You Don't Know Jack

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK
Author: Erin McCarthy

Hardly into Chapter Two, I have already given up. Too much lust, and it comes from all directions. This may be the norm for my Western counteraprts but hey, I have my limitations and tolerance. A book like this, I cannot stomach. Chuck!

The TRUIzM

I was embarrassed just by reading the first few chapters. The heroine was so.. so.. ‘cheap’!

Running Away From Richard

RUNNING AWAY FROM RICHARD

Author: Chris Manby

It’s getting slightly better this time. Unfortunately, I got this book before the prequel ‘Lizzie’s Jordan Secret Life’. But no matter - the way the story flowed, I was able to follow up very nicely. But, really, after reading the sequel now, I have even less desire to read the prequel. Naturally.

Ok, that aside, this one here had a slow and sluggish start, but once Lizzie jumps ship and sets sail to Hollywood, that’s where the fun AND CHARADE begin. As with many of Ms Manby’s books, this one here has a happy (and convenient and predictable) ending, albeit with a tragic and dramatic start.

Regretfully, there are hardly any hidden plots or twists – it’s pretty straightforward and it failed to make me gasp or my jaw dropped to the ground. However, it is quite a comic – especially this character called Fat Joe – and the scenes set in Hollywood are pretty realistic, what with silicon boobs, transvestites and all.

In fact, I dare say, if this book is made into a movie, it would be a killer.

The TRUIzM

It’s getting there. Slowly, but hopefully surely.

Losing My Virginity

LOSING MY VIRGINITY
Author: Richard Branson

Hubs was the one who passed the book on to me – a paperback that is a good 3 inches thick. I drooled as I took in the thickness (I love endless stories) and I was definitely salivating when I found out that it was an autobiography – my favourite genre.

Richard Branson needs little introduction, of course. But what I did know about him, prior to reading this bare-all bio, was nowhere near to reality, if the book could be taken at each and every word’s value.

In a nutshell, I used to think that here was an eccentric man who was fearless in doing ANYTHING at all, so long as what he did would put the brand Virgin on the map. That much was true, as I learned in the book, but what I eventually discovered were the reasons why he did certain extreme antics and most importantly, the endless struggle and courageous fight that he and his team put up just to keep Virgin afloat.

Mr Branson painted himself as a fighter who would try anything at least once in his life, and appeared to be a very temperamental man, a gentleman who rarely lost his temper – much like Hubs, actually, in the later respect. And in this bio, he obviously did not try to hide any skeleton at all. It was a truly no-holds barred book, even when it came down to his personal and sexual life – yes, the title says it all, actually. Written in the first person, the bio is truly enjoyable, engaging and the thickness of it guarantees a good read for at least 1.5 weeks. Mr Branson is able to laugh at himself shamelessly, and in doing so, you just could not help but to like the man!

Once, during his attempt to get the prestigious Blue Ribbon back for Britain, he managed to get Esso to sponsor his trip. At a dinner with Esso, while giving a toast, he thanked them profusely and elaborately – and during all these while, mistakenly calling them BP (Esso’s rival) in his speech.

The only downside of this book was that there were too much of incomprehensible market and share talk – so much so that at times, I was lost along the way due to my zilch knowledge in the stock industry.

THE TRUIzM
Grab it when you next see it in the library. Until then, discard what you think you knew about Mr Branson. You ain’t seen (or read) nothing yet – till you devour this bio.

The Soul of the Quran

THE SOUL OF THE QURAN
Author: Saniyasnain Khan

I first read this book way back in January 2007. And now even after re-reading it, I am still mesmerized by the splendor of the passages.

A very easy read, this book contains a range of beautiful prayers from the Holy Quran. The author has brilliantly and successfully captured the essence of the Holy Book by the careful selection of the surahs. The words are lyrical, beautiful, moving and very apt.

I’ve once blogged about this book in 2007. And the contents, to this day, remain to be true. Here’s the excerpt:-

“The selected verses are short, simple and I do not know, at the time I was reading it, I was moved by the contents. It was as if God was speaking to me, to be strong, to have faith, to be thankful and to forever bear Him in mind and soul in what I do. I read the book, cover to cover, in an hour and 45 minutes, in one seating. I was THAT mesmerized by what I read. It’s like as if God knows that I was going through a bad time and therefore led me to ‘discover’ the book sitting quietly on my shelf. The thing is, I have noticed the book many a times, but I was never moved to even take it out and flip it. I do not know why last Friday, 5th January 2007 I somehow glanced at the book spine, lifted my arm and very easily took it down. I browsed through while heading to the sofa in my living room and before I was sitting down, I was already reading Page 2. I do not know why but definitely God does..”

For full blog, go to:

http://dvahaven.spaces.live.com/?_c11_BlogPart_BlogPart=blogview&_c=BlogPart&partqs=amonth%3d1%26ayear%3d2007

THE TRUIzM

A must-have in every home library for the occasional perk-me-up sessions. Go to your nearest bookstore and begin the hunt. Also serves as a brilliant gift for that someone who needs spiritual motivation.

Second Prize

SECOND PRIZE
Author: Chris Manby

Finally, Ms Manby manages to please me with this one. Not too much though, regretfully, but definitely notches higher than Girl Meets Ape and Matchbreaker.

The plot here is very thin, and you could guess the epilogue as you prod on. Zero marks for the surprises category. The heroine, Lara Fenton, is pretty likeable, but at the same time, very gullible AND desperate. Sometimes, I find myself sympathizing with her and her sorry circumstances but at times, I wish I could just grab her shoulders and shake her till her eyes roll in her head and make her smell the coffee.

The story is straightforward and Ms Manby manages to inject humor where it should. The hilarity is not overdone and the dialogues are witty and the scenes appear real. Often, I found myself smiling or bursting in short spurts of laughter as I was reading it.

The TRUIzM
A good read, especially after the TND flop. This book also resurrects my first impression of Ms Manby’s ability as a writer.

The Nanny Diaries

THE NANNY DIARIES

Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Hubs was the one who singled out this book to me while we were both browsing at a library. I took a peek at the synopsis and decided that taking care of a 4-year old would be something that I could relate to, and thus, something that I would enjoy reading.

Wrong.

I did not know that this book has spawned a movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, in 2007. But even if I did, it makes no difference.

It could be that I am not familiar with this nanny industry in the US, to be precise Manhattan. Going by the book, it appears to be a career, complete with a uniform and the usual stereotype – soft-spoken, dark-skinned and introvert players. However, it truly does not matter, because if the authors can pen a somewhat realistic background with an attached story, readers would be able to follow suit.

That – it did not happen in TND. I found the authors, former nannies themselves, rambling on and on blindly and even in the first chapter, the story was moving so fast, and detached, that I was unable to follow.

It was about Nan – even the name I was not sure, was it short for Nanny? Or really her name was Nan? – who part-timed as a nanny for the extra spending money while in school. Nan, however, was unfortunate to be working for the X family (oh please, surely X is not a family name?), who seemed to look upon (or down on) her as a family helper of sorts. Her charge, Grayer, appeared determined to make her life a living hell as well.

As a book, the story starts here and stops there and then picks itself again, and then stops abruptly. Even the termination of a former nanny was not being elaborated, so much so that I simply had no idea how Nan suddenly came into the picture. Mrs X first appeared as a likeable character, but she suddenly changed into a monster in the very next chapter. Characters in this book are so flawed; I did not know how was what or who was why.

Didn’t get my drift? I didn’t get the book either.

The TRUIzM

Oh sod it. Don’t even bother flipping through the pages.

The Places in Between

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN
Author: Rory Stewart

I grabbed this book barely an hour before I was due to embark on my own travelogue, or to be more precise, drivelogue – my trip from Johor to Trengganu on wheels, in late March 08.

I thought it would be the perfect companion (read: both on travels) in my foray across several states.

I was wrong. I was unable to read even a page during my 3-day drive. However, once I was back and have settled down to my normal routine, the book quickly became a constant companion.

My drivelogue is, obviously, nothing compared to Mr Stewart’s, a Scottish journalist – who WALKED across Afghanistan during the times when Taliban had just collapsed and whose journey took months, as it was part of an even longer route. He was adamant to follow in Babur’s (the first Emperor of Mughal India) steps in conquering the vast country on FOOT and while doing so, he successfully provides a travel narration that is engaging, witty and very much alive. His quirky writings enable you to see Afghanistan the way he saw it – sometimes, I swear, you could even smell the freshly-cooked naan and feel the scorching heat, and the biting cold.

It certainly helps that prior to TPIB, I have read a handful of stories that were set in Afghanistan. The places that Mr Stewart traveled to were so familiar, and I found that I could relate to the climate, the people and the culture.

TPIB reveals Mr Stewart’s love and deep respect for Afghanistan, and especially how he was very certain that he would somehow ended up ALIVE at the end of his trip, despite him being the very icon that the Afghans would love to hate.

I admire Mr Stewart’s ability in bringing to life a very huge country, with an equally colorful history and millions of shades in the characters that peopled this nation, via such powerful and invoking narration.

The TRUIzM
This book is not only a travelogue, nor a novelist’s blind banter on his travels. This is a book about the true people of the real Afghan – its beauty, its history and its progress, or lack of. Above all, it is also a testament on the bountiful hospitality of the Afghan people and of Mr Stewart’s courage and guts in conquering this beautiful realm.