I have been reading quite a few of the Chicken Soup series. Although some say that it is kind of in the past, I beg to differ.

I bought a few, and it usually has to be a subject close to me. Recently, I bought the book for Power Moms – mums who chose the family over their careers. They include stay-at-home and work-from-home mums.

I have been deliberating this subject for a long time now. And only in the recent year have I found a way to finally realise this dream of mine – staying home with my kids while not being poor.

And so, naturally, I am thinking of all the opportunities lost should the day I quit actually come. On one hand, I think about the corporate ladder I can still climb, on the other, I see my kids grinning each time they see me. Although I must admit, they do drive me crazy sometimes.

One particular chapter came to me last night with a very true saying “You can work your whole life, but your children are young only once”. I immediately stopped thinking about myself and reflected on this.

It is true, yes?, that kids are only young once and there are only so many years which they really need and depend on you. After those years, I am going to be a pillar, no longer physically needed, no longer the arms they will run to for a kiss on their boo boo, no longer the person who will cook and drive them around. I felt tears in my eyes and my heart warming up.

So yes, I think the decision is finally clear to me. And if you are a mum and quite undecided if you want to give up your career, pick this book up and see if it helps to enlighten you.

So last week, the much awaited book sale happened in Amcorp Mall. I was thinking of going in the morning of the first day but I got a SMS from a friend who said that it was packed. I then decided to go later that night.

IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!

 When its maiden sale happened in May, I wrote a review here which favoured this sale. After all, reading is an expensive hobby and any great sale like this would have been great to book worms like me.

Due to that great experience I had, I was really looking forward to this year end sale. However, this was what I found.

The whole venue was extremely small. I do not see how it can accomodate 200,000 titles and all those people in it comfortably.

The entrance was jammed with people who were queuing to pay. The queues were zig zagging and my friend said she had to wait for a whole hour to pay! OMG! I had half a mind to leave the second I stepped into the place.

Then I found that the aisles were too small to fit all the bookworms there who had baskets, bags and boxes in their hands. I had to elbow my way around since that is the only way I could move forward. People who brought their babies in strollers were in for a surprise.

Although I saw some great titles on self-help, I could not really reach it cause it was just too many people around it. Business selection seems to be more limited this time round as well.

One thing which topped my annoyance was how the sales people behaved. One guy who was rearranging some of the books was practically ripping away a book which my little boy was looking at. When I asked why he did it, he simply said that my little Ryan was going to tear it apart and so, he should take it away! When I insisted that Ryan will not do that, he pointed his finger to Ryan and said that if it is torn, then I will have to pay for it! Did he have to be so rude??

Then there was this girl at the customer service table in the children’s section who gave me a non-committed look when I left my bag of unpaid books with her. Ryan wanted to poop and I was not going to hold it off while I zig zag my way through the payment queue. And so, she simply shrugged and said she cannot guarantee that my books (together with my bag) will be there when I return. I really felt like slapping her!

But, as with all things, 2 good things were the fact that the children’s books were separated from the madness and it was pretty easy to shop. But I think the choices last time were better.

The other plus point was that the prices were indeed low. The most expensive one I got was a pirate set which was RM15. The other self-help and biz books I got were RM8. Ryan’s books were mostly RM5.

I did not even bother going back the second and subsequent days. Don’t think it was worth the effort. I hope that the organizer will pick a bigger venue the next time. And for goodness sake, get more polite temps!

Did you go to this sale? What do you think about it?

 *Drum roll*

And the winner of The Big Bad Wolf Books Sale is Jessica C!

Jessica guessed that I had spent RM196 and she is the closest to my RM185.40 spend. Congrats to Jessica!

Jesicca can now choose one of the books listed below:

Congratulations to Jessica, I will send her a mail shortly to finalize the logistics of getting one of these books to her.

Happy reading!

I just came back from the Big Bad Wolf books sale! I cannot believe I went half way through town to go to a book sale!

When I first came across it here, I was not sure what they were about. I have never even heard of them. But then, as usual, I always have a soft spot for books, especially if they are at a bargain.

This is their inaugural book sale and it is aiming to bring in the latest in every genre in the book industry at the lowest prices possible. The “lowest prices” part is true because their books are as low as RM2 and the most expensive one I bought is RM15! I heard the sales staff saying that the most expensive is RM20.

The book range is quite good from fiction to non-fiction, covering self-help, reflection, business books, magazines, autobiography, dictionaries, travel books, exercise related books, cook books, home improvement books, children, teens even baby books.

I carted off more books this time than the time I went to MPH’s sale, plus I did not have to pay more for it! There was a book which I recently bought from MPH – Starbucked – for RM30 and I thought it was a steal. It was selling for MR10 (or was it RM8) here!! And then there are some Positive Parenting series which are going for RM10 here but I paid 6 times more for it in Kinokuniya!!! This was just last week … I am beating myself over this.

The place is air-cond, which is such a relief on a hot and humid day. And the books are relatively well organized although there is a thin layer of dust on them. So, remember not to wear anything white.

Also, because you are actually carting off books and not just buying them, do bring your own bags, like those recycling bags. It is much easier than using boxes like I did. Plus, the boxes are very limited in supply.

Big Bad Wolf Books is brought to you by the people behind BookXcess - they aim to help people read for less. How great is that?!

So, in helping with the aim to get Malaysians read more for less, I am giving away ONE book for free. All you need to do is to guess the amount I have spent today on my books. I’ll give you a clue – I bought 29 books and I paid with an OCBC credit card which gave me 10% off the total bill.

Hurry! The contest ends on May 18, 12pm. The winner will be notified through this post and he/ she can even get to choose the book he/ she wants from a list I will provide. Watch this space!!

The Big Bad Book Sale opens today at Dataran Hamodal, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. It will run for five days until May 18. Opening hours are 10am to 9pm. For details, visit www.bigbadwolfbooks.com

When I first got pregnant, I was a little lost. Really. Maybe because I am one of those people who likes to be in control and hates surprises. I like to know way in advance how I should feel, what I should expect, when, why etc.

If my legs feel tired, I want to know why, if my tummy feels uncomfortable, I want to know why, I want to know when the baby begins to kick me, when the baby moves more, when I should expect to pee more often, when I should prepare for what and the list can go on and on.

If you are like me, then this book is for you. I absolutely love the way the book is written. Month by month and it has a question and answer format tackling every imaginable question a pregnant mummy can have.

It even has sections dedicated to breastfeeding (my favourite topic) and the post delivery weeks, on expectant fathers and getting back to shape.

Although it may not look like an interesting book, for sure what goes on between the covers is definitely interesting. I highly recommend this book for all mummies-to-be.

It’s ISBN no. is 0-7434-5028-0, currently retailing at RM44, available at MPH and most other book shops. The authors – Heidi E. Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee E. Hathaway – did a good job with all the research and answers.

If you think this book is for you, then congrats, and have a great pregnancy ahead!