Malaysian Reads discussion

Currently reading . It's all very Nietzschian about Self and Will, not something I can readily identify with. Meanwhile, the mad prince is such a raving lunatic that the story sometimes seems to stall in more and more and more descriptions of his madness/lunacy/idiocy, which are very funny though. Nearly finished the book and will probably miss poor prince Sternenhoch, though.
By-the-by, the opera with the same name, based on this book, is still on view on operavision.eu till 26 March. Completely unintelligible but delightful noise nonetheless.

Oh my, it seems we've all forgotten about this thread. I've been reading a bit on archaeology. Now going to start on The Wars of the Roses: 1455–1485.

Started in (in Dutch). About the son of an Indo (mix european, indonesian) reconstructing his father's history during and after WWII. Not exactly light reading but very good.

Reading has taken a backseat ever since I broke my glass....and then the pandemic came! Very recently I started re-reading DdM's Rule Britannia. Found it after rummaging through the fiction section of my book collection. ai had read the book so long ago that I need to re-read in order to discuss it with my DdM crazy fans....

My son has to write an essay about trade in Melaka in the 15th century, so I started looking for literature and ended up reading: .

Azimah, who is DdM? (OK, I admit I had looked it up, it's Daphne du Maurier)

Yes, Henk..the one and only...

Earlier on I had been (still is) engrossed in the early empires of Indonesia especially the times of Singosari and Kediri leading towards Majapahit after watching the legendry Ken Arok Ken Dedes with my g-daughter. The girl seemed to be fascinated by the children Anusupati, Tohjaya etc. Special mention for the kris of Mpu Gandring. It made me wonder if there were indeed magical powers attached to weapons. If so why could they not have defeated the colonial power.....

Scrolling up I found Henk's book The Interpreter from Java. I have shared info on it with me hubby as it sounds like something both of us would like. thnx Henk for sharing.

This has been on my current read list since August but finally finished it today. Pick this up because I'm trying to veer from the usual aka existential crisis on why I kept reading books from US/UK.

To summarise, if you were to read this book, you could draw parallels to our own country's squatters, where they are exploited by the rich. Very tragic but it won't make you cry tbh.

You can get it for free from Korea Journal, just take a wee bit of googling, it's all legal, I promise. It's short too, about 24 pdf pages.

Azimah wrote: "Scrolling up I found Henk's book The Interpreter from Java. I have shared info on it with me hubby as it sounds like something both of us would like. thnx Henk for sharing."

I see you've finished it. How did you find it? (I won't say 'like'; seems the wrong word for the book). I saw the book gets some very negative reviews for the simplistic writing style in the part covering the father's memoirs but I found this made the contrast with the mind-numbing violence sharper. I also appreciated how the father slowly lost any sense of self-reflection.

Hikaoru wrote: "

This has been on my current read list since August but finally finished it today. Pick this up because I'm trying to veer from the usual aka exis..."

24 pages? I should use it to catch up on my reading goal then!

Henk wrote: "Azimah wrote: "Scrolling up I found Henk's book The Interpreter from Java. I have shared info on it with me hubby as it sounds like something both of us would like. thnx Henk for sharing."

I see y..."

Indeed I have. Am sorry my commentary is a little late. I do enjoy the the book. As the author noted that the book is fiction I do wonder which parts are and which are historically correct. My other thought is the term "Indos"(plural) The book does endorse my understanding of it being akin to the term " mestizos" as used in the Spanish colonies. I do agree the violent parts are so mind-numbing but fortunately it's simplistic style makes it an easier read.
I do not know of such violent character is in the DNA but I hope it is not.

i now need to brush up Aurangzeb of the Moghul Empire before I move on to the next book on Baji Rao. I was motivated by the movie Bajirao Mastani.

Baji Rao: The Warrior Peshwa

Oh dear...this is heavy stuff!

There...completed Baji Rao and just how tired I feel from the many battles between the Moghuls, Marathas and the Europeans (Portuguese and British). Baji Rao never lost at battles ..more than 40 odds of them....and good looking too but somehow I have never heard of him before until I saw a Bollywood production of Baji Rao Mastani .

After lots of technical reading, some literature. Irisches Tagebuch. Loving and witty descriptions of his impressions in Ireland and with such beautiful sentences.

I am reading Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson. An interesting nonfiction about weird and strange things (not paranormal-ish, but sometimes it touches a bit there) that the author wrote during his assignments as a journalist. However, I feel there is something amiss, like some lack of flow between the chapters, lack of real or chronological links between the parts, etc.etc. ; that the chapters are likely so contrast to be put next to each other.

I think it is best to read a chapter here and there, put it down and randomly choose another chapter. So I am taking my time with this one.

Reading a collection of short stories by a Dutch writer. As always he is writing about memories, how they work and how they get lost. Quite a nice read (not translated though, as far as I am aware): Help me herinneren

Just finished A Room of One's Own. I found the introduction a bit overlong but then ... what a fantastic essay! Unbelievable I never read anything by Woolf before. Should remedy that!
Next up is Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth but for tomorrow in the car another Dutch work, Een coquette vrouw.
Oh, I just see that Azimah also recently read up on Aurangzeb. Small world!

Edit: might as well edit here instead of starting a new post. The book on Aurangzeb is quite disappointing. Despite the extensive bibliography it feels really shallow and written with a political agenda. On to the next. An oldie, philosophical: Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture

Lets just say Aurangzeb was no Akbar...

Are we still reading? I'm kind of on a China binge. Mostly non-fiction about Chinese ceramics but also some 'fun' reads. Just finished Song Blue and White Porcelain on the Silk Road, quite a brick and very polemic but informative. Starting When Red Is Black for some entertainment (but still with some cultural background, hopefully). What's everyone else reading?

I guess same as you.
Got interested in chinese history after The Poppy War so currently reading The Cambridge Illustrated History of China
And on the side Tunnel of Bones

Good to hear from you Hikaoru!
i Finished my chief-inspector Chen. Cultural revolution on repeat but also social criticism on the growing rich/poor divide in China starting under Deng Xiao Peng. Too direct to be of real literary value but still palatable. Next, I think Dragon (Volume 1) though I also need to look for a new audiobook for in the car.

Also, a well-known Dutch author died last week (Jeroen Brouwers) which made me realise I should really, really read soe of his works.

I read Bezonken rood today. Not a very long book but of an emotional intensity that you must either love or hate. It's 'autobiographic fiction' (whatever that may be) and essentially describes how growing up in a jap camp in '42-'45 made an emotional totally dysfunctional person of the writer. It has received much criticism but I thought it a very good book, though not at all an easy read.

Not sure what's going on with me. Didn't dig any of the books I read last week. On the positive side, starting listening to Something Like an Autobiography in the car and I'm enjoying that.

Finished reading An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. Oliver Sacks has a knack of being simultaneously scientific and showing a deeply human interest in the people he describes, whether these are patients or otherwise.
Because I had a rough weekend, next some light reading with Meet Mr. Mulliner

I guess we're all more readers than writers here. Anyway, wanted to share my latest read with you: Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City. According to the blurb it 'doesn't take a stand (in the condlict)' but just showing his experiences of living in Israel/Palestine for a year is quite enough. It makes all the more impact for not being preachy. I'd recommend this is you like graphic novels.

Hello . I have been back reading after a rather long wait for finalisation of my cataract op. Am starting with a little book "Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire" by Jean-Paul Roux. It is small enough to put in my handbag..huhu. I had thought "Storm from the East" by Robert Marsh was about one of the best on the subject. This little book however has so many colour pics from various sources ..like Persian and Chinese. Yes, we get the history of the Mongols through those of other countries, sadly.

There was a time I would clear the shelves whenever such books appeared. Now is the time to read them.

Glad you're back reading Azimah!


I finished reading this one. I liked it even though I was hoping it'd be more heartbreaking lol!

Just finished The Story of the Stone (a.k.a. The Dream of the Red Chamber). It's a good read, especially the first part that was written by Cao Xueqin himself. The ending is not really of the same level but still ok.

Hi all, I'm reading Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple. William Dalrymple is a an accomplished historian of the Subcontinent. His style is rich with details but written in a novelistic kind of manner. Quite a brilliant author.

You must be wondering why Afghanistan is kinda stucked in the past. This book does provide a glimpse to what could have been the reason. Why the Afghans must distrust foreigners, and why their options of becoming a normal state are limited. While once it might have been a thriving city in the center of trade, the greed and narcissistic tendencies of colonial states have ensured that Afghanistan will be a long way off before it can become a normal functional state. I'm about 1/3 of his book and so far it has been entertaining. Highly recommended for history buffs.

Azimah wrote: "Lets just say Aurangzeb was no Akbar..."

How would you compare between the two figures? Was Aurangzeb a tyrant sadistic ruler as was painted by maintream Indian media? In contrast with the so called more "enlightened" and tolerant rule of Akbar? I read some somewhere that Aurangzeb used to knit skullcap for salat in order to finance his own peronal expenses. He also lives in what the muslims called zuhud lifestyle in spite of his enormous wealth.He also employs more Hindus in his administration. But yet, he is the most hated mughal ruler in India. Meanwhile, Akbar was given the title the great because of his allegedly benign rule. It is said that he abolished Jizya, married Hindu rajput women and made his own religion din e ilahi. But yet his military campaign was no less bloody and brutal. Is there any objective, less biased historical analysis done to these two figures? As long as the narrative of history is held ransom by the political elites in order to advance their particular ideology, i'm afraid the truth shall remain submerged.

Hi, Sufian.

Have been indisposed again of late. Talking about two strong characters one can always find differences between them..rightly or wrongly...as per one's own value system. It is usually said to be easier to conquer lands than to rule them. My reference is Bamber Gascoigne's The Great Moghuls in which he iterated 6 of them. As for Akbar and Aurangzeb I thought he has been fair though brief... While Akbar is percieved as practical...Aurangzeb is seen as more puritan and conservative. (am not going into specifics) Both attract different stuff...at the end of the day Aurangzeb's mistrust of others only had himself....The riches his forefathers accumulated were said to have moved south and dissappeared.....? They lived in 2 different times...conditions differed...it depends on one's own value system too but one can always find the difference between the two of them.

Hi..am back. How is everyone?Am currently reading Hotel Babylon, The Ottoman Empire and Myths, Lies and Oil War. The 2nd book is by far the most engrossing ...

Welcome back Azimah.
I'm reading a detective novel; too many Chinese classics lately.

Haha..am done with The Ottoman Empire today. Though easily readable I was pretty exhausted by the time I reached Osman II....Well, a couple of lingering questions seemed answered at last....like the fraticide practice, meeting Timur and the Eurasian bloodline of the sultans...

Azimah wrote: "Haha..am done with The Ottoman Empire today. Though easily readable I was pretty exhausted by the time I reached Osman II....Well, a couple of lingering questions seemed answered at last....like th..."

Is this the book by Jack Johnson one or the audiobookby Kenneth Ahrl? I saw you rated 3 stars out of 5 for the former. May I know what preventing you to upgrade your rating? Was it too simplistic and not detailed enough? I'm quite interested as well for the Ottoman. In my radar, the book Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel seems more engaging judging from the reviews given for this book. Have you read it? Btw, the fraticide parctice seems quite disturbing for me. How could a dynasty which claims to rule on the basis of Islam practiced such barbaric custom? Is it true that they even murdered babies? Anyway, good job for the all the books read. Look forward for your reply. Thanks.

Hi, Sufian. It is the Jack Johnson book....I got stressed out about halfway through the sultanate..Osman II who got to the throne at 13. 5 yrs later he got strangled by the Janissaries .....I even stopped taking notes at this point...huhuhu. Some folks opined his lack of a mother figure in the harem to give him advice. This makes me wonder how much all the killings/fraticide had to do with the ambitions of the different mothers of the princes. Maybe I had too much of Hurrem(Suleyman I's 2nd wife ..watched the Magnificient Century way back) in my head... No the empire did not start that way but it found it necessary later on.

You see...mother of the sultan had a very powerful position in the harem.

As for babies...there is no particular mention of fraticide on them in the 2 books I have read...

Azimah wrote: "Hi, Sufian. It is the Jack Johnson book....I got stressed out about halfway through the sultanate..Osman II who got to the throne at 13. 5 yrs later he got strangled by the Janissaries .....I even ..."

Thanks for the reply Puan Azimah. From my limited readings, I kinda understand the context behind the fratricide. It was done to prevent any competition to the throne and the civil wars that may ensue due the revolting members of Sultan's family. The previous civil wars between the competing claimants of the throne was devastating to the empire. So to prevent future civil wars and to preserve the stability within the empire, the Sultan had to liquidate all the potential threats to his throne which meant ending the life of his siblings. But the method was brutal though. Why must be strangling? This I don't get it. It is a slow agonizing painful death. Regarding babies, even they were not spared. All 19 siblings of Sultan Mehmed III—some of whom were still infants at the breast, but all of whom were strangled with silk handkerchiefs immediately after their brother’s accession in 1595.

I always wondered why fraticide is common in Muslim world those days but not in other civilizations. Imperial Chinese emperors also have many concubines and childrens, although fraticide did occur, it is less common compared to Muslim dynasties. European monarchies also is an example where fraticide is not common than the ones in Muslim world. As Shakespeare has the newly-crowned Henry V say to Clarence, Lancaster and Gloucester:

Brothers, you mix your sadness with some fear:
This is the English, not the Turkish court

Alright this is already a long post. So sorry for my ramblings :). My concern is just that we Muslims tend to romanticize our history. We tend to over glorify certain dynasty by highlighting their achievements too much without even realizing they are human too after all. Like Dr Yasir Qadhi said "our religion is divine but our history is human". Have a nice day!

Hi, Sufian.

Why strangulation? It reminds me of an old belief amongst people of the steppes on the spillage of royal blood. Remember the destruction of Baghdad by Ganghiz Khan? He had the royals rolled up in carpets and trampled....

There are other stories how Osman II was disposed off by other writers...so just take it with a pinch of salt. Salient point..he was murdered.

I understand the code of fraticide was in line with their interpretation of the quran and to legitimise it they get their ulamas to write write the edicts.....something like that. ..

You have a good day too.

Jbb Lim wrote: "As a fellow Malaysian, I'm currently reading this book by Lesley Hazleton, fascinatingly interesting! Some said the author is biased but lets see.

[book:After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Sh..."

Hi Jbb Lim, I know it has been 7 years since this post. I'm interested about how do you find the book? Me myself having read it couldn't stomach much of it contents. Probably because I'm a Sunni muslim and this book is heavily slanted to Shia version. I find this book though gripping extremely gossipy and too much freudian analysis on the peronalities which I think is too much.

Early Islamic history is wrought with Sunni-Shia polemics and each sects have their version of the history. I don't think it can be ever settled non partially. It is regretful that this author chose to favour the Shia version without giving the Sunnis their fair due. The author claimed her sources were At Tabari which is a Sunni. The issue here is At Tabari only compiled all the stories and reports without vetting them. He did provides the chains of narrations and he specifically told that it is up to the later scholars to check the veracity of the stories before quoting his book. Sunni scholars are very careful when quoting At Tabari. I suspect the author cherry picked reports which suits her narratives disregarding the veracity of these reports.

It is to be noted that Sunnis hold every companions of prophet Muhammad SAW incuding his wives and family in a very high regard. Thus we refrain from sayinng anything bad about them and their disputes against each other. The Shia on the other hand elevates only the Prophet's family to almost divine status and hold contemptous view on prophet's wife Aisha and his companions. If you have time I implore you to check Dr Yasir Qadhi's lectures on Karbala, Battle of Jamal and Battle Siffin on Youtube. Better still listen to his full lectures on all of the 4 caliphs. Please listen to these lectures and you may appreciate Sunni's view on this matter.

Hi all,

It has been 1 year since last post. How about I humbly revive it for the sake of reading itself.

I'm currently reading Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World by Matt Alt

Although I'm not a Japanophile or a weeb, culture fascinate me more so Japan. Growing up in Malaysia during the late 80s and 90s, Japanese TV shows like Doraemon, Kamen Rider, Space Sheriff Gavan (Gaban in Malay), Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Dash Yankuro, Ultraman, Tomatoman and who can forget Takeshi Castle plus many more were staples of my childhood days. I would rather skip my mengaji classes late afternoon around 4-5pm to watch Gaban and Kamen Rider fighting monsters to save the world. Those were the good old days.

Anyway while reading this interesting book, I did encounter a few facts.

1. According to a 2019 study, in Japan animators in their early twenties earn paychecks averaging just 128,800 yen (roughly $1,100) a month - literal poverty wages for those living in Japan and other developed countries.

2. Whenever a singer would perform out in the countryside, they would use instrumental tapes, because it was a real pain to get a full orchestra out there with them. So they'd perform with a taped backing track instead-with the orchestra pit 'empty'. That's what KARAOKE means.

I'm still at 1/3rd of the book but so far it was an eye opener.

Hi all!

Is anyone still reading? I have been trying to since my cataract op and it has been moons…

Finally am making some progress with the Hotel K ( for Kerobokan) by Kathryn Bonella. A tale of a notorious jail in south Bali. Checking into a third world jail is a frightening ordeal for many westerners. Reading on how the juditiary is being compromised reminds me of why I had not made a return trip to the country !

Azimah wrote: "Hi all!

Is anyone still reading? I have been trying to since my cataract op and it has been moons…

Finally am making some progress with the Hotel K ( for Kerobokan) by Kathryn Bonella. A tale of ..."

Salam Puan Azimah. Good to hear from you again. I pray for your speedy recovery for your cataract problem. Interesting you mention about the Bali Jail. I haven't read that book yet, but I did watch a lot of documentaries about prisons around the world.

If you are curious, you can watch at YouTube about Cotabato Prison in Mindanao Philippines, Antananarivo Prison, Madagascar and San Pedro Prison – La Paz, Bolivia.

The Madagascar episode was the pinnacle of human depravity. If there is hell on earth it is the Antananarivo Prison. 60-70 guys locked in a shoebox cell, piled up against each other and they had to sleep like literal sardine can. During sleeping hours at night, every one hour the inmates had to move position left to right just to feel a little bit of air. I can't imagine humans even if they are prisoners will be treated like that. The prison is worse than a dumpster. Rats and roaches roaming around. The foods had maggots in it. Corruption is as high as the sky.

Now I don't know much about Kerobokan Prison in Bali. But from what I've seen in Youtube about Kerobokan Prison, the limitations of what can be filmed and the corruption that exists there, I'm willing to bet it can never beat Antananarivo, Cotabato and San Pedro prisons. My intention is not to belittle or trivialize anyone's suffering of being an inmate. It's just to highlight some of humanity's worst degeneracy. Let us pray and hope for the better angel of our nature prevails.

I'm still reading. Just not updating here much anymore.

Bought a few cheap books at the latest BBW sale. Some ok, others not so ok, the usual. But it's a breather from heavier reading.

Waalaikumsalam Sufian…..

My other experience with anything prison is probably The Birdman of Alcatraz huhu…. Still it comes to nothing compared to the steamy condition and over population of third world prisons……

Hi Henk….. Tha for the kind update.

The hubby is an avid reader and we are running out of space. Hence need to be very selective in getting new materials. Our last trip to BBW was last Dec ‘23 at Tropicana. I got The Balkans.

Enjoy your reads, Henk.

Azimah wrote: "Hi all!

Is anyone still reading? I have been trying to since my cataract op and it has been moons…

Finally am making some progress with the Hotel K ( for Kerobokan) by Kathryn Bonella. A tale of ..."

Hi Azimah, first of all, yes I'm still reading, just don't share on this app or update anything much but maintaining taking personal notes or writing a rough summary for each book I read. Maybe one day I'll just skip everything and focus only on reading.

By the way, I just finished Confessions by Kanae Minato. I found this book on Tiktok. Love the story, dealing with murder and revenge, kid lack of maternal love, it's weird, it's dark right from the first chapter, and each chapter deals with different pov. I'm not sure what to read next. I'm thinking of reading What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal for next month.

Anyway, hoping everything is fine with your post-op.