The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 09 Jun 2013 01:40 AM PDT There's a grab bag variety of non-fiction books nominated for this year's Popular-The Star's Readers Choice Awards, ranging from fun and whimsical to serious and thoughtful. FROM musings about an idyllic childhood to nostalgic thoughts about a beloved Malaysian personality who passed too soon – if you're a fan of non-fiction books, you will have plenty to choose from in this year's Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards nominees. First started in 2008, the Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards aim to put the spotlight on the local literary scene, as well as reward readers for participating in the vote to decide the top three authors in the two categories, fiction and non-fiction. The winning authors will each be awarded cash, trophies and certificates of recognition, while readers who vote will stand a chance to win a RM50 Popular book voucher, one year free Popular card membership, and a book hamper worth RM100. The nominees in each category are the 10 bestselling books in Popular and Harris bookstores nationwide last year. You have until June 23, 2013, to send in your votes for your top three favourite titles in both categories (that's six titles all together). To vote, you can 1) Fill in the form available at all Popular and Harris bookstores nationwide (you can send in as many forms as you like); 2) you can vote online through popular.com.my, bookfestmalaysia.com or facebook.com/BookFestMalaysia (be the 1,000th person to vote online and you have another chance to win a RM100 book hamper); 3) vote through SMS – read the instructions at the top of the form on the left carefully (don't forget the slogan, or you will be disqualified!). All nominated books are available at a 20% discount at all Popular and Harris outlets until Sept 1, 2013. To help you make up your mind about which books you might want to buy, here's a brief introduction to the non-fiction nominees: Dare To Be A Champion: Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who has stayed on top of the badminton male singles' ranking since August 2008, gives a personal account of his road to success, shares his thoughts on some devastating career moments, and talks about his hopes for Malaysian badminton. Datuk Lee Chong Wei is a silver medallist in badminton at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games. Prime Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak hailed the most successful Malaysian Olympian in history as the "hero of the nation". When I Was A Kid: These stories in cartoon format are a reflection of Cheeming Boey's childhood in Johor Baru and how he chose the less popular path to end up becoming an artist/animator in America. Cheeming Boey's book was inspired by the daily stories he tells at his blog, iamboey.com, which became very popular when his art on Styrofoam cups took off. In his day job, he served as a lead animator in games like Diablo II and III developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography: Little is known about the private life and background of one of the most recognisable tycoons in Malaysia. While some businessmen take pleasure in seeing their name in print, Albukhary Foundation founder Syed Mokhtar Albukhary has always preferred to keep a low profile. But now, in this book, he is finally sharing details of his family life and how he became the success that he is. Kuala Lumpur-based Premilla Mohanlall has been writing and editing articles and books since the 1980s. She runs pVm Commuications, a company that specialises in publishing, advertising and public relations. Telling It Straight: Over the years as a columnist for The Star, Marina Mahathir, the outspoken daughter of former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad, asked questions that needed to be asked and has never been afraid of dismissing tired old ways and challenging the status quo. The columns have been collected in this book that, indeed, does exactly what its title says. Marina Mahathir was among the country's first HIV/AIDS activitists and was for many years the president of the Malaysian AIDS Council; she is currently active as a socio-political blogger and also writes a bi-weekly column called Musings in The Star. Pedalling Around The Peninsula: Follow the journey of outdoor enthusiast Sandra Loh and friend Mak Shiau Meng as they travel the breadth and length of Peninsular Malaysia on bicycles in 2009. The pair braved exhausting uphill roads, unforgiving weather, reckless lorry drivers, and the occasional straying cow. The journey ended after they cycled over 2,600km in 37 days. Sandra Loh claims she's the first Malaysian women to cycle around Peninsular Malaysia. With her newly-discovered love for writing, she hopes to inspire readers with her stories and encourage them to follow their dreams. Kaleidoscope: The Memoirs Of P.g. Lim: This autobiography details the life of a remarkable woman who played a prominent role in Malaysia's early legal and diplomatic history. The late P.G. Lim – she died on May 7 aged 96 – was a personal friend and confidante to all of independent Malaysia's prime ministers. Tan Sri P.G. Lim was one of the first Malaysian women ever to study in Cambridge. She led a remarkable and eventful life in the heart of Malaysian affairs as, from an early age, she immersed herself in politics, legal issues and was a constant representative of her community and country. 'Yasmin, How You Know?': This book is a compilation of Yasmin Ahmad's wisdom, wit, grin-inducing whimsy, and life-altering advice. The stories were contributed by those close to Yasmin. But the true author is Yasmin herself, a woman whose generosity and love surpassed race, religion and even death itself. Film director, writer and scriptwriter Yasmin Ahmad died suddenly in 2009 aged 51. Her films like Sepet, Gubra and Talentime as well as her television commercials are well-known for their humour, heart and love that overcomes cross-cultural barriers. Ampun Tuanku: A Brief Guide To Constitutional Government: In this book, Zaid Ibrahim analyses the unique nature of the Malaysian monarchic system and provides an in-depth history and context to its being. Zaid Ibrahim is also the author of In Good Faith (2007) and Saya Pun Melayu (2009). He is a prominent lawyer and was formerly a minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reforms. Thinking Through Malaysia: Culture And Identity In The 21st Century: Based on original research, the authors provide 12 stimulating chapters of insights into key developments and new perspectives on little-known aspects of Malaysian culture and society. Julian C.H. Lee is a Global Studies lecturer at RMIT University, Australia. He is also the editor of The Malaysian Way Of Life in 2010 and his articles have appeared in numerous journals. Julian Hopkin's interest in anthropology and sociology was spurred by his multicultural experiences. Mydin: The Untold Story: Uncover the story behind the rise of Mydin, the world's leading distributor of halal goods and services that currently operates more than 100 outlets nationwide. Dr Hajah Siti Hawa Mohd is a trainer, speaker and author. As a lecturer, she wrote "Strategi Belajar Lulus Peperiksaan" and co-authored "Pengantar Psikologi", a publication by Oxford for university students. She has also written a number of articles for magazines about women and family. n The Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards 2013 are a precursor to BookFest@Malaysia 2013, which will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Aug 3 to 11. Admission is with purchase of the BookFest catalogue (RM2.50 each), which will be available at all Popular and Harris bookstores closer to the event's opening date. Entry is free for students aged 18 and below, and senior citizens aged 60 and above. For more information, visit bookfestmalaysia.com. Related Stories: |
| Posted: 09 Jun 2013 01:43 AM PDT HERE'S the complete list of Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards nominees of 2013 Fiction 1. The Garden Of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 2. A Noble Nyonya by Esther Low 3. King Of The Sea by Dina Zaman 4. Natasha: She's Coming Back To Kill by Arthur Julian Wu 5. Love & Struggle: Beyond The Rubber Estates by Dave Anthony 6. Shadows Beneath The Fronds by Paul Callan 7. Tiger Isle: A Government Of Thieves by E.S. Shankar 8. Brickfields & Beyond: Stories From The Past by Balan Moses 9. Shadow Play by Barbara Ismail 10. UTube: Inspector Mislan & The UTube Serial Rapes by Rozlan Mohd Noor Non-fiction 1. Dare To Be A Champion by Lee Chong Wei 2. When I Was A Kid by Chee Ming Boey 3. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography by Premilla Mohanlall 4. Telling It Straight by Marina Mahathir 5. Pedalling Around The Peninsula by Sandra Loh 6. Kaleidoscope: The Memoirs Of P.G. Lim by P.G. Lim 7. 'Yasmin, How You Know?' by various authors 8. Ampun Tuanku: A Brief Guide To Constitutional Government by Zaid Ibrahim 9. Thinking Through Malaysia: Culture And Identity In The 21st Century edited by Julian Hopkins & Julian C.H. Lee 10. Mydin: The Untold Story by Dr Siti Hawa Mohd Related Stories: |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT The latest Robert Langdon novel sticks closely to the tried and true Dan Brown formula. Inferno READERS might remember that I wrote an article about Dan Brown's Inferno (Will it set us aflame?, Reads, May 12) just a couple of days before it was released, offering my thoughts on what the latest Robert Langdon novel might contain. Well, after reading said book, I am glad, for my reputation as a bibliophile, that there were more hits than misses in my guesses. So, let's go through the checklist. Firstly, is there lots of symbolism? Of course, there is! Symbols are again a central element of the plot, allowing for Harvard University professor of religious symbology Langdon to do what he does best: unravelling mysteries through clues hidden in symbols and artwork. There are however, fewer explanations of the unexpected origins of commonplace words or items; possibly because Brown has run out of such interesting trivia to share with us. There is a secret society of a sort, but not the historical conspiracy-theorist type we have come to expect from a Langdon novel. This time, the "secret society" is actually a corporation called The Consortium – claimed by Brown to be real, albeit with a different name, with offices in seven countries – which provides covert services that allow its clients "the opportunity to pursue their ambitions and desires without consequen-ces". The Consortium neither judges nor ever breaks its promises to its clients. Even after death, which causes most of the trouble in the story. Despite the move back to a European setting – most of the action takes place in Florence, Italy – there is no religious or ancient earth-shattering secret driving the plot. The involvement of Renaissance artwork and symbols in the story is more due to the main villain's obsession with the epic poem The Divine Comedy and its author, Italian poet Dante Aligheiri. ("Inferno" is also the name of the first part of The Divine Comedy.) The main motivation driving the villain is something much more modern and relevant to mankind: overpopulation and Mother Earth's increasing inability to sustain all us demanding, resource-grabbing humans. Perhaps Brown has run out of secret religious "revelations" to explore; and perhaps the similarly mankind-centric plot from his previous novel, The Lost Symbol, is the start of a trend towards more humanistic themes? How about the characters then? There was a male figure that made a dramatic appearance in the book's prologue, as in Brown's other books, but he was not a mentor-type figure to Langdon in any way. He does, however, disappear for the rest of the novel, although his presence haunts the plot. The intelligent and attractive female sidekick this time is one Dr Sienna Brooks – and believe me, Brown makes sure the reader doesn't forget how attractive she is by frequently, and redundantly, mentioning her physical attributes. And intelligence? This woman is off the charts, with an IQ of 208 measured at the age of seven! Much as I appreciate strong and able female characters, Brown does seem to be indulging himself a little too much with his creation of Dr Brooks. The main villain is indeed weird and fanatical, but definitely not approaching the heights of albino monk Silas from The Da Vinci Code, Angels And Demons' Hassassin, or even Mal'akh from The Lost Symbol. And how about the usual twist of a character that changes sides? Yup, check that one off the list too. As in Brown's previous novels, the action is fast-paced and fairly absorbing. Thankfully, the plot doesn't get too disrupted by unnecessarily lengthy descriptions of this or that symbol or practice, as was the case in The Lost Symbol. Brown also opts for a non-linear chronology of events, introducing the reader right into the middle of events at the start of the book. He does this by causing Langdon to lose his short-term memory, resulting in him not knowing how or why he is in Florence. Using this device, Brown is able to then develop the story in a logical, linear manner, allowing readers to follow the symbologist as he discovers – or rediscovers as it may be – clues to why someone seems out to kill him, and what the mysterious object in his jacket is. Overall, an entertaining thriller, with a rather thought-provoking theme and interesting choice of ending. This is definitely a recommended book for casual readers. In comparison with the other Langdon novels, though, I would rate it after The Da Vinci Code and Angels And Demons, and before The Lost Symbol. |
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