Hooked On Bookz

Title/Author: The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Publisher: Vintage International Pages: 106 ISBN: 0-679-72205-x In a nutshell In February 1955, eight crew members of the Caladas, a Colombian destroyer, were washed over-alive, on a deserted beach in northern Colombia. Several of them drowned shortly before arriving at the port of Cartagena de Indias due to the existence of overweight contraband aboard the vessel. Ten days after the shipwreck, one of the sailors, Luis Alejandro Velasco, turned up on a deserted beach and became a hero overnight. Therein began his telling and selling his story to the media, including El Spectador where Marquez worked. Only this time, he tells the whole story, one that wasn't sanitized or authorized by the Colombian government. What I liked The lesson learnt - accepting adversity and making the best out of it. Velasco was lost and alone on a drifting life raft, far away from civilization. Nature was his friend and foe. She t...

I've been trying to finish reading my ebooks for a very very very long time and am still half way through most of them. I NEVER HAD TROUBLE FINISHING A BOOK BEFORE (except for really sleep-inducing ones)! So I told myself to stop with the ebooks and get back to paperbacks (I don't really fancy hardcovers either :P). And I MUST SOON as I need a good read for our trip to Florida. And so I did! It was tough choosing the RIGHT book. The book that SPOKE to me. Went to Barnes & Noble but none of the books displayed caught my attention. Checked out Walmart too. None. I almost gave up until we went to Target. There...I found...The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb. Somehow, my hands just reached out for it. Browsing the first few pages was good enough for me to decide to get it. And my instincts were right :) Title/Author:  The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb / Melanie Benjamin Publisher: Bantam Books Pages: 458 ISBN 13: 978-0-385-34416-6 In a nutshell: Mrs. Tom T...

Title/Author: Found in Malaysia Vol. 2/The Nut Graph Publisher: Zi Publications Pages: 256 ISBN 13: 978-9675-26622-5 In a nutshell Found In Malaysia Vol. 2 consists of 50 interviews. This volume is divided into 7 sections - 1930's right up to the 1980's and an 'Exclusive' (never-before published interviews) section which include personalities such as Lillian too, Asha Gill, Khairy Jamaluddin and Baru Bian. Throughout these pages, you'll find Malaysian celebrities like Patrick Teoh, Daphne Iking, Mano Maniam and Harith Iskander; and politicians such as Lim Kit Siang, Ibrahim Ali and Teresa Kok sharing their stories and experiences, while comparing the then and now, and their hopes for Malaysia's future. What I liked I definitely enjoyed reading the first volume more than the second because I didn't know what to expect in the first and was pleasantly surprised by what it offered. Volume 2 shares the same concept and idea, but it has more well-known public...

This is a book every parent and teacher should and must read. In a nutshell This book is about: why bullies bully, why bullied kids don't tell their pareents, and how bullied kids can make a stand. It is also about: how parents sometimes create bullies, what schools can do about bullying, bullying in the workplace, preventing suicide, and how bystanders can help. Stop the Bullying! is divided into 15 chapters: 1. Bullied to death, 2. Bullying at school, 3. Bullying at home, 4. Why bullies bully, 5. Girl bullying, 6. Tips for bullied kids, 7. How can I like myself? 8. Not my child! 9. No innocent bystanders, 10. Loneliness amongst our teens, 11. Raising young children, 12. Who's in charge? 13. Let your children know you love them, 14. What you can do, 15. Kindness What I liked I learnt alot from reading this book. As a teacher, these methods will come in handy. I have highlighted some of the lessons/methods suggested in this book. "Young people learn bes...

Title/Author: Night/Elie Wiesel Publisher: Bantam Books Pages: 109 ISBN 13: 978-055-327-253-6 In a nutshell Night is narrated by Eliezer (Elie Wiesel) a survivor of the Holocaust during WWII. Wiesel recounts his experiences as a Jewish boy of about 13 as his family is first restricted to a ghetto in his hometown, Sighet, in Hungarian Transylvania. They were then transported by train to Auschwitz where he is separated from all of his family except for his father, who becomes his only reason for life over the next couple of years. In this short book Wiesel tells us his deportation to the concentration camps at the age of 15 and his struggle to survive. My thoughts Unlike others, I couldn't finish this book in one sitting. It took me one week. Each time I read about the helpless Jews struggling to survive the brutality of the Nazis, I felt sick in the stomach. I just couldn't comprehend how could one be so inhumane? How can one find pleasure in torture and in bur...

Title/Author: Monster/Allan Hall Publisher : Penguin Books Pages : 269 ISBN 13: 978-0141039701 In a nutshell On 28th August 1984, Josef Fritzl drugged his teenage daughter Elisabeth with ether and imprisoned her in a soundproof underground bunker, behind eight locked doors for 24 years . He raped and abused her. She bore him 7 children. The author has packed a great deal of insightful information into the 269-page book, complete with 150 interviews with neighbours, former tenants, childhood friends, police officers, and photographs of those involved and diagrams of the dungeon. ‘Monster’ is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It contains gruesome details, chilling confessions, terrifying truths, and a lot of ugliness - exactly what one should expect from reading about a cold-blooded animal who finds gratification in raping and abusing his own flesh and blood. See if you can stomach this: The police force which was tasked to probe the dungeon were ordered to undergo psychological c...

Title/Author: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks/Rebecca Skloot Publisher: Pan MacMillan Pages: 384 ISBN 13: 9780330533447 In a nutshell The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is more than just a story about a woman and her cells which are still alive till today. Not only have they been replicated, distributed, and used without the owner's consent, but they have also saved millions of lives and earned big corporations a lot of money. And yet, nobody has heard of her until today. And yet, the Lacks's family can't even afford health coverage. "It's a story inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we’re made of." It's a story which allows us and her family to learn of the life of a woman who continues to live on and save millions of lives throughout the world. It's a story of family, love, loss, faith, trust and betrayal. What I ...

Title/Author: Teohlogy: The Word According to Patrick Teoh Publisher: ZI Publications No. of Pages: 303 ISBN 13: 978-967-5266-15-7 Price: RM38 In a nutshell (Tiru-ed (copied) from back cover synopsis) With his trademark razor-sharp wit, Teoh in his aptly-named Teohlogy (Elaine, hats off to you! I thought the name was brilliant! :D) articles, previously published in the now defunct Off The Edge (OTE) magazine (I missed you :( *sob* Jason Tan, I thought you and your team did one helluva good job!) from the years 2005 to 2010, shares his views on Malaysian life, topical affairs and issues that concern the ordinary Malaysian, with a generous sprinkling of realism, humour and provocation. (TAKE NOTE! For mature audience only....) What I liked Firstly, it has to be the cover! I thought it was a pure work of genius. First, it's so 'Patrick' (to me and my hubby lah at least). Second, it sets the tone of the book. Third, creative :) I usually get quite turned off seeing the ...

Title/Author: March 8: Time For Real Change/Kee Thuan Chye Publisher: Marshall Cavendish No. of Pages: 363 ISBN 13: 9789814328333 (Written for Malaysiakini.com) An inspiring chronicle of change Review by Jee Wan http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/152887 Jan 9 When we won the Asian Football Federation Suzuki Cup, our PM declared 31st December a public holiday, claiming to support the 1Malaysia concept of "People First, Performance Now". Hurrah, hurrah. But when our PM attended a Christmas celebration at the Catholic Church Archbishop residence, the PMO directive ordered the church officials to remove crucifixes and prohibit them from singing hymns and praying, saying it's to protect the prime minister's Islamic credentials. Here we are shouting 1Malaysia this and 1Malaysia that, but know not how to respect the tradition, culture and beliefs of another religion? What message are we sending out to the public and the world at large? That we are still immature even after...

Title/Author: Tokyo Vice/Jake Adelstein Publisher: Pantheon Books No. of pages : 328 ISBN 13: 978-0-307-37879-8 In a nutshell (Edited from the book flap) At nineteen, Jake Adelstein started his life as a journalist at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. For 12 years of 48-hour workweeks, he ventures deep into the Yakuza underworld where murder, corruption and human trafficking are as common as ramen noodles and sake. In Tokyo Vice , Adelstein tells his riveting journey that brought him from getting into a martial-arts battle with a senior editor to meeting face-to-face with Japan's most feared yakuza boss. What I liked Tokyo Vice is a very informative, engaging and enlightening read. It is definitely an eye opener for me. If I had read this before I go to Tokyo, I'd have viewed Roponggi differently. Using his sense of humour and thoroughness Adelstein gives a detailed tour of the Japanese underworld, and introduces the ins and outs of the Yakuza's organised crimes. At times...

Title/Author: Drawing Blood/Scarfe Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing No. of pages: 352 ISBN 10: 0 316 72952 3 Price: RM59.90 (Discounted price) In a nutshell (I'm just gonna take it from the book flap) This is Scarfe's first collected volume of his work for twenty years, with amusing and poignant anecdotes to present the drawings and other works that have established him as one of our foremost cultural commentators. Artist, stage designer, political cartoonist and satirist, Gerald Scarfe has given us some of the most famous and controversial images of the twentieth century. He has worked with an eclectic mix of English and American icons: from Pink Floyd to Disney, Private Eye to Time magazine, the English National Ballet to Peter Hall, the New Yorker to the Sunday Times . What I liked Firstly, his introduction. It's a must-read if you've not heard of him before. You'll learn how Scarfe who was asthmatic, found his voice and style when he decided to leave ...

Title/Author: Eat Pray Love/Elizabeth Gilbert Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing No. of pages: 349 ISBN 13: 9780747589358 Price: RM10.00 (Discounted price) In a nutshell The whole world knows what Eat Pray Love is all about, so I'm going to skip this bit. Ok. Maybe a short description. It's mainly about Liz going on a self-discovery journey that revolves around the Pursuit of Pleasure (in Eat, the first part of the book), followed by Pursuit of Devotion (Pray) and Pursuit of Balance (Love). What I liked My favourite parts were 'Eat' and 'Love' maybe because I could relate to them. In Eat , I realised that I must/should live my life to the full because I live only once! I'd do my best in everything I do, try everything at least once, travel; just make myself happy! I mean, its only when you're happy that you can spread happiness right? In Pray , I find the spinning engine theory her friend Sean, whom she met at the Ashram, shared with her was pretty int...

Title/Author: Sky Burial/ Xinran Publisher: Random House Canada No. of pages: 206 ISBN 10: 0-679-31360-5 Price: RM20.00 (Discounted price. Hardcover) In a nutshell Xinran received a phone call from a listener of her programme asking her to meet a woman who had just crossed the border from Tibet to China. Xinran made a trip and met Shu Wen who recounted the story of her 30-year odyssey in Tibet. After being married for only a few months, Shu Wen's husband joined the Chinese army and was sent to Tibet for the purpose of unification of China and Tibet. Shortly after he left, she was told that he had been killed, and was not given any other details. She decided to join a milia unit going to Tibet to find out if he was really dead and if he was, how and why he died. Her search seemed endless, nevertheless she was adamant in finding the truth. What I liked Yes. I've finally read Sky Burial , and I loved it as much as I loved Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother. I already knew ...

Title/Author: A Year in Tibet/Sun Shuyun Publisher: Harper Perennial No. of pages: 246 ISBN 13: 978-0-00-726512-1 Price: RM19.90 (Discounted price) In a nutshell The idea of writing this book came about when Sun Shuyun was asked to direct a documentary series about a year in the life of ordinary Tibetans. So, the author and her crew spent a year in a remote town in the Tibetan mountain area and followed a shaman, a village doctor, a junior Party official, a hotel manager, a rickshaw driver, a builder and two monks through their ups and downs. What I liked I liked the lessons I learnt from the Tibetans - from their lives, their thoughts and perceptions. Despite oppression and their struggles of trying to live between continuity and modernization, they embrace challenges with grace and kindness. They are the kind of people who are able to give generously and expect nothing in return. They are such forgiving souls and seem to live like their surroundings - calm and peaceful. One thing...

New Malaysian Essays 3 , edited by Yin Shao Loong ISBN: 9789834484552 Pages: 89 (e-book) Layout & Typesetting: Liza Manshoor (Eclectic Design) Cover: Teck Hee Price: FRRRRREE!!!! Sole Edition: September 2010 Thanks to Amir Muhammad, we can have this book for FRRRREEE! More about the book/to download the book, click here

Title/Author: The Japanese Mind/Edited by Roger J. Davies & Osamu Ikeno Publisher: Tuttle Publishing No. of pages: 270 ISBN 13: 978-0-8048-3295-3 In a nutshell The Japanese Mind is a collection of 28 essays that offer readers an overview of contemporary Japanese culture. These essays were written over a period of several years by students a Ehime University in Matsyama Japan. They offer an informative, accessible look at the values, attitudes, behaviour patterns, and communication styles of modern Japan. The book includes in-depth discussions of key concepts such as Bigaku (the Japanese sense of beauty), Bushido (the way of the warrior), Chinmoku (silence in Japanese communication) and Gambari (Japanese patience and determination). In each chapter, it contains a set of questions that would provide invaluable discussions among readers. What I liked My hubby bought this book for me when we were in Japan and I am truly happy he did because I thoroughly enjoyed it :) One of the re...