Goodreads Malaysia discussion

One more time, with feeling!

Tahun lepas tak sampai 50 -- dapat 43 saja. Tengok tahun ni macam mana.

Yati's challenge -- more likely to be updated than this thread.

This here is the masterlist, updated as we go along.

1. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
2. The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
3. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
4. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
6. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
7. Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa
8. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
9. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
10. Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A McKillip
11. Axis by Robert Charles Wilson
12. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
13. 300 by Frank Miller
14. The Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts
15. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
16. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
17. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
18. The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
19. Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson
20. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M Valente
21. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
22. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
23. And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer
24. Warhost of Vastmark by Janny Wurts
25. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
26. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
27. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
28. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
29. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
30. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
31. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
32. The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré
33. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

1. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Not exactly a book to read if you've never actually seen it performed. I had just watched this particular version of it (though admittedly my initial reaction to it was more of a surprised why is there a Patrick Stewart and a David Tennant in this one? Is this Hamlet . . . in space?!? But it's not. Unfortunately. It's just a regular Hamlet. In modern dress. Where Prince Hamlet wears an orange t-shirt while he angsts on whether to be or not to be.) and I just had to pick up the book and compare.

The introductory notes were pretty interesting as well.


2. The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts
I haven't really read epic fantasy for a while. I guess this was pretty ok. Dragged a bit in some parts. Has perhaps too much angst.

Yati wrote: "1. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Not exactly a book to read if you've never actually seen it performed. I had just watched this particular version of it (though admittedly my initial ..."

Try MacBeth

Aradweb wrote: "Try MacBeth"

. . . I will try to remember that. Thank you kindly.

Try Henry V. Watch the adaptation first, my favourite is Kenneth Branagh's version. Henry V is all about politics, war and sex. Okay, I lied. There's no sex. But there should be.

Branagh's version has a young Christian Bale in a small role and other famous Brit actors in big roles.

Khairul H. wrote: "Try Henry V. Watch the adaptation first, my favourite is Kenneth Branagh's version. Henry V is all about politics, war and sex. Okay, I lied. There's no sex. But there should be."

Branagh seems to be in a lot of Shakespeare stuff . . . I think I remember him in another version of Hamlet, and also Othello. I'll give it a go.

3. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
I can't decide whether this is more tragic or funny. I liked it.

4. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
6. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The only good thing that came from waiting for RapidKL buses (that are never on time) -- you get your reading done!

Yati wrote: "4. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
5. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
6. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The only good thing that came from waiting for ..."

Bagus2..jangan membazir masa dengan termenung & merenung gelagat orang di sekeliling. Tapi sesekali bagus juga melihat pelbagai gelagat manusia ni.

Cuma yang kurangnya, bila duduk dan tenggelam dalam dunia kita, kita lupa orang sekeliling. Terlepas pandang pulak orang-orang yang perlukan tempat duduk.

Pilihan yang praktikal, berdiri di penjuru dan buku itu duniaku. Ini yang saya lakukan terutama waktu petang walaupun perjalanannya 40 minit.

Nor Azzah wrote: "Bagus2..jangan membazir masa dengan termenung & merenung gelagat orang di sekeliling."

Saya rasa macam saya pula yang kena renung! Pelik sangatkah membaca sambil tunggu bas. Hish.

Haryati wrote: "Terlepas pandang pulak orang-orang yang perlukan tempat duduk.

Pilihan yang praktikal, berdiri di penjuru dan buku itu duniaku. Ini yang saya lakukan terutama waktu petang walaupun perjalanannya 40 minit. "

Nasib saya lebih baik agaknya. Bas yang saya naik jarang penuh, memang semua orang dapat duduk, jadi tak risau nak bagi tempat duduk kepada orang lain. Tapi kalau naik LRT, memang saya berdiri saja.

Yati wrote: "Nor Azzah wrote: "Bagus2..jangan membazir masa dengan termenung & merenung gelagat orang di sekeliling."

Saya rasa macam saya pula yang kena renung! Pelik sangatkah membaca sambil tunggu bas. Hish..."

Wah, geng! Saya pun naik LRT dan naik bas setiap hari :) Yes, the reading gets done. Sometimes I miss the 6 PM bus on purpose - to finish the book of the moment!

I do not know why but sometimes reading on a bus makes me feel dizzy. Sometimes I am just fine.

Never read in an LRT because I very rarely ride one. I do not live in KL after all.

Rebecca wrote: "Sometimes I miss the 6 PM bus on purpose - to finish the book of the moment!"

Wow, I wish I could miss mine on purpose. I feel like I am always waiting for the bus! I need to change buses, so it's teeth-gnashingly frustrating when the first one is late.

Norain MT wrote: "I do not know why but sometimes reading on a bus makes me feel dizzy. Sometimes I am just fine."

It does make me dizzy a bit, sometimes. I suspect it has something to do with the driver. (Sudden stops: not good.) But generally I'm ok reading on the bus, but I can't read at all in the car. Tak tau kenapa.

7. Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa
Uh. Not-quite-underage bondage action in this one. I still don't quite know what to think of it.

8. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Single-volume fantasy! Pretty well-written, and at its heart I suppose it's a novel about nationalism, and stories and legends and names you leave behind.

(Sometimes you can tell that the cover illustrator hadn't read the book . . . why suddenly got a dude with a sword?)

9. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Somehow I managed to bypass the series when I was younger. Full of archetypes and clichés, but fun nonetheless.

Yes, very very derivative but surprisingly fun. Star Wars with no lasers, that's what Belgariad is.

Oh, there'll be a big frickin' sword later on. Just hang in there.

There's always a big frickin' sword.

(I suppose the illustrator is just giving us a preview of things to come. Not that we hadn't guessed that there's going to be a magic sword, oh no.)

Oh, no! I checked Belgariad in my university catalogue and it said yes, we got it. But no, missy, we don't have it here in the main campus. Missy will have to go all the way to Roseworthy if missy wants to borrow it.

I don't even know where Roseworthy is!

No interlibrary loan?

As far as my knowledge goes, no. But I will try to ask. We have Join Store, a library shared by all three universities in Adelaide (Adelaide Uni, Uni SA and Flinders) and we can request books from J Store, but I am not sure about borrowing books from branch campuses.

10. Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A McKillip
Dreamy and lovely, like the cover.

11. Axis by Robert Charles Wilson
Sequel to Spin; I liked Spin better, but this isn't bad at all.

12. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Creepy in a satisfying way.

Yati wrote: "

12. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Creepy in a satisfying way."

Uhhh! Creepy? Tempting... Last creepy book I read was The Replacement which was not really that creepy...

Well, it's not ghosties and ghoulies type of creepy -- more of the psychological sort. Even just after a few pages you'd notice that there's something not quite right with the narrator.

Yati wrote: "Well, it's not ghosties and ghoulies type of creepy -- more of the psychological sort. Even just after a few pages you'd notice that there's something not quite right with the narrator."

I don't know if you could classified Mackie Doyle a ghost. I still haven't figured out WHAT he is and I've read the book twice since... Hmm... But, I'll check out the book, twisted narrator sounds fun

Shirley Jackson was all about the creepiness. 'The Haunting of Hill House' was the best haunted house story ever. The movie wasn't too shabby either (the black and white version not the awful remake with Zeta Jones. Ugh)

Her (fictionalised) account of her family life was funny as heck, though. Check it out if you can: Life Among the Savages

Thanks Khairul! I don't really pay much attention to non-fiction, so recs like these help. I'll keep an eye out for the book. :D

13. 300 by Frank Miller
Blood spatters! Reddish colour palette! Lines like "Tonight we dine in hell!"

Not much of a story, though.

It's all about the art and the macho posturing.

14. The Ships of Merior by Janny Wurts

Sequel to book #2 up there, The Curse of the Mistwraith. Epic fantasy. Enjoyable, and a surprisingly fast read, considering the 700+ pages. (Not like the 900+ pages of Stephenson's Quicksilver -- bila nak habis entah buku tu.)

15. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Sequel to The Name of the Wind. I think I liked the first book better, but this is still very, very good. One of those books you start and then can't stop reading. Now we have to wait ages for the next one, woe.

Aik. Where did the last post go?



16. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
A reread. One of my favourite books. Nonsensical and fun.

17. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
Historical fiction. Ridiculously long. It's caught my interest enough to continue with the second book, though not immediately.

18. The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

A very quick read, this one. Charming retelling of a fairy tale, set in fantasy land based on mediaeval Mongolia, with a spirited heroine.

Yati wrote: "

18. The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

A very quick read, this one. Charming retelling of a fairy tale, set in fantasy la..."

Quick read because the story was short or because the book was too good you could not put it down thus you managed to finish it quickly?

Partly because it was short (around 300+ pages) but it really is a very interesting story as well. I could've put it down if I wanted to, I suppose. ;)

19. Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson

Dystopia set in twenty-second century USA. I think I lack the social/political background of current day America to fully appreciate it.

20. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M Valente
21. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
22. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
23. And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer
24. Warhost of Vastmark by Janny Wurts

Too busy even for Goodreads in May. :S

25. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
26. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
27. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
28. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

29. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
Rereading the series, because I was watching the HBO series and found myself thinking, "I should hate this dude, but I can't remember why." Might as well go through the whole thing before starting the newest book, A Dance with Dragons.

30. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
YA science fiction. Got a bit too predictable halfway through.

(Also I spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at the cover before actually seeing it.)

It's a twist (literally, they turned it sideways) of the classic optical illusion. Is it a vase? Is it two people facing each other? The mind boggles.

31. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
I think it's a re-read? Only Bran's chapters seem familiar, though.

32. The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré
Maybe spy stories are not for me. This one almost bored me to death.

33. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Charming and a quick read, with a very likeable female protagonist.