Reader's Rave Reviews

Tabu

2012-02-10T00:39:00.000-08:00

(Source: Fixi)

Author: Shaz Johar

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Mystery, Love and relationships

Retail Price: RM20

Tabu is written by Shaz Johar, the very same person who wrote Kougar. Now I happened to like the latter story and had placed high expectations on this new one.

What I liked about Tabu was the balance it struck between mystery, love and relationships. I identified with its lead character Bibi, who is plus sized like me, and has a desire to break free from the constrains of the world but is at the moment stuck with fulfilling the needs and wants of others.

Bibi is a BBL (big beautiful lady) who hates her job as a customer support staff. The only person who makes office life a bit bearable is her best friend Kim. Kim supports her in a lot of things, but has always expressed a dislike for Bibi’s Kenyan boyfriend, Mosi.

Things are all good until she discovers a misplaced cellphone in the train she used to travel to work. She kept in contact with the person who owns the phone (known as Nadim), unknown to her boyfriend. They slowly develop a relationship that I would, for want of a better word, describe as puppy love.

As the days go by, Bibi realizes that Kim appears affected by something. She keeps taking sick leave and often disappears without contacting Bibi. Mosi also began to ask for money from Bibi, citing a need to settle his college fees. However, Bibi discovered an emerald ring in his possession, which he did not mention to her at all.

After a series of events at the office which eventually led to Bibi quitting her job, she is intent on discovering what exactly was happening. It was soon after this that she received word that Kim had died - apparently by jumping off a building. Bibi, who knows Kim’s courageous spirit, refuses to believe that she had committed suicide and was inclined to call it murder.

Now it is up to Bibi to investigate the real story. What is the connection between Kim, Mosi and her former colleague Anne? What becomes of her relationship with Nadim, and will the arrival of police officer Akil spoil everything?

Perhaps I placed too high expectations on Tabu after reading the synopsis. I was expecting some major syndicate/thriller plot - after all Fixi has the potential to publish such books - but this was more inclined to explore the complexities of relationships in modern times and how wrong moves can mess things up big time.

And considering this, perhaps it is good that it was Shaz who wrote this book. The self-described full-time diva would surely know how to write about love, relationships, backstabbing and the whole shebang without coming up with a soppy love story; the kind that would make some readers produce a bucketload of tears and others, a bucketload of vomit.

I would still vote Kougar over Tabu, but this is still worth reading if you’re, well, inclined to the love/relationship complexity section. For my part, I’ll just hope that in the near future, Shaz produces for Fixi a manuscript that would beat both these stories.

Six Suspects

2012-02-10T00:36:00.000-08:00

(Source: About.com)

Author: Vikas Swarup

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Retail Price: unavailable

From the author of the hugely popular, heartrending story titled Q & A (filmed as Slumdog Millionaire), comes this mystery, whodunnit tale which exposes the human nature of inner evil at its best.

Vikas Swarup’s Six Suspects is, I would say, just as good as commonly known English novels from the West which deal with the same genre. What I love most about it is the way it delves into the stories of each suspect by giving it a personalized touch, but also incorporates a chapter or two where the narrator is detached from the plot altogether.

Industrialist Vivek “Vicky” Rai, son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh Jagannath Rai, was murdered with a gunshot at blank point during a party he hosted to celebrate his acquittal from the charge of murdering bartender Ruby Gill. Six people at the party were found with a gun in their possession, and they had automatically become suspects.

The suspects were as different from each other as chalk and cheese. Former minister Mohan Kumar led a life of vice until he was apparently possessed by the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, who wanted to avenge the murder of Ruby Gill (she had been working on a thesis about his sayings) by killing her murderer Vicky Rai.

Actress Shabnam Saxena is lusted after by every man, including Vicky himself. She has, however, gotten herself into a major mess, and her sister is also involved in the matter. In an attempt to restore her sister’s life to normal, she has to turn to Vicky’s rich and powerful connections.

Eketi is a tribal from the Andaman islands, who had come to recover a stolen shivling (religious sculpture) which had ended up in Vicky’s possession. Helping him was welfare officer Ashok Rajput, but unknown to Eketi, Ashok had a cunning, selfish plan running in his own mind.

Munna Mobile is an adept mobile phone thief who stumbles upon a briefcase of cash, more than he’s ever had in his lifetime. He makes full use of this money to live the rich life he’d always wanted, and ends up in love with rich girl Ritu. But Ritu’s high-profile connections leave Munna in a dilemma over the future of his life with Ritu.

Larry Page cursed the day his parents named him after the great inventor of Google. The Texas-based forklift operator at Wal-Mart had found his perfect match online - Sapna Singh from India. After giving much of his savings to her to prepare for their wedding, he flew to India to meet her, and only upon landing there realised that the photo of Sapna is actually that of Shabnam Saxena. In the hope of marrying her, he stays back in India.

The last suspect happens to be Vicky’s own father, Jagannath Rai, who was willing to get rid of his own son so he could become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Hot on the heels of Vicky Rai’s antics and subsequent murder is investigative journalist Arun Advani, who is certain he will uncover the real killer among the six. The question now is, who is the real murderer? Will that person be implicated, or will someone else become a scapegoat?

I consider Six Suspects as a racy whodunnit story, complete with various facets that highlight the gap between India’s glamour society and its slum community. Love the way it delves into each character’s dreams and aspirations, their arrogance and attitude, their wants and needs.

Like Q and A, this story also touches reader’s emotions by including stories of love, friendship and selflessness. These help balance out the injustice and cruelty done by some characters in the story, and make it a memorable read.

Unlike most stories of this genre, I was actually taken by surprise when I discovered who the REAL killer was. Obviously I won’t spoil it by giving it away here, so you’ll have to go read it yourself.

Zombijaya

2012-02-04T05:20:00.000-08:00

(Source: gerakbudaya.com)

Fixi books are just not your typical Malay novels. Love the selection panel who choose which manuscripts to publish, as the considerably new publishing house has ten awesome novels to its name now, none of which are the least bit boring.

After a long time, I finally had the time to visit a bookstore to look for three Fixi books which I still did not have in my collection. I was a tad disappointed that Kelabu was out of stock, but I managed to get my hands on Zombijaya and Tabu, which made up for the situation.

Stories about alien attacks in Malaysia and other parts of the world are a dime a dozen, but don’t be fooled into putting Zombijaya into your mind’s category of “I’ve seen it too often it’s just not fun anymore”. Because this story looks beyond terrifying zombies - it looks into the hearts and minds of a eclectic group of humans trying to survive the apocalypse.

It’s New Year’s Eve and fireworks are about to be light up the night sky near Sunway Pyramid. Nipis, a gangly youth with no ambition in life, is content to live in his own world. His twin sister Ana will soon begin life as a teacher in a primary school, while her lover Kamarul is slated to appear in a reality TV show. Their friend Aliff had just proposed marriage to his lover Sofia, who accepted.

All is good and well until a stray dog bites Aliff, throwing back the group’s plans for a bit. Here we learn a few secrets about the characters, which I still can’t figure out why they were included in the first place, but that does not matter. We read on as they settle into their daily lives again, but there’s just a feeling that things are going to change soon.

One by one, the people around them become zombies and start attacking the humans for their flesh. Once bitten by a zombie, it is only a matter of time before the bitten become zombies themselves. As the friends are now in their separate ways, each chapter deals with a different character’s experience as they fight for survival, and possibly a way to end the spread of zombies in the nation.

Nipis ends up with Sofia’s friend Nora and his sister’s former students Lisa and Sanjiv. He decides to make his way to the country’s administrative capital of Putrajaya. He claims to have read of a theory that Putrajaya houses a hidden base originally built as protection in case of nuclear war, and if they could get there they would be safe until the zombies were gone.

Nora had her doubts, but they decided to try heading that way. An occurrence in Bukit Jalil brought Nipis and the two children in contact with a group of humans who, like them, were also trying to survive the zombies. The eclectic group is led by Azman, a policeman who held a grudge against Nipis, and had Dr Siva, a foreigner named Taylor, national athlete Elizabeth Paul, and Sofia among others.

For a time they had nothing much to do, but they realized something had to be done eventually. After much discussion and more events along the way, they decided to follow Nipis’ idea to head to Putrajaya. Yet how many people have to be sacrificed for the trip? And does Putrajaya really hold solutions to the zombie problem? Who will be the next victim among them?

Zombijaya deals with a much explored topic of zombie attacks and an impending apocalypse. I can only speculate that it was released in time with the whole 2012 end-of-the-world theory discussions, but still it makes for a good read as it gives a near-realistic description of how Malaysians would cope in the face of a sudden zombie attack.

A word of warning though - don’t expect this book to be a laugh, nor will it be a bore. It will keep you reading on to the end to discover who lives, who dies, and what happens next.

Selamat datang ke Zombijaya.

Starting Over

2012-01-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

(Source: guardian.co.uk)

Author: Tony Parsons

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM29.90

Tony Parsons is one of those few male authors who can write so well about love and relationships without churning out soppy, rotten stories from the jumbled up Archive of Romance.

George Bailey, 47, is a police officer who has long left the field job, now confined to a career of processing reports at a desk in the station. He is extremely worried about his strained relationship with his teenage son Rufus, and often puts him on a breathalyzer to check if he had consumed alcohol. He keeps an eye on his daughter Ruby, and shares the household chores with his wife Lara. In short, the responsible middle-aged family man.

One fine day, his long-time buddy Keith - the typical boisterous American police officer - sneaks him out for a field assignment, and the two cross paths with criminal Rainbow Ron.

During this time, George suffers a sudden heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. He eventually had to undergo a heart transplant with a donated organ from a 19-year-old.

When a person’s heart is changed, is he or she still the same person? Post operation, George does some research online and discovers that some people who have undergone heart transplants tend to unconsciously develop traits that were prevalent in the donor’s character. In George’s case, he began developing a teenager’s reckless traits - the drinking parties, the hangovers, a desire to change the world.

Starting Over would be very relatable to those who have lived through their youth. Certainly they would recognize the ultimate gift George had received - the chance to live life again.

He became a friend to his children, and a lover to his wife. But if you think that would have ensured George lived happily ever after, well, Tony Parsons begs to differ.

Lara soon tires of his carefree youth habits, and warns that he must share family responsibilities again. A series of events later, George finds himself bunking in his parents’ home, with a part-time job as a pool cleaner and a chance to rethink what he had become, and his plans for the future while the people close to him are being affected by different things.

Readers would be entertained by following George as he stumbles through his recovery, discovers things about the people around him that he previously did not notice, and towards the end rediscovering himself in a new light.

Through the book, Tony Parsons kept me wondering what would happen to George’s well-constructed family life should he develop every inch of the donor’s teenage character and mentality. He also presents readers with a difficult stand to take - which life should he live; the one he had before or the one he lived now?

As with the author’s previous works, I like how he takes contemporary emotional issues faced by most relationships in modern times and address it in ways rarely seen in other books. Parsons’ books also have the ability to show readers that we often go all out in search of love, commitment and the like, yet we fail to see that what we really need in life was with us all the while.

In the aftermath: sale!

2011-11-23T23:00:00.001-08:00

(All photos in this post courtesy of Big Bad Wolf Facebook page)

If you missed out on the world's biggest book sale, fret not as the folks at Big Bad Wolf are back to give you another chance.

All the books remaining from that sale is now going to be sold at the BBW Aftermath Sale, which starts today (24 Nov) up to 28 Nov at South City Plaza, Seri Kembangan, Selangor.

If that's not enough to tempt you into heading there, here's another piece of information - the books are being sold for RM5 and below each! Now that's what I would call a REAL bargain (does it really matter if the books are not all in pristine condition?)

Also add some local literature to your purchases with these four brand new books by Fixi - Pecah, Dendam, Kougar and Kasino. They are each worth approximately RM20 in the market, but for this sale they are also going for RM5 each!

Ready to go now? It's South City Plaza, Seri Kembangan from today till 28 Nov folks! Have fun book-shopping :)

Espresso Tales

2011-11-22T02:42:00.001-08:00

(Source: scotiana.com)

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Abacus

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM8 (from the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale)

The sequel to 44 Scotland Street is back to Edinburgh and the multifaceted inhabitants in that address, with a brand new set of challenges for each character.

Pat Macgregor is done with her second gap year, and has just received an offer to study in St Andrews College. However, after some thought she decides to attend Edinburgh University to read Philosophy and English instead, while continuing her part-time job at Matthew's art gallery. An outing with neighbour Domenica Macdonald results in her being match made with a handsome waiter, who eventually ends up inviting her to a nudist picnic at the elite Moray Place.

In the meantime, child prodigy Bertie Pollock is yearning for the typical boy's life of fishing and rugby to replace his planned out life of yoga and 'crushed strawberry' dungarees. He plots a series of rebellion against his mother Irene and the psychotherapist Dr Fairbairn, one of which involves purchase of a public school's uniform and skipping his own school, Steiner's for a day to attend Watson's, where the 'real' boys are.

Winds of change breeze into Bertie's life when his father Stuart takes him on a train ride to Glasgow to source back their car. This trip resulted in Bertie winning money from a game of cards with legendary Glasgow hard man Lard O' Connor, and while it looks good, perhaps Bertie should have been more careful with what he wished for. Stuart also has to battle the guilty feeling that he had not been a good father, and it was time for him to defy Irene's bossy ways and help his son have a childhood.

Matthew had a good time as his gallery made profit last year, but his worries now resurface from a totally different source - his father. Gordon has declared that he is in love with a much younger woman named Janis, and wants to introduce her to Matthew. Although conceding that his father deserves to be happy, Matthew is worried that Janis, a florist, might be interested merely in Gordon's massive wealth. Now he must think of a way to convey this to his father, who is clearly smitten with Janis.

Pat's narcissistic flatmate, Bruce Anderson is about to begin his career as a wine merchant, and drags in George, a friend in university to finance the wine business. Bruce receives an offer too good to be true - a large discount on three crates of the rare Chateau Petrus, which he takes up. Things take a turn for the worse when George introduces his girlfriend, Sharon. With all this trouble in the way, will Bruce's wine business plans ever take off the ground?

Espresso Tales contains the same witty, lighthearted remarks from its predecessor but with more insight into the lives of the main characters. I especially like the focus on Bertie, who in his small ways tries to rebel against his crusading mother and find some space to live like a normal boy.

Again, we see the multitude of challenges each character faces in this complicated city of Edinburgh and more specifically, Scotland Street. The author delivers each character's trials and tribulations so well, the reader is not only able to follow their train of thought but learns to identify with their feelings too. If you've read 44 Scotland Street and loved it, this is definitely next on your to-read list.

44 Scotland Street

2011-11-18T03:53:00.001-08:00

(Source: alexandermccallsmith.co.uk)

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Abacus

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 8 (from Big Bad Wolf Book Sale)

From the man who gave the world The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series comes this series based on the inhabitants of the address 44 Scotland Street.

Pat McGregor is on her second gap year, and has just returned to her native Scotland after spending the first in Australia. In search of some new meanings in life, she moves out of her parents' luxurious place and into 44 Scotland Street. Her housemate Bruce Anderson, an extremely handsome, narcissistic rugby player greets her on the first day.

As she settles in and begins her new job as an assistant in an art gallery, Pat begins to learn about the antics of 44 Scotland Street's inhabitants. Her neighbour, Domenica MacDonald is in her twilight years, yet her frank and knowledgeable attitude wins her Pat's respect, and eventually she becomes Pat's confidante. Through Domenica, Pat learns about the Pollock family downstairs, consisting of Stuart, his wife Irene and their four-year-old son Bertie.

Bertie is a talented boy, with saxophone, Italian and yoga classes to train him. While he is a sweet boy, Domenica worries that Irene is pushing her son way too hard by dedicating herself strongly to the "Bertie Project", as Irene calls it. Throughout this book, we also follow Irene and Bertie's developments.

At her job, Pat is face-to-face with the owner of the gallery, Matthew. He has always failed at the numerous businesses his rich father has tried to set up for him, and this gallery is the latest project. One day, Pat comes across a painting in the gallery which she believes was from a famous artist named Peploe. Now if this assumption is correct, this could earn the gallery a good profit, but it could also turn out to not be a Peploe after all.

Still, Matthew is excited. He decides that the Peploe? is too dangerous to be left in his gallery as it could be stolen, and asks Pat to take it back to Scotland Street for safekeeping. But nothing is safe in Pat's place, as Bruce makes the mistake of taking it without her permission. How do Pat and Matthew bring back the Peploe? to the gallery?

Alexander McCall Smith presents a lovely picture of his native Edinburgh, Scotland via the multitude of characters in his novel. We are able to see the developments in each character as they battle their own demons while trying to continue with life as usual.

I like this story so far because of the light-hearted manner in which the story is developed, and the ever shifting focus from Pat to the other characters. A simple read on relationships in a not-so-straightforward city.

Good Omens

2011-10-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

(Source: sayshi.tumblr)

Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Harper Torch

Genre: Fantasy

Retail Price: RM32.90

The Apocalypse is anything but a laughing matter for many, and yet Good Omens successfully makes the impending end of the world sound distressing yet funny at the same time.

Anthony Crowley, who works for Hell and its boss Satan, finds himself entrusted with the Antichrist, son of the devil who will live on Earth and eventually bring about the Apocalypse. He takes the Antichrist to a hospital run by the Chattering Nuns, whom he secretly despises no thanks to their talkative habits.

He plans to place the Antichrist in exchange for a VIP’s baby who was also just delivered at the hospital, but things happen in such a way that the Antichrist ends up in the hands of another family, who name him Adam Young.

Enter Anathema Device, descendant of the witch Agnes Nutter. During her time, Agnes wrote a book called The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. The book contains really accurate prophecies of the future, but Agnes had no habit of making things clear. After her death at the stake, her son John Device inherited her book, and since then just about every Device has dedicated his/her life to interpreting the book, which includes statements on Armageddon.

From Anathema’s analysis, it will happen on Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact.

Crowley realizes the impending doom, and acknowledges that he enjoys the Earth very much and is not enthusiastic about its end.

A chat with Crowley’s enemy of four millennia, the angel Aziraphale reveals that neither of them want the world to end, and therefore they have to find the Antichrist and deal with him before both their bosses bring about the Apocalypse. However, they are soon to realize that the real Antichrist is not where Crowley thinks he is (with the VIP family).

As they hunt for the real Antichrist, Crowley and Aziraphale accidentally meet Anathema and give her a ride to her home in Lower Tadfield. During the ride, Anathema mistakenly leaves Agnes’s book behind, which Aziraphale takes and studies.

On the other hand, Adam Young is now an eleven year old boy and part of the Them, a small group of friends. The entire Lower Tadfield, where Adam lives, think of the Them as extremely troublesome and always up to some mischief. Anathema is warned of the Them, and the Them are also riddled with suspicions of Anathema being a witch.

Amidst all this, the epic battle between Heaven and Hell is about to begin. It is up to Crowley, Aziraphale, Anathema and Adam Young to do something. Will they be able to stop the Apocalypse, or is the world destined to end just to discover whether Heaven or Hell is the stronger force?

What I liked best about the way the whole story was portrayed was that the characters showed a comic ability to be positive even in the face of adversity. Despite nearing the Apocalypse, readers are still able to laugh at the antics of the characters as they try to stop Armageddon. Look out for strange things like a flying scooter and a devil’s hound.

All in all, Good Omens is the kind of wonder you get by throwing together the inexhaustible magic of Neil Gaiman and the wonderful storytelling of Terry Pratchett, to make one hilarious story about stopping the world’s end.

Hear the Wolf Howl!

2011-10-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

The wolf is back, howling louder than ever at the biggest book fair in the world!

Revel in the millions of books that will be loaded into Hall A of the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang, Kuala Lumpur.

Thanks to my classmate Ang Wai Kuan, I received a preview pass to the fair a day before it opens to the public. A group of us went over for the fair, and ended up with at least a small cardboard box full of books each.

With books on every topic imaginable, you're likely to go gaga at the fair.

Excited already? You know you want to make your way to this fair. Have fun browsing/buying books!

For more information, log on to their website or like them on Facebook (search Big Bad Wolf Books).

Floating Reserve of Knowledge

2011-10-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

Quench your appetite for knowledge at the Logos Hope Floating Book Fair, where you can purchase good quality literature at a fraction of the actual cost.

Logos Hope is back to the delight of bookworms across Malaysia - Image source: Dominica News Online

The ship docked at Port Klang, Malaysia on 28 September, and will be open to public until 23 October 2011.

Select your favourite book from over 6,000 titles, which include professional and career interest, personal growth and self-help books. Logos Hope also brings an expanded selection of over 7,500 books that covers a range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies and religion.

Malaysians taking stock of the books offered at Logos Hope in Port Klang - Image source: All About Malaysia

Aboard the ship, visitors can experience the cultural variety presented by volunteers from over 40 nations.

Interactive programmes and opportunities to mingle with the multinational crew begin from your first step onto the gangway into the ship - Image source: globalhub.org

Ticket cost is only RM1 each and admission is free for children under 12 who are accompanied by an adult.

For those in East Malaysia, fret not as the Logos Hope's next stop is Kuching from 27 October - 15 November. It also stops over in Kota Kinabalu from 17 November - 13 December.

People in Johor can also experience the ship's offerings by going to Singapore from 16 - 28 December, when it docks there.

Further information about the ship and its port schedules can be obtained here.

Smoke and Mirrors

2011-10-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

(Source: Felix Online)

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Fantasy, Short Stories

Retail Price: RM34.90

Where would you expect to see the Holy Grail? Not in a thrift store, at least. But that's where Mrs. Whitaker found it - under an old fur coat in a neighborhood thrift store. Excited at having found such a treasure (added by the fact that no one in the store knows of its actual value), she buys the Holy Grail and gives it a place of honour on her mantlepiece.

The Holy Grail is not without its troubles, as Mrs Whitaker is soon visited by a knight in shining armour. Not in search of her, though, but on a quest for the Holy Grail. The knight, Galaad is soon caught up with trying to get the Grail from Mrs Whitaker, with subtly comical results.

This story, named Chivalry, is the first of Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman's first collection of short stories. The author has a way with fantasy and magic themes, and this book is no exception. Story plots are also downright strange, like assassins advertising their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control".

Which brings me to one of my favourite stories from this book. We Can Get Them For You Wholesale tells the tale of Peter Pinter, who stumbles upon Ketch, Hare, Burke and Ketch, a company of assassins. How he found them, I've stated that already, but his main intention was to hire an assassin to kill his cheating girlfriend and the man she was cheating with.

When he contacts the company, a staff tells him that their prices go lower with the more lives they are hired to take. Seeing this as a deal, Peter gets down to listing the number of people he would want dead, which spirals into something else entirely.

Needless to say, Neil Gaiman's magic is clearly visible in each story. Make sure to read the introduction as the author gives a brief explanation of how each story came about, and a "warm-up" story called The Wedding Present" which I also liked. Smoke and Mirrors is the kind of book you'd want to read for a good dose of fantasy magic, which is a good change from our reality-doused life, I'll say.

Ngeri

2011-09-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

(Source: Fixi)

Author: Gina Yap Lai Yoong

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 16

Fixi's latest book, as usual, deals with urban and contemporary themes. Ngeri, which was launched together with Jerat, is no exception. The story is chock full of sadistic killings, suspicion, betrayal and consequences.

Joanne, Samuel and Rehan are three film students working on a group assignment. Their first script by Joanne faced rejection from the professor, and since then the usually lazy Samuel decided to take over and write scripts.

His scripts are also rejected by Professor Bazri on the grounds that they were illogical. The professor finds the scripts' sadistic elements disturbing, but he lets it be. At about this time, the murders in the scripts begin happening in real life, and are reported widely in the media.

While Joanne and Rehan express fear over the situation, Samuel appears to enjoy the whole thing. His reasoning is that now the murders happened for real, his story can't possibly be illogical now? At the same time, Professor Bazri is swinging between going to the police with Samuel's scripts or just keeping quiet to save the university's reputation.

Joanne and Rehan's suspicions that Samuel is involved in the murders escalate with each script that forms the basis for a new crime. As the murders increase, a fresh fear overcomes the trio: what if the police discover their scripts and conclude that they are the killers?

The friends decide to talk to their professor, but through a series of events end up kidnapping him instead. Now they have to plan their move carefully, as they not only have to deal with the police hunting them down, but to find out who among them is the real killer. Is it really Samuel or is there someone else obsessed enough with proving the scripts are possible in real life situations?

One interesting thing about Ngeri is the way it is written. Gina Yap chose to deliver the story mostly in the form of e-mail, telephone and chat transcripts between the characters. This requires readers to independently analyze and piece together the transcripts to form the progress of the story in their heads. It may sound like a tedious process, but that is not the case, really.

As one reads the story, although it may be apparent who the real killer is, the truth is only revealed at the climax. Even so, a part of the truth is hidden until the very end, when we find out the killer's secret which is capable of surprising all the readers, as this turn of events was, in my opinion, totally unexpected.

I bet once you pick it up, you don't want to put it down until you know how the story ends. That sentence alone should be enough to induce you to pick up the book. Get ready for a "ngeri" experience!

Jerat

2011-09-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

(Source: Fixi)

Author: Dayang Noor

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Retail Price: RM20

Jerat is the sixth book from Fixi, published just this month. The book was launched at the Art for Grabs festival at the Annexe Gallery in Central Market KL on 18 September.

High-flying IT executive Shereen's memory is wiped out after a hit-and-run incident in Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur. A day before the accident, two men, Rahmat and Tan Sri Zakaria are murdered. Shereen's frustration at having forgotten 36 years of her life is somewhat reduced by the affections of her Mummy, and that of her hospital wardmate, 21-year-old Tash.

After recuperating, she returns to work at Daya Juta, Malaysia's premier IT company. No thanks to her condition, Shereen is relegated to customer support from her previous job as Director. Melia, a woman claiming to be her friend also tells her of her ex-boyfriend Rizwan (Zakaria's son) who works in the same office, and reminds her to stay away from him.

On one hand, Shereen wonders what kind of a person she was before the accident. At times, however, she thinks of not digging up the past and starting life as a clean slate. Unfortunately her past is not so keen on giving up on her.

Shereen receives flowers with hate messages, and has to now find out who among her circle of friends is the enemy in disguise. On top of that, complications with her previous major project also unearth another discovery: the illegal copying of computer codes out of the company to be sold in the black market.

Shereen is intent on exposing the people behind this activity, and teams up with Adele who just rejoined the company to investigate. The more they discover, the more Shereen is convinced something is amiss with Rizwan. Will she finally expose the truth, or fall into the trap set by people who want her dead and out of the way?

Jerat is Dayang Noor's first novel, and as an IT careerwoman herself she has delivered the context of the story quite well. Although there was a good amount of IT jargon used in the story, it did not impede too much on the reader's understanding of the whole story.

I may be spoiling this for you, but the ending is not your usual good trumps evil style. I did like the little secret about Melia that was revealed at the end of the story, though. Look out for that one when you read the book.

In short, Jerat is a nice read which gives one the occasional feeling of dread. Despite not being a match for the awesome plot of Pecah, the book is still a page-turner worth spending some time over. And oh, did I mention that this is the thickest Fixi book so far?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-09-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

(Source: purplecar.net)

Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Retail Price: RM 32.90

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was originally named Män som hatar kvinnor (Men who hate women), which I think is a more appropriate title. Swedish journalist and writer Stieg Larsson wrote this as the first in his Millenium Trilogy, which was unpublished when he died in November 2004.

Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist in trouble. Having just been convicted for libel against powerful businessman Hans Erik Wennerstrom, his credibility and strength as a journalist and publisher for Millenium magazine took a blow. Just as he decides to lie low for a bit, he is called for a meet with Henrik Vanger, part of the once-extremely-successful Vanger Corporation.

Vanger has been tortured for over forty years with the thought of what happened to his favourite niece, Harriet. She disappeared from the Vanger home in Hedeby when she was sixteen, and her whereabouts are still unknown. Henrik believes she has been murdered, and wants to find out who her killer is.

He offers Blomkvist a job: for one year, he would be hired to investigate what happened to Harriet, and will live in Hedeby under the pretext of writing the Vanger family chronicle. Blomkvist finds the offer almost too good to be true, as he believes the investigations into Harriet's disappearance are exhaustive already. However he takes up the offer and begins to work, much to the dislike of his CEO and part-time lover Erika Berger.

Blomkvist goes through a series of interviews and documents regarding Harriet's disappearance, and soon finds a twist in the story: something no one noticed. He realises he needed help, and through Vanger's lawyer Dirch Frode comes to know of Lisbeth Salander, an introverted, peculiar hacker who researched on Blomkvist for Vanger before he was hired.

Blomkvist now teams up with Salander to find out the truth about Harriet. Was she ever murdered at all? If she did survive, where is she? Along with the secret of Harriet's disappearance from Hedeby Island, Blomkvist and Salander also uncover the buried evil past of some Vanger family members, which place the investigators in a position of extreme danger. Will they ever reveal the truth, or die trying?

From what I learnt, Larsson witnessed the rape of a 15-year-old girl named Lisbeth during his time as a journalist. His guilty feeling at not being able to help the victim inspired his theme of sexual violence against women.

This book is rather 'heavy' in terms of word and cultural context. As a Malaysian, I found it a tad difficult to register the names of characters as they are in Swedish. Thankfully Swedish lines are not used in the book, else that would complicate matters even more.

I also found the story a little lengthy at times. Like, there were times I just had to shut the book and recollect my thoughts to follow the story.

That being said, the book is still an interesting read, as Stieg Larsson's plot has a nice climax and ending. An ending worth a read, I'll say. I also found the descriptions of each major character very well thought of, especially those of Blomkvist and Salander (though the book focuses more on Blomkvist, and Salander remains largely a mystery).

I would not advise this book for people who don't read often. As I know it a reader friend of mine gave up reading this book halfway, no thanks to its lengthy descriptions and 'deep' themes. But if you want to pick up this book, be persistent in your reading and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing how the story ends.

Or if you're really that lazy, just go watch the movie.

Room

2011-09-03T03:21:00.000-07:00

(Source: roomthebook.com)

Author: Emma Donoghue
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Genre: Love and Relationships
Retail Price: RM32.90

You overslept, burnt your toast, crashed the car and missed that important appointment. Just when you're cursing your life, you discover someone who's living a life in much, much worse conditions than yours. It may sound heartless, but you're suddenly feeling very thankful that you are not living such a life. And that's how I felt when reading this book.

Jack has just turned five, and to him Room is the entire world. The 11-by-11 foot space contains a wardrobe, bed and television, among a few other things. There is no window, only a skylight. In this space Jack lives with his mother, who plays with him, reads him stories and watches television with him (albeit sparingly, as she says TV turns people into zombies).

As Jack knows it, all that he sees on TV is not real, that the real world consists only of what is inside Room. However, Jack knows that he and Ma are not the only people. There's still Old Nick, who comes in every night through Door. Ma does not allow him to see Jack, and ensures that Jack is asleep inside the wardrobe whenever Old Nick is expected to come.

Life goes on for Jack this way until Ma tells him the truth: that most of what he sees in TV is real, very real indeed. The cars, the birds, the sunlight, the food and toys. She tells of her own family, who she has not seen in seven years. Old Nick kidnapped her when she was 19 and has locked her in the room ever since. She has managed a life in captivity with Jack, but she knows Room cannot contain them any longer. They need to escape.

Jack and Ma hatch a daring plan, which involves tricking Old Nick into taking Jack out of Room and into the real world, from which Jack will have to find help from outsiders to save Ma. Through twists in the plan, Jack and Ma are somehow saved from the clutches of Old Nick. The worst of their troubles is over, but there's still more to come.

Ma, who is familiar with the real world she belongs to, is delighted to finally be relieved of the small space and reunited with her family. Jack, however, has a tough time trying to adjust to the new world. He misses the little things he and Ma used to do in Room; his toys, the furniture and the comforting thought that his world was only Ma and Room.

Add to this tension the fact that Ma's story is now a media highlight, and the amount of people they have to interact with, ranging from Ma's family to hospital staff, lawyers, police and reporters. Can Jack ever learn to adapt to the real world? Or will he choose the life in Room instead?

I found this to be a touching, heart-warming story about a boy whose beliefs and ideals about what is real and what isn't is dramatically challenged when he learns about the world that exists beyond Room. Granted, I did find some parts of the pre-escape-plan story a little too repetitive, but I guess it is a technique to show what really happens in Room, which is an unchanging, dry routine.

It also gives us insight into the thoughts of a child who has to learn how to adapt to the real world while dealing with pressure from various parties. Room has a beautiful storyline and a way with words that make the reader feel emotionally connected to little Jack, understanding his bewilderment and pain.

For a better understanding of this book and an interactive view of Room as Jack sees it, head to http://roomthebook.com/#, the official website for Room.

BookFest @ Malaysia 2011

2011-08-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

Running out of good books to read? Sourcing for something fresh for the brain? Or do you simply want to unstick yourself from Astro and go out? If you said yes to any of those (even if you didn't, never mind), just head to the biggest book festival in South East Asia.

(Source: www.2da6s.com)

BookFest @ Malaysia has over 600 booths showcasing about a million Chinese and English titles. If that's not enough reason to head over right now, they also have innovative stationery sourced from around the region.

(Source: Time Out KL)

Look forward to author meet-and-greet sessions and also international reading forums at this fest.

(Source: Popular)

Details: 27 Aug - 4 Sept at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), opens from 10am-10pm, admission price RM2.50 but free for students and seniors.
For more information about the event, visit bookfestmalaysia.com

The Hunger Games

2011-08-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

(Source: onlinemovieshut)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Fantasy

Retail Price: RM42.90

A film-crazy friend of mine says that this is being touted as potentially the next Harry Potter in terms of popularity; to form a successful franchise. While I will not vouch for the planned movie, the book is some good stuff.

Katniss Everdeen is 16 and lives in District 12, which like all other districts, is ruled by the Capitol in Panem. The dictatorial system is such that people from each district are not allowed out of their territory, and communication between districts are prohibited. Katniss, however, is forced to go into the woods beyond the fence to hunt for food. The people she really care about are her mother and little sister Prim, along with her best friend and hunting partner, Gale.

Every year, as a way to remind the people that they are at the mercy of the Capitol, the Hunger Games take place. A boy and a girl from each district (12 in all) are selected as tributes to participate in a game of survival, where they are all thrown into a desolate place and must kill each other to survive. The remaining person is declared the winner and returns to his/her district and awarded enough supplies to last a year.

Katniss along with many others watch the Games live on television every year, looking on at how each tribute fights for survival, and how most eventually succumb to hunger, wounds, or plain despair. As with every year, she and all other youths in the district gather at the square for the Reaping, which is where the tributes' names are picked out from two glass bowls.

In a flurry of events, Katniss becomes the girl tribute for District 12. She recognizes the boy tribute Peeta Mellark as the one who, when they were children, gave her a loaf of bread when she was starving. She and Peeta travel to the Capitol in Panem, where they are trained for a while before reaching the arena of the Hunger Games.

Now Katniss faces the most devastating situation of her life: if she is ever to see her mother, Prim and Gale again, she must ensure the deaths of all other tributes in the Games, including Peeta who once saved her from dying of starvation. Will the odds be in her favour just this once? What becomes of her relationship with Peeta, in a situation where they have no control over the outcome of the Games?

The story as a whole is well constructed and easy to understand; suppressed people forced into a game of survival against their will just for the entertainment of a dictatorial government. While I still believe it lacks the all-encompassing magic of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games makes up for it with good writing style and point of view. The whole story is told through the eyes of Katniss, and this endears her to readers.

A good element of suspense is also present, when we wonder which tribute will survive, and what happens if Katniss and Peeta are the only ones remaining as only one can live for the Games to end. The Hunger Games is a good read, and it could form a successful book franchise. As to the upcoming movie adaptations, we'll just have to wait and see.

American Gods

2011-08-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

(Source: neilgaiman.com)

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Harper Torch

Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Retail Price: RM32.90

Neil Gaiman is on my list of all-time favourite writers for merging the fantasy world with the real world in his stories, with excellent results. American Gods, a tale of myth, belief and kinship won awards like the Bram Stoker Award and Locus Award.

The protagonist, Shadow is close to being released after completing a three-year sentence for physical assault. He looks forward to finally being reunited with his wife Laura and the dawn of a new life for him. He knows what prison is like now, and has no interest in going behind bars again.

His world changes soon enough when his wife is killed just days before his actual date of release. After being granted an early exit from prison, Shadow journeys on the plane in a violent stormy weather. Thanks to a mix up of seats, Shadow ends up next to an old man who introduces himself as Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is common for a stranger.

Wednesday offers Shadow a job: to protect him from people conspiring to hurt him. While Shadow is initially reluctant he finds himself increasingly drawn to the mysterious Wednesday and his stories, and eventually ends up working for Wednesday. Shadow goes through a variety of experiences and names while working for Wednesday, and is quick to realise that they are not ordinary people.

He guesses that they are gods from the forgotten mythologies, the gods from beliefs brought into America via the first people to arrive in the New Land from other countries. To add to his thoughts, his dead wife Laura keeps revisiting him and strangely, Shadow does not feel fazed by her presence.

Shadow is warned that a storm is coming, one that is not ordinary and threatens to change the world as it is known. Wednesday is attempting to gather his old army of gods to fend themselves against the "new gods", those who belong from the digital era of America's existence. With the impending war, and a couple of killers hell bent on getting Shadow on their side (or getting rid of him), will Shadow ever get the life he so desperately wanted while in prison?

At a time when America is largely believed to be secular with a lack of religious strength, Neil Gaiman brings to life the gods of yore, from the myths that thrived during the early civilization which first set foot in America. He revises the fact that gods can only exist when people believe in them, that without the "blood" they would be nothing. One part where Wednesday mentions how the god Thor died (shooting himself in the head) and asks Shadow if that is the way for a god to die just serves to drive home the point.

American Gods is a read that is heavy on myth and symbolism, and as such would be significantly more easy for those initiated with elements of what I would term as the older and perhaps largely forgotten religions. But don't expect this book to be dry and humourless; this book is far from that.

Anarki di Kuala Lumpur

2011-08-06T02:50:00.000-07:00

(Source: Silverfish)

Author: Mohd Jayzuan

Publisher: Sang Freud Press

Genre: Alternative

Retail Price: RM 20

One will be hard pressed to find a book of such themes in a mainstream bookstore. Behind all that glamour, the supposed "breaking free from the clutches of the society", what consists a punk rocker's life, really?

The story is told through the eyes of Syd Jamal, punk rocker and lead singer of homegrown underground band The Rats. Despite making waves in the mainstream music industry, the garage punk band stresses on maintaining their identity. Syd refuses to change the band's supercharged extreme characters to suit the more conservative mainstream audiences.

Syd tells of his life as a part of that world: his involvement with various types of drugs and the equally various types of women. One in particular is his ex-girlfriend Sue, who Syd recalls was the one who inspired him to greater heights. Who was also the one to eventually break his heart in the most painful of ways - betrayal.

He has never been able to find another like Sue, until he meets Anne in a twist of events (then again, what's ordinary in that rocker's life anyway?). Syd eventually begins to feel that he and Anne may just be able to maintain a steady relationship, but will it really work?

We follow Syd as he trancends all social norms and boundaries, creating a world where the only rules that apply come from him and his trusted bandmates Zac, Rudy and Jermz. But things don't last that way for long, when Syd falls deeper and deeper into the short-lived heaven created by drugs. It sparks arguments, both within himself and with the people around him.

As his addiction increases in reverse with his finances, Syd is barraged with a psychedelic mix of feelings and thoughts to deal with. Can Syd survive this as he did many other experiences? Or will it be the last straw this time around?

Mohd Jayzuan has come up with an interesting take on the life of a rocker, depicting the misunderstood character in all its glory. By the choice of words we can tell that this book, like Syd and The Rats, does not aim to downplay its identity just to please other people.

It's really difficult to say much more about Anarki Di Kuala Lumpur apart from the fact that it is an honest, unbridled account of a wild garage punk rocker, told in a way that reaches straight to the reader without fear or favour.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

2011-07-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

(Source: iTunes.com)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Canongate

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literature

Retail Price: RM35.90

I expected nothing less from a writer famous for atheistic views and a blatant disregard for religion. The title caught my eye as I browsed a bookstore earlier this month, since it's obviously not a common sight. I mean, Scoundrel Christ? Really?

I first knew the name Philip Pullman via the His Dark Materials collection (for the unitiated, remember this one movie called The Golden Compass?), and stories like Clockwork and Count Karlstein (my reviews of which are still pending). Writers with such skill for composing children's stories are I believe an endangered species, which thrived during the Golden Age of Children's Literature (think Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland).

But let's keep that topic for another time. Now, on to the story.

At sixteen years old, Mary was still a virgin despite being married to Joseph. One night, an angel comes to her house in her husband's absence and says she will conceive that very night, that it is the will of God. True to the angel's words she does conceive, and while Joseph nurses his troubled thoughts he feels duty bound to care for Mary and her unborn child.

Near the expected time of Mary's delivery, the Roman emperor decreed that everyone return to their ancestral town to be included in a great census. Joseph takes Mary from Nazareth to his ancestral home of Bethlehem, where they were forced to stay in a barn as the inns were all taken. Mary gives birth to twins at this place - the first turns out big and healthy, but the second one is small and sickly.

The elder one is named Jesus, and while the second was given a common name he is known as Christ. Jesus receives more attention from Joseph and grows up boisterous, with a deep interest in his father's carpentry trade. Christ on the other hand is favoured by Mary, and prefers the solitude of the synagogue where he engages in prayer and religious study.

Jesus and Christ are baptized by John, who talks highly of religion and a need for sinners to repent. Jesus is greatly impressed by John and eventually follows in his footsteps, preaching religion and garnering more followers as time passes. Christ is visited by an angel, who talks him into keeping a record of Jesus's activities and sayings so they may be useful in future.

The remainder of the story describes the life and times of both brothers right up to Jesus's cruxifiction and the angel's visit to Christ in the aftermath. While Christ thinks he will be forgotten in the pages of history, the angel assures him that his name will shine along with his brother's.

Philip Pullman has indeed placed a major twist in this commonly recognised tale by putting two brothers as protagonists - Jesus who takes no interest in his brother as opposed to Christ who is constantly looking out for his sibling. It was written in a simple, straightforward manner, something like a book you'd give to a child to read (though I doubt it will be welcomed into strict Christian families).

I found one theme standing out when I finished the book, which was the fact that history can be altered to suit one's purposes. Jesus's sayings and actions were on occasions contradictory to the vision of the Kingdom of God that Christ and the angel had (which was attainable only via a church), so Christ changed some of his records to suit the intended purpose.

Come to think of it, don't you think something like this happens even today? Like, just take a look at our Malaysian history textbooks. It says something, but research and historical analysis says something almost completely opposite. It is common knowledge that some of the "facts" have already been skewed to suit the agenda of powers-that-be.

I know I digressed a bit there, but it just serves to show that reading this book not only introduces you to a good story, but presents themes that are relevant even today for readers to ponder on.

Dear John

2011-07-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

(Source: Tower.com)

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publisher: Grand Central

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM30

When I finished reading Dear John, my first thought was "how was it possible that a story so simple could be powerful enough to touch a reader's heart?"

John Tyree had no clue as to what he was going to do in life after high school. His socially inept father who could only speak of coins (he boasts a large coin collection inherited from John's grandfather) was of no help in this field, but did not pester John about getting a job or going to college. Two years later, John suffers a sudden break-up with his girlfriend and begins to seriously consider his future.

This led to his enlisting in the military and, quite literally, a new lease of life. John left his place in Wilmington, Florida and his job took him to places like the Balkans and Germany. He quit smoking, slowed on alcohol consumption and picked up a reading habit like most men in the military. But unlike them, John never consorts with women and this becomes a topic of discussion among his friends.

A change comes into his life when he returns to Wilmington for a break and meets Savannah Lynn Curtis, a university student from Lenoir. She had arrived with a group to build homes for the needy in the place. John and Savannah eventually fall in love, and decide to try and maintain a long-distance relationship when John has to return to Germany.

A year later John visits Savannah in Lenoir, and while all seems good at first, John senses a slight change in things. They argue and later make up for it, but that just seems to be the start to future problems in their relationship. John will be discharged from duty six months from then, and like every other couple they had great plans for their relationship.

But the couple's love was put to the ultimate test when the 9/11 terrorist attack happened. In the patriotic spirit, John and most of his teammates re-enlisted in the army, which meant more time away from Savannah. Will their relationship withstand the distance and time?

Nicholas Sparks took a seemingly simple plot and injected the right amount of emotion and information to build a beautiful story about love between father-and-son, soldier and student, and patriotism (albeit on a smaller scale). We are shown the entire story from the perspective of John, which makes the reading even better.

With a life surrounded by the possibility of war and also severe physical and psychological injuries, soldiers are often a puzzle to decrypt. In this story, readers are let in on John's thoughts. This one in particular stuck in my mind long after I finished reading:

It's no exaggeration to say that lives are on the line. One wrong decision, and your buddy might die. It's this fact that makes the army work....when all is said and done, we do what we do for one another. For friendship. Not for country, not for patriotism, not because we're programmed killing machines, but because of the guy next to you. You fight for your friend, to keep him alive, and he fights for you, and everything about the army is built on this simple premise.

Unlike most other books dealing with life in the military, Dear John is not chock-full of gory details. Rather it takes on a matter-of-fact tone when describing the things John sees during the war in Iraq, and this is alternated with John's thoughts and feelings about what was going on. I found a heartwarming story of true love and sacrifice, simple and yet is able to leave a lasting impression on readers.

Malaysian Tales: Retold and Remixed

2011-07-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Editor: Daphne Lee
Publisher: ZI Publications
Genre: Folklore, Short Stories
Retail Price: RM 33

Fellow Malaysians who grew up listening to folk tales would know the story of Bawang Merah Bawang Puteh. How does it go again?

Bawang Puteh, who lost her biological parents, is now left with her half-sister Bawang Merah and her mother who turn her into a servant girl. One day, she goes into the woods and sees a fish in a pond, which speaks to her. Puteh is overjoyed when she discovers the fish is her mother's spirit, and returns to the pond whenever she can to speak to the fish.

The evil Merah finds out about this and unknown to Puteh, captures and cooks the fish. Puteh eats the fish without first knowing where it came from. After she is told the truth, out of remorse she takes the fish bones and buries it in a small grave beneath a tree. The next day, a swing appears there. She sits and sings a lullaby, which attracts a prince passing by.

Puteh soon realises she is not alone, and runs away before the prince can stop her. The prince eventually finds her home but does not know whether it was Puteh or Merah who sang earlier. Merah's opportunist mother tries to pass her daughter off as Puteh, saying she sings well. But when the prince asks Merah to sit in the swing and sing, the swing does not move and neither can she sing.

The angry prince demands the truth, and Merah's mother confesses to having another daughter at home. When Puteh takes her place on the swing and sings, the prince knows he has found his true love, and takes her away with him. And they live happily ever after. But wait! What if Merah was not the evil half-sister after all?

A remixed version of the story, Bawang Puteh Bawang Merah by Fazlyn Abdul Malek twists the story to showcase sisterly love in difficult circumstances: a jealous stepmother, the lustful village headman, a prince with two wives and the desire to travel, to be free from the confines of their world.

Another favourite story was The Boy Who Saved Singapura by Kee Thuan Chye, which took on the story of a little boy who gave an idea to stop vicious swordfish from killing the people on Singapore's shoreline, but was unjustly sentenced to death as the king fears the boy's intelligence will be a threat to his position in future.

Some stories carry a serious theme under the story, like M. SHANmughalingam's Trick or Tree which addresses the issue of illegal logging through remixing the story of the mousedeer and the crocodile.

Readers are sure to be entertained with stories based on famous legends like Mahsuri (by Preeta Samarasan), Raja Bersiong (by Amir Muhammad) and Batu Belah (by Zed Adam Idris). An interesting take on the Malaysian folk stories I heard, read and enjoyed as a child. Definitely a must-read.

Kasino

2011-07-08T00:38:00.000-07:00

(Source: Fixi)

Author: Saifullizan Tahir

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 18

Kasino is 280 pages full of suspense, tension and a glimpse of the various masks worn by humans to conceal their real thoughts and feelings.

Datuk Mohd Narcissus Yussof is a successful businessman in Tualang, his country's administrative capital. He leads a lifestyle many Malaysians can only dream of: a house in Stonor 11, a stylish Porsche with a driver, romantic links with two women and a high-flying career as a landscape architect.

However, he has been in hot soup since the opposition party Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government. Things reached a breaking point when the Chief Minister decides to cancel the controversial launch party of Marina Kuala Tualang, and demands that Narcissus arrange for the return of RM3.8 million within 14 days.

Narcissus is now dragged into a race against time to gather the money and save his reputation, which will certainly be destroyed if he is brought to the anti-corruption commission and the news leaked all over the media. He teams up with his trusted companions and comes up with some amount, but it is not enough.

In a bid to protect his status and position among the elites of the nation, our protagonist (or is it antagonist?) decides to try his luck at the neighbouring country's famed casino. As we follow Narcissus through his uncertain journey in the rounds of baccarat in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, one question runs through our minds: how will he ever be able to collect so much money in so short a time?

The story is told through the eyes of Narcissus, and despite knowing about the illegal ways he uses in his business we learn to identify with him. In fact, the thoughts that run through his head I believe to state the truth that's happening in most places today; using different material gifts to buy political influence being an example.

One interesting fact I noted about the main character is that despite enjoying wine and having extramarital relationships, he does not miss praying five times a day. Contrasting traits like this is what makes the character intriguing, it shows that the character is not all bad, and yet not all good.

More than the progress of the story, I liked the parts of the story that dealt with Narcissus's thoughts. We can see the multiple masks he has to wear to belong in the elite, bourgeois society. We identify the stress he goes through when trying to gather 3.8 million ringgit, and despite ourselves end up hoping he does get away with it in the end.

Sputnik Sweetheart

2011-06-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

(Source: Goodreads)

Author: Haruki Murakami

Publisher: Vintage Books

Genre: Literature, Love and relationships

Retail Price:

Sputnik Sweetheart was published in 1999 in Japan, and was translated into English by Philip Gabriel in 2001.

The story is told through the eyes of narrator K, the only friend of our protagonist. He is attracted to Sumire, but her devotion to writing and aspirations to be a novelist keeps her mind away from romantic relationships and similar personal commitments. Sumire's parents have agreed to financially support her until she is 28, after which if her writing career does not launch she is left to fend for herself.

K is an elementary school teacher in charge of third and fourth grade students. He is relatively more pragmatic than Sumire, who like a typical writer prefers to remain in her world of dreams and ideals. Their telephone conversations sometimes end up in arguments but leave a whole lot of questions running in K's mind.

Just when Sumire is deeply engrossed in her little life, she meets the much older Miu, a sophisticated Korean businesswoman who has spent most of her life in Japan. Sumire instantly feels attracted to Miu in a way she has never felt about men. Miu, whom Sumire secretly calls her "Sputnik Sweetheart", appears interested in part of the young girl's character despite showing no interest in the latter's aspirations and ideals.

Sumire complains of facing some problems in her writing, and Miu offers her a job to keep her busy while waiting for the writer's block to fade away. K notices changes in Sumire after she begins working with Miu, like she begins to dress in a more feminine manner and tries to imitate Miu's sophistication. Sumire confesses that she enjoys just being around Miu, helping her with her business.

Miu takes Sumire along on an official trip to Europe, and when they were supposed to be in Greece, K receives a call from Miu telling him that Sumire has been missing for days. With the new school term just around the corner, K immediately packs for Rhodes to hear the full story from Miu and try to track Sumire's whereabouts.

On the Greek island, K discovers two of Sumire's writings and is unexpectedly catapulted into her world of visions, dreams and a startling truth about Miu.Sumire, Miu and K are perceptive of the existence of "the other world", which is separated from them by a thin mirror. Over his stay on the island K is also besieged by ominous visions and haunting dreams threatening to destroy his pragmatic mindset.

Are K and Miu ever able to trace Sumire? How does the trip to Greece change K's mindset forever, and what of his relationship with Sumire and Miu?

Haruki Murakami's book of magical realism is interesting, to say the least. We are shown K's grounded thoughts in stark contrast to Sumire's dreamy, high-flying ideals. Sometimes the story shows us the harsh realities we have to face in life, and suddenly throws all the "other possibilities" in our faces.

This was the first Murakami book I've read, and I did like it. Each vital incident is detailed and dwelt upon, and this provides strength to the whole story. I wouldn't advise this book for readers who like simple, straightforward stories though, as Sputnik Sweetheart is of literary standard and is thus prone to the complexities of literature in English.

Dendam

2011-06-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

(Source: Silverfish)

Author: Affifudin Omar

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 20

Dendam (Revenge) is the fourth book released by new publishing house Fixi. At first read, it does appear to live up to the reputations of previous works published by the company.

The book centers around Khalil Gibran, a billionaire whose teenage years were filled with hatred and feelings of revenge against people in power, especially the police for their brutal acts against his father Muhammad Amin.

We read through Khalil's experience in the Royal Malaysian Police Force, where he takes his first step towards revenge by discreetly hurting the officer who had once hurt Khalil's father.

Khalil was known as the Inquisitor among his colleagues in the police force for his brutal, often inhumane manner of torturing people during investigations. Torture on one such victim backfired on Khalil one day, forcing him to quit the police job and go into security services for banks in Pulau Pinang.

A second stage of taking revenge occurs and Khalil ends up getting a large stash of money which he safekeeps in Thailand. While cooking up a plan on how to bring back all that duit haram (illegal money) into Malaysia, Khalil moves into the entrepreneurship line and works his way through washing the dirty money and making them clean again.

His sudden marriage to a woman he dated for only a month makes him feel even more confused about the concept of true love and the meaning of physical relations (which he does have through girlfriends). As fate would have it, Khalil's multiple, criss-crossing relationships teach him lessons about love, humanitarian emotions and the virtues of being warak (religious).

After taubat (repenting), Khalil tries to shake off his old image while trying to make amends for the evil he did to people around him. But will he get away that easily, or will the feelings of revenge rule in his heart forever?

Dendam is a book of many facets; dealing with issues of crime, faith, love and trust. This novel is the author's sixth and was initially named Dialektika (dialectics), but I'm not complaining that the title was changed to Dendam. Indeed it is a more suitable title as it refers to the moments of bittersweet vengeance taking place all through this book.

I like the way Khalil Gibran is portrayed in this story. Unlike most stories where the hero is completely good (or bad, depending on the story), Khalil is shown as a person who grew up with more feelings of hatred and revenge rather than love and forgiveness. We get an insight into his thoughts - how he justifies his acts of maksiat (crime) and how his mentality begins to change for the better as the story progresses.

The fourth book is indeed on par with the previous three Fixi books, and worth the money and time spent over it. Although Pecah is still my favourite, some people might choose Dendam for its good storytelling and insights into the economic world of corruption and politics.

Look out for the next Fixi book: Kasino

Dirty Beasts

2011-06-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

(Source: kksou.com)

Author: Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin

Genre: Fantasy, Children's Literature

Retail Price: Unavailable

Most people would know Roald Dahl as the man behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dirty Beasts is a 1983 collection of nine poems about unsuspecting creatures that are actually beasts.

Maybe it's just me, but children's books from this era are much more entertaining. They're much better than the dumbed down versions of children's stories we get today. But I digress; let's get back to the book.

Dirty Beasts opens with the Pig, who is so intelligent yet does not initially realise his purpose on earth. When he does know that he is born to be eaten, he ends up eating his owner instead. Here's an excerpt for you to read (click on images to enlarge).

(Source: Scribd)

Good enough? Then get a copy to read unique stories about other ordinary looking animals that are more than what they seem to be. Roald Dahl's special style of writing makes this a good book for children seeking to improve their reading skills. It will do for a quick read when you are trying to kill time and bored of watching the same old shows on TV.

Semangkuk Interlok

2011-05-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

(Source: The Malaysian Reader)

Editor: Hafiz Hamzah

Publisher: Matahari Books

Genre: Non-Fiction

Retail Price: Free

Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate) Abdullah Hussain wrote the novel Interlok in 1967 as an entry for a competition celebrating ten years of independence. It comprises of four chapters, the first three depict struggles of three men from Malay, Chinese and Indian backgrounds while the final chapter weaves the connection between all stories to form a complete novel.

Now Interlok was relatively unknown to today's Malaysians until the Education Ministry announced the book as a compulsory reading for Form Five students. The term Paria (untouchables, lowest caste in Indian societies) was used twice in the book in reference to the Indian protagonist, Maniam.

Malaysian Indians took offense, claiming that the term was derogatory in the modern context and must be removed from the student's version of the book. Protests early this year even saw some book burning and some extensive press coverage.

This free Bahasa Malaysia e-book is a compilation of ten commentaries published in media and blogs, which discuss the issues surrounding the Interlok controversy, the contents of the book and why or why not it should be removed from the education syllabus of 2011. As the title suggests, the book is a mere "bowl" containing ingredients of different nature, which add to the flavour of the whole discussion.

Cikgu! Maniam Bukan Paria (Teacher! Maniam is no Paria) by Uthaya Sankar SB addresses students directly by referring to them as Adik-adik (little siblings), and points out why the Indian protagonist is not a Paria as is claimed by certain characters in the book.

On the other hand, Perempuan Perempuan Interlok (Women of Interlok) by Subashini Navaratnam takes a look at the portrayal of women in the novel, and describes the gender stereotypes that existed even back then. This was one of the few commentaries that did not focus on the controversy surrounding Interlok this year.

Other interesting discussions to look out for are Inderaloka by Hafiz Hamzah and Bagaimana Kita Menggagalkan Interlok (How do we fail Interlok) by Amir Muhammad, as well as Imbau Kata, Sebuah Novel (Review, a Novel) by S. Fatimah Said. Those who want an insight into the controversy surrounding the Interlok novel would want to get their hands on this free e-book and read through its 57 pages.

Tales of Beedle the Bard

2011-05-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

(Source: Wikipedia)

Author: J.K. Rowling

Publisher: Children's High Level Group

Genre: Fantasy

Retail Price: RM 43

Fans of the highly popular Harry Potter series would remember this book played a key role in the final book The Deathly Hallows.

Here we are treated to a compilation of five stories for children, which was meant for children from wizarding families. The book begins with The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, which tells of a wizard who was passed down a cauldron by his late healer father and what happens when he is unkind to people who seek his help.

In the second story, witches Asha, Altheda and Amata wait to enter the enchanted gardens containing the Fountain of Fair Fortune to change their luck. Through sheer chance, a knight ends up with them in the gardens. Along the way they are faced with three challenges they must overcome, and eventually choose which one of them will bathe in the fountain (since only one is allowed).

The story in Harry Potter was the Tale of the Three Brothers, in which each brother requested a gift from Death, and how they fared with the gifts. The Elder Wand, the stone and the Invisibility Cloak were famously featured as the Deathly Hallows, which forms the basis of the final instalment of the series.

The other two stories: The Warlock's Hairy Heart and Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling Stump are just as entertaining yet with messages concealed within each story.

Each story comes with a commentary by Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. He comments on the underlying messages in the tales and provides a deeper insight into the conditions of the magical world at the time the stories were written.

Needless to say, Harry Potter fans will love this book (and children too). Perhaps that explains the hefty price tag.

The Talented Mr Ripley

2011-05-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

(Source: Fantastic Fiction)

Author: Patricia Highsmith

Publisher: Vintage

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: Unavailable

A year after reading Ripley's Game, I was once again drawn to Tom Ripley the ruthless protagonist through this book.

Tom Ripley meets Herbert Greenleaf, an old man who believes Tom is friends with his son Richard "Dickie" Greenleaf. In reality Tom is not close with Dickie; they only met a few times and Tom has not seen him in years.He learns that Dickie left New York for Europe two years ago and refused to return since then.

Greenleaf Sr. wishes for Tom to go to Europe and convince Dickie to return and meet his ailing mother. He also wants Dickie to take over the family business and not focus on painting all the time. He is willing to cover all Tom's expenses to travel, and says so boldly to Tom.

Our protagonist sees a chance to escape his creditors and the police, to begin life anew in a whole different country. He takes up the offer, and goes to Mongibello, Italy where he meets Dickie and his friend Marjorie "Marge" Sherwood. At first they don't get along, but when Tom and Dickie take a field trip together, they become good friends.

Things don't always go as planned, though and Tom finds his newfound happiness crumbling when Marge expresses her negative opinions about Tom to Dickie. A holiday in San Remo proves fatal for Dickie when Tom kills him and throws him into the sea in a panic.

In a bid to protect his life in Europe and not return to America, Tom disguises himself as Dickie and begins life in Rome with Dickie's money and Mr Greenleaf's funding. Just as Tom is fitting in well with life in Rome, something happens that is bound to change many things Tom did not foresee. Will Tom keep his secret till the end, or will he be accused of killing Dickie and placed behind bars?

Once again, Patricia Highsmith has created a superbly hedonistic, charming story which puts us in a difficult situation: we know Tom has blood on his hands and yet we can't help hoping he will get the money, success and the easy life he covets so much. Written with much style and detail as this genre will allow, The Talented Mr Ripley is a class above the usual psychological thrillers.

P.S: The movie version under the same name stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, released in 1999 and directed by Anthony Minghella.

Kougar

2011-05-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

(Source: Fixi)

Author: Shaz Johar

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 20

This is the third book by this new publishing company, and though Pecah remains my favourite so far, Kougar is nonetheless a thrilling read. Rakisha, or Kisha as she is known, is an unmarried modern 40 year old in Kuala Lumpur. She is interested in the young man she sees in the train everyday to work, and by accident (or twist of fate, if you want) the man ends up in her own office as a temporary staff.

Azril is 25, though he initially tries to appear more mature by saying he was 29. He noticed Kisha's interest in him, and they begin a relationship which Kisha makes a tightly guarded secret to avoid the prying eyes of other office staff.

The only other person who knows about Kisha's anak ikan (little fish) is her best friend and officemate Suraya. Kisha turns to the single mother of three in times of need, and finds out about her relationship with Abang Mike, who is already married with three wives (he had a fourth, but divorced). One day, Kisha accompanies Suraya and her bapa ikan (big fish) Mike to an event, where she meets Datuk Emir.

Kisha finds Emir's advances hard to resist, although her heart is still set on the young Azril. By accident she goes overboard with Emir, and out of shame avoids him from then on. But a secret linking Azril with Mike brings along the revelation of a few other secrets in its wake, and this changes Kisha's relationship with Azril.

Back in the village, Kisha's mother is trying ever so hard to matchmake her with a widower who is an imam (religious man). While she does not find Razif in any way interesting, she agrees to marry him after a sudden break-up with Azril. Her impulsive decision comes with a price, as she finds out Razif is not all he seems to be.

With the help of young shop assistant Yusri, Kisha escapes her disastrous marriage and returns to Kuala Lumpur, where she tries to start life anew with help from Suraya. Kisha's past however is intent on catching up with her to settle the debts of old. Who will it be for Kisha: Azril, Emir, Yusri or Razif? Or will she choose none, preferring the single life?

Shaz Johar has taken a different path by giving us a story from the point of view of a cougar (a woman who loves younger men). The story gives a whole new look into the feelings and thoughts of the older woman as she tries to figure out just what she wants in life, while dealing with pressures from family and surroundings.

While I was tempted to skip some of the descriptions in the story, I did like how it all turned out in the end. Kougar is the kind of book you'd read for a change from all the usual romance/relationships story usually published in Bahasa Malaysia.

Pecah

2011-05-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Khairulnizam Bakeri
Publisher: Fixi
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Retail Price: RM 20

Pecah is a gripping story on crime, comradeship, love, betrayal and ultimately, revenge. It's a tad difficult to believe this is the writer's first novel, since he's got a nice style of writing as is evident in the text.

An orange taxi heads to CIMB bank in Shah Alam, carrying Herman, Alan, Radi and Don. Four comrades about to stage a robbery. They successfully take a whole lot of cash and also Peti (box) 136, but do not manage to escape just like that. Bank manager Kazim's pistol lands a bullet in Alan's thigh, and the thieves have no choice but to take Alan to the nearest hospital.

Elsewhere in Rumah Seri Memori, a nursing home for the aged, a resident named Bakar collapses without warning. Dr Vivian and her resident nurse Lidya rush the old man to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, where Lidya herself once worked. She meets her friend Ana Farhah, who helps tend to Bakar.

Alan ends up in the same hospital ward as Bakar, who has now slipped into a coma. Inspector Paul, who is investigating the CIMB robbery, has identified Alan as his main suspect but has no clue on the identities of his teammates. In an attempt to get Alan out, Herman contacts his girlfriend Lidya and passes a message through her. The stolen money is well-hidden by the remaining trio.

Lidya later reads a note left by Bakar for her, which contain some instructions and contact number. Bakar looks just like any ordinary old man on the surface, but he is also haunted by the sins of his past. Herman once had a happy family and solid business, but it all went down the drain when his partner betrayed him.

As the story progresses we realize this is not just robbery for money, since Herman as a lawyer has enough money already. So what is the motive behind the robbery? What's in Peti 136 that Herman badly wanted to retrieve? And who does Bakar want Lidya to contact? What is the connection between Lidya, Bakar, Herman and Kazim?

I like the story arrangement. Instead of just going in chronological order, the writer inserts whole chapters of flashbacks to keep readers' attention and aid their understanding of how the past influences happenings in the present.

Although most of the story focuses on Herman and Bakar, we are also given brief insights on the past of Alan, Radi and Don, how they came into contact with Herman and what brought about the strong sense of comradeship they share even in trying times.

But honestly, such a story would not be as intense if the writing style is not good enough. And this is where I take my hat off to Khairulnizam for breathing life into the story with proper choice of words and a manner of delivery that is not overly dramatic yet gets the meaning across to the readers. All in all, Pecah is a delicious suspense-ridden ride for all to enjoy.

Cekik

2011-05-02T05:50:00.000-07:00

(Source: Buku Fixi)

Author: Ridhwan Saidi

Publisher: Fixi

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 18 (buy from Fixi website or from Silverfish, Bangsar)

A Friday trip to the recent KL International Book Fair 2011 in Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) brought me face to face with a little disappointment. I found a pronounced lack of my usual favourite fiction books; even those I found were the usual price, less discounts.

When my friend and I were about to turn away in disappointment, we chanced upon the row of Fixi books stacked neatly along one end of a booth. I have to admit I did judge the book by its cover with this one. I was attracted by the photograph, as you can see above is not a conventional cover for Malay books (yup Cekik is written in Bahasa Malaysia).

Now for the story. In the Bandar (city) in 2020, sixteen-year-old Syed Warith is preparing his favourite Maggi curry flavour in the studio apartment he lives in with Suria Menado, his 32-year-old girlfriend. And this is when he gets a text message saying his Bapak (father) in the Kampung (village) has passed away, and that he will be buried the next day.

Warith then flashes back to the year 2010, when he was a mere child in the Kampung. Readers are shown Warith's life under the guidance of his strange father, who figured a preschool education would make his son stupid.

In the present, he and Suria return to his hometown, during which time readers are treated to more flashbacks of Warith's escape to the Bandar two years ago up until his encounter with Suria.

Over at the Kampung graveyard, the duo meet Detective Anthony Gan, who knew Suria during their wild teenage years. Anthony gives a flashback on how he got involved with Suria and her girlfriends, and the "wild" things they did during the time.

Back to the present, Anthony reveals that Warith's father was murdered by means of cekik dan liwat (strangled and sodomised). Bigger revelations from Suria's past also surface through recollections of her own upon arriving at the Kampung, which leads to a shocking confession and stunning ending.

There's also a reference to that controversial Menara Warisan Merdeka, which is featured here as visible from Warith and Suria's apartment in 2020.

The term cekik (strangle) does not just involve the father's murder, but is alsio incorporated into the sexual activities happening in this book. Really, for a Malay book I am astounded to see such sexual references used, so much so I had to put down the book for a while to stop my head from spinning :)

Ridhwan Saidi's book is indeed the shocking postmodern serving it claims to be. I would like to see more books of this kind in the Malaysian market, rather than low-quality paperbacks that only serve to repeat and reinforce the stigmas placed in our society.

120 Malay Movies

2011-04-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

(Source: Matahari Books)

Author: Amir Muhammad

Publisher: Matahari Books

Genre: History (Film history, in this case)

Retail Price: RM 60 (free delivery within Malaysia when ordered directly from publisher)

I first knew of Amir Muhammad as the man who directed the controversial, banned in Malaysia documentary film Lelaki Komunis Terakhir. For those who haven't heard about it (where have you been, seriously?) here's a little bit about the movie in Amir's own words:

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is a semi-musical road movie documentary tracing the towns in which Chin Peng (exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya) lived in from birth to national independence in 1957. The documentary features interviews with people who live in those same present-day towns... there are also specially-composed songs and capsule biographical data explaining what Chin Peng did in those towns.

So imagine what the atmosphere was like when our university announced Amir would deliver a short talk for us! The whole lecture theater was packed; some had to sit on the floor. I won't go into details on the talk, suffice to say we had loads of fun and were presented with a 'shocking' 20 minute video clip.

And that was where I managed to buy this book (autographed, too!). 120 Malay Movies is a collection of Amir's honest reviews on locally produced movies from 1948 to 1973, beginning with Cinta and ending with Laxmana Do Re Mi. It takes readers on a journey through the Golden Age of Malay cinema, and reintroduces the actors some of us know and love (P. Ramlee, anyone?).

You'd think old movies were too melodramatic, boring and lacklustre, but I urge you to read this book for a different, deeper perspective about the Malay movies of yore and see how events and mentalities of society back then influenced the themes of movies (and vice versa). I discovered reviews on some movies I remember from the days before Astro in my house: Bujang Lapok, Anakku Sazali and Ikan Emas, among others.

There's really nothing else I can say about this book (how do you review a book on reviews?) but it is worth reading for a comprehensive look into the development of Malay cinema and its influence on society. Not to forget, the interesting cover makes it all the more attractive too :)

The Conch Bearer

2011-04-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

(Source: Tesco.com)

Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Publisher: Pearson Longman

Genre: Literary Fiction

Retail Price:

Indian teenage boy Anand is forced to work for a cruel tea stall owner so he can make ends meet for his small family. His father, who emigrated to work two years ago, is still unheard of. His little sister Meera has been mentally affected since she witnessed a hit and run and all the family's savings has been used to pay for her medical treatment.

His mother's smile upon seeing his meager paycheck every month, and his secret belief in magic are the only things that keep Anand going in troubled times. Change comes to his life in the form of an old man who gets thrown out of the tea stall when he cannot afford a meal. Anand gives his own lunch pack to the old man, Abadhyatta who says something good will befall him.

True to his word, the next day Meera is cured completely. Abadhyatta then reveals that he is from a brotherhood in the Silver Valley, of which all the members have some magical gift. One special brother is able to use the conch, an object of great magical power. However, one member, Surabhanu wants the conch's power for himself and steals it. Abadhyatta has barely managed to escape after retrieving the conch from Surabhanu.

Now he fears he is much too weak to return the conch, and requests Anand to follow him as his assistant (The Conch Bearer). Anand then embarks on a dangerous, exciting adventure to the Himalayas with Abadhyatta and orphaned girl Nisha to return the conch, learning the true power of magic and realising his own potential along the way.

I totally love this story. Honest.

Hats off to Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni; she has successfully managed to intertwine magic and fantasy in a real world setting. Anand and Nisha's characters are well thought up and explored. Readers don't just go with the flow, rather we are given the chance to look into Anand's feelings and fears as he shoulders the burden of a powerful magic conch. A well-paced story and average language level adds to the reading pleasure.

Now for the truth: I actually read this book years ago (so long before I don't even remember where or when did I get to read it). While I was pondering on what to review lately, the title of this book crossed my mind, and I went looking for the story to read again.

Surprisingly I remember a rough outline of how the book progresses. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but it will be so good that the story will be running in your mind long after you put the book down.

Murder Is Easy

2011-04-18T00:53:00.000-07:00

(Source: paperbackswap)

Author: Agatha Christie

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Genre: Mystery, Crime

Retail Price: Not Available

After an honest mistake on his behalf, Luke Fitzwilliam ends up sharing a train carriage with Miss Pinkerton, an old lady who reminds him so much of his aunt. On the trip to London, she tells him about a series of murders disguised as accidents in her village of Wychwood-under-Ashe.

The local police have no clue, but Miss Pinkerton claims she knows the murderer. She is on her way to Scotland Yard to reveal the perpetrator's identity, but does not tell Luke who it is.

Strangely the next day, Luke learns that Miss Pinkerton was killed in a hit-and-run accident before she even got to Scotland Yard. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he goes to Wychwood to learn more about the whole serial murder issue.

Under the guise of a folklore researcher, Luke lists four main suspects: a frightening antique dealer, a prickly solicitor, a self-absorbed doctor and a peer engaged to a beautiful woman. But Luke also feels unsettled by the presence of an inhabitant who permeates a supernatural aura. Who is the real culprit?

Dame Agatha Christie is the queen of mysteries, and this book is no let-down. Readers are carried along with Luke from the very beginning when he loses the train right through to his adventures in nailing the real culprit. We are shown the eccentrics of Wychwood inhabitants, each of whom seem to be withholding a dark and dangerous secret.

Suspense ridden plot makes the story all the more interesting, as readers wait to know how Luke will discover the real killer among all the potential suspects. So just sit back, grab a drink and let Luke Fitzwilliam take you first through the trip to London, and then in the village of Wychwood as he hunts down the real killer and uncovers the dark truths kept hidden by the locals.

Orang Macam Kita

2011-04-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

(Source: Matahari Books)

Editors: Azwan Ismail & Diana Dirani

Publisher: Matahari Books

Genre: Short Stories

Retail Price: RM 20.00

When Matahari Books released Body2Body, they opened up short story entries for the Bahasa Malaysia version. Over 70 entries were received from both local and overseas, and 25 stories were selected for the book, including one story from each editor. The result was Orang Macam Kita, which similar to its English predecessor is a collection of stories on LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals).

All writers had to use their real name when writing for this book. In Tiga Perbualan dan Satu Siri Pesanan Ringkas (Three conversations and a series of short messages), Nur Fadhlin describes a pansexual's conversations about the alternative lifestyle with friends and also a text message "discussion" about her sexuality and its impact on others.

In contrast, Anak Ikan (Fish Child) by Ajami Hashim and Fadli al-Akiti has a little fantasy theme involved. Teruna, a young man is willed a guppy fish by his recently deceased friend Pria. Imagine his surprise when he realises it turns into a man. Gupi still has fish-like characters though, such as needing to live in water. Teruna leaves him in his bathtub, and soon establishes a relationship with the talkative Gupi. Gupi tells all about the late Pria's feelings for Teruna, which eventually leads to something unexpected.

Not all the stories here were fiction. Hafidz Baharom's analysis of the ways our media reports on the issues regarding LGBT is an interesting read; look for Sejarah Ringkas Media Cetak Tentang Orang Macam Kita (A brief history of media reports about people like us). Equally insightful and thought provoking is Siapakah Sebenarnya Panji Semirang Asmarantaka (Who really is Panji Semirang Asmarantaka) where Dr Farish A Noor takes us through a journey which proves Asians as traditionally more open to acceptance of androgynous (gender-bending) characters.

I have to say I loved Nizam Zakaria's Sembang Ratu (Queen's Discussions) which was in two parts. Both contained the monologues of a person leading the alternative lifestyle, and a harsh criticism of people on all sides of the society (whether LGBT or not). Hilariously entertaining, it is also written in a specially chosen dialect which adds to all the kick in these stories.

Only one thing I can say to you right now: you'd better get your hands on this book. It is every bit as entertaining, thought-provoking and gives us an understanding of the alternative community, spoken mostly through people living that lifestyle.

Malaysian Politicians Say The Darndest Things Vol 1

2011-03-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

(Source: Matahari Books)

Editor: Amir Muhammad

Publisher: Matahari Books

Genre: Comedy/Humour, Non-Fiction, Politics

Despite being a small country, Malaysia has no lack of very vocal politicians. From the time of independence right up to the present day, our politicians are found passing their remarks on this, that or the other to the media, who present it to the public. While some of the remarks are forgettable, some are enshrined in the hall of fame (or is it shame?) for their outrageousness and sometimes silliness.

The earlier line must have explained what the whole book was about, but here's an example just to tempt you all:

"Only women who are not pretty should be employed by the State government, as these women would not be able to get rich husbands who can support them financially"

If you want to know who said THAT, go look it up in the book. I tell you it's impossible not to love this book, even if politics is not your cup of tea. You'll end up in stitches, sometimes in mock outrage at the hilarious, unexpected things our Malaysian politicians have said in full view of the media and subsequently the public.

I'll keep a lookout for Vol 2, I'm sure that's going to be just as entertaining. This page is proof of that:

Interesting, eh?

Doctor M: Operation Malaysia

2011-03-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

(Source: Penguin)

Author: Tom Plate

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics

Retail Price: RM 79.90

The second book in the Giants of Asia series takes a look at one man who turned a small agricultural country into an industralized modern nation acknowledged by world powerhouses. Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who began his career as a physician ended up helming Malaysia for 22 years, steering it through economic downturns and other such problems.

His political prescriptions for this country is still a controversy discussed and debated among many in the Malaysian public. While some are in favour of how he has developed Malaysia, some throw the brickbats at his iron fist over state apparatuses (i.e. media and judiciary) during his tenure as the Prime Minister. Professor Tom Plate tries to discover just who is this Mahathir Mohamad over four interviews at his offices in Petronas Twin Towers and Putrajaya.

An interesting feature of this book is that the names of the chapters are modeled after the James Bond movies, e.g Goldenguy (originally Goldeneye) and The World Is Not Enough. Also, each chapter has a succint Mahathir Political Point to further help us delve into the thoughts and ideals of the longest serving premier in Malaysian history.

The topics covered are truly interesting; one which I liked in particular was From Asia With Love. In this chapter Mahathir and Plate discuss Asian values and their difference from American/European values, as well as why a soft-authoritarian approach works well in countries practising the Asian values system.

Another one I liked was The Men With The Golden Guns, in which Mahathir explains the need for him to keep in good terms with the police body and make sure not to vilify them in public. In all the chapters Tom Plate presents to us the Mahathir approach to various national issues, public policy making being the chief topic among them.

He also discusses the reasons behind Mahathir's iron fist over the judiciary and the media, as well as the major political scandal involving him and his then deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked and then charged for sodomy in 1998 (he was freed then but faces a similar charge now). On a more personal note, we get to see a little of Mahathir's family life, especially the influence his mother had on him to develop his personality and make him the man he is today.

As with the first book on Lee Kuan Yew, do not expect a dull moment in this book. Malaysians as well as foreigners would almost certainly finish this book with a better understanding of Mahathir and his policies during governance, as well as his ideas that he tries to push out to the current government. Jam packed with the thoughts and discussions of Malaysia's Father of Modernization (as he is known), the book presents a good picture of Doctor M's 22 years of Operation Malaysia.

Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation

2011-03-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

(Source: Marshall Cavendish)

Author: Tom Plate

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics

Retail Price: RM 79.90

How would you like an insight into the political and personal thoughts of a man who built a nation out of practically nothing? In the first book of Giants of Asia series, Professor Tom Plate sits down for two sessions of conversation with modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew (interviews were in July 2009).

The book begins with Prof. Plate's journey in the car towards the Istana (where the interview takes place) and his description of the area, complete with his expectations and observances. It is later divided into chapters dedicated to a particular topic (e.g. economy, soft-authoritarian vs. democracy), which in turn is classified broadly as Day One and Day Two.

Day One shows readers what was really going through LKY's mind as he set about making something out of a small island. We see how he impressed China with his country's progress, and how the leader of this small state helped the powerhouse that is China with its post-communism administration strategies. He also discusses the nation's attempts to establish ties with international greats who can help Singapore become more than just an unknown.

Day Two, on the other hand, provides more details on LKY's personal side, with notations on his past, family and just about every personal aspect mentionable in print media is done so here. Of course there are some serious stuff related to the nation-building, since it is largely said here that LKY is Singapore, and Singapore is LKY; both are inseparable.

Don't expect a boring, dry read from this book, as it is full of surprises. The celebrated Singaporean leader has his political profile dissected and displayed for full view of readers, who are then left to revise their opinions of LKY and wonder - what kind of a man is he, really? Be startled, tickled and awed by the interviews, which feature the director of the blockbuster that is island-state Singapore.

Look out for the second instalment of the Giants of Asia series - Doctor M: Operation Malaysia

The White Horse of Zennor

2011-03-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

(Source: Scholastic)

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: Short Stories

Retail Price: RM 10

The author is well known for his works of children's literature, having graduated with degrees in English and French from King's College London. When teaching he discovered a passion for writing stories, and was inspired by poet Ted Hughes, among others. Hughes remains his mentor, friend and neighbour. He was the third Children's Laureate, and his works have won many awards, including Carnegie Medal, the highest award for children's literature.

Stories in this book are based in the small churchtown of Zennor, the meeting point of Cornwall and the Atlantic Ocean. For a long time, strange stories of mermaid sightings to witches living in town. Michael Morpurgo records five of the many unusual stories for readers to enjoy.

We begin with The Giant's Necklace, which shows Cherry's desire to gather as many pink cowrie shells to make a long necklace. She is almost successful, and on the last day of her holiday in Zennor, goes to the beach one last time to gather the shells. However, she does not notice the rising tide and is soon cut off from the mainland. She finds herself in a mine, with a father-and son team working. She stops for a chat, and discovers they are spirits; they have been dead for years.

In the theme story, Farmer Veluna is faced with the dreadful prospective of giving up his inherited farm, on which he has been working on for years, no thanks to failing crops and dying cows. His children Arthur and Annie discover a Knocker, a magical creature who grants them a wish. An extraordinary white horse is loaned to them for a year, and in that year the family must turn things around and improve their farm. The Veluna family discover strange things about the white horse during this period.

No unusual story collection is complete without mention of a witch, and Mad Miss Marney fulfills that aspect in this anthology. At eleven years old, Katie runs a mini zoo, where she tends to and shelters animals that she finds. She is always warned, as all other children, to stay away from Mad Miss Marney, who is believed to be a witch like her mother before her. On one of her adventures, Katie finds a raven in desperate need of help, and decides to knock on Mad Miss Marney's door for assistance, which leads to a new relationship between the two.

This book is the perfect companion for a bored child (and even adult) who wants to absorb a good story in a short time. Simple, straightforward and entertaining, I would recommend this book to just about anyone with an interest in short stories, witches, spirits and small town stories.

Amerika

2011-03-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

(Source: Poul Lange Design, Word Power Books)

Author: Franz Kafka

Publisher: Vintage (the cover on the right)

Genre: Literature, Satire

Retail Price: Not Available

Kafka named this book Der Verschollene or The Man Who Disappeared, but it was changed to Amerika by his literary executor Max Brod, who compiled and subsequently published the manuscript in 1927 after Kafka's death. His incomplete first novel is a satirical look at American ideals through the eyes of a young man.

Sixteen year old Karl Rossmann is shipped off to America by his German parents after he scandalised his family by impregnating a servant girl. The story opens with Karl standing on a liner slowly approaching New York City's harbour, and befriends a soon-to-be-dismissed stoker. As Karl tries to help the stoker, he meets his own uncle, Senator Jacob.

The Senator takes Karl in and ensures he learns the ways of an American gentlemen, including speaking English and horse riding. However, Karl is later abandoned by his uncle after the former visits someone else without full approval. Wandering aimlessly, Karl meets two drifters, Robinson and Delamarche. The rest of the story depicts Karl's struggle to find employment and thus realise the American dream.

Kafka has a powerful way to take his protagonists and display all their emotions to the readers. It's difficult not to endear yourself to Karl Rossmann, sent away by his parents to a foreign land, abandoned by his uncle, and having to fend for himself in a thieving, low society of America. More interesting is how an oppressive, intangible system keeps putting our protagonist in bizarre, difficult situations.

But that's not to say this whole book is about sadness and tears. Despite the fact that things seem to fall apart, Karl does find solace and strength in the few people that support him. Descriptions of Karl's surroundings help to put a lot of things in perspective, including how different classes in society behave and interact with each other in a country still growing.

I also like Kafka's way of ending the story, like he does some of his other writings (e.g. The Metamorphosis). There is no conclusive ending, like "this happens, and they live happily ever after" kind of thing. Endings usually show the character(s) heading off to a new beginning somewhere, but never actually stating what happens there. Readers are left to make their own conclusions. The ending here provides a glimpse of hope in the future of this young Karl, and shows him making a fresh start in the new land that is Amerika.

House Rules

2011-02-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

(Source: Popular Bookstores)

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Hodder

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 32.90

After a long time I got my hands on another Jodi Picoult book, which I happened to buy while on an all-expense paid trip to Sarawak. Anyway, the author excelled again with this book, using a unique theme to catch readers' attention.

On the surface, Jacob Hunt is your average teenager. He has a profound love for maths and forensic science, and completes it with an amazing humour. Try engaging a conversation with him, though, and you'll quickly realise something is not right.

Jacob has Asperger's, a syndrome that renders him unable to fit in socially with the people in his surroundings. He cannot handle sudden changes in routine, the colour orange, and his social skills tutor's abusive boyfriend.

Some days after a Jacob has a botched outing with tutor Jess Ogilvy and her boyfriend Mark Maguire, local policeman Rich Matson receives a call from Mark claiming Jess is missing. She is eventually found dead, wrapped in Jacob's handmade quilt.

And so begins a series of troubling times for Jacob, his mother Emma and his younger teenage brother Theo, as they battle the murder charge against Jacob.

Emma engages Oliver Bond, a young lawyer to defend Jacob. Complications soon arise as Oliver begins to be romantically attracted to Emma, who is desperate to free her son. Jacob, on the other hand, keeps insisting he did not kill Jess, and disturbs Oliver's plans in court by reminding him to "tell them (jury) the truth".

To make matters worse, Theo runs away from home, taking a flight to see his estranged father, Henry. Through a twist of events, the already-married-with-kids Henry comes back to the family home, to provide emotional and moral support. While Jacob appears indifferent to his father's return, Emma and Theo are not thrilled, and neither is Oliver, who is worried about how Henry's return will affect his relationship with Emma.

I've never heard of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) prior to reading this book, and hats off to Jodi Picoult for doing such thorough research and bringing readers close to what runs in the mind of a person with AS. The story is told through the eyes of various protagonists, changing in each chapter. This way, readers get a chance to hear different views of a progressive event and piece them together to make the whole story come to light.

House Rules is the kind of book that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling but at the same time makes you think about the difficulties people face in life, and how love holds people together while making them do amazing deeds. A must read for people with a liking for books on love and relationships.

Wimpy Kid Series Review #3: The Last Straw

2011-01-30T03:54:00.000-08:00

(Source: Penguin Books)

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Comedy/Humour

Retail Price: RM 29.95

Greg complains on how his family's New Year resolutions are disrupting his own life. Manny has to give up his pacifier and that leaves him in a bad mood, his father is on a diet, and his mother is wearing embarrassing workout clothes too often these days. What bothers Greg most is that the person who desperately needs some development - his elder brother Rodrick - has not made any resolutions.

He then goes on to tell us about how he copes at school, trying hard to avoid homework and the laundry. On top of all this, his father wishes to change Greg's "wimpy" ways and gets him into more "manly" activities such as football. Mr Heffley wants Greg to become more athletic and fit, like his boss's children.

Greg also discovers an attraction to girls, more so towards Holly Hills, a popular girl in his class. Just as he tries to get his feelings and life straight, he is faced with two choices from his father: join the Boy Scouts or go for military training camp. He must also think of ways to get Holly's attention, before some other boys do.

Again, this book is good entertainment, something to read, identify with and just have a good laugh. The Last Straw and the other Wimpy Kid series books are geared towards children and teenagers, simply because they explain the concerns faced by anyone in that age group. Concerns which are usually thought of as nothing by adults, who are faced with more "important, life-changing" decisions to make.

Wimpy Kid Series Review #2: Rodrick Rules

2011-01-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

(Source: popular.com.sg)

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Comedy, Humour

Retail Price: RM 29.95

Greg Heffley's summer holiday is just coming to an end, and he is about to begin a whole new school year soon. At this point, he reminisces on the events that transpired through the summer.

His dad put him through swim class, which he despises. And to make matters worse, Greg's best friend Rowley Jefferson just went on a great holiday, and insists on Greg hearing every detail (which he does not want to hear).

We get details about the Heffley family: of his not-so-understanding parents, his pampered little brother Manny, and of his rockstar-wannabe elder brother Rodrick.Greg tries to shuffle out an embarrassing incident that happened over the summer, but too bad Rodrick knows about this matter.

He then makes attempts to blackmail Greg, threatening to reveal his secret to the entire school. What happens when the secret matter is let out?

(Source: Scholastic)

The events of Greg's life is pretty generic, but the whole point here is not so much the story, it's how Greg writes it. Readers are able to follow his story as he goes through the ups and downs of school life. The book keeps to the comedy theme and preteen dialogue.

Although you need not read the first book to enjoy this one, I would recommend you read the first one because it is essential to build knowledge about Greg's family, and the events that lead to other big events.

Look out for the next review: The Last Straw

Read the previous review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Wimpy Kid Series Review #1: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2011-01-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

(Source: qvsd.com)

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Comedy, Humour

Retail Price: RM 29.95

I've been wanting to read this book since it became well-known, and I finally managed to get the entire series (so far) for a cheaper price than usual. As you may have guessed by now, January will be dedicated to the Wimpy Kid series, beginning with this book.

Greg Heffley dreams of becoming famous someday. He insists this book is a journal, not a diary, and that it will be useful in documenting his life progress so when he is famous he can publish this journal. But for now, Greg is stuck in middle school with a "bunch of morons".

Readers are invited to follow Greg as he undergoes the trials and tribulations of middle-school life, accompanied by his parents Frank and Susan, brother Rodrick, and best friend Rowley Jefferson. In the process we learn about each character, as well as Greg's opinion of them and what he does to make his screwed up life more bearable.

Now I know it sounds very common, like I've-been-through-this-before kind of thing, but what makes a difference in this book is the layout. Unlike most books, this one comes with illustrations, done the way one would imagine Greg would do. Take a look at this (click on image for larger size):

(Source: citv.co.uk)

So now you get it. I mean who could resist reading a book like this?

Since it is really easy to read and understand, I would recommend this book to kids encourage their reading habits. Enjoy the stories told by a young protagonist, and see if you can identify with him and take some lessons from his experiences.

Look out for the next review: Rodrick Rules.

Ceritalah 3: Malaysia A Dream Deferred

2010-12-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

(Source: Good Reads)

I was first introduced to Karim Raslan's written work five years ago via The Inheritance (part of Heroes and Other Stories). Ceritalah 3 is the writer's third collection of essays (mostly published in the media) dating from 2003 to early October 2008.

A little background on the writer; Karim Raslan was born in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia and read Law and English at St Johns' College, Cambridge in England. He has been an active columnist, writer, lawyer and regional analyst. As of the book's publication date, he writes weekly columns for The Star, Sin Chew Daily and Sinar Harian.

It records thoughts on former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's final moments in office, and the times of his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Karim Raslan takes readers through a walk down Malaysia's socio-political memory lane, documenting Barisan Nasional's grand victory in the 2004 general elections and the steady, rapid decline in the fifth Prime Minister's administration.

The book ends with a few essays on the eventful March 8, 2008 general election, which saw the ruling coalition lose its 2/3 majority and the Opposition take control of five states. The writer discusses implications of the election results, what led to it and what happens next.

I've taken a liking to socio-political reads, and this one was good. By the way I could not find the first two books; I found this one lying around in the office and decided to read it. Karim Raslan is a good writer, and I find his thoughts relevant to that of a Malaysian on the streets.

His concern for the country and his critical analysis of Malaysia's administration is clear in the collection of essays in Ceritalah 3, and I recommend this book to all Malaysians, and people with want for an interesting read on Malaysia's 21st century socio-political events.

Cinderella: Hired by a Prince

2010-12-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

(Source: marionlennox.com)

Author: Marion Lennox
Publisher: Mills & Boon (the one pictured is from Harlequin)
Genre: Romance
Retail Price: RM 5

Some of you may know about a recent trip I made to Penang. Well, the intercity train me and my friends took was delayed for two hours. As we were stranded in KL Sentral, I chanced upon a bookstore which sold cheap paperback reads, most of which were romance themed. I bought this book to kill time while waiting for the train.

Now to the story. Gianetta, known as Jenny to folks at Seaport in Sydney, Australia is a cook practically doomed to a lifetime of baking muffins at Coffee n' Cakes, a cafe by the docks. She has to repay her debt to Charlie, the owner after having spent all her money trying to save her sick son Matty, who eventually died.

Her best friend Cathy wants so much for Jenny to escape the routine of Seaport, and makes a sudden announcement in the shop, offering Jenny as crew for a yacht. Jenny is shocked and tries to dissuade her, but the damage is done.

Ramon, sitting in the cafe hears the announcement and offers Jenny a job on his yacht. Jenny is resistant at first, but eventually relents and takes the job. In the process of steering the Marquita from Sydney to Auckland, they save a whale and fall in love, while sharing information about themselves. Jenny does not get much knowledge about Ramon's life though.

In Auckland, trouble arrives in the form of legal counsel to the Crown of Cepheus, where Ramon is from. It is then that Jenny discovers Ramon is the Crown Prince of Cepheus, and must return against his will to inherit the throne before it is taken over by his good-for-nothing cousin Carlos.

Jenny is furious and wants to leave immediately, but Ramon manages to make her agree to sailing his yacht back to Cepheus, with the elderly Gordon as skipper. He then leaves with his lawyer urgently to take his role, and ends up having his coronation on the same day as the Marquita's expected arrival in Cepheus.

Jenny does go to Cepheus, and is thrown into a world she knows virtually nothing about: the royal life. Ramon wants so badly for Jenny to be a part of his life, but knows it is impossible, and he does not want to drag her into the mess of the Cepheus royal family. Jenny and Ramon must now decide what becomes of their relationship, and whether they can still remain in love despite the odds.

Thankfully this is a short and simple story, or else I would have no patience to finish it, knowing my lack of preference for romance novels. Cinderella: Hired by a Prince is a nice, short read for those people who just want a scoop of love (fairy-tale style) in their lives. Language is moderate and makes for convenient reading, so it is suitable for most readers.

Number of characters were also kept to a minimum, so it did not confuse the story. What I liked about the book was that it did not go down the path of most romance novels by forcing a love triangle, rather it made the conflict of two characters trying to save their relationship from the rigidity of the royal world. If you read rapidly you can actually finish this light hearted story in a day, and laugh/cry with the characters as you wish.

Malaysia At Random

2010-12-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

(Source: infibeam.com)

Editors: William Citrin, Gabrielle Low, Joane Sharmila, Wong Ee Laine

Publisher: Didier Millet

Genre: Non-fiction

Retail Price: RM 49.90

Malaysia at Random is a collection of facts, figures, quotes and anecdotes on Malaysia. Here you can find an eclectic set of information on this country, from the things we are proud of to the things even most Malaysians did not know of.

Want to know how much is our Prime Minister's salary? Malaysia's most valuable brands? How a man received a phone bill with an incredulous RM 806 trillion charge? A profile of Bentong Kali, the nation's infamous gangster? Then this is your book to read.

As befits its name, this book has no table of contents, and just about anything that has the faintest hint of Malaysian-ness in it is included for a wholesome, unique view on all things Malaysian. Malaysia at Random is a book for Malaysians and foreigners alike, to get a deeper understanding of the little bits and pieces that constitute this (not-so) little nation.

Now don't think it's boring like our history textbooks; when I say this book is more interesting than usual, I mean it. If you still don't believe me, access a copy and see for yourself. Get back to me if you still find it utterly incomprehensible yeah (I hope this does not happen).

Here's a little snippet of information I extracted from the book to excite your reading mind:

PAVING THE WAY?

When Francis Light landed on the island of Penang in 1786, on the site of the present Esplanade in George Town, the island was virtually uninhabited and covered with dense vegetation. In order to induce his sepoy forces to undertake the arduous work of clearing the site, Light, as legend has it, loaded a cannon with gold coins and fired it into the surrounding jungle. Before long, sufficient land had been cleared for a settlement, and traders and merchants began to arrive.

More interesting stuff awaits you in the book, so grab your copy now!

Modern Short Stories

2010-12-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

(Source: Good Reads)

Editor: Jim Hunter
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Genre: Short stories
Retail Price: Not Available

I visited Amcorp Mall with a friend to buy something, but ended up in a store selling the most random collection of items I've ever seen sold under one roof. Among the stuff were books, and this was one of the books I bought. I don't think it's sold as a new book in Malaysia, because the last print was in 1985.

Anyway, Modern Short Stories features a good list of stories from various authors. Among the writers were Katherine Mansfield, D.H. Lawrence, and James Hanley. The book kicks off with The Peaches by Dylan Thomas, and shows the writer as an 11-year-old going to stay with his Uncle Jim and Aunty Jones' farm for the summer holidays.

Dylan (the protagonist) talks about what he sees on the way to the house, the things he goes through with his cousin Gwylin, an upcoming Nonconformist minister, and what happens when his friend from a rich background comes over for the day. Some writers do not carry such stories well, but Thomas does it fine without sounding pretentious; probably because he remembers in such detail what it is like to be a child.

Alan Paton's Ha'penny is another interesting story told through the eyes of a reformatory school's principal. During some of the worst apartheid phases in South Africa, the white principal forms a bond with a black, troubled 12 year-old who tells stories about his family. Intrigued by the contradictions found in the boy's narrations, the protagonist researches Ha'penny's background and discovers the boy has fabricated details.

As he confronts the boy, the whole story comes to light together with the boy's physical and mental condition. The rest of the story goes to show the narrator confronting his own actions and revising his faulty method of teaching youths.

My favourite story in the book is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. It follows old Walter Mitty, vague and mild-mannered by nature who goes to Waterbury, Connecticut with his wife for their weekly shopping and Mrs Mitty's beauty parlour trip.

He experiences five heroic daydreams: as a pilot in a US Royal Navy boat trapped in a storm, a surgeon performing a unique procedure, a courtroom-testifying assassin, and a Royal Air Force pilot volunteering to go on a daring suicide mission to bomb an ammunition dump. As the story draws to a close, we see Mitty face-to-face with a firing squad; he remains "inscrutable to the last".

All I have to say about this book overall is that it lives up to the expectations I would normally place for a compilation of short stories. The authors listed here were the cream of the crop in their era, and their works are still read and enjoyed today (such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner).

If at all you come across this book, do read it. I was lucky to get it for a mere RM10.

Atomised

2010-12-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

(Source: Random House)

Author: Michael Houellebecq

Publisher: Vintage Books

Genre: Drama

Retail Price: RM 32.90

Just remember, you're NOT supposed to like what this book has to say. In fact, this book challenges the wisdom of heading in the direction modern society seems to advocate to the new generation. Houellebecq's work is deliberately ambivalent, and years later critics in his native France are still divided as to whether this work is considered radical or reactionary.

Originally published in French as Les Particules élémentaires, it showcases half-brothers Michel and Bruno who were born into freedom of the post sixties, sexually charged, Americanised society. Michel chooses to withdraw from this society by entering the field of science and maintaining a controlled social life. Bruno, however, enters the world completely, and seeks self-fulfillment in the only way society can offer: sex, which considering his physical and personality frailties is not his best point.

And here the bigger aspect of the writer's work comes into view: the notion of 'metaphysical mutations' which shape and alter the human existence. Much of the changes that happen in the novel's society is fast (such as the view of sex and reproduction in different lights) and leads the characters into these freedoms. Clearly the characters are not ready for such freedom.

While many liberal defenders would say this novel is profoundly moral, I'm guessing they do it through gritted teeth. Atomised is the struggle between morality and profundity, of ethics and honesty, and of freedom and responsibility. Houellebecq's lurid description of details about this society and the way they think is rather frightening, as the depresssion and desperation felt by the characters are easily identifiable in the society we live in at the moment.

I must advise, though, this is not your entertainment purposes book. It carries some heavy themes, with deep insights that will make your head spin in just a chapter or two. Some who do not like to think too much when reading had better not pick up this book. And yes, I labelled this under Drama because there's simply no genre I feel would be close enough to describe this book.

A deeply inspiring, ambivalent look at the impact on society when they have too much freedom too soon, without having time to adapt to these changes. Again, you're not supposed to like the message. You're supposed to think about it.

Inkdeath

2010-12-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

(Source: Wikipedia)

Author: Cornelia Funke

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Retail Price: RM 42.90 (hardcover)

Inkdeath is the final instalment in the trilogy featuring characters from two different worlds clashing in an attempt to achieve their dreams.

The story picks up from a few weeks after Inkspell, where we just saw Dustfinger being taken away by the White Women while the evil Adderhead has been made immortal by Mo as part of a bargain to save his family and free them. We follow Farid on a quest to bring back his master back into Inkworld. Mo takes on a masked identity as the Bluejay and battles for good alongside the Black Prince and his men.

Mo also has another important task to accomplish: he must reverse the Adderhead's immortality, then kill him for good to prevail. Meggie on the other hand, is trapped with thoughts and emotions of her own, involving Farid and her new companion. Add a possible baby brother on the way and we get a girl desperate to save her family and friends from the evil surrounding them.

Inkdeath is a powerful wrap up to the trilogy, albeit many twists of plot. It is, however, not all that difficult to follow, and I advise you to take your time reading as you don't want to miss some details which are relevant to understanding the story as a whole. In terms of pacing I found this book way better than Inkspell, and the characters are given in depth analysis which helps readers love and identify with them.

There's nothing to comment further on this book apart from what I have already touched on in the previous books. Just go read it after you're done with the earlier ones, it won't disappoint.

Inkspell

2010-12-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

(Source: Wikipedia)

Author: Cornelia Funke

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Retail Price: RM 42.90 (hardcover)

Inkspell is the follow up to Inkheart, in which we were introduced to Meggie and her bookbinder father Mo, who has an ability to bring to life characters in a book when he reads aloud from them.

In the second book, one year has passed since the events of Inkheart, but Meggie can't stop thinking about the book which contained the other world. Meggie's mother Resa successfully returned from that world, but was rendered mute. Dustfinger, however still remains in Meggie's world and is desperate to return to his world of words, not realising the fate that awaits him in those pages.

He meets Orpheus, an evil man with a gift similar to Mo, and gets back into the book, leaving behind his loyal apprentice Farid. The latter, upon learning about his master's fate from Meggie, insisted she read him into the book, and both of them end up entering Inkheart in search of Dustfinger. Mo and Resa then enter the world again with Orpheus and two villains from the previous book, each with their own agenda.

Through a series of events, Mo discovers the book's original author, Fenoglio, who agrees to help Mo rewrite some sections of the story so as to change events, but the story seems to evolve beyond his control. A war between kingdoms ensue and villains form unholy alliances to take revenge and conquer the story, Meggie attempts to protect her parents, while developing feelings for Farid in the process.

I love the characters in Inkheart, as their relationships are clear-cut and well-defined. For instance, Meggie and Mo's relationship is given due place, as with the relationship between Dustfinger and Farid. What I found a problem in the story was pacing; while Inkspell had a JK Rowling-ish feel to it, the story was rather drawn out, with much unnecessary details and rocking back and forth in time (and space).

Nonetheless, the book has no lack of excitement, which is found here and there between the pages. If you enjoyed Inkheart, doubtless you'd enjoy this as well; I presume you have adapted to the pacing of the first book. Go get a copy of this book at bookstores near you, and honestly don't give a care about the movie.

Inkheart

2010-12-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

(Source: Flickr)

Author: Cornelia Funke

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Retail Price: RM 42.90 (hardcover)

This is one of those awesome books that should never be brought to the silver screen. Inkheart is the first instalment of the famous trilogy by Cornelia Funke, which is way better than the movie adaptation.

Meggie is a 12 year old bookworm who lives with her bookbinder father Mo in the countryside. Although Meggie enjoys stories, Mo has not read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared many years ago. One dark night, the past finally shows up in front of Mo's door in the form of Dustfinger, a fire breather who Meggie finds out is not of this world.

And here the story gets interesting. Mo has a talent, which is when he reads aloud from a book he can bring the characters to life. The talent is not without a price though; whenever Mo brings out a character from the book, a character in the real world is sucked in to replace the person brought out. In this case, when Dustfinger was brought out, Meggie's mother was sent into the book (unintentionally) to replace him.

To make things worse, Mo also brought out the book's villain, Capricorn, said to be so evil his heart was made of ink (hence the title Inkheart, I believe). Capricorn realises Mo's powers and desires to use them to aid his evil plans, so he has now discovered Mo's living place and wants to take him in. Mo and Meggie must now find a way to stop Capricorn, return Dustfinger to his world and bring back Meggie's mother.

While I found this story truly charming for children, I must warn you not to put too much thought on logic and such; just enjoy the story pace. For logically speaking, Mo's profession is of an older era, yet there is a point where he answers his cellphone, so there's kind of a clash there. But as I said, don't think too much about it.

A wonderfully spun story, though with its minor gaps, it is interesting enough. Too bad the movie adaptation screwed the general perception of Inkheart, or else this could have been a new movie phenomenon in the making. I also liked the following two books, which gave more depth and understanding to the whole story.

Look out for the following review: Inkspell

The Family Way

2010-12-04T03:29:00.000-08:00

(Source: alikewise.com)

Author: Tony Parsons

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 35.90

From the author who sold over a million copies of his book Man and Boy comes another heartwarming read about three sisters, each trying to sort their own lives.

After their fame-hungry actress mother walked out on them, Catherine Jewell, then 12, shouldered her mother's responsibilities, somehow managing to raise her younger sisters Jessica and Megan. As adults now, Catherine is a restaurant manager; Jessica married Paulo, who owns a luxury car sales business with his brother Michael; Megan is a trainee doctor undergoing her final year before being registered as a GP.

Everything sounds good on the surface, but each sister is still battling the troubles within. Jessica wants to be a mother, and despite trying many methods, she seems unable to get the baby she so badly wants. Paulo is happy as they are, but is left in a despair of his own while he watches Michael, who has just about everything a man could wish for (job, house, wife, child) destroy his life through a romantic affair.

Megan, on the other hand, broke up with her cheating boyfriend and has a one night stand with a stranger at a party. She gets pregnant, and the question is, should she deliver the baby if she does not love its father? And how would the pregnancy affect her studies? Also, her current living conditions, coupled with the fact that she deliberately rejected Kirk (baby's father) leaves her in a difficult situation to care for the child (if it were to be born).

Catherine is just happy to be free after all the years slaving away in the house for her family, and is close to her sisters and father just as ever. She wants love, and does find herself Rory to be her romantic partner. What she does not want is to marry him and settle down, as she refuses to be caught up in the family line again.

Rory, however, has an ex-wife and a delinquent son who often runs to his father when not on talking terms with his mother. Catherine does not want to play mother to Jake, but Rory does not want to give up on his son either. Can Catherine find a happy relationship without including marriage and children in the list?

As with his previous works, The Family Way delves into the characters' personalities, exposing their dilemmas and how they come up with solutions to their problems. While stories like these might end up exuding a rather negative aura, Parsons countered it well by showing the strong bond between the sisters, and also between the sisters and their actor father Jack Jewell, who being the true English gentleman stands by his girls when they need him.

Man and Boy, along with its sequel Man and Wife are still my favourite Parsons books, but you really should give this book a try. It's heartwarming and at the same time, the themes explored in this book will actually make readers think a little deeper about relationship issues and the importance of giving and receiving love and care in times of crisis. Something to read and share with people you care about.

The Lost Symbol

2010-12-01T03:38:00.000-08:00

(Source: smh.com.au)

Author: Dan Brown

Publisher: Corgi Books

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 32.90

Dan Brown's storytelling skills have made him one of the bestselling authors of the modern world, and the latest addition to his list of works certainly does the man justice. The book features Robert Langdon, forever immortalised in the image of Tom Hanks (via the movies), who I think looks nothing like the Langdon envisioned by Brown in his books. Langdon is a Harvard symbologist who previously appeared in the author's two books Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.

Robert Langdon receives a call from his mentor Peter Solomon (a prominent Mason), who insists on the former making an urgent, all-expenses paid trip over to Washington DC to replace a keynote speaker who called in sick. As Robert arrives at the Capitol Building all prepared for his speech, he realises there is no event held there, and that he was tricked into coming.

Sounds like a well-planned joke, but immediately upon the realisation our professor answers a phone call which, when summed up, delivers two important information: Peter Solomon has been kidnapped, and unless Langdon does what the kidnapper wants, the man would die. Seconds later, the severed right hand of Solomon is found on the ground, and Langdon understands it to be an ancient invitation which he knows he must accept.

The chase for information the kidnapper seeks takes Langdon on a ride around Washington DC, with help from Solomon's fellow Masonic brothers, as well as the latter's own sister Katherine. With the CIA and police hot on his trail, Langdon must decipher the codes of the Ancient Mysteries written on the stone pyramid he was meant to protect quickly enough to save his friend's life.

Forgive me if the summary sounds like it's lacking something, but you really, really have to read the book if you ever wish to completely enjoy the story. The Lost Symbol was every bit as tense, riveting and addictive as the author's previous books.

Though his works are sometimes known to spark religious tension, I felt in this book all those controversial elements were toned down just a bit (key phrase here is 'just a bit'). That aside, it does not affect the story flow and the Dan Brown style of writing. As usual, language and tone is slightly above average, and if you like stories of such a genre, you would find it very, very difficult to set this book down once you've begun.

You may, however, need to take short pauses in between just so you can absorb the happenings and catch up with the speedy pace of this book. It's quite hard to believe this whole story takes place in just about 24 hours. A must read, definitely.

The Children of Húrin

2010-11-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

(Source: Wikipedia)

Author: J.R.R Tolkien (edited by Christopher Tolkien)

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Fantasy

Retail Price: RM 35

I'm certain most of you are familiar with the hugely popular Lord of the Rings saga, and that same author wrote the original version of this book in the late 1910s. He revised it over and over again, but never managed to complete it before his death in 1973. Compilation of the manuscripts was undertaken by his son Christopher, who eventually published the book as an independent piece of work.

The story opens six to seven thousand years B.F (before Frodo) and revolves around Turin who wanders in exile, no thanks to the first Dark Lord, Morgoth who hates him and his sibling simply because they are the children of Hurin. Their father defied the Dark Lord in his face, and this brought about a curse upon the whole family.

Now Turin and his sister Nienor have to escape the tragic fate entwining them. Turin also must battle Glaurung, Morgoth's formidable servant who looks like a huge wingless dragon. All he has at his disposal are his wits, decency and his trustworthy sword Gurthang.

Don't get me wrong, I loved LOTR. But honestly, if I read this story without knowing it was Tolkien who wrote it, I would never have guessed. As stated earlier this work is a collection of manuscripts and was not edited by the original author, and I believe this was its weakest point. Christopher did not add his own connotations to provide some flow to the story, and though preserving his father's original writing was a noble thing to do, the book ended up being a tangled mess of names, places and characters.

This may be the harshest comment I've ever given about a book, but if I was Tolkien senior I would be extremely embarrassed. For a great mind that came up with one of the most beloved epic fantasies the world has ever known, The Children of Hurin was quite a disgrace. And I must add I found the protagonist Turin really irritating, passive and not worthy of being the central character in a story of the good-and-evil-showdown type. Don't read this unless you have a mind imaginative enough to fix this disjointed story.

First Blood

2010-11-15T05:10:00.000-08:00

(Source: fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Author: David Morrell

Publisher: Headline Review

Genre: Thriller

Retail Price: RM 15

Movie buffs should already know this book started a cinematic phenomenon, that which we now know as Rambo. Award winning author David Morrell's book has been touted as the father of all modern action novels, and it is not surprising why.

Vietnam war veteran John Rambo arrives in Madison, Kentucky as a drifter, but is soon given a ride out of the town by Wilfred Teasle, Chief of Police and also a Korean war veteran. The middle aged policeman did not like the appearance of young Rambo, and thought his presence in town would be bound to cause trouble. Rambo, however, returns to the town in defiance, and is taken to the police station.

In the station, a slaughter happens and Rambo escapes, leaving Teasle to launch a manhunt for him which ends up involving the National Guard along with thousands of police officers. As Rambo leads Teasle deep into the woods, hills and caves of rural Kentucky, the life-and-death struggle intensifies as each man fights with all his might to prove that he 'still has it' and will not concede defeat.

The well explored theme in the book was the effect war had on the soldiers who have done fighting, and are expected to return to society and live a 'normal' life once again. Once sent into such blatantly violent, highly stressful situations, one cannot expect the youths to come back the same way they were. While it is true not all war vets go on a killing spree after their return, a number of them do have a feeling of ostracization by their own society which deeply impacts them.

You may have watched the movie starring Sylvester Stallone, but I ask you, do read the book as it is more detailed, and I find it more believable too. A riveting read and a critically acclaimed novel of character, action and compassion, First Blood truly deserves all the praise it has received as a worldwide bestseller in twenty-two countries over twenty years.

Lord of the Flies

2010-11-06T03:02:00.000-07:00

(Source: simandan.com)

Author: William Golding

Publisher: Perigee

Genre: Adventure

Retail Price: RM 31.90

Nobel Prize winner William Golding's debut novel received plenty of unprecedented reviews when it was first published in 1954. Containing themes of savagery versus civilization and loss of innocence, I found this book a crude reminder as to how savage humans can become in the absence of a positive authority.

As a nuclear war rages, a plane evacuating a group of British boys crashes on a tropical island, leaving them without any adult supervision. They are divided by the 'littluns' (up to six years old) and the 'biguns' (ages ten to twelve). One boy, Ralph, is elected leader of the group, and with the intellectual Piggy as his advisor, sets about establishing rules for sanitation and housing, while constantly reminding them of their priority: a signal fire alerting any ship in sight that could help them leave.

Ralph's leadership is not unchallenged, and Jack (also with a desire to lead) draws a group of choirboys-turned-hunters slowly away from Ralph's influence. While Ralph tries to preserve whatever means of civilization they have left, Jack is delighted at the thought of no adult supervision and turns more and more savage everyday.

Things start to get messy when a 'beast' is sighted on the mountain, and Jack's group sever a sow's head and place it on a stick as an offering (while doing strange tribal rituals). Killings soon start to happen, and Ralph must now save his life as the savage boys launch a manhunt for him. What happens during the manhunt and how it led to discovery of the boys makes the rest of the story.

Golding intended this book as a tragic parody of a children's adventure, and he certainly did a good job out of it. What I found really outstanding here was how openly Golding portrayed the intrinsic evil nature of humans, and how easily we forget our 'rules and civilized manner' in the face of unsupervised freedom. Allegories used in this book made it even more interesting to read.

Truly, you must read this book if you are to fully understand and appreciate the themes in it. It may be an old book, but the message is still relevant today. A book like this is really needed to expose the sadistic nature inside all of us, now more than ever. It may be a story involving boys, but I would not suggest giving this to a kid to read. It may scare them.

The Little Prince

2010-10-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

(Source: doyletics.com)

Author: Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Genre: Fantasy, Children's Literature

Retail Price: RM 21.90

The Little Prince is the most translated book in the French language, which I admit is the reason I picked up this book in the first place (don't blame me, it was a children's book). And after all the serious books I've been reading I figured it would be good to have a change of genre.

The narrator, who remains unnamed, is retelling his experience six years ago when his plane crashed in the desert. While he was sitting wondering what to do, a little prince appeared and asked him to draw a sheep on paper. The narrator does so, but receives complaints from the prince. After a few tries, he gives up, draws a box with holes by the side, and tells the prince the sheep was inside. To his surprise the prince was delighted, and that was when the narrator realised this prince was unique.

More conversations with the prince reveal his original planet, which is scarcely bigger than a house. While the prince does not answer questions directly most of the time, the writer manages to gather information about the prince's travels, all that he saw, and his reflections on the people, plants and animals that he met during his journey. In listening to all this, the narrator's thoughts are also altered, and he begins to appreciate his friendship with the prince. But in due time, it is all about to change.

What I liked best about this story was that in its simple narration the writer poked fun at the grown-ups and their way of thinking. Saint Exupery notes that children were able to see what the adults don't even try to see, and that their innocent observations on their surroundings spoke volumes about the actual life we live. As the prince notes, we have many roses on Earth, and yet we are not happy. He himself has just one rose, but is content to care for it.

Antoine de Saint Exupery lived three years of his life in the Sahara desert, and I can say this has had an impact on his description of the desert in which the narrator and the prince were stranded. A lovely, thought-provoking story which must be read not just by children, but by everyone as an insight into our own lives and the people around us. I promise you this powerful narration will make you reconsider the way you look at life.

Man And Wife

2010-10-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

(Source: Harper Collins)

Author: Tony Parsons

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 35.90

Following the huge success of Parsons' debut novel Man and Boy, this book picks up where we last saw Harry Silver and the characters in his life. After his divorce, letting his ex-wife have custody of his son Patrick, marrying Cyd Mason and having a stepdaughter Peggy, Harry Silver is still contemplating his life two years later.

Now that he is part of a blended family (the modern take to a nuclear family, which happens after divorce and remarriage when two parties not really related have to live with one another), Harry has a lot to learn, and Cyd's new business coupled with Peggy's minor royalty-like behaviour towards him is not making things easy.

Adding to his problems are his ex-wife's new husband and his sophistication, of which Harry looks upon in disdain. Richard McRae attempts to change Pat by pushing new things in the boy's way, such as substituting Pat's favourite Star Wars merchandise with Harry Potter books (which he thinks is better for Pat).

Harry is unhappy, and silently accuses Richard of trying to take authority over his son and forcing his ideals on the boy. But Harry's real shock appears when Gina, his ex-wife announces she is moving with Richard to Connecticut, United States in search of a new life. Now Harry would not have bothered much if Gina was not taking Pat away with her.

Just while Harry thinks life can't get any more complicated, a beautiful Japanese woman enters his life. Kazumi, Gina's friend and a photographer, appears strictly professional about their relationship, but who's to say what could happen between them? And will this affect Harry's second chance at love through his marriage with Cyd?

I'm actually grateful for a sequel to the previous book because plenty of works on love and relationship end with the perfect happy ending - that the man and woman are together at last, or in Harry's case, successfully getting a second shot at love.

But what happens after this is an area rarely explored, since most readers love the happy ending scenario. Tony Parsons takes this chance to show us the possible events that happen even after that delightful union of love, namely the challenges these souls face, both between themselves and with the rest of the world.

Again, Harry's character is explored to the maximum in the story, looking into emotions of a man whose life is just messed up, despite a decent looking exterior. As a reader I found it easy to identify with Harry's feeling of things just not being right no matter how much effort is put in, and the desperate want to escape it all for a while, regardless of the cost.

So if you've already read Man and Boy, better make sure you read this too. A simple yet powerful story, Man and Wife opens our eyes to a world that explains life beyond the phrase "And they lived happily ever after".

To Kill A Mockingbird

2010-10-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

(Source: www.banned-books.org.uk)

Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: Arrow Books
Genre: Classics, Crime, Historical Fiction
Retail Price: RM 24.90

A special, controversial topic back in the day when it was released, To Kill A Mockingbird is a story of passion, justice and relationships that transcend racial lines. Set in Alabama in the 1930s following the Great Depression, the story is told through the eyes of young Scout Finch. Her lawyer father Atticus taught her and her brother Jem to always remember the world was unfair, and that prejudice always exists somewhere in the world, despite being subtle.

An innocent black man is standing trial for the alleged rape of a white man's daughter. Atticus, who does not like the idea of a man being convicted simply because of his race, decides to argue in favour of Tom Robinson, the accused. A white man standing to defend a black man quickly became a huge topic of discussion in Maycomb County, and since racial lines were clearly divided in that time, Atticus Finch knows he may not win the case because he was up against two white men, but his conscience made him go for it anyway.

Consequently, Scout and Jem have to consistently bear with racial slurs and other insults against their father, and they watch in shock as disillusioned townspeople convict a black man who is clearly innocent, simply because of race. Atticus was also hated by Bob Ewell, the white man whose daughter was allegedly raped, and though he received death threats from the latter, did not take it seriously.

While all this was happening, Scout and Jem made friends with a boy named Dill, who was interested to lure Boo Radley, the neighbourhood recluse out of his home. The home was unopened for a very long time, and whether there was anyone inside was not clearly known. Initially Boo Radley may seem to remain in the house and never come out, but we see his brief appearance towards the end of the story.

Now forgive me for not doing this book enough justice, but seriously, you have to read it if you really want it to have an impact on your mind. Harper Lee wrote brilliantly on racial prejudices in the 1930s, and how it affected the few people open minded enough to view justice as necessary for all, regardless of skin colour. This book is frequently used for literary education, while at the same time often banned for open discussion of racial issues and the stereotypical portrayal of a black character.

As with most literature based books, the language used here is just that bit above average, so do be patient while reading it. Don't give up on this book, because as you go further and towards the end you will realise the whole brilliance of the work. I think this book is still impactful because it makes us ponder on just how far have we advanced in terms of racial injustice since the 1930s, and whether what we have done to abolish racial lines is enough to ensure fairness and justice for all. A must read for everyone, for the simple reason that it makes the readers think of the issues way after the story is over.

Man And Boy

2010-10-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

(Source: harpercollins.co.uk)

Author: Tony Parsons

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 35.90

Few authors writing on this genre have been able to impress me, since most books end up being rather soap-opera like for my taste. I chanced upon a Tony Parsons box set while browsing through a quaint little bookstore, and after my delightful experience of reading My Favourite Wife I decided to make the purchase. And Tony Parsons did not disappoint.

Man and Boy is Parsons' debut novel, and what a novel it was. The story revolves around Harry Silver, who at the beginning seems to have just what every man approaching thirty would wish to have. Having married at 25, he has an understanding wife, a lovely son, and an amazing job as television producer for the widely popular The Marty Mann Show in London.

While Harry has certain insecurities (though he consoles himself with thinking it's too early for a mid-life crisis) life goes at a good pace, until one messed up night when things begin to spiral out of control way too fast.

A dramatic turn of events that happened on the live television show was the first signal of Harry's career going down the drain. He offers Siobhan, an Irish woman at work a ride home after the show, and one way or other ends up sleeping with her. Just as Harry thinks his wife Gina will not need to know of his one night stand, guess what? She discovers it, and walks out of Harry's life, moving to Japan where she wanted to be before she met Harry.

Harry manages to persuade Gina to leave their four-year old son Patrick with him while she settles her life in Japan, just until she is ready to take Pat there. The rest of the story tells Harry's trials and tribulations as he learns to raise his son as a single father (with support from his own parents).

As he rediscovers a second chance at love, Harry's life seems to go well until Gina returns from Japan permanently, and demands for Pat to stay with her. Harry then starts to learn all over again about love, stability and family relationships, and just what one will do to keep the best things in their lives.

It's no wonder this book is a million-copy bestseller; the writer really has a way of capturing his audience. With focus almost entirely on Harry, plenty of readers can relate to the man who had everything, lost it all at one go, and slowly tries to pick up the pieces and move on. Most importantly, it explains the relationships between parent and child; how children are the ones to suffer because of adult decisions.

A simple yet touching story, Man And Boy is a must read for people so they can learn to appreciate what they already have in life, as well as taking a second chance at life and love. Losing once does not mean losing forever; one good lesson I understood after reading this book.

Look out for the review of this book's sequel: Man and Wife

The Metamorphosis

2010-10-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

(Source: fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Author: Franz Kafka

Publisher: Norton

Genre: Horror

Retail Price: Unavailable

Translated from the original German, this book is a chilling yet thoughtful reflection on a regular man whose life changes all of a sudden.

An ailing father, a mother and younger sister living in squalid conditions force Gregor Samsa to work hard in a company for authorities with little regard for him. In the opening scene, Gregor wakes up late for work, and realizes he cannot get up as usual. Looking at himself, he sees a wide, flat body with many little brown limbs in place of his hands and legs.

While he struggles to get up, his family begin calling him in turn (since the door is locked), wondering what had happened to him. Gregor calls a reply, but the people outside cannot hear words, only small squeaks. The office manager appears at the house to ask after Gregor, and is told he does not want to come out of his room. As the manager knocks on the door, demanding answers to his questions, Gregor finally manages to heave himself off the bed and slowly prises the door open.

To their shock, they realize Gregor has turned into a large cockroach. Gregor does not understand how they feel, instead he tries to approach the manager and apologise for being late. The terrified manager flees the house, while the family is left in shock. The remainder of the story deals with what happens to Gregor and his family as they all ponder their future, uncertain what to do with a huge cockroach in the house.

Franz Kafka was the firstborn in a German-speaking Jewish-Czech family in 1833. His brothers died at infancy and sisters at concentration camps. His father Hermann was known as an ill-tempered tyrant with a high disregard for Franz’s interest in literature.

All his life, Franz tried to escape his father’s domineering personality. It is said Franz identified himself with Gregor Samsa in the story, and described himself as a cockroach in his father’s eyes, a vermin worth nothing. He had a string of relationships with women, none of which lasted long.

Maybe it was this close attachment Kafka had with the protagonist that made the story so poignant and interesting to read. It delves not only into the terrifying prospects of ordinary people having to live with a ‘horrible monster’ but also the feelings and emotions of both Gregor and his family members, unsure of what the future holds for them.

What is good about the Metamorphosis is that the story does not binge on horror/fright elements, but tells a simple, straightforward story and leaves the horror to our imagination. A must read for all you horror lovers out there.

Note: I wrote this post as a guest writer for the Taylor's University Book Club blog, since their theme is "Horrorween". Click here to check it out!

Body 2 Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology

2010-10-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

(Source: Silverfish Books)

Editors: Jerome Kugan, Pang Khee Teik

Publisher: Matahari Books

Genre: Short Stories

Retail Price: RM 34 (can be ordered directly from Matahari Books, free postage within Malaysia)

I heard plenty about this one-of-a-kind book, but I had yet to see a copy at Malaysian bookstores. Two weeks ago I discovered Matahari Books' website and realised I could get it delivered to me with no extra charges. And that was how I finally got my own copy of this book a few days ago.

B2B is a collection of stories in relation to the alternative lifestyle led by the queers of Malaysia. What interested me about this book was that the editors insisted on ensuring the contributors used their real names when submitting their stories for consideration.

The first story, What Do Gay People Eat? by Brian Gomez is told from the view of a father whose gay son is bringing his partner home for the first time. When the protagonists' wife tells him she would cook mutton for dinner, he disses the suggestion, saying gay people don't eat Indian food. Which of course starts a small argument between husband and wife as to what exactly do gays eat. Also, the father has to deal with minor insecurities of his own concerning his son's sexuality.

A true-story confession followed next, with Cheryl Leong describing herself coming out and telling her family and friends about her sexuality, what the consequences were and how she coped with them. Breathing Pure Oxygen was also a good inspiration for other queers to stop being ashamed of themselves, and begin living with the people who can accept them for who they truly are.

Muslim 2 Muslim by Shanon Shah is a compelling flashback of the writer at an Islamic conference where modern, forward thinking personalities were reprieved and hated by the deeply conservative participants. Jerome Kugan's Alvin delves into the hidden social lifestyles of Malaysian queers, how they meet, how they express their feelings and thoughts, while Have You Seen My Son? by Abirami Durai serves to express the feelings of a transsexual whose family does not want to believe he 'changed'.

I loved this book for the poignant, thought-provoking stories it provided throughout. B2B is a good platform for those who consider themselves 'normal' to get a sneak-peek into the lives of queers, most of whom have to live in the closet. In simple, unsophisticated language, it decried the stigma our predominantly heterosexual world, and persuades us to try and accept the queers as part of our society.

If you are looking for a book on alternative lifestyle, or you simply want to read something out-of-the-ordinary, I suggest you purchase this book. There should be no regrets if you do. I for one have no regrets.

My Favourite Wife

2010-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

(Source: lifeprobabilities.blogspot.com)

Author: Tony Parsons

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 35.90

I've seen Tony Parsons' works many a time in the local bookstores, but I never really got down to buying them, because I usually am low on funds or I have my eyes set on some other book. I found this in the college library and decided to read it over the mid semester break.

China has risen to become the new economic powerhouse of the world, and it is in the city of Shanghai that Bill Holden comes to with his wife Becca and child Holly. Bill is a lawyer in north London, and does not seem to make much progress in the firm. Realising that a change to the firm's China branch can make him advance faster into becoming a partner, the Holdens decide to seek their fortune in Shanghai.

Shanghai appears to be getting more Westernised by each passing day, and Bill soon found himself seeking a taste of the real China. Through a series of events he gets acquainted with Li JinJin and a few other girls who all have one thing in common. They are loyal second wives, forced to live in secret for their already married husbands whose visits are few and far between. Although Bill feels an initial attraction to JinJin his feelings are not strongly expressed until Becca and Holly return to London.

Left alone to work in Shanghai, Bill grows more and more attached to JinJin and eventually end up having an affair, and finally Bill gets to see the real China. Becca, in the meantime, strikes up a friendship with Holly's Dr Khan in an attempt to break away from the mundane routines of her life. All goes well until a series of events force Bill's affair out in the open, and all the parties involved end up taking a hard lesson in the true meaning of love and family.

I like how Tony Parsons takes a simple story and delves deep into it, bringing all the characters and their emotions to life in his narration. Some supporting characters are also given fair exposure in the book to reveal their feelings, emotions and their outlook on life, all of which tie up perfectly in the end. Unlike some books in this genre, the book was neither soppy nor too dry, but an excellent blend of humour and the serious issues that impact a family, a company and a nation at large. I found it a refreshing change from the usual books I read.

Clockwork

2010-09-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

(Source: ict.angus.gov.uk)

Author: Philip Pullman

Publisher: Corgi Yearling

Genre: Children's Literature, Mystery

Retail Price: RM 18.00

Philip Pullman is known for his children's books, and despite certain dissatisfied parties trying to link the writer's lack of religious belief and his published works, I find no reason to not pick up this book to read.

Also known as All Wound Up, this book combines a few stories that intertwine to form one big, wonderful story based in Glockenheim, Germany back in the old days. Karl, an apprentice clockmaker, is set to follow the tradition of ending his apprenticeship by creating a figure for the town clock. As the deadline approaches, Karl becomes more and more tormented as he realises he cannot possibly complete the task at hand, facing the chance of being the first in a hundred years to fail.

As this happens, Fritz, the local writer, sits in the White Horse Tavern telling his unfinished story to the townspeople gathered there while waiting for the moment where Karl's masterpiece will be unveiled. Fritz tells the story of Prince Otto and his little son Florian. Otto dies while on a hunting trip with Florian and the sinister Dr Kalmenius replaces the dead heart with a clockwork mechanism to enable Otto to drive his son home.

Fritz claims he wrote this story after visioning it in his dream, but things start to get chilling when the real Dr Kalmenius walks into the tavern. While Fritz bolts from the scene, Karl strikes a deal with Dr Kalmenius and receives a clockwork figure called Sir Ironsoul. It is a knight in armour, and there is a price to pay for it, as Karl finds out.

Meanwhile, the tavern owner's daughter Gretl discovers the real Prince Florian is made of clockwork by the evil doctor on Otto's wishes. She now has to work to bring true life into him as his clockwork will soon wind down, leaving him dead.

While some conservative parents may balk at the idea of giving their children this book, I actually would consider giving it to older children to read. It offers a different view from the usual day-to-day trash under the guise of "children's stories". I have no complaints to make about this book, and yes, the language used here is suitable for people from all walks of life. Get a copy now, and enjoy.

Little Hut of Leaping Fishes

2010-09-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

(Source: amazon.com)

Author: Chiew-Siah Tei

Publisher: Picador Asia

Genre: Historical Fiction, Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 35.90

Chiew-Siah Tei is a Malaysian bilingual writer who has won several awards for her Chinese prose. She currently lives in Glasgow, UK and this book is her debut novel.

China in 1875 sees two male babies born at the Chai Mansion in Plum Blossom Village. As the elder grandson by six months, Mingzhi is the favoured child of his grandfather Master Chai, while Mingyuan is destined to remain in his half-brother's shadow for as long as he lived in the mansion. Master Chai has already planned things for his favourite grandson: he is to study and become a scholar, a Hanlin Academician to advise the emperor in times of need.

Mingzhi is stifled by the mansion and its imposing rules, and realises if he wanted to escape the dark cloud hanging over Plum Blossom Village he has to educate himself and become an official. With that, he works hard for every exam, eventually escaping the village to work. Mingyuan, on the other hand, becomes influenced by the seedy sights of neighbouring Pindong Town, and becomes addicted to gambling, opium and eventually the desire to depose Mingzhi.

When the 'foreign devils' set their feet into China, Mingzhi befriends a few of them and widens his knowledge; learning English, understanding machineries and ideas passed through the missionaries. But it is only when Plum Blossom Village comes under siege that Mingzhi is aware of just how jealous his little half-brother is of him. Mingzhi must now make decisions for the future, for the family and for himself.

I like how the author portrayed Mingzhi, as a boy trying to escape his confined childhood by acquiring a thirst for knowledge. Most books portray the younger sibling as the victimised child, but this book shows Mingzhi as the protagonist just trying to make a life for himself while worrying about his future and that of his nation.

Chiew-Siah Tei has made a good attempt at delivering a poignant story about tradition, love, rivalry, knowledge and friendship in a trouble-embroiled China. I would recommend this book to all who love books on Chinese culture, love and history.

Skeleton Crew

2010-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

(Source: large.bangzo.com)

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror

Retail Price: RM 32.90

I was browsing the bookstore with Shalini Ravindran, killing time before heading to the movies when I found a row of Stephen King's books. Initially I read an excerpt from Nightmares and Dreamscapes, but when it came to buying a book I chose this one because it looked better (yeah I know am judging a book by its cover here). Still I'm glad I did choose this one, cause it's a good book.

A total of 22 stories made up this chilling, enthralling book, starting off with The Mist (made into a movie of the same name). David Drayton and his little son leave home in the aftermath of a strange storm, and become stuck in the shopping mart with alien-like creatures waiting in the thick mist outside ready to kill them. Not being able to see what exactly those things are and how to kill them, David and the other shoppers must now find a way to escape the place and travel elsewhere.

Another story I liked was Word Processor of the Gods. A man with a horrid wife and estranged son finds life strange, with his good-for-nothing elder brother having an amazing wife and intelligent son. His brother kills the whole family when his drunk driving crashes their car into a ravine. The man receives his nephew's early birthday present, a word processor of his own. It is only when he starts using the processor that he realises the processor is not an ordinary one, and he begins to take advantage of it.

Survivor Type could freak a few weak hearts, because its theme was how desperate a man wanting to survive could become, to the extent that he would cannibalise his own body parts to stay alive. Other intriguing stories would be Nona, The Jaunt, and The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet.

For those uninitiated with Stephen King, reading this book will give you an idea why this man is known as a master storyteller of suspense. Each story is full of thrills and while some can be a little more dreary than others, the overall effect of this book is just mind blowing. I would recommend this book to all lovers of this genre, but for the faint hearted a little discretion is advised.

BookFest @ Malaysia 2010

2010-09-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Our region's biggest book fest is back! The 5th Annual BookFest @ Malaysia features Asia's best written works in Chinese and English, featuring publishers from major participating countries China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Singapore and of course, Malaysia.

Source: ahgab.blogspot.com

This year's fest will be at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center from 4th to 12th September, under the tagline "Reading embraces the world".

Source: asnevents.com.au

Organised in conjunction with Sin Chew Media Corporation, the book fest aims to promote the latest book collections as well as exemplary stationery items. Besides exhibitions, there will also be fun-filled events for book lovers as well as those interested in tapping into the book industry in Asia

For more information on the book fest, click here to go to the official website.

Malaysian Writers Review #2: Di Bawah Kerdip Lampu, Di Atas Pentas Itu

2010-08-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

(Source: mybooks.com.my)

Editor: Nor Azah Abd Aziz

Publisher: Utusan Publications

Genre: Short stories

Retail Price: RM 20.25 (on sale at mybooks)

Specially for the Malaysian Writers review series, I have searched through my collection of locally written books, and found this particular book. I won this book back in my school days (though I don't remember for what event/competition exactly). If you do not understand Bahasa Malaysia then I am sorry to say this book is not for you.

Oh, and before beginning the review I want to say please don't have pre-conceived biases towards the content quality of this book simply because it is not written in the international language.

This book comprises 10 short stories (cerpen), ten poems (puisi), two literary articles (rencana sastera) and one literary analysis (kajian sastera). The works featured here are winners of the Hadiah Sastera Kumpulan Utusan 2004, a competition to unearth quality written work in Malaysia (which entered its 20th year this book was published).

"Aku dan Sang Raja" (The King and I) intertwines two separate, similar tales: one happened back in history to a Malay king, and the other to a man revisiting the history of Malays. It shows that the Malays are part of a huge civilisation in the Indus Valley, but the downfall of the Malay civilization was caused by acculturation and diffusion of cultures. What we can also learn from this story is that in the past, strength was measured by bravery, courage and leadership skills; today it is measured by intelligence.

One story I truly enjoyed was "Sebatang Tualang untuk PM" (Tualang Branch for the Prime Minister) which featured Anggai Busmi, an Orang Asli (native) whose place of staying is under threat from development. Anggai as the leader of his people decides to go to Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital to look for the Prime Minister and submit a letter to help intervene and save his home and his people. In the chase for development, we sometimes forget the lives of other people who live in harmony with nature, and whose livelihoods are threatened without the forest.

This book features an interesting collection of stories from various themes, each one interesting in its own way. A reader with average understanding of Bahasa Malaysia is able to read and appreciate these stories and other literary works in the book with ease. I recommend this book to any person able to read Bahasa Malaysia.

Malaysian Writers Review #1: The Return

2010-08-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

(Source: simandan.com)

Author: KS Maniam

Publisher: Skoob Books

Genre: Literature

Retail Price: RM 6.00

The Japanese have just been defeated, and the Communist-infested areas are slowly becoming safer as the troops are driven further into the jungles of Malaya. Remaining British citizens in the country are also packing their bags for their home country in view of Malaya's impending independence in 1957. Changes in the political scene, however little, has a deep impact on the lives of people who were once used to being colonised by foreigners.

Ravi has spent his life being raised in a largely immigrant community. The story opens with a reminiscence of how his Periathai (grandmother) first came to Bedong, Kedah and started life anew. Ravi then details his experiences of growing up in Bedong; attending an English school which thought lowly of all the locals and their customs (e.g. applying coconut oil to smoothen one's hair).

Ravi feels stifled by the ancient beliefs and traditions that dominate lifestyles in Bedong. Besides, an English school education has opened his eyes to the wonders of the world beyond Kedah. He eventually manages to extricate himself from this controlled environment to go for teacher-training in England, but is forced to return upon completion.

Although Ravi has heard stories about his changing family conditions, it is only when he returns that he sees how far and deep these changes have occurred, especially that of his Naina (father). Ravi's struggle to maintain his family relations, while at the same time trying to be independent and live a modern lifestyle in an ever changing Malaya completes the book.

KS Maniam scattered Tamil words all over the book, which helps readers bind with thoughts and events occurring in Ravi's mind. Badly spelt English also gave an insight into the knowledge/mannerisms of Bedong people back in times when waves of political change were sweeping across Malaya like a storm. As I recall, this book was part of the syllabus for Form 5 students during my school years (2006), alongside The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

If you like stories about relationships and dreams, or history-intertwined reads, this book is for you. Oh, and please don't diss it simply because it was part of a certain syllabus. It's a little heavy, but worth reading for an insight into culture and lifestyle in the Independence era of Malaya.

Popular-The Star Readers Choice Awards 2010 (Non-Fiction List)

2010-08-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

For the month of August, Popular Bookstores, in collaboration with The Star daily is hosting the Reader's Choice Awards 2010. All you have to do is vote for three locally written/produced books within each category. The books in the non-fiction category are as follows:

I, Too, Am Malay by Zaid Ibrahim

Do You Wear Suspenders? by Lydia Teh

50 Days: Rantings by MM by Marina Mahathir

Tropical Affaris: Episodes from an Expat's Life in Malaysia by Robert Raymer

Taxi Tales: On A Crooked Bridge by Charlene Rajendran

Yasmin Ahmad's Films by Amir Muhammad

Life: The Malaysian Style by Peggy Tan Pek Hao

Malaysian Politicians Say The Darndest Things Vol 2 by Amir Muhammad

Ceritalah 3: Malaysia, A Dream Deferred by Karim Raslan

Even Madder About Malaysia by Dean Johns

That's the non-fiction list. For the fiction list, click here. To register and vote for the top three and get your chance to win some prizes while you're at it, click here.

Popular-The Star Readers Choice Awards 2010 (Fiction List)

2010-08-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Never Been Better by O Thiam Chin

Velvet and Cinder Blocks by Ioannis Gatsiounis

Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint

Little Hut of Leaping Fishes by Chiew-Siah Tei

Scary Ever After by John Ho

Or Rau by Kuan Guat Choo

Chinese Stories in Times of Change by David T.K. Wong

Kirkby: The Life and the Loves by Shaari Isa

Match Fixer by Neil Humphreys

So yeah, that's the fiction list. Do click here to register and vote for your top three; there are prizes to be won!

The Final Reckoning

2010-07-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

(Source: fantasticfiction.co.uk)

Author: Sam Bourne

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Retail Price: RM 36.90 (by MPH Bookstores)

Some time after reading Sam Bourne's other book The Righteous Men, I chanced upon this book. I admit I have yet to read The Last Testament, but when I do there will certainly be a review on it. For now, this will have to do.

A suspected suicide bomber has been shot by the United Nations security staff just outside the building. It is only after the fatal bullet is fired that the supposed bomber is a man in his seventies from Britain, and his records scream innocent in all directions. UN Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs, Henning Munchau must now get a representative to place dead man Gerald Merton's family and inform them of the latter's death.

Lawyer Tom Byrne is the kind of man who works for anyone with the right amount of money, a far cry from his fresh young days as a righteous lawyer. Henning Munchau decides Tom is the man he needs for the Merton business, and sends him to London. There, Tom meets the deceased's daughter, Rebecca and together they discover that Gerald Merton is not exactly as innocent as his records show.

Tom and Rebecca stumble upon a secret brotherhood operating a worldwide mission responsible for many mnysterious deaths going back since the Second World War. They must now struggle to discover and protect the secrets of Gerald Merton and his brotherhood, all the while pursued by people who will kill them and anybody else in their way without batting an eyelid.

Now you may think this 'secret, ancient brotherhood' thingy is going really out of date, but I must confess I like stories with such elements (blame it on my imaginative fantasies). Sam Bourne's way of writing is intriguing and fast-paced at the same time, so very much like Dan Brown, one of my favourite authors.

An interesting plot, with characters poles apart from each other and a suspense filled chase across the trails of history and secrecy made The Final Reckoning a thrilling, enjoyable read.

Shalimar The Clown

2010-07-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

(Source: guardian.co.uk)

Author: Salman Rushdie

Publisher: Random House

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Literary Fiction

Retail Price: RM 99.90 (hardcover version)

It is the year 1991 in Los Angeles. Former American ambassador to India, Maximillian Ophuls, is stabbed to death on the doorstep, right in front of his daughter. The killer is his driver from Kashmir, who goes by the name of Shalimar the Clown. What first looked like a political assassination of one of America's finest is actually very personal indeed.

Max's life first intertwined with Shalimar's in Kashmir, India, where the former was sent as ambassador. They were connected by means of a woman, who was involved with them both, and changed the course of their lives forever. Through a series of events that occurred in India while Max was in the country, Shalimar ended up with a personal vendetta against him and set out to America specifically to kill him.

The book mainly focused on the events that transpired through France, California, England and above all, Kashmir. Shalimar, whose namesake is the famous Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir, was given much importance in the story, together with Max Ophuls, whose early life began in France.

Salman Rushdie used his knowledge of India to the maximum with this piece of work. Although the book had a simple theme and plot, the details set the book apart from other books with similar themes. Superb choice of words to describe each character's emotions and thoughts made reading Shalimar the Clown a pleasure, and while reading I sometimes paused and rewound a few paragraphs just to enjoy re-reading the lines.

Having said that, I must hasten to add that this book uses a higher than average level of English, so for those whose English fluency does not meet the requirement they had best keep a dictionary within reach. I doubt the average reader needs to access the dictionary that much to understand the flow of the story. It's just to satisfy one's curiosity when encountering previously unknown words (if you're like me, that is).

An interesting read that shows the hidden nature of humans, and just how far one is willing to go for the bittersweet taste of revenge.

Nineteen Minutes

2010-07-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

(Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com)

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 32.90

Nineteen minutes. That was all it took to create chaos, take a few lives, and leave an entire town shaken in its wake.

Seventeen year old Peter Houghton walked into his high school one fine morning and began a shooting spree which killed ten people. His midwife mother Lacy is stunned and while Peter is arrested and held prior to trial, she is left to wonder why her shy, socially inept son did something so unimaginable of him.

As the rest of the townspeople slowly pick up the pieces and move on, Lacy takes time to revisit her past, and that of her son's, which eventually reveal some previously unknown or underestimated things about Peter. His relationships with his schoolmates, and her inability to be there when he needed her badly, along with other issues impacting the connections between mother and son were all laid bare in the book, which went on to explain why Peter did what he did.

As with Jodi Picoult's other book Change of Heart, I liked the book for its deep insight into relationships, and it explored a theme which interests a lot of people: why people do things that are terrible, yet they do not appear any different from the average person on the street? In this case, Peter is just another schoolboy with issues, but what was the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing him to go on a rampage and killing ten people?

Heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time, this book is a must read if you like books of this genre. A thought-provoking book that is worth sharing with your loved ones :)

Seventeen

2010-07-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

(Source: lelong.com.my)

Author: Colin Cheong

Publisher: Times Books Singapore

Genre: Love and Relationships

Retail Price: RM 9.00 on Lelong.my

Richard Young is born into a Chinese family but lacks a Chinese name, along with knowledge of his native language. Junior college is a pain for him, considering that he is stuck with other students of the same race who are mostly close to one's expectation of the 'typical' or 'average' Chinese person.

Add a gap between Richard and his family and things become more complicated for him. There are a few things that make college tolerable for Richard, though, among them his love interest Samantha Loh (also with no Chinese name) and Zhuang Zi (or ZZ) his 'bestest friend a guy could have'.

ZZ and Richard discover a passion for photography, and eventually we see discussions between the two in the darkroom where they work on their photos. Life seems to be going smooth until a twist of events change their lives slowly, and in just one year many changes take place in the lives of Richard and his friends. Seventeen would be an age Richard will never forget.

Reading this book brought back my own memories of high school, though I must admit I did not endure the difficulties Richard did. Colin Cheong really wrote with the thoughts and feelings of a seventeen year old in mind; it is evident in the way Richard and his friends interpret the things happening about them. A simple yet meaningful book, without the usual stick-on drama one sometimes finds in a book of this genre. Seventeen provides an insight into the importance of friendships and why friends must be valued at all times.

If you are looking for a light yet inspiring read to transport yourself back to school/college, I suggest you get a copy of this now, curl up in your favourite couch and begin your time-travel.

The God Delusion

2010-07-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

Author: Richard Dawkins
Publisher: Transworld
Genre: Science, Non-Fiction
Retail Price: Unavailable

When the original hardcover version of this book was first released in 2006, it sparked controversy among the public, especially among the deeply religious. Thanks to fellow journalism bestie Akash who lent me the revised and updated paperback edition. But before going into the details of this book, I find it necessary to provide a few lines on the writer himself.

Richard Dawkins is the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He was first cast into the limelight via his most famous and widely read book to date, The Selfish Gene (which I have yet to find at Malaysian bookstores). He is a fellow of New College, Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature. Some of the awards he received include the 1987 Royal Society of Literature Award, 1990 Michael Faraday Award of the Royal Society and the 2007 Lewis Thomas Prize.

The book is divided into ten chapters, and begin with the conflicts people face when they lack a faith but are not aware of alternative explanations to the things religion is often used to explain. Chapter 2 is entirely dedicated to the God Hypothesis, in which Dawkins notes the way civilization has changed from polytheism to monotheism over the centuries and discusses secularism, agnosticism and some experiments to prove the existence of God.

Remaining chapters go on to detail the debate of whether God does exist, and how to explain difficult questions such as how the earth was created. One interesting term I found consistently repeated in the book was "natural selection", which turns out to be Darwin's solution to how living things existed on Earth. I also found a lot of interesting information on the contrasts between statements in religious scriptures and scientific evidence.

I found this book very entertaining simply because I found an alternative explanation for questions usually answered by a vague invoking of religious ideas (which I never really liked, honestly). Dawkins has obviously put in a lot of research into writing this book, and I like the fact that he does not state his opinion in the book without providing some proof or back-up thought from other intellectuals. My favourite part of the book was the last few chapters when Dawkins begins the real explanation of religious and scientific conflicts and tells us why a lack of religion does not mean the end of civilised life for humans.

A definite must-read for all those who want a God/religion-free alternative to explain those simple yet profound questions that have been bugging us since we were able to think.

Roald Dahl Series Review #5: The Witches

2010-06-24T03:11:00.000-07:00

(Source: blondiefiles.wordpress.com)

Author: Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin

Genre: Children's Literature

Retail Price: RM 26.95

You never know when you are in the company of a witch. They look and behave in public like ordinary women.

But the little boy here (he is not given a name) is fortunate to have a Norwegian grandmother who tells him all about witches and just how to identify one. She especially stresses on the importance of him not cleaning himself that often, so he is not easily detected by a witch if he is in hiding. The boy's parents, who died recently in an accident, leave a will stating that the boy must return to English soil and be educated there, so the grandmother and him move from Norway to England.

During the summer, a few unexpected events cause both grandmother and grandson to end up on a holiday somewhere in England, where the boy tries to tame his newfound pets, two white mice by the names of William and Mary. While looking for an empty place to conduct the training, he chances upon the Annual Meeting of the witches, and learns of their devious plans. The rest of the story goes to explain how the boy gathers all his resources and knowledge to thwart their plans.

I think Roald Dahl refrained from giving this boy a name because he wished to keep imagining himself as the boy. The grandmother in this story is based on Dahl' own mother, who like his father was Norwegian too. Most of the Norway-related information in this book came from the writer's memories of holidays in the country. His fascination on the subject of witches even rubbed off on his children when he used to hang fifty glass balls of various colours on their room's ceiling (called witch balls) and these were used to ward off witches (who would run away at the sight of their ghastly reflection in the balls).

As usual, I have nothing else to say than this book is a must-read along with the other stories. It would be especially appealing if you have a soft spot for witchery and witty children's stories.

Roald Dahl Series Review #4: The BFG

2010-06-19T04:38:00.000-07:00

(Source: sottai.files.wordpress.com)

Author: Roald Dahl

Publisher: Puffin

Genre: Children's Literature

Retail Price: RM 26.95

After finishing Matilda, I sourced out this book from the library as well, and I am glad to say it was not disappointing at all.

Sophie is an orphan who happens to sight a giant during the witching hour, and the giant kidnaps her just so that she does not tell anyone else. Sophie befriends the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) and discovers that because he does not eat human 'beans', he is reduced to eating the filthiest vegetable ever, which is snozzcumbers. He is relatively smaller than the other nine cannibalistic giants, and ends up being bullied by them.

One thing Sophie was really interested in would be the BFG's occupation. He catches dreams and places them into children's minds when they are asleep. Sophie follows him one day and sees just how and where he catches his dreams and what he does with them. Just when Sophie felt she had to stay in Giant Country forever, she overheard the other nine giants' plan to find their 'food' in London. Feeling a need to save innocent lives, Sophie teams with the BFG and come up with a dramatic plan: warn the Queen of England about the giants and get rid of them forever.

A little trivia for you: the character Sophie was named after Dahl's granddaughter, and she is the only family member to be named in any of his works. The BFG was created specially for his children, and Dahl occasionally climbed the ladder up to their bedroom window and push in a bamboo cane to imitate the BFG's actions when he gives children dreams. Damn I would have loved to be his child. Wish someone would do that for me (but it's a little too late now :D ).

The BFG valued kindness above everything else, which explains why he did not become a cannibal like the other giants. Children should be reading this book, because with the simple, humorous presentation of this book, there also lie thought-provoking questions to be answered by readers. Typically Roald Dahl in structure and writing styles, this book is an entertaining read to kill time while, maybe, just waiting for something/someone.

Look out for the next review: The Witches