Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Synopsis
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life -- from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing -- and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.

Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives -- how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and -- if the right questions are asked -- is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.

Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.

Price: 22.30
Quantity: 47

Reading: The Benefits

There are several benefits that can be had from reading. This has been proven not only by research, but also by several practical proofs from avid readers all around the world. However, let us focus on some of the best benefits.

1. Mental Stimulation

Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

2. Stress Reduction

No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.

3. Knowledge

Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.
Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.

4.Vocabulary Expansion

This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.
Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.

External links:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117588&page=1#.UbAvOpzqWQ6
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/reading_babies.html

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes volume 1 & 2 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes Volume One
These 12 short stories first appeared in The Strand magazine during 1891-2, and were published in book form in the latter year. Sherlock Holmes had made his debut five years earlier in A Study in Scarlet, but it was this collection that established him as a detective nonpareil, and Arthur Conan Doyle as one of the most popular writers of the day. 

In 'The Red-Headed League', pawnbroker Jabez Wilson responds to an advertisement calling for a new recruit to that mysterious association. His hair colour secures him an undemanding, well-paid job - until the day he arrives for work to discover that the League has been summarily dissolved. 


Hydraulics expert Victor Hatherley also accepts a lucrative offer in 'The Engineer's Thumb', and receives a severed digit into the bargain. 

In 'The Blue Carbuncle' a fabulous gemstone turns up in a gooses throat. 

A terrified woman fears she will meet the same fate as her twin sister in 'The Speckled Band'. Sherlock Holmes takes these and other curiosities effortlessly in his stride. No matter how bizarre the facts, Holmes applies his forensic skills and towering intellect to the problem, and the truth will out.

Sherlock Holmes Volume Two

Since his first appearance in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Now, in two paperback volumes, Bantam presents all fifty- six short stories and four novels featuring Conan Doyle's classic hero- a truly complete collection of Sherlock Holmes's adventures in crime!

Volume II begins with The Hound Of The Baskervilles, a haunting novel of murder on eerie Grimpen Moor, which has rightly earned its reputation as the finest murder mystery ever written. The Valley Of Fear matches Holmes against his archenemy, the master of imaginative crime, Professor Moriarty. In addition, the loyal Dr. Watson has faithfully recorded Holmes's feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the thrilling The Adventure Of The Red Circle, Holmes's tragic and fortunately premature farewell in The Final Problem, and the twelve baffling adventures from The Case Book Of Sherlock Holmes.

Conan Doyle's incomparable tales bring to life a Victorian England of horse- drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where for more than forty years Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.

Sales Details
 Price and product quantity:
Volume One: RM8.90, 100 units
Volume Two: RM29.90, 100 units

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Faerie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into more sinister territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo gains a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom.

 Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at Bag End. Bilbo lives in a hole because he is a hobbit—one of a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and a great love of good food and drink. Bilbo is quite content at Bag End, near the bustling hobbit village of Hobbiton, but one day his comfort is shattered by the arrival of the old wizard Gandalf, who persuades Bilbo to set out on an adventure with a group of thirteen militant dwarves. The dwarves are embarking on a great quest to reclaim their treasure from the marauding dragon Smaug, and Bilbo is to act as their “burglar.” The dwarves are very skeptical about Gandalf’s choice for a burglar, and Bilbo is terrified to leave his comfortable life to seek adventure. But Gandalf assures both Bilbo and the dwarves that there is more to the little hobbit than meets the eye.

Join over 100 million readers all across the world in following the adventures on Bilbo Baggins as he discovers more about the realm of Middle Earth and all its amazing creatures, and it all starts in this very book!

Price: RM35
Quantity in hand: 100
Stock management: First Come First Serve Basis

Books are a portal in which people may subscribe to in order to escape from the daily hectic life; to run away from the problems that may occupy their mind. To read is to follow that very meaning of being human; to gain knowledge. Books may delve deeper to humanity, to understand the world, to understand the beings, to understand other humans.

Unlike movies, books are infinite. Reading leaves space for imagination; the same book will not mean the same to any two individuals. The nature of language allows the play of words, the use of such words that allow double entendre, which in turn allows us to delve into our primal thoughts to further attach our emotions and allow our most primal part of our mind to interpret each and every word to understand the feelings of the writer.

Reading is not merely a choice; it is the way of life. To refuse to read is to exhaust yourself off the luxury of life. So pick up a book and let yourself be surrounded by the words as they lull yourself to the sense of fulfillment and calamity.

External links:
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-an-Avid-Reader
http://www.librarything.com/topic/24038