One is a full-blown book blog. Finally! I’ve been wanting to have this for the longest time.

One is my Japanese playing ground. I may put down notes, books, translations, and random Japanese-y stuff.

I will keep this blog for travel stories and cuisine adventures.

I know I’m having too many blogs to make any of them successful, but I’m thinking about it this way: Each blog is like a different room or spot in a house. One day I may feel like spending time on the window sill near the book shelves, another time in the kitchen with its island bench and high stool. You never know. It’s good for me to have separate corners for separate topics, and most probably, separate group of people.

This book is my first bookring that I got. It had 10 journalers and 26 journals before I got it. A well traveled book :). You can see it here and join the ring if you want. I’m sending this book to the next person in Australia.

Got it from: followdream, US (bookring)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (boy do I became harsher these days..)

“The tale of one motherless daughter’s discovery of what family really means- and of the strange and wondrous places we find love.” ~ The Washington Post (back cover)

It’s a sweet short book. Like strawberry short cake. Like eating fairy floss alone in the middle of beautiful park. There’s just the right balance of sadness and happiness. Sure there were moments a bit too corny for me, but the main character is 14 years old girl, what do you expect ;). I admit though there were many moments too that brought me to the verge of tears. It was both funny and melancholy book I’d say :).

A few elements felt very close to home. Including the “We can’t be together now, but one day, after I’ve gone away and become somebody, I’m gonna find you, and we’ll be together then” promise, complete with dogtag exchanging hands. Seriously, I’m asking you, does this kind of thing happen to everybody? Now I feel that it does happen to all teenagers around the world LOL.

Do you know what’s the key to writing a good fiction? Pick a few key points that can stick on readers’ mind. Anything that’s outlandish, or even ordinary but with a bit of twist. Like from this book, I could easily remember the kneeling on grits, pink house, wailing wall, and the black Madonna (Mary). (You gotta read the book to understand what they are :)

So see, even maybe after I forget about the how the girl found her mother, I would probably still remember the one that had the world’s burden and sadness like it was her own and her wailing wall where she stored all her griefs away.

Memorable Quotes

“Every little thing wants to be loved.” ~ August, pg 92

“The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.” ~ August, pg 147

“It’s something everybody wants- for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters.” ~ Lily, pg 185

“When it’s time to die, go ahead and die, and when it’s time to live, live. Don’t sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid.” ~ May and August, pg 211

“People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It’s that hard.” ~ Lily, pg 277

“In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional.” ~ Lily, pg 278

“[Love] is the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love- but to persist in love.” ~ August, pg 289

“If you need something from somebody, always give that person a way to hand it to you.” ~ August, pg 298

This book is now on a ray. Look at it go! It’ll travel to India and Iran among many! Greece, France, Netherland, and Canada too. What a lucky book! =P

Got it from: Popular Singapore, with voucher from NLB, which I got from a selected book review I submitted to their site
Rating: 4 out of 5

It’s a thriller/mystery book. Not the type I normally would read. But I was just intrigued by the good reviews from Amazon, and the mere fact that it’s authored by, again, Japanese, my recent obsession :). From the front cover, it’s Winner of Japan’s Grand Prix for Crime Fiction and Edgar Award Finalist.

From the back cover:
This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot’s ringleader but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning, as it leads to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society. At once a masterpiece of literary suspense and pitch-black comedy of gender warfare. Out is also a moving evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds, and the friendships that bolster the in the aftermath.

Meh, I’m not sure about that ‘friendship’ in that last sentence. Every action in this book is done out of desperation more than anything, IMO. If I had to summarize it in one word, that’s the central theme of the book. Desperation. All characters are desperate in some ways, to get OUT of their sticky situation. Is that probably where the title comes from?

The gender prejudice and inequality are especially thick in this book. Work especially well with Japan setting and four women as the central characters. (Well, this reminds me of Desperate Housewives out of the blue. But rest assure, it’s nothing like it. Doesn’t mean I don’t like Desperate Housewives :)

Some parts can be too gross to read. I did read every single word with some effort. I thought I couldn’t go on but I could.

It’s totally a page-turner however. I finished the book fairly quickly, finishing the last 2 chapters in 1 night (ie a few hours), because I just had to know what happened next!

Recommended if you’re looking for that engaging book you cannot put down.

Discussion on the book at TheReadingLounge.com

Memorable Quotes

“The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience…” ~ Flannery O’Connor (front page)

“.. fate is what happens to you in spite of all your plans.” ~ Satake, pg 192

I’m running bookrings for this book.
1 copy in Singapore
1 copy goes around the world (currently traveling to Europe)
If you’re in Singapore I will gladly lend you my copy (I can easily send it by mail). If you’re somewhere else, you can join the ring :)

Got this from: Borders Singapore
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

From the back cover:
“Toru Okada’s cat has disappeared and his wife is growing more distant every day. Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has started receiving. As this compelling story unfolds, the tidy suburban realities of Okada’s vague and blameless life are turned inside out, and he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided by a succession of characters, each with a tale to tell.”

In my own words (halfway through the book):
Main character is a guy in suburban Japan, living with his wife, and cat which disappeared at the beginning of the book. At first looking for the cat, he starts to meet all kinds of weird characters with their own quirky stories and personalities. At several parts of the book I found myself like the King in 1001 Arabian Nights when his wife stops telling her story in the middle of exciting part, “Nooo, don’t stop here. Please continue!” Which is exactly what the guy does when all these weird people he meets suddenly decides to stop their tales for whatever reason. Love this book :). I found myself reading like a little kid, all wide-eyed and open-jawed throughout the book.

After I finished the book:
Not exactly sure if I like the second half of the book (I totally love the first half!). The book is a trilogy. The third part gets much weirder. A lot of things are left unanswered at the end, which left me a bit unsatisfied. But my friend said that’s what makes a book great, like what makes a movie art house, that you leave things for the audiences to figure out (I’m not totally convinced though. He’s British =P). Still at the end this is a book I would highly recommend for anyone to read. It’s also one of the 1001 books you must read before you die :).

It’s definitely a page turner and it’s a very thick book. This is the third Murakami’s book that I read. I plan to read ALL of his books (that’ll take me a while. He got about 10 books or so). He’s the second author whose books I want to read all. First was Amy Tan.

Memorable Quotes

“Curiosity can bring guts out of hiding at times, maybe even get them going. But curiosity evaporates. Guts have to go for the long haul. Curiosity’s like an amusing friend you can’t really trust. It turns you on and then it leaves you to make it on your own- with whatever guts you can muster.” ~ pg 65

“When you get used to that kind of life- of never having anything you want- then you stop knowing what it is you want.” ~ pg 72

“The passage of time will usually extract the venom from most things and render them harmless.” ~ pg 79

“You’ve got to spend your money on the things that money can buy, not worry about profit or loss. Save your energy for the things that money can’t buy.” ~ pg 115

“Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.” ~ pg 207

“There is nothing so cruel in this world as the desolation of having nothing to hope for.” ~ pg 346

“Hell has no true bottom.” ~ pg 547

So my list is:

1 book for thereadinglounge.com
Out by Natsuo Kirino done 09/10/07
The Discussion
NLB Book of the Month Nov 2005

1 book from a friend
The Girl Who Married a Lion by Alexander McCall Smith

1 book for Wild/OBCZ release
Lucky by Alice Sebold

1 book from RABCK to ray forward
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

1 book from local OBCZ
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

1 book from Bookcrossing Bookring/ray
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd done 17/10/07

1 book from my cheapo stack
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Plus other books that I may get from bookring/ray and sudden interest in certain book. I really think I could manage this list.

I will post the reviews once I get them done. Go here for reviews from the others.

These days I’ve been spending a huge portion of my time at bookcrossing.com. EVIL! Well, for bookworms like me anyway. Since I joined the community, the books I’ve got surmount more than ever (although I’m talking only about my time in Singapore, not anywhere else. I have heaps of books at my parents’ house in Sydney..) They’re either from Book Ring/Book Ray, book sales, or RABCK.

Just this week alone, I bought 9 books, and that does not include the books coming my way from ring, ray, and RABCK. As if something sets me free (read: nuts)! I guess the community gives me more reasons to buy books, more than anything ;). You can see my To-Be-Read mount. The first 9 books were the ones I bought the past week. I spent a good S$23 for the first 6! *grin* So cheap right? Very very happy lor! I had them yesterday at Times Book Sale @ Expo.

If you’re intrigued about bookcrossing, just drop by to the site and look around. My username is meexia. You can drop me a message. We can organize something together :D. I hope to introduce this to more people who love books as much as I do, especially in Singapore.

More about the terms I threw around just now:

Book Ring. Person #1 has a book to share and posts notice of a book ring in the Book Ring and Ray forum. Interested parties will PM her, and a book ring begins. The book is mailed to Person #2 along with a list of everyone in the ring–without including anyone’s mailing address (for privacy reasons). When Person 2 receives the book, he PM’s Person 3 for his/her address, reads the book as quickly as possible, and mails it off. Two to four weeks has become the standard for keeping a book. My personal suggestion is that if you need it longer than that, you a)let the founder of the ring know, and/or b) send it to the next person, unread, and request that your name be added to the end of the list when you may have more time. Person #3 repeats the cycle. Eventually, the book returns to the original owner.

Book Ray. This works exactly like a book ring except it is never returned to the original owner. Much like a paper ray of sunshine, the book travels forever. When the last person on the ray list finishes the book, they can post it on the wish list forum for more BC readers, or they can release it into the wild.

Book box. Person #1 gathers together a bunch of books, This can be as few as 8 or 10, or as many as 30 or 40 paperbacks. The books can be themed (sci-fi, chick-lit, romance, childrens, etc) or just random books. After posting a message on the Book Ring/Ray forum, s/he gathers a list of interested participants. Box is mailed to Person #2, who takes out a couple of books and puts the same amount back in, then mails it to Person #3. Eventually, the box will make it back to Person #1, who has a lot of new books to read!

Random Act of BookCrossing Kindness — this can take several forms, but the most common is when someone sends you a book without asking for a trade or postage reimbursement. It’s just the act of doing something nice for another BookCrosser.

~ taken straight from bookcrossing faqs

Happy weekend!

So far I’ve read 7-8 of them out of 1001 *grin*. I had about 10 of them on my to-read list before I found this 1001 Books list, added a few more after that. I’d probably random pick some books from the 1900s or 2000s once in a while to add to my list. The older ones scare me off easily.

How about you?

Got this from: Joakim (borrowed)
Rating: 3 out of 5

I can’t get enough of Murakami. I read Norwegian Wood, this, and now continuing with The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

Interesting uncommon topic. About lesbian love. I told that to Joakim, he bought it soon after, finished it in one weekend, then lent it to me :).

Well, that’s about it really. Like Norwegian Wood, you can’t really summarize what’s in the book without giving too much away. In a few words, Norwegian Wood is about someone who loves a girl who has mental illness. Sputnik Sweetheart is about unreachable lesbian love, and the guy who loves this girl. Simple, yet complicated.

I don’t think this book is his best. It’s getting quite draggy at the end and going nowhere. Still, for me it was engaging in many ways. I’m a total sucker for Murakami now, so I’m biased. *rabbit-hopping happily to his next book*

Memorable Quotes

“Don’t pointless things have a place, too, in this far-from-perfect world? Remove everything pointless from an imperfect life and it’d lose even its imperfection” ~ pg 4

“No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.” ~ pg 5

“What’s nurtured slowly grows well.” ~ pg 16

“The world’s crawling with stupid, innocent girls, and I’m just one of them, self-consciously chasing after dreams that’ll never come true.” ~ pg 55

“When did my youth slip away from me? I suddenly thought. It was over, wasn’t it?” ~ pg 86