Malaysian Reads discussion

Just finished reading "Carry On", wouldn't expect it to be a read with so much fun. Carry On
It's about how two guys find their ways to each other set in a magical world with a common villain to defeat. People said it features Harry Potter, so... you know what to expect. It's also the fanfiction written by Cath ( a character in "Fangirl").

Just finished In America: Travels with John Steinbeck. Dutch author Geert Mak follows in 2010 the same route as John Steinbeck did half a century earlier and uses his book to comment on Steinbeck, on America's history, the changes around 1960 and the present. Very readable.

Just finished The Ten Thousand Things. It wonderfully describes the feeling of loss an older lady has and her acceptance of it. As colonial literature it also finely shows the inability of Dutch and Indonesian to really understand each others mentality, a rational vs 'magical' way of thinking. I'm sure I will have to reread this book some time in the future. Well, nearing the end of my mined seam of Dutch books ... just 4 more to go.

PS everyone a selamat hari raya.

Well, my grand daughter enjoyed Kirana and I understand the book is making it's round among her friends at Tun Fatimah School JB ... After all the book is about the legendary Tun Fatimah. Good to know we are spreading the love of reading!

Just finished " Empire of the Moghul - Brothers At War" I now know why there are 6 books in the series. There is one for each of the 6 first and great Moghul emperors viz Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Brothers At War is about Humayun. I love the story telling. I thought the author humanise Humayun and he isn't such a " weakling" as other writers/readers made him out to be.

I have read of Jahangir and Shah Jahan from other sources viz" The Taj Mahal Trilogy" by Indu Sundaresan hence now reading Babur and late, hopefully, on to Akbar and Aurangzeb from "The Great Moghuls" by Bamber Gascoigne. The book seems to be getting many good reviews. However, I am finding it a little difficult to stay put .......Wish me luck.

Azimah wrote: "Wish me luck"

Good luck. I recall Salman Rushdie also wrote on one of these guys, I think Akbar. Was it in The Enchantress of Florence? Can't remember exactly.

I just started in Palace Walk. Too early to really tell but so far it's good. Should be, Mahfouz won a Nobel prize for his work.

I had said I found it difficult to stay put with Gascoigne... Well...I had gone back to page one and reread the chapter. He is certainly careful about ensuring we understand the backdrop or the time it was when Temur and then, 5 generations later, Babur and the peoples that roamed the steppes.....

Henk wrote: "Azimah wrote: "Wish me luck"

Good luck. I recall Salman Rushdie also wrote on one of these guys, I think Akbar. Was it in The Enchantress of Florence? Can't remember exactly."

Thanks, Henk. Now this raised my curiosity. Wiki does say it is... No wonder it is a very greatly researched book. I might just try to lay my fingers on that book later.......... :)

Done Babur and Akbar.and now reading Aurangzeb......

Nah... am done with this book today.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Done with Der Fluch der Hebamme. So predictable and full of cliches that I didn't even realise it was the 4th part of a series before I looked it up here. Anyway, the sideline on the crusades touched on Saladin and so I'm now going to start on his biography, Saladin/ My other 'read' (audio book in the car) is The Great Siege: Malta 1565.

Henk wrote: "Done with Der Fluch der Hebamme. So predictable and full of cliches that I didn't even realise it was the 4th part of a series before I looked it up here. Anyway, the sideline on the..." You read German, Henk?

I had completed Three Stations, a crime novel by Martin Cruz Smith some days ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_S...
2 stars from me. It is probably the Russian aspect, the sub plots and the minute details the writer is so hung up on that I find a bit mind boggling at times. Enough fiction for now!

I am now back to non-fiction reading Reza Aslan's "Zealot" about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Loving it for now. I had grown up thinking that Herod was a Roman ....... how wrong!

Currently I am half-way through with the biography of Elon Musk.



Side Note: Malaysia second remote sensing satellite (RazakSAT) was deployed via SpaceX's Falcon 1.

Azimah wrote: "You read German, Henk?"

Yes, once in a while I pick up a German book to keep the skill alive. I knew when I saw this in the bookshop that it wouldn't be that great but there are so few shops selling foreign novels I felt they deserved my support. Same story with French btw.

Azimah wrote: "I am now back to non-fiction reading Reza Aslan's "Zealot" about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Loving it for now. I had grown up thinking that Herod was a Roman ....... how wrong! "

I've read good things about Reza Aslan but have yet to pick up one of his books. For me it would be a chance to learn more about Islam ... That Herod was a jew is something I grew up with. BTW, I love the whimsical song that Herod gets to sing in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Good luck,Henk with your German and French.

As for " Zealot" it is a heavily researched book and so far a fairly easy read and very, very thought provoking.. very.

I'm slowly but surely chipping away at the series. There are so many books and each one is very long too lol!

Any of you guys read BDB?

No, hadn't even heard of it.

I finished listening to Moscow 1941: A City And Its People At War. The book is ok but I didn't find the history particularly interesting. as I was already aware of Stalin's brutality and poor military judgement.

Finished a biography of Saladin. Saladin. Always interesting to know more about history.

Now started in god. Not a very long book but so far very interesting and surprisingly personal on the side of the author.

After finishing Out, will now start Grotesque because I bought them together. Good thing I liked the first one.

Currently reading The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. It was off to very good and interesting start but about halfway I feel it's getting bogged down in too many twists and turns. I hope it redeems itself at the end.

Wow 8 month 7 month 6 month...Henk is diligently keep us updated here.

I finished reading The Heist byJanet Evanovich A story of a policewoman, full of energy want to capture a crook but in the end the superior ask her to work with the crook and catch a bigger criminal. The banter is brilliant but short-lived. The writer concentrate more on the story case but still we could giggle here and there along the way

Currently reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire This is a hard book to understand altho it's about oppression of the teaching method. The teacher act as someone who deposited the knowledge and the student is a bank. The student who able to take more "deposit" will regard as a good student etc. It's a one way and it's not right. It supposed to be two way.

Well, if nobody posts the group is dead, or let's call it dormant.

Sad to say The Ministry of Utmost Happiness did not redeem itself. From a baroque story it deteriorates into a political pamphlet (albeit still baroque). It's interesting though how both Roy and Rushdie get their inspiration from the hindu-muslim conflicts in India.

On to Dutch literature again, A travel book this time. De omweg naar Santiago

Hey readers,

I just wanna share something I read.

by Robert Crais
Great story about man and dog relationship with PTSD towards their recovery and solving a murder case. Yes dog can have PTSD too just like human.

I’m rereading my favorite book.
First read 4 years ago and I still remember pretty much everything. I’m BRing with my friend who’s reading it first time. She needs support to handle this book lol!

Reading this because somehow it's a trend to support POC writer. Though I don't really see the point 'cause they're still American... I'm better of reading local books. This one is a dissapointment. Probably because I chose it for that reason instead of reading my usual genre or something. But the cover is pretty.

Updates for today.

Finish reading Percy Jackson's series this year. by Rick Riordan What a good YA!!! It's much lighter and maybe because I am quite familiar with some of the gods and goddess of the Greeks. This is the beginning of Percy's journey. He met monsters after monsters with his guardian and friend.

Starting by Joseph Murphy I think I read this book the other time. I couldn't remember it. Hopefully it's not just like other subconscious-mind or mind-power self help related book out there.

Hikaoru wrote: "Reading this because somehow it's a trend to support POC writer. Though I don't really see the point 'cause they're still American... I'm better of reading local books. This one is a dissapointment..."

I'm still planning to read The Fire Next Time. I did read The Sellout last year but didn't care too much for it.

Presently reading Hocus Pocus. Vonnegut is funny but the satire is brutal, nearly nihilistic.

Edit to add: my audio book in the car is The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom. Extremely well written biography of one of the founders of quantum mechanics.

Finished with 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire, a very well-written account of an eventfull year in England (and also involving my native Netherlands). Now going to start in Under the Red Flag.

Randomly picked this up.


Antics of dad & son. Cute, but a bit melancholic when you think back of all the sacrifice fathers' had done for their children. Or maybe that's just me

Under the Red Flag is a nice book with short stories about village folk living under the repressive Mao regime but also about they inflict unhappiness on themselves by questionable morals. Next up The Discreet Hero

@Hikaoru I should read more graphic novels.

@Henk yups, it's easier to finish.

Hi guys,

Book I read: It's a little bit gloomy steampunk style. The world was devastated by a plague and attempt made to dethrone the bad king, revolution and casualties etc. Altho the world is gloomy with rubles everywhere, I couldn't feel it. Maybe it's not for me

Currently reading: and its series. It's about a sophisticated team trying to retrieve a treasure lost for hundred of years due to wars in Europe. The banter and jokes makes this book a balance between history, action and comedy. The review said this book has been made into movies.

And so I read , a graphic novel adaptation of three short stories. Well done (nobody beats the French at making GN!) but unfortunately printed using the pitifully small standard US size so the text is only legible if I take off my glasses.

Happy weekend readers,

I just finished reading . The Undomestic Goddess is about a lawyer who made a mistake. A foolish mistakes. She couldn't face it and run away and become a housekeeper. A lot of things happen and a lot of things she learnt along the way. Happy ending.

This is a standalone story. Good for those who doesn't really into series or have to wait for a complete series.

Hi readers,

I am currently reading . This book explore the clash of science titan; The Islamic Science and the Greek Science. The clash that give rise to Islamic science back in the day influenced heavily by the Greek Science and then spread to the West where science having yet another huge development.

Juggling another book, . I must admit the first book was a great opening. Hopefully this second book will be as same.

Currently reading White Teeth. Just a few pages in, so far it's not too bad.

I love that this series is inspired by Roman empire. This book started a bit slow but it's getting good now.

I just finished Martian Time-Slip. Will probably need to read it again some time, it's an odd book but very thought provoking.

Hi all

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Book two of five. Same format with the first one. YA, Greek Gods, prophecy, dangerous quest and challenges along the way and the story of the Golden Fleece. Interesting story!

Starting False Impression by Jeffrey Archer. It's about a Van Gogh painting and trickery and devious plan to get it, the battle of good and bad story.

Preemptive Thinking: Managing Problems and Threats the Way To Live and Work. Accidentally borrowed it. I have a slightest idea what "preemptive" even mean on the first place.

Hi all.

I'm currently reading The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing. It's a compilation of 2 short novels, I'm on the first book, where Janna, a widowed, successful lady made an accidental acquaintance with an elderly lady, and through their relationship started to reflect on her past and the people around her - her dead parents, husband, friends (if any), her own existence. Very quickly in the story I was made aware of the people I don't see/choose not to see on the streets - the old, homeless, invalid. And my relationship with my aging parents T_T

And 3 other non-fictions. They are interesting and I do intend to finish them, but they've been on my reading list for way too long.

Just finished this one. I like it but I was expecting more. It wasn’t mind blowing as it was hyped to be.

Sofia wrote: "Hi all.

I'm currently reading The Diaries of Jane Somers by Doris Lessing. It's a compilation of 2 short novels, I'm on the first book, where Janna, a..."

I've always been interested to getting around to reading Doris Lessing but somehow it hasn't happened (yet).

Greetings fellow readers,

Going back to ancient Egypt, by Wilbur Smith. Currently on Chapter 3 and it is getting better. It's a story narrated through the eyes of an eunuch. Many said the book is great.

Filling in, by Edward A. Taub. Halfway through, I can see that the author invited us to also include God, pray and meditation in stress management.

Happy Saturday to all of you

There are four chapters left in by Wilbur Smith. if you like ancient Egypt with some romance, battle with barbarian Hyksos and richly narrated, this one is for you.

Starting another book. book two of three, by Scott Sigler. It hits me right at the beginning. I was wondering why it took me such a long time to read the second book.

I'm reading this behemoth of a book lol!
Almost 1000 pages it's going to take me a while

warhawke wrote: "

I'm reading this behemoth of a book lol!
Almost 1000 pages it's going to take me a while"

Good luck? haha

Thanks lol!

Currently reading 📖 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children maybe I'm late for this series but stories never gets old right?
😊