Book Hunting

It's very depressing to wake up to a beautiful morning with a scratched throat, messy nose and a steadily climbing temperature. But the only good thing that came out of this blasted flu is that I took a day off work and managed to finished reading Mistress of Spices. Didn't quite live up to expectations but good for days when medication makes you nod off in midsentence and you can pick up from where you slept off without re-reading the entire chapter.

Despite the hacking and sniffling, I'm back at work, not because of any relentless ambition, but just so I don't feel guilty when I trawl the Times warehouse sale during lunch break. My conscience is well-trained to the point of being annoying.

This will be my second trip to the sale as I made a measly purchase of 5 books the first time. Sacriligeous for a self-proclaimed bookworm! But I did manage to unearth a book I've been hunting for - The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst. But because it's so thick, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be gathering an impressive layer of dust on my bookshelf. But there's nothing like the thrill of running your eyes over rows and rows of books and feeling that jolt of excitement when you spot a gem. It's a feeling that will never dull with time.

Being kiasu as I usually am when it comes to books, I drove all the way to Kelana Jaya on the same day to check out the MPH sale. Was in and out within 15 minutes. Very disappointing. Limited selection, average discounts and too many screeching children. Had to battle an overpowering urge to kick a couple of kids who were pretending to be superheroes. Probably caught this nasty flu bug from one of those brats too.

Ah well, at least I have the prefect excuse to avoid all boring social functions this weekend and curl up with my new books!