Reborn bookworm

I've always been a bookworm. I was weaned on Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Carolyn Keene's (spelt correctly?)Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes and illustrated classics such as Little Women and The Count of Monte Cristo. I remember going to Popular bookstore as a 6 year old to buy my beloved Enid Blyton books that had wonderful stories which let my imagination soar. Teenage years' reading moved on to Sweet Valley (I'm ashamed), The Babysitter's Club, fantasy books for a short while and many recommended literature texts outside my syllabus such as The Silver Sword and To Kill a Mockingbird. I also had the privilege of reading many Christian books, such as "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" series, lovingly given to me by Cheh for birthdays and other special occasions.

As a child / pre-teen, I would read all day, even in the toilet, in the garden and at night in my room under the blanket with a torchlight. My mum always scolded me for reading so obsessively. My favourite haunt was the 2nd floor of Marine Parade Library, which had glass panelling and large black leather chairs and couches. I met like-minded book lovers in Secondary 1 and 2- dearest Hazel, whom I still remember said without hesitation, that her hobbies were "reading, reading, reading". But when I went into Secondary 3 & 4, I stopped reading fiction entirely. Firstly, there was simply not enough time. Schoolwork was alot heavier than lower secondary days and there was the introduction of incomprehensible Physics which tortured me to no end. I failed every test except the MCQ one. :( Secondly, the group of so-called friends I hung out with weren't inclined to reading or study at all; their attentions more focused on other more frivolous stuff. As such, I too got distracted by all sorts of stupid things. Thirdly, I had my first relationship which was a complete mess, leaving me a wreck. It is probably no surprise that I didnt do as well as expected for my O'Levels although I'd always been a top student. By God's grace however, I still managed to get into VJC. :) Fourthly, I was told that reading fiction was useless. Better to read current affairs or non-fiction, at least you'll learn something useful! Which at the time, I thought was true to a large extent. With that, my reading fiction was extinguished completely. On hindsight, so was my love for art and craft.

I finally rekindled my love of reading recently, thanks to Oxfam Books & Music, which has a shop in the small neighbourhood I live in. Over the past few months, I've bought about 10 books and given back 2. The best thing is that they stock all the bestsellers, albeit 2nd hand, at great prices ranging from 1.50 - 3.50 GBP. I'm sooo happy it's my favourite shop in Beeston after Sainsbury's.

So far, I've read, in descending order:

1. The Pianist
(Unforgettable, moving autobiography about the Holocaust set in Warsaw's Jewish ghetto . It portrays human nature at its most raw. I like the inclusion of diary extracts belonging to the Pianist's German saviour- a rare insight to his motivations and beliefs, which helps to explain his extraordinary acts of bravery and kindness. Watch the movie too!)

2. Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
(One of my fave authors! A powerful, haunting book about love, alienation, meaning, war and the supernatural. Widely regarded to be Murakami's masterpiece. I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a night and the next morning. Reading this and The Pianist has partly contributed to my melancholy mood.)

3. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
(A Ukrainian tart marries a 80+ year old Ukrainian man living in Peterborough, whose daughters are up in arms against the marriage. Most enjoyable. Very witty and funny!!)

4. The Time Traveler's Wife
(Wasn't worth the hype; I didn't really like it. Too much dialogue. The ending was touching though)

5. Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
(Well-crafted, evocative writing. Very sad though. A constant theme in his works is the alienation and loneliness of living in an urban society)

Other unread/or half-read books on my shelf include:

6. Life of Pi

7. Fasting, Feasting

8. The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

9. On Chesil Beach

10. God's Lavish Grace

11. Glory Days