My very own TBR Challenge

I have spent a couple of thousand RM on books in the last few years. Unfortunately, I have not read as much. Many of them are still languishing on my shelves or bedside table, collecting dust. And so this year, instead of buying more books that will only contribute to reducing my income tax by a small amount, I shall endeavour to unearth the gems of wisdom that are eagerly awaiting me.

I have two lists, non-fiction and fiction.

NON-FICTION:

1. Wanita Bekerja & Beribadah
2. Coming of Age
3. Linchpin - Are you Indispensable?: CURRENTLY READING
4. Melahirkan Zuriat yang Solat
5. Minda Tertawan
6. Bidayatul Hidayah
7. Ramadhan Terakhir
8. Khutbah Terakhir Rasulullah
9. Peristiwa Bersejarah Ramadhan
10. Ensiklopedia Solat
11. iLeadership: The Steve Jobs Way
12. The Boy who Harnessed the Wind: CURRENTLY READING

FICTION:

1. The Inheritance of Loss
2. Water for Elephants
3. Island Beneath the Sea
4. Warlock
5. The Red Queen
6. Mini Shopaholic: DONE
7. Heretics of Dune
8. The Hummingbird's Daughter
9. The Old Man & the Sea: DONE

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...

2nd phase Confinement Reading List

Now that I'm into the next 20 days of my 'house arrest', and have finished reading the stash of chick-lit, I'm moving on to more serious stuff. They are:

1. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I've read it once but somehow the message has not stuck as easily as the other two books did. Maybe the pregnancy hormones were in the way, so I'm giving it another go.
2. Rindu Bau Pohon Tin (Remembering the Scent of Fig Trees - my own translation) by Hasrizal Abdul Jamil, also popularly known as Abu Saif through his website saifulislam.com. It's a retelling of Abu Saif's travels in Jordan, where he went to university. It's in Malay, which normally is a challenge for me, but Abu Saif's style is light and easy enough to make this a breeze.
3. Aku Terima Nikahnya (I Take This Woman - again, my own translation) by Hasrizal Abdul Jamil. This is another autobiographical piece, this time about his experience and perception of marriage. Especially interesting is the fact that the bride is a medical student/doctor in Ireland, and Abu Saif agrees to the marriage without having ever seen her in real life.
4. Putri-putri Sahabat Rasulullah (Daughters of the Prophet's Companions) by Ahmad Khalil Jam'ah. I bought this on a whim, while searching for possible names for the baby. Since Aiesyah was named after the Prophet's closest companion Abu Bakar r.a., I thought it might be a good idea to name the next baby after another daughter. It's written in the typical formal style of a reference book, so this might not be a complete read.
5. Bila Anak-anak Bertanya tentang Allah & Alam Ghaib (When Children ask about Allah & the Unseen) by Muhammad Muhyidin. Again, more of a reference book. Hubby bought this, and left it behind for me to read it. It lists 48 FAQ's and provides the answers, although I've never heard my son ask "Why is the graveyard scary? Are there lots of demons there?"
6. 3 Tokoh Bakal Menakluk Dunia (3 Icons that will Conquer the World) by Ustaz Jaafar bin Salleh. The 3 in question are Al-Mahdi, Dajjal and Prophet Isa Al-Masih. Also bought by Hubby.
7. Panduan Mendidik Anak Perempuan (Guide to Educating Daughters) by Majdi Fathi As-Sayyid. As in teaching them the meaning of Islam and its basic tenets. Another book that Hubby bought and hoisted upon me to read. I've skimmed through the contents. What it does not address is, "How do I get my kids to stop watching Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Barney all day?"
   

I should be making a start on this list as soon as I complete the remaining 9 Sudoku X puzzles. Although some of them will probably be sidelined once my order from MPH arrives!

My Reading List

Non-Fiction:

1. Mavericks at Work by William C Taylor & Polly G Labarre
2. History of God by Karen Armstrong
3. You've Got to Read this Book! by Jack Canfield & Gay Hendricks

Fiction:

1. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
2. The Queen's Fool/The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (double volume)
3. The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar

All by the end of the year. Ambitious, no?