Wild Swans
by Jung Chang
this is the book that has changed my outlook on life
and to even more appreciate and treasure
little things in life that make up what happiness is...
here I learned about the horrendous China's cultural revolution
and about survival at its most critical point

"Immensely moving and unsettling;
an unforgettable portrait
of the brain-death of a nation."
---J.G. Ballard, Sunday Times


Eva Luna
by Isabel Allende
the first book from Allende I read
its rich imaginative,
yet lively touching stories enchanted me
I like her other books as well:
The Stories of Eva Luna, Paula,
Of Love and Shadows, Infinite Plan : A Novel.




Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
by Tom Robbins
intriguing with its wits and depth
exploring the unusual in amusing ways
makes me wondering, questioning...
it's filmed with Uma Thurman, but it
didn't played in my country... (Indonesia),
too bad... I got the soundtrack though,
and it is good, with kd lang.
Skinny Legs and All, Jitterbug Perfume,
Another Roadside Attraction.





The Best of Roald Dahl
by Roald Dahl
well, actually I love ALL of his books!
his autobiography, short stories, children stories
reveal the colorful dark side of humankind
with funny twisted humour warmly felt will stay with you
Matilda, Boy, Going Solo, and many many more.




High Fidelity
by Nick Hornby
amusingly true to life,
a bachelor's revelation, funny, yet touching.
also from the same author:
About a Boy and Fever Pitch.



The Yellow Wallpaper & Other Stories
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
capture the depth of imagination in captive,
moving and disturbing, open up the world of the insane.
also from the same author:
Unpunished : A Mystery,
Herland and Selected Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman,
With Her in Ourland : Sequel to Herland, and
The Diaries of Charlotte Perkins Gilman.



Sophie's World
by Jostein Gaarder
enjoyable course on western philosophy
through the eyes of a young girl; well done!
also from the same author:
The Solitaire Mystery and
That Same Flower : Floria Aemilia's Letter to Saint Augustine.




The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
a bleak account of a most absurd misfortune
slowly but sure it's creeping on me, a story I never forget.
I see my life in different light.
some of his other stories:
The Castle and
The Trial, also Franz Kafka : The Diaries 1910-1923.




The Book of Laughter & Forgetting
by Milan Kundera
a pretty heavy reading, but it's worth the pain.
It's painfull all right, but it's truly beautiful.
I have yet to read his other stories:
Joke , The Unbearable Lightness of Being,
also Immortality and Laughable Loves, etc.




The Color of Water
by James McBride
A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.
an autobiography about race and culture
touch open your heart to some insights







Tuesday with Morrie
by Mitch Albom
My good friend Dave recommends this book to me,
"You'll enjoy it." Guess he's right!







The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy
by Nick Bantock
A beautiful Boxed Set of The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy :
Sabine's Notebook/the Golden Mean/Griffin & Sabine!
More than words to describe this soulful work...
The images together with the stories and
the three dimentional illustrations
just mesmerizing me...




Endangered Peoples
by Octavio Paz
a photo essay on endangered indigenous people
from all over the globe, including Indonesia
Paz is a Mexican writer and Nobel Prize winner
Paz's early work explores themes of sensuality and beauty,
and examines an individual's communication with the world.
In his later poetry, Paz poses questions about the human
condition in an individual as well as social context.
His selected works: The Labyrinth of Solitude:
The Other Mexico, Return to the Labrinth of Solitude,
Mexico and the United States, the Philanthropic Orge
The Collected Poems of Octavio Paz, 1957-1987
The Double Flame : Love and Eroticism







The Best of Rumpole
by John Mortimer
hillariously full of the wicked truth of our society.
other stories by him:
Murderers and Other Friends : Another Part of Life ,
The Rapstone Chronicles : Paradise Postponed/Titmuss Regained and Dunster, etc.




Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
here's one of my all time favorite
from the children stories I treasure
it's fantastic and very, very humane!
the illustration by the author is captivating.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Voyages of Doctor Dolittle,
The Story of Doctor Dolittle : Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts
Never Before Printed...
other children stories I love are by:
Astrid Lindgren, Enid Blyton and
Angela Sommer-Bodenburg




Der Kleine Vampir
by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg
little dracula! hillarious! touching! amusing!
I love the illustration too, some of the series are:
The Vampire Moves in and The Vampire Takes a Trip...



Totto- Chan
by Tetsuro Kurayanagi
a true story of a little girl in Japan
from before the world war second
so endearing and moving
so honest, with sweet illustration





The Lord of The Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien
the classic fairy tales
timeless adventures of the hobbits
fascinating details believe in magic!
The Biography of J.R.R. Tolkien : Architect of Middle Earth
After the King : Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien
The Atlas of Middle-Earth




Tintin
by Herge
the classic comic serials of all ages
witty stories with excellent characters and illustration
reread them, they've never exhausted
together with the Asterix and Lucky Luke
they're really entertaining!
something to cheer me up




Cis and Cus
by Vincent Mahieu
two collections of fascinating short stories
from the era of the Dutch colonnization in Indonesia
by a Dutch-Indonesian writer
with his eloquent use of language
you can smell the old days when
you even haven't been born



and many too many beautiful,
unforgettable books and stories!
You can find in...