Reading Habits...

[iQing]

Statustically, a survey has been made and it shows that Malaysian reads a few pages of book per year..

Japanese reads the most in Asia.. more than 20 book per year

Finnland beats all in the world... they read more than 50 books per year...

the difference is very great...
by reading more than 50 books a year it?s for sure that your mind and your life will change... we can?t underestimate the power of reading.. esp how it helps a national develop intelectually

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

by the way, I have something nice to share with you guys...

When I arrived in Germany I have visited a friend of mine...

She?s living in a farm land, far away from any town... you can say it?s typical Kampong...

when I entered her house I have a great cultur shock...

the whole house is full of books...

when I enter the toilette, there were lots of books in it as well.. wow....

there were 2 kids in the house...

one of them is 10 years old. He has shown me his collection of Harry potter books (can?t emagine he?s showing me a big stack of thick HP books)

when I ask him whether he has finished reading The Lord of The Rings, he showed me another thick stack of LOTR collection... he almost finished reading it... I was amazed....

what interested me is his toys...

at the hall there was a table. on the table there were many glass tubes (tabung uji, bikar etc) where a person can play with chemicals..... (can you imagine a boy likes to play such stuffs?)

and that boy is busy taking photograph with his Digicam!!!! (isn?t it too young for him?)

can u imagine.,.

A small Kampong in Germany..

a 10 years old boy....

put me to shame....

he?s really lucky to have such a condusive enviroment for cognitive development...

From than on I am interested in cultural observation... it makes me learn a lot...

[iQing]

Here?s something I wish to share with you....

this is the picture of the 10 year old boy I told you about

<img src=http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~recom/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10413/normal_DSCN0299>

[chenchow]

Reading habit is an essential habit. I have to say that reading has broadened my mind a lot, from reading books, to articles online to even reading posts by others in ReCom.org .

I strongly encourage those who haven't picked up the habit of reading to do so. It will do you wonders in your life!

[iQing]

well, you can try to read some eBooks on-line...

for example chenchow has provide us a link to an internet book of the little prince


don?t forget to read Jimmy?s online book, which I have provided as well....

[cquayhl]

Here's a report on how much Americans read which may interest you guys:
http://www.arts.gov/news/news04/ReadingAtRisk.html

And here are articles about the report:
http://chronicle.com/free/2004/07/2004070901n.htm
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bloom9jul09,1,4507451.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

There is also a good NYT article which unfortunately you now have to pay for. However, if your universities have access to Lexis-Nexus (most do), you can probably get it from there. It's 'The Closing of the American Book' by Andrew Solomon. It appeared on 10 July 2004.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of similar studies done in Malaysia or other Asian countries. If people have anything...I'd be curious.

[saser_sp]

huhu~~ 8) i really like reading ~~ unfortunately for me it's come to me when i was in form4 at saser(sains seremban) ~ i don't think it's too late but ...i just feel that i lost a lot of info that can be found by reading ....~~

i do think that stactistic is true ...i manage to know that most of student of my institute prefer to do something else rather than reading ...i don't know why?? ....sometimes when i read a thick book people said that i was kinda intelec person ?? i really dumbfounded .... :?:

[cquayhl]

i do think that stactistic is true ...i manage to know that most of student of my institute prefer to do something else rather than reading ...i don't know why?? ....sometimes when i read a thick book people said that i was kinda intelec person ?? i really dumbfounded .... :?:

Yeah, I know what you mean. I got labelled 'anti-social' at school for reading. It was such a release to go to uni and find so many people who read more than me! (I went to Mount Holyoke and now I'm postgrad at Stanford.) It's a lot of fun to be able to talk about books to other people, which is why I hope this SIG will really take off. And the libraries here are about a thousand times better than the Sitiawan public library, even if you're just counting number of books. I don't know how I'm going to survive when I have to wean myself from all of this. From what I hear from my friends who went to local unis, they don't have the same reading culture. :-(

OK, enough complaining. Let's keep talking about books. :-)

Charis.

[wpyeoh]

what interested me is his toys...

at the hall there was a table. on the table there were many glass tubes (tabung uji, bikar etc) where a person can play with chemicals..... (can you imagine a boy likes to play such stuffs?)



In France the toy shops are really full of sophisticated toys as well, my friend went shopping for toys for her younger brother, and yes, she found a chemistry set. There were binocular sets and stuff like that as well.

But back to books. ^_^

[saser_sp]

huhu~~ do all book in france is in french ?? i didn't find ....yet any french book (i mean storybook) in my unikl-mfi library.... hopelly i'll find one soon ~` :wink:

[wpyeoh]

In Malaysia it's really hard to find french books...but in France it's really hard to find other than French books. All books are translated into French. In the public library that I go to, there are only 2 small racks for english books.

[saser_sp]

hoho like that aa ?? :roll:
mmm quite scary .... (i'll better improve my french from NOW!!!)

[StupidCupid]

this is just what i have gone through...

i started reading when i was in standard 3 (i was in a chinese primary school) and my 1st book was a malay version of enid blyton's book.
from then, i stocked up a big pile of enid blyton's books ( if i would need to figure out how much they costed my parents, it would be some where near hundred? thousand? i wont know.)
because of that, i won a lot of times in karangan (malay essay) competitions.
when i was in primary6, i too won in the chinese essay competition.
my years in primary school was the most remarkable time.

as i went into my secondary school (which is a sekolah kebangsaan)
i no longer participate in those competitions as these things were not inform to all the people.
i only knew that there was a competition when the teacher annouced who's the winner during assembly.
as time passes by, i felt lack-lustred to participate in activities organized by the school. (and 5 years have gone)

now after my SPM, again, i started 2 stock up books.
but this time, english books and some chinese books.
i need2 repair my english urgently!!!
but now i felt guilty 2 buy the books as they cost at least 30 ringgit per book which i can buy 12 of those books i read in primary school.
this is definately going 2 burden up my parents... :cry:

i wonder why books are selling at such price where many teens like me will rather 2 use the money somewhere else.
in my opinion, i think they should reduce the price of books in order to increase the number of books read by malaysian...

by the way, if there is anyone who wan 2 give their books away r always welcome 2 contact me. :)

[chenchow]

StupidCupid, it is very nice that you have strong interest in reading, especially lately. I would say that a good and cheap way to read books would be to go to the library. There are quite a number of libraries in Malaysia, and I would say that it is pretty well-stocked too, although sometimes you may not be able to find the latest titles, but there are more than sufficient books for you to read.

To be frank, RM30 a book is still at a decent price, if say you compare it to only 3 fastfood meals at KFC/McD. You can also buy 2nd hand book at those 2nd hand book stores, which would give it cheaper. Another way would be to get the soft-cover copy of the books, and also perhaps share with other friends, where you guys can swap the books to read.

Over in US, where books are way more expensive than RM30, I still see a good habit of people reading. It is just a question of priority. Like back in Malaysia, RM10 coffee at Starbucks or RM10 for a movie in cinema is reasonable, but RM20 or RM30 for a book is not reasonable, where the book still has some resellable value or sharing with others, whereas the other two do not have any value after you drink or watch it.

[DecentMerson]

StupidCupid, it is very nice that you have strong interest in reading, especially lately. I would say that a good and cheap way to read books would be to go to the library. There are quite a number of libraries in Malaysia, and I would say that it is pretty well-stocked too, although sometimes you may not be able to find the latest titles, but there are more than sufficient books for you to read.

To be frank, RM30 a book is still at a decent price, if say you compare it to only 3 fastfood meals at KFC/McD. You can also buy 2nd hand book at those 2nd hand book stores, which would give it cheaper. Another way would be to get the soft-cover copy of the books, and also perhaps share with other friends, where you guys can swap the books to read.

Over in US, where books are way more expensive than RM30, I still see a good habit of people reading. It is just a question of priority. Like back in Malaysia, RM10 coffee at Starbucks or RM10 for a movie in cinema is reasonable, but RM20 or RM30 for a book is not reasonable, where the book still has some resellable value or sharing with others, whereas the other two do not have any value after you drink or watch it.

yeah... i do agree with Chen Chow... is about priority... just like some of my frens think that buying a CD for RM 40 - 50 is worth it.... while spending RM 30 on a book is so expensive....

other alternatives beside buying books is renting them... get a few frens... which have the same interest or same favourite author... and rent the books and share the cost....

buy second hand books... there are couple of shops selling second hand books in Malaysia... Payless Book is one of them..... quite reasonable....RM 12 for a paperback... RM 18 for a hardcover.... but live with those crease on the books...

other than that... borrow from ur frens.... my frens and I exchange books.... and it is really a good way to save money.... let say they are 5 of u... and everyone of u buy a book a month.... and then u will have 4 books to keep u occupied every month.... just make sure that all of u have the time to read those books...:P

[StupidCupid]

which library in kl / klang valley is the best to go??

where can i find those 2nd hand book shops??

as my friends don't read, i couldn't share nor exchange books with them... :(

[DecentMerson]

hmmm... klang valley.. i'm not really sure about the libraries... never been to any of them...

For buying second hand book... there's a shop "Payless Book" at Carrefour Subang Jaya... near the Ground Parking... beside the Cut n Go hair salon...

for renting books.... there's a Readers' Corner at Subang Parade...LG... beside the Satay's restaurant..... right under TGIF restaurant....

there's a Payless Book at Summit USJ too... not sure if it is still there...

[Jia_Hong]

alternatively, keep your ears n eyes open on those book clearance sales, for example by Penguin Putnam...they are usually organised annualy.

The price is super cheap.
I bought classics for RM7, and books that retail for RM50+ at RM10.
RM50+ got me somewhere 7-8 books (note: this are english books...which is amazingly cheap)

It feels really good when the RRP price behind says "13.99 pounds" when I got it for RM10.

For those who read chinese, meanwhile should have a significant advantage as most major titles can be found at 2-10 times cheaper than english books of similar title.

Hope this info is useful.

[wpyeoh]

But translated books just aren't the same as the original... I read Agatha Christie and Harry Potter in English, then I found some in French, but I just don't want to read them. That's because I tried reading a few Agatha Christie books in French, but it just wasn't as nice. i can't put my finger to it, maybe it's the style??

[balderdash]

I guess in a sense I was lucky that I had parents who drilled me into the reading habit since I was a mere toddler. Weekends consisted of weekly trips to the library where I'd get loads of Enid Blyton and children's 'classics' and birthdays/good behaviour/good results were rewarded with a new book. I was such a bookworm that I was reading at the dinner table....

I went to a Chinese primary school and my parents, being Chinese illiterate, tried to get me to read Chinese books. I think they failed. Hehe....but I remember being reprimanded by my Chinese teacher for reading Nancy Drew during an effing free period. But never mind...

The reading thing sorta died down in secondary school as I had the *ahem* Internet to keep me company and suddenly, Bronte and Dickens didn't appeal to me anymore. Enid Blyton was boring after about Primary 5 and I had finished Anne series and most of Judy Blume....you get the picture. And my mom wouldn't allow me to even LOOK at Joan Collins (y'know.....trashy sensational novels) and yea.....just lost interest for a while. The only stuff I read was probably Asian American novels. Though I know there were loadsa good books that I could have read. Laziness is the word :)

Picked it up again now that I am in uni. I am currently a Lit major so I suppose reading is my assignment. Have been introduced to many many good books throughout my classes and I haven't been able to stop reading since. Been particularly interested in postcolonial and feminist writing of late.

And ooooh I love love second hand book stores! I thrive on them! I only know the second hand book stores in Ipoh and Singapore...Ipoh only has about 2 I think but they stock mainly Chinese novels and sensational novels and kiddies books. But Singapore has quite a few really really good ones. I spend one whole afternoon just browsing at Far East Plaza's 2nd hand book stores just for therapy haha....

Those in KL should look out for MPH warehouse sales.....I haven't been to the ones in KL but I went to one in Singapore and they were selling perfectly new books for like SGD5-SGD10? I picked up the LOTR trilogy for only SGD10. So you can imagine...

But I am not totally a banana la. Haha....I like reading Zhang Xiao Xian romance novels. Not exactly the top of the list for literary excellence but it's sure nice to feel mushy once in a while :) Hehe :)

[Aki]

Yes,is somethine about priority.many teenages rather spend their money on having funs than buying a book but what about those who are not afford to spend their money in cinemas or starsbuck?Surely this is about financial conditions that will influence their reading habits.And i still think that prices of books in Malaysia can still go much lower and u can see this when,etc:the prices of harry potter 5th book is reduced 50% after half year of the release .I dun think the sellers are loosing any money by doing this so this would mean that they earn more than 50% of the original price,which is quite a lot.
StupidCupid, it is very nice that you have strong interest in reading, especially lately. I would say that a good and cheap way to read books would be to go to the library. There are quite a number of libraries in Malaysia, and I would say that it is pretty well-stocked too, although sometimes you may not be able to find the latest titles, but there are more than sufficient books for you to read.

To be frank, RM30 a book is still at a decent price, if say you compare it to only 3 fastfood meals at KFC/McD. You can also buy 2nd hand book at those 2nd hand book stores, which would give it cheaper. Another way would be to get the soft-cover copy of the books, and also perhaps share with other friends, where you guys can swap the books to read.

Over in US, where books are way more expensive than RM30, I still see a good habit of people reading. It is just a question of priority. Like back in Malaysia, RM10 coffee at Starbucks or RM10 for a movie in cinema is reasonable, but RM20 or RM30 for a book is not reasonable, where the book still has some resellable value or sharing with others, whereas the other two do not have any value after you drink or watch it.

[Aki]

here is a website for the first and only online book rental in Malyasia
http://www.readersshack.com/
But u need to go to certain place to pick up the books or get the books by postal services,and is quite new,so the book collections aren't not many,still i m glad to find this website.

[taufiq]

Thanks for the site
it's a very good one

i think reading habit always start at home
since government employees are going to work 5 days a week now,
it's great chance for them to inculcate reading habit in younger people

do you guys think that it is solely parent's responsibility?
or should the government do something more (not just the bulan membaca, which i haven't heard for a long time already)

[CurbsideProphet]

My reading habit was cultivated by my parents too. I still remember at 5+, going out to the small MPH beside the old mou tak teng (TTDI hawker) after one saturday morning breakfast, and buying my first ever Enid Blyton - a short story collection involving a pixie's party. I was rarely seen without a story book, whether it was at school, at home, at social gatherings...

I used to be quite a quick reader - but I think now, on an average I do about 3 books in 2 months for leisure. The most I have managed these 2 years is 8 books in a month, during holidays. Of course, the important thing about reading is not how many books you get through, but how many books get through to you...

I don't know about US, but I must say that it is definitely more viable for UK people to adopt reading than Malaysia. Average part time salary in UK : 5?/hour, average paperback novel : 6? - 1 book earned in 2 hours work. Average part time salary in Malaysia : 5RM/hour, average paperback novel : 33RM - 1 book earned in about 7 hours work. That's 3x the work! Not to mention UK libraries are up to date, with an online renewal and reservation systems. So I can understand why Malaysians will complain about book prices...

But nevertheless, at least book censorship have not wandered in to the abhorable regions yet, and quite a few Malaysians I know are somewhat well-read. I think that the education system should introduce appropriate literature at a younger age (somewhat informally), and with this exposure, it is easier to build a society of interested readers. I won't say everyone's going to like reading, but a lot of people do miss out on the opportunity to discover their passions until it is too late!

[iQing]

my Regular bookshopping cost about RM 200

[Seiryu]

I prefer buying my own.. i feel 30++ for a book is OK especially when you buy books on a monthly basis.

I don't like borrowing books from friends because they are so particular about the way i hold a book. They'll shout things like "OMG don fold my book" when i wasn't even doing so. Till now all books i bought are still new and resellable. :lol:

[iQing]

I prefer buying my own.. i feel 30++ for a book is OK especially when you buy books on a monthly basis.

I don't like borrowing books from friends because they are so particular about the way i hold a book. They'll shout things like "OMG don fold my book" when i wasn't even doing so. Till now all books i bought are still new and resellable. :lol:


I am that kind of erson.
ever since my friend who borrowed my book made myboo kaput.
i stop lending my bookto anyone
I dislike people who ruin the corner of the cover and holding the book like m shape, giving the book a permenant curve fold. so rude !!!!

[icy_cold88]

my Regular bookshopping cost about RM 200

8O u serious???? whoaaaa.. I envy you.

The most I ever spent from a bookstore is RM500+++ in a single receipt at Kinokuniya, and those were for academic purposes.. I remember my parents almost KILL me when they saw the price..

If I have all the money in the world I would definitely spend all of them on books, books, books and more books...

[capablanca]

my Regular bookshopping cost about RM 200

8O u serious???? whoaaaa.. I envy you.

The most I ever spent from a bookstore is RM500+++ in a single receipt at Kinokuniya, and those were for academic purposes.. I remember my parents almost KILL me when they saw the prices..

If I have all the money in the world I would definitely spend all of them on books, books, books and more books...

Wow, wish I could spend like you. I would have cut my heart out if need to spend over RM 100. Usually, I just borrow books from the library.

[Caprio]

Yea, it is of paramount importance that everyone cultivates the habit of reading.

By the way, let make a survey, how often do you read?

Average you take how long to devour a book?

Where do you get your book from? Buy or borrow?

Books are expensive in Malaysia. Hope that the price of the book will decrease for the well being of Malaysians.:P

[Appolo]

i practically read everyday(unless of course you are not referring to academic books?)

A classic would take me around 2 days to a month depending on my mood.

Buy and borrow.

[capablanca]

Yea, it is of paramount importance that everyone cultivates the habit of reading.

By the way, let make a survey, how often do you read?

Average you take how long to devour a book?

Where do you get your book from? Buy or borrow?

Books are expensive in Malaysia. Hope that the price of the book will decrease for the well being of Malaysians.:P
Depends on your context of survey. I read magazines (Forbes, RD, Economist...) and books for leisure. That will be few per week or so.

But, if you include text books, I read that more often.
I took different time to devour a book, if I have time, less than 1 day. 8 hours when I try to finish the Harry Potter book 5 in 1 go. Have a headache afterwards.

I'm a cheapskate, don't expect me to purchase anything. Borrow, borrow, borrow...

[yummyummylicious]

Yea, it is of paramount importance that everyone cultivates the habit of reading.

By the way, let make a survey, how often do you read?

Average you take how long to devour a book?

Where do you get your book from? Buy or borrow?

Books are expensive in Malaysia. Hope that the price of the book will decrease for the well being of Malaysians.:P

First of all, Caprio are you going to include yourself in this survey???:amuse
well, i read magazines everymonth (if this counts) ...i used to read RD, Cleo which i subscribe monthly...and sometimes i will buy others mags too...

mmm, how long...1 week for each mag i guess...and i usually read b4 i sleep..

mmm, i buy a loads of books and i like to buy books...but i didnt really read the books i bought..hehe...hmm, i will read the first few chapters and then jump to the last chapter...lol..then i'll put in the cupboard like kinda exibition...and there comes the next book...
and i usually dont borrow books from friends bcoz whateva book i read will end up having 'dog ear'...

well this survey on me doesnt count on text books and revision books...

[06008]

when I started reading a book, I won't stop till I finished..jumping to the last chapter made me feel guilty..hahah

[yummyummylicious]

when I started reading a book, I won't stop till I finished..jumping to the last chapter made me feel guilty..hahah

but makes me feel happy...:P
i cant wait to know the ending eventhough i dont understand...lol...:))well, let me just admit i'm lazy and no patience at all...hehe

[06008]

anyone here ever touched malay novels?? me, NEVER!! so jiwang

[Caprio]

anyone here ever touched malay novels?? me, NEVER!! so jiwang

I have.

During the my secondary school years, we are forced to do that. Just for the sake of exams.

Mind you, I only touched the novels, didn't really read it page by page. I end up studying referance books to sit for the exams. How pathetic. Haha...

[yummyummylicious]

I have.

During the my secondary school years, we are forced to do that. Just for the sake of exams.

Mind you, I only touched the novels, didn't really read it page by page. I end up studying referance books to sit for the exams. How pathetic. Haha...

yeah , i was like this too...before spm, whenever i start the first chapter of a novel, i will feel guilty...i will start thinking why not spend my time to study history..lol...:P

[Iraka]

I used to read a LOT back in secondary school. Haven't been reading as much in the past year or two. Last book I read was Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman.

I used to read mainly fantasy books and stuff by Anne Rice. Sun Tzu's Art of War (or rather, the translation) was another book I enjoyed. Oh, and I remembered reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms (the novel, not the comics).:)

[Gabrielle90]

but makes me feel happy...:P
i cant wait to know the ending eventhough i dont understand...lol...:))well, let me just admit i'm lazy and no patience at all...hehe

i will read a few chapters first... if it is interesting, i will jump to the last chapter and then jump back to the chapter that i stopped... if it is not interesting then i wont jump to the last chapter but i will read it in a real slow paceand maybe end up didnt finish reading the book... haha... this is me... any nice novel recommend???

[yummyummylicious]

i will read a few chapters first... if it is interesting, i will jump to the last chapter and then jump back to the chapter that i stopped... if it is not interesting then i wont jump to the last chapter but i will read it in a real slow paceand maybe end up didnt finish reading the book... haha... this is me... any nice novel recommend???

well recently, i manage to finish one novel...its title is "Face to Face" but i cant remember who's the author becoz i borrow the novel to one of my friends so i cant refer and tell who's the author... its like a love story + mystery...consider not bad and the book is not too thick so can finish quite fast...lol...but i think the book was published kinda long ago becoz i found that book in the store room of my house...lol...with loads of dust...:P

[qwerkie]

I used to read a LOT back in secondary school. Haven't been reading as much in the past year or two. Last book I read was Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman.

I used to read mainly fantasy books and stuff by Anne Rice. Sun Tzu's Art of War (or rather, the translation) was another book I enjoyed. Oh, and I remembered reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms (the novel, not the comics).:)

ahah! at last! a neil gaiman reader!
what do you think of him?

[Iraka]

^Well, I certainly do like his style (or styles, since they seem to vary a bit in his collection of short stories). Even the preface was worth reading lol. I'm planning to pick up maybe one of his full-length novels next time. I've heard a lot about American Gods.

[qwerkie]

agreed! it's wonderful the way he twists well-known stories into......whatever he twists them into.. what's your fave story? i love Murder Mysteries. i've read American Gods. very nice book if you like mythology. he managed to unite gods from India, Ireland, Norway and even Egypt! i love the fact that his characters are all so flawed and so real, yet so unbelievable.. do tell me when you read any more of his books! =)

[Iraka]

Well speaking of twists, my faves would have to be Nicholas was, The White Road and Troll Bridge. Especially The White Road...I really didn't see that one coming. XD His characters tend to have a certain quirkiness I like. I remembered the first short story of his I read was How to talk to girls at parties, which was put up somewhere online. It was just bizarre!

I love mythology, so maybe yeah, I'll pick up American Gods next time I drop by MPH.

[ayja]

anyone a Patricia Cornwell fan?

[Iraka]

^ Those medical crime stories, right? I remembered reading a few of her books I got from the library back in my old school. Pretty good read, though can't exactly say I'm a huge fan or anything lol.

[qwerkie]

never heard of Patricia Cornwall. but if you like thrillers, try Tami Hoag and Jeffery Deaver.
Iraka, if you like fantasy novels, try Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
genius, pairing those 2 up.

oh yes. anyone read haruki murakami?

[qwerkie]

which book did you read? i just started my first murakami, Kafka on the Shore, and i'm beginning to love him already.

yay to another gaiman fan! :)

[Sillyboy]

Erm, American God by Neil Gaiman, a good book? I love mythology a lot! What are his books about anyway? Can anyone tell me more?

[qwerkie]

Erm, American God by Neil Gaiman, a good book? I love mythology a lot! What are his books about anyway? Can anyone tell me more?

if you're a mythology-lover, i think you'll love this book! American Gods is about how ancient gods are struggling to survive in america. gods like Anubis, Kali, and Loki make an appearance here. the way he humanises them is so... gaiman.. hell, he even managed a poke at Jesus!

i'm sorry i can't tell you more, but i don't know how to tell you without giving away the story. all i can say is, there are twists aplenty! :)

wikipedia can tell you a lot. but if you're the kind that hates spoilers, don't click!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods

I picked up The Wind-Up Bird Chornicle (or something like that) - apparently it's one of his more popular works along with Kafka. Asian to English translations tend to be iffy though =/

Gaiman is qwerkie and disturbing (so I'm less fond of him nowadays :P). There's just this... characteristically 'Gaiman-feel' to his stuff, and his prose is most excellent.

agreed! translated stories somehow lose a little of their magic along the way. lost in translation.. haha.. but quite a few still manage to transcend language to touch readers. paulo coelho and murakami, for instance. any others?

just for the record, its quirky, dear. qwerkie is me :amuse

i've forced my friends to read Gaiman, and his 'gaiman-feel' spooked them. guess he's a tad too disturbing lah :laugh especially his sicko sex scenes!

[Iraka]

^ For me, the more disturbing, the better.;) Lol, I remembered how Gaiman mentioned in the preface how even he felt uncomfortable writing the weird sex scenes that he had to do it just a paragraph at a time or something like that..XD

[alepbing]

i think there are few reasons that cause malaysian not to read books.

1. the books are very expensive (most of them, like english books and all. the cheap ones are malay novels, and do you think a lot of people read those?)
2. we are too lazy to go to library (only hoping for mobile library to come to our taman XD)
3....100

and lastly, because we are malaysians XD

I think the best way to encourage reading among malaysians is to enhance newspapers. in fact, newspapers are so powerful, if they are written nicely, people will tend to read more. rather than advertisements on every page.

[qwerkie]

^ For me, the more disturbing, the better.;) Lol, I remembered how Gaiman mentioned in the preface how even he felt uncomfortable writing the weird sex scenes that he had to do it just a paragraph at a time or something like that..XD

hi 5! he is so diabolically twisted :))
if i'm not mistaken, that particular story has a veryexplicit sex scene.. no, wait.. the whole story was a sex scene...
but yeah, the preface is really unique. tells us the story behind the story. way cool.

i think there are few reasons that cause malaysian not to read books.

1. the books are very expensive (most of them, like english books and all. the cheap ones are malay novels, and do you think a lot of people read those?)
2. we are too lazy to go to library (only hoping for mobile library to come to our taman XD)
3....100

and lastly, because we are malaysians XD

I think the best way to encourage reading among malaysians is to enhance newspapers. in fact, newspapers are so powerful, if they are written nicely, people will tend to read more. rather than advertisements on every page.

erm.. i think you posted this at the wrongest of the wrongest place in ReCom..?
dude! all of us here read! more voraciously than most! and we're malaysian!

but yes, i do agree that our local newspapers need to spruce themselves up. not to encourage reading, but to encourage readership. until they stop publishing news polished to reflect the government's best interests, i'm going to stick with nytimes.com. some of us want unbiased news.

[Iraka]

erm.. i think you posted this at the wrongest of the wrongest place in ReCom..?
dude! all of us here read! more voraciously than most! and we're malaysian!

but yes, i do agree that our local newspapers need to spruce themselves up. not to encourage reading, but to encourage readership. until they stop publishing news polished to reflect the government's best interests, i'm going to stick with nytimes.com. some of us want unbiased news.

If you read the first few pages of the thread, his post was actually relevant lol.

From personal experience, I had more friends in college than in secondary school who actually read books other than those for studies. Not really sure why.

Reading habits are best instilled when you're young. I think parents should have a hand in that. Ideally material that you enjoy reading. Otherwise, reading just becomes another chore.

Anyone remembers those programs they have in schools? Projek Buku Nilam or some other name. They give you a book and you have to record having read a certain amount of books for the year, including a synopsis. I know for a fact that many would just grab some random book from the library and copy down the synopsis written on the back for it. Needless to say, I doubt the program really helped in the end...

[shakira]

i love reading.. 24 hrs by greg iles is one of my favourite... they made it into a movie too. i also have the whole roswell books collection because i was a huge fan of the serial at that time(7-8 yrs ago)

[alepbing]

erm.. i think you posted this at the wrongest of the wrongest place in ReCom..?
dude! all of us here read! more voraciously than most! and we're malaysian!

but yes, i do agree that our local newspapers need to spruce themselves up. not to encourage reading, but to encourage readership. until they stop publishing news polished to reflect the government's best interests, i'm going to stick with nytimes.com. some of us want unbiased news.


well, i did not mean 'we are malaysians' literally. im stating a provocative statement since this thread initially stated that malaysians read few pages of books in a year comparing to the Japanese and Finnish.

i do not blame the newspaper for their content, but for the literary. i think NST and the star are quite educational in the sense that they widen the use of english. just that some newspapers are commercial rather than educational or reading-promoting.

actually, iraka was right. reading should be nurtured. and my friends were reading more story books that academic ones but still manage to get all A1 for spm.

it is like this, reading is like english language itself. once you are hooked on to read, your mind will experience this change where you will tend to understand educational books easier and faster. why? because the more we read, the higher our mind's imiginative part will be enhanced. just like english, people who speak english quite fluently will have a mindset different from people speaking little english. really, i've experienced it.

about projek nilam, i dont think its working too! haha. i was a librarian and quite disappointed with what the students did. needless to say, if we do not change our own mind, who will right? no matter how hard people torment or 'exorsise' (haha) your mind, only you can change it, because that is what god gave to you

[qwerkie]

oh.. sorry alepbing! my mistake! :)

i remember Projek Nilam. i know a few girls who copy synopsis out of the back cover just to reach Nilam cuz they give extra koku points for it. stupid. fyi, my Nilam count is zero. my own little form of rebe...non-cooperation, inspired by Gandhi. :D

[alepbing]

haha. no lah, no need to apologise. its a forum, so we write what we feel right? :P:P

nilam T.T i did not even fill in myself haha. since it does not affect our koku marks. but there was once when teacher said that it will be counted, the library was suddenly full! and the librarians ended up have to rearrage all the books being displaced. haha

[bluez_aspic]

agreed! translated stories somehow lose a little of their magic along the way. lost in translation.. haha.. but quite a few still manage to transcend language to touch readers. paulo coelho and murakami, for instance. any others?

just for the record, its quirky, dear. qwerkie is me :amuse
Nope, I'm not big on modern literature. And I thought you'd have appreciated the qwerkie allusion, the pun was so lame that it was irresistible :P

[qwerkie]

Nope, I'm not big on modern literature. And I thought you'd have appreciated the qwerkie allusion, the pun was so lame that it was irresistible :P

:laugh much appreciated, blue!

[Caprio]

It is true that the books here in Malaysia is quite expensive. Then the books in the library is not up to date.

Anyone here know any website that is free to download ebook?:p

[qwerkie]

well, there is a whole list there for you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_digital_library_projects

but try
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
and
http://www.readprint.com/

of course, you probably won't get books which are up-to-date. copyright is there. let me know if you find a really good site, ya? :)

[Caprio]

well, there is a whole list there for you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_digital_library_projects

but try
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
and
http://www.readprint.com/

of course, you probably won't get books which are up-to-date. copyright is there. let me know if you find a really good site, ya? :)


Definitely I will.

I am more into non-fiction books like personal finance, self-help and so on. Nonetheless, the websites you provided does help me in one way or another.