2008 Book List

I was thinking about writing something on Fasha Sandha today but the mood wasn't right. I'll save my comment on Fasha for some other day. Instead I'm gonna share with you the list of books that I've read so far this year (and when I said book, I'm not talking about Mangga, Hai or Hot... if those are considered as books, my list would be endless). Before we go through the list, I'm just curious, how many of us Malaysians actually read? Yeah... ok I saw some hands up in the air... err... newspaper not counted... thrashy entertainment mags too. And just to be clear... reading emails does not count as well. huh... not so many hands now. Okay then, I guess we can reconsider the newspaper.... but only if you read something other than sport/entertainment section. 

The thing about us Malaysians is that we like to think of ourselves as well-informed, highly intellectual society, when the truth is we know very little about many things in this world. People don't read these days. Children spend more time watching TV or playing games. The reading culture isn't just there yet. Oh I'm just babbling here ain't I... let's just go through my list

1. Northern Light aka The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman) - yup... the one made into movie starring Nicole Kidman - entertaining but a bit dragging... wonderful characters though with weird names... my fave...  Serafina Pekkala the witch

2. The Audacity of Hope (Barrack Obama) - he wrote a lot about U.S. constitutional stuff and politics which I found confusing... since I'm not American, but I highly respect his opinions on many other issues especially on welfare and society.

3. Shakespeare (Bill Bryson) - Bryson's view on Shakespeare... if you think you really know Shakespeare, you will be in for a lot of surprises when you read this one... (my fave book so far this year)

4. By the Seat of My Pants (various authors) - a collection of travel writings, funny, entertaining... 

5. The Weather Makers (Tim Flannery) - A book on environment. I decided to try different genre this time. Nice reading. Our planet is indeed in danger...

6. Confessions of an Economic Hitman (John Perkins) - Not bad... even though I'm not so sure if the story was actually real or fictional

7. 50 Facts That Should Change The World (Jessica Williams) - Did you know that 1 in 5 people of the world's people lives on less than $1 a day? shocking... and compelling

I've just started Living History by Hillary Clinton yesterday... this one might take a while since the book is a bit thicker than others. I figure if I spend 1/2 hour a day.... it might take me a month or so to finish.... but no pressure though. Nobody's going to spank me if can't make it on time. hehe...

So for those of you out there.... pick a book on a topic that you like and start reading. If you're a first timer, trust me, the hardest part is the first few pages. Once you get the feel of it, you just can't put the book down... seriously... pls read something. Oh... and get a decent bookmark. Don't just fold the page you're stopping at... have some respect for the book.

Happy reading!