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Posted: 07 Apr 2013 02:30 AM PDT

LAST weekend was the long Easter holiday Down Under. It was also, truly, the last moments of summer here in the Southern Hemisphere. The day began with cloudy skies and the occasional cold breeze. It was a pleasant day for a picnic, so we took the kids to a place called McCarrs Creek, some 50km from central Sydney.

We lugged our kayak onto the roof of the car, packed up what we'd need. The kids had their own bags, and I'm sure you can guess that books took up much of the space. My daughter, after 10 weeks in kindergarten, is now able to read simple books on her own, and she, too, had books in her bag.

In the car, my son was deeply engrossed in his comics while my daughter looked out the window, trying to sound out words she spied. When finally she succeeded in pronouncing the word "area", her eyes lit up and the glint remained fiery throughout the day, reflecting her burning desire to read. Another bookworm she is, in the making.

McCarrs Creek is beautiful. Never before had I witnessed such still beauty. The creek is tranquil but not stagnant. The trees on the banks are luxuriant and sway in unison in the wind, the sound of their rustling leaves rendering the area magical.

With our beach tent up and picnic rugs spread out, the boys went kayaking while my daughter and I waited for another family to arrive. In this picturesque place shrouded by serenity and peace, I wished only to lie down.

And that was when I realised I had not brought along a book!

I rummaged frantically through my haversack anyway, hoping against hope – and I came across an old copy of Naguib Mahfouz's collection of short stories entitled The Time And The Place, a library book I thought I had lost. As I looked at it in puzzlement, I heard a giggle. It seems my daughter had found it that morning under the sofa bed; it must have fallen from my hand when I suddenly dozed off. She had secretly placed it in my sack, knowing that would please me, and it did. A sensitive little soul she is, and has been from the day she was born.

The sun had tried to scorch through a few times but cumulus clouds kept covering it, foreboding rain and thunder. Nature squabbled over us as we set up the grill. Sizzling sausages lured the children back from the river banks, from their attempts to net up fish and uncover clams.

Nothing, however, could get me up and out of my dreaminess, not even the mouth-watering smell wafting in the air. I had been transported to the Khan al-khalili bazaar in Cairo by Mahfouz. The sizzling sound was slowly drowned out by the silence of The Empty Café, in which an old man who, having outlived all his contemporaries, lives and seeks companionship in the cat belonging to his young, rambunctious grandson.

The pages turned quickly as I jostled through a motley crowd of colourful characters and witnessed the colours of the human race as Mahfouz depicted them. While the kids were merrily immersed in nature, I was completely preoccupied and mesmerised by this old little book which had been with the library since 1993. Back then, when I was a student, I did not know at all of the existence a great novelist called Naguib Mahfouz. Deceased since 2006, he remains to me the master of all storytellers.

The day ended perfectly with the sun and the rain granting our wish to be out for one last time before the arrival of autumn.

"It was one of the best days of my life," my son exclaimed. "You hardly did anything, Mum."

"She was reading, Jonn," my daughter came to the rescue.

She grinned. She knew I needed those moments of laziness with my book. n Having read the last of the fiction she had in her most recent pile of books, Abby Wong went scouring for more in a bookstore only to come home empty-handed. She will scout for a gem in the library and tell you all about it in two weeks' time.

Best sellers

Posted: 07 Apr 2013 02:24 AM PDT

FOR week ending March 31, 2013:

Non-fiction

1. Syed Mokhtar Albukhary: A Biography by Premilla Mohanlall

2. Reclaim Your Heart by Yasmin Mogahed

3. Wreck This Journal (black): To Create Is To Destroy by Keri Smith

4. You Can Read Anyone: Never Be Fooled, Lied To, Or Taken Advantage Of Again by David J. Lieberman

5. Unstoppable: The Incredible Power Of Faith In Action by Nick Vujicic

6. Bossypants by Tina Fey

7. Escape From Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

8. Only 13: The True Story Of Lon by Julia Manzanares & Derek Kent

9. Your Next Big Thing: 10 Small Steps To Get Moving And Get Happy by Ben Michaelis

10. A World Without Islam by Graham E. Fuller

Fiction

1. The Host (movie tie-in) by Stephenie Meyer

2. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

3. Betrayal by Danielle Steel

4. Best Kept Secret (Clifton Chronicles #3) by Jeffrey Archer

5. One Day (movie tie-in) by David Nicholls

6. One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

7. Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham

8. Taken (A Give & Take Novel) by Kelli Maine

9. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

10. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

n Weekly list compiled by MPH Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur; www.mphonline.com.

Mark this date

Posted: 07 Apr 2013 02:23 AM PDT

WHAT are you doing on April 23? May we suggest going on a literary date?

That's the day that has been designated World Book Day by Unesco (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) because, among other reasons, it is the day on which the "father of the modern novel", Miguel de Cervantes, died in Spain 1616.

His story about eternally optimistic nobleman Don Quixote not only gave the world its first novel but also added to the English language the wonderfully musical word "quixotic".

With this special connection to World Book Day, Spain has always made a point of celebrating all things bookish on the day, whether in Catalonia itself, where men traditionally give roses to their lovers and the women give a book in exchange, or worldwide through the Instituto Cervantes (the Spanish equivalent of the British Council) network.

In Kuala Lumpur, Aula Cervantes (which is run by the Instituto), together with HELP College of Arts and Technology and the Embassy of Spain, has partnered with Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka and MPH Bookstores to organise a number of events for the occasion.

Among them is a photography contest (closing date April 20) with the theme "My Favourite Children's Book" that will reward children who send in winning photos with prizes of book vouchers worth RM500 and RM300 from MPH Bookstores and books from Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka; and a quiz (closing date April 20) offering you the chance to win a Spanish language course at Aula Cervantes, Spanish language books and Spanish-English dictionaries.

To get the entry form for the photography contest and the quiz questions, call Susana M. Vellon at 03-2711 2000 ext 5207, or e-mail: aula.kualalumpur@cervantes.es.

MPH Bookstores is also offering its own fun activities on the day, such as storytelling and interactive book-reading sessions for children to spark the reading habit within the younger generation. For more information on these events, contact MPH Bookstores' customer service hotline at 03-2938 3818 or visit its blog: mphclick.com.

You can also get more information from helpcat.edu.my. All activities are open to book lovers of all ages, young and old.

Need somewhere to write all this down now so you won't forget by April 23? Check out the colourful DIY blocks notebooks, exclusively from MPH Bookstores, which you can get right now with every purchase of RM120 and above in a single receipt at any MPH store nationwide. There are also beautiful World Book Day bookmarks being given out for free at selected MPH outlets. (Note that all of these promotional items are only available while stocks last.)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 7 April 2013

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

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