Book Warehouse Sales Review

Price of books in Singapore are relatively competitive as compared to most countries. Over the last 5 years, more book warehouse sales are held in either Expo or Suntec. Depending on the types of books you like and buy, some of the books are really cheap in some of these warehouse sales. I believe I have been to all the book warehouse sales organised by the big bookstores in Singapore and below are my observations.

Borders
I went to Borders sale today and I believe this might be Borders last book warehouse sales in Singapore. It is under liquidation and is selling whatever they have from its Wheellock store. The previous Borders sales were disappointing. Most books were either old, with all the browsing or outdated. To make it more uninteresting, the books were only slightly discounted. The crowd today was great. The discount was at 50% off which was great and the main draw. The main drawback of the event was that the books are too disorientated and too messy. The books are categiorized only to Kids, Fiction and Non Fiction and are all thrown into large boxes. 90% sold are books. In any case, this may well be the last time I go into a Borders store.

MPH
I started with MPH due to a recommendation from a friend about 4 years ago. Back then, I was amazed at the steep discount this warehouse sale has. I still remembered that I bought a Lords of the Ring Trilogy book for $8 at the warehouse and the same book was selling at about $40 in a MPH store. Back then, most nonfiction books are going at $7 and fiction books are at $5(if I did not remember wrongly). That is about 60-80% off shelf rates. Since then, I have search for my books in MPH sales. MPH started with an annual sale, but they have now half yearly sales, and sometimes for whatever reason, organising one every 2-3months. Besides books, they do have a small portion for stationaries. Though prices have increased in the walehouse sales, they are still about 50% off shelf rates.

Times
I think I have only gone to Times book warehouse sales a couple of times. The only thing i remembered was that the book selection was limited and the discount was dismayed. No interesting at all.

Popular
Popular has been organising bigger warehouse sales each year. They have a big difference among all the other bog players. they have a wide selection of chinese books and stationaries. They have a small section on english books though. So only go there if you want to buy some chinese books and stationaries.

There is an annual chinese books sales, or more of an exhibition, with talks included. I can't remember what is the name of the event, so sorry.

Overall, as I am most interested in self-help books, the MPH sales has been my main source to get my books over the last 4-5 years. Each time, i spent about $200 there.

How Successful People Think By John C. Maxwell

This tiny book measuring 6.5" x 4.5"with 124 pages took me too long to complete. I started when i went for my cruise last Nov and I just completed....after 9 long months. Anyway, here is a detailed summary.

Big Picture Thinking
Why Big Picture
A) Allows you to lead
- See the vision before others do.
- Size up situations, taking into accounts many variables
- Sketch a picture of where the team is going
- Show how the future connects with the past to make journey more meaningful
- Seize the moment when the timing is right
B) Keeps you on target
C) Allows you to see what other people sees
D) Promotes teamwork
E) Keeps you from being caught up in the mundane
F) Helps you to chart uncharted territory

How to acquire wisdom of big picture thinking
A) Don’t strive for certainty
B) Learn from experience
C) Gain insight from variety of people
D) Give yourself permission to expand your world (out of your experience and what you know)

Focused Thinking
Why focused thinking
A) Harnesses energy towards a desired goal
B) Gives idea time to develop
C) Brings clarity to the target
D) Will take you to next level

Which area to focus
A) Identify your priorities
B) Discover your gifts
C) Develop your dreams

How to stay focused
A) Remove distractions
B) Make time for focused thinking
C) Keep items of focus before you
D) Set goals
E) Question your progress

What to give up to go up
A) Not knowing everyone
B) Not doing everything
C) Not going everywhere
D) Not being well-rounded

Creative Thinking
Characteristics of creative thinkers
A) Value ideas
B) Explore options
C) Embrace ambiguity
D) Celebrate the offbeat
E) Connect the unconnected (Think – Collect – Create – Correct – Connect)
F) Don’t fear failure

Why creative thinking
A) Adds value to everything
B) Compounds
C) Draws people to you and your ideas
D) Helps you learn more
E) Challenges the status quo

How to be creative
A) Remove creative killers (“I’m not a creative person”, “Follow the rules”, “Don’t ask questions”, It can’t be done”, It’s too much work”, “Failure is final”)
B) Asking the right questions (“What is the root problem?”, “Why is this impt?”, What is the opposite?”, “Why must this be done this way?”)
C) Develop a creative environment
- Encourages creativity
- Place high value on trust among team members and individuality
- Embrace those who are creative
- Focuses on innovation
- Willingness to let people go outside the lines
- Appreciates the power of a dream
D) Spend time with other creative people
E) Get out of the box

Realistic Thinking
Why
A) Minimize downside risk (because pls for worst case scenario)
B) Gives a target and game plan
C) Catalyst for change (people rely on hope rarely make changes)
D) Provides security (because you make contingency plans more confidently and secure)
E) Gives credibility (not surprised by the unexpected)
F) Provides foundation to build on

How
A) Appreciates the truth
B) Makes one do his/her homework
C) Think through the pros and cons
D) Picture worst case scenarios
E) Align with your resources

Strategic Thinking
How to release the power of strategic thinking
A) Break down the issue
B) Ask why before the how
C) Identify the real issues and objectives
D) Review your resources
E) Develop your plan
F) Put right people in right place with right plan
G) Keep repeating the process


Question Popular Thinking
Why?
A) Sometimes means not thinking
B) Offers false hope
C) Slow to embrace change
D) Brings only average results

How?
A) Think before you follow
B) Appreciate thinking differently from your own
C) Continually question your own thinking
D) Try new things in new ways
E) Get used to being uncomfortable

Benefits from Shared Thinking
Why?
A) Faster than solo thinking
B) More innovative than solo thinking
C) More matured than solo thinking
D) Stronger than solo thinking
E) Returns greater value than solo thinking
F) Only way to have great thinking

How?
A) Value ideas of others
B) Move from competition to cooperation
C) Have agenda when meetup
D) Get right people around the table
E) Compensate good thinkers and collaborators well

Practice Unselfish Thinking

Why?
A) Brings personal fulfillment
B) Adds value to others
C) Encourages other virtues
D) Increases quality of life
E) Makes you part of something greater than yourself
F) Creates a legacy

How?
A) Put others first
B) Expose yourself to situation where people have needs
C) Give quietly or anonymously
D) Invest in people intentionally
E) Continually check your motives

Rely on Bottom Line Thinking
Why?
A) Provides great clarity
B) Helps you assess every situation
C) Helps you make best decisions
D) Generate high morale
E) Ensures your future

How?
A) Identify the real bottom line
B) Make the bottom line the point
C) Create strategic plan to achieve the bottom line
D) Align team members with the bottom line
E) Stick with one system and monitor results continually

You can see that my writings for each chapter gets shorter and shorter. I apologise for that. John Maxwell seems to be my favourite self-help(leadership) author for the moment. I ahve listened to his audio book and

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

I do not know if it is because of my reading taste changed or the author wrote this book halfway before he died, but i do not know if i will finish reading this book.

The story is set in the 1665, with marine rivals between the British and the Spanish. Mostly about lifes of pirates and officers(good and bad). Storyline was nothing like what Michael Crichton has in Jurassic Park, Congo nor his more recent works; Prey and Next.

I am halfway but i am putting the book down...at least for some time till i am less bored with it.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

It has been ages since I last read a "storybook". The last was "Five Persons you meet in Heaven"by Mitch Albom and that was in May 2009. have read all the 4 previous Dan Brown books. Was putting this book for a while as I hope this was not a similar book as Da Vinci Code.

I am glad that this story was as intridging as the Da Vinci Code. The story was full of logical explanations (to me) with twists and turns along the way. That is the no. 1 plus point about Dan Brown because most fiction books do have quite a bit of illogical plots.

Now about the negative stuff in this book. Firstly, I do not understand why must there be a woman with the hero in all his books. Does Robert Langdon need a sidekick? Secondly, I do not like the way the story unfolds itself in the end. Lastly, I thought it was a bit illogical, though not completely, that the villian was a one-man show. It seemed like this villian was able to beat all the CIA, professors, police etc.

Anyway, this nearly 700 pages long book took me >2 weeks and with my workload, I felt it was quite an accomplishment for me to even finished the book. Overall, it was a very good read and the storyline was nearly as good as Da Vinci Code.

Wink and Grow Rich by Roger Hamilton

From the title, you would think that this book is riding on Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" classic, which is highly recommended by many international speakers and authors. I chose to read this book because it is not too thick and it seems not a difficult book to read. And best of all, there are drawings in some pages :)

The story is about a young man who went around to find wealth and met a number of wise and wealthy people who teached him how to find wealth. There are too many lessons to be learnt so I will just write out the takeaways from each of the people he learned the lessons from.

The Well (beginning)
- Think it, Ink it (write it down)

The Optometrist
- Clarity and focus on vision
- 4 levels of communications a) exchange, b) connect, c) motivate & d) inspire
- Choose the level you want to play at
- What you see is always what you get
- Ask and you shall receive

The Plumber
- Think it, ink it, do it, reveiw it
- Learning is a game
- Invest more of your time, spend less of it
- Invest more of your money, spend less of it

The Gardener
- Your well is in your words
- Wealth is the beginning, not the end
- Sow, nurture and reap
- Your position is your compass

The Fisherman
- To know and not to do, is not yet to know
- Value is the river in which wealth flows
- Becaome an inspired work-in-progress
- Plan to fail

The Rower
- See the wood from the trees
- Opportunities lie in every moment
- The key to leverage is how you use it
- Sustainable wealth follows a rhythm

The Musician
- Time is your most precious asset
- Harmony is the foundation of wealth
- Time has seasons
- It's not just what you do, it's when you do it
- When you resonate, you accumulate

The InnKeeper
- You settle for your standards
- A five star life is easier than a two star life
- Your environment is your playground
- You are the results of your choices

Here's one quote which I think its good
"You won't make dollars if you can't make sense."

I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of this book. Very refreshing and I had learnt a lot. My main learnings are the "4 levels of communications", "think it, ink it, do it, review it", "invest more of your time, spend less of it", "your well is in your words", "sow, nurture and reap", "become an inspired work-in-progress", "you settle for your standards" & "a 5 star life is easier than a 2 star life".

Fantastic book. I would recommend all to have a read if you are interested in not only having more wealth but to have a better life.

Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting Up Your Credit Cards by Robert T Kiyosaki

I have this book for quite a while and have not picked it up as I was a bit bored with Kiyosaki books as the main contents are always the same, ie the quadrant and the different money making methods (Business, real estate and paper investments). As I was getting busier with my work, I decided to have an easy read.

This book proved that it was about the same as his previous books. My take away from this book is expenses should not increase at the same rate as your income.

It teaches some methods on how to reduce your overrun credit bills, how to reduce your bad debt and teaches on what are good debts which are good leverages in building a long term income.

Anyway, if you have read his Guide to Investing, I believe it covers most of what you can read in this book.

Practical Solutions for Everyday Work Problems by Elizabeth Chesla

When I saw this book, there were only 2 things in my mind. One is that even though it does not look brand new, it is still rather cheap and the other being I can get some tips in solving my work problems, which seems to be coming at me continuously throughout the whole day. After going through the book, here are my 20 takeaways.

1) State current situation, then the desired situation.

2) Identify the problem.
- problem must be a fact, not an opinion.
- problem must be manageable (something can be done to solve it)

3) Set goal
- Specific, measureable, ambitious & realistic

4) Break problem into parts
- questions and answers must be relevant
- keep records

5) Must have positive attitude and beliefs (must believe that you can before things are done)
- face reality, do not run away from the problem
- trust intuition
- be patient

6) Be in a good environment

7) Observe to see what others overlooked

8) Put yourself in other people's shoes

9) Practise creativity

10) The more creative you are, the more possibilities you can uncover. And the more possibilities you uncover, the more likely you are to find the best solution for that situation.

11) Just start to write something, anything to stop the writer's block.

12) Brainstorm. No censor, no criticism

13) Listing - list all possible answers, without thinking to come up with best answers.

14) Mapping - Enables you to see realtionship between different ideas.

15) Drawing connections - connecting between random words and the problem

16)No creative solution. Normally stuck in one way of thinking due to problem handled in certain way. Need paradigm shift.

17) Evaluation solutions.
- Ranking by criteria. Effectiveness, feasibility, time, cost. human resources, difficulty/ease of implementation, risk. Use table to rank.
- Pros and Cons

18) Errors in reasoning during evaluation.
- Appeals to emotions. Fear, vanity, flattery, scare tactics, peer pressure, pity
- Assuming a possible consequence will happen if you do something.
- Thinking you have only 2 options when you could have more options.
- Reasoning going in circles, ie no real reasons
- Assuming a situation which might not be true.

19) Action Plan
- Break solution down into tasks to be accomplished
- Determine order in which tasks must be completed
- Determine who will handle each task
- Determine how long for each task and how much it costs
- Set specific start and end dates for each task
- Develop contingency plans

20) Present the solution
- Consider your audience
- Clearly define the problem
- Summarise the problem
- Present the solution
- Anticipate objections.

I felt that the book is a good book for beginners in starting his/her working life. It give the basic steps to look at problems. It has been refreshing, though i had hope to learn new ways to tackle problems.