Six Suspects and The Good Guy

Thanks Hidayah for lending me these two books!

Credit to image source: hidayahreads.blogspot.com

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

I am drawn to pick this book from Hidayah’s collection because it’s written by the same author who penned Q&A. I haven’t read the book, but the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ had impressed me. I was not disappointed. The story revolves around the murder of Vicky Rai, and the six suspects of this murder

I like the way the author unfold the story, in a ‘modular’ structure (not unlike Q&A), where each sub-chapter builds the plot around each of the six suspects, beginning by introducing them, then explains the motives and how they are related to Vicky Rai (and to each other), and ends with chapters Evidence, Solution, and Confession.

I had enjoyed reading the story – it was engaging, but I’m somewhat not satisfied with the ending.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

The story is about Tim Carrier who was mistaken for hitman. Tim decided to warn the targeted victim and we learn that there’s more to Tim and more to the reason why the woman was being targeted when he went all out to save her from the real killer. I like the fact that Tim has a very normal and loving family (I’m a bit sick of reading about broken or dysfunctional families).

I haven’t read this type of thriller for quite awhile, and it has been a refreshing read, in the sense that I don’t need to get emotionally ‘involved’ in the story. Fast-paced and simple yet clever, and nothing ‘deep’ for example going into psychological analysis and stuffs like that.

Credit to image source: hidayahreads.blogspot.com

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Hidayah’s Book Club

I was pleased to discover Hidayah’s Book Club a couple of weeks ago. I’ve talked about book swaps before, but so far I have only swapped books with people I know, at least virtually. But here is a book lover, who offers to lend out her books for the love of reading and sharing to anyone (well, almost anyone)! I asked her 2 questions and here is her response:

What if you don't get your books back?

Firstly, most of the people I lend out the books to are people I know in real life or via blogs, I do try to make sure that they do have a genuine blog and are real book lovers. As for not getting the books back, I am trying to give people benefit of the doubt, plus books aren't exactly dishonest people's choice of things to steal (they would prefer people who lend jewellery or designer handbags for free .. hehe).

Also, wouldn't you spend quite a bit for the postages?

As for the cost, at the moment, Alhamdulillah, I think a few RM spent on making friends with other book enthusiasts and spreading love of reading to people who might not have the means to buy the books for themselves (books are quite expensive in Malaysia) is worth it. Maybe once the demand becomes overwhelming, I might have to consider other options.

Inspired by her, I think I’ll also offer some of my books out for lending, but I haven’t got the list ready now, so I’ll publish the book list later. I have also borrowed 2 books from Hidayah, Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup and The Good Guy by Dean Koontz, both of which I had enjoyed. I will write a brief review later, so that’s two posts for the near future, insya-Allah.

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‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.’

These 7 words encapsulates Michael Pollan’s book ‘In Defence of Food’ that I’ve read recently. He didn’t start elaborating on what he meant by that immediately. The first part of the book is titled The Age of Nutritionism. I’m glad to learn that eating healthy does not mean that I have to master the science of nutrition. In fact, he went as far as suggesting that nutritionism could just be ‘bad science’. In the second part, The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization, the author elaborates on the changes that has happened to food and eating (specifically in the Western world).

The list of subtopics in the last chapter of this part may give some idea of what these changes are:
-From whole foods to refined
-From complexity to simplicity
-From quality to quantity
-From leaves to seed
-From food culture to food science

Although reading the first two parts had been interesting and enlightening, it is the third and last part of the book which I had appreciated the most, because this is where he had shared tangible advices and rules when it comes healthy eating. I’ll capture the points here so that I can refer to them in the future.

Eat Food: Food Defined (food, as opposed to foodlike or food products)

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting
Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c) more than five in number and that include d) high-fructose corn syrup
Avoid food products that make health claims
Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle (fresh food is usually placed at the peripheries and processed food in the middle)
Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (eg shop at farmers’ market, or in Malaysian context, pasar tani I guess)

Mostly Plants: What to Eat

Eat mostly plants especially leaves
You are what what you eat eats too
If you have the space buy a freezer (freezing unlike canning does not significantly diminish the nutritional value of produce)
Eat like an omnivore (diversify your food)
Eat well-grown food from healthy soils
Eat wild foods when you can
Be the kind of person who takes supplement (without actually taking any, unless you’re over 50) ie typically more health conscious, better educated, and more affluent
Eat more like the French or the Italians or the Japanese or the Indians or the Greeks (eat traditional food)
Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism
Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet (it’s a ‘package’)

Not Too Much: How to Eat

Pay more eat less (costs, both in terms of price and time/convenience to prepare) Eat meals (and avoid snacking in between)
Do all your eating at a table (and a desk is not a table)
Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does (ie petrol station shops)
Try not to eat alone
Consult your gut (train our internal system to tell us when we are full)
Eat slowly
Cook, and if you can, plant a garden

One of my favourite paragraph: “If a food is more than the sum of its nutrients and a diet is more than the sum of its food, it follows that a food culture is more than the sum of its menus – it embraces as well the set of manners, eating habits, and unspoken rules that together governs a people’s relationship to food and eating. How a culture eats may have just as much bearing on health as what a culture eats.”

This is Michael Pollan’s website where he shares his archives or articles (I’ve just read 3 interesting ones and will probably go back for more). The article ‘Unhappy Meals’ which he wrote in January 2007 is the trigger which led him (encouraged by his editors) to write this whole book, so it actually contains a significant amount of the points he touched in this book, so head over there for a preview of this book.

Overall, a very satisfying read – interesting and informative. I feel so motivated now to improve my eating and cooking habits towards achieving a healthier life, I hope I’ll remain to be so consistently!

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Saya mahu informasi dan ilmu dunia buku daripada blog Universiti Terbuka PTS

Saya mula mengikuti blog Universiti Terbuka PTS (juga dikenali sebagai UnikaPTS) sejak tahun 2007 lagi. Blog ini dikendalikan oleh Puan Ainon Mohd (terima kasih, puan!) iaitu salah seorang pemegang saham utama rangkaian syarikat-syarikat penerbitan PTS. Puan Ainon ini memang tidak lokek ilmu, beliau memang sanggup menghabiskan banyak masa untuk berkongsi ilmu-ilmu dunia penerbitan. Setiap hari mesti ada sekurang-kurangnya satu post. Itu belum termasuk tips-tips ringkas yang beliau kongsikan menerusi Facebook dan kursus-kursus percuma yang beliau berikan pada hujung minggu. Prinsip beliau yang diterjemahkan melalui syarikat-syarikat PTS ialah memandaikan bangsa melalui penulisan dan penerbitan. Dan beliau juga tidak percaya dengan konsep bersaing di dalam dunia bisnes. Sebaliknya kita digalakkan supaya saling tolong-menolong dan berlumba dengan sihat.

Apa yang ada dalam blog UnikaPTS?

Ada pengumuman tarikh kursus-kursus percuma pada hujung minggu yang diadakan di Sekolah al-Ikhlas, Taman Permata, Hulu Kelang. Sesiapa yang berminat boleh daftarkan diri dalam ruang komen.
Contoh: Kursus Terjemahan Kreatif Bahasa Inggeris-Bahasa Melayu pada Ahad 20 Mac 2011 dan Kursus Penulisan Bukan Fiksyen : Teknik Adaptasi.

Ada tips survival penerbit. Walaupun saya bukan penerbit, tapi memang menarik juga belajar tentang bisnes dalam bidang penerbitan ini.
Contoh: Kawalan Hutang dan Bagaimana Penerbit Memilih Buku untuk Promosi di Slot Radio dan TV


Ada tips untuk penulis mencari idea atau merancang buku apa yang harus mereka tulis dan bagaimana. Ada juga perkongsian pengalaman daripada penulis.
Contoh: Mencipta Nama untuk Cerita Kanak-Kanak dan Awal Remaja & Cara Kerja Ain Maisarah Mencipta Jalan Cerita

Ada tips untuk usahawan yang berniaga buku.
Contoh: Seni Pempameran Buku Dalam Kiosk buku dan Bisnes Menjual Buku Secara Bergerak

Ada pengumuman buku-buku baru yang diterbitkan PTS. Saya rasa memang ini banyak membantu meningkatkan jualan buku-buku PTS.
Contoh: Senarai Judul Baru Masuk Gudang dan Carta Jualan Buku.

Ada pengumuman jualan buku, diskaun, pertandingan, peraduan, kempen atau promosi.
Contoh: Diskaun Istimewa di HQ PTS & Kempen Komik-M Sempena Cuti Sekolah

Lagi, ada berita penubuhan syarikat/persatuan baru, iklan jawatan kosong, peluang-peluang tertentu dan liputan acara-acara yang berlangsung.
Contoh: Jawatan Kosong Editor di PTS Millenia dan Delegasi PTS ke Pesta Buku Kaherah

Ada berita dan komentar isu sastera tanah air, surat pembaca, malahan ada juga pelajaran tatabahasa!
Contoh: Surat Ulat Buku & Ejaan Kata Majmuk

Pendek kata, macam-macam ada! Untuk semua, dari golongan pembaca hinggalah kepada orang-orang yang terlibat secara langsung dalam industri penerbitan buku ini. Memang blog/website ini blog wajib-lawat bagi seorang ulat buku seperti saya yang ada impian nak tulis buku sendiri satu hari nanti!

“Artikel ini ditulis sebab saya mengidam iPad percuma MySuperKids. Sertai Bengkel Adsense di laman web buat duit online & mulakan gaya hidup sihat dengan vitamin semulajadi ShakleeTrialPack”

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