MPH

British thriller writer Mo Hayder says her gruesome tales help her deal with the darkness in her own mind. “I don’t know what other writers are like, but I’m very unsettled in my head,” she said. “My books are a way of metabolising my fears.”

Read the rest of the interview here.

He’s been described as the best living humorist in America. Author Bill Bryson thinks he’s the funniest American writer since SJ Perelman. But he has neither appeared in a sitcom or a film. What other people think as dark and despairing, he calls it funny. Who is David Sedaris really? Find out here.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

It was this Bible verse that inspired Lauren Kate’s Fallen series. The books are about the romance between Lucinda and Daniel, and Daniel is a fallen angel with angelic looks to match. The author was recently in town to meet fans and talk about her book.

In conjunction with the launch of Upin & Ipin The Magazine, NYLA Sdn Bhd and MPH Bookstores is proud to organize The Search for The Malaysian Junior Writer 2011 Essay Competition.

Or, take part in Genius Aulad for Father’s Day Storytelling Fun-Fest and perform something special for your Dad with Blubricks Speech and Drama Centre. Kids can also join Aku dan Kamu, Malaysia’s first Polar Bear and Koala Bear for an exciting afternoon of fun and games.

Other authors making an appearance at MPH this month include Alvin Teoh, Noraini Margono & many others!

Click on the event leaflet for full details. 

Celebrate STAEDTLER World Kids Colouring Day 2011 & Mother’s Day with Erra Fazira. Or, join Genius Aulad for Mother’s Day Storytelling Fun-Fest and perform something special for your Mom with Blubricks Speech and Drama Centre.

Kids can also take part in a fun-filled event session with Disney Playhouse and win great prizes, plus learn how to care for animals and be responsible for them in the proper way with PAWS Animal Welfare Society.

Other authors making an appearance at MPH this month include Robert Raymer, Bernice Chauly, Sharon Bakar, Chris Tan, Ahmad Fadzli, Abooain & many others!

Click on the event leaflet for all the details!

The Embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes, Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka and MPH Bookstores celebrates the 9th Edition of World Book Day with a host of activities.

Also, take part in our World Book Day Quiz and Drawing Competition to win fantastic prizes!

Join Angelina Teh for an exclusive cooking demonstration on Peranakan food and learn more about Peranakan cuisine.

Kids can meet with Aku, Malaysia’s first Polar Bear and Kamu, Malaysia’s first Koala Bear for an exciting afternoon of fun and games. Or,listen to stories brought to life by Usborne’s storytellers and learn how keep our body healthy with Yakult.

Other authors making an appearance at MPH this month include Awang Goneng, Nafise Motlaq, Chris Tan, Dechen Lau & many others!

Click on the event leaflet below for more details.

The Business of Social Media

MPH Bookstores is pleased to bring distinguished author, Guy Clapperton, from the area of online business and social media to share his expertise with the audience. There will also be a panel of experts present for you to learn in person how they blend the use of social media into their business and personal lives.

Participants of the seminar will acquire a better understanding of the world of social media and have access to a range of social networking tactics that will help them reach new customers and clients, as well as to get the existing ones to do more business with them. They will also learn how to use the whole spectrum of social media in an efficient and measurable way in order to market their business, stay ahead of the competition and increase profits

Guy Clapperton is a journalist, broadcaster and book author/editor specialising in small business. He is the author of “The Social Media: Tweet, Blog, Link and Post Your Way to Business Success”.

Guy Clapperton also contributes to The Guardian, Sunday Times, The Financial Times and other numerous periodicals. Most recently, he edited a supplement on Virtualisation from Raconteur Media, which is included in every issue of the Times.

MPH is giving 5 lucky winners a chance to attend his seminar on 25 May 2011 at Hilton Petaling Jaya for FREE! We will post 3 questions here on (17/3, 24/3, 31/3). Wait for all 3 questions before you send in your answers and your name, email , I/C and contact number to contests@mph.com.my by 4 April 2011.

Winners will be announced on 7 April 2011.

1st Question: Who is the speaker for this seminar?

2nd Question: Where is the seminar going to be held?

3rd Question: What is the title of Guy Clapperton’s book, which participants will receive during the seminar?

A Doctor In The House: The memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, officially went on sale 8 March 2010. Retailing at RM100, the book covers comprehensive chapters of Tun’s upbringing, his ascend to the post of Prime Minister, governing the country for 22 years, up to his post-retirement.

For the curious, below is an excerpt from the book. To read more, click here and here.

Chapter 2 Family Values

By no means am I saying that monogamous marriages are perfect. In Practice, disagreements cannot be avoided but they should not cause any break-up in husband-wife relations. For example, I am a stickler for time. Hasmah, however, is always late, inevitably having something to sort out just before we have to leave. At first this difference caused a lot of friction. Now I make jokes about her tardiness and make exaggerated efforts at helping to find what she is looking for. I irritate her by following her around the room. I lie and say we have to leave at 8pm when we actually have to leave later. Still, she is incorrigible. Mutual regard and good humour, as this small example shows, can preserve a marraige. To be happy, one must learn to make compromises with grace.

Chapter 52 Currency Crumble

I bought books on currency trading to better understand its mechanisms because I believed it was currency trading, not the basic condition of our economy itself or our currency which was affecting the ringgit. I had met Camdessus earlier and he seemed like a nice man. As Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar met the IMF head quite often. I asked Anwar to appeal to Camdessus to stop currency trading and argued that it was unnecessary and damaging to the economy of developing countries. I do not know whether Anwar stated my case to Camdessus, but no attempt was made to stop currency trading.

The world condemned our currency controls and many economists said that they were not in keeping with the open-market trading system. Experts predicted disaster for Malaysia and gleefully anticipated its return with a begging bowl. But we were not deterred. We believe we had found the right answer to the plundering of small countries by the rich currency traders. It may have been unconventional, but it worked. Even IMF eventually admitted that our way had worked, though they would not recommend it to other countries. Even Soros later acknowledged that Malaysia had done the right thing in not submitting to the IMF.