Your reviews || The Shadow of the Wind

A book review from a fellow book lover from Kuching.

481 pages and you have to read each page to get the storyline correctly, because this is a book with main plot, sub plots, sub-sub plots, where each character played important role in building up an intricate, very mazelike content.

i was hooked from the first paragraph as the author described the dawn of early summer in Barcelona in 1945 as "dawn poured over Rambla de Santa Monica in wreath of liquid copper". Oh! i wished, i had his clarity in giving description. Reading those line made me SEE those street as if i was there. No matter how bizzare this might sound to you, he transported me to places, introduced me to people with different characters. This book is, magic.

The summary of the book is simple. a boy read a book and wanted to read another book by that author. His dad was a second hand book dealer and through acquaintances, found out the author had written several books but, mysteriously disappeared. The boy's copy might be the last in existence. His quest to unravel the mysteries trapped him in a very complex situation, where his own life might be condemn to despair. The boy who started off to seek the truth, returned a man with changed perspective of truth.

Don't be deceived by my super simplified summary. The book is a must read. If i could read in Spanish, i'd read the original. Lucia Graves made an excellent English translation (she even gave different english accent to the man who spoke different Spanish accent)--which is for me neat and seriously funny. Ruiz Zafon was lucky to have her.

i'd give the book 4.75/5

Thank you for the amazing review. Do visit her blog Kukuanga's blog on books, outdated movies and music. She has also has a book swap list with many interesting titles.

My review of The Shadow of the Wind.

The Street Philosopher || Your reviews

This review was written by Lydia, the first borrower from Sarawak. I was a bit apprehensive when she chose this book for her first choice.

not the kind of book i usually find myself reading. i read the book in a hurry. so, the slow pace of the plot irked me a lot. maybe in another leisurely setting to read, i'd appreciate the book better.

i chose the book based on the title without reading the review given by the lender. i should have read those review. but, at least my curiosity over the title paid off: street philosopher = society column writer = gossip writer. therefore, majalah URTV, Mangga and the kinds should be called "street philosopher's philosophical magazine". certainly that sounds better than 'entertainment magazine'.. ooooo. crap!

The story sets during and after the Crimean war. Thomas Kitson, an ambitious young journalist was sent to Crimea as a junior correspondent for London Courier, working with a daredevil senior, Richard Cracknell and a young illustrator, Robert Styles. their team worked in the frontline, reporting on the progress of the war to people back home.

the Crimean war, which the author aptly simplified as 'the Lion fought the Bear to save turkey' was a perfect setting for story of incompetent, crooked army general. the narration shifted several times from Crimea to Manchester 2 years later, unfolding untold heinous crimes and injustice done during the war. adulterous affair, gruesome battlefield, insanity under duress and stringful of revenge made this book entertaining enough to read to the end, if only to get hold of a good closure. Rating: 2.5/5

My review of The Street Philosopher.

Read more reviews of books, movies and snippets of her life at her personal blog Kukuanga's blog on books, outdated movies and music. She has also made a book swap list of many interesting titles and I am looking forward to receiving my first one. Hopefully she will enjoy her second book choice better. "The Shadow of the Wind" will be on its way to her soon.

The Pact & The Lovely Bones || Your reviews

Here are some more reviews by Dr Yati:

The Pact

beautiful story. however, i feel slightly unsatisfied abt the ending. i'd rather know the ending of micheal and melanie rather than chris's. also i felt that maybe the author shud've spent some space on the feelings of melanie and em. what was warring inside them when they debated on their decisions etc. the story centered arnd em's breakdown, so no.not fair not to tell em's part thoroughly.

The Lovely Bones

i loved it. complete characterization and closure. for all the important characters. original storyline. simple but not simplistic language. overall a good read. i finished it in 3 hrs. are her other books as good?

A new baby & book reviews || Siti

First of all , congratulations to Siti on the birth of her new baby. Hope both you and the little one are doing fine. Can't believe you still had time to write these reviews. 

I am drawn to pick this book from Hidayah’s collection because it’s written by the same author who penned Q&A. I haven’t read the book, but the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ had impressed me. I was not disappointed. The story revolves around the murder of Vicky Rai, and the six suspects of this murder.

I like the way the author unfold the story, in a ‘modular’ structure (not unlike Q&A), where each sub-chapter builds the plot around each of the six suspects, beginning by introducing them, then explains the motives and how they are related to Vicky Rai (and to each other), and ends with chapters Evidence, Solution, and Confession.

I had enjoyed reading the story – it was engaging, but I’m somewhat not satisfied with the ending.

The story is about Tim Carrier who was mistaken for hitman. Tim decided to warn the targeted victim and we learn that there’s more to Tim and more to the reason why the woman was being targeted when he went all out to save her from the real killer. I like the fact that Tim has a very normal and loving family (I’m a bit sick of reading about broken or dysfunctional families).

I haven’t read this type of thriller for quite awhile, and it has been a refreshing read, in the sense that I don’t need to get emotionally ‘involved’ in the story. Fast-paced and simple yet clever, and nothing ‘deep’ for example going into psychological analysis and stuffs like that.

Find more reviews by my book loving friend at her blog Mesra buku. She has also been kind enough to offer to lend me two books (The Kite Runner and The Alchemist) in her new book swapping project. I look forward to reading them.

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger || Review by HaniCheLat

Kak Hani is the eldest sister of a good friend. She's an engineer by profession but has tremendous passion and talent for baking (cakes & cupcakes), photography and arts&crafts. She also has 3 beautiful kids. Here is an excerpt of her review of this book.

Time traveling as the main plot. Plots in the book are divided according to years and the main characters', Henry and Claire, age. That is somehow expected when we are meddling with time traveling, right? Love the way the writer described the meadow, where most of the events took place. The part that I didn't really like reading was Henry's 'dark side' with Ingrid. I wish I could skip those parts, but I just couldn't. Jumping pages is not advisable when you read this book. 

I normally don't take long to finish reading a novel, 3 days in average. Sometimes, I'd be able to finish reading in a night. But not with this book. I kept flipping back and forth the pages, to check on the events that already occur in the past/future. Finished reading in 5 days. Couldn't do any sooner that that , and it bit me.. So intense, and sometimes felt creepy, I even dreamed of me time traveling.Was so into the book huh? One thing that I learned from this good read was to accept yourself as you are, and never give up on hopes. True? Yeah, kind of.

My review here.

Thanks for the review :) Good luck on your reading challenge!

Your reviews || Ummu Auni

Ummu Auni was my ex-schoolmate in MRSM Jasin and we happen to be neighbours. She has a passion for reading and reads even more than I do! Here are her latest reviews.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

This book would definitely rated higher if the author doesn't delve deeper into the dark side of human - being a sadist, serial rapist, incest. The motive of being a serial rapist is such a flimsy reason. Or the fact that the protagonist where even though he doesn't do anything to attract the woman, but the woman keep falling for him, and sleeping with him. Duh!

But, the interesting thing would be the story of Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo. Her upbringing, her wittiness, despite the fact that she dressed differently from other, she's a genius. I'd a good laugh when Blomkvist hatched a plot to get even with his enemy who made him serve jail sentence. I'm looking forward for the next book in the series :) - (3/5)

My review here.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

I borrowed this from Hidayah. I didn't put any expectation on this book. But, the story drew me in. It's one of the books where words are chosen carefully and had the ability to fascinate me and keep on reading.

The plot revolves around David, a doctor who made a split second decision to give away his other child, a girl who he instantly recognised as having Down Syndrome given his years of experience. David was trying to protect his wife, since he knew for sure the heartache he felt while growing up and when her sister who had the same diagnosis passed away due to failing heart condition.

As much there are surreal elements in it, the author was able to build the moment and made me wanting to know more. The parallel lives between Paul & Phoebe is crafted beautifully, especially the part where Caroline, the nurse who took Phoebe and raised her up. Caroline is portrayed as full of willpower, determination and she's a fighter. As much as other characters such as Norah (David's wife) and Paul is well believed, David character was much more flimsy, and doesn't connect the dots properly. David, is not such a strong person, and he kept on blaming himself for his wife's affairs and the distance with his son, due to the fact the he gave his daughter away unknowingly to both his family members. His character is weak and he doesn't has the courage to open the Pandora box.

I would be more satisfied if, the plot ends with David telling his family the truth about Phoebe within his lifetime and not after his death, where everyone had a shock, feeling hurt and angry towards David. But of course, a story weaved beautifully, could have a much better ending, when emotions are running high, and I would certainly has much more pity towards David.

For someone, trying to understand a mother's love, this book should be in to-read shelf. - (3/5)

My review here.

A few reviews from Dr Yati

After being one of my most active borrowers Dr Yati finally found time to pen down her thoughts on some the books she read. Seems that our taste in books differ somewhat.

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

"really original, i thought nothing was left untouched by love story writers, chik lits, historical romance, umm sci fi romance ala mulder/scully... etc etc, therefore quite impressive. interesting storyline, though i figure there's a lot more you can write with time travel... a tad too long for me, alas, i tried skipping ended up not understanding... har har.. "

I loved it! My review here. I gave it  4.5/5.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

"i never really liked whodunnits much, except alex cross (for being morgan freeman) and patricia cornwell(to a certain extent). they show the bad side of human beings. one psycho done another ever sicker one comes, the unnecessary banter, the cheap sex, attempts of romance... etc etc just burns out after a while. likewise for the good guy."

I enjoyed it. My review here. I gave it 4.5/5.

The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

"beautiful beauoooootiful book, highly recommended. nuff said"

I really liked it. My review here. I gave it 4/5.

The Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

"this one reads suspiciously like a hindi movie, so no, not my taste."

I liked it. My review here. I gave it 4.5/5.

The Secret Life of Bees

"i'm on a mission to find the movie. :), i loved this book,  thinking of getting a copy of my own.. and to think the author got her inspiration to write a story adressing racism from bees is amazing.."

I loved it! My review here. I gave it 4/5.

Thanks for the reviews. :)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown review by MamaBalqis

Let me introduce you to MamaBalqis, who is a beautiful wife and mother to 2 children. She supports natural parenting, homeschooling and WAHMs. As well as all that, she also studied Islamic theology (I think..hehe). A book lover too. Here is what she thought of this book:

First and foremost, I would like to say that if you are not a fan for conspiracies theories, Masons, mysteries, symbols and stuffs like that, this is definitely NOT the book for you.

But for me, I can relate to it very well as I love to read on these and found it quite an eye-opener. Although at most times I also do feel like the author gave the masons an excessive apotheosis, which I found quite annoying, coz its like ooo the masons are so cleverly intelligent and exclusive that only them deserve the 'highest knowledge' which they name it 'ancient mysteries'.

Do visit her blog Mama Balqisain for the rest of her review and interesting take on the book. (Thanks so much for the nice promo of the book club).

||A LITTLE MORE||

Thanks to MamaBalqis, I recieved the book today (17/2/11) and your lovely book thong :)

I love it!

Cut by Cathy Glass: Review by CJ Al Hafiz

Here is what my book loving friend CJ Al Hafiz thought of this book.

My Thought: A hard-to-put-down book which I thoroughly enjoyed from the start to it's end. "Cut" tackles the issue of psychological trauma experienced by a child who was abused and subjected to the domestic violence which caused her to act beyond our (or her) own understanding. This is a heavy, critical issue but Cathy managed to deliver in a very easy-to-understand voice and the story telling flows through so well, I almost don't realize that so much time has passed because I get so engrossed in the book.

For his complete review, visit his amazing book blog at Coffee N Crackers. 

||SORRY||

I would like to apologize to Dr Yati and Hakimi for the delay in mailing their books, between a feverish child, an extended public holiday and short lunch hours, I haven't been able to mail them as fast as I would have liked. InsyaAllah, I will mail them today ;)

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones (Review by Dr Yati)

As well as being a great doctor, wife and mother, Dr Yati still has time to read books. Here is her review on Cathedral of the Sea by Ildelfonso Falcones. My review here.

too long... that's all i can say... it was like "how long more is this story going to go" "wat? another woman""the plague pulakk?" keeps coming back, otherwise i don't like the ending, nor the middle where the wife dies, it may be poetic justice but i just don't seem to see it..:P... the only thing good abt it is the beautiful side story of the cathedral itself.. the honesty that went in building it, the hope each and every contributor had for the future of it... the pride...ahhh.. i can't even begin to imagine it...

Note: Dr Yati was my classmate in med school, she doesn't have her own blog yet.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell (Review by CJ Al Hafiz)

Firstly, I would like to say how delighted I am to find another book enthusiast. I think he reads more books in one week than I do in a month ..hehe.

Here is an excerpt of his review on Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. He has strong feelings about the book, pretty much as I did when I read it.

The Story: Living in a tiny apartment in New york and trapped in a job she hates, Julie Powell sees life passing her by. Then one night, she notices that the few items she's grabbed from the Korean grocery store are the vary ingredients for Potage Parmentier, as described in Julia Child's legendary cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And the Julie/Julia project is born. Julie begins to cook every one of the 524 recipes in just a year space. She devotes her entire year life to the project and enslaves herself in French cooking.
My Thought: I picked Julie & Julia partly because I thought that the idea of cooking is very original and a bit different from other books. And I hope that this kind of book can inspire me. But, after reading this memoir I just knew ... (read the rest of his excellent review at his blog Coffee N Crackers)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards: Review by Yatie

What I liked

This is a tale only a mother would understand truly…. I think that was the only thing I liked… prose was good too

What I didn’t like

One thing I notice abt current reads.. especially  American female authors, sex seems to be the only means for a character to vent out… its disturbing. No its not graphic in this book. But the thought? And as a turning point?

Rating:

2.5… an okay for me

Thank you Yati for your review :)

Destinations by Sheila O' Flanagan & Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon reviews by Ummu Auni

My friend Ummu Auni  has finished these 2 books. Check out her reviews.

This is the first book that I read from the author. The short story compilation were interesting. The first story with regards to Greg and Helena struck me hard, because my emotions were topsy turvy as what Helena went through. Emotionally battered, betrayed.

There are few light heartening stories, being a dreamer, I've always like stories where they finally met their true love. Even though, it may not ends well. What captured me most is how the author was able to portray emotions of her characters. From feeling betrayed (Helena), to someone asking forgiveness (Greg), to someone who was physically battered, to someone who's in love and to someone who dreams of having a fling.

The drawbacks that I could think of is this, some of the stories, especially with regards to physically abused wife offers no solution. Or the SAHM who wanted to have an affair (she may propagate like it's acceptable having a fling/extra marital affair)

This is not a book worth reading over and over again.

I've started this book a little bit late, and I was yawning through the story of Jamie in the first place. When he hit the jackpot, the plot seemed a bit interesting. And then, the plot continued with Kate's story, followed Tony, and the twins, Eve and Alexandria.

The story maybe fast paced, but in certain areas it seemed subtle in certain places. For example, how Kate is portrayed as a woman who gets anything that she wanted, including how she tricked her husband and her own son. But, I regret that Tony doesn't even have the strength to tell his mother what he intended to do for his life, and I believe that Tony being mentally ill, would be sufficient as a punishment for Kate.

The twin's stories are things that really don't happen in real life, for example, with regards to Eve - she's so evil, and started being evil around 4/5 years of age. Heavens, do kids know about violence during the tender age? And even though Kate was portrayed as a woman with steel, she seemed to trust everything/shoved herself with Eve's explanation. She blindly trusted her granddaughter. Even Alex, seemed too meek and weak. For such disastrous read, the ending was quite interesting especially the part where Eve was played upon by her husband.

I don't know, I've read Nothing Lasts Forever ages ago. But I liked it instantly, I suppose not his books could be considered as the best. I may still prefer James Patterson. It would rather safe to say, I remain with Patterson. 

The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell (review by Ajjah)

Another satisfied borrower. Was glad to get a message this morning that Ajjah had finished reading The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell. Check out her review at her blog.

~Teaser~

....this book is no ordinary chick lit book. it's very very hard for me to put down this book from the moment i start reading it... read the complete review by Ajjah here.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (review by Aini)

My first satisfied 'customer'. Aini has finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Here is her review.

Wow, what an astonishing saga. I sometimes forget how good Brown is. It had been a long while since I read Robert Langdon saga. I picked it up, and I wasn't comparing it with previous works. I last read Dan Brown's back in 2007. And now, it had me in bewildrement again. It had my heart pounding.

Langdon is now on another quest of decrypting the Masonic code. He had been entrusted to keep a Mason puzzle? by the high realm of Masonic brothers, even though, he's not a Masonist. He was being tricked into delivering lecture in DC, but it had been akin to a smoke in a mirror. He was then chasing all around DC with another intelligent woman (I would rather, much much more intelligent compared to previous ones).

As much as the story is fiction, Brown was able to educate his readers with regards to Mason and the theories behind it. But, somehow, there's always a catch behind it. The protagonist is not what it seemed, surprising turn indeed. As much I kept on guessing the protagonist's intention, Brown delivered a hit straight up to my face! I kept on turning the pages since I was shell shocked to find that Langdon was killed!

As much as this is a page turner, there're weaknesses indeed such as:
1. Katherine's character is so trusting and gullible.
2. Langdon's character seemed not as intelligent compared to in his previous adventures
3. The theories with regards of Human is God. If people don't have firm beliefs in God, they may be swayed by it. But, there's an interesting question posed, what would you believe? In the book, there are hints that there's much more divine revelation to guide mankind. Maybe Brown himself questioned whether he's a Believer/non Believer?

Maybe I should make a collection of Brown's books (limited to Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol only - well the only books that I like :P)

Her review can also be found on goodreads here.