Must-Read Books!!!

[wesleyanne]

Hmm.....since no one has started posting yet, I'll be the first :)
I must say that reading is THE best hobby ANYONE can adopt!!! Even though most of us probably don't really have much time to sit down and read novels/book etc, its truly amazing how much you can learn by reading! Anyway, few books have really had an impact on me and I'd like to start posting about the books I truly love so if any of you have the time, go read them!!!

The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende. Truly one of the better books around. One of the very few books that once I started reading, I really could not put it down, but thank goodness it was christmas hols when I started to read it! Very powerful and compelling and you learn quite a bit about the Chilean government and politics. Its also a perfect blend of seriousness and imagination, esp with Clara's narration of the story!!! :) Oh yeah, and its also one of those books where I actually HAD to refer to the dictionary for some words ;) Its translated from Spanish and I heard the original Spanish version is way more enticing~

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Very detailed description about the Japanese culture and the Geisha world, although some critics have said that it is not as accurate as it should be. Read it years ago, lost the book, and I loved it so much I actually bought it again.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I'm absolutely fascinated with the Indian culture, hence I keep purchasing books that describe the Indian culture well. However, the more I read about India, the more I wonder if India really is as they portray it to be, hence compelling me to make India as my next place to visit. Anyway, A Fine Balance is seriously depressing! but enlightening nonetheless. Other books to read regarding this colorful culture would be Arranged Marriage by Chitra Divakaruni and the City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre (which I bought immediately after watching the movie, which literally made me cry)! Haven't completed reading them yet, but I'm making it a point to do so during this spring break!

Thats it for now~ The 3 books Ive read that I truly truly love and have learnt so much from!

Oh yeah, I also have A Beautiful Mind (also bought after watching the movie which truly inspired me) by Sylvia Nassar, La Prisonniere by Malika Oufkir and the God of Small Things by Arundati Roy. Havent finished reading them yet though~ haha, but if anyone has read them, which one would you recommend reading first?

[wesleyanne]

Hmm.....since no one has started posting yet, I'll be the first :)
I must say that reading is THE best hobby ANYONE can adopt!!! Even though most of us probably don't really have much time to sit down and read novels/book etc, its truly amazing how much you can learn by reading! Anyway, few books have really had an impact on me and I'd like to start posting about the books I truly love so if any of you have the time, go read them!!!

The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende. Truly one of the better books around. One of the very few books that once I started reading, I really could not put it down, but thank goodness it was christmas hols when I started to read it! Very powerful and compelling and you learn quite a bit about the Chilean government and politics. Its also a perfect blend of seriousness and imagination, esp with Clara's narration of the story!!! :) Oh yeah, and its also one of those books where I actually HAD to refer to the dictionary for some words ;) Its translated from Spanish and I heard the original Spanish version is way more enticing~

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Very detailed description about the Japanese culture and the Geisha world, although some critics have said that it is not as accurate as it should be. Read it years ago, lost the book, and I loved it so much I actually bought it again.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I'm absolutely fascinated with the Indian culture, hence I keep purchasing books that describe the Indian culture well. However, the more I read about India, the more I wonder if India really is as they portray it to be, hence compelling me to make India as my next place to visit. Anyway, A Fine Balance is seriously depressing! but enlightening nonetheless. Other books to read regarding this colorful culture would be Arranged Marriage by Chitra Divakaruni and the City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre (which I bought immediately after watching the movie, which literally made me cry)! Haven't completed reading them yet, but I'm making it a point to do so during this spring break!

Thats it for now~ The 3 books Ive read that I truly truly love and have learnt so much from!

Oh yeah, I also have A Beautiful Mind (also bought after watching the movie which truly inspired me) by Sylvia Nassar, La Prisonniere by Malika Oufkir and the God of Small Things by Arundati Roy. Havent finished reading them yet though~ haha, but if anyone has read them, which one would you recommend reading first?

[iQing]

I agree it?s very healthy when we read books... it has huge impact on our society as well...

everytime we read one book.. I bet u will observe that our thinking change a little..
as we read more books our mind changes more
and the thinking scope gets widen as well..

as wise people say...
Books are the food for the mind
feed the mind often and we will grow healthy....
we have to read a great variety of books and it?s great if we discuss and s?hare what we know with others....

some books are really motivating and some.. inspiring...
Try read some very interestingly written books and write ?what u have read in ur school essay and u will see a great effect of readers.....

other than books we can read nice articles available in various source..

that?s for now.. thanx for sharing
see u again.
sorry for not being able to log in here often
take care

[iQing]

I agree it?s very healthy when we read books... it has huge impact on our society as well...

everytime we read one book.. I bet u will observe that our thinking change a little..
as we read more books our mind changes more
and the thinking scope gets widen as well..

as wise people say...
Books are the food for the mind
feed the mind often and we will grow healthy....
we have to read a great variety of books and it?s great if we discuss and s?hare what we know with others....

some books are really motivating and some.. inspiring...
Try read some very interestingly written books and write ?what u have read in ur school essay and u will see a great effect of readers.....

other than books we can read nice articles available in various source..

that?s for now.. thanx for sharing
see u again.
sorry for not being able to log in here often
take care

[trishotiwuth]

i'm reading the Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells right now. Sharing some similar themes with the famous The Joy Luck CLub (Amy Tan), this novel gives wonderful illustrations of life in Lousiana in the 50s. It's a girly girly book but I love it! The Ya-yas demonstrate how strong a bond between girlfriends can be. This book is a celebration of Girl Power. You just gotta read it.

[trishotiwuth]

i'm reading the Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells right now. Sharing some similar themes with the famous The Joy Luck CLub (Amy Tan), this novel gives wonderful illustrations of life in Lousiana in the 50s. It's a girly girly book but I love it! The Ya-yas demonstrate how strong a bond between girlfriends can be. This book is a celebration of Girl Power. You just gotta read it.

[lilet]

Hi there! I am an avid reader too, but unfortunately, the only books that I would willingly pick up are only classified under the fiction section! :D

My latest reading project is on the fifth and latest installment of the Earth's Children Series, by the author Jean M. Auel. Anyone heard of it or read it before? Let's see.. the first book is The Clan of the Cave Bear, 2nd - The Valley of Horses, 3rd - The Mammoth Hunters, 4th - The Plains of Passage and finally the fifth book that I am still halfway through is The Shelters of Stone. So, what are these average of 1 1/2 inches books mainly about? If you guessed prehistoric type of adventure and fantasy, then you are correct!

The setting of this magnificent saga is in the old stone age settlement in the region known today as south-west France. Mainly based on the life and journey of a woman named Ayla, this masterpiece boasts of tons of extensive research done on the prehistoric subject... Very, very detailed indeed... Almost to the point of enabling you to picture yourself in the story's landscape. There are also many great vocabs and amazing ideas in all five books. This reminds me - the Earth's Children saga is designed to be a 7 book one, if I remember correctly.

Anyone interested in learning more about the origins of the homo sapiens and the passing of the homo neanderthal is strongly recommended to pick up the first installment of this series, The Clan of Cave Bear, so as not to get confused by the storyline. Yeah, it will be very time consuming to finish all five but they are definitely worth the effort and time! :D

[lilet]

Hi there! I am an avid reader too, but unfortunately, the only books that I would willingly pick up are only classified under the fiction section! :D

My latest reading project is on the fifth and latest installment of the Earth's Children Series, by the author Jean M. Auel. Anyone heard of it or read it before? Let's see.. the first book is The Clan of the Cave Bear, 2nd - The Valley of Horses, 3rd - The Mammoth Hunters, 4th - The Plains of Passage and finally the fifth book that I am still halfway through is The Shelters of Stone. So, what are these average of 1 1/2 inches books mainly about? If you guessed prehistoric type of adventure and fantasy, then you are correct!

The setting of this magnificent saga is in the old stone age settlement in the region known today as south-west France. Mainly based on the life and journey of a woman named Ayla, this masterpiece boasts of tons of extensive research done on the prehistoric subject... Very, very detailed indeed... Almost to the point of enabling you to picture yourself in the story's landscape. There are also many great vocabs and amazing ideas in all five books. This reminds me - the Earth's Children saga is designed to be a 7 book one, if I remember correctly.

Anyone interested in learning more about the origins of the homo sapiens and the passing of the homo neanderthal is strongly recommended to pick up the first installment of this series, The Clan of Cave Bear, so as not to get confused by the storyline. Yeah, it will be very time consuming to finish all five but they are definitely worth the effort and time! :D

[wesleyanne]

cool :) any type of reading is beneficial ;)

I finished yet another book during spring break. Arranged Marriage by Chitra Divakaruni. A collection of short stories regarding arranged marriages, some have open endings, some infer you to a conclusion, some are straightforwardly depressing. Kinda gets me thinking about the whole concept of arranged marriages, which is why I bought this book in the first place ;) oh well...but overall, its pretty educating, viewing arranged marriages from women of different backgrounds, social status etc, and how they deal with it.

[wesleyanne]

cool :) any type of reading is beneficial ;)

I finished yet another book during spring break. Arranged Marriage by Chitra Divakaruni. A collection of short stories regarding arranged marriages, some have open endings, some infer you to a conclusion, some are straightforwardly depressing. Kinda gets me thinking about the whole concept of arranged marriages, which is why I bought this book in the first place ;) oh well...but overall, its pretty educating, viewing arranged marriages from women of different backgrounds, social status etc, and how they deal with it.

[iQing]

I wouldl like to recommend a very interesting book:

Watching the Trees by Adeline Yen Mah...
it talks a lot about he life and chinese culture
and I guarantee that u will learn a lot from it...
worth reading.. 5 stars rating

[iQing]

I wouldl like to recommend a very interesting book:

Watching the Trees by Adeline Yen Mah...
it talks a lot about he life and chinese culture
and I guarantee that u will learn a lot from it...
worth reading.. 5 stars rating

[Ic3b3rg]

Les Miserables by VIctor Hugo
Lovely book....it IS heavy reading.... both metaphorically and physically....
but it weaves the complex thread of human life into a very beautiful fabric....
the way the author create coincidences in the lives of the main characters is so subtle that it is poetry in motion!!
the thing i like most about this book is that
1. it examines what the society believes as morally right..... and what our integrity tells us as morally right....it challenges us to take the norms of society and test it against our own principles....

2. it portrays the transformation of the main character...JEan Valjean from a convicted theft.... with no conscience..... one who acts with animal instincts..... a hardened criminal....
into a person whose faith in truth and justice is so strong that he willingly surrenders himself for a minor crime he committed decades ago in order to protect the life of an old man.... bear in mind that Jean by that time has become a successful businessman who is the lifeline of the entire town..... his business helped improve the town and feed hundreds of poor workers..... whereas the old man is just a drunkard....

3. it portrays the effects of poverty and the prejudice of society upon humans..... how poverty can transform the morality of a man... and how only strong integrity can protect a man from degrading himself.......Jean became a convict because he stole a loaf of bread... the society has a prejudice against the poor....so the court sentenced him to 5 years in jail!!.... later.... the prisoners taught him to escape.... after several attempts... Jean's sentence was prolonged to 19 years.... and he became a hardened criminal...

4. unlike the authors of that era.... the author of this book laced the story with a sense of hope..... despite portraying the dark side of society... he did not, like his peers give a sense of irony and bitterness in the story.... instead the ending was so full of hope that each of us can have the strength to turn over a new leaf and build a strong personality to function as persons of integrity


* i read this book last year so if i have posted any wrong details of the book, pls correct me.... :wink: *

[Ic3b3rg]

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
1: Be Proactive
2: Begin with the End in Mind
3: Put First Things First
4: Think Win/Win
5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
6: Synergize
7: Sharpen the Saw

I guess most of u would have already read this book or heard of it..... actually i just want to say that if you have not read it...give it a try...
unlike most motivational talks.... Covey does not sound like he is trying to give us some counselling... in fact he does not sound like a counsellor at alll...
his choice of language is everyday language ....with day to day examples...... easy to understand....
most of all he does not set rigid rules for self improvement....just seven steps which are easy to follow if you read the first chapter ......its all about sticking to your principles and INTEGRITY..... :wink:

[iQing]

here?s a very gpood website where u can download free books :

http://www.free-ebooks.net/

[poen]

Hi guys.. I am new here.. I must say my taste for books vary over periods of time..

I just finished reading Irshad Manji's "The Trouble with Islam"... Pretty controversial (since I am a Muslim), but it is a good discussion (although more oftenly sounding like a rant!) for those interested in Islam and issues related to it...

Oh, yeah.. ABout that Covey book.. Just bought it, haven't started reading... But i assure you it is awesome..

Hope to hear more updates... Especially from ppl with suggestion on a "must-read" list..

Me? I typically enjoy non-fiction.. Politics, economics or anything that would make me feel somebody else than a mechanical engineering hopeful..

laters...

[Ic3b3rg]

Waiting to Exhale - Terry McMillan,1992

This book is not really your usual intellectual fare. In fact, the four women's mindless chatter, foul language, casual sex, pills and cigarettes may turn you off. But this book arrested my attention because of its honest portrayal of black women's life. The problems they face: divorce, love, teenage pregnancy etc were blended into their day-to-day life. There is an undercurrent of change reflected in their lives: they become independent, modern women who are proud of their black heritage. Read this book to get a better glimpse of a life different from yours.

[Ic3b3rg]

When The Bough Breaks-- Jonathan Kellerman

Usual thriller fare. But rather addictive, because the plot and sub-plots are so intricate that your mind will be on the alert as the hero tries to piece together the puzzles behind two mysterious murders.... haha!

[Moozy]

I must say that reading is THE best hobby ANYONE can adopt!!!

I truly agree! I love books too! Now that i'm so free, besides surfing, I can spend as much time as i like to read(which is impossible before cuz, u know, had to mug for SPM)

Ok, this is a very very very good book that I'm gonna introduce to u all :

A Thousand Pieces Of Gold by Adeline Yen Mah

Here is the sinopsis at the back of the book:

Proverbs are fascinating in any country but in China they still play and have always played a far more significant role.

Most Chinese proverbs are based on historical events and the greatest number originate from that extraordinary period of history when the First Emperor of China - creator of the terracotta soldiers - ruled.


Basically, this book is all about China's history from the time the First Emperor(Qing Shi Huang Di) ruled until Liu Bang won the Chu-Han war. And a little about the author's personal life and modern Chinese history where Deng Xiao Ping and Mao ZeDong come into the picture.

It's really a GREAT book! U all should read it, especially Chinese who are not familiar with Chinese history. Funny why our History text book does not include detailed chinese history whereas Chinese make up of the 2nd largest race in M'sia. This book made me appreaciate our chinese culture and history more.

A Thousand Pieces Of Gold can be found in MPH bookstores. They have plenty of storage at MPH Jaya Jusco, Ipoh.

[Moozy]

I wouldl like to recommend a very interesting book:

Watching the Trees by Adeline Yen Mah...
it talks a lot about he life and chinese culture
and I guarantee that u will learn a lot from it...
worth reading.. 5 stars rating

Yeah, it's a great book. Talks mostly about IQing, which Adeline's YeYe(grandfather) liked so much and Chinese Feng Shui. I'm an avid Adeline Yen Mah fan. Have u tried 'Falling Leaves' and 'A Thousand Pieces of Gold' ? They're superb!

[wesleyanne]

I bet you if Amy Tan were to release a new book, it'll be the same ol storyline: The relationships between second generation Chinese-Americans and their traditional Chinese mothers. But then again, it sells, and she's obviously found her niche. Nonetheless, I have read almost every book of hers, except the Hundred Secret Senses, and I find them to be extremely entertaining :) I've also read Adeline Yen Mah's 'Falling Leaves' quite a while back and her books are also more on the entertaining side. However, if you're looking for a more accurate, descriptive, serious portrayal of China, I would recommend 'The Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China' instead. but that's just my personal opinion :)

Anyway, I'm trying to learn a little bit more regarding Islam, have to admit, I have no knowledge whatsoever regarding the religion so any recommendations on which book would be a good starter? I'm trying to find something really good to read to keep me occupied in the plane :)

[masterof_none]

Hi Wesleyanne,

There are many many books about Islam that I could recommend.
But I think the best way to begin is to get an overview about Islam from the most authoritative source of Islam : the Holy Quran.
The one that I recommend is Al Quran, translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Here:
http://www.islam101.com/quran/yusufAli/
This is the one that I read.
But if you know Arabic, the sentences in the Quran are really beautiful. (and the Arabic language itself is beautiful.)

But before that, you might be interested in the book:
A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam:
http://www.islam-guide.com/

This is in fact the book that I would recommend before reading the Quran. (but, I don't know if they sell it at the bookstore).

Tell me more if you need further help on the books.

[topdog]

However, if you're looking for a more accurate, descriptive, serious portrayal of China, I would recommend 'The Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China' instead. but that's just my personal opinion :)
yeap, i agree. i read that book years ago and it's still my favorite china/chinese-themed book, the other being "sons of the yellow emperor: a history of the chinese diaspora" if i recall correctly.

[chenchow]

I have read a book about the process of getting "Haji" in Makkah and I would say that it has helped a lot in broaden my mind on the process. I read it during Remove or Form 1, so that's about 10 years ago, but I think I enjoy thoroughly about it. I can't remember what's the name of the book already.

Hopefully we can inculcate a habit of reading among ReCom members.

[Moozy]

Good news for John Grisham book readers!
2 books in 1, at only RM19.90. If u have Popular card, u get an extra 10% discount. I bought 2 immediately:

The Client , The Street lawyer
and
The Chamber , The Rainmaker

feels like a girl buying a dress she's been eyeing at half price. *smile*

[__earth]

the belgariad

its a famous fantasy novel. you might say its the LOTR of modern times. quite entertaining.

[StupidCupid]

Why did i said so??
cuz book i read were kind like kiddy kind of books...
such as Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot, Harry Potter series by J. W. Rowling, Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, ... etc.
everything like fantasy, wonderland ...
i guess i'm kind of childish... :wink:


But...
I like tis kind of me! :D
cuz i can always come by 2 my little world whenever i faced problems, whenever i was down, whenever i got sick of the reality of tis world ...
no matter wat happened, i still got my little world 2 stay in...
i'll b safe n sound there...

[DecentMerson]

hmmm... Robert Ludlum's books("The Bourne" Trilogy, The Sigma Protocol"

Dan Brown's books(Da Vinci's Code, Digital Fortress, yet to read(Angels and Demons, and Deception Point)

Tim Cockney's books(the sarcasm of his books are really wonderful)...

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

The curious incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
(strongly recommended by me....) read this book twice, at least, to understand it better... dun speed through just because the book is written in a "simple" writing style....

[jiinjoo]

Ah - totally immerse in the story of Seattle. I recommend Son of the Profits by William Speidel.

Ever wondered how Seattle started? The folks that conducts the most hilarious and insightful history tours in the city, the "Underground tour", compiled a book about what the "Seattle spirit" is.

Here's the link (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=miscmarket-20&path=tg/detail/-/0914890069) to amazon.

[iQing]

Initiation Into Hermetics
by Franz Bardon.

This book is very practical and useful to me.

[__earth]

let's change the format of our posting. When ReCommending (heh, couldn't help it), do a short summary. Aight?

[pandaboy]

let's change the format of our posting. When ReCommending (heh, couldn't help it), do a short summary. Aight?

Agree! Heck, I havent read a story book for a very long time!

[etcmp]

Hi,
I guess people have different interests in books:

Some suggestions from me (excuse for typing error-but I am in a bit of a rush...! )

Fiction;
1. - The picture of dorian gray by Oscar Wilde - be careful can be a bit depressing, but makes u think about the good and the evil (nietzsche ) and moderation plus aspect of equilibirium of mind... and the idea of transivity in life ..
2. Keep the aspidistra flying - George Orwell - a true account of poverty and anti-capitalism.
3. Identity- MIlan Kundera- a great pscyhological book about love and identity, the term compassion and empathy (deriving from latin word)
4. Immortality-milan Kundera- looks into the conceptualization of immortality..based on psycholinguistic study/aspects of human dynamics behavior
5. The outsider- Albert Camus- great work on the aspects of emotionaless human being.

Non-fiction
1. The construction of social reality - John R.Searle- A fascinating complex work about the readings of human mind - how we "construct" ontology of mind..the meanings of words, things, and communication..
2. Mind and Nature - Gregory Bateson- for those who are interested to become a scientist, please read this..
3. The society of Mind- Marvin Minsky- how to create computer programs that has some kind of intelligence and has some kind of human like behavior based on the methodology of multi-agent systems...

[lyzzy]

Spenser: The Faerie Queene
Milton: Paradise Lost

They are not easy books to read either, but I always found this site: http://www.sparknotes.com helpful for free plot summaries.

If you had the choice of buying a latest mass-market paperback and one of these books, buy literature always. It'll change your life forever. :D
________
Daihatsu Compagno history (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Daihatsu_Compagno)

[wpyeoh]

Les Miserables by VIctor Hugo
Lovely book....it IS heavy reading.... both metaphorically and physically....
but it weaves the complex thread of human life into a very beautiful fabric....
the way the author create coincidences in the lives of the main characters is so subtle that it is poetry in motion!!
the thing i like most about this book is that
1. it examines what the society believes as morally right..... and what our integrity tells us as morally right....it challenges us to take the norms of society and test it against our own principles....

2. it portrays the transformation of the main character...JEan Valjean from a convicted theft.... with no conscience..... one who acts with animal instincts..... a hardened criminal....
into a person whose faith in truth and justice is so strong that he willingly surrenders himself for a minor crime he committed decades ago in order to protect the life of an old man.... bear in mind that Jean by that time has become a successful businessman who is the lifeline of the entire town..... his business helped improve the town and feed hundreds of poor workers..... whereas the old man is just a drunkard....

3. it portrays the effects of poverty and the prejudice of society upon humans..... how poverty can transform the morality of a man... and how only strong integrity can protect a man from degrading himself.......Jean became a convict because he stole a loaf of bread... the society has a prejudice against the poor....so the court sentenced him to 5 years in jail!!.... later.... the prisoners taught him to escape.... after several attempts... Jean's sentence was prolonged to 19 years.... and he became a hardened criminal...

4. unlike the authors of that era.... the author of this book laced the story with a sense of hope..... despite portraying the dark side of society... he did not, like his peers give a sense of irony and bitterness in the story.... instead the ending was so full of hope that each of us can have the strength to turn over a new leaf and build a strong personality to function as persons of integrity


* i read this book last year so if i have posted any wrong details of the book, pls correct me.... :wink: *


I just read it... ^_^ Really good! The only bad thing was that there were too many useless details (in my opinion); I skipped several parts where he(Victor Hugo) explained some of his opinions in length... Iceberg: just curious, did you read through every single part? I just couldn't; I wanted to know what happens to the characters...I plan to reread the book in full, (I think), but goodness knows when... :roll:

Here are links to read the book online:
English: http://www.online-literature.com/victor_hugo/les_miserables/ (I got this link from a post by saser_sp ^_^; I put it here so that you don't have to go hunting in another thread for it)
French: http://www.livresse.com/Livres-enligne/lesmiserables/010101.shtml#top

"The outsider" by Albert Camus is a French book; did you read it in English, etcmp? If so, you might want to try reading it in French now (the title is "l'etranger") I want to read it, (I read an extract of it in my French class, and found it interesting) but I haven't found it yet.

[Ic3b3rg]

haha... nah.... i skip the part about the war just skim through it enough to know the details of the guy who was mistaken as dead but got saved just because someone wanted to rob him and found out that he is alive..... i skip lots of part about details of sceneries.... especially gruesome sceneries...:D :D you've got company wpyeoh....even though i feel that the details help transport us into the book...i have never read a book online though... i guess i am just not able to concentrate on a screeen...

[polyjuice]

yup!reading iz THE best hobby anyone could adopt. i'd like 2 recommend a book (not a paid promoter, so, i'm not liable for any damage diz recommendation could possibly bring :wink: ). title iz 'the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime' by mark haddon. it's a very simple book, can finish it in one-sitting.'bout a boy, christopher boone, who suffers from asperger's syndrome. it's a children book, more like it. but, i personally found many lessons 2 be learnt in it.
'life of pi' by yann martell is marvellous. the ending, to me, juz show what human imagination can do.wanna try?go ahead, won't regret.
if anyone would like 2 read a quite controversial book in the 1950s, then try reading 'the catcher in the rye' by j.d. salinger. well, what's interesting is dat u can see d change of values in d american society over the years, if u link d plot 2 d current situation.can find some forum on d net arguing 'bout d book. i've lost d website, but i'll try 2 find it....ASAP??? :?
so, read on! :twisted:

[DecentMerson]

yup!reading iz THE best hobby anyone could adopt. i'd like 2 recommend a book (not a paid promoter, so, i'm not liable for any damage diz recommendation could possibly bring :wink: ). title iz 'the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime' by mark haddon. it's a very simple book, can finish it in one-sitting.'bout a boy, christopher boone, who suffers from asperger's syndrome. it's a children book, more like it. but, i personally found many lessons 2 be learnt in it.


yeah... great book... strongly recommended by me (few posts earlier)
I think that it can be a children book, but I don't think children reading on their own can understand the lessons and messages hidden in the story... It is more like a book which requires an adult to read it to his or her children... or an adult book written in very simple english...

for instance, the chapters are labelled in the order of prime numbers...(unusual? some may say, but why?)

they are jumps between chapters... for example, one chapter, Christopher fights with his father, while the very next chapter, it talks about something irrelevant, and no connection with the fight...
(i think all these patterns have reasons and a child will only be able to enjoy the story without understanding all these patterns)

(i read this book more than 5 times... becoz of my English course last semester... which requires me to write a paper on this book, well, everytime i read it, i still have some new findings and thoughts about why the author writes it in such a unique way...)

[polyjuice]

yup!i totally agree wit u decentmerson. it's a book written in simple english, but d whole picture is more than that.children might probably need adults 2 further explain to them d bigger picture. it must b great doing a paper on dat book, yeah? :D

[sno]

for all thrillers fans out there, i recommend Nelson Demille's THE CHARM SCHOOL....it's about a "school" (institution)in Russia that keeps American soldiers who wen AWOL in vietnam. the KGB made these americans train russian spies to act like americans so they can go into america as one. it's a really really really good read.

also for any one plagued with depression, check out Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation.... it's her autobiography.i think there's a movie on the book with Christina Ricci(the little brunnette in Casper ) taking up the leading role. it's a book that can help depressed peeps channel their feelings n stop feeling alone......

i've read catcher in the rye but ......don really get the point of it

[yekban81]

Currently I am reading The Millionaire Mind (by Thomas J. Stanley).
This book is much better than Rich Dad Poor Dad in offering facts and guides to become a person of millionaire mind. The following link summarizes well about the book content:

http://www.bainvestor.com/The-Millionaire-Mind-Book-Review.html

[flibbertigibbet]

Hey guys, do check out Dan Brown's books, especially The Da Vinci Code. His books are categorised as non-fictional. And that's the most attrative part of all.

Other books by Dan Brown include:
-Angels And Demons
-Deception Point
-Digital Fortress

You won't regret reading them.

[DecentMerson]

Hey guys, do check out Dan Brown's books, especially The Da Vinci Code. His books are categorised as non-fictional. And that's the most attrative part of all.

Other books by Dan Brown include:
-Angels And Demons
-Deception Point
-Digital Fortress

You won't regret reading them.

u sure about that???
i mean... Dan Brown's books are fictional... maybe some books may be categorized as thriller... but still, they are fictional...

[sno]

brown's books r fictional........

quote: "Perhaps you've heard of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. This fictional thriller has captured the coveted number one sales ranking at Amazon.com, camped out for 32 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller List, and inspired a one-hour ABC News special. Along the way, it has sparked debates about the legitimacy of Western and Christian history......"

http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2003/nov7.html


reading da vinci code as a thriller, i did not like its story construction .......... Leigh Teabing being the bad guy,i dunno............ some how it jus didn make me very awed with the author's twist............it seemed like he was trying to wrap up the story in a hurry by making Teabing a bad guy....

i like harry potter's story construction better........hehe...........though i am disappointed with the fifth HP book with harry trying to claim the things that he had done in his name n all.......it made me stop being crazy about the series........

[wpyeoh]

Yeah, Harry was getting a bit annoying in the 5th book...not to mention that the book was filled with loads of useless information. I mean, the whole point was the prophecy and the world admitting that Voldemort was back! :roll:

[chenchow]

A friend of mine, Jia Hong, shared me this link of the Malay Dilemma Revisit

The author, Bakri Musa, was a speaker in Stanford Malaysian Forum last year.

You can read the book online at:-

http://books.iuniverse.com/viewbooks.asp?isbn=1583483675&page=fm1

[lolilo]

i admit that although dan brown do write great fictional novels, he doesn't deserve so much credit....there are many more writers that write even better books but because of the lack of promotion, they are not as famous as dan brown.One of my fave's is Sandra Brown (2 of them are not related btw) Her thriller keeps you on the edge and i admit i kinda got addicted."ENVY" was great.you can get a cheap one in popular bookstore, i dont know why the hardcover is only selling for a mere RM 18.90 it is definitely a good book.

[jiinjoo]

Finally bought (for $0.30) 1984 by George Orwell and finished it in 2 days - another one of those books that move me to tears; luckily history took on a different course.

If you're interested in pseudo-real-world fictions (haha, my own name for those fiction who tries to draw a lot of history / theory / myth from real world, much like da vinci code with all that holy grail stories), 1984 (written in the 50s) draws upon the real world history up to that point and made a prediction towards a totalitarian world in the year 1984, where the middle class is completely subdued, 3 gigantic super states are constantly in war, and people lived with knowledge and history totally controlled by the political party.

Big Brother Is Watching You! 8) [/i]

[nicodemus]

Who's criticising Dan Brown?! :x

Sno.....i really don't agree with you on your opinions on The Da Vinci Code.

Well, yes maybe the twist of the story is not that good as of Shakespeare's but still is one of the best in the writers world. I like his books very much...in fact, i enjoyed all four of his books.

Teabing being the antagonist...well-potrayed since he started acting out as a good guy. Why say the author was rushing to finish the story? :?:

On the view about Harry Potter, yup, i agree. Rowling offered her 5th book, as thick as a Kamus Dewan, and yet the storyline was not like what i expected, especially with Harry. :?

Bad story.....i hope The Half Blood Prince wouldn't turn me down. :D

[sno]

sorry nicodemus.....i didn like dan brown, didn like da vinci code...thatz it.....don get me wrong, i do think he weaves in the facts he wans to present quite well tho, so he's not all that sucky........i'm reading a book called The Rule of Four currently ,it's also bout cryptography in literature work....this book is not that easy to understand compared to da vinci's code coz it refers to renaissance work n authors without further explaining as tho the writers(there's two) expect u to b an expert with the renaissance background...so i do prefer da vinci code over the rule of four in the facts presenting/alluding aspects............
as for harry potter, not crazy bout it anymore, let's hope the new book respark my former interest in the series :P

[sno]

i admit that although dan brown do write great fictional novels, he doesn't deserve so much credit....there are many more writers that write even better books but because of the lack of promotion, they are not as famous as dan brown.One of my fave's is Sandra Brown (2 of them are not related btw) Her thriller keeps you on the edge and i admit i kinda got addicted."ENVY" was great.you can get a cheap one in popular bookstore, i dont know why the hardcover is only selling for a mere RM 18.90 it is definitely a good book.

an example why i didn like the twist in da vinci's code.....sandra brown can write better twist than him =P.....really....i read one of her books once.....BEST KEPT SECRETS
it's bout a young lawyer returning to the town her deceased mother grew up in to find her mother's murderer......the twist is fantastic..can't believe who was the real murderer, never suspected, n once i got to know bout the truth, the story still falls into place........somehow i jus don feel like the story of da vinci fell into place when teabing was made the baddie.......

[lolilo]

every book of sandra brown is full of twist, and it won't let u down like some other writer with only one or 2 best seller and got famous(dan brown, stephen king and more..)

[DecentMerson]

every book of sandra brown is full of twist, and it won't let u down like some other writer with only one or 2 best seller and got famous(dan brown, stephen king and more..)

stephen king??? one or two best seller??

[lolilo]

sorry, i got u confused. i m trying to say that he have a few works which is a good read, and thus he became famous and thus everyone notice him and thus ppl buy his books and thus his everywork is labelled as bestseller!admit it, not every stephen king book is understandable nor interesting, i bet there is 1 in 4 ( maybe stephen king is indeed a genius and a normal person like me just don't know how to appreciate a good work)

[jiinjoo]

Let me say Dan Brown (the DVC) did get me interested in researching more about "the truth", i.e. what actually happened, what are the symbolism associated with these ancient symbols etc. I wonder if there're still countries in this world that makes some form of pagan worships their official religion.

[nicodemus]

Sandra Brown huh?

I'll try and get my hands on some of her books... :D

Jinjoo...yes, i agree. The DVC also sparks my curiousity to find out the truth about everything. It totally changed my conception on Christianity and religion... :?:

And you know what...I'm a Christian myself. :?

Well......anyone read books from The Barthemius Trilogy already?

1st book was The Amulet of Samarkand. I just wanted to know if the book's nice because I was tempted to buy it, looks great... :)

[sno]

hey nicodemus, u can rent english novels from SUNMEN comic bookstore on jalan dua(ji ke in hokkien) .....u know, the second main street in sg. petani?? there's sandra brown 's books there but some of them are gross......coz she writes romance stuff too

look for John Saul there too if u wan.....he writes horror stories than always end with a logical explaination......very nice

[nicodemus]

Really?? OK, i'll check it out then.

Thanks for the info, sno. :D

[lolilo]

there's sandra brown 's books there but some of them are gross......coz she writes romance stuff too



HAHA....yup some of them are too explicit...but some of the books are better

[nicodemus]

can you recommend some books by Sandra Brown?

i mean the titles.... :D

[lolilo]

um,let me see if i remember..........

ENVY, Standoff , Fat Tuesday, Unspeakable, and sno mentioned one, all good books tho

There's a new book in MPH but its so bloody expensive, i tak sampai hati to buy it..................

[qy]

Well, since i'm new here, i don't really know where to start. But anyway, one thing that caught my eyes was the discussion (or should i say heated debate? :wink: ) regarding dan brown. The first book i read by him wasn't da vinci code, it was deception point. True, i was intrigued. Nice plot. Realistic, what with all the stuff about meteorites, NASA and all. So naturally , i bought da vinci code, which was another book which was quite worth the dough. And then i got angels and demons, just to read them all, you know. But i don't think i'll buy digital fortress after i have read through these three. After all, dan brown's style is just that. Thrilling plot, unexpected twist, with lots of facts-real facts, thrown in between. It's kind of a cliche after a while, but that's my personal opinion only.
Hmm..and if i'm not mistaken, no one has mentioned mitch albom's books as yet. (but maybe i didn't see it...haha.. 8O ) If you are into books with simple language but are capable of evoking really deep thoughts especially regarding human emotions, i strongly suggest his two books, namely "tuesdays with morrie", and "five people you meet in heaven".
Tuesdays with morrie- it's basically a book about rediscovering life and death and the meaning it holds. There's a professor whose name is morrie who's about to die, and before he passes away, he meets with this student of his who has lost his direction in the chase for materialistic gains. Their meeting is held every tuesday, and it's like lessons relearned. And by the way, this student is albom himself.
Five people you meet in heaven- Well, this book says that when you die and go to heaven, you will meet five people who will kind of do a post-mortem concerning things which had taken place in your life. These five people would explain things to you, and let you understand the funndamentals which you've overlooked. And when you have met these five people, you will then become one of the five people to meet another future person who comes to heaven.
To sum it all up, mitch albom's books centres around love. Not just love in the typical boy-girl relationship, but love among everything.
By the way, anyone who's interested in classics( inotice some stuff about les miserables), do take some time to glance through "pride and prejudice" by jane austen if you have any to spare. And "the importance of being earnest" by oscar wilde.
erm..if anyone wants to know what it's about, i'll post it the next time as i'm quite short of time right now.
I guess i've rambled on long enough, too long perhaps. Lol. Anyway, i'm glad i found this forum, a great idea really. :)

[wpyeoh]

"Importance of being earnest"...is it a play? I read it before, but quite a long time ago; I can't quite remember whether it was a simplified version, but I think it was in the form of dialogues.

[Michelle_london]

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Such a strange yet beautiful book. At times I felt myself getting bored but I just couldn't stop reading and then after I read the book I just sat on my bed thinking for about 30 minutes. Alice Sebold herself was raped and it is based on her own experieces from the eyes of Susie Salmon, a 14yr old girl who was raped by her neighbour. Susie watches her family grow up from beyond the dead.

[littlebigone]

The Electric KoolAid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

this is one crazy book. forget all the semantics and grammar that you've learnt before. this is not a book that you read. it's one that you experience. it takes you in, spits you out, swallows you and then lets you off the deep end.

it's a book about the psychadelic movement in 60's america led by Ken Kesey (writer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). it might be hard to identify with since it's really immersed in a culture very different from what we know. but tom wolfe did a great job in bringing the colorful world of the Merry Pranksters into text.

[Ic3b3rg]

This is a heavy book. But it poses tremendous challenges to one's ideological ideals.

it is Friedrich Nietzsche's hypothesis on the origins of morality

http://www.geocities.com/thenietzschechannel/onthe.htm

[topdog]

Hmm..and if i'm not mistaken, no one has mentioned mitch albom's books as yet. (but maybe i didn't see it...haha.. 8O ) If you are into books with simple language but are capable of evoking really deep thoughts especially regarding human emotions, i strongly suggest his two books, namely "tuesdays with morrie", and "five people you meet in heaven".
fans of mitch albom might be interested to know that he has been suspended from his day job at the detroit free press for fabricating news. (albom is arguably one of the most despised detroit free press columnists among michigan football fans... just fyi hehehe...)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/basketball/bal-sp.albom10apr10,1,764882.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

[DecentMerson]

The Kite Runner.... by Khaled Hosseini

This book is about how the Afghanistan has changed from the first person point of view in a very personal way. It's rather touching and sad.

For those in the states, u can get it from buy.com for half price... $7 that is... or u can borrow it from me... (no delivery service... pick-up only...)

[balderdash]

"Importance of being earnest"...is it a play? I read it before, but quite a long time ago; I can't quite remember whether it was a simplified version, but I think it was in the form of dialogues.

Yup The Importance of Being Earnest is a play. And a very funny and clever one too! I love it for its play on words and as I had to study it for one of my classes, I read up on some critics' views of its homosexual innuendos - if they were true (and it's up to the reader to interpret anyway) I think it's really cool! :)

I think The Bell Jar is probably the book that I've read the most number of times over the past year. It is the story of this girl, Esther Greenwood as her mental condition begins to be fragmented. As she struggles with it while trying to be 'normal', handling relationships with people around her - we see how her mind really starts to crumble. It's freaky how dark everything is, and you see depression and dark thoughts as such being told to you from a first person's viewpoint. It makes me wonder as well - questioning my own sanity at times as sanity is so subjective....read it and you'll know what I mean :)

Another good book I've read is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude. It's considered postcolonial as well as postmodern. It was quite confusing to read in the beginning as I had to flip to the front constantly to see who is who and who did what and who said what because many characters shared the same name and there were loads of incestous weird relationships. And oh the magic realism struck me hard - why is it that ice is so magical for them but it seemed perfectly normal that insomnia led to amnesia and was a infectiour disease?

And for those who are into slightly Lolita-ish kinda thing - consider Katie Roiphe's Still She Haunts Me. It's a fictitious tale about the author of Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Caroll. The characters are real - Lewis and little Alice. This story tells of the relationship between the young man and the child....pretty haunting...and you try to figure out why is this man so obssessed with the child....

And I really should be getting back to studying for my test :)

[qy]

Another good book I've read is Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude. It's considered postcolonial as well as postmodern. It was quite confusing to read in the beginning as I had to flip to the front constantly to see who is who and who did what and who said what because many characters shared the same name and there were loads of incestous weird relationships. And oh the magic realism struck me hard - why is it that ice is so magical for them but it seemed perfectly normal that insomnia led to amnesia and was a infectiour disease?


Lol, this book, i'm in the process of reading it too. :D The names are really confusing though, with so many Aurelianos and Arcadios. No comments as yet, but so far i think the 25 dollars i spent didn't go down the drain. . :D

[littlebigone]

Currently reading "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick.

It's about an undercover narcotics agent, Fred. The agent is addicted to Substance D, a drug which causes him to have split personalities. Things take a turn for the worst when his superior assigns him to investigate Bob Arctor who happens to be Fred's street character.

It's a pretty interesting book. At first I thought it would focus on Fred trying to catch himself. But after reading halfway, it doesn't treat the split personality as trivially. The book actually traces the slow process of Fred/Bob developing his split personality.

For those who are interested, Philip Dick also wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". The movie Blade Runner was based on this story.

The movie "Minority Report" was also based on his book by the same title.

Other interesting books that he has written include "Total Recall" and "Paycheck".

[bp_ffei]

Read the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon!

It's basically about an autistic 15 year-old called Christopher who knows all the countries in the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests yellow and brown. One day the neighbour's dog is killed and he sets out to solve the murder.

Really interesting book... It's like a modern-day "Catcher in the Rye"...

[rockjianrock]

Milan Kundera's "Unbearable Lightness of Being".

This is a work of genius. The book itself does not require several re-readings, but one is compelled to re-read it because of the way it is written. In a dream-like, the seeming plotless story of the characters is laced with intermitten musings of the author. Semi-philosophical, semi-literary, it is a book that cannot be summed up easily.

Jose Saramago's "Blindness"

One exeptional thing I extremely like about the book is its cover. The cover is a genius. You never really see the title until you see it. Similarly, the cover itself alludes to the story, of how an epidemic of white blindness begins to spread all over the world and how one woman who still can see leads a band of blind men and women to survive as they are quarantined... and as civilisation degenerates. This novel won Jose Saramago a Nobel prize in Literature.

Patrick Suskind's "Perfume"

haven't read this one yet, but getting a lot of good vibes from people who know. Its has a fairly linear storyline about a child in 17/18th century Paris whose olfactory sense is extremely acute while emits no personal odour of his own. I have managed to sample only a few pages but it is shaping out to have some unforgettable quality in it.

J. D. Salinger's "Catcher In The Rye"

Quite well known as a coming-of-age, it chronicles the 16(17?) year old protoganist, Holden Cauldfield (gotta love that name) as he drops out of school, and thinks to himself about how false and fake the world is. The novels describes the inner turmoil of a troubled teenage soul unerringly. "They're all phonies," he says. "They kill me." Despite the cigarrettes and booze, Holden still has a few redeeming qualities of his own. He loves his sister, and longs to be a catcher in the rye, catching children from falling off the ledge of the complicated world of teenagers and adults.

[xiaohu]

Really recommend The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffeneggar. Just one of those rare books that starts off with a brilliant idea and actually fulfils its promise. Its about Clare and Henry who are destined for each other. The one, very original glitch: Henry's a time traveller, and he keeps on travelling to and fro in time, meeting Clare at different ages in her life.

Also I'm sure most have heard of Wild Swans by Jung Chang. First read it when i was really young, must have been about 10. It just gripped me from line 1 and didn't let go until waaaay after I'd closed the cover. Anyone attempted her new book on Mao?

[balderdash]

Read the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon!

It's basically about an autistic 15 year-old called Christopher who knows all the countries in the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests yellow and brown. One day the neighbour's dog is killed and he sets out to solve the murder.

Really interesting book... It's like a modern-day "Catcher in the Rye"...

I love love love this book! Picked it up cos it had a funky book cover and it was "unput-down-able" (as my 19th C brit lit lecturer would say) - I've probably read it as many times as I've read The Bell Jar .... another one of my faves.

[Syafira_Dan]

All JK Rowling's books,Goosebumps,Meg Cabon,Jean Ure,Road Dahl I love!!!

[budakkerek]

the Bell Jar was said to be plath's autobiography, though she nvr said it is. Coz when you read it, somehow it'll remind you of things that happen to her and so on. Quite interesting, but a bit sad, i must say. i had to read some of Plath's works during my foundation year, and they nvr fail to confuse me. But i think she's interesting. The Bell Jar is a good read, esp if you want to undrstand her better. :D :D

[budakkerek]

i hv read so many books, but i nvr nvr nvr rmmbr the title or who writes what. But if someone mentions it, and tells me what the book is about, i usually will rmmbr whether i've read it or not.

Anyway, i found a continuation of Les Miserables, titled "cossette" and currently am reading it. Hvnt finished it yet *sigh* it's not written by Hugo, but the books concentrates on the daughter (thus, the title).

forgot who wrote it though hehe :P :P

will let u know when i finish it, what it's about.so far, the style is almost the same, and it's rpetty interesting to read of what happen to Cosette and her husband after jean paul's death. :D

[gal_flower]

The Importance of Being Earnest is really good, especially that I got a chance to watch a marvellous staging of it after I read it. It made the book more real and more alive.
Books that I have to read for Social Sciences here in U of Chicago:
1) Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations
2) Karl Marx - Marx-Engels Reader
3) Max Weber - The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
4) Barbara Erenreich - Nickel and Dimed
----------
1) Clifford Geertz - The Interpretation of Cultures
2) Emile Durkheim - The Elementary Form of Religions
3) Victor Turner - Forest of Symbols
4) Linenthal - Oklahoma: The Unfinished Bombing
5) Levi-Strauss - Myth and Meaning
----------
1) Sigmund Freud - Introductory Lectures to Psychoanalysis
etc etc.

I need normal books! Though Geertz's book is not that bad...
DO read:
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
The Dirty Girls Social Club
The Case for Faith (for Christians or interested ppl)
Chronicles of Narnia

[boafan]

well..must read books for me are

*charmed
*lord of the rings..(sum may find it too long...but i skip the songs and stuff..)
*harry potter
*witchcraft books... :)

[rice]

I must say, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King is not as popular as his other novels.But, I really think that anyone who wants to experience a rather disturbing kind of horror/adventure/fantasy fiction should give this a try.
Anne Rice may not be the best vampire fiction author but her books have its own unique style,very emotional and gripping.
Hope you guys try reading their books and post comments here :D

[DecentMerson]

Freakonomics by Stephen Levitt...

it's a pretty easy read... and it is rather interesting to read about reasonable "conventional" wisdom can be wrong...

Blink:The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

another wonderful book... a study on "instinct" and "feeling"... and a study on how trying too hard to put thoughts into words can actually 'destroy' the image... how ur "instinct" is not really "instinct" but experience that is so deep that even oneself can't notice it... and many other insightful studies on "thinking" without actually thinking.

[topdog]

haha...you been going to borders a lot?

[DecentMerson]

haha...you been going to borders a lot?

neh... just that i found out about holding book service provided by the library recently... so, i just browse for books i want online, and just ask them to hold the book for me...

really convenient... :P

[adrianus]

I read this great novel:

Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaardner.

The book is about a little girl named Sophie, who received a letter from a mysterious guy. The letter contained philosophical question. later, sophie received many more letters containing that taught him the history of Western thinking. Curious, sophie began to search for the guy, and learning philosophy along her adventure.

This novel gave me a main idea of western philosophy. It's by far greater than reading thick philosophy books, and far less boring!

Learn philosophy. Descartes said, "Cogito Ergo Sum" -means "I think, therefore I am." If you don't understand the english version, may be a Malay translation will work. "Aku berpikir, maka aku ada."

Happy reading...

Regards,

Adri

[bibo]

Mario puzo a writer i advice everyone who is infatuated by the world of mafia , to get his books especially the last don , the sicilian and omerta really a nice read and opens your mind to stuff u never knew before. There is also john grisham i recommend king of torts and pelican brief.

[Maxforce]

Puzo fan? Alrightlar bibo! I myself is also one die hard fan. Got all of his books! One great collection! Not only mafia stories but also some about life itself! Truly a great read.

[taufiq]

Has anyone read Sheldon's The Other Side of Me?
Any RECOMmendation?

[DecentMerson]

another book by Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point, how little things can make a big difference...(really similar writing style and line of thoughts as his newer book, Blink)

A study on how little things (which isn't noticeable to most ppl most of the times) are actually the reason behind remarkable changes... for instance, why certain trend makes the cut as cool... and how certain books are top sellers, but similar ones aren't... how certain tv programs are better than their counterparts...

[jacyn]

chinese cinderella!! by Adeline Yen-mah :wink:

[Moozy]

Hey! Im a big fan of Adelin Yen-Mah too! In fact, my fav book is A thousand pieces of gold' by the same fabulous writer,which i've commented on in the 'Zhong Wen' SIG or here i forgot! I think Chinese Cinderella is more of a part of her other book " Falling Leaves'. So anyone who'd like a more complete story, read it.

Besides, jacyn, you should try Amy Tan's books too if you like Adeline Yen-Mah's books. Tho Amy Tan deals on the tragic relationship between mother and daughter. 'The Bonesetter's Daughteris one i'd like to recommend cuz it's so touching it made me shed tears.

[budakkerek]

yea, i read Sophie's world when i was 15. damn pening but it is an interesting book. a definite must-read!

[Moozy]

Anyone read Tony Parson's MAn and Boy and its sequel MAn and Wife? They deal a lot on the love of a father for his son and the way he looks up at his own dad.

[taufiq]

American Hostage by Micah Garen

[Moozy]

Read another book! HAhaha... I'm in the middle of a 7-month-hol so I'm Extremely free. With this lot of free time, I've managed to finish yet another great book! EMPRESS ORCHIDby Anchee Min!!!!!

The book's about a young chinese girl in the Ching Dynasty being chosen as a 4th rank concubine(whatever that is) for Emperor Hsien Feng. And what followed were the fights among thousands of concubines to bear the emperor's son.

An engrossing story. I finished it in one day! Much better than Huan Zu Ge Ge, if anyone still remembers this once-hot series.

[jacyn]

hmmm..i have actually read "Empress wu" by Lilian Too... 8O

[Moozy]

Lilian Too? She writes novels? I thought she only writes about Feng Shuis. 8O

[jacyn]

hmmm trust me, she did write this "Empress Wu".. btw, does anyone read chick-literati?

[Restl3ss]

Read another book! HAhaha... I'm in the middle of a 7-month-hol so I'm Extremely free. With this lot of free time, I've managed to finish yet another great book! EMPRESS ORCHIDby Anchee Min!!!!!


I read that too! :)) It made me understand The history of China a little, especially Tsu-hsi tai hou. And it's nice.

As for lately, I think The Kite Runner -Khaled Hosseini is a must read too.

And I wonder if people mentioned To Kill a Mocking Bird- Harper Lee. :)

[Nicholasng925]

One more one more, The Last Symbols by Dan Brown. :amuse Oh, and Prophecy by Peter James. :amuse

[BattleBoyz]

And I wonder if people mentioned To Kill a Mocking Bird- Harper Lee. :)

Its a famous book. I think many people that like to read had read it before. :)

Confession of a shopaholic is a hilarious book to read. :amuse

[youngyew]

I have watched the movie version of "To Kill a Mockingbird" which is one of the best movies I have ever watched. I have yet to read the original book though. Shall pick it up some day.

[sofiazee]

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
Real World - Natsuo Kirino
A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera's "Unbearable Lightness of Being".

This is a work of genius. The book itself does not require several re-readings, but one is compelled to re-read it because of the way it is written. In a dream-like, the seeming plotless story of the characters is laced with intermitten musings of the author. Semi-philosophical, semi-literary, it is a book that cannot be summed up easily.

I don't own this book, but I plan to! I just finished it and while I don't plan to re-read it any sooner, I believe with every re-reads you'll be enlightened differently ;)

Currently reading Paul Auster's The Book of Illusion B)

[nickvl]

Victor Hugo's Les Miserables

[alter_ego]

denyut kasih medik by Dr Farhan Hadi.
well, this book is all about the experiences of a doctor during his housmanship in Selayang Hospital. the true life story on how he cope with the stressful days in the hospital. i strongly recommend to all HO-to-be to read this book to gain some useful information as well as to know the real atmosphere during the housemanship.

[sofiazee]

To add to the list:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

[Restl3ss]

Life of Pi- Yann Martel

Love his "Vishnu preserve me, Allah protect me, Christ save me " :laugh

[Dominic]

I'm currently reading Paolo Coelho's works. Very nice!

[Restl3ss]

Yep! I read The Alchemist only. But it sure was inspiring. :)

[Dominic]

Yep! I read The Alchemist only. But it sure was inspiring. :)

Up to now I've read The Winner Stands Alone and am now halfway through the Witch of Portobello. I like them both a lot. No money to buy anymore though, so sad...:cry

[ara]

ohh...i read BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT AND WEPT by Paulo Coelho.. it was cool but then again i would choose jodi picoult a million times over him...i am currently reading HANDLE WITH CARE by jodi ( so far i am loving it...might turn out to be my favourite, wudn't know till i finish it)... the must read from her collection so far is PLAIN TRUTH...loved it...

[Restl3ss]

What about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult? I fail to get a hold of that yet but that's very famous. :))

[ara]

i read 3/4 of it and then i lost the book...so sorry to not know abt it...but it was really gud until the part where i read...also try NINETEEN MINUTES...its abt school shooting...its awesome and its by jodi picoult too..heheh

[Dominic]

ohh...i read BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT AND WEPT by Paulo Coelho.. it was cool but then again i would choose jodi picoult a million times over him...i am currently reading HANDLE WITH CARE by jodi ( so far i am loving it...might turn out to be my favourite, wudn't know till i finish it)... the must read from her collection so far is PLAIN TRUTH...loved it...

My Sister's Keeper is my favorite Jodi Picoult book. I wasn't happy with the ending of Handle With Care but I won't reveal it to you, so don't worry! Till now, I've read the aforementioned ones, Salem Falls, Nineteen Minutes, Keeping Faith, Change of Heart and another one I can't remember. I'm hoping to get House Rules but it's so expensive! :)

[ara]

yup, dominic...house rules is said to be one of her best works....ooooh...i loved SALEM FALLS too..vanishing acts was ok but nt really my favourite tho...so who is ur favourite author beside jodi??

[ayja]

I liked Perfect Match, My Sis' Keeper and Nineteen Minutes, oh yeah Salem Falls too. But I think as time went on the stories seemed to have the same theme. Some morally conflicting issue..which will end up to be quite boring..

[Dominic]

Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game), Stieg Larsson (The Millennium Trilogy), Mark Billingham (The DI Tom Thorne Series)

There are lots more but these are my top favorite authors. They're of different genres. What about you?

[nickvl]

Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game), Stieg Larsson (The Millennium Trilogy), Mark Billingham (The DI Tom Thorne Series)

There are lots more but these are my top favorite authors. They're of different genres. What about you?

I tried Mark Billingham but somehow his style of writing just lost me (no thanks to my simple brain :P)

Jeffrey Deaver's Twisted (short stories)...It just blows your mind.

[ara]

Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game), Stieg Larsson (The Millennium Trilogy), Mark Billingham (The DI Tom Thorne Series)

There are lots more but these are my top favorite authors. They're of different genres. What about you?

mine would be preeta samarasan's EVENING IS THE WHOLE DAY, the white tiger by Aravind Adiga, the memory keeper's daughter by kim edwards, khaled hosseini's the kite runner and a thousand splendid suns ...and like loads more...but the only series that i was hooked on till now, JK ROWLING'S HARRY POTTER...loved it...so far it is the best series i have read...

[Restl3ss]

If you like JK Rowling's , you should try The Kingkiller's Chronicle, The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss too! Love it dearly. :))

[Dominic]

My all time favorite series is definitely A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler. Been reading them since I was young! :-)

I tried Mark Billingham but somehow his style of writing just lost me (no thanks to my simple brain :P)

Jeffrey Deaver's Twisted (short stories)...It just blows your mind.

Mark Billingham always ends his stories with amazingly unpredictable twists. One of the reasons why I like his books.:)

Never tried Jeffrey Deaver before. Maybe if I can find a cheaper copy...can't really afford expensive books right now...

[nickvl]

My all time favorite series is definitely A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler. Been reading them since I was young! :-)



Mark Billingham always ends his stories with amazingly unpredictable twists. One of the reasons why I like his books.:)

Never tried Jeffrey Deaver before. Maybe if I can find a cheaper copy...can't really afford expensive books right now...

If you really love twisted endings, that book is worth it. There was also second book of short stories called More Twisted. I must say that after reading Twisted, he made it into the list of favourite authors. :)

[Dominic]

Do you mean twisted as in disturbing or as in unpredictable?

[nickvl]

Do you mean twisted as in disturbing or as in unpredictable?

Unpredictable..

[manglish_lysia]

What about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult? I fail to get a hold of that yet but that's very famous. :))

XD I was lucky to borrow it from my teacher. It was made into a movie too!! I am so going to watch it!

i read 3/4 of it and then i lost the book...so sorry to not know abt it...but it was really gud until the part where i read...also try NINETEEN MINUTES...its abt school shooting...its awesome and its by jodi picoult too..heheh

I couldn't let go of the book. It felt so real. At some point, I really admire Alex and all the things she have to go through.

yup, dominic...house rules is said to be one of her best works....ooooh...i loved SALEM FALLS too..vanishing acts was ok but nt really my favourite tho...so who is ur favourite author beside jodi??

It has some bad reviews about the book though. Some commented that her latest one isn't that exciting as the old ones. But I love this book all the same!
The ending, the ending was written so well. The brother love in the book was so awesome. T^T Let's read read read!! XDD

If you are asking me, I'll say Eoin Colfer! Artemis series is my favourite aside from Rick Riorden's Percy Jackson series and D.J Machale's Pendragon Series. All time favourite will be Diana Wyne Jones.

[edcac]

What about My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult? I fail to get a hold of that yet but that's very famous. :))

It's number three after Salem Falls and Nineteen Minutes on my list of favourite Picoult's books. Way better than the movie.

I'd recommend A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly, I've read it three times already, lol.

[bekann]

My all time favorite series is definitely A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler. Been reading them since I was young! :-)



Yeah, I love ASOUE also! But "The End" was rather disappointing. So many things left unexplained, what with the Sugar bowl, etc.

XD I was lucky to borrow it from my teacher. It was made into a movie too!! I am so going to watch it!



I couldn't let go of the book. It felt so real. At some point, I really admire Alex and all the things she have to go through.



It has some bad reviews about the book though. Some commented that her latest one isn't that exciting as the old ones. But I love this book all the same!
The ending, the ending was written so well. The brother love in the book was so awesome. T^T Let's read read read!! XDD

All time favourite will be Diana Wyne Jones.

I like My Sister's Keeper too! Best book by Jodi Picoult! But 19 minutes comes close as well.
Diana Wynne Jones, I thought I was the only one into her books, haha. I love the Chrestomanci series most of all. Especially Charmed Life and The Lives Of Christopher Chant.

But Harry Potter wins hands down as my all time favourite. Even I've lost count of how many times I've read and re-read the books! Never get bored.

[cycycy]

I want to read the memory keeper's daughter and the kite runner after my exams~ Hehehehe. =D

[Dominic]

Yeah, I love ASOUE also! But "The End" was rather disappointing. So many things left unexplained, what with the Sugar bowl, etc.

ASOUE is kinda like Lost, with so many questions arising throughout the series, but so few answers in the end. Did you read 'The Beatrice Letters'? It came out sometime before 'The End' but it was too expensive for me to buy. Perhaps some of the answers we seek lie in there. And also 'An Unauthorised Autobiography', that might contain some answers too.

I want to read the memory keeper's daughter and the kite runner after my exams~ Hehehehe. =D

yup, you should definitely do that. They're both amazing books in their own way, not to be missed.

[bekann]

ASOUE is kinda like Lost, with so many questions arising throughout the series, but so few answers in the end. Did you read 'The Beatrice Letters'? It came out sometime before 'The End' but it was too expensive for me to buy. Perhaps some of the answers we seek lie in there. And also 'An Unauthorised Autobiography', that might contain some answers too.

I haven't read The Beatrice Letters, it was like RM80! :O
But, my friend has, she said it's nothing much really.

[extrio]

I want to read the memory keeper's daughter and the kite runner after my exams~ Hehehehe. =D

The kite runner is amaaazing...everyone should read it..khaled hosseini's second book called `a thousand splendid sun' is another book worth reading..both are equally great..if you like emotional-sad stories ,you will definitely like this..:)

jodi picoult's my sister's keepers is next on my list..:P

[Dominic]

The kite runner is amaaazing...everyone should read it..khaled hosseini's second book called `a thousand splendid sun' is another book worth reading..both are equally great..if you like emotional-sad stories ,you will definitely like this..:)

jodi picoult's my sister's keepers is next on my list..:P

how i wish khaled hosseini would write more books...he seems to have stopped after this two...

[SapphireDragon]

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian. Epic!!!!

[extrio]

how i wish khaled hosseini would write more books...he seems to have stopped after this two...

writer's block? haha..:P

[AnnieChan]

fans of author Jodi Picoult, you HAVE TO READ the book "The Pact". so cleverly written :D

[gelato]

The kite runner is amaaazing...everyone should read it..khaled hosseini's second book called `a thousand splendid sun' is another book worth reading..both are equally great..if you like emotional-sad stories ,you will definitely like this..:)

jodi picoult's my sister's keepers is next on my list..:P

He's definitely written 2 great books though i must say his second book is much more heartbreaking than the first..
I cried a few times while reading this book:cry..
I've read many good reviews about jodi picoult and one of her books are sure to be on my list of books to read:))...

[ara]

sad cypress by agatha christie is not to be missed by any of her fans!!...simply stunning!!...

[manglish_lysia]

Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian. Epic!!!!


YESSS!!!! *high five*

It is really EPIC!! Loves the Greek Gods. Arent they awesome!!! The storyline is fabulous!!

XDDD Read all five books!!! XD Still loves it!

[GreeN_aPPLe]

YESSS!!!! *high five*

It is really EPIC!! Loves the Greek Gods. Arent they awesome!!! The storyline is fabulous!!

XDDD Read all five books!!! XD Still loves it!

Agree!!! Cant stop reading Percy Jackson and the olympians after the 1st book, wish there was more than 5books..have you read The Red Pyramid? also by Rick Riordan but this one is about Eygptian gods..heard it is as good.:)

[AnnieChan]

For those avid readers who have yet to read khaled hosseini's books.. GREAT NEWS if you're living in Petaling Jaya.. Borders at Tropicana Mall is having a half price discounted sale for the second book if you buy one book.. hahahha * off to read the kite runner * ;)

[clep]

Here's a treat for those of us who still read 'childrens' books' or fantasy fiction, or who like listening to thespians' voices: free podcasts of Sir Ian McKellen reading Michelle Paver's 'Wolf Brother'.

Kept me highly entertained during all those dreary commuter train rides to school years ago.

They're available for streaming or download as mp3 files here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/wolfbrother

[manglish_lysia]

Agree!!! Cant stop reading Percy Jackson and the olympians after the 1st book, wish there was more than 5books..have you read The Red Pyramid? also by Rick Riordan but this one is about Eygptian gods..heard it is as good.:)


Haven't yet. XDDD But will do once my dad agrees to "sponsor" me! XD

Oh man, the books are awesome to the bits!!! I could not stop reading! After I finish the first book, the next day, I straight away went to buy the second book. XDDD How Rick twist the story is so awesome!!! *Though the movie is very dissapointing. Percy is not Percy at all in the movie. haiz...*

There is another additional book. Remember I saw it the last time I went to Times. But that book is only about Zeus, Poseidon and Hades only. XDDDD I'll go camp at the bookstore one day to finish the book! XD

[GreeN_aPPLe]

Haven't yet. XDDD But will do once my dad agrees to "sponsor" me! XD

Oh man, the books are awesome to the bits!!! I could not stop reading! After I finish the first book, the next day, I straight away went to buy the second book. XDDD How Rick twist the story is so awesome!!! *Though the movie is very dissapointing. Percy is not Percy at all in the movie. haiz...*

There is another additional book. Remember I saw it the last time I went to Times. But that book is only about Zeus, Poseidon and Hades only. XDDDD I'll go camp at the bookstore one day to finish the book! XD

True..the movie wasn't as good as the book. The story was completely twisted!
Anyway, wats the title of the book you mentioned?

[trenchcoat101]

I'm reading Dan Brown's Deception Point.
It has information on NASA equipments and techniques which I find interesting when u can read it in a fiction book rather than googling it.
Recommended for students studying petroleum geoscience or geology or something like that.
Cheers!

[ara]

now...i am reading...brunonia barry's THE LACE READER...so far its very mystical...cool..

[Nicholasng925]

Haven't yet. XDDD But will do once my dad agrees to "sponsor" me! XD

Oh man, the books are awesome to the bits!!! I could not stop reading! After I finish the first book, the next day, I straight away went to buy the second book. XDDD How Rick twist the story is so awesome!!! *Though the movie is very dissapointing. Percy is not Percy at all in the movie. haiz...*

There is another additional book. Remember I saw it the last time I went to Times. But that book is only about Zeus, Poseidon and Hades only. XDDDD I'll go camp at the bookstore one day to finish the book! XD

I have 4 books of Percy Jackson now, but I only managed to finish the first one! And that's a long time ago! I have to stop reading it due to SPM last year. Need to start reading the second one soon! Yeah, agree! The movie is just so disappointing.

[manglish_lysia]

True..the movie wasn't as good as the book. The story was completely twisted!
Anyway, wats the title of the book you mentioned?

I don't really remember the same. But it is in red color. The last I saw is at Times. But i could not find it in Kinokuniya though.

I have 4 books of Percy Jackson now, but I only managed to finish the first one! And that's a long time ago! I have to stop reading it due to SPM last year. Need to start reading the second one soon! Yeah, agree! The movie is just so disappointing.

READ READ READ! Is awesome! The forth book is the clifthanger to me. Waiting for the fifth book is certainly not a joke.

The movie....TT^TT speechless. Another dissapointment after Golden Compass and Inkheart.

Which character you guys like? XD

[clep]

Digression: The only good thing about the Golden Compass movie was Ian McKellen as Iorek's voice. :D Otherwise, it was another one of those book->movie flops.

[truecolours]

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book might not be for everyone but it got me rereading it. This was probably because of how much I could relate to Melinda (the girl the story revolves around) in one way or another. Teen girls should definitely read this book but I only know of a few types of people who'd truly 'get' and 'feel' for this book and the main character.

I have yet to find someone who likes this book in Malaysia!

Its about how Melinda Sordino struggles through a whole school year after being raped by a guy at a party. She is practically friendless when she returns to school because all her friends are mad at her for calling the cops at the night of the party. She somehow resorts to not speaking. There are so many things you can learn. You see how she learns gradually to be stronger, find a way to express herself and finally...start speaking again :)

I also recommend Harlan Coben's books for thrill & mystery seekers, The Hunger Games!!!! (I was wondering why nobody mentioned this) and Jodi Picoult books has yet to disappoint me! Holes by Louis Sachar is humorous and Harry Potter is a must must must! :)

[ara]

you guys should probably try midnight's children!!!...it's wonderful....the literacy and the allegory!!...wow...hands down!!

[extrio]

another recommendation here: read Stieg Larsson's trilogy

theres 3 books altogether..
1.the girl with the dragon tattoo
2.the girl who played with fire
3.the girl who kicked the hornet's nest

sounds pretty feminist huh? well sort of but i can assure you its a very good thriller/investigative kinda book...the characters r quite well defined(most of them at least,just like the glee cast,haha..i love glee btw) i like d main character,lisbeth salander though d first book is pretty boring coz its nt really about lisbeth,but d second n d third book is quite amazing..the author of the books passed away some time ago,n these books r his last..what a pity,in the meanwhile im gonna finish my third book..:laugh

[Dominic]

another recommendation here: read Stieg Larsson's trilogy

theres 3 books altogether..
1.the girl with the dragon tattoo
2.the girl who played with fire
3.the girl who kicked the hornet's nest

sounds pretty feminist huh? well sort of but i can assure you its a very good thriller/investigative kinda book...the characters r quite well defined(most of them at least,just like the glee cast,haha..i love glee btw) i like d main character,lisbeth salander though d first book is pretty boring coz its nt really about lisbeth,but d second n d third book is quite amazing..the author of the books passed away some time ago,n these books r his last..what a pity,in the meanwhile im gonna finish my third book..:laugh

hey, i love this trilogy! :)) but please dont compare it to glee, the millenium trilogy is so much better. the third book doesnt really end the story of lisbeth, but since the author is dead, we'll never know what happens next.:(

if you liked the books, i'd recommend the movies. they're pretty good, but only watch them if you're over 18. certain scenes in there are unsuitable for minors.

I don't really remember the same. But it is in red color. The last I saw is at Times. But i could not find it in Kinokuniya though.



READ READ READ! Is awesome! The forth book is the clifthanger to me. Waiting for the fifth book is certainly not a joke.

The movie....TT^TT speechless. Another dissapointment after Golden Compass and Inkheart.

Which character you guys like? XD

Whenever they try to turn a children's book into a movie, it's a disaster. I wonder why. Percy Jackson, Inkheart and The Golden Compass all got murdered by their respective movies. But since Percy Jackson wasn't one of my favorites, I didn't mind so much.:oh

I noticed that children's books tend to get ripped apart by movies more often than adult novels. For example, if you read A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood and then watched the movie, you wouldn't have been disappointed. True, it was a little different, but both have their own qualitites which make them great. The same goes for Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which made an excellent movie, and also Thomas Cobb's Crazy Heart. :)

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book might not be for everyone but it got me rereading it. This was probably because of how much I could relate to Melinda (the girl the story revolves around) in one way or another. Teen girls should definitely read this book but I only know of a few types of people who'd truly 'get' and 'feel' for this book and the main character.

I have yet to find someone who likes this book in Malaysia!

Its about how Melinda Sordino struggles through a whole school year after being raped by a guy at a party. She is practically friendless when she returns to school because all her friends are mad at her for calling the cops at the night of the party. She somehow resorts to not speaking. There are so many things you can learn. You see how she learns gradually to be stronger, find a way to express herself and finally...start speaking again :)

I also recommend Harlan Coben's books for thrill & mystery seekers, The Hunger Games!!!! (I was wondering why nobody mentioned this) and Jodi Picoult books has yet to disappoint me! Holes by Louis Sachar is humorous and Harry Potter is a must must must! :)

hey, that novel sounds pretty good! I'll try to get a copy of it! :)

And The Hunger Games is pretty awesome, so is Catching Fire. And now the third and final book, Mockingjay is out! :laugh I can't wait to read it!

[nickvl]

I noticed that children's books tend to get ripped apart by movies more often than adult novels. For example, if you read A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood and then watched the movie, you wouldn't have been disappointed. True, it was a little different, but both have their own qualitites which make them great. The same goes for Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which made an excellent movie, and also Thomas Cobb's Crazy Heart. :)

I guess that's because the beauty of children's book lies in our power of imagination and when it is attempted to be translated onto a screen it loses some of its magic...

[zekrypton]

another recommendation here: Read stieg larsson's trilogy

theres 3 books altogether..
1.the girl with the dragon tattoo
2.the girl who played with fire
3.the girl who kicked the hornet's nest

sounds pretty feminist huh? Well sort of but i can assure you its a very good thriller/investigative kinda book...the characters r quite well defined(most of them at least,just like the glee cast,haha..i love glee btw) i like d main character,lisbeth salander though d first book is pretty boring coz its nt really about lisbeth,but d second n d third book is quite amazing..the author of the books passed away some time ago,n these books r his last..what a pity,in the meanwhile im gonna finish my third book..:laugh


yesss!!!! Got all of them!!! The last one is rm3.00 more expensive wtf.

[Dominic]

I guess that's because the beauty of children's book lies in our power of imagination and when it is attempted to be translated onto a screen it loses some of its magic...

To be truthful, I've never liked any of the children's-books-turned-movies I've watched for the past few years. They're simply horrible. Reducing storylines to fit the book into a 100-minute-long movie is fine, but I hate it when they change the storyline completely and still give it the same title (think A Series of Unfortunate Events). People fell in love with the book because of a great storyline, and the movie scriptwriters really think they can beat a real author? In the end, the movies simply turn out to be flops. When will these people ever learn...:huh

yesss!!!! Got all of them!!! The last one is rm3.00 more expensive wtf.

A few months ago, I saw all three books in a Popular near my house. The first two had a promotion of 50% of the second purchase, and the third book had a 20% discount. Sadly I have already bought them all a lot earlier...:cry

[xJing]

Read Khaled Hosseini!

[Dominic]

Read Khaled Hosseini!

Yes, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are excellent novels.

Another author everyone should try is Carlos Ruiz Zafon. His novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game and The Prince of Mist are simply amazing. The great thing is, his books are translated from the Spanish language, and yet the words flow naturally and beautifully, as if the have been written in English. I would recommend starting with The Shadow of the Wind, as that is his best work (well, among the translated ones anyway). :))

[bekann]

hey, i love this trilogy! :)) but please dont compare it to glee, the millenium trilogy is so much better. the third book doesnt really end the story of lisbeth, but since the author is dead, we'll never know what happens next.:(

if you liked the books, i'd recommend the movies. they're pretty good, but only watch them if you're over 18. certain scenes in there are unsuitable for minors.



Whenever they try to turn a children's book into a movie, it's a disaster. I wonder why. Percy Jackson, Inkheart and The Golden Compass all got murdered by their respective movies. But since Percy Jackson wasn't one of my favorites, I didn't mind so much.:oh

I noticed that children's books tend to get ripped apart by movies more often than adult novels. For example, if you read A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood and then watched the movie, you wouldn't have been disappointed. True, it was a little different, but both have their own qualitites which make them great. The same goes for Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which made an excellent movie, and also Thomas Cobb's Crazy Heart. :)



hey, that novel sounds pretty good! I'll try to get a copy of it! :)

And The Hunger Games is pretty awesome, so is Catching Fire. And now the third and final book, Mockingjay is out! :laugh I can't wait to read it!

Mockingjay came out already eh?

[zekrypton]

Yes, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are excellent novels.

Another author everyone should try is Carlos Ruiz Zafon. His novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game and The Prince of Mist are simply amazing. The great thing is, his books are translated from the Spanish language, and yet the words flow naturally and beautifully, as if the have been written in English. I would recommend starting with The Shadow of the Wind, as that is his best work (well, among the translated ones anyway). :))

Same here! I've got both novels by Khaled Hosseini. Both quite poignantly written. :(

I'm thinking bout my next purchase, 'The Magician'. It is written by one of the columnist of Time. I really like Lev Grossman's articles. Wonder how will he fair in fiction. Hmmm...

[Dominic]

Mockingjay came out already eh?

Yup, but I haven't seen it anywhere in Malaysia yet. We'll just have to wait for it to come here.

Same here! I've got both novels by Khaled Hosseini. Both quite poignantly written. :(

I'm thinking bout my next purchase, 'The Magician'. It is written by one of the columnist of Time. I really like Lev Grossman's articles. Wonder how will he fair in fiction. Hmmm...

I've seen that book, but didn't realise it was written by a Time columnist. It's been a while since I last read Time. :P

[elfyf]

All of sidney sheldon's book are really great.He's the master of the unexpected.
Some of my favourites are Master of the game,Tell me your dreams and Bloodline.

Here is a tip when you read Sheldon's.. Don't ever believe the characters as their real character will be twisted at the end.That's why he's the master of the unexpected.

Btw, can you suggest other auhtors which are great in mystery,adventure and thriller novels? I read novels based on the author,if I found a great book by an author,i'll find his another books.

[Dominic]

All of sidney sheldon's book are really great.He's the master of the unexpected.
Some of my favourites are Master of the game,Tell me your dreams and Bloodline.

Here is a tip when you read Sheldon's.. Don't ever believe the characters as their real character will be twisted at the end.That's why he's the master of the unexpected.

Btw, can you suggest other auhtors which are great in mystery,adventure and thriller novels? I read novels based on the author,if I found a great book by an author,i'll find his another books.

For great, unpredictable crime novels, try Mark Billingham's DI Tom Thorne series. They're really good, definitely one of my favorite crime series. :)

For adventure I'd recommend the Tunnels series. Even though they're for younger readers, I find them quite satisfying. :P

Hmmm...thrillers...I'd suggest you try Nicci French's Losing You and Until It's Over. Both are great crime/psychological thrillers.

[ayjiahui]

In My Skin by Kate Holden is an excellent book! It's an autobiography about the author who goes into prostitution after a period of drug usage. In the book she explains how prostitution empowered her and helped her rid of her addiction to drugs. I think what made the book more interesting was the fact that Kate was an accomplished student who went to the University of Melb and graduated with First Class Honors.

Really a must read! A fair warning though, the book can get rather graphic (but necessarily so)

[joan2468]

In My Skin by Kate Holden is an excellent book! It's an autobiography about the author who goes into prostitution after a period of drug usage. In the book she explains how prostitution empowered her and helped her rid of her addiction to drugs. I think what made the book more interesting was the fact that Kate was an accomplished student who went to the University of Melb and graduated with First Class Honors.

Really a must read! A fair warning though, the book can get rather graphic (but necessarily so)

That does sound like an interesting read. I've been so caught up in studying and writing that I've hardly been doing any reading!

The only book I can recommend at the moment is Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai, and I was only introduced to it because it was one of the novels for English Literature for this cycle :P It's a nice read though - it doesn't have an actual plot, as it is more like a series of events and experiences for the characters Uma and Arun.

The book is divided into two parts, first part takes place in India with the story told from Uma's point of view, while the second part is a comparably short stint about Arun's time while studying in America. I think what makes it unique is the author's style of writing, which is most unlike most books I have read, and the incorporation of the Indian culture in the novel.

[xJing]

That does sound like an interesting read. I've been so caught up in studying and writing that I've hardly been doing any reading!

The only book I can recommend at the moment is Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai, and I was only introduced to it because it was one of the novels for English Literature for this cycle :P It's a nice read though - it doesn't have an actual plot, as it is more like a series of events and experiences for the characters Uma and Arun.

The book is divided into two parts, first part takes place in India with the story told from Uma's point of view, while the second part is a comparably short stint about Arun's time while studying in America. I think what makes it unique is the author's style of writing, which is most unlike most books I have read, and the incorporation of the Indian culture in the novel.

I remember studying that book for Literature in English! It was amazing. It just transports you straight into their lives and opens your eyes to things you thought you already knew. Amazing piece of work. Simply beautiful. Of course, I have a feeling some people might get bored reading it, though.

[joan2468]

I remember studying that book for Literature in English! It was amazing. It just transports you straight into their lives and opens your eyes to things you thought you already knew. Amazing piece of work. Simply beautiful. Of course, I have a feeling some people might get bored reading it, though.

My English Literature teacher taught us Holes by Louis Sachar, but I decided to read all three novels to see which one I liked best :P. I quite like both Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) and Fasting, Feasting - which has a rather long-winded and wordy style of writing, so yeah, some people might not like that.

The funny thing is, my English Lit. teacher also said that I write the same way...:huh I think I'm more direct in my writings, just that I am very, very thorough with my explanations :))

[xJing]

lol. I didn't read Holes. My Lit teacher in Form Four asked us to study Fasting Feasting. Then I switched teacher in Form Five, so then we all changed from Fasting Feasting to Fahrenheit 451. It was, different, to say the least. But I have to say I enjoyed it.

No time to explain! Lol. During exams, I always, always run out of time. :|

[Dominic]

My English Literature teacher taught us Holes by Louis Sachar, but I decided to read all three novels to see which one I liked best :P. I quite like both Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) and Fasting, Feasting - which has a rather long-winded and wordy style of writing, so yeah, some people might not like that.

The funny thing is, my English Lit. teacher also said that I write the same way...:huh I think I'm more direct in my writings, just that I am very, very thorough with my explanations :))

Damn, I love Holes! Did it for my LIE back in school too!



Lol. During exams, I always, always run out of time. :|

You have to write really fast, and plan your time carefully. 25 minutes for each sub-question should be sufficient, except question (a) of course.

[joan2468]

You have to write really fast, and plan your time carefully. 25 minutes for each sub-question should be sufficient, except question (a) of course.

I write pretty fast - unfortunately, as a result my handwriting turns out scrawly and untidy :notrust

[Dominic]

I write pretty fast - unfortunately, as a result my handwriting turns out scrawly and untidy :notrust

Same thing happens to me. Sometimes it's so bad it becomes illegible. My teacher got used to it, but I guess the SPM examiner didn't like it much....

[joan2468]

Same thing happens to me. Sometimes it's so bad it becomes illegible. My teacher got used to it, but I guess the SPM examiner didn't like it much....

:amazed How'd you do for English Lit. in SPM?

[WeiYun]

The Catcher in the Rye is an excellent book - I love the voice used by the writer. Holden is hilarious.

[ayjiahui]

I hated Catcher in the Rye. I couldn't stand his angst! I was so agitated reading the book... Couldn't stand it!

[FoxyWoxy25]

Apparently The Road by Cormac McCarthy is an absolutely brilliant read. I've got the book but I haven't gotten around to read it yet. Haven't found the time to read the entire thing in one sitting, which, I think, is how it should be done.

[Dominic]

:amazed How'd you do for English Lit. in SPM?

Got an A...was hoping for an A+ though, since my exam scores usually range between 92 and 97... :(

[marczeman]

God Is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens

[joan2468]

A friend of mine recommended Catcher In The Rye, but I just couldn't get into it. Must be the repeated use of the phrases "goddammit" or something.

[xJing]

how come no one recommended Shakespeare? Lol. He's really good. :)

[nickvl]

how come no one recommended Shakespeare? Lol. He's really good. :)

Loved Twelfth Night and Much Ado about Nothing :))

[xJing]

Loved Twelfth Night and Much Ado about Nothing :))

Yay a Shakespeare reader! haha. Macbeth is good, too. =D

[nickvl]

Yay a Shakespeare reader! haha. Macbeth is good, too. =D

Yeah. The evil wife of his hahaha...
Hamlet's okay too but I prefer his comedies more like As You Like It and Taming of the Shrew..

[Dominic]

A friend of mine recommended Catcher In The Rye, but I just couldn't get into it. Must be the repeated use of the phrases "goddammit" or something.

I hated that book. It was so incredibly whiny that I couldn't even get through the first few chapters.

[Shaheera]

Any suggestions for fantasy read? I could deal with teenage/children series as well. I liked The Mortal Instruments series. No harm in trying to read children's books.

[Dominic]

Any suggestions for fantasy read? I could deal with teenage/children series as well. I liked The Mortal Instruments series. No harm in trying to read children's books.

1. Trudi Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy. BEST fantasy young adult series I've ever read.

2. The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Although it's more for kids, but at my age, I still love it.

[xJing]

Yeah. The evil wife of his hahaha...
Hamlet's okay too but I prefer his comedies more like As You Like It and Taming of the Shrew..

I haven't read either. :( I am still a far cry from finishing all his works. He has so many of them! and i get so distracted by the works of other authors, too! :P

[yiling]

Seems like no one mentioned Hunger Games Trilogy. I'm not a novel person, but somehow these books drew my attention. Finished 3 books in a week time. Nice!

[luke]

A must-read for all ladies and gentlemen that are serious in their relationship:

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Are_from_Mars,_Women_Are_from_Venus