Book Binding

i bought 3 books. i am so so so happy. mr. khairul bought me *books* and i love him bunches for that! i always tell him, "you're so lucky your wife doesn't ask for jewellery. doesn't ask for the latest on the LV shelves. doesn't ask for the new fragrance or make-up line. she asks for books. oh, and bookracks."

he just wears that silly grin that he does only when he's with me.

before you think i'm lavishing on books, it was a 'pick 3 books for the price of 2' thingy at ibn batutta mall's borders. i'm always looking for good bargain on books, that's why i love payless bookstore and the novel hut back in ipoh where i get very cheap 2nd hand books in decent condition.

now what did i buy?

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i never read any of his full-fledge novels, and having liked his short stories, i myself wonder why i won't pick up any of his novels. anyone a fan? any difference between his short stories and longer ones? maybe the fact that he's known as a drama author that threw me off. not a fan of family conflict and drama. got enough of that in real life...

jeffrey archer is an english author, also interestingly, an ex-politician. man, imagine dr. m got down to writing fictional stories...archer's short stories are fantastic, a tad draggy at times but still a gem. most engaging of all is of course the smashing endings of his short stories; unexpected - fans of roald dahl's adult short stories would like his style.

i now have all of his short stories collection except for 'cat o nine tales'. geram!

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i love short stories. easy on the eyes and time. i can read 10 good stories with the amount of time spent to read one whole book. i'm glad i found this collection.

if you love to read, you definitely should've read any of the 80 agatha christie's crime novels, even if it's just that one single book. she's the 'queen of crime'! i often wonder how a demure, plain-looking little ol lady like her was able to conjure such intricate plots of crime and solutions!

i wish i had found one collection of hercule poirot's stories instead, but miss marple is an equally fascinating character. hercule poirot, of course is the grand super-sleuth with the egg-shape head, while miss marple is the seemingly unassuming old spinster, who always manages to solve crime by referring to similar incidents in her quiet little hometown which she acutely observes.

it's been so long since i read agatha christie, so i'm giving this one the time of day first.

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it's not easy to find pratchett's book at the 'sale' or 'buy 3 for the price of 2' section so i grabbed this book just because it has his name on it. i didn't even bother to read the synopsis at the back. even before deciding to buy the books, i kept it tightly in my arms. takut orang lain ambik!

i LOVE terry pratchett's work. i'm no fan of science fiction stories, but terry pratchett is too hillarious to stay away from. sounds corny but when i need cheering up written-word-wise, any of pratchett's work would do the trick. here are some interesting facts about the man.

• sir terry pratchett is an english fantasy, science fiction author
• best known for his popular and long-running 'discworld' series of comic fantasy novels - discworld ni macam our world but with trolls, dwarfs, vampires and werewolves. imagine police force diorang is called 'city watch' and the police comprise of these 'creatures'
  
• there are no chapters in his books, the story just goes on and on
• discworld novels often include a modern innovation and its introduction to the world's medieval setting, such as a public police force (Guards! Guards!), cinema (Moving Pictures), investigative journalism (The Truth), or modern banking (Making Money)
• practhett suka pakai topi koboi kaler hitam
  
• in 2007, pratchett was diagnosed with a very rare form of early-onset alzheimer's disease, in which areas at the back of the brain begin to shrink and shrivel
• pratchett is a trustee for the orangutan foundation UK as one of pratchett's most popular fictional characters, the librarian of the unseen university's library, is an orangutan
• pratchett was knighted in 2008

here is my fav pratchett's quotation, taken from my fav pratchett's book:

There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!

~The Truth

the boys are asleep, and i don't have a reading light. i'm using the tv. i hope i don't need glasses by the time i'm done...