Ayat-ayat Cinta

Under normal circumstance, I seldom read Malay novel. The love stories are usually too good to be true or the hero is overacting, hopeless romantic kind of guy which I found, maaf ya, really daunting. There are of course some which are different like Dedaun Hijau Di Angin Lalu by Manaf Hamzah which I read when I was 14 and can still vividly remember the story line. I read it in one night under the gleam of a corridor light of my dormitory. That was what you have to pay for potong line for I really can’t wait my turn. I cried reading it, several times.

Back to Ayat-ayat Cinta, why I read this novel?. TV3 aired Ayat-ayat Cinta the movie last Raya and friends been talking louder about it since then. I haven’t read the book and I missed the movie. I was like, zero knowledge on something big, something of what people been talking and discussing. It hits me hard when out of nothing Chenta ask me ‘Have you read the book? No?’.

Don’t worries, I wont spoil you with the synopsis, (ke semua org dah baca?).

AAC is not an ordinary love/romantic novel. Written by Habiburrahman El Shirazy, a novelist from Indonesia, and as well as a scholar from Al Azhar University, Cairo, Ayat-ayat Cinta is a romantic Islamic novel. For some reason I couldn’t understand myself, I didn’t google ‘AAC book review’ like what I usually did before reading/buying. And for that I’m really grateful, as the beauty of this novel is found and grown on every page I read.

at the very 2nd last page...

And given the story’s central theme is on love, you don’t really get much of that until you read half of the book. Be patience as despite Habiburrahman did a good job in describing Cairo and introducing the characters, the early part is (to me) rather dragging.

This novel somehow touches my heart deeply, inspires and allows me to sit and think about my own story of love. What kind of love do we glorify most? Honor most? How far do we stand to the test? The main characters have to make their call and sacrifice. Love hurts, doesn’t it from time to time.

Ah, love…

desir pasir di padang tandus
segersang pemikiran hati
terkisah ku di antara
cinta yang rumit
bila keyakinanku datang
kasih bukan sekadar cinta
pengorbanan cinta yang agung
ku pertaruhkan
maafkan bila ku tak sempurna
cinta ini tak mungkin ku cegah
ayat-ayat cinta bercerita
cintaku padamu
bila bahagia mulai menyentuh
seakan ku bisa hidup lebih lama
namun harus ku tinggalkan cinta
ketika ku bersujud
ketika ku bersujud

Ayat-Ayat Cinta – Melly/Rossa

To those who are in love please spare your time to read this novel. It explicates guidelines in relationship in a way that you don’t even realize it.

"Biar cinta itu halal dan diberkati. Biar cinta itu kekal dari dunia hingga akhirat."

p/s I did watch the movie, they attempts to tackle various issues, and while it goes for that, it holds back, leave some significant scenes, hence not being able to deliver its punches to the full. I guarantee you; the novel is 10 times better than the movie.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This poignant story revolves around family, love, friendship, history, betrayal and subsequent redemption. It is painfully honest story; it grips and rips your heart into pieces. I cried. In fact I cried few times.

Hosseini tells story like no other debut authors. Afghanistan been illustrated brilliantly, in such generous and compassion. It is like stepping your foot there and smell the dusty air. Here I learnt about Hazara - an ethnic minority group and their fight.

I so love the killer phrase “a thousand times over”. Sungguh berhantu!

Oh I found this while googling around. Even terjemahan pon sungguh sedap dibaca! Enjoy!

Suatu hari dimusim panas yang lalu, temanku Rahim Khan menelepon dari Pakistan. Dia memintaku mengunjunginya. Sambil berdiri di dapur dengan gagang telepon menempel ditelingaku, aku tahu bahwa bukan hanya Rahim Khan yang berbicara di telepon itu. Dosa tak termaafkan dari masa laluku turut hadir di sana. Setelah menutup sambungan itu, aku berjalan-jalan di sepanjang Spreckles Lake di pinggiran utara Golden Gate Park. Cahaya matahari awal senja berkilauan menyiram permukaan air, tempat lunisan kapal miniature berlayar dengan dorongan angin yang semilir.

Saat aku menatap ke atas, kulihat sepasang laying-layang, merah dengan ekor panjang berwarna biru, berayun dilangit. Kedua layang-layang itu menari jauh tinggi melampaui pepohonan di bagian barat taman itu, di atas kincir angin, melayang berdampingan bagaikan sepasang mata yang memandang ke bawah pada San Francisco, kota yang sekarang telah menjadi kampong halamanku. Tiba-tiba aku mendengar bisikan Hassan dikepalaku: Untukmu, keseribu kalinya. Hassan, si pengejar layang-layang berbibir sumbing.

Aku duduk dibangku taman dekat pohon willow, memikirkan ucapan Rahim Khan sebelum dia memutuskan sambungan telepon, ucapan yang ditambahkan, seolah sebelumnya terlupakan. AdaKabul. Aku memikirkan kehidupan yang kujalani hingga musim dingin 1975 itu tiba dan mengubah segalanya. Dan membuatku menjadi diriku yang sekarang. jalan untuk kembali menuju kebaikan. Aku memandang sepasang layang-layang di langit. Aku memikirkan Hassan. Memikirkan Baba. Ali.

Best kan!

“Buku ini begitu dasyat, hingga untuk waktu yang lama, buku lain yang kubaca terasa hambar” – Isabel Allende

Pergghhh….segeralah dapatkan dipasaran.

The Secret Dreamworld of Shopaholic

My expectation weren't too high, since I had previously read other shopaholic series, which I think just OK. Well, I wanted to bring some light reading material to KK and thought this is just perfect. All in all, no emotional depth, it made me smile, it was fun!

Becky, she just can't stop spending and finds bizarre ways to ignore her over growing debts. I like how she describes shopping mall as her natural habitat. Hehehe..kalau banyak duit daku pon nak juga jadikan habitat!.

And as the book says:

- When the going gets tough – the tough go shopping… I likeeee.

Ever felt guilty spending? Read this book!

Shopaholic & Sister

I might be terlambat, as millions have posted their review about this book which have been on our bookstores ages ago! But who cares?! I’m a busy Mummy!

I must say, emm..not as I aspected, ceritanya simple, but very entertaining, easy reading, brilliant light hearted read! This is the fourth in the series. You don't have to have read the other 3 which I haven’t, but it would give you a sense of knowledge of the characters. I can easily relate my life to this book, a tiny shopping problem known as retail therapy!.

Becky is charmingly silly, in debt, kuat berangan, but at least she has a wealthy man to pay off her credit cards.*Life just isn't fair sometimes*. Coming back from 10-months-tour-around-the-world-honeymoon instead to surprise her family and friends, things go another way round. Her best friend Suze got a new best friend which she hates, found out that she actually got a step sister Jess! Can Jess replace Suze?. I wouldn’t tell the details, will let you find out what this Becky got to offer you. And oh, she is also in a mess, damages from honeymoon’s shopping!!

• I didn’t buy this book though, I borrowed it from the library. My office library, and why didn’t anyone ever tell me they have this kind of books before? Sebenarnya terpanggil untuk ke sana sebab Chenta already bought his materials for our Lepak Di KK. Dek jealous and tak sempat dah nak ke kedai buku, daku saja lah ke library kot2 ada yg menarik. (menghilangkan ngantuk tahap gaban sebenarnya waktu itu). Sempat menjeling counter ada sorang awek tgh pinjam buku…OMG…is it Shopaholic?. Terus daku ke penjuru kategori UMUM- ya fuan-fuan, buku2 selain buku T*X atau buku-buku ilmiah adalah buku umum. And it was my lucky day! So Zie, nampaknya shopping buku kita akan lebih kepada buku Iman or Abah or yg tak de di library sini…ahaks!. See, daku terus jadi mcm Jess! And I managed to finish it even before we go to KK!, I told you it was easy reading!. Daku yang membaca ala-ala baca dialog dgn intonasi yang betul sambil membayangkan tempat kejadian pon boleh habis cepat!. Eh, library tutup pukul berapa?

Empress Orchid

I am most attracted to the way Anchee Min describes the details of Forbidden City. She delivers a fictional peek into the palace - the rituals and the grand celebrations and the powerful eunuchs and the manipulative concubines and the conspiracy and everything!. Terasa nak ke China gitu, ke muziumnya perhaps? nak tengok segala baju2, eksesori2, lukisan2 diraja..boleh?

And I especially love this poem,

To give it up is to accept your fate
To give it up is to create peace
To give it up is to gain upper hand, and
To give it up is to have it all

To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, 17teen yr old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor’s wives. When she is chosen as a lower ranking concubine, she enters the erotically charged and ritualized Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate façade lie whispers of murders and ghosts and the thousands of concubine will stoop to any lengths to bear the Emperor’s son. Orchid train herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way to the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress. ** from the book**

and yet to buy the sambungan...out of stock i heard, zie?

The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy

Anyone who has ever looked in the mirror six months after becoming a mother and not recognized the shell of a woman looking back will relate herself to this gloriously funny, warm and poignant story. I’m so love the way Polly Williams put what actually I had in mind into words. I have a confession; I was feeling really down and bad about myself after having Iman. I was not blaming him of course! The blame was on me…I felt that I was (still am) miserably failed on being a good mother, an organized housewife and a darling wife. I was more like ‘tidak terurus’!!. I tought I was alone, but after reading this book then I know that I wasn’t! and I did my own Project Dd! hahhahahahahahahah. It helps. Big time!

mau pinjam?