Lately, I've been reading terrible books after terrible books. It's honestly been keeping my morale low and affecting my spirit in my daily life. I seem to be running low on good books at home. Luckily, I have some friends who are willing to lend me their great books, one whom is my friend Maya. You might remember her from the first part of this haul from last year. Shortly before Ramadan started, I hopped on over to her house to browse through her collection—and return the ones I borrowed last time. Did I mention that Maya has one of the best personal libraries I've been lucky enough to sort through? Her taste for fiction and nonfiction often overlap with mine, making me go heart-eyed over her books. Well, these are what I came away with.
84, Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff
This one is a personal recommendation by Maya herself. I've never heard of this book before, but it's pretty small with a cute cover, so I was intrigued. Even more so, when Maya told me what it contains. It is basically a series of letter correspondences between a woman who lives in the U.S. and a bookstore in London, in search of rare editions of books she couldn't find in her city. This was way back in the 40s, long before the internet was invented, so it was pretty understandable why this woman felt the need to write to a bookstore all the way in another continent. Apparently, this back-and-forth sparks a friendship between her and the bookseller. Seems like such a quaint little read, for a breath of fresh air amidst other heavier topics.
Indonesia Etc.
by Elizabeth Pisani
I've seen this book in numerous bookstores for years. Every time I spot it, I can't help but to want to flip through it. Unfortunately, I was never able to purchase it. Not only do the cover and back-of-the-book synopsis intrigue me, but I've heard plenty of people speak highly of this book. It seems to really break down the little intricacies of the improbable nation that is Indonesia. Being written by a foreigner, it could really give a cognitive observation of what makes this country—not clouded by any misguided patriotic notions. Elizabeth Pisani herself has, apparently, explored much of Indonesia to really learn about it. I'm so excited to read this one!
Maya also recommended me this book. Truth be told, I'm still not 100% sure what it contains, but the author apparently also wrote The Big Short. I loved that movie, despite the fact that I understood probably only 10-20% of the whole thing—something Maya and I bonded over lol. Maya vouched that this book was well-written with a personality. I'm trying not to read the synopsis online, for fear it would ruin my experience of the book—in other words, keeping myself entirely in the dark. Can't wait to find out what this book is exactly about.
Talking to my Daughter about the Economy
When my friend Maya bought this book and posted it on her Instagram story, I was quickly attracted to it. I've been meaning to really understand finances and the economy myself—and, funnily enough, Maya is the one person I often discuss finances with. When Maya bought this book, it seems perfect (and obvious) that I would have to borrow it when she's done reading it. The title is very interesting, because I feel like most parents don't teach their daughters about the economy—their sons perhaps, but rarely their daughters. The rest of the title actually goes, "or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails," which is something I've been wondering about for decades. As soon as I saw this book on Maya's story, I quickly tagged it to borrow once she's done. And now, here it is.
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My "why are you disturbing my reading?" face |
Diana
When I was little, the image of Lady Di has always felt rather ethereal for me. Everyone seems to love her and she seems to have that fairy-tale life of royalty. The news of her death reverberated with shock and agony, even all the way out here in the tropics. I didn't understand it before—why does it seem to be such a mysterious and heartbreaking incident?—but as I get older I found out that her life wasn't exactly perfect. In fact, that air of fairy-tale life is pretty much smokes and mirrors. Recently, I watched the documentary of her life—most likely based on this book—on National Geographic. It opened my eyes to how miserable she actually was. Now, I'm eager to find out more about her life from this book. Oh, Lady Di, such a tragic figure.
Option B
by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam M. Grant
This is one of those books I've often seen stuck to the showcased section of bookstores. Everyone knows this book and seems to want to read it. Personally, I was never interested myself. To me, at first, this must be just one of those self-help books again on how to become a successful person yadda yadda yadda. However, when Maya explained to me what the book is really about, my interest was piqued—especially knowing the author's history beforehand. You see, Sheryl Sandberg wrote another book before that talks about how to become a successful woman. However, she was criticised for being too specifically targeted for women with partners—what about the single parents and ladies? Until her supportive husband died and she wrote this one. Interesting, no?
Okay, the number one most anticipated read from this pile goes to...this big, illustrated beauty. I've been meaning to grab one for myself for years now. It comprises 100 stories of amazing women of the world. It is meant to let young girls—and boys—know that being a woman shouldn't stop you from dreaming big and making great contributions for this world. Not only is it very visually pleasing and contains a tremendously empowering message, it also includes one of my favourite Indonesian illustrators, Kathrin Honesta. To have one of our own illustrators included in such a globally empowering book is truly an amazing feat. Aside from her, I'm afraid I don't really know any of the other illustrators, but any excuse to find out about great illustrators is always welcome in my book.
Wicked & Son of a Witch
by Gregory Maguire
Another one of my most excited reads from this pile. I've been rather obsessed with Wicked for the greater part of the last decade. Never seen the play myself, but I've been playing "Defying Gravity" on repeat on occasions. The premise really intrigues me—and the original cast makes me swoon. Unfortunately, I haven't been lucky enough to make a trip to New York and see the original broadway production—and, as far as I know, it's one of the few broadway shows that never made a tour to other continents. Wicked has been on my TBR list for ages and I can't believe now I get to read it combined with its sequel in this leather-bound goodness. It sure is big and rather heavy, but so beautifully designed. So excited to tear into this one—not literally, Maya, I promise!
If you're reading this realtime, you can probably see on the right sidebar that I'm already diving into a couple of the books on this list. It just so happens to be perfect, that when I wrote this post, I recently finished a book—which, FYI, is The Google Story. After a rather heavy read—for me, anyway, a non-technologist and/or business savvy—I thought it would be nice to start off with some light reads. I love borrowing books from friends, in case you can't tell already. Not only does it save tons of money, I also often get book recommendations that I never would have even looked at. It widens my bookish horizon and allow me to learn about new topics. Have you read any of these books before—or planning to? What do you think of them? Let me know!
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