The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 1) Kindle Edition

09/10/2018 BooksAvenue 5 Comments

This is book 1 of the series of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty and Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects – the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

A good fantasy story with a modern setting. Great for casual fiction reading.

Buy all 5 books

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #2)

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3)

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #4)

The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5)

BooksAvenue Book Swap group on Telegram in SG

04/10/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

Received some feedbacks that the telegram is not working as expected.

First click on this link: https://t.me/booksavenuebookswapsg

After clicking the link, you should see this page on your browser:

Then click open in web, login, and it will direct you in.

Alternatively, you can search for @booksavenuebookswapsg within the Telegram app on your mobile. You should see the same icon. The group just started very recently. Feel free to share with others to gather more people with the same interest.

This is for book swapping in Singapore.

Announcements, Blog, Free Swap

Epiphany

02/10/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

The idea of having a book swapping app has always been our dream. This will surely facilitate book swapping for free. And if the idea goes well, it is easy to replicate the same model and expand out of our home ground, Singapore.

So far, most of the costs are borne by Team BooksAvenue, coming from personal pockets to build a dream. Everyone wants cheap and good, someone has to start something. And that’s how BooksAvenue started.

Yet how can we build an app when there is no knowledge or monetary strength to support so?

After much brainstorming, a solution has been found. It is a cheap and good solution.

A Telegram group has created to help facilitate book swaps in Singapore. This group will help book swappers to source and search for books available to swap. It’s a brilliant solution, much mobile and efficient in matchmaking book swap requests.

As such, all requests should be channeled to the Telegram group.

The quest for building our app is not over. The desire for building the app remains, but at the same time, it is necessary to advance forward with time.

So to break the vicious cycle of waiting, an alternative has to be done first. Hopefully once we have sufficient users, it is justifiable and in fact, more motivating for us to seek out ways to build the app.

Currently BooksAvenue has a friend in Malaysia who is willing to partner and work with us to build the app. While there are main jobs for us to perform in the day, it is only fair to execute this within our means and in our freetime.

The telegram shall be a public group and will be monitored. Moderator roles will be given, and similarly, it can be requested from Fox. Feel free to share the group with our fellow readers in Singapore. This will help to facilitate readers to swap books efficiently.

A simple solution to a challenge that has bugged us for months!

Such an epiphany!

Writings

Which Countries Read The Most?

26/09/2018 BooksAvenue 2 Comments

The Importance Of Reading

Being able to read is one of the most important basic skills that a person can learn today. In fact, reading is crucial to being able to relate to and take part in society. It is required for reading traffic signs, medical instructions, and news stories. Additionally, accessing information online or in books and magazines helps keep people educated and informed about the world around them. The human brain needs constant development and reading is just the activity to help. Reading helps people create a more active imagination and leads to higher levels of creativity as well. So, where in the world do people spend the most time reading?

Countries That Spend The Most Time Reading

The World Culture Score Index conducted a global study to measure the amount of time that people around the world spend reading on a weekly basis. The results of this study do not specify what type of material is being read, which could be anything from online news to work e-mails and magazines to books in print. Additionally, the study does not report specific information about the people surveyed (like age, educational level, or sex) or how many people were surveyed. The findings are as follows:

India

India topped the list with its citizens reporting an average of 10 hours and 42 minutes a week spent reading. Achieving the number 1 position on the list is quite an accomplishment for this country, which has a literacy rate that is lower than the global average (only 74%). This rate has, however, increased by more than 6 times since the country gained its independence in 1947, which could be an indicator of an increasing interest in reading. This time spent reading does not necessarily reflect the amount of time reading printed books, however, and may include time spent reading online or in electronic format.

Thailand

Thailand is the country with the second highest number of hours spent reading. Here, survey respondents reported that they spend a weekly average of 9 hours and 24 minutes reading. Additional surveys have found that approximately 88% of the population reads book in print and spend around 28 minutes a day reading them. This means that significantly more time is spent reading online. As seen in India, smartphones and tablets have changed reading habits in Thailand as well. In fact, the amount of time spent reading books in print has decreased from reports published in previous years.

China

The third greatest amount of time spent reading is in China, where survey respondents report spending around 8 hours every week partaking in this activity. This country has a 96.4% literacy rate, which is higher than the global average of 86.3%. Of this time, only around 11 minutes a day are spent reading newspapers and magazines. In a study conducted by the OECD, researchers found that over 90% of students in Shanghai, China report reading for entertainment purposes, which is an increase over previous years. This increase indicates that perhaps reading is gaining popularity among the citizens of this country.

Other countries included in the survey results can be found in the chart published below.

The Countries That Read The Most

Rank	Country	Hours spent in reading per person per week (selected countries)
1	India	10:42
2	Thailand	9:24
3	China	8:00
4	Philippines	7:36
5	Egypt	7:30
6	Czech Republic	7:24
7	Sweden	7:06
8	France	6:54
9	Hungary	6:48
10	Saudi Arabia	6:48
11	Hongkong	6:42
12	Poland	6:30
13	Venezuela	6:24
14	South Africa	6:18
15	Australia	6:18
16	Indonesia	6:00
17	Argentina	5:54
18	Turkey	5:54
19	Spain	5:48
20	Canada	5:48
21	Germany	5:42
22	USA	5:42
23	Italy	5:36
24	Mexico	5:30
25	UK	5:18
26	Brazil	5:12
27	Taiwan	5:00
28	Japan	4:06
29	Korea	3:06

Last updated on August 1, 2017

Taken from: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-countries-that-read-the-most.html

Taken

Misc, Videos

Interview on Jho Low

21/09/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

After reading the book Billion Dollar Whale, it not difficult to understand the depths of human greed.

The amount of money spent for the satisfaction of attention to be lavished on one man is incredibly unbelievable.

For the busy and lazy ones (LOL), you can read our 100 Word Summary here

And for the video fans, the interview is as below:

100 Words Review, Biography/Autobiography, Business and Finance, Non-Fiction

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

18/09/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

Originally published: 18 September 18 2018
Original Title: Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
Author: by Tom WrightBradley Hope
Page count: 400 pages
Publisher: Hachette Books
Genre: Non-fiction
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0316436502
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches | 635 grams

100 Word Book Review:

Descriptively, it traces and dissects the events that transpire from the beginnings to the massive international financial scandal till the present day. From interviews and third-party observations, it documents how Low used tricks and ways to achieve his aims, giving a glimpse into the Low’s mind, and explaining Jho Low’s modus operandi. This book does not simply include and involve Low himself. From Wynton Group to Najib to Otaiba and a myriad of celebrities, it focuses on every individual, every company and governments that have been, unfortunately, implicated in this unbelievable scam. A true-life thriller that reads like Hollywood movie.

Who should read:

People who loves financial thriller and mystery which remains unresolved. At the same time, those with some basic accounting knowledge and corporate structures, in terms of subsidiary and shell companies, will enjoy this book much more.

This is largely because 20% of the book discusses on the framework and layout of Jho Low’s thinkings, as well as execution. With the required knowledge, be it professional or academic background, reading the book feels almost like meeting Jho Low himself.

Who not read it:

Surely those who are seeking fictional or fantasy stories will be disappointed.

As much as the book indicates that any error is on the authors, the book is largely based on witnesses and observations. So it is very easy to believe that the accounts are true and accurate.

Lastly, perhaps those who have a grudge against 1MDB and other related parties. When such unresolved cases are still pending, there will be other sides of the story which are unaccounted for.

Takeaway point:

Greed has no boundaries, and some will go to great lengths to satisfy the insatiable wants.

Blog

Circle

08/09/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

There is a saying, “Rid the old and welcome the new.”

In the process of doing so, the fundamental elements should not be discarded. It should be retained, evolved and revised with current market conditions.

BooksAvenue started off selling books. Over the years we have been moving away from that model. This is partially due to logistics, management and our targeted audiences.

After 4 years of moving away from that model, there is a chance for us to move back to the initial model again. That is to review and sell books online.

Every chance, every opportunity, every venture is a possible stroke of serendipity. Even if it’s heading back to our initial idea, it is still a beautiful thing.

Like a shape of a circle, moving back to the initial point, completing the shape, creating a harmonious and peaceful symbol : O

Writings

Plodding Through The Presidents — Discover

Quote 29/08/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

American history buffs, this one’s for you: Howard Dorre, who’s reading (and blogging about) a biography of every U.S. president, has published numerous posts on arcane-yet-fascinating aspects of the presidency.

via Plodding Through The Presidents — Discover

Bookmarked for my own future reference!

100 Words Review, Business and Finance, Non-Fiction

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

28/08/2018 BooksAvenue Leave a comment

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Originally published: 09 Feb 2016
Original Title: The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Author: John Perkins
Page count: 384 pages
Publisher: BERRETT-KOEHLER
Genre: Non-fiction
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1626566743
Product Dimensions:55 x 83 x 10mm | 498.95g

100 Word Book Review:

Personally I think business is just business, where willing parties cut deals together. The author describes his career in Seychelles, Honduras, Ecuador, Libya, Turkey, Western Europe, Vietnam, China, and, in perhaps the most unexpected and sinister development, the United States, where new EHMs (Economic Hit Man such as bankers, lobbyists, corporate executives) to con governments and the public submitting to policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Yet author also provides hope, offering a detailed list of specific actions we can take to transform into a model that provides sustainable abundance for all. So not all is lost.

Who should read:

Readers who love spy stuffs, thriller and corporate covert missions will enjoy this book better.

Probably also suitable for those who are interested in solving corporate mystery, the one of the kind of the greatest and unspoken white collar crime.

Who should not read it:

People who are looking for gore and violence will be solely disappointed.

As much as there are some partial mentions of murder and ‘accidents’, this book does not divulge much on the bloody details.

Surely not for those who are seeking adrenaline pumping actions or fighting scenes.

Takeaway points

There is a blurred line between right or wrong. And to be able to discern right or wrong, it greatly depends on perspectives.
Governments which run like corporates are the most efficient and effective to achieve goals.
But is it justifiable at the costs of others?

Writings

BooksAvenue