The Good Side of Bad Books

I found this article, The Good Side of Bad Books (click here to read), on a blog that I read that reviews book covers called The Book Design Review. I know how with the time constraints we have these days, we fear picking up a book that is so bad it's an absolute waste of time reading it. However, this article does put a fresh perspective on bad books, there are things you can learn from them too.

The informal book reviewer plying her trade.

I guess being an informal book reviewer, this puts things into perspective. I mean, you probably have to read the bad before you know what's good, right? However, I do agree with Stuart Evers that bad books are probably books that don't cater to what the readers want in general.

So before any of us starts believing in book ratings or reviews by the general public, why not pick up that book and try it out for yourself to see how accurate that book review is. Then you'll know who to turn to for advice on books to read.

I know that sentence is probably counter-intuitive to what I am doing this blog, however, as a reader, I do feel that you need to explore your options instead of shutting them out. Even though Hakanai Hane and I prefer to read fantasy, we also try to read books from other genres to.

That being said, we'll be striving to keep you posted with book reviews and recommendations that are fair and accurate to what we think you would like in a book. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for following this blog thus far.

Book Prices

I was asked to also include the pricing of the books with every entry. I think it's a great idea but I really don't want to do that. I have my reasons of course. The main one being, book prices fluctuate over time depending on the popularity of the book at that period of time or whether its hard cover or trade paperback. The price for the 'Blue Ocean Strategy' went from about 49 Ringgit to 100 odd Ringgit and now about 60-something Ringgit. So you see, it would need constant updating on the prices because I want to convey information as accurately as I can. But I will however give you a general idea on the pricing of books.

Trade-Paperback Novels will usually cost around 30-40 Ringgit. That covers fantasy novels and fictional novels as well. Hard cover books range from 60 Ringgit to 300 odd Ringgit. The latter price falls under the collector's versions of the book. The earlier covers the fantasy or fictional novels. Book prices for tomes like 'The Roaring Nineties' vary depending on where you get them from. I bought mine for 20 Ringgit at the Big Bookstore.

The Journey Before this Present Day

I have started a booklist on my Myspace blog. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to add those people who have added me. I keep getting into the "page not found" whenever I do.

It is extremely aggravating and bothersome. I want to introduce people to all those wonderful books out there which are waiting to be read and are worth reading. Call me 'nerd' or 'bookworm' or those regular other sorely misused terms, but I guess the word 'escapism' comes to mind here. Indeed, reading a story or novel transports you to another realm, one that is fictionalized by a single or collaboration of brilliant minds. I am so afraid of reading books sometimes because I get so immersed that I shut out the rest of the world (especially my school work and the things that count).

This booklist is going to be mostly about my favourite genre; fantasy. Do not despair for I do deviate from it from time to time. It's called horizon broadening. There is nothing wrong with other genres like chic lit but there is such a thing as personal preference. The reason as to why I read fantasy most of the time is because of the boundless freedom the authors have to create the worlds and how they use that freedom. It's a little like art. It is a blank canvas waiting for someone to create the masterpiece; be it through creating a rule for the piece or simply a creation from a single drawn line.

So please, your curiosity is most welcome, especially on my page. If you are fascinated by the fantasy genre but have no idea what to begin with or are just plain looking for something else to read, do stop by from time to time as i will be keeping this blog updated as I go along. (For as long as this site does not hang while I'm halfway through an update!) Thank you for dropping by!