Lewis Carroll's Alice('s Adventures) in Wonderland...

Alice
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

I was 10 when I first read Alice by myself – well, the children version of it, of course. But back then I was too fascinated with the idea of a potion that can make ppl shrink & a cake that can make ppl grow so big, bigger than the normal size. And at that young age, nothing is more mind-boggling than the idea of having to swim through your own tears ;p haha! If you know how sad I was as a child then you’ll know how freaky this is to me back then.

So, 4 years went by and I found myself stuck in a rundown all-girls hostel back in my hometown. I was 14, trying to adjust living in a smaller, quiter town and yeah in that rundown hostel. I don’t quite know the ppl there at first so, I often sit & read in the hostel’s library during my free time. For some reason, the first book I picked up was Alice in the Wonderland – the adult or rather the full version of it.

One thing about this book, no matter how many times you read it – yes, it’ll be the same ol’story – but it will somehow gave you different effects & interpretation according to the situation you’re in at that point of time.

As a child, this book really piqued my curiosity & has made me that imaginative little girl that I used to be. Curiouser and curiouser! :)

But as a 14 years old, the same book made me embrace my independence, that it’s actually okay for me to go out alone & have adventures of my own. The weirdness of the surrounding with odd strangers around didn’t scare me at all becoz I knew wherever I go, whatever I do, it'll always gonna be a new, exciting chapter of my life experience.

Then I’ve read Alice again somewhere in 2005, right after graduation. I was in a major crossroad of my life, I didn’t really know what to do with my so-called future at that point of time. There’s a part that I love so much in that book back then, when Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which way to go from there. The Cat replied, “If you do not know where you are going then any road will take you there.” Or that’s the summarized version of the whole conversation, that is ;p But what I’ve learned from this, no matter if you don’t know what to do next in your life, you’re free to try anything coz any road will take you to your ultimate goal, even when it was unknown at that point of time.

Then, I’ve read it again recently while bouncing back from one of the lowest point of my life (closest frens should know abt this very well ;p).
It’s another conversation between Alice & the Cheshire Cat as well. But last time, the words didn’t get through me as effectively as it was later on.

Alice: What sort of ppl live about here?
The Cat: In that direction lives a Hatter, and in that direction lives a March. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.
Alice: But I don’t want to go among mad ppl.
The Cat: Oh, you can’t help that, we’re all mad here. I’m mad, you’re mad.
Alice: How do you know I’m mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn’t have come here.

Alice: And how do you know that you're mad?

The Cat: To begin with, a dog's not mad. You grant that?

Alice: I suppose so.

The Cat: Well then, you see a dog growls when it's angry and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased & wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.

So, moral of the story, we’re all mad in our own way but most ppl nowadays tend to be judgmental towards each other without taking a step back & evaluate their own madness instead ;) lalala~

Anywaiz, read it ppl, you’ll be surprised what sorts of interpretation you’ll get from the same, ever-beloved book. It's a bookful of philosophy and enthralling absurdity but if you carefully decode the inner-meaning of it you can learn so much from it. Else, kalau malas juz wait for the movie, IMHO Johnny Depp makes the most perfect Mad Hatter. Dun you think?

P/S: Fave / over-used phrase:- You gotta be as mad as a Hatter ;)

The Widower by Ray Kluun

"When honesty is too much"

The Widower evolves around Dan and how he copes with the death of his wife. The story is written in a beautiful chronology, from their early days as couple, to the day they married, and up until the death of Carmen. (Dan's wife).

Basically it was a reminisce for Dan, on how he started to remember everything good and bad, the people whom he had hurt, the broken things he had done, since the day he knew Carmen will be leaving him, the after Carmen's death days, in recovering his strength and his life.

Dan had involved himself in a wild life, darker side of him was revealed after Carmen's death. It's his way of grieving, it seems. He had neglected his daughter, and many more people that love him.

It was until he planned to go traveling with Luna, his daughter he started to realize what a waste his life had been and who had actually been by his side, all along. He tried to establish new relationship.

It's a good read, and full with nice quotes. It will make you want to appreciate all the people around you. I would suggest this, if you are mending a broken heart. :) HAHA.

That's all.

Anyway, this is my favourite quote;

There are often a hundred reasons not to do something, but, just one reason to do it should be enough

-From Carmen to Luna.

The Wednesday Letters - Jason F. Wright

Ok..so here's my first book. You can say this is a romantic not in the romance kinda way book. I've always had a soft spot about letter writing. Have always enjoyed receiving the traditional snail mail to the current email/IM/sms that we get nowadays in keeping in touch with people we care and love. So it was natural for me to pick this book up and I wasn't disappointed.

It's about a couple, Laurel and Jack who's been married for a long time and died on the same day. So when the children came back to sort out the funeral for both the parents, they discovered that the father has been writing to the mother on every wednesday since they were married. Letters that sometimes contained some boring everyday stuffs, some exciting happening in the week, some sad news of someone they knew..you get the drift. But it also unveiled a secret kept from the children for so long that caused them to be disappointed with the parents in the beginning, but as the secret was being discovered, they realized just how much the parents loved each other and how great they truly were.

It's a simple book to read. Nothing heavy but enough to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside and want to start writing a letter to your partner there and then! (I did, but it was short lived coz I can't seem to be able to find the time or energy to write to my husband in secret..but he enjoyed the first attempt..) It made me think, wouldn't it be nice if we could leave these letters for our children to find one day. To discover how goofy their parents are when they were younger (and how horrible their penmanship was too!!hahah!)

Am sure you guys have received letters before kan? A few years down the road, you read back those letters and oh the joy and memories it brings...(just hope it doesn't back fire in case it was from an ex you never want to speak or remember ever again!)

Ok..I have gone way off-course from my book review. I'd recommend this read for a rainy boring day...

The Reader - Bernhard Schlink

I bet most of you guys have watched the movie, with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes? Some find it too pornographic, but frankly i love the movie. I thought the facial expression, the gestures were really good. (owh yeah, and the sexual scenes too, of course.haha)

anyways, due to such great impact on me, i decided to get the book and read it. and to actually understand every bit of the movie, and hey, i was not disappointed.

the book talks about the journey of a boy, who grew up, fascinated by a strong willed, emphatic woman who is pretty much secretive about her life and her background. he was so in love that he was willing to do everything for her. he actually studied really hard just because she said so. he reads for her everyday, every single book that he came across too. after reading, it was the love-making and shower scenes that has always excites the boy.

anyway, fast fwd to the present, he was at this court hearing and discovered that the woman he loved, once, was in the court, tried for the case of burning prisoners in the church. i am not sure if i should reveal this, but maybe i should. hehe the woman, was actually illiterate but she was soo proud she could not make herself admit it that she couldnt read nor write. so when the court wanted to prove whether she wrote the note of killing this prisoners or not, she rather admit it to the court than let them see her handwriting. this part, i bet you would be moved by reading how she contained her feelings. how embarrassed she was to let people know that she was illiterate. she rather die than being humiliated.

anyway, not to take the romance out of the book, the boy still reads for her and taped it and sent it to her while she was in prison. and after years of sending tapes and no notes, she somewhat had taught herself to read and write and she sent him a note. and i thought it was moving. at this part, it was the boy's mix emotions that will get us go crazy with his actions. he wished he could still love the woman, but he lost it when he felt betrayed by the woman. when the woman left him, with not a single word.

okay, in short, this is indeed a MUST read. I swear to you guys it was an easy read. and u definitely can make it, despite being busy at work, u can get it done less than a week. trust me!! if u have the whole weekend to yourself, then it will be done in 24 hours.

happy reading, readers ;)

Book Club

This is a blog dedicated to us! Good friends who read, and write, and would want to read more.

dengan ini, saya, Raf*qa H*zura merasmikan "Rak Buku Kita" untuk sumbangan dan bacaan bersama.


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