Monday, December 08, 2008
More Books
8-DEC-2008:
I finished reading Garden of Beasts by Jeffrey Deaver (set in Berlin during Hitler's time) a few weeks ago and I'll be going to Germany this Thursday! I have no love for history, politics or ideologies and yet I can't recall how many times I've stumbled upon a book about the post World War 1 National Socialist empire of Hitler and actually enjoyed what I read. I honestly believe that the experience can leave a mark in me and may be live-changing. *Grin*.
Many years back, I bought this graphic novel collection titled "Maus" by Art Spiegelman for a friend who loves books but does not have the patience for pages of words. Note: Graphic novels are what we call comics but they like to call it graphic novels because it sounds more mature and classy. As usual, I read all of the books before I gave them to the friend as a birthday present (of course, he knew that I've read it first and he didn't mind). Maus talks about the Nazi occupation during the 1930s and 1940s from the point of view of a Jewish family. In the illustrations, the Jewish and Polish are mice and the Nazis are big, muscular cats. I recall that some of the graphics were gruesome - definitely not suitable for kids - but was very educational yet entertaining. Here it was clear which side Art Spiegelman was on - the cats were the bad guys hunting down the mice, which is always the case.
Next, I'm halfway through the The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry which is full of "unsur-unsur Christianity". I wonder if the Fatwa forbids the Muslims from reading such books. :p This one is rather religiously "technical" and reminds me of Da Vinci Code.
Speaking of reading materials, I caught Daddy reading - you're not going to belive this - The Wife From Up North. It's a real life diary of a mother of three! - probably started as a blog and later turned into a book.
