Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

i thought i was safely passed the Kinsella period in my reading preference. and i usually cant stomach much of those lovey dovey cute stories (not when you're on the wrong side of early 30's and still very much a single lass). that would just be too much and terrifyingly, horribly accusing. 

when i first saw Jenny's paper back on the shelf of Boulevard's Popular bookstore, i just gave  it a passing glance, especially when i saw sophie kinsella's comment on the front cover (a real downer, since the shopaholic series not exactly suited my taste). but because a very large man was blocking my way on that tiny aisle, i nonchalantly picked the book up and read the back cover. something in the mentioning of Lipton (a village in Derby where the story based) stirred in me to open up the book and read on. (Lipton is my favourite tea brand)

the Roald Dahl quotation sealed it for me and also the recipe on page 441. my all time favourite peanut brittle recipe. right away, i bought the book and i am hopelessly waiting for her next book: Come and Celebrate Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe, coming by the end of this year. i love this Colgan lady!. she incorporated love story with genuine recipes, i'm drooling to try.

synopsis:

Rosemary was raised in London and now settled with her boyfriend of 8 years. her job as an auxiliary nurse on call and life with Gerard, the boyfriend made her tired and plunged on a request from her mom to take care of her great grand aunt, Lilian who was bed ridden at a far away village in Derby. Lilian own a sweetshop. the plan was to settle Lilian at a good nursing home and sell the cottage and shop to cover her expanses, the whole plan should take less than 6 weeks to sort out. 

but, complication arise when Jake, a handsome farm helper, Moray, the village doctor and Stephen a mysterious wounded stranger, one by one appear in Rosie's life. where will fate leads her?

then, come a story of her great grand aunt bittersweet love story, of missing chance and regrets. 

this book reminded me of time, so precious little to sulk on other unimportant things in life and to cherish love more, cherishing people we have around us better and to tell them often that we love them, to be warm and loving, even to the coldest neighbour/ colleagues. and those lucky people who found residing place in the heart of their loved ones, to know and experience love. treasure it. 

and to never underestimate the power of instinct and chance. trust your gut for a good catch (yeah, this cover for a good book selection and other matter too)

Being never been to England, its a bit hard to imagine that quaint village in Derby, the closest image i can think of is that quaint little village of Berrena? (what was the name?) we accidentally encountered on our road trip from Melbourne to Sydney last year.  i am grateful, there's a night off in the Euro match. so, i finally got time to read this off. and i am super happy for Germany next match. sexy Gomez, bring it on!

The Happiness Project

ermmm... no, i dont usually read a self-help book like this. and i certainly wont buy any book teaching people how to be more happier. i always believe i am a naturally positive, optimist person. happiness is not something i lack or something i eagerly pursue. this might sound boastful to some, but, that's the truth. there were days when i grumbled and felt really down, but, i never really reached sadness to the point of suicide.

this book belongs to my sister, Popong, who abandoned it after reading a few pages. i felt the familiar nauseating loath for gloat after reading a chapter. (the chapters were divided by month to her objectives to achieve in the pursuit of happiness). however, she had me with her sharp writing style. i like the way she put out her argument and explanations. she is totally right with most of her arguments, she was, after all trained to make convincing arguments. except, she lacked the experience of  significant unhappiness to talk about happiness. 

its like talking on how to become a millionaire when one's born a millionaire. interesting, but not inspiring. (she's happily married to a man devoted to her and their two daughters, live in NY city, doing what she love the best, still living parents and supportive in-laws, no significant financial problem. the husband have Hep C. her sister have diabetes). ha! ko try tanam kacang dulula..

its only April and i already have 2 books in my 'pointless' category. i should stop reading crappy book. i know.

The Wonder Spot

if you can spare some time to read just one ridiculous book this year. let it be this.

Ridiculous as in, not normally progressing. like, adding years to one's age without really adding any significance to it. like, running in a circle, tiring and energy consuming without really getting anywhere. that's the feel i get reading this book. Sophie Applebaum changed little from her 12 years old to her sixty. and i'm at loss to comment if that's a good thing or no. all i can think is, that's immensely ridiculous.

people says, dont ever change. in romantic movie/ stories we often heard the phrase "i love you, just the way you are". but, change is inevitable. change is a must. i am not what i used to be when i was 20 (when Alanis Morissette's album is my most precious possession and Grisham's the best author). we change, not necessarily for the better. it's just a process of evolution (so now you know i'm pro Darwinian). so, really, i refuse to accept a fiction of unchanging tendency, personality and pointless way of perceiving life. Maybe Melissa Bank should just formatted this book into short stories collection. that way, at least the reader can make their own conclusion/ story extension.

Sophie Applebaum is one of the most disgusting character i've read so far. for that, Ms. Bank, you stand out. and out of my list..

Things I Want My Daughters to Know

by Elizabeth Noble

i was in KK last week and got this book. not exactly the type i'll bought on my own. but, the opening page of this book is a letter from a dying mum to her daughters, detailing arrangement for her funeral. that's what made me picked this book and read on. me and my close girlfriends have this crazy stupid obsession of our funeral arrangement (not that any of us in a situation of terminal illness.. palis..palis)

see Diana's here. bear in mind, that's link to her part#6, scroll down her blog entry for earlier parts. (Dy, i would highly recommend this book to you, and i bet, you'll like it!)

overall, this book is a goody-goody read. expected issues, expected outcomes, expected end. no surprise, its a bit flat for me. just perfect for a vacation read/ reading between flights

synopsis:
Barbara's dying of (what else?) cancer and had her days numbered. she wrote a journal and letters to her daughters and husband. 3 daughters from her first marriage, Lisa, Jennifer and Amanda and her youngest, Hannah, from her second husband, Mark.

each of the daughters had different issues they struggled in. Lisa with her noncommittal relationship (even though she's been living with her good looking, sensible boyfriend for years). Jennifer whose strong headed and in an unhappy marriage. Amanda, the nomad and Hannah, barely in her teen.

issues solved. Lisa marry her boyfriend Andy, Jennifer happy again with her husband, Stephen, Amanda found her root, Ed, Hannah made her first big mistake with Nathan and was sorry.

i am a true believer in loyalty. once you commit yourself to something/someone, being loyal is no more an option, its the root in any relationship. being loyal means, to stay true, respect and trust that something/ someone to the end. if ones cant handle loyalty, never commit in anything/ anyone. that will save all the troubles.

Book: Leaving The World by Douglas Kennedy

Do we have the privilege to escape this world for another at will? (i don't really know--i was raised in a Christian family who taught me early on that suicide is a sin--i cant make a good argument over this matter, or rather, should i say, i never have the need to think over this matter, seriously). But, then, i have a super supportive family, cool close friends, not-so-bitchy-colleagues, good boss, good job, good life. why should i think of dark thing like, suicide?

when i read "Leaving the World", i was reminded never to cast judgment or assumption to others. we never knew, what they're going through. i don't really get some of the storyline, especially their banters on literature, movies and music. now, i see the irony of my blog's headline. i know nothing of these topics.

synopsis

Jane was a professor of English literature. a daughter of an overcritical mother and a con-man father. her parents were separated since she was a kid. Jane's mom blamed her for the separation

Jane graduated from Harvard university (on scholarship) where she was involved with her doctoral adviser, a married man. she was happy for a while, until her man died of a road accident (suspected suicide). upon graduation, she joined a hedge fund company and began making a lot of money. she's okey for a while, until she was suspected of affiliating herself to her father's escape from FBI. she was sacked from her job.

then she went to New England to teach. she met Theo, a cinema freak and very smart too. Jane got pregnant and they were happy for a while. until a movie producer, Adrianne enter in their lives. Jane invested her money at Theo's insistent to movie production. she lost the money and her man. in the chaos, her daughter was hit by a cab and died.

she tried suicide by jamming her car to a snowboard. she survived. she went away to Canada. start anew and curbed her depression by working in a library, trying to stay as low profile as possible. she saved a girl from a highly media covered abduction case. Then, ran away from the media attention to Europe. after a while, she force herself for another academic post.

yes. its a lengthy read. but, one, i enjoyed very much (in a very melancholic way). if i could write a book/story, i'd like to be able to write something like this.

Dead Heat by Dick Francis

ooo.. his son, Felix co-wrote this book. I've been a fan of Francis after i bought 7 used books on ebay Malaysia at a bargain, sometime ago. i have been collecting his books and have 10 of his fictions. this might take me quite long, as, Francis was a very productive writer. see here for his book list. he was very passionate about horses and incorporated it in his writing. all of his stories involved horses, but, none is identical, and that takes some talent to do.

synopsis
Celebrity chef, Max Moreton was in hot water when guests got severe food poisoning from meals he prepared at a private party. his reputation and business were at stake. scrambling to make good impression after previous evening's massive disaster, he prepared the best for exclusive luncheon at the Two Thousands Guineas only to get the place blasted by bomb.

his luck worsen, his restaurant was shuttered by the department of health and he got sued by a guest from the private party with food poisoning incident. trying to protect himself, he probed into the food poisoning matter. but, the more he knew, the more deadly threat he got.

you have to read the book to know how all of these connect to horses.

Book: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

with gusto i started reading The Great Gatsby last night (because Watanabe of Norwegian wood read it again and again). a bit sad to confess, i only managed to get to page 7 (downright boring). i've been reading Murakami and Okri (the starbook) this week, maybe my mood is with the dreamy prose and get shocked with Fitzgerald's not-so-dreamy one.

Preparation to read Norwegian Wood: listen to The Beatles's Norwegian Wood. that should cover the main theme of this book.

This is a very, very sad love story. i remember reading Salina (A.Samad Said) with the same desperate longing and understanding. the willingness and blind loyalty to the person we love. commitment to love not matter what, or how. love is not something we can just shake off, discard, abandon at will. true love will stick no matter how hard we tried to scrub it off.

Synopsis:
Toru fell for his bestie's girlfriend. the bestie died (suicide). Toru went to uni in Tokyo. he befriended a very charismatic senior named Nagasawa. from him he learn to get one night stand girls. Toru accidentally met Naoko at the train station and started seeing her. they slept together on Naoko's 20th birthday (where Toru found out she never slept with Kazumi-she's a virgin). she went missing afterward. Toru met Midori, from one of his class. Midori loves Toru, and maybe Toru loves her too, if only he can let go of Naoko. he found out Naoko was in a rehab for her emotional instability. he visited Naoko and her roommate, Reiko in autumn and correspond by letters. Naoko died.

the story was narrated by mature Toru, some 20 years after.

one of the best thing i found reading a Murakami's is his ability to highlight even the slightest character in his book (and to do it so subtly), to support the mood he tried to present. example that i can think of here is the stray cat that came to Toru's shed. the cat's presence is not important, but, its important to build the main character's mood and loneliness. Murakami's a genius in connecting fine thing like that.

The Lady and The Poet by Meave Haran

Let me tell you what terrify me the most in my course of work. and its not even in my job descriptions (it was there, alright, subtly concealed as tugas-tugas yang berkaitan dan diarahkan). besides being a tutor, i am also a warden for the girl's hostel (a.k.a cikgu pemusnah cinta as most of nights i went out to see their curfew being observed and sacked those naughty ones, usually deep in their idle conversation with their bf and literally dragged them to their dorm and abused them with profanity) hahhaha... actually, i just shooed them away and follow the girl with ekor mata to their dorm.

while i try my best to follow rules and assert discipline, there are many times, i bend certain rules to make their campus life more bearable. that make me an easy target for luahan hati. that's what terrify me the most. when you were given the power to steer someone's else will. i found out, desperate young minds absorbed whatever thrown their way by a person they trusted. what if my advice led them astray? or, even, my silence might be interpreted wrongly?. the hugeness of responsibility terrify me, especially regarding heart's matter.

in The Lady and The Poet, i found the role of Ann's grandmother the most intriguing. She's there as a mediator to her son and her grand daughter, a stern personality that never let go of her high moral standing, while wholly supported Ann in her quest for seemingly ungodly way to love. i aspire to be just that, tolerance enough to see other ways while never compromising on my own faith. and wisdom to fairly draw the line of separation.

synopsis:
Ann More was a free-spirited girl with quick mind and well-read (thanks to her grandfather) in the era of Elizabeth reign (the virgin queen of England). She refused the privilege to be in the Queen's service, a post most sought after by any girl in the realm, because it almost guarantee an advantageous marriage. she then, served at her aunt's York House where she met John Donne. this is the assumed story of Ann and Donne love story from Ann's perspective.

pic from Google image

Correcting The Landscape by Marjorie Kowalski Cole

Willie Nelson, younger self

correcting the landscape

i am a sucker for koboi music. yeah, country music. and really, i didnt mind the 'seven Spanish angels' playing over and over from my elder brother's car's stereo on our way back home to Ranau. we even discussed the lyrics and debated over it. Willie Nelson is a gem!

so, when a book mentioned of a bookish lead character resembling Willie Nelson, i have to have the book. and the book didn't disappoint me. though, at first, i fear the book will be too heady for me. its the winner for 2004 Bellwether Prize for fiction.

synopsis:
Editor/publisher of a dying weekly newspaper Fairbanks Mercury, Gus Traynor narrated the story of his personal struggle with his personal matters, career and his close ring of friends and family.


the story reminded me so much of my own people. back in the 60's-70's, when timber tycoons raided our native land, my people were poorly educated to understand and estimate the value of the produce. they were given a very, very small fraction of money as compensation and to those lucky enough to get more than other people, they were drowned in the 'luxury', alcoholism is one of the by-product (not to mention that the Dusuns are always heavy drinker). still, the majority of my people failed to climb out of poverty, while the outsiders tapped on our natural resources and prosper. more than half of the land in Ranau (of any commercial value) belong to outsider and the locals work as kuli for the new land owner. pathetic? hopeless? heart breaking truth? at least, Gus Traynor was an outsider. Try being a local and not being able to do anything to help correcting the landscape (or rather, stopping the erosion).

it still hurt when i remember a nasty comment from a friend who, half-jokingly said "Bapa kau beli 4-wheel drive? dia jual tanah kamurang?".

*pics are from google image

BOOK: City of Thieves by David Benioff

i tried perming my hair once and was chided by my younger brother for looking so 'timorese'. but, i really love curly, fluffy hair. ikal-ikal gitu. however, i stick to my straight hair (after a year of failed permed hair). i dont know how others did it, but, i refuse to spend hours to tidy up my hair. so, i'll just go with my straight, no fuss hair. it's not glamorous, but, its certainly not disastrous either.

NOT Eric Bana. David Benioff

(now, you got what i mean by loving curly locks eh?--- look at his hair! YOU'd die to run your fingers to that lovely head).

synopsis:
two innocent prisoners, Lev and Kolya were thrown together in a mission to find a dozen of eggs. sound easy? this was in 1941, in the coldest winter in history, in a starving city under siege. they were given 6 days to fulfill the mission or they'll die. they scoured St Petersburg for eggs and chicken. after failing to get any (they did get a rooster), they traveled out of Piter. they got involved with the Partisan and held by German soldiers after trying to save some prostitutes. their salvation came when a senior officer agreed to play chess with Lev (he's very good with chess). thrown together in the deal is a dozen of eggs if they win. they killed that senior officer and Lev managed to runaway with the dozen of eggs and sent it to the colonel just in time. Kolya died protecting Lev. the eggs are for the colonel's daughter's wedding.

ugh!

BOOK: For All The Tea in China by Sarah Rose

For All The Tea in China

Earlier this year, i made a list of 'must do' this year. #12. read more of culture and history. this is the first 'history' book i managed to read so far.

the first book from BBW book sale i finished reading. it's a petite volume, so it took just a few hours to get done. Jane took picture of this book with my other treasures from the book sale. click to her blog.

this book caught my eyes not because it's a history book. its the plant's outline that hooked me. (if you ever cross-stitched, you'll know what i mean), and i did amateurish plant sketches when i was younger and eager to study them (theses in environmental science with a chapter of plant taxonomy). and i am a tea drinker. how can i resist a book with acaption on it's cover: how England stole the world's favorite drink and changed history?

synopsis:
England accumulated it's wealth in the East by East India Company's monopoly over opium and tea trade. however, the company had no influence over tea price, as the best tea were produced far inland of China. Chinese are mischievous and intelligent businessmen, and they controlled the price of their produce. thus, began the dream of the Company to produce their own tea. but that require seedlings and technology of making tea, which was known only to the grower in the remote places of China. and the greatest quest of all, they need to do it in big scale with utmost secrecy. came Robert Fortune, a passionate horticulturist, great spy and thief, a brave adventurer. he's the man responsible for stealing seedlings and transporting them safely to Saharanpur, northern India for planting. he also stole the skill of tea-making by transporting experts from China to India.

as always, my synopsis is oversimplified. this is a great read with no footnote of references to distract from straight reading (eventhough, i have to admit, i love footnotes). and the author made this book as simple as possible by giving general basic information before probing deeper into each subjects.

BTW, i drink Lipton. Polos*

*Polos = Just tea. no sugar, cream or lime added. (indo lingo, teh polos)

BOOK: Kafka on The Shore by Haruki Murakami

i was not impressed by my first read of Murakami's (A Wild Sheep Chase). he leaned heavily on the fantasy side, which irritated me. and a sheep is just a lamb chop for me. so, i leave the Chase. maybe someday i'll read it again.

and if you ever heard/read of Haruki Murakami, maybe you'd be telling me. 'why don't you read his Norwegian Wood?'. Because: i dont want his best to be my first. i'll read that too, someday. for the time being, i'll let my mind to be occupied by the charming Alexander Rybak, each time i heard of 'Norwegian wood'. (and not some forlorn Asian lovers).

i read Kafka on The Shore, mainly because of the name "Kafka". i have yet to read any of Kafka's works, but he's a big name and the title made me curious. so, i bought the book and read on. i was blown away! it was absolutely beautiful. multi layers of stories, neatly piled up. did i mentioned crazy too? yeah.. it's crazy.

synopsis:
A 15-years old boy (Kafka) runaway from home, trying to get away from his father. he ended up in a remote town with a lovely private library, where he found sanctuary and friends, the head librarian and her assistant. A simpleton, old man, named Nakata, have the ability to talk to cats, make things fall from the sky and super sixth sense. Nakata's quest of locating one missing cat ended up in him killing Kafka's father (or whatever it was, when he spoke to Nakata). led by his sixth sense, Nakata leave town to find 'the stone'. meanwhile, police tried to locate Kafka. Kafka, by the help of his new friend hid away far in the forest. the stone apparently was the key to open another realm, in where, Kafka was tempted to stay. he chose to stay in our world and face his problem. Nakata died peacefully after fulfilling his last task.

i leave so many delightful details, to avoid confusion in the synopsis. and i'm not a spoiler, so, go on, read this book. i'm still mulling over two very prominent questions in mind after reading the book. #1: if memories and talents were taken away from us, what will left of us? #2: is it possible for a ghost (spirit) of a person to be seen by others, while that person lives and what does it mean?

did i mentioned the book is heavily peppered with notes on music, musician, history, philosophy, great books and magic? yeah.. loaded.


p/s: i am a firm believer in the existence of the spirits. be it evil or holy. and we can sense their presence if we open up our soul.

This post has nothing to do with our football team loss to Japan in Fukuoka last Wednesday. why we watch Malaysian football? yeah, pasal ada si Apek..

BOOK: House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

i took a course in my sophomore year in Fakulti Pengajian Islam, (the only girl with gleaming black, long straight hair in the only lecture hall in the whole uni practicing gender separation) and get to know a very beautiful Iranian lady, Azadeh. my parents, just went for their overseas trip to Holy Land and took a lot of pictures from Jordan. so, i talked to her of Jordan and what little i knew of Iran. from her, i knew that Iranian speak Persian, not Arabic. she speaks Arabic because she studies at Jordan uni.
and how can you miss "Children of Heaven"?. click on to see the trailer

------------------------------------------------------------------------

edit: the trailer was cr*ppy. sorry, i've just checked it. the trailer failed to trailed the film. its a brilliant film. and i mean, really, brilliant in a very humble way.

if i have a chance to travel in the Middle East, i'll certainly put Iran in my itinerary. that, after i manage to pull all my courage to even think of going there. wars devastated the land and made it almost unsafe for women travelers to enjoy traveling in these part of the world.

the House of Sand and Fog was a story of Iranian family seeking asylum in the States, fleeing a new reign of power in their homeland. Behrani, a former military intel specializing in purchasing military weaponry (high salary) found himself with lowly jobs of picking trash along the highway and tending a small convenience store at night. he lived a double life, as he ought to keep appearance in order to get his daughter a suitable suitor. after his daughter married to a successful doctor, Behrani and his family moved to a smaller bungalow he got at a bargain price.

the bungalow was belong to a recovering alcoholic lady who was forced to leave her house because she failed to pay her tax. she befriended the policeman who evicted her and got in an affair with him. while struggling with his domestic chaos (divorcing his wife and leaving his kids), the policeman tried to help her to get her house back, up to a point he threatened the Behrani family to leave the premise.

the story ended tragically, with the lady hospitalized, the policeman jailed, Behrani and his wife went back to Iran to face a firing squad and his only son died, shot by the policeman.

this is a story, where you dont know who to pity. because, it seems, everyone was a victim.

and if you think the storyline's horrible enough to make a good movie, yes, there's a movie version of this book. Ben Kingsley played Behrani. and if you wonder how the author can even think of writing such heartbreaking story, do click Andre Dubus III. i read the book 3 times, each read tempted me to change the plot. its too helpless.

i'll give 3.5/5. because, i dont see a point of clearly defining the numerous sex act(s).

long overdue doc, but, ya, finally a review.

BOOK: The Edible Woman by Margaret Artwood

For background information and summary of the book, click onto this wiki link

This book was written when she was 24 (1965), so there's a lot of nervous energy, doubts and idealism presented in the story, as expected from a young writer. but the effortless way she wrote about matters undoubtedly deep and witty. the book pushed Artwood's career to the sky, when due to negligence the publisher only published her book in 1969, coinciding the heat of Feminism movement in North America.

She surely have secured her place in my must read list. i love the way she wrote, the raw passion and honesty. the dialogues were totally believable, the storyline fantastic. she wrote lots of quirky nonsense that actually make sense, once you try to think it over. and she's funny.

OOOO... forget all those qualities, she won my heart over when she correctly mentioned pitcher plants as bulbous leaves. Kukuanga* loves you girl.

so, i must thank siti, for lending me this wonderful book. because on my own, i wont go near this type of book (feminism and all). its too intimidating. i dont see the point of fighting for something as elusive as gender equalisation. where in the end, the fighter dont even know how to handle victory. that's the problem with us girls, we dont actually know what we really want.

i was dumbfounded when a certain lady in position within the Ministry i serve made a comment on the paint colours of our building when the main discussion was on the future intakes of students and development planning for the college.

* Pitcher plant (in Dusun language)

BOOK: The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

481 pages and you have to read each page to get the storyline correctly, because this is a book with main plot, sub plots, sub-sub plots, where each character played important role in building up an intricate, very mazelike content.

i was hooked from the first paragraph as the author described the dawn of early summer in Barcelona in 1945 as "dawn poured over Rambla de Santa Monica in wreath of liquid copper". Oh! i wished, i had his clarity in giving description. Reading those line made me SEE those street as if i was there. No matter how bizzare this might sound to you, he transported me to places, introduced me to people with different characters. This book is, magic.

The summary of the book is simple. a boy read a book and wanted to read another book by that author. His dad was a second hand book dealer and through acquaintances, found out the author had written several books but, mysteriously dissapeared. The boy's copy might be the last in existance. His quest to unravel the mysteries trapped him in a very complex situation, where his own life might be condemn to despair. The boy who started off to seek the truth, returned a man with changed perspective of truth.

Dont be decieved by my super simplified summary. The book is a must read. If i could read in Spanish, i'd read the original. Lucia Graves made an excellent English translation (she even gave different english accent to the man who spoke different Spanish accent)--which is for me neat and seriously funny. Ruiz Zafon was lucky to have her.

i'd give the book 4.75/5

i dont usually go and check author's fan website. but, this is the link for Carlos Ruiz Zafon's. this is the second book i borrow from this lady

BOOK: True North by Kimberly Kafka

To what extent do you think you would go to start anew in life? would you abandon everything and go to the end of the world for a second chance in life?. most of us, me included, are too bagged down, deeply rooted that moving away from our small niche, familiar habitat is simply a risk not worth taking.

But, what if you could afford to get away?

Bailey did that. After the death of her only sibling, she moved away from her hometown to the unknown territory of Alaska. She bought a piece of land, without really knowing she’s tempering with the native’s politic ie: The native’s cooperation. Kash, who would do anything for his people including seducing Bailey to get her land in their campaign to unite the whole native land under the cooperation, was the leader for that Coop.

Living in Alaska as an alien fighting torrent weather, with short summer and long, dreadful winter, Bailey adjusted her life by trying to live adjacent but not involved with the native. She even tried to be indifferent to Kash, with little success. But, all was good and in peace until a young couple lured by the gold prospect in Alaska decided to come under the guise of camping and hiking in the wilderness.

By some twist of fates, in the goodness of her heart to help Kash, Bailey ended up being responsible to send off the young couple to their basecamp. the sensitive natives went aggresive towards the whites when they suspected the true intention of their guests. Bailey stucked in the middle of the aggresion when she found out that, the young girl might be linked to her past private life and tried to save them from the natives aggresion.

Kash, torn between protecting his natives rights and his true affection to Bailey must act fast and precise, to save not only his people's honour but his heart's angel.

your love is my shelter
my compass, my true north
wherever i go, your love is guiding me forth.
(Eternity of our love- Millette Addison)

BOOK: The Street Philosopher by Matthew Plampin

not the kind of book i usually find myself reading. i read the book in a hurry. so, the slow pace of the plot irked me a lot. maybe in another leisurely setting to read, i'd appreciate the book better.

i chose the book based on the title without reading the review given by the lender. i should have read those review. but, at least my curiosity over the title paid off: street philosopher = society column writer = gossip writer. therefore, majalah URTV, Mangga and the kinds should be called "street philosopher's philosophical magazine". certainly that sounds better than 'entertainment magazine'.. ooooo. crap!

The story sets during and after the Crimean war. Thomas Kitson, an ambitious young journalist was sent to Crimea as a junior correspondent for London Courier, working with a daredevil senior, Richard Cracknell and a young illustrator, Robert Styles. their team worked in the frontline, reporting on the progress of the war to people back home.

the Crimean war, which the author aptly simplified as 'the Lion fought the Bear to save turkey' was a perfect setting for story of incompetent, crooked army general. the narration shifted several times from Crimea to Manchester 2 years later, unfolding untold heinous crimes and injustice done during the war. adulterous affair, gruesome battlefield, insanity under duress and stringful of revenge made this book entertaining enough to read to the end, if only to get hold of a good closure.

oooo my, i'd give 2.5/5 point for this book.

BOOK: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

so, i was a bit down at the beginning of this week. a good read should do me good. i went to popular bookstore, Boulevard, Kuching, yesterday to collect my membership card and also to window shop for books. (i'm dead broke, buying a book was out of question).

but, i did. i bought Jeannette Walls's Half Broke Horses. for the cover and for the author's note, by calling the book a novel, wheres others will categorize it memoir/biography. the story is about her grandma, Lily. a thin volume, it took only over couple hours to read. then, i re-read.

i'm not overly crazy of her writing style, nor the grandma she potrayed. i have no intention in my life to ever be in her shoes. no matter how adventurous her life sounded.

the story began with Lily, together with her younger siblings, Buster and Helen survived a Texas' plain flash flood when she was 10, then trot on her childhood living in a dugout, breaking horses for wagon horses, ranch chores and occassional flashback on her parents' families history. surviving a tornado and moved to a ranch in Arizona.

then, come the heartbreaking part of where she went to school and had to go back to the ranch because her gimp father bought dogs instead of paying for her tuition. throughout the book, Lily was potrayed as a sensible, practical and very resourceful woman. being so, at 15 she went to northern Arizona, 500 miles ride on a horse she broke herself. she took 4 weeks travelling the distance, alone on her own expenses to be a teacher. she got the position because there's shortage on teachers during the war and because of the remoteness of the place. when she's 18, the WW1 over, so was her temporary teaching position.

so, she went to Chicago. having no diploma or any academic certificate, she only can chose to become a factory worker or maid. she chose the later. it was in this city she met and married a salesman, Ted at 21. after 6 years of marriage, she discovered that Ted, actually has another family. brokenhearted, she annuled the wedding and went back to his father's ranch. finding no purpose in the ranch, as it now belong to her brother, Buster. She enrolled in the university to get her degree, she got her high school diploma in Chicago, attending night classes. on her second year, she got a position to teach at Red Lake, Arizona.

it was here she met her second husband, Jim, 20 years her senior who taught her to drive. when Lily went to Chicago, her pretty sister, Helen went to Los Angeles to try acting. She ended up pregnant and came up to Lily at Red Lake. she later commited suicide. her death sobered up Lily on her purpose in life. she decided to marry Jim and started a family. the family survived the Great Depression, thanks to Lily's resourcefullness. she even managed to learn flying small plane during the depression. the book ended with the birth of Jeannette Walls, the author of this book by Rosemary Smith, Lily's daughter.

Now, i really need to read The Glass Castle, Walls book on her mom, Rosemary.

this passage on page 207 , mugged my heart. (conversation between Lily and her small daughter, Rosemary over the Mormon's belief in temple garment)

"America is a free country," i said. "and that means people are free to believe whatever cockamamie thing they want to believe"

"so, they dont have to believe it if they dont want to?" Rosemary asked.

"no, they dont"

"but, do they know that?"

Malaysia is a free country too. do we know that? really?

Land Below the Wind

"oh? what do you want?" came Harry's question.
"i dont know, but i guess that spirits arent as reliable as guts, Harry, and you've got guts"

Agnes Keith, Land Below the Wind (1939),

Pg294, Opus Publications (2010)

Times: RM44.00

i cried over (the above quoted). Obvious reason, aint me?

go on, read the book. its good. forgive the super-indon batik motif cover. i wonder who's responsible. this requires explanation.

i'd seen the book, sometimes, long ago and ignored it (mainly because it doesnt include any reference to plants biodiversity nor soil classification) which used to be my staple diet of reading. how on earth i managed to read St. John's Life in the forest of the Far East? if not for the regimented reading?

BOOK: Stones into Schools

If you're a longtime reader of this blog, you might realize, most of the books mentioned here in this blog are fictions. and i have to confess, yes i mostly read fictions. because its much easier to read and entertaining (ooo.. dont we all love the idea of lite& easy?). and i dont need to keep on checking details and facts, absorbing the ideas and thinking about the contents (as i tend to do, reading non-fictions).

By reading fictions, we let our emotion rules. we dont really care about the facts, as long as its marginally believable, the plots gripping and the characters have character. we're hooked.

i have another thing to confess, i have problem reading autobiography. i just cant decide how to categorize them. but, i do read them and loathed most of them. some of the autobiographies i truly enjoyed were: A Malaysian Diplomat's Diary and Out of Africa. enough to say, i dont buy much autobiography. so, its not a surprise i missed Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. i bought his second book (mostly because somebody else co-wrote it) 'Stones into Schools' and deeply inspired by the efforts of this guy.

what he did was amazing. an ordinary guy, trying (at first, just to return kind favour) to do something small, contributing with what he have with passion and ended up doing extraordinary humanitarian efforts in the tumultuous regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. His mantra " if you educate a boy, you educate an individual, but if you educate a girl, you educate a community". He completely won my heart over.

note to self: keep on doing those baby steps...