Review: The Red Bicycle by Dave Anthony

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction

Edition : Paperback, Published 2016 by Gerakbudaya

Pages : 393 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 4.33 ☆

My Ratings : 4.4 ☆

This book caught my eyes when I was browsing books in a bookstore, particularly it is about Communist Party - the story is told from the party's perspective, which is rare for me.

The story is mainly about treachery and betrayal, spy and double, triple I'd say. Set in Malaya, WWII when the Japanese army invaded Southeast Asia, before Malaya gets its independency.

I like the narrative style, but it is too predictable I can guess who is the traitor within the first 5 chapter. I need to mention that this book is slow paced not until the first 3 or 4 chapter of Part Two, when the revelation of the traitor. That part for me is exciting. 

I love the element of romance, trans-racial relationship captured so well, in the midst of war time. Love and war, is all fair. It is like giving the 'live' of the party and the book itself.

I love the historical facts included. Not too much yet sufficient enough to make the readers understand and not too bore or lost in the story. It helps adding up my historical knowledge (I forgot some of the facts and the abbreviations!!). Weaves of historical facts and fiction so well.

It's a good reading. Rated 4.0 stars. Recommended for those who are into historical fiction and slow-paced story.

Review: Langit Petang oleh A. Samad Said

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera!

Genre : Fiksyen, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Edition : Paperback, Published February 2016 by Lejen Press

Pages : 182 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 3.93 ☆

My Ratings : 4.6 ☆

Kecewa dengan penerbitan Lejen Press ini. Banyak kesalahan ejaan dan ada juga barisan ayat yang berulang.

5 bintang untuk penulisan ini. Saya memang suka penulisan klasik dengan bahasa yang indah-indah, kosa kata yang banyak. Belum cerita gaya penulisan lagi, memang layak bintang penuh!

Sarat dengan falsafah. Bila ditenung kembali sememangnya berat untuk dihadamkan falsafah-falsafah tersebut. Saya seperti berharap cerita ini mengenai Ariff sepenuhnya namun, sesuai dengan penceritaan cerita, Hafiz menjadi tonggak utama. Saya mahu lebih tentang Hafiz dan saya mahu lebih lagi tentang Ariff. Zakiah pula bagi saya sempurna wataknya. Mangsa feminisme. Berjuang dengan cara yang salah. 

Novel realism yang berkisar tentang pilihan hidup, pendirian diri dan falsafah. Berat tapi ringan.

Review: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Historical Fiction, War, WWII

Edition : Paperback, Published January 15th 2015 by Fourth Estate

Pages : 531 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 4.31 ☆

My Ratings : 4.7 ☆

Hauntingly beautiful. Soaking myself with the words and details. I hope the pages never end. ATLWCS reminds me of The Book Thief.

I love how the story is told. Parallels stories, alternating between the blind girl and the orphan boy. The pacing is a bit off but it suits. Unhurried. It suits the style and the story itself. In fact, I was comfortable with the pacing, which I usually don't in most slow-paced book. Sweet and smoothly flowed.

I was 'waiting' when will the main characters finally meet. It was short and sad, but meaningful. I need to say it again that I am very much in love with details and the language. All the feelings, touches, senses etc are very well defined and expressed. I love the connection between the characters especially between Marie and her father and Marie and Madame Manec.

I highly recommend this book. It's so good I will some time reread it in the future.

Review : The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction

Edition : Mass Market Paperback

Pages : 512 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 4.32 ☆

My Ratings : 4.5 ☆

Everyone joins a band in life
And I'm in the one that wish Frankie Presto is (was?) real.

Breathless. I couldn't put down the book despite I'm in my plegde to read slower. Narrated by Music, at first I feel weird but throughout the story, it make sense somehow. Beautifully put. Amazing twist. I almost fell of my bed thinking how come the hairless dog can travelled that far. When Aurora died, I could almost feel what Frankie feels. But the 6 magic strings, I expected it all along that it was Frankie's heart, his kindness that make then turned blue. Kindness that what it is.

Magic. Who doesn't like it?

Thank you, my favourite author.

Review - Nobody's Secret by Michaela MacColl

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction, YA

Edition : Paperback, Chronical Books

Pages : 241 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 3.61 ☆

My Ratings : 3.7 ☆

A wonderful murder story. Captured me right away! Emily Elizabeth Dickinson meets a handsome young man, known as Mr. Nobody and enjoys her flirtartion with him until a tragedy happened to the young man. Emily is determines to investigate the murder herself despite her chores her mother, Mrs. Dickinson instructed to do. Along with her younger sister, Vinnie, Emily discover shocking information and unexpected murder suspects.

This story reminds me of Nancy Drew adventures. I love Emily character. I love how she jots down her clues in a small notebook. I love how stubborn she is to continue her private investigation of Mr. Nobody's murder. The suspense is there and progressing well throughout the story. I just love the storyline. Simple yet intriguing. Good mystery build-up.

Review - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction, YA

Edition : Paperback, Anniversary Edition by Alfred A. Knopf

Pages : 552 pages 

Goodreads Ratings : 4.36 ★

My Ratings : 4.4 ★

Holocaust. Set in Germany during World War II. Narrated by Death on a story of a girl, Liesel Meminger who comes of age in a war time. Being an orphan and taken by a relatively poor germans family, the Hubermanns. Hans, Liesel's foster father teaches her to write and read. Rosa who does laundry for the rich, swears a lot but really have a good heart. Conflict begins when the Hubermanns needs to hide a Jew, Max who is the son of Han's friend from WWI.

I love how the story is narrated by Death. It took me awhile to figure who is the narrator. Smack my head once I found out. Hans is absolutely my favourite character, followed by Rudy, Liesel's companion. There are a few moments in the story which broke my heart included the The Standover Man. The bombing of Himmel Streets. Damn, it broke my heart good.

I usually not fond of slow-paced book but there are something about this book that keeps me reading. Haunted.The story and how it was written. Poetic. There are so many quotes in this book that i love so much. Especially from Death, mesmerized me how every details can be described so well. The part where giving the reader a bit of the ending at the beginning. It messed up my emotions, in a good way. And it made me shed tears.

No. It's not a happy ending story. But I promise, it's a good read.

Review - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Edition : Paperback, International Edition by Riverhead Books 

Pages : 401 pages 

Goodreads Ratings : 4.25 ★

My Ratings : 5.0 ★

"For you, a thousand times over!"

I am really mad at myself because I'm talking too long to read this good book. It broke my heart so many times.The Kite Runner is about friendship, betrayal, war, family relationship, decision making. Those are strongly portrayed in this book. It is a very beautiful story. 

With strong opening, each characters background is very well described, Amir was fantastically developed throughout the story. Set in Afghanistan, the readers is welcomed with the inseparable friendship between Amir and Hassan. Though at some point, I hate Amir because of what he did to Hassan, (a Hazara, a friend and eventually Amir's half brother), which bring himself almost a lifetime guilt. Beauty. The phrases and words combined, as smooth as melted chocolate!

I love for its highs and lows and everything in between. Amir and his father, Baba migration to America, live quite a good life while in Afghanistan is chaos with Taliban. Fifteen twenty years past, married to Soraya and the demise of Baba. News from Rahim Khan and fly to Pakistan only to know Hassan was killed. Leaving Amir with another decision in to make. I'm glad it is great in the end. 

Some of powerful quotes in the book:

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors." 

"And the beggars were mostly children now, thin and grim-faced, some no older than five or six. They sat in the laps of their burque-clad mothers alongside gutters at busy street corners… Hardly any of them sat with an adult male - the war had made fathers a rare commodity in Afghanistan."

"I'm so afraid…. Because I'm so profoundly happy, Dr Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening. They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you."

I feel love, I feel hatred and horror, I feel love and hate and angry and i feel a lot more of love. I cried. I cried a lot for Hassan, The Kite Runner.

Review - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Historical Fiction, Classic

Edition : Paperback, 50th Anniversary Edition

Pages : 309 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 4.25 ☆

My Ratings : 4.3 ☆

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” 

This story is sets in the 1930s and cover a span of three years. It revolves around a small family of three and a black housekeeper in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama. Narrated by the character, Scout Finch who lives with her brother Jem and her father Atticus. Both siblings having trouble and instinctively understand Maycomb town and its people. Their curiosity grows as more adult mysteries become apparent to them. Boo (Arthur) Radley who never comes out from his out, yelling Mrs Dubose, weirdness of the Cunningham family, etc.

The siblings then discovery that their father is to represent a black man, Tom Robinson on the charge of raping and beating of a white woman, Mayella Ewells. Jem and Scout and their summer friend, Dill, soon get to attend the trial and bewildered by the jury's decision on the convict. Shortly after the trial, Tom had been killed in an escape attempt. Followed by few more incidents afterwards, the attack on the children and the Boo Radley appearance.

“First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” 

I'm loving the characters especially Atticus Finch who thinks all men are equal and should be treated equally. It is how he teaches his children of his view on people. He advise his children not to use racial slurs, a character that everyone who look up to. The first part of the book is full of humour and the daily routine of the children, school, playing, following their curiosity. Part two is more serious as we come to the part where the trial ongoing. I love how "wise" Atticus Finch word/dialogue in this story and the choice of word is so perfect and enthralling. I highly recommend this book to those who like classic and historical fiction.

Reading this book it's like watching  an old movie. Now, I'm going to search for the movie to watch. Toodles!