Inside The Kingdom - Carmen bin Ladin

This is a pretty fast read. 

With only 219 pages, you can easily finish it a 3 hour flight. 

Carmen Bin Ladin were married to the infamous Osama Bin Laden's brother. Do not expect insider secrets of the Taliban though as you won't be getting any of those. 

Coming from a half Swiss half Persian parentage, Carmen was brought up with values of freedom and free will. However, it all changed when she followed her husband back to his hometown, Saudi Arabia. 

The Bin Laden family's ranking were right on top of the pyramid, almost on par with the royal family. This however, did not give Carmen any upper hand because she's a woman and a foreigner. 

I was horrified upon reading on what life is like in Saudi Arabia. But then again, the stories were dated way back in the 70s and 80s. In her own house, Carmen was not allowed to instruct her house decorators on how she wanted to arrange the furniture as they refused to take orders from women. Women, during those days, were also not allowed to drive, shop at malls or walk around with full abaya and only a black netted veil to see through. 

After reading Inside The Kingdom, i finally got why the Western society thinks that Islam is an oppressed religion. It is sad though, that they might never find out that a real Muslim society are not a bunch of extremists and terrorists. 

I do feel that Carmen gave a few vibes that might give readers the wrong idea about Islam. But to be fair, i understand that her stories are just tales of her journey and (lack of) endevours. It is just one person's view and perception. But at the same time, we all know that a lot of people might generalize all Muslims like the ones that they read about in this book. 

Just as the story of life in Turkey shocked me, the rigidness of the Arabs also caught me off guard. All this while, I've known how religious they are, but I never knew that it has reached a level that is out of my comprehension. 

Inside The Kingdom is a light piece of non-fiction with simple sentences and yet is laden with life stories. I believe we can all learn a thing or two on how to be better human beings through this book. 

Have fun reading!

:)

The Prodigal Daughter - Jeffrey Archer

The fact that Jeffrey Archer is an amusing story-teller is not news. 

Even if you have no idea what his book is about, you can be assured that it will be good, simply because the author is Archer. 

This particular book, The Prodigal Daughter is a sequel of 'Kane and Abel' (which i have personally never read, but am planning to get to as soon as i'm done with the rest of my bookshelf). 

But fret not, it is nothing like watching those Hollywood movies where you'll be lost should you decide to watch a movie's sequel without first watching the prequel (am i making any sense here?).

The book basically revolves around Florentyna Rosnovski, a child genius who grows up to be a rather spectacular woman (have you ever heard of a child genius who goes to waste?).

I've never really been a big fan of politics, so it amazes me a little when little Florentyna showed a huge interest in it from a really really young age. She delves into it and gives the readers little politics 'fun facts', that, surprisingly, did not put me to sleep. 

The book revolves around her struggle to be the first woman who becomes President of United States of America. The struggle becomes harder considering that her father is a Polish immigrant and as you already know, it is never easy for an immigrant to make it big.

A disclaimer : It wouldn't be unfair if i were to categorize the book under 'girl power' because that's the feeling that i got when i was reading it. It gives out a vibe of woman empowerment and the things that you can do when you really put your mind to it. 

At 464 pages, the book seemed even lengthier than it actually was. But in a good kind of way, i should say. 

I have to warn you though, it doesnt really have a prominent climax and the rise and fall of plots are not so clear as well. I would even consider calling it 'mellow'. But even though i do not really like books with a mellow plot, it does make it sort of a nice change, being able to wallow in a serious story without giving yourself goosebumps.

It's a light read, perfect for a long flight or for lounging about at the beach. It has the strength of a good thriller, yet it is as breezy as reading a chic-lit. 

I understand that this being a review, i should probably include some kind of synopsis. But i'm afraid that if i were to start writing, i wouldn't know where to stop. and being a person who hates knowing the end of the story, i wouldn't want to inflict my 'party pooper' behaviour on any of you guys. 

We should just keep you guessing, shouldn't we? *winks*

High Society - Ben Elton

Just like the rest of Elton's work, High Society is both ingenious and provocative.

But for some reason, he toned down on the sarcasm in this piece of work. He made up for it with thought-provoking questions though, and that, for me, is more than enough.

High Society talks about drug problems, but the manner in which the issue was pursued is atypical.

A Member of the Parliament, Peter Paget was one of the only few people in London who were not in denial of the ever-worsening drug abuse by the society as well as all the crime induced by the evil substance.

His solution to all this? Legalize all drugs. Not just decriminalizing dope but making everything from ecstasy to heroin completely legal and can be bought over the counter at pharmacies and drug store.

His logic was that people are gonna use and abuse drug anyway. And since the drug habit was already impossible to curb, why continue giving power to the underground druglords?

Billions of tax money can be given back to the government if only the legalization came through. And besides, drug based crimes will be banished for once and for all. Who needs to break into people's homes to get the money to buy overpriced drugs from their dealers when they can pay for it at a cheaper price in the stores?

It's a good read, really it is.

I'm not entirely happy with the ending because i was hoping for the ending that it would be happy and predictable. But no such luck! Well, with Elton, you dont get that kind of luxury! Haha.

It's like his purpose in life is to leave people with something to think, making the book sort of never-ending (well, until you finally move on to think about something else, that is)

All in all, i say it's a pretty awesome read. Try it! :)

The Final Reckoning - Sam Bourne

As you can clearly see on the cover page, it has been quoted that Sam Bourne is the biggest challenger to Dan Brown's crown. I totally agree.

Having personally read all of the work done by both authors, i can safely say that this piece of work has been as well researched if not better than any of Dan Brown's books.

The 'adventure' revolved mainly around the United Nations headquarters. It then evolves to story back in time, the time of the Holocaust. For you not in the know, the Holocaust was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Jews engineered by the Nazis. 

What sets this book apart from any historical account of The Holocaust is the fact that it is very personal, and thus, well, less boring. Instead of droning on and on about facts and numbers that i would barely register (as it would've reminded me of the history lessons in school), the tale was written in the point of view of a guy who played a big part in a Jewish Resistance group.

This group, known as DIN, fought their battle to make it known to the Germans that the Jewish fill seek for vengeance. Anyway, i dont want to go on and on about it and spoil the surprise. No one likes a party pooper. 

Bourne got me hooked on the book faster than i could say 'Hitler'. I've never known any details about Holocaust and the horrors that the Jews mustve faced. From what i've read, Hitler's quote "I couldve killed all the Jews of the world, but i kept some to show the world why i killed them" does not in any way justify the awful massacre that happened at the time.

Sam Bourne actually got me Googling and Wiki-ing pages and pages on the Holocaust, Hitler, and even on Rwandan Genocide. This is a book worth picking up. It has all the ingredients needed to cook up a good book : an awesome twist, romance, adventure, suspense, factual background. perfect.

Give it a try. If you're done with all five of Dan Brown's books and can't wait for his new book to come out, give Sam Bourne a chance. you might be surprised.

:)

The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook has been adapted into one of the most legendary romance stories of all time.

That is why, upon finding a battered and well read copy of this book (i prefer pre-loved copies rather than store-bought ones for books that i intend to read over and over again as it has a sense of history to it), I literally squealed in delight.

My paperback copy was thin enough to be devoured within a two hour drive during a recent roadtrip. 

The concept of it is pretty similar to what you see on the screen. However, it is very disappointing as it did not deliver and rates way lower that what i initially expected.

I am an avid believer that movies do not do justice to the book it is taken from. But in this case, i'm forced to raise a white flag and say that this book brings disgrace to the movie. 

To be honest, the book on its own is pretty okay even though it reminds me a tad bit of those chic-lit books i used to read back in high school. 

The thing is, the best parts that made the movie an epic, surprisingly could not be found in the book! Like, the scene at the funfair and the first night they slept together as well as their last fight. 

In the book itself, everything was pretty straight forward. Boy meets girl, they fell in love, they have tiny complication but lives happily ever after anyway. Bleurgh.

I've never liked Sparks' books all that much all this while (i think A Walk To Remember is damned obvious and blunt), but after finally reading The Notebook (about time, too, considering i've seen the movie about a million times) i've decided not to read any of Sparks' books unless somebody threatens to batter my head with a hardcover version of it. 

With that, i can safely tell you to save your time and money and not to bother reading this piece of junk. Watch Ryan Goslin and Rachel McAdams on screen instead. :)

Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk is one of few writers who never fails to blow my mind with his ingenious method of storytelling. This book proved to be yet another mindblowing piece.

A bunch of wannabe writers checked into a writer's retreat, hoping that the isolation will help them produce bestselling books along with newfound fame and fortune. 

Fooling themselves, they tried to imitate a condition of the famous literary gathering on the shores of Lake Geneva where a bunch of writers wrote ghost stories as a form of entertainment. This gathering produced the legendary Dracula and Frankenstein.

During their time at the retreat, each of them uncovered the story of their lives. Haunted is a compilation of 23 stories that personally made me ask myself how a guy can have such a wild and outrageously brilliant imagination.

From the story of a guy whose amsturbation adventures went awfully haywire, to a reflexologist who uses her skill to induce orgasm and to assasinate merely by rubbing feets, to a cook who murders food critics and then blackmails the knife company who produces the knife that he uses as murder weapon, this book is compacted with the most absurd stories that will raise the hair behind your neck.

Palahniuk is a truly intelligent being. Each and every sentence that he writes is a definite form of indulgence. I would put Haunted on a must-read list, if i were you. His stories are amusing even if you read it over and over again.

The Firm - John Grisham

Just like the rest of money lovers, i was immediately hooked on the first few chapters of the book. Grisham profusely wrote about outrageous sums of money that i simply couldnt tear my eyes away from the paperback.

Grisham went in depths about a young hotshot law graduate being sought after by plenty of corporations including a humble (yet very generous) law firm. 

The firm offers Mitch incredible incentives that made me fantasize about being in his shoes for a short moment. Ah, I secretly think that i'll make one helluva lawyer rather than an engineer anyway. 

It wasnt until a few chapters ahead that everything takes the form of a thriller. The firm soon emphasizes on the importance of trivial things like keeping Mitch's marriage happy and for him to start trying to make babies.

As i turned the pages, the issues and conflicts become more severe. It is an okay read, really. Sort of like a fiction version of a cross between The Godfather and The Apprentice.

Though, i've gotta sat, there arent much of a climax element. The scene got more dangerous, yes, but it never got to a point where i literally held my breath, curious to know what's going to happen next.

To be honest, i dont quite see what the whole fuss with John Grisham is all about. So yeah, the guy knows his law jargons and he's got a pretty decent imagination but that's just it! It's decent but not enough to make me salivate all over the cover of his book.

But oh well! It's not like i've got better things to do other than read the few random books these days.

My conclusion? It's a good bedtime story but it'll never come near to being a genius literary piece!

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Judging this book totally by its cover, 

it progressed on to be something beyond my imagination.

What started off as a narrative of a girl in a warped, institutionalized-like boarding school where art was the utmost importance, grew into something much more substantial and out-of-the-world.

Throughout the early part of the book, i kept questioning why art seemed to be the priority in this school known as Hailsham and why subjects like Math and Science were never brought up once. Something else also piqued my curiosity, the fact that Hailsham was very particular about the health of its students. And by particular, i mean, completely and obscenely particular.

It soon became clear, that the reason was because Hailsham was a school that sheltered clones. These clones were meant to grow up and donate their organs for the benefit of humans. 

It took me a while to get the insinuation that they were putting forward, because the characters were shaped with emotions and thoughts and curiosity, something that doesnt go hand-in-hand with our traditional impression of clones.

I wouldnt want to spoil the ending for you (even though this book was not particularly written for its climax or its shocking ending), but I have to tell you that towards its last pages, it made me realize how selfish human beings really are.

Of course, our selfishness is a known fact. But reading this book that is supposedly written from the perspective of a clone, it made me see that us being selfish might have originated from fear. Or possibly from wanting too much of everything.

'Never Let Me Go' was separated into three parts. The first revolved around Hailsham itself and how the main character observed other students as well as the behaviour of the guardians in the school. The second part was when they entered adulthood and went out into the real world before they went on to become donors. The last part focuses mainly on experiences of these clones as they donate their organs compliantly and how their lives progress from then on.

For me, it wasnt really a brilliant masterpiece, though it did provide me more than a few things to ponder on. Try it out! You might discover something new about yourself from this piece of literature. :)

p/s : this book was shortlisted for THE Man BOOKER PRIZE 2005

Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel

I started reading this book in the middle of my examination week,

you know, as a getaway from my studying dilemma.

Wrong move.

This book is a memoir, so it lacks the whole uprise-climax-shocking ending graph that are usually seen in fiction works.

Wurtzel basically delves into her depression, all book long.

It is informative as a reference if you are writing a paper on clinical depression and frequently used anti-depressants, but other than that, i think it just makes you more depressed.

She talks about her feelings and how knowing the source of her depression didn't help her find a solution. And that the depression simply gets worse with time. She even felt like turning to suicide just so people will understand how bad her depression is. A cry for help, she said.

I am generally a happy person.

But somehow, each time i close the book, i end up feeling agitated.

I dont know if it's Wurtzel's constant reference of Sylvia Plath and Bruce Springsteen that kept me going, or perhaps it is because i was hoping she would snap out of her depression and ditch her Lithium Prozac Xanax and give me a happy ending i deserve.

Anyway, i finished the book.

And i didnt feel any better.

If anything, it just made me scared to try and read More, Now, Again (also by Wurtzel) because it is also a memoir and the synopsis pretty much told me that it is another Prozac Nation, with a simple alteration of characters and geographical location.

I guess the book will be collecting dust on my bookshelf.

Cuz i sure as hell wont be reading that anytime soon.

But to be fair, it did make me feel so much more grateful for being free from depression. :)

p/s : i also have a personal vendetta against Ms. Wurtzel because she said this :

...with all the troubles in the world, with the terrible things that the Chinese do in Tibet, and do to their own citizens; with the horrors of genocide committed in Darfur by Sudanese Muslims; with all the bad things that Arab governments in the Middle East visit upon their own people — no need for Israel to have a perfectly horrible time — still, the focus is on what the Jews may or may not be doing wrong in Gaza. And it makes people angry and vehement as nothing else does. The vitriol it inspires is downright weird