Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

After reading the recent reviews from you guys, aku terasa sangat bimbo in my choice of book!:P But since the baby arrived my time to read has become almost non-existant, let alone to go and buy books (kurang la tax exemption aku tahun depan!) Anyway, this book has been collecting dust on my bedside table for the longest time, and when I went for a much needed getaway last month, baru la i got to finish it!

If you have been watching the TV series for this one and never read the book..you'd be a bit eh?! The TV series did not religiously follow the book. The characters are still the same (but i think Nico's husband's name is different and she has a daughter in the book!) You get my drift la kan?

Well..it's about 3 best friends in their early 40's and on top of their careers, living in New York. Makes me feel like I don't have to explain further to you guys cause the storyline is like any other chic lit, borderline cliche but still a fun read nonetheless.

Oh god!not helping at all am i??hahah! I have also read Candace Bushnell's other book - One Fifth Avenue. OK...confession..I only bought both books cause I wanted a complete collection of Candace Bushnell's work. To make my book shelf look pretty..*kantoi* (pasni nak beli Trading Up and 4 Blondes..somehow i can't find the Sex & the City book...)

Blame the bimbo in me! I secretly think we need to be one once in a while *wink*

Love Over Coffee

With the Indian culture and the IT development background, the story revolves around Anup and his love, Rajni. Nothing interesting but this book is quite funny. Anup, acts as a story teller , telling details about his colleagues, the closest which make them 4 as a gang. Each of the characters is different but with certain similarities that keep them bind together.

Rajni, the girl, works in the same office, but different division. The love over coffee is about their secret meetings/datings at the office coffee machine. Few things happen in their work, which involve the office politics to the extent of leaving them speechless and the shocking truth, the love, the feelings, the comedies.

It was like watching a Hindi movie-minus the songs.

The relationship between Anup and Rajni is against their parents decision, as we could always predict in Hindi movie but they find the solution anyways.

It's a good read, with good laugh here and there.

It's quite boring in the beginning but it gets better once you understand and I found myself guessing and hoping what could have happened.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

I came across Kafka when I was away on a foreign land and I have to admit that I’m not the type of person who can just pick up a book, read & rave about it. There’s a lot of convincing involved with this book :b But I have to be frank, when I stumbled upon this book, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I was in a very awkward state of mind where I don’t mind ppl hating me coz I loathed myself even more kinda situation… *sigh* Long story, not worth mentioning…

Ah-neways, back to Metamorphosis… This book tells a story of how a perfect man fell from grace & all his good deeds were completely forgotten when he somehow transformed into an insect-like monster. Gregor Samsa was the perfect model of a filial son – he single-handedly supported his family after his dad’s business fell short, he worked hard day in & day out to help pay the debts and never once he failed to be that gentle, sweet-natured son & brother to his mom & little sister. Gregor worked as a traveling salesman where he spent all his day on the road, never had the luxury to have his own personal life. He devoted himself just to his work in order for him to help out his family.

This book tells in details of how Gregor coped with the overnight transformation, getting used to his bug-like physique and how he survived his remaining days as ‘the monster’ before he was left to die as an outcast in his own home. It also depicts the changes happened to his family member & how they cope with his bizarre transformation.

Kafka was well-known for his peculiar style of story telling – he would write something so unthinkable yet convincing enough to make us drift away & delve further into the story. I shall not spoil the surprise by summarizing the whole story coz it will be a great insult to a book this amazing. And to think that it was written back in 1912 – it’s awesomeness. It’s definitely a must-read & I’m looking forward to get hold of other Kafka’s book in future.

Bedroom secrets of the master chefs - Irvine Welsh

have u read any of palahniuk's writing? and haruki murakami's? and do you like them both? if you do, this book will suit your palate through and through. and if u have a thing for scottish accent or any new/foreign accent for that matter, this is definitely the book to read.

frankly the title isn't a reflection of the content. it has no bedroom secrets at all to share with the readers. but the title has something to be shared with its main character, Danny Skinner. Skinner, a guy that does and has it all, drinking, womanising, flirting, ace-ing meetings, is a total opposite of Brian Kibby, whom he hates for just being his direct opposite.

why did i say its a combination of palahniuk and murakami? coz Skinner's character was really bad-assed, and so rotten, u almost find it inhuman to have such hatred or disgust in his heart. funnilythough, it was human enough to have humanly thoughts when he was sober. But frankly, who amongst us never had such rotten thoughts in our minds? i must say i do. so perhaps it is a real reflection of impure thoughts that a person could have, and sometimes people dont need reasons for these kind of thoughts.

Anyway, along the way, there was some kind of curse happened between them and there it was, sounded as mysterious as any murakami's novel, and its adoration of Skinner's youth and its bad reflection only on Kibby, reminds me so much of Dorian Gray by oscar wilde. the book is a blend of all these.

the book is really a twisted journey of Danny Skinner and Brian Kibby's life, and finding the real truth of themselves in each other. One could only guess what was happening between the two of them when Skinner fell in love with Caroline Kibby (Brian's sister) and was unable to have sex with her.

p/s: why are all my posts have no spacing between the paragraphs eh? weird.