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.

Jaja dan Din - Noor Suraya

Salam.

Sekarang I minat baca buku Bahasa Melayu la kawan2. Pening dah mengadap semua bahan kerja berbahasa Inggeris. Nak relakskan kepala otak baca novel Melayu.

Novel Melayu sekarang ni, I rasa semuanya bernafas baru. Dah kurang tema cliche, kahwin paksa, then akhirnya jatuh cinta tanpa disedari, nama cantik-cantik dan cinta dua darjat-that sort of things, well kalau pernah baca novel Melayu, tahulah. (Opss.. membebel pulak)

Well, novel Jaja dan Din ni dicadangkan oleh my colleague, Salina. Dia teringat novel ni bila I cerita hari tu I ada berkawan dengan seorang Ustaz, lulusan Al Azhar. Tapi betul, ustaz tu zuhud juga orangnya. (Sama macam karakter si Din ni). Jaja pula media planner, jumpa Ustaz Din tu masa sedang berusaha buat iklan keselamatan jalan raya. (I worked with Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya before, and memang I jaga kontrak media JKJR-iklan dalam tv tu... dulu). Well, me dan Ustaz tu takde apa2 pun.

Jaja ni, (menurut novel) seorang yang berjaya, anak pertama, sentiasa digesa kahwin oleh parents beliau (sampai sini, kisah I dengan Jaja masih selari-eh, review buku ke review persamaan I dengan Jaja?). Seorang yang ceria, talkative, bersemangat, tapi solat dia tak sempurna, tak pakai tudung, kiranya bab-bab agama dia tak berapa sangat. Baca jawi pun tak reti. Dia susah sangat jatuh cinta. Bukan takde yang cuba, tapi hati dia keras. Malas.

Sampailah masa dia membantu kawan dia cari gambar untuk poster keselamatan jalan raya. Tetiba secara tak sengaja dia terpandang gambar randum seorang lelaki dekat pusara, sedang baca Yasin dan dia rasa gambar itu sungguh indah, syahdu dan terus dia rasa berdebar-debar dan blushing. Dia jatuh cinta dekat lelaki tu, dengan hanya tengok gambar begitu.

Sejak hari itu, Jaja bertekad nak cari lelaki ni, akhirnya dia jumpa dan paling kelakar, dia suruh family dia 'pinangkan' lelaki tu untuknya. Ustaz Din tu pun, entah mengapa rasa lain bila ber'jumpa' Jaja.

Banyak lagi kisahnya... ye, tentu sekali happy ending!

Gaya penceritaan adalah sangat segar! Diselitkan juga dengan hadis-hadis dari Al-Quran dan riwayat-riwayat dari sahabat-sahabat. Sungguh, novel ni telah berdakwah, secara tidak langsung.

Kalau ada kelapangan, dan mahu cuba sesuatu yang baru, buku ni memang sesuai. Murah jer, RM20.00. Kalau ada kad popular boleh dapat diskaun 10%. :)

Beli kat sini lagi murah! (klik)

Buku Tarikh Luput Cinta tu pun I beli malam tadi, (sama dengan JDD ni). Tajuk dia menarik. Nanti I review. :)

Happy reading guys!

Rembulan Tenggelam di Wajahmu

Buku ini bukan buku jiwang kawan-kawan. Ia bersifat keagamaan, mengisahkan pasal kehidupan Rehan atau Ray atau Rae.

Dari umurnya kecil sehingga hari terakhir dia di dunia. Buku ni ditulis macam monolog pun ada juga. Macam biografi pun ada.

Kisah Ray yang semasa remajanya sering mencari punca kematian ayah dan ibu, yang menemukan puncanya, dan sentiasa berusaha untuk membaiki dirinya demi untuk membalas perbuatan jahat dunia ke atas dirinya. Ray berkahwin dengan Fitri, gadis yang dipujanya, sehingga Fitri meninggalkannya 6 tahun kemudian. Ray sekali lagi mempersoalkan takdir dan menjadikan kerja (dunia) sebagai tujuan hidupnya. Berusaha meningkatkan dirinya, dan tuah sentiasa menyebelahinya.

Walaupun Ray berjaya, tapi dia merasakan kehidupannya adalah kosong, mungkin sebab dia semakin menjauh dari Tuhan, mungkin.

Buku ni ada beberapa bab yang ringkas menceritakan bab-bab dalam kehidupan Ray, sehingga dia diberi peluang untuk mendekatkan diri dengan Tuhan, di samping merungkai persoalan Ray terhadap kehidupan, ada 5 soalan dan sepanjang buku ini, persoalan memang dirungkai lah.

Mula-mula baca memang agak boring, tapi mungkin mood bulan Ramadhan ini buatkan saya sudi mahu luangkan masa. :)

Buku ini sebenarnya adaptasi dari buku Indonesia. Tere-liye memang antara penulis keagamaan yang agak glamer di sana, rasanya.

28 Hari: Jurnal Rock n Roll

Aku perlu berkawan dengan seramai mungkin manusia pelik supaya aku boleh rasakan yang aku ini normal. Aku selalu rasakan yang aku ini pelik dan tak normal.

The title speaks for itself (out and loud). This book is basically a journal on what Mohd Jayzuan had faced in his 28 days adventure all around Malaysia (Peninsular).

He wrote with his heart, and being a truly rock n roll enthusiast, the book is pretty straight forward, you don't have to think while reading this. It's good, if you are craving for a light reading. There are few uplifting (and funny) quote.

It's an easy read, I finished it in less that one hour. :)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I've been meaning to write the review for this book ages ago, but as usual something always got in the way ;p

First & foremost, I just have to tell you, if you have watched the movie, please, please skip the book coz the storyline in the movie has already sugar-coated all the gory details of most of the events in it. Like the rape thing and ooo… the mom & the detective so-called “merciful adultery” part – errm… all watched by the girl from up above. Sigh!

But if you happened to have read the book, do not repeat my mistake, ppl. Skip the movie instead. Unless, you can’t imagined how Susie’s heaven looked like. I personally think the movie depicted the heaven most beautifully – it’s just so breathtaking.

So, back to the book…

This is a story of a girl's journey after being murdered (& brutally raped, as omitted in the movie :p) into the afterlife as she pursue the closure of her own death by watching how her family came to term with the tragedy. It was melancholic, infuriating at times (as she watched her murderer deceived those ppl around him), adorned with a few love-struck moments from a teenage girl’s point of view (yup, she did try to count Ray Singh’s eyelashes before ;) hehe!) but most of all, this is a story of how love survived a tragedy, in fact the worst tragedy that could ever happened to someone.

I just love the way Sebold wrote the story in a somewhat incoherent flow, you know, just like a fourteen-year-old would do. When we were that age, we just got a lot of things to tell, sometimes they’re not in accordance to the timeline ;p but we just talk & talk without ever thinking whether our sequence of the story made any sense or not. And as always, teenage crush – they have this ‘thang’ that can make your heart (yes, you, the readers ;p) sorta flutter unnecessarily ;)

All in all, it’s a good read but don’t be coaxed by my review though, this book can still bring tears to your eyes. *sniffle* Wish I had a braver heart when I read this ;p

Fave character: Surprisingly, Susie’s sister – Lindsey. She’s like Ms.Cool-Smarty-Pants and my fave moment in the book when Lindsey told off her Principle:

“I'd say it would be pretty hard to play soccer on the soccer field when it's approximately twenty feet from where my sister was supposedly murdered.”

Score!!! And enjoy :)

I wish you all a long and happy life – Susie Salmon.

His and Hers, by Mike Gayle.

This is the review on the first book that I bought which was written by Mike Gayle.

Fiqa dear...
I've found this review dated back on 6th August 2006 in my friendster's blog. Guess what, you were the only one who left comment, excluding me.

I recently finished reading a new novel, his and hers, by mike gayle…it was a nice book, anyway, it was written, mainly based on a man’s and woman’s point of view, how they view the same things from the different sides..

hmm anyway, the writer is a guy…

the story based on what they couple had been thru, from the first time they met, their first date-eating takeaways from an Indian restaurant-,they get married, their searching for an apartment, and how finally, the man-found himself fall out of love with the woman who he used to think-"this is the woman im going to spend my life with"-hmm man….

anyway, as love story shud end, because of a small meaningful event happened-which is the death of "Disco"(real name-Best of Disco Volume II)-the couple’s cat, basically, it was given to the woman (Alison) by the man (Jim) after his confession of love towards Al…they got back together…

they reunited after couples of years of seperation, Al is getting married to another man, and Jim just moved in with his new girlfriend…but the event, had waken them up, made them realized, that what they felt for each other was never over….

hmmm u cud predict there will be a happy ending in the end..:P

reading the book, i realized, that there is a possiblity of couples breaking up suddenly, it doesnt have to have a firm reason to break a relationship up…so in falling in love, there is no firm reason needed to fall in love…it is to love and beloved that count…

the true story of my probably insane quest to become a professional surfer by Sullivan McLeod

The writer made Pedro bought his book when Pedro met him in Australia. Hehe naughty guy. anyways, the book is damn interesting. McLeod is seriously funny. being a stand-up comedian, u can sense that he was just exaggerating some parts of it so that we can feel what he felt (or how lightly he thinks of it) that day, during his journey to become a pro-surfer.

his writing in present tense made me feel that i was with him throughout the entire holiday-surfing-drama-selfdiscovering journey. and if you are a newbie in this surfing thing, fret not, he explains everything in the annex at the back of the book. this flip that flip, lefthander, righthander, bodysurf, bottom-turn, charger, all that he explained it all in the book.

in a way, i find it hard to believe that he had to experience so much drama in his quest becoming what he thought he WANTS to be. i still wonder how could a person takes so many challenges, and be quirky or funny about it. i bet if i was him, i would just have broke down and lost my hair. (which i do these days of oppression).

friends and readers, if u are in need of self discovery and a push to your self esteem this is a book for you. it would somehow motivates you. Sully was frank of his ambitions, achievements and failures, and all that will make u feel that you are human after all, and dreams do come true, and is indeed doable if u persist. and if it doesnt work out at all, it is indeed not the end of the world, and there's more to this world than that one thing u pursue. you just haven't discovered it yet. so, cheers! ;)

lady chatterley's lover by D.H. Lawrence

sorry friends, i just couldn't get the exact cover of the book i read, but any cover will do kaan? :)

frankly, i was intrigued into reading this book was because i read lady chatterley's trial first, before reading this book. do u know that this book was ban in the UK, but was published bit by bit and with much censorship? due to its so-called vivid writing of sexual scenes between an aristocrat's wife and a servant? the trial lasted like around 40 years kot before eventually Penguin won the case to publish the book in full.

anyways, u can read that on the link. and my take on the trial was, it happened due to the culture then, the mentality then, the religious upbringing then, in the UK, of the conservative Christians.

after finishing the trial, i actually hunted for the book in Waterstone's. I bought it out of curiosity, apart from my thirst for classics of late. and believe me, you will be disappointed like me if u read about the trial first and not the book. with all the drama over the the publication of the book, i cant believe that the only vivid sexual encounter that i read was only twice throughout the book, and frankly the description of the encounter was so much with rasa terhormat, you didnt even thought that it was a sexual scene, and the man had ejaculated. lol.

but it's unfair for me for not giving the credit to D.H Lawrence for being daring, for being ahead of his generation in writing such scandalous book that gets published world wide and not the in UK. frankly if u feel like reading a totally dramatic forbidden romance, this is the book. and no, it wont give you that gooey feeling like u did when u read judith krantz, or any judith for that matter. hahaha.

my recommendation : read it if only you are interested in knowing what's the commotion behind the publication of a book after the writer's death. totally to fill your curiosity ;)

Love Life, Ray Kluun

Buku ni adalah prequel kepada The Widower. Tapi jodoh saya terlebih dahulu dengan The Widower, dah baca baru sedar, ada buku pertama iaitu Love Life. Pertemuan dengan Love Life sangatlah penuh cabaran. Tak kisah, akhirnya ketemu juga.

Buku ni, mengisahkan kepada kehidupan Danny dan isterinya, Carmen. Mereka hidup bahagia, dengan kehadiran seorang baby girl, Luna. Hidup mereka turut ditemani dengan rakan-rakan yang memahami, yang sentiasa berusaha untuk berada di sekitar mereka ketika diperlukan.

Carmen disahkan menghidap penyakit kanser. Dengan jangka masa yang terhad seperti diramalkan oleh Doktor, Carmen sentiasa positif dan mahu meneruskan kehidupan seperti biasa, dengan gembira bersama-sama kawan2 dan keluarga.

Danny walaubagaimanapun, mempunyai isu tentang monogamy. Tambahan pula dengan Carmen yang menghidapi breast cancer. Memang susah untuk mempertahankan monogamy. Carmen menyedari tentang itu dan cuba bertoleransi dengan perangai Dan. Dan cuba untuk merahsiakan semua tu tapi, sudah namanya isteri, semuanya terhidu, dan terbuka dengan sendiri. Dan, despite all of the bad things, tried his best to always be by Carmen's side.

Sehinggalah Dan bertemu dengan Rose, perasaan dia menjadi lain dan peliknya, dia boleh mengamalkan monogamy dengan Rose. Tapi masih tetap menyayangi Carmen.

Carmen berusaha dan berjaya membuat Danny berjanji untuk tidak curang sepanjang masa-masa terakhir Carmen. Masa ni, paling sedih. Mr. Kluun pandai sekali mengekspresi segala perasaan sampaikan I pun turut mengalirkan air mata towards the end of the book.

It is a usual story, tapi gaya penceritaan tu berjaya membuatkan ia lain dari yang lain. Menarik, deskripsi semua perkara adalah lengkap.

Sesuai untuk dibaca oleh husband2 yang susah nak monogamy. Harap2 takdelah di sekeliling kita. HUHU.

Sekian. :)

The Great Gatsby

I dunno why but I kinda like reading classics off late. Although it made me constantly checking the dictionary ;) but I think the way they word the story, ah, it’s very poetic.

I have to classify this story as love gone wrong ;p Although some might feel that this story depicts the moral decay of rich ppl but I still feel that love game is the main elements of this story.

The story was narrated by this character name Nick Carraway who has a second cousin named Daisy – who’s married to a rich dilettante named Tom (who he also knew from uni time at New Haven).

Tom and Daisy has been married for a few years & even had a daughter together but apparently Daisy kinda found out that Tom has a mistress. Nick, despite being merely acquainted to the couple, soon get involved in the whole fiasco. Tom invited him to hang out with his mistress (a not-so-attractive woman in New York & is still married to someone else) subsequently - which is very awkward considering Daisy is related to him.

From Daisy, Nick was introduced to a female professional golfer named Jordan – whom he later has a relationship with. Jordan informed him that he’s actually living next to a famous rich man called Jay Gatsby, who threw fancy schmancy parties but never showed his face to the crowd.

Gatsby sorta stirred the up-scale society by being so mysterious yet at the same time he knew how to entertain his well-to-do guests thru his lavish parties. So, one day, Nick finally got an invitation & he went with Jordan with the hope that either one of them can find & meet Gatsby personally.

While at the party, Jordan & Nick split up just to locate their mysterious host and eventually a guy, abt Nick’s age, started to talk to him & claimed that they might know each other from the army. As they started talking & Nick discovered that the man is Gatsby. They started to be close fren and from Jordan, Nick learnt that Gatsby & Daisy have a history together before Daisy married Tom.

So, somehow someway, Gatsby asked Nick to reunite her with Daisy & for some reason Nick agreed to do so. One thing led to another, they soon rekindled their romance (yup, with Daisy still married to Tom & Tom still having affair with someone else’s wife *cringe*).

So, la di da… One night Tom, Daisy & Gatsby had a huge confrontation after Tom realized Gatsby’s love for Daisy and it ended with tragedy. I won’t tell you what happen coz it’s quite dramatic how everything ended with Gatsby & Tom’s mistress dead. Phew!

It’s definitely a great read, full of momentum, I'd say – especially for someone who just broke her laptop & has no other means for any sorts of entertainment for the time being ;p sobs!

My fave quote from the book, "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine : I am one of the honest ppl I have ever known." – Nick Carraway.

Man and Boy by Tony Parsons

This is my third of Tony Parsons. He wins my heart. HEHE. His words are easy. No big literature but full of beautiful words, taking from the best songs, especially from Sinatra.

I see that he (Parsons) really adores Frank Sinatra and by his second book, I too, fell in love with Frank Sinatra. Okay, enough about me and Parsons.

This book tells a life of a man who is left with his boy, his son. It was about Harry Silver, who has just reached thirty and found himself having this not so middle aged crisis. His wife on the other hand let him get what he wants as he is turning thirty, because obviously it was the love between them was so strong and she trusted him so much.

It was until Harry found himself into his assistant, ending up having one night stand with him and messing up by leaving a voice message to Harry's phone which at that time was with his wife.

When his wife found out about this, she felt the betrayal was too much for she had sacrificed her career and everything in order to marry Harry before, so she decided to leave Harry to pursue her first dream, her career, in Japan.

Harry was left devastated to know that he was fired from his job. He was left with his son and no job.

Harry faced things as they come, with help from his parents. He had done his best with his son, and in time found himself new love, while his wife too found her new love.

This book has everything, it will make you laugh, cry and angry.

When you love someone enough, you will know when to let go

Excuse my poor review. I just couldn't help seeing this page is not updated. HEHE.

p.s : Where are you guys? :)

My Legendary Girlfriend by Mike Gayle

So, first it was the inviting colour of its cover that influenced me into buying this book. Second, this was my 2nd book from Mike Gayle. I reviewed about the first one later. So while I have nothing to do, just to wait for maghrib then pray then off to gsc to watch dunia si pari-pari. It's wednesday so mari bazirkan rm6 untuk cerita yang belum pasti kehebatannya. :)

Oh okay, about the book.

Particularly, the story is about Will, an unmotivated English teacher. He actually is still in love with the girl that he thinks, is The One.

While he moves on to whatever life brings him, there are 5 girls whom he seems to holding on to.

There's Martina, the girl he had his one night stand, probably in favour of the broken relationship, who claimed that she's pregnant, and somehow being a little psychotic. And there are also Simon and Aggy. Aggy is his ex girlfriend, and I can't recall anything about Simon. HEHE.

It's Kate that took up almost 60% of his day life. And he'd never met her. It is the phone that had been their connector. They talk to each other everyday. Actually Kate is the former tenant of the apartment Will lives in. They shared everything, and actually they feel they are somehow connected to each other, and they did confess their feelings toward each other, of course they thought they are in love. :P

While at the same time, there's Alice, could call her his best friend. Alice who has always been by his side in every ups and downs. And who listens to every little detail Will will tell about Kate, Simon, Martina and Aggi.

Oh, Alice actually adopted a donkey named Sandy as Will's birthday present!

When things seem to take place, and Will and Kate were ready to make it official, suddenly the past throws them a visit, and things turn to something else.

It was well written in chronological order, and I really love the diary-based novel. It's good, and funny enough.

But it will warm your heart for how life could take turn when we think we have it all planned. :)

Haruki Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Why this need arose in me so suddenly, why it happened not with you but with someone else, I have no idea. But the desire I felt then was impossible to suppress, nor did I even try. Please understand: not for a moment did it occur to me that I was betraying you in any way. The sex I had in that hotel bed with him was something close to madness. To be totally honest, I had never in my life felt anything so good. No, it wasn’t that simple: it didn’t just “feel good.” My flesh was rolling in hot mud. My mind sucked in the sheer pleasure to the point of bursting-and then it burst. It was absolutely miraculous. It was one of the most wonderful things that had ever happened to me.

-Kumiko Okada-
Excerpt from the first letter sent to Toru after her disappearence.

Oo-kay… enough with the Vivid-video description ;) hold your pseudo-orgasmic feeling :D hehe… This is my 1st e-book, given by my ex-LDR-bf for my 28th birthday. Apparently, according to him, I reminded him of one of the main character in the book ;p and punya la x best character tu ;p haha!

This story revolves around Toru Okada, a jobless guy who happened to be good at home chores (I so wanna a hubby just like that ;) LDC - hint2 ;p) Eheheks!

Anyway, what seems to be a mundane life for this simple Mr.Okada, a chain of bizzare events took place & completely changed his life. First his cat is missing & the wife asked him to meet a medium to find the cat. Simultaneously while searching for the missing cat, he met a morbid teenage girl who’s not in school by her own choice. Then the wife went missing without a word and at the same time he learnt abt his brother in-law’s secret past through the medium’s sister. Then the wife finally wrote him a letter stating that she’s been having an affair and would like to divorce him. Then he spent the night in the well just to find clarity of the mind and also becoz later on the teenage girl took away the rope ladder & sealed the opening of the well on purpose. So, once he’s out from the well he had sex with the medium sister & the events got weirder & weirder until he nearly died in an attack. Sheesh!

Trust me, no stories will ever get weirder than this and yet, it is so engaging to learn that all these weird stuff is what made you keep on reading it until the end. It’s like a bizzare enchantment – like I’ve been voodooed or something to read the whole thing ;p sigh!

However, I have yet to decode the subliminal message within this book but to learn that my ex thinks that I’m just like Kumiko Okada, it’s err… kinda disturbing ;p lol! But I do think it’s something to do with Kumiko’s childhood that made him think she & I were very much alike. Or maybe the fact that Kumiko always keep things to herself perhaps ;p

I won’t say this is one of the best book I’ve read but the manner of Murakami’s story-telling is so intriguing that it makes it read-worthy – you’ll sorta be drifted away in this weirdo-land of wonder.

P/s: Whoever wish to read the book kindly provide me your email address, I’ll email to you a.s.a.p :) Sometimes I wish I cud have my own Kindle & have more e-books but to think that I can’t flip through the pages with my bare fingers & smell that paper-back scent, urgh! What’s the point of reading, really.

Footnote : LDR stands for long-distance relationship & LDC is o’course my Leo DiCaprio ;) haha!

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

i just finished reading this book this afternoon. and just like the statement written on the book's cover, it is indeed a book not to be read in public as you would snort and laugh all the way.

Bryson takes us to a journey with him all around Great Britain, a country he loved so much but he had to touch base after 20 years of working there. yeah, Bryson is an american writer who enjoyed so much living there that he had to take a last tour of the "island' before he leaves for United States.

He is definitely frank about the English, and the Queen's English, and how englishmen are so into using words like Bottom, Bowells, Titsey as names for places. i find this hilarious, and of course, informative. u get to understand and to know places u have never heard of, and descriptions of the place. pre and post civilisation, or more specifically, pre- this book, and post-the book he compared it to.

This is my second book from Bill Bryson and i think he soon gona be my next StephenKing kinda addiction :)

owh, happy new year!! may we read more and share more and discuss more on the books we have read or the books we have not.

cheers!

short history of nearly everything by bill bryson

this is seriously a good book.a very serious read nevertheless. it takes lots of thinking and conforming into the writer's ideas.

i definitely recommend this book for those who loves seeking for worldly explanation like where do all the dinasours gone to? how did the earth exist? how mankind has become what they are today?

i like the style of writing where one could actually imagine the era that he was discussing, and the way he explains things makes u imagine them in real size picture.

it reminds me of 'sophie's world'..the trains of thoughts are easy to follow and ideas are easy to digest.

Dead Souls by Ian Rankin

i borrowed this book from kak masita which seems only to cumulate dust in her office. since she was pretty ignorant about the book being on her shelf, i decided to borrow them :)

the novel lingers around the story and the problems dealt n faced by an inspector in edinburgh.
it was a slow read for the first quarter of the book but once u got familiar with all of its characters (which is not much), u'll start to get cosy with the book.

it discusses of a psychopathic killer who was detained in US but wanted to be back in edinburgh for unknown solid reason. it discusses ofpaedophiles, of old flames, of teenage rage, spoilt rich brats, of cross dressers, of unstable intimate relationships. all in all, it is a town's detective drama.

i love the language coz it's simple and the things or features discussed are imaginable :)

readers digest select edition - volume 1

This book is a bumper edition where reader's digest editted 4 novels to fit in a book. definitely a good bargain. got it in amcorp's flea market for rm6.

the watchman - chris ryan

the writing sucks that i can't proceed more than 10 pages. but if ever i'm out of books, i might be getting back to this particular novel :D

best foot forward - jeane ray

this is a good one. it portrays so much about a family that at one point u would realize it happens to your family too. a real family drama. the mother has 3 kids, one married, one is getting married to a very rich guy, n her boy is dating their contractor's daughter. it holds some racial issues, adult marriage problems, mid-life crises, a spinster's desperation or basically confusion on their love life.

Open Season - C J box

kinda dull because i just couldn't relate to things the writer was describing. but then again, once i'm lacking of reading materials, i guess i'll get back to this one too.

envy - sandra brown

this is indeed a splendid read. i'm considering the book itself despite knowing the gist of the novel already. it discusses friendship and the dark side of being bestfriends. how situation would change a very desperate and envious character. friendship will falter due to greed. and how the writer writes about another writer and its editor. it's simply like several small pictures that in the end fits all in a big picture. the writer's description of the characters are very vivid that as a reader u actually would fall in love to the person she's in love with, and hates those characters she hated.