The Leopard – Jo Nesbø

The Leopard - Jo Nesbø The Leopard - Jo Nesbø In this electrifying new addition to Jo Nesbø’s internationally acclaimed series, Harry Hole must confront the darkest demons in his city—and in himself. Inspector Harry Hole has retreated to Hong Kong, escaping the trauma of his last case in squalid opium dens, when two young women are found dead in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches a fever pitch. There are no clues, the police investigation is stalled, and Harry—the one man who might be able to help—can’t be found. After he returns to Oslo, the killer strikes again, Harry’s instincts take over, and nothing can keep him from the investigation, though there is little to go on. Worse, he will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath who will put him to the test, both professionally and personally, as never before. “Meaty, gripping, full of tantalizing twists.” BooksAvenue price: S$10 (50% Discount) With delivery charge of S$3.00 per title (or FREE local pickup at Yishun MRT), PLUS, Book wrap service available at S$2/- Free delivery for purchase over S$50 Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook~! 🙂 Click here to order (Opens in a new window) ———————————————————- 

10th Anniversary – James Patterson

10th Anniversary -James Patterson 10th Anniversary -James Patterson Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals--but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well. At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life--a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. Yuki's career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct? Lindsay's every move is watched by her new boss, Lieutenant Jackson Brady, and when the pressure to find the baby begins interfering with her new marriage to Joe, she wonders if she'll ever be able to start a family. With James Patterson's white-hot speed and unquenchable action, 10th Anniversary is the most deliciously chilling Women's Murder Club book ever. BooksAvenue price: S$10 (50% Discount) With delivery charge of S$3.00 per title (or FREE local pickup at Yishun MRT), PLUS, Book wrap service available at S$2/- Free delivery for purchase over S$50 Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook~! 🙂 Click here to order (Opens in a new window) ———————————————————- 

The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama

In this nuanced and complex portrait of Barack Obama, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Remnick offers a thorough, intricate, and riveting account of the unique experiences that shaped our nation’s first African American president. Through extensive on-the-record interviews with friends and teachers, mentors and disparagers, family members and Obama himself, Remnick explores the elite institutions that first exposed Obama to social tensions, and the intellectual currents that contributed to his identity. Using America’s racial history as a backdrop for Obama’s own story, Remnick further reveals how an initially rootless and confused young man built on the experiences of an earlier generation of black leaders to become one of the central figures of our time. Masterfully written and eminently readable, The Bridge is destined to be a lasting and illuminating work for years to come, by a writer with an unparalleled gift for revealing the historical significance of our present moment.

9 Good Reasons Why You Should Read

Reading is the cheapest form of entertainment. There is no electricity involved, of course other than printing the book. By reading, one can have a myriad of stories, interesting knowledge learnt and new insights and perspectives gained. However due to more and more 'fast' media being produced, slower media like reading are being pushed aside. Fast media includes, movies, internet and many other rapid information disseminating mediums to come in the near future. It has come to a point where there are people who gave up reading completely. Nonetheless, there are benefits that reading can bring us which its counterparts cannot. These are the reasons why you should find time to read. 1. Enhances the senses Merely reading a word reflecting a color or a scent immediately fires up the corresponding section of the brain, which empathizes with written experiences as if they actually happened to the audience. This is why when you are reading, you will feel that you are actually in the scene as described in the book. It is also one of the main reasons why many find reading pleasurable. There are researchers who believe that this might very well help sharpen the social acumen needed to forge valuable relationships with others. With enhanced sensory skills, perhaps you will become more efficient to pick up hints from babes? 2. Enables lifelong learning In correlation with the previous point, sensual stimulation makes it easier for aging brains to keep absorbing and processing new information over time. That is to say, with enhanced senses, the brain is more efficient in capturing information. This is possible because the occipital-temporal cortex essentially overrides its own programming and adapts to better accommodate written language. Brain is like a muscle, the more you use it, the better it is. 3. Allows for better skill retention Reading acts as some sort of a “shield” against mental decay, allowing the body to continue through the motions even when facing temporary or permanent challenges. Readers will have a heightened ability to retain their cognitive skills over their peers who prefer other media. These other media includes internet, television programmes and even mobile phone apps. 4. Better verbal abilities From the big picture, readers tend to display more adroit verbal skills than those who are not as fond of reading. However, it must be noted that this does not inherently render them as better communicators. Still, they do tend to support higher vocabularies, which increase exponentially with the volume of literature consumed, and may discern context faster. 5. Increases one’s stores of knowledge It makes sense to know that heavy readers tend to display greater knowledge of how things work. Of course, nonfiction obviously tends to send more facts, but i am sure fiction certainly can hold its own in that department as well. 6. Higher test scores Some students don't perform well on tests despite their prodigious abilities and the amount of effort they have put in. But in general, findings reveal positive correlation between pleasure reading and better scores. As examinations are focused on analyzing reading, writing, and verbal skills, only by reading can one achieve better results and to ace the papers! 7. Reduced stress levels According to a 2009 University of Sussex study, picking up a book could be one of the most effective strategies for calming down and to relax yourself. Refer to this link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5070874/Reading-can-help-reduce-stress.html 8. Improves thinking Fully engaged reading sessions actively engage brain parts that are responsible for thinking critically about more than just texts. By reading the line, or the read between the lines, you will need to think of the possible context and the reasons why is it so. In fact this explains this point why it helps to improve not just thinking, it's critical thinking 9. Better reasoning By reading through what is written by the author, you are actually going through the thought-process of the author. In this way, you are learning the mentality of the author when he/she is writing this. Literary intake will positively influence your logic and reasoning so long as you are reading some good material. So what are you waiting for? Or are you actually waiting for the 10th reason? Read today! 🙂

Hannibal Rising – Thomas Harris

On the Eastern Front are all the ingredients to make a monster. This brilliant orphaned child has demons lurking in the chambers of his memory, gouging him with fragments of his hideous past. If he can confront the demons in his heart and brain, he can find them in the flehs, hunt them down and achieve a kind of peace. A beautiful and exoticv woman takes him to her heart, using every weapon and every wile at her command to save him from the dark, to stem the terrible forces unleashed by Hannibal Lecter's first taste of blood.

Where Rainbows End – Cecelia Ahern

Remember how you used to pass paper across the classroom to your friends seated a couple of rows away? Read about how this simple pen to paper passing of thoughts and childhood dreams has changed much over the decades with the onset of technology. However, the true core of this action remains: to keep friends close and evolve from a friendship to something more?

The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling that finds famed symbologist Robert Langdon in a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn. This is Dan Brown’s most exciting novel yet.

Veronika Decides To Die – Paulo Coelho

Veronika has everything she could wish for - young and pretty, plenty of boyfriends, a steady job, a loving family. However, she is not happy. And so one winter's morning she takes an overdose of sleeping pills, in hope to end her life. Unfortunately, she woke up in a local hospital and was told that due to the suicide attempt, her heart is not irreparably damaged and has only a few days to live. Through these days, she realises that existence is a choice, a choice we all make in every second of our existence...