Great Books Found in Net Galley

Christmas is just around the corner. Have you done all your Christmas Shopping?

Or do you plan to curl up with a good book during the holidays?

I have stumbled upon this terrific website http://www.netgalley.com/

NetGalley is an inexpensive and green way for publishers to share their digital galleys securely.

The good news is Reviewers, media, bloggers, journalists, librarians, booksellers and educators can all use NetGalley for FREE to read and request galleys they want to review.

I have joined and the selection of books are vast! Many publishers there.

If you have the time, do check out this website.

For your information, I did not received any $$$ to spread the news. In fact, when I signed up, they did not even required me to blog about this website. Just wanna share some joy of reading to all who is interested.

In Custody By Anita Desai

I have been trying to read this book for two days. Still cannot understand what this book is about. Will put it aside and attempt to read it again in a few months time.

The Editor Review from Amazon.com

Meek and self-effacing, Deven is resigned to his life as a lecturer in an obscure college in Mirpore. When, unexpectadely, an old friend Murad, invites him to go to Delhi to interview the greatest living Urdu poet, Deven sees a chance both to achieve fame and to fulfil his dreams.

Crazy In Love By Chris Manby

Birdie Sederburg is a celebrity heiress. Her parents died in an avalanche. Her only living relative was her grandfather Julius Sederburg who is too busy with his business empire to take care of her. Hence under the care of a series of nanny.

Julius was ruthless in business and let Birdie do as she likes as long as she don't disturb him. She grew up to be a rich, spoilt and over pampered young lady who care for herself only. Anything she wants, she must have.

One day, she got into her head that she is in love with a hot young actor, Dean Stevenson. Dean was horrified but at the pressure of his agent, Dean, "entertained" Birdie's attention to him.

But soon, Dean, found a new love. Birdie is willing to do anything to get him back, including getting herself kidnapped.

And this kidnapping episode really changed her life and she saw what an empty existence that she was having all this time. She also found her true calling and love.

I have read some of Chris Manby books and they are good. But I can't say the same for this. I had a hard time finishing this book.

First of all, the font was quite tiny making it hard to read. I wonder why she want to have this book printed in such a tiny font. To save paper and the environment so that it's coincide with a part of this book?

Secondly, the first half of the book of the book are dedicated to describing what a pampered and empty live that Birdie and her friends were having. Nothing better to do than updating their Facebook with every tiny things that they do and also creating false news for the Paparazzi to write.

The second half of the book was about how she want converted from her selfish ways to seeing the light of her empty existence and turn into a pro-environment supporter. Pretty much unbelievable.

For me it rate 1 star. Maybe I am getting to be too demanding in my reading?

In 5 Easy Steps by Lum Kit-Wye

Elaine Chan was just spectacularly dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend, Patrick, at her class reunion in front of all her classmates who had laughed at her during her school days. To make the matter worse, she also lost her job when Patrick fired her. She was working for Patrick father.

Then she read in a magazine which teach her to re-invent herself in 5 easy steps. When her mom start match-making her with every Tom, Dick and Harry, she had to take a drastic step. She grab the chance to work in Singapore when the opportunity arise.

The first night she arrived Singapore, she was locked out of the apartment. Lucky there was a nice neighbour, Kai, a guy who is staying next door with his grandmother and his father. And soon, Kai, become his best friend and "partner in crime".


Her first day at work as a secretary in a law firm were nearly disastrous but she bump into a gorgeous hunk who looks like Aaron Kwok.

The gorgeous hunk name is Evan and he is a successful lawyer in the firm. Soon he became Elaine's boyfriend.

There were a series of very comical incidents when Elaine tried to be the model girlfriend for Evan

Throughout all this, her neighbor Kai was there to help her...including the time when she tried to play sleuth to find the missing maid of an abusive neighbor.

Kai's relax attitude about life makes Elaine questioned her own happiness and of Kai's happiness as he seems to be heading into a disastrous relationship again.

This is the first Asian Chic-lit which I have come across and I must say, Ms Lum Kit-Wye had out done herself in writing this book.

For me this book beats Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series hands down! She really deserve to win "The Inaugural Chic Writing Competition 2009"

Her writing style are easy to read and characters are well developed. There are many aspects in the story which is believable and not too outrageous. The heroin was perfect. Appear to be helpless without being brainless and too feather headed.

I laughed out at the part where she describe how Kai's grandmother's denture got glued together when eating "Nian Gao"and the part where Elaine put too much pepper into her cooking.

This is a very enjoyable novel. I hope that Lum Kit-Wye will come out with a second novel soon.

To give you a hint on what is instal for you in this book here is something about the author extracted from the back of the book/

About The Author

Kit-Wye has written numerous best-selling novels and divides her time between her beach house in the Bahamas and her New York Penhouse where she lounges around on her designer furniture seeking inspiration for her next best selling book....JUST KIDDING! Actually, Kit=Wye spends all her time in Singapore where she works hard at her lecturing job and, together with her two equally hardworking husband, runs after their two young sons, trying to stop them from destroying the Ikea furniture. This is her first novel.

(Extracted from the back of the book)

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Finally got my hand on a copy of the most raved novel "The Time Traveller's Wife" written by Audrey Niffenegger from Big Bad Wolf Sale last month. Just RM8 only.

What is this story about? It's a love story between Clare and Henry. Henry meet Clare when he was 36 and she was 6. And they married when he was 30 and Clare was 22. You see...Henry was born with a genetic disorder which allows him to travel in time. He had no control on this.

After they got married, they struggle to have a normal life. Tried to have children. It was real tough.

What I like about the story is that the author have a real vast imagination. She managed to highlight the emotional plights of the characters well.

But reading this book also makes me angry. Why? Coz at one time, Henry inadvertently leaked the future to Clare that they are married in the future. And I think because of that Clare had no desire to date. In fact because of her lack of desire to date other guys, she was beaten up by one of the guys.

And there is one part of the story where i don't really understand. The older Henry time travelled and had meet the younger Henry many times and taught the younger Henry the survival skills needed to handle time travelling.

Is it possible that the older Henry would not have mentioned anything about Clare to the younger Henry?

The reason I said this is that at page 178 where Clare confronted Henry about Ingrid, he claimed that he didn't know Clare existed at the time. But then, a few paragraphs later he said "Clare, very few people meet their soul mate at age six. So you gotta pass the time somehow. And Ingrid was very - patient..."

Gosh this statement really makes me boil. Why is it always the woman who is the one portray as waiting patiently while the man can go sow and many "wild oats" before they return?

Darn...this book really makes me emo...reminding me of this sad song.

The Lost Memiors Of Jane Austen By Syrie James

During one of my rampage at BookXcess not long ago, I discovered this book. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. 

I love Jane Austen works. Pride & Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey and etc. I was real curious when I saw this book.

This is a work of fiction but the way it was written makes it seems so real. For a moment there I had my doubts. I thought maybe it was really Jane Austen secret diaries

Events were based as near to what happen to Jane Austen during her life time.  Some are true and some are just fiction

In this story, it was supposed that someone had discovered a hidden chest of memoirs. They were Jane Austen. 

It was her hidden "diaries". Story tells about her life and insight of the events that took place after her father death.

Her sister, mother and Jane depended on the charity of her brothers. 

Also of her personal life where she received two ridiculous proposal and she had fell in love with a Mr Ashford. 

Reading this book makes me missed Jane Austen works. Her books are always easy to read and so is this.

Nights in Rodanthe By Nicholas Sparks

Another love story by Nicholas Sparks. Lovely. I recall watch the movie on this.It was very moving.

Story starts with Adrienne Willis, a divorcee looking on her daughter Amanda's pain. Amanda had recently lost a husband which she loves a lot. She wanted to comfort Amanda but Amanda thinks that her mother does not understand her loss.Seeking ways to comfort Amanda, Adrienne decided to tell her the secret which she had kept for a long time

The secret begin when Adrienne flee to a small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, after her divorce. Her husband had "traded" her in for a younger model. Nursing her wounded heart, she went to Rodanthe to help take care of a friend's inn for the weekend

There was only one guest scheduled to stay there for that week. His name was Paul Flanner. Paul  just sold his medical practice and had come to Rodanthe to nurse his wounds too.

There was a storm brewing. Nobody was around. These two wounded person got to know each other better and soon seek comfort from each other.

But as their wounds healed and love blossomed a tragedy happen.

Gosh! I really hate Nicholas Sparks books. Why do they make me sad most of the time?

"Big Red" Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art

I am not a baptised Christian but I have a Bible of my own given to me by a cousin sister. And I can say that I enjoy reading it very much though some words are too hard for me to understand, let alone explain it to my son.

When I saw this full-text of the International Children's Bible being offer for review, I took to opportunity to request a copy for my son.

I can't tell you my delight when I received this Bible. Love the 3D cover and the colorful pictures that accompany some of the stories inside.


The writing is simple and easy to understand for a child. At the end of the Old and New Testament there is an extensive dictionary. There is also a "Where do I find it?" section which list down the alphabetical listing of people and events and where to find them in the scriptures. Apart from that, there is also a section of God's promises, memory verses and some maps.

The only that I don't like about this Bible is that it is not hardcover. I feel that since it's intended for the Children, they should should make it hardcover so that it would be more durable.

I gave this 4 stars .

For your information, this complimentary copy was provided by the publisher, Tommy Nelson(a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers) through their Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sweet Mandarin By Helen Tse

This is another book that I picked up from The Big Bad Wolf Sale. Ya..time to "dig in".

At first I thought this is just another novel coz I bought this book due to the author's name. Love reading books from Asian writers.

Later when I read through, I discovered that this is not just any novel. It's a true story of the courageous journey by 3 generations of Chinese women in a family.

Helen Tse's grandmother, Lily Kwok, came from a very poor farming family in China. When her great grandfather tried to make a life for his family by venturing into business, his life was cut short by an unfortunate incident.

His widow and 6 daughters were left at the mercy of his relatives. They were bullied. But Lily Kwok was a bright child and managed to get herself some sort of education and become an Amah.

She married for love and had two children, Arthur and Mabel(Helen's mother). But love does not survive.

During Japanese Occupation she was with a Dutch family and since the Dutch were not fighting with the Japanese, she was "protected" . She even learnt a bit of Japanese which probably have saved her life.

After the Occupation she went to work with a British family. And subsequently had the hard choice of following the family back to UK or to stay in Hong Kong.

At last she went to UK. There she managed to built a life for herself and bring her children to stay with her.

She worked hard and managed to built a small fortune. Arthur moved away and Mabel got married. Then they lost everything.

It was very hard but their perseverance paid off. Lily, Mabel and later on Helen with her siblings re-built what they have lost.


There is one part which really moved me. Helen's restaurant have been broken into and everything was stolen. Helen asked Lily how could Lily sit there and be so calm when faced with the destruction. you know what Lily replied?

She laughed and said " when you get to be my age, you'll stop asking why things happen and learn to accept them".

I guess she is right at some point. Like the recent petrol and sugar price increase. Guess we'll just have to learn to accept them and find a way to deal with it.

Paddington Here and Now By Michael Bond

I have read two Paddington Bear books earlier on. I love "A Bear Called Paddington" and "Paddington, My Book Of Marmalade" . 

This is my 3rd. Got this from BBWS last round for RM5 only.

In this book Paddington had settled down with the Brown family and he is pretty well known around the town. He is known to drive a hard bargain. 

There are a few funny incidents that makes me laugh like mad. Like when his basket on wheels gone missing, when he "invited" the grumpy Mr Curry over for Halloween, or when he was "forced" to paint Mr Curry's pipe.

Best of all is a surprised visit by Paddington's Uncle.

This book maybe a a bit childish for me but it was a really delightful experience. To see Paddington's innocent and what mishaps it leads to.

Christmas Promotions and Charity Drive By BookXcess

Great news! Just saw this delightful promotion in BookXcess Facebook. Cleffairy, GoldFlower, Chee Yee, Chen Chzan...everyone...anyone...apa macam? Wanna go?

 

Hey! not only borong books for oneself, friend and family but also can do Charity. How about it?

The Root Of All Evil By Dewi Anggraeni

Komalasari had left Jakarta, Indonesia for 9 years and reside in Australia. She have a husband, Drew and two kids who loves her.

One day, she got to know that her father was seriously ill. She just had to go back and see her father.

When she arrived in Jakarta, she had a real cultural shock. So many things had changed.

The people in Australia are always straight forward. In Jakarta, everything is not as it seems to be. One word can have a thousand different meaning. Injustice seems to be a way of life. To them, it's fated.

She met her ex-boyfriend who had jilted her and now assumed that they can continue where they left it last time.

Then she also met a night club hostess who had to do what she is doing for the sake of her children. But when injustice done to her, everyone kept quiet.

I don't under stand the tile of this story. The Root of All Evil. At first I thought it had to do with some mambo jumbo. But then it seems to me this story is about cultural shock. Ones can have cultural shock when one returned to own country

To me this book worth 1 star. Too long winded and a lot of hesitation

A Time To Dance By Karen Kingsbury

This book is about marriage on the rocks. John and Abby were the perfect couple. Childhood sweetheart. Have the perfect family. All rosy and daisy.

But then they fell out of love with each other. Abby suspected John cheating on her . John felt neglected by Abby in the past years since she was concentrating in her work.

They thought of getting divorce but then their daughter announced that she is getting married.

Well, they decided to postpone the announcement so that it won't ruin their daughter's day.

I give this books 3 stars out of 5. I find that this book is depressing and long winded. But no doubt the issues highlight here are very real.

I received this complimentary book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their blogger review programme. I am not required to give a positive review and all opinion expressed herein are my own.

Book Giveaway!!!

Hey! everyone. Check out the blog by booksloveme

It's their 4th Anniversary and they are having a  Book Giveaway for FOUR lucky winners.

Do try your luck

And Happy 4th Anniversary to  booksloveme !

Really Woolly Bible Stories By DaySpring

I just received this really cute book titled "Really Woolly Bible Stories" from Thomas Nelson, the publisher as part of their Bloggers review programme. I am not required to give a glowing review on this book. All opinion express herein is mine.

This is a padded board book with lovely illustration.

In it there are several favourite all time Bible stories. It's being told in simple way. Some are in the form of a few lines that rhymed.

My two year old boy love this books. He would point to the illustration and say "Stars", "Baby Jesus" and surprisingly he even recognised the word Lions.

I think it's a good way for him to start learning about the Bible and at the same time have fun doing it.

This book is suitable for toddlers and young readers.

I give it 5 stars.

The Choice By Nicholas Sparks

After a few hours of non-stop reading, I have finished this book. Started reading around 4p.m. this afternoon.

Once started, I can't put down this book. It was THAT good for me though others might disagree

This is a simple love story. Travis, the hero in this story is the only unmarried male in his group. He changed girlfriends as fast as he change clothes. Nope, he is not a playboy. It just seems that he haven't found THE ONE yet.

Gabby just moved next door to Travis. Gabby moved here so that she can be nearer to her long term boyfriend. They have been together for four years and yet he have not pop the question. She thought she was happy but deep down inside she feels something is missing

Soon she discovered her prized dog, Molly, was pregnant and she suspected that Travis dog have something to do with it. She have been hiding her dissatisfaction  against Travis for quite some time. From the loud music that he play at night to his roaming dog.

Finally she went over and "exploded". Accused Travis' dog impregnating her dog. Though Travis tried to explain but she refused to listen

Then she brought her dog to the vet and discovered the vet is Travis. Travis explained to her that her dog is indeed pregnant but not from his dog coz his dag have been neutered. Gabby was very embarrassed and apologise profusely. Travis was very forgiving.

Since then Gabby tried to avoid Travis due to her embarrassment but Travis kept seeking her out. He was attracted to her. He was a bit disappointed that she have a boyfriend but yet he did not give up.

They found that they were attracted to each other and soon fell in love.

This is not the simple ending. In the second part of the story, Travis was faced with a tough choice whether to let Gabby go as Gabby willed or to define her will.

The first part of the story was light hearted. The joy of courtship. Ahhh...the wonderful experiences. Reminds me of my dating times. Such great memories. The part where Gabby was faced with a choice whether to stay with her boyfriend or to go with Travis was very touching.

The second part have a bit more suspense. I can't help cheating by flipping to the last page to know the result. Yes, it's very bad of me.

I give this book full marks.

The Devil In The Junior League By Linda Francis Lee

Just finished this book last night.

Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware(wow...what a mouthful), Frede to her friends have the perfect life. She is rich and from the old money group in Taxes. She is a member of Junior League of Willow Creek and is expected to be the next president-elect of JLWC. The members of JLWC are consist of those rich and high power women in the society. They are the trend setter.

She have a handsome husband, Gordon, that is until one day when she found a a mousy woman standing by her door step claiming that she is pregnant with her husband child. She threw her out with her husband. Unknown to her, Gordon had siphoned her money and assets away too.

Her impeccable reputation was in jeopardy and so is her financial situation. There is only one person who could help her. Howard Grout, a shark of a lawyer who is also her neighbour.

The price that he wanted for his services was something that Frede might not able to deliver. He wanted her to get his tacky wife, Nikki(once was Frede bestie), into JLWC.

To make the matter worse, Pilar(another one of her former bestie), who is also in JLWC seems to be up to something.

At first Frede did not really want Nikki to be in the JLWC. But later on she grown fond of Nikki.

My first impression of Frede in the first few chapter is that she is just a shallow and snobbish woman. As I read on, Linda managed to turn Frede into more human.

The part where her starving artist boy friend is actually super rich seems to be familiar. I recall reading a similar plot in Chris Mansby "marrying for money". The ending also seems to be something like "The First Wives Club" by Olivia Goldsmiths.

I just wish she would elaborate more on Frede's no good husband. The ending seems too convenient and easy for him

Overall it's a acceptable read. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Bought this book from BookXcess at RM9-90 only. Worth the money

The Magpie Bridge by Liu Hong

This book is about Jiao Mei who is in London to further study. She is staying with Barbara, her father's former lover who sponsor her to further study there.

One night she was visited by her grandmother,Tie Mei, spirit. At first she thought it's just a dream. But later on the visit become more frequent.

The spirit told her that she is pregnant with British boyfriend's baby

At first it was unclear the purpose of the visit but later it was revealed that Tie Mei wanted Jiao Mei to find their ancestor's treasure, a piece of brass mirror which carries a terrible curse.

To me this book tried to imitate Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club but fail.

There are flash back between present and past for Tie Mei, Jiao Mei and Barbara. Also trying the merge the western influence and eastern influence together. Instead of making the story flow nicely together, this confused me. The constant flash back and changing view point makes me unable to enjoy the "mood" of the story.

Not a good read. I give it 2 stars out of 5.

This is my personal opinion only

Azazel Fantasy Stories By Isaac Asimov

I found this gem during one of my rampage at Paylessbooks warehouse sale. Got it under the bargain book, RM12 for 5.

This is one of my most prize possession in terms of books. It is not a brand new book but the stories inside makes me want to read this again and again.

I was hooked on Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series a few years ago. Found that he have great vision on the future of this world. At the time when he wrote the Foundation Series, we still did not have the technology described therein and we still don't

Anyway, Azazel is totally different from the Foundation series.

It's about this two inches tall devil who have a great big ego. He have the power to grant wishes but his power is limited.

Each time when he was summon by his friend to help in one thing or another, the result would be disastrous.The Murphy's Law thingy.

There are 18 stories in this book.

You have to read this brilliant work with an open mind.

Picking A Fight

Once I had a colleague who likes to pick fight with people.

During my job interview, I sat next to his table doing the typing test. He told me that he had "gaduh" with almost everyone in the company before. It's his way to "get to know" a person.

Weird. But there are all sorts of weird people in this world. Some would pick fight for power, glory, status or ego. That, I can understand. But I really don't know what to say about people like him. Purposely picking fight for nothing. Or maybe he have a hidden agenda of his own.

Breathless In Bombay Stories by Murzban F.Shroff

I bought this book from BookXcess last month. Am always fond of books from Asian authors.

There are 14 short stories in this book, a total of 306 pages.

Each story is special. Each story is written in the point of view of an individual and at the end of the story there would be a surprising insight about that person or that person discovered something that he/she have been blind about.

I especially love the story titled "A Different Bhel". Story told from the voice of a woman named Hilda about a local notorious thug who had terrorised the place when he was young. The thug was painted as dare devil and totally bad man. But the end of the story, it was revealed that another person crime is worse than his.

"Traffic" was another great story. A woman fell in love with the wrong man. She was alienated by her friends and relative and the man threw her out on the street.In a moment of despair, she contemplated the unthinkable. But she was saved by a coconut.

In the story of "Babu Barrah Takka", a straight forward and honest man was forced to accept bribe for his daughter's future.

This book really merged the old traditions and modern life in Bombay city.

Love this book.

Odd and The Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

I have heard a lot anout Neil Gaiman but have yet to read any of his book. Saw this book at BookXcess during one of their sale.

It's suitable for young readers but I am always young at heart. Hence, I get to read this.

The story is a bout a little Viking boy whose name is Odd. But his name is not considered as odd during his time coz it meant "The Tip Of A Blade" which is considered as very lucky.

His mother was a Scoitish maiden kidnapped by his father the Viking in one of their raids. But she gradually grew to be accustomed to her husband.

Now, Odd's father was a good woodsman but he pass away during one of the raid.

He tried to take his father's place but his one of his legs was crushed when a tree fell on him. His mother re-married and the man already have sons. He was ignored.

One day he decided to runaway and  go back to his father's old house to stay.

There he run into the Gods themselves. The Gods were in trouble and he helped them to saved the City of God from the "Evil" Frost Giants

I love this simple but thought provoking book. Some of the things can really apply to our everyday life. Such as Odd's courage and determination. And then of the God's foolishness.

I think this book would very much be enjoyed by both boys and girls

Paddington, My Book of Marmalade by Michael Bond

I bought this book from BookXcess after browsing thru the "A Bear Called Paddington" by Michael Bond , given to me by nlyusmilk

As most of you probably know, Paddington Bear LOVES Marmalade.  In fact, he brings it with him everywhere.

In this book celebrates his loves for Marmalade. Story from the invention of Marmalade to his special encounters due to Marmalade. There are many anecdotes there. Can't help smiling.

This is a really good gift book for kids.

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

I was given this lovely book by nylusmilk not so long ago. Silly me. For a long time I have thought Paddington Bear is the same as Pooh Bear.Only when I read this book did I know they are not the same.

This book tells the story where Paddington Bear begins. He was found by the Brown family sitting on his suitcase in Paddington Railway Station in London. On him was a note  which reads, "Please look after this bear. Thank you."

He was a stowaway. He came from the "Darkest Peru" and his name was something really complicated which nobody can pronounce. Therefore the Browns named him Paddington.

He is the most polite bear in the world. However, he tend to get into a lot of trouble due to his naivety.

It's really a very good book for kids and those who are young at heart.

 Thank you very much, nylusmilk.

The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

I have been a fan of Agatha Christie book since I was young. She is a real amazing lady. Just too bad my school library did not stock up more Agatha Christie books back then. 

Hence now whenever I saw Agatha Christie book I would grab. Found this lovely hardcover Agatha Christie book at my friendly neighbourhood bookstore, BookXcess, at an affordable price.

It was set in a fictional small village known as  King's Abbott in England where everybody know each other's dirty laundry. Hercule Poirot and live in this village after his retirement. Story is told from the voice of Dr Sheppard, the village doctor who also acts as Poirot's side kick. 

The story begins with the suicide of a wealthy widow, Mrs Ferrars, who was rumoured to have killed her husband. She was romantically link to Roger Ackroyd, a widower. Roger wanted to marry her but then he was horrified when she admitted to him about killing her husband. She also told Roger that she was being blackmailed by somebody. Soon after receiving this letter, Roger was murdered. Stabbed with a silver knife from the back.

Poirot was asked by Flora (Roger's niece) to investigate.

As usual there are many suspects which seems to have motive and opportunity to commit the crime. One by one Poirot managed to rule out all of them.

This story have an amazing plot twist. Frankly, I was shocked and amazed on discovering the identity of the murderer.

I give this book 4 star out of 5.

Slumdog Millionaire(Originally Published as Q & A) by Vikas Swarup

I have been hoping to read ths book since I finished reading "Six Suspects" which was also written by Vikas Swarup.

This book was originally published as "Q & A". It was made into a movie and have won awards. I managed to catch part of the movie only. The part where he was acting as a Tour Guide at Taj Mahal. The story in the book and the movie defer slightly.

This novel tells the story of Ram Mohammad Thomas (funny name ya? There is a story behind that) participated in a game show called "Who Will Win A Billionaire" and won. He was just an 18 years old poor Waiter from the slums.

Of course the Organiser did not believe that he could answer all the questions correctly without having outside help. How is it possible that a poor waiter from the slum have the knowledge required to answer the questions? Seems to be quite impossible.

The Organiser with the help of the Police got him arrested. The was questioned by the police and by hook and by crook they are determined  to have him "singing" out the truth. .

He was torture. There was a moment where he felt he can't take it anymore, a lady lawyer came and rescued him. She brought him to her place. He was asked how he knew all the correct answers to the questions.

He was aprehensive at first. Thought maybe it's a trap. But the thru a flip of his "lucky coin", he decided to trust her.

He begin to tell her how he knew the answer starting from the 1st question.

There is a story behind his answer to each question, right up to the 13th question.

I love this book. I gave it full marks.

 To some it maybe confusing as the story tend to "jump" jump here and there as he narrated how he knew the answers. The ending was beautifully written.

My regret is that now that I have read these two books, I will be having a very high expectation for his next book. Hope the next book will be just as good if not better than these two.
It seems that he "know" the answers to the questions due to his life experience. For each question, a chapter of his life unfolds.

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

I bought this from BookXcess during their 3rd Anniversary Promotion. If not mistaken there was an additional 20% on top of the price state.

It was an impulse buy andI have no regret in getting this book.

What attracted me to this book was the author's name. Am nuts about Asian writers. Have you heard of "Slumdog Millionaire"?It's written by this author.

The story starts with the murder of the notorious, Vicky Rai, the son of a corrupted politician and gangster, Jagannath Rai.

Vicky Rai was shot at a party in his home. The party was to celebrate his acquittal of a murder case.

Six people were found with guns in their possession when the police seal-off the murder scene.

They are :

1)Mohan Kumar, the Bureaucrat. He is as corrupted as can be. One day he went for a seance and the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi seems to have possessed him. Since then he was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Scaring the people around him with his multiple personality.

2)Shabnam Saxena, The Actress. She is very successful and is the subject of envy for many people. Despite the stardom, she hungers for her family love. She trusted people and was bitterly betrayed.

3) Eketi, the tribal who travel from his native Andaman Island to India to retrieve a sacred object that was stolen from his people. At first he thought India is a good place to stay on but later found out that it is a very harsh place. People were very cruel, unlike those in his Island. He dreamt of going back to his beloved Island once he retrieved the stolen object and also bring his new found love back with him.

4) Munna Mobile, the Thief. His speciality is to steal handphones. He met a rich girl. At first he was just fooling around looking for a quick lay but then he fell in love. It's a forbidden love as they are of different caste.

5) Jagannath Rai, the Politician. He is a very corrupted and an ambitious politician who happens to be the father of Vicky Rai. He is like a gangster. Did many crimes and yet he always got away with it because people are too scared to go against him. Those who are brave enough were "eliminated". He wanted to be the next Chief Minister and Vicky Rai stood in his way.

6) Larry Page, the American who works as a forklift operator and have the same name as the Google's founding CEO. He is like "Mr. Bean". Always get in to trouble but some how he is always lucky enough scrape thru it. He came to India to marry his "Mail Ordered Bride".

The above mentioned people have motive to murder Vicky Rai.

The characters in this book are well developed and very lively. I can't help laughing like a hyena at the things that Larry got himself into. Also can't help felling anxious about Shabnam's and Munna's predicament.

This book is a must read for all mystery fan and those who love a bit of spice in their live.

Service Attitude

What I've encountered yesterday and today really makes me think that our society is really alienate lot.

We went to Sungai Wang Plaza to search for a camera yesterday. Before going, hui have done research only and a shop called Boeing Photo Sdn Bhd seems to give the best deal.

We are not familiar with the layout of the shops in Sungei Wang. Hence while hunting for Boeing Photo Sdn Bhd, we come across many other camera shop. We stopped to enquire whether they have stock for the model which we wanted.

First shop says "We don't have" but he did suggest alternative model and showed us the model. He was not sure where we can get the model.

At least this one was better that the previous guy at another shopping complex which say this model is obsolete though it's a relatively new model . When he was asked any model that will be replacing this model he just answered "Don't have". This guy obviously does not know his product

Back to the story.

We walk some more. Saw another shop. It's near Parkson and man by a young man. He was busy cleaning the display case when hubi approached him to ask about the model the model we wanted.

Without stopping his "cleaning" job, he answered that they do not have that model. I think it's very rude especially when a customer is asking you a question and you are doing another thing. It's as rude as talking with your mouth full

Then we come to another shop. This shop was man by a man who is in his late 30s. He was busy reading newspaper. When hubi asked him question, it was like there is gold in his mouth. Reluctant to answer. The attitude like "if you want to buy then buy. If not then buzz off".

Nevertheless, we encounter one shop whose staffs ave a positive attitude and was happy to help. He even managed to suggest alternative model and brand. He was able to reply most of hubi's question. Too bad they did not have stock for that camera

Finally we found Boeing Photo Sdn Bhd. Their staffs were quite knowledgeable and they have the model in stock. Managed to give us quite a good deal too

This morning we went to McD for breakfast. The service was really bad.

How can McD run out of eggs? No Eggs McMuffin, no big breakfast and no ice milo. Only have Fillet O Fish and Sausage McMuffin. By 10.30am, they have run out of Sausage McMuffin too. Left are Pancake, Fillet-o-fish and chicken.

The counter girl who serviced me was not smiling. There are confusing everywhere. Everyone seems to be "hiding" in the kitchen.

Later on I went to asked for a Paper bag. A Supervisor was reprimanding two girls as they seems to be doing the same job together. Two girls manning the same counter? No wonder there is chaos.

When the supervisor was there the girl flashed me a smile and enquired politely what I need.

Then I went back again for a cup of ice. This round the supervisor is not there. The said staff seems to be nonchalant

This really makes me think that people is getting cunning everywhere. When supervisor or the boss is here, must put on an act. When the boss' back is turn then it's their "ME" time and customers being ignored.

My new home?

uiks this is my new home ah?