toronto, to actually falling in love with her baby’s father. “You don’t find the one, do you?” Frannie muses. “The best one, the Perfect One. You just keep running like Wil E. Coyote, until all of a sudden you’re off the cliff. You fall into your life with the man who is running beside you.” In Playing House, Patricia Pearson has written a witty, heart-touching look at falling by accident into life’s most profound commitment. She deftly captures the self-doubt, messy bodily fluids and inconceivable love that accompany being a mother, and the trepidation and joy with which two people step across the threshold of parenthood and into a realm that is at once alien and completely right.

BOOK #17
Weekend In Paris by Robyn Sisman
Price: RM 20

On Friday, Molly Clearwater walks out of her job, smarting from her boss’ taunt that she’s just “a stupid secretary”. Twenty-one, a bit of a bookworm, she feels nothing exciting has ever happened to her or ever will. On impulse she boards the Eurostar to Paris and discovers a world of leafy boulevards, luscious foods and smouldering Frenchmen. Within hours she’s racing along beside the Seine on the back of a scooter, infiltrating a conference in a Cleopatra wig and sharing with a complete stranger her deepest, darkest secret. Molly’s weekend turns into a dizzying carousel ride of passion, excitement and self-discovery. By Sunday night, Molly is a new person.