Monday, February 17, 2014

The Queen's Vow by C.W Gortner

The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner
I was in KK last week. my mom was warded for heart monitoring. so, i had to be there. she's okey, but, i know, me coming over meant a lot to her. i was rushing from office to catch my flight back to KK and i was away from office almost a week before, so, theres quite a lot to juggle before i eventually sat for my dinner at Mary Brown Kuching Airport (not the best place to get fried or 'broasted' chicken) that i'd realize, i'll be away for three days without book to read.

i was in the middle of Jared Diamond's Collapse (planning to finish reading this week) and darn! i forgot to bring that book. (seriously, its a super interesting book).

i got this book at my sister's in KK. she bought it for RM39.49 at times. historical-fiction is not exactly my favourite genre. i watched a lot of movies with this genre, though. 

and i find it easier to understand the book because i'd watch the whole season 1 of The Borgias. the theo-politic of the Vatican and its influence over Christian Kingdoms in Europe.

the beginning of the book is a tad boring. throughout the book, its narrated from Isabel's view. started with the death of his father, Juan II of Castile, she's 3 at that time. Then the story progressed to their life out of the palace, after her half brother, Enrique IV reigned. Isabel was portrayed  as a willful, stubborn and religious woman.

she broke stereotype by chosing her own husband. together, they unite Spain. along the way, she has to face racial tension between Jews and Christians

isabel, the queen of Spain was also the force behind Colombus adventures. 

the book is a good read. i particularly like the author's afterword at the back, where the author admitted the historical facts ommited and inconsistencies. 

my boss called me right after i typed the last para for a meeting. the initial idea for this post vanished (yes, the peril of not committing ideas in written form when its appear). I'll amend the post later. 

have a good week! i'm going to a fireball sale! yay!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Book Read 2013

1. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
2. Mandela's Way by Richard Stengel
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book 4: The Miserable mill) by Lemony Snicket
4. Snoopy features as The Master Chef by Charles M. Schulz
5. Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
6. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
7. Ox-Tales book #2 Air
8. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
9. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
10. Men Eating Crocodiles of Borneo by James Ritchie and Johnson Jong
11. Ampun Tuanku by Zaid Ibrahim
12. Reckless Driver by Lisa Rice
13. Return to Almora by R.K. Pachauri
14. Kelabu by Nadia Khan
15. Pecah by Kahirulnizam Bakeri
16. In One Person by John Irving
17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
18. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
19. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
20. Jung: A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stevens
21. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
22. A Middle Eastern Feast by Claudia Roden
23. Kiss The Girl by James Patterson
24. For One More Day by Mitch Albom
25. The Midnight Club by James Patterson
26. The Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit
27. The Art of Eating In
28. Oasis
29. Lari dari Syurga
30. Untuk Separa Tuhan
31. Titah Bukan Sabda

i missed some of the books, i'll furnish later as well as the name of authors for book 27-31.

attempts to shag

i'd done reading at least 3 books last month. 2 malay books published by ITBM. i need to re-read both, as my mind was busy with other things when i read them. 

i appreciate a very sound advice from a good journo on twitter "reading is being intimate with the subject, it needed care, attention and foreplay". 

sometimes, i think, i read, for the sake of reading something. reading, because its a habit, not caring for the outcomes or consequence of the read.

my recent visit to the Zoo Negara made me realize this grave mistake.

i was visiting the Zoo Negara in Hulu Kelang last friday (because a workshop scheduled for that day was canceled and its been more than 10 years since my last visit, and a wonderful experience i got from a visit to Zoo Dusit in Bangkok last year prompted me to have a see at our own 'city zoo'). the visit was terrible. (i'll write a post on this later). 

i sat on a bench in front of the lion enclosure. it was a very hot afternoon (few minutes to 3pm), i just need the space for myself and keeping a good distance away from the group with a very annoying toddlers in tow. a young couple with a stroller with baby in it passed by me and they too sat at the nearby concrete bench. the young couple was busy taking picture of their baby. i'd read from the info pad near the cage fence that lion sleeps 20-22 hours per day. 

in the enclosure, the lion and lioness were napping, then the lion woke up, licked the bottom of the lioness and initiated a very lame foreplay, the lioness opened her eyes, moved a bit. the lion got up and licked some more. the lioness stood and moved away, lion followed and tried to bite her at the back. lioness seemed bored and slumped back to nap. lion tried to bite her rump and shagged the very reluctant lioness. i'm not sure if any of them enjoyed the act. i, on the other hand, enjoyed the show very much. i know, i sound pervert. maybe, i am.

The journo's advice came to mind "don't rape a book, take your time to get intimate with it, get the pleasure of reading by getting into it. reading is an active participation"

maybe my last 3 book read was a bit like shagging a very reluctant partner.