New Books to Read

I'm addicted to MPH Online. My latest set of books arrived:

1. Up in the Air (Movie Tie-in Edition)
2. What the Dog Saw
3. A Taste of the Miracle of Juice
4. Saladin And The Fall Of The Kingdom Of Jerusalem
5. The White Queen

I wonder which one I'll read first...

2010 Global Reading Challenge

I've decided to join a reading challenge. Read about this one here.

All I need is to find an author from each continent. Seems easy, but the only African author I know of is Ben Okri. A friend gave me 'The Famished Road' as a birthday present, and at the time I did not particularly enjoy it. However, I'm willing to give him another try. Just like I've outgrown Feist, I may find myself growing into Okri this time round.

After some searching on the Internet, I ordered a few books from MPH Online.

So my list goes like this:

• Africa - JM Coetzee (South Africa): Disgrace
• Asia - Orhan Pamuk (Turkey): The Museum of Innocence
• North America - Walter Kirn (USA): Up in the Air
• Europe - Philippa Gregory (UK): The White Queen
• Australasia - none so far. The only Australian books I could find on MPH were either children, teen or cookery books from Australian Women's Weekly.
• South America - haven't started searching yet. I'll probably pick Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Although, with Coetzee now being an Australian resident, Gregory actually born in Kenya and Pamuk teaching in US, it all gets to be a big mix-up. So I'll do my challenge based on the locale of the plot, which is more consistent with the above.

The hunt for Australasian books continues...

A Darkness at Sethanon

Author: Raymond E Feist

This is the final book in the Riftwar Saga series. I'm sure I've read the books before, as the characters' names are somewhat familiar, although I can't quite remember the plots. But I was in the mood for dragons and elves, so this seemed right up my alley.

This book has it all - dragons, elves, magicians and an assortment of all creatures good and evil. There's also a bit of time- and space-travelling, jumping about to different worlds and universes.

It starts with an attempt to murder Arutha, the Prince of Krondor during a royal Festival. Forces of evil are gathering in large numbers to prepare for war, but the real motive and target of the Enemy is unknown to the good guys. Pug the magician and his friend Tomas (the guy on the book cover) travel in search of Macros the Black to seek the answers that will save their world from destruction.

Of course, the good guys win in the end, after long hard-fought battles that culminate in a grand showdown in Sethanon. There's a lot of action, a bit of politics, a very fine sprinkling of romance in the mix as well. So it should please a lot of fantasy fans who don't already know Feist.

Sadly, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I don't think I've outgrown the fantasy genre per se - rather, I think I've outgrown Feist. He does a great job describing the swordfighting, battles, castles and travelling through the mountains - to a point where I couldn't really understand his descriptions due to my limited vocabulary in those areas (what's the difference between a barbican and a bailey?), but not so much on the character. Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of characters in the book, but I get the feeling that Feist assumes we know them well enough that only a caricaturistic description suffices.

In the end, I could not really connect with any of them. I think I'll stick with Pratchett and Gaiman in future.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

Author: Gideon Defoe

This was such a great read! Thanks, Ain, for lending it to me!

The year is 1838 in the West Indies. The Pirate Captain, worried that his pirates are getting bored of "all that lying on the beach and the native women, wandering about with no tops on" decide to set off on another Adventure. They are informed of a ship called The Beagle, transporting gold bullion from the colonies back to England and decide to attack it, to find that the only treasure on the ship is the young Charles Darwin and his trained Man-Panzee. Determined to assist Darwin in rescuing his brother Erasmus who has been kidnapped by the Bishop of Oxford, they head off to England.

This book is funny with capital F-U-N-N-Y! The Pirate Captain is a debonair man, with a glossy beard, who cannot quite remember the names of his crew but is certainly on target with his Periodic Table (despite the fact that the Table was not invented yet in 1838). Circus freaks, grisly murders, a pirate convention and a science lecture all get thrown into the mix at a laugh a minute.

Apparently Defoe wrote The Pirates to convince a woman to leave her boyfriend for him. She didn't. I'm sure other women will. Just read the note from the Pirate Captain on the back cover:

"Dear Reader,

I'm choosing to picture you as an attractive young woman, about nineteen, perhaps reading this 150 years from now, while in bed wearing just a daring negligee, tanned thighs stretched out on those silk sheets of yours. You're no doubt wondering why the men of your time couldn't be a bit more like the charming piratical rogue writing these words, instead of the monstrous oversized brains they've probably evolved into. Well, what are you waiting for? With your advanced scientific knowledge it's no doubt a cinch to reconstitute me from just a few of my piratical cells, and to this I have stuck a couple of hairs from my glossy beard into the back cover. I take it you still have ham in the future? A nice big ham waiting for me would be a treat."

Aku Terima Nikahnya

Author: Hasrizal Abdul Jamil @ Abu Saif

Surah al-Furqan, verse 74:

"And those who pray: "Oh Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous."

This book, I think, is a collection of the author's blog entries and articles. He relates how he 'met' his wife, the early years of marriage in Ireland all the way to the current situation with 3 kids and living in KL. With reference to the verse above, he stresses that one must first strengthen one's own righteousness (Taqwa) before leading the righteous.

The author also cautions and admonishes young Muslims who prefer long-term courtships, and reminds that the period of engagement in Islam does not give the same freedom in relationship as marriage. However, he does so in an easy manner that draws you in instead of pushing you away, unlike some 'holier-than-thou' preachers. In between, he shares some points from various talks he has given, as well as the strange questions he sometimes gets from the audience ("How many times are you allowed to SMS your fiance?").

One can also easily relate to him as he is willing to share his own experiences, even his imperfections and mistakes. The author also shows his openness to Western sources of reference: John Gray's 'Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus' and Dr Miriam Stoppard get more than a mention. It is this openness that makes his material so approachable.

In some chapters, he reflects on his parents and his upbringing; in others, he shares with us his thoughts and doubts on his own parenting abilities. Some chapters are hilarious yet enlightening anecdotes of his offspring. In one chapter, the author is telling the story of Sang Kancil to his children, and end the story by saying how clever the mousedeer of Malay folklore is. However, his eldest son, Yop, reacts by saying Sang Kancil is bad, as the animal lies and abuses other animals to get his own way.

Another story that really touched me was when he was on an overseas trip and called home to speak to his family. Yop says that he misses his father, and while speaking on the phone holds a photo of the author in his hand. I could not help but recall how Nu'man apparently clutches my photo to sleep whenever I have to travel out of town for a few days (more tears here).

The book basically talks about our roles in the institution of marriage and family: as Husband, Wife and Parents. As he states, his perception of marriage:

"Melihat perkahwinan sebagai medan untuk memberi, akan menjadikan kita lebih memikirkan soal PERANAN dan bukannya HAK yang tidak berkesudahan".

Rindu Bau Pohon Tin

Author: Hasrizal Abdul Jamil @ Abu Saif (http://www.saifulislam.com/)





This book is a memoir of the author's student days in Jordan. It begins with a discourse between the young Hasrizal and his teacher on verse 122 from Surah al-Taubah:


"Nor should the Believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion and admonish the people when they return to them― that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)."

The teacher explains to Hasrizal that studying in the way of Allah is similar to going to war:

1. War is difficult.
2. War requires planning.
3. War requires skills.
4. In war you must know your friends and foes.
5. War promises 'Ghanimah' (spoils of war).

Equipped with these words of wisdom, the author travels as one of the first group of students under the 'Rancangan Bersama JPA-Petronas' to Jordan, where he is greeted by the sight of deserts and camels. Throughout the book, he recalls the various lecturers, friends, neighbours and his observations of students and student life in general.

He notes sadly that the wholesome image of Malaysian students deteriprated somewhat with the influx in 1995, as some of them were sent not with pure intentions to study religion, but as a last resort by their parents to 'return to the straight path'. There's an interesting anecdote where he compares the attitude of Malaysian students with those from other countries. A Chinese student, in his efforts to learn the Arabic language, would write an Arabic word on the back of his hand. When asked why not use a notebook instead, the Chinese student replied, "If I write in my book, I may note remember. If I write on my hand, I will be forced to memorize it before performing ablution (wudhu') for Zuhur prayers."

There are many little gems in the book, and its easy style makes reading it a pleasure. Each chapter is a little story or anecdote of its own, so you can always pick it up and read it at your leisure - although I managed to finish it in one go. There are too many wonderful phrases and to quote, but one sentence in relation to preparing for war/studies that I'll post here:

"Kucar-kacir dalam kebenaran, mustahil ada upaya mengalahkan kebatilan yang sistematik."

Sod off, Sudoku!

As I stated before, I will only start on my Reading List after I complete the Sudoku puzzles. Sorry, can't wait!

And I'll start with the Malay travelogue/memoir.