Summer Reads

Hola! I was very occupied throughout the summer and now I only find time for leisure reading while I am in the elevator. Anyhow, here are my summer reads:

Title: George's Secret Key to the Universe

Author: Lucy & Stephen Hawking
ISBN: 978055255958
Get it from BetterWorldBooks
Check it out on my bookshelf.

I seriously love this book! Although the book is for children, Lucy and Stephen Hawking got me engrossed in the world of Physics! I revived my knowledge from school and also learned more about the Universe reading the book. Given the choice, I would choose the series and not read my boring textbooks! I strongly recommend this book for both children and adults. What is wrong with reading children books? I love them.

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Title: Honk! If You're Malaysian

Author: Lydia Teh
ISBN: 9833698123
Check it out on my bookshelf.

I think this locally published book would rarely be found at other places so when I chanced upon it when I returned home this summer, I immediately decided to bring it home, with the hope of letting it tour around the world with BookCrossing when I have finished reading.

Lydia Teh playfully recorded the anecdotes of the regular life as a Malaysian in her many carefully divided chapters. Most of them, if not all, can be identified with a typical Malaysian. Perhaps I find that many of the experiences are all too similar with that of mine, or that I have known them already that I do not find some as exciting.

Overall, I would say this is a good, light read, especially for those who want to know more about how it is to live on the multicultural country.

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Title: The Princess Diaries

Author: Meg Cabot
ISBN: 978-0330482059
Get it from BetterWorldBooks, Hong Kong Public Library (HKPL).
Check it out on my bookshelf.

A quick and fun read giving you insights into the life of an ordinary girl named Mia, and the transformation that she undergoes to become Amelia, the Princess of Genovia!

Experience the teenage life which is full of uncertainties, surprises and anxieties with the obnoxious Mia!

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Title: The Queen Geek Social Club

Author: Laura Preble
ISBN: 978-04252116499
Get it from BetterWorldBooks.
Check it out on my bookshelf.

Admit it if you're a geek. If you're a geek, you'll find yourself loving the book in no time!

Follow the life of Shelby, a smart, witty and pretty geek who, together with her army of geeky friends, try to make a difference in the world. Having read this book, I am proud to say that it is cool to be a geek.

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Title: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton
ISBN: 978-0394588162
Get it from BetterWorldBooks.
Check it out on my bookshelf.

The late Michael Crichton brings you to a world of fascination; a world dominated by dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park'. It has been many, many years ago since I last saw the movie and do not quite remember what happened in it. The book serves as a refreshing read, as I rarely read on Science nor dinosaurs. I liked it, but not very much though.

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Title: Chinese Cinderella

Author: Adeline Yen Mah
ISBN: 978-0385327077
Get it from BetterWorldBooks, Hong Kong Public Library (HKPL).
Check it out on my bookshelf (soon! ~as I have not registered the book and have passed it to a friend).

Mesmerizing, touching, inspirational. I have never cried so much reading a book. Adeline Yen Mah's recollection of her life growing up as an unwanted daughter touched me very deeply. The fact that she is now a successful author and doctor serves as a reminder that no matter what the circumstances one is put in, one can live through them. I loved the story so much that I thought that I will just keep it as a permanent collection, and read it again when I need to find solace and courage to keep me going in life. However, a good book shall not be left to collect dust until the next time I pick it up again and hence, I passed the book to another book lover.

Until I finish reading my next book, hasta luego!

The Reader ('Der Vorleser' in German) by Bernhard Schlink

A very quick read during my short travel trip as the book is available in the hostel where I stayed.

Title: The Reader ('Der Vorleser' in German)
Author: Bernhard Schlink
ISBN: 0679442790
Check it out at Amazon.com.
Check out the movie.

Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley

Read another book! I first watched the movie and then read the book (this is my usual preference for movies that are adapted from novels.) A year 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, Doubt is a good read that shall not be missed.

Title: Doubt: A Parable
Author: John Patrick Shanley
ISBN: 1-55936-276-6
Check out the movie.

I like the last page of the book, by the way.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I have no time to write more about the books that I have read recently but I am writing the information here for keepsake.

Title: Never Let Me Go
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
ISBN: 1-4000-7877-6
Check it out on my bookshelf.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Title: The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
ISBN: 978-1400034772
Get it from Amazon, Hong Kong Public Library (HKPL)
Check it out on my bookshelf.
This is also made into a movie.

This is a fun, quick read. With the witty and funny Mma Ramotswe on the go looking at every nook and corner for information to solve the many cases of her clients. Sometimes she also takes trivial matters into her hands, even though those pay her very little, in order to maintain the her agency. Reading the book, you will find yourself seeing different aspects of life in Botswana and South Africa and you will find that being the only private detective in Botswana is no easy task!

Here comes the trivia:

1. Mma Ramotswe's full name is ________________.

2. Mma Ramotswe agrees to marry ______________.

3. ______________ seeks Mma Ramotswe's help to investigate whether his daughter, Nandira, has a boyfriend.

4. Mma Ramotswe regrets marrying _____________, a jazz musician.

5. In one of her many cases, Mma Ramotswe finds that there are _____________ Dr. Komoti(s) who work alternately at two different places.

6. ______________ accuses Mma Ramotswe of stealing her husband, which is of course, not something Mma Ramotswe will do.

7. Mma Ramotswe's father passed away when she was _____________ years old.

8. ________________ tells Mma Ramotswe that she never have to marry anybody she did not want to marry.

9. Mma Ramotswe was abused by ______________________.

10. Mma Ramotswe's baby daughter died after only ______________ days she was born.



Answers:

1. Precious Ramotswe (p.4)
2. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni (p.235)
3. Mr Paliwalar Patel (p.94)
4. Note Mokoti (p.55)
5. two (p.213)
6. Alice Busang (p.144)
7. thirty four (p.59)
8. Obed, Mma Ramotswe's father (p.54)
9. her husband, Note Mokoti (p.57)
10. five (p.59)

To be read

criminologeek's TBR list



0-9

1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler's Life List
Patricia Schultz

10 Insider Secrets to A Winning Job Search
Todd Bermont

1984
George orwell

33 Things Every Girl Should Know : Stories, Songs, poems, and Smart Talk by 33 Extraordinary Women
Tonya Bolden

90 Minutes in Heaven
Don Piper

A

A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer

A guide to codes and signals: International flag code, secret ciphers, weather signals, morse code,
Gordon A. J Petersen

A Long Way Down
Nick Hornby

A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket

A Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses
Gini Grahm Scott

Advantage Quest Guide: Business Etiquette
Anne Sabath

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
Irene M. Pepperberg

American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis

American Sign Language Dictionary
Martin L. Sternberg

Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Louise Rennison

Annie's Baby: The Diary of Anonymous, a Pregnant Teenager
Anonymous

The Almond: The Sexual Awakening of a Muslim Woman
Nedjma and C. Jane Hunter

The Andromeda Strain
Michael Crichton

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

B

Bad, Badder and Baddest (Bad Girls)
Cynthia Voigt

Basic Course in American Sign Language
Tom Humphries, et al

Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl
Anonymous

Birthday
Koji Suzuki

Bog Child
Siobhan Dowd

Boy in Striped Pyjamas
John Boyle

The Boy Next Door
Meggin Cabot

C

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
Brian Jacques

Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul
Jack Canfield

Choke
Chuck Palahniuk

Crank
Ellen Hopkins

CSI Body of Evidence
Max Allan Collins

CSI Miami
Max Allan Collins

CSI The Files: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to CSI
Paul Simpson

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Serial
Max Allan Collins

CSI#1 Double Dealer
Max Allan Collins

CSI#2 Sin City
Max Allan Collins

CSI#3 Cold Burn
Max Allan Collins

CSI#5 Grave Matters
Max Allan Collins

CSI#6 Binding Ties
Max Allan Collins

Curious Case of Benjamin Button
F. Scott Fitzgerald


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
CS Lewis

The Complete Book of Intelligence Tests
Philip Carter

The Couple's Book
Benrik

The Criminal Mind
Katherine M. Ramsland

D

Dark Ground
Gillian Cross

Daughters or Arabia
Jean Sasson

Diary of an Anorexic Girl
Morgan Menzie

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens
Richard Carlson

Dreams from My Father
Barack Obama


The Day I Swapped My Dad for 2 Goldfish
Neil Gaiman

The Devil Wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger

E

Emily Post Talks with Teens about Manners and Etiquette
Elizabeth L. Post

Esfera
Michael Creighton

F

Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury

Fear Itself
Jonathan Nasaw

Fear Street: All-Night Party
RL Stine

Fear Street: The Stepsister
RL Stine

Fear Street: The Perfect Date
RL Stine

Fear Street: The Rich Girl
RL Stine

Forensic Science of CSI
Katherine M. Ramsland

Forever X
Geraldine McCaughrean

Freedom Writers Diary, The
Erin Gruwell

G

Gold Dust
Geraldine McCaughrean

Golden Grove
Francine Prose

Green River, Running Red
Ann Rule

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson

The Girlfriend
RL Stine

The Girls He Adored
Jonathan Nasaw

The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman


H

Hannibal Rising
Thomas Harris

Heavy Metal and You
Christopher Kroratin

Hope's Boy: A Memoir
Andrew Bridge

How to Talk to Girls
Alec Greven


I
The Iron Man
Ted Hughes

J

K

Killing Britney
Sean Olin


L

Last Lecture, The
Randy Pausch

Let's Play Doctor: The Instant Guide to Walking, Talking, and Probing Like a Real M.D.
Mark Leyner, Billy Md Goldberg

Let the Right One In

Little Children
Tom Perrotta

Loop
Koji Suzuki

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

The Little Book of Scientific Principles, Theories & Things
Surendra Verma

The Lucky One
Nicholas Sparks

M

Magnificent Mind at Any Age: Natural Ways to Unleash Your Brain's Maximum Potential
Daniel G. Md Amen

Magnificent Mind at Any Age: Natural Ways to Unleash Your Brain's Maximum Potential
Daniel G. Md Amen

Mary Mary
James Patterson

Mayada: Daughter of Iraq
Jean Sasson


Maybe Baby
Lani Diane Rich

Mind Maps at Work
Tony Buzan

Molly
Nancy J. Jones

Morse Code: Breaking the Barrier
Dave Finley

Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets
Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
Jill Bolte Taylor



N

Nation
Terry Pratchett

Night Call
Radclyffe

Nights in Rodanthe
Nicholas Sparks

The Nightmare Room: Don't Forget Me
RL Stine

The Nightmare Room: Scare School
RL Stine

The Nightmare Room#10: Full Moon Halloween
RL Stine

The Nightmare Room#12: Visitors
RL Stine



O

Outliers: The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell



P

Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity
Michael Lewis

Princess
Jean Sasson

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance
Jane Austen

The Pact
Jodi Picoult

The Power of a Praying Teen
Stormie Omartian

The Princess Diaries
Meg Cabot

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Terry Ryan


Q

Q&A
Vikas Swarup

Queen Geeks in Love
Laura Preble


R

Rape of Nanking
Chang

Redwall
Brian Jacques

Revenge of the Sarong Party Girl
Jim Aitchison, Theseus Chan

Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki

Rosie Dunne (a.k.a. Where Rainbows End)
Cecelia Ahern

Rotten School: Dudes, The School is Haunted!
RL Stine

Rotten School: Party Poopers
RL Stine

Rotten School: Punk'd and Skunked
RL Stine

Rotten School: Shake, Rattle, & Hurl
RL Stine

Rotten School: The Good, The Bad, and the Very Slimy
RL Stine

Rotten School: The Great Smelling Bee
RL Stine

Rotten School: The Heinie Prize
RL Stine

Rotten School: The Rottenest Angel
RL Stine

Rotten School: The Teacher From Heck
RL Stine

Rotten School:Lose, Team, Lose!
RL Stine

Rotten School:The Big Blueberry Barf-Off
RL Stine

The Ragwitch
Garth Nix

The Redwall Cookbook
Brian Jacques


S

Signing for Dummies
Adan R. Penilla, Angela Lee Taylor

Smack
Melvin Burgess

Snakes and Earrings
Hitomi Kanehara

Spectrum of Chinese Culture
Lee Siow Mong

Spiral
Koji Suzuki

State of Fear
Michael Crichton

Sticky Fingers
Niki Burnham and Rodrigo Corral

Stop the Train
Geraldine McCaughrean

Stories We Could Tell
Tony Parsons

The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd


T (which I have not organized)

Teen Idol
Meg Cabot

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations...One School at a Time
Greg Mortenson

Thinking Smart: You are how you think
isbn 9679789187

This Book Will Change Your Love Life: The indispensablecompanion to any self-respecting relationship
Benrik

Tom's Midnight Garden
Philippa Pearce

Trump: Think Like a Billionaire
Donald Trump


U
The Usborne Internet-Linked Complete Book of the Human Body
isbn 0794506283

V

W
Waltz into Darkness
Cornell Woolrich

Wenny has Wings
Janet Lee Carey

What's Your Poo Telling You?
Anish Sheth and Josh Richman

Why Men Lie and Women Cry
Allan & Barbara Pease

WOW: "A Gift for the Fun Mom" [ISBN 9679789217]

The Wolves in the Walls
Neil Gaiman



Y

You are Brilliant
Mike Francis

The Young Writer's Guide to Getting Published The Young Writer's Guide to Getting Published
Kathy Henderson

You're Wearing That?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation
Deborah Tannen


Z

Zits
Jim Borgman, Jerry Scott

All American Girl by Meg Cabot

Title: All-American Girl
Author: Meg Cabot
ISBN: 0-06-447277-9
Get it from Amazon, Hong Kong Public Library (HKPL)
This book was a surprise gift from Pellu. Check it out on my bookshelf.

I am more than happy to share my first book, which was a surprise gift, with you. Been wanting to read the book for a very long time and now that I have read it, I found that I would have enjoyed it much more if I read it five years back. Falling into the teen+romance genres, this is a quick and fun read for young teenagers. As I have mentioned before, here are ten questions about the book:

1. Who is the main character in "All-American Girl" written by Meg Cabot?
A. Samantha Madison
B. Rebecca Madison
C. Lucy Madison
D. The President of the United States of America

2. Who is Lucy Madison's boyfriend?
A. Jack
B. David
C. John
D. Jeffrey

3. When does Samantha goes for art classes?
A. Mondays and Wednesdays
B. Tuesdays and Thursdays
C. Wednesdays and Fridays
D. Saturdays and Sundays


4. Which language class is Samantha taking?
A. French
B. Italian
C. Spanish
D. German

5. Who is Samantha's best friend?
A. Lucy
B. Rebecca
C. Theresa
D. Catherine


6. The man who tried to assassinate the President of the United States of America was listening to which artiste before he pulled his gun?
A. Gwen Stefani
B. Billy Joel
C. No Doubt
D. Save Ferris

7. David complimented on Samantha's _____________ the first time they met each other.
A. parka
B. boots
C. hair
D. looks


8. What grade did Samantha get for German?
A. C+
B. C
C. C- D. She did not take German.

9. What's the name of Susan Boone's parrot?
A. James
B. Jason
C. Joe
D. Jack

10. Maria Sanchez, whose drawing is Samantha's choice for the UN poster competition is from _____________.
A. San Diego
B. New York
C. Jacksonville
D. San Diego



Answers:
1.A 2.A 3.B 4.D 5.D 6.B 7.B 8.C 9.C 10.A