Wjhat's in Your Reading Corner?

Krissy tagged me with this blog challenge a few days back. The reason she tagged me - "because she's from a different culture than I am and I'm sure will have interesting answers." Talk about pressure!!! I’ve finally found the time to write down my answers. Krissy, I hope I don’t disappoint you.

1) Total number of books I've owned: Since I was born? Or what I’ve bought with my own money? Either way, I have waaaaaaaay too many. Hundreds, I would guess. To give you an impression of how many books I have, they’re all scattered in three different houses; mine, my mom’s and my mom’s rented apartment. THAT’S how many books I have. I’m obsessed with buying books. Since I became a mom, I’ve slowed down a bit. Every time I pick up a new book and look at the price, I always find myself thinking “OK, this can buy me either a whole bundle of diapers or a large can of formula.” Nowadays, I rent books. It’s cheaper but sometimes I end up keeping the books coz it’s too much of a hassle to go to the book store to return them. It’s a vicious endless cycle.

2) The last book I bought: Do children’s books count? I recently bought several Islamic children’s book from my colleague who had a friend who was a dealer for the online store, www.ummikusayang.com. I brought a few books from the Hilmy the Hippo collection (Hilmy the Hippo Learns Not to Lie, Hilmy the Hippo Learns About Vanity, Hilmy the Hippo Becomes a Hero), which Dania just loves.

3) The last book I read: Believe it or not, it was Working@Home – A Guidebook for Working Moms and Homemakers. You can check it out here . I bought this book coz (and I’ve said this many times), I intend to open up my own business in 5 years. The book is pretty interesting (I’ve only read it halfway through) and it gives you a detailed outline of what you really need if you’re seriously thinking of starting a business from home.

Yeah, I’m boring like that. Sigh.

4) 5 books that mean a lot to me: This is a tricky question. Would books I’ve read over and over again fall into this category? Coz if so, then Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire would be one of them. Yes, I AM A HARRY POTTER FAN!! There. I’ve said it out loud. Deal with it.

Another book I love would be “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day”, by Pearl Cleage. The book deals with pretty heavy themes; HIV, crack addiction, child abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide, domestic violence that one may question why is this book so enjoyable. The main character, Ava Johnson, is a African American women who suddenly finds herself HIV positive. Instead of breaking down, she sells her salon in Atlanta (I love it when they call it “The Black Mecca”) and heads back home to stay with her sister. There she faces even more challenges, but with the help and support of her family and friends, she finds hope...and love. The way the book is written is sort of like a diary that you can’t help but feel everything that Ava feels. When she temporary loses custody of a crack addicted baby her sister and she have been raising, you can’t help but cry. The characters in the book are not very happy but you can feel that they want to be. All in all, a very entertaining book that deals with real life issues in a very thought-provoking way.

A Time To Kill by John Grisham. I love lawyer themed books, especially John Grisham’s. This one is one of my favorites. The beginning of the story starts out gruesomely enough; a 10 year old black girl is brutally raped and left for dead by two drunken white men. The father of the child, Carl Lee, takes revenge by blowing away the rapists at the courthouse after preliminary hearings. The entire town is divided on whether Carl Lee should be given a medal or punished for his deed. The books deals with racism, something some of us deal with on a daily basis, but is usually hushed up because it’s not “polite” talk. The book got me emotionally involved (even though I wasn’t a mother yet when I first read it) with all the characters, especially Carl Lee. It’s hard to imagine such hatred can exist in our society but in reality it does. Just watch the 8 o’clock news.

Cujo by Stephen King. This book stuck with me for a very long time. It’s not just because dogs are my #1 fear but the way King wrote it, you get the feeling like “This could actually happen in real life.” Taking a step back, it’s really all about a very nice BIG dog who turned nasty on a mother and her son, trapped in a broken down car. Simple plot but the characters are so tragically explained...you just have to read it for yourself. I much prefer the book to the movie version (which doesn’t do justice to the story at all, IMHO), even if the book has a tragic ending, that I never really did anticipate. This was one of those books I couldn’t put down until the end, even though I was thoroughly spooked out and was mentally screaming at myself DO NOT TURN THE PAGE!!!

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Everyone who’s a parent should read this book, regardless whether or not you have a nanny. It’s funny, witty and utterly entertaining. Saying that it also has it sad moments. A very interesting look into the world of having to care someone else’s child, both loving and hating the job at the same time. Be prepared with lots of tissues at the end.

5) Tag 5 people and have them fill this out on their blogs:
Kampung Gal – coz she works in a book store and DEFINATELY reads a lot of interesting books.
5xMom – coz she seems wise and I want to know what a mother of 5 has time to read.
Mary Bishop – coz she’s funny and I know she’ll have some very interesting answers.
Nadya – coz I know she loves reading too.
Sput – coz he now lives in France and I wanna know if he has time to read anything else other than French poetry.