Occasionally, I rant...

[mazlizaothman]

Shantaram

This novel is set in Bombay in the 1980s. Lin was an Australian convict who escaped from prison and fled to India using a forged passport. What started as a temporary hideout turned into a decade-long journey of survival and reinvention. Being a fugitive meant that he had to cut ties with all friends and family because they cannot be a link to him. Upon arrival in Bombay, Prabaker, a tourist…

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Damaged

“Damaged” is the latest novel in the Kate Burrows series. Kate was now retired and living with her partner, former gangster Patrick Kelly. 14-year old Kylie Barlow was missing and later found dead. There were signs of vicious torture. The pathologist was unable to find any DNA traces because her body had been thoroughly cleaned with bleach. DC Margaret Dole, the cyber expert, spent hours…

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The Dirty South

This novel is the 18th in the Charlie Parker series, but is a prequel to the first novel “Every Dead Thing“. It takes place shortly after the brutal murder of Parker’s wife and daughter. Parker was no longer a detective at the New York Police Department. The pain of losing his family was still raw and he was hunting the murderer. Parker’s journey took him to Cargill, a small town in Arkansas,…

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The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440-1870

This book is considered a seminal work for anyone who wants to know how the slave trade was constructed, financed, and eventually dismantled. The author tracks the trade from its 15th-century Portuguese origins to its 19th-century conclusion. He explores the European boardrooms and palaces where the trade was treated as a mundane, but lucrative, commercial venture. It spans the African Coast,…

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The Last Trial

Sandy Stern is an 85-year old cancer survivor and defence lawyer. He is about to retire when his close friend, Dr. Kiril Pafko, is accused of insider trading, fraud, and murder. Pafko is a Nobel Prize winner and a respected scientist, credited with developing a miracle cancer drug. Pafko begged Stern to represent him and Stern relented. Marta, his daughter and partner at the firm, is not happy…

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Khulafa Al-Rasyidin: Penakluk Rom dan Parsi

Buku ini menceritakan zaman kepimpinan empat orang khalifah selepas kewafatan Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., iaitu Abu Bakar As-Siddiq, Umar Al-Khattab, Uthman bin Affan dan Ali bin Abi Talib. Bab pertama adalah biografi ringkas setiap Khulafa al-Rasyidin. Penulis menekankan sudut kemanusiaan -— Saidina Umar yang menangis kerana takutkan tanggungjawab, Saidina Uthman yang sangat pemurah — supaya pembaca…

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The Nameless Ones

This novel is a part of the Charlie Parker series but shitfs its focus to his deadly associates, Louis and Angel. Charlie Parker appears briefly, but this is a Louis and Angel spin-off. This novel draws from the horrors of the Balkan war in the 1990s. At the beginning of the novel is the author’s note to provide context for the atrocities committed by the antagonists during that era. The story…

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Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan

Ini kisah hidup sepasang suami isteri pesawah, Lahuma dan Jeha, bersama tujuh orang anak perempuan mereka di Kampung Banggul Derdap, Kedah. Kehidupan mereka sekeluarga bergantung kepada hasil menanam padi di sawah seluas 14 relung. Padi adalah bagai nyawa dan nadi kehidupan mereka. Kisah ini menyoroti segala kepayahan, cabaran, dan bencana alam yang menimpa keluarga ini. Hidup mereka yang memang…

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Anak Mat Lela Gila

Novel ini diterbitkan pertama kali pada tahun 1941. Masyarakat sekeliling menganggap Mat Lela “gila” kerana tindak-tanduknya yang ganjil meski pun ada juga tindak-tandukknya yang menunjukkan dia sebenarnya waras. Mat Lela sangat rajin menyapu dan membersihkan perkarangan masjid, tetapi tidak pernah solat di situ. Menurut fikirannya, oleh kerana masyarakat menganggapnya gila, maka dia tidak wajib…

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Lebanon: A Country in Fragments

This book examines contemporary Lebanon, focusing on the period since the assassination of former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, in 2005. It explores the intersection of high-level politics with the politics of everyday life. The post-2005 era charts the sequence of political crises, from Hariri’s assassination and the 2006 July War to the impact of the Syrian conflict and the influx of over a…

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Penulis Jalanan

Menurut penulis, cerita dalam buku ini bukanlah 100% rekaan, tidak juga 100% kisah benar, tetapi berdasarkan pengalamannya. Watak utama adalah Iskandar yang berimpian untuk menjadi seorang penulis. Semasa mengikuti pengajian pra universiti, dia menceritakan ideanya kepada seorang penulis terkenal. Tak terlintas di fikirannya penulis itu akan mencuri ideanya untuk menerbitkan sebuah novel yang…

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Loyalty

This story starts in 1983 to around 2007. The early life of Dara Tailor and Grace Perry couldn’t be more different. Dara’s mother was an addict who neglected her children. Dara was just a child herself, but as the eldest, had to take care of her younger siblings. She did her best to protect them. From a very young age, she learned that life was brutal. An incident caused the social services to…

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Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

Kali pertama saya membaca “Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa” adalah semasa zaman sekolah dulu. Bila saya baca semula baru-baru ini, saya rasa seperti jalan ceritanya tak sama dengan yang saya pernah baca dulu, lantas saya mencari ada berapa versi “Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa”. Ada enam versi utama. Versi Maxwell (Ms. Maxwell 16 dan Ms. Maxwell 21) yang disimpan di Perpustakaan Royal Asiatic Society,…

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A Century of War : Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order

The author argues that many of the major global conflicts and political events of the 20th century were driven by a hidden agenda: the pursuit and control of oil. The Anglo-American interests have used their economic and military power to secure control over the world’s oil reserves. This has been the primary motive behind events ranging from World War I to more recent conflicts in the Middle…

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Tripwire

Jack Reacher was working odd jobs, living a low profile life in Florida. A private investigator named Costello came looking for him on behalf of a client named Mrs. Jacob. Reacher didn’t recognise the name and became suspicious. So he denied his identity. Soon after, Reacher found Costello brutally murdered, with his fingertips cut off, indicating a professional hit. Reacher followed Costello’s…

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The Exchange

This novel is a sequel to “The Firm“. Fifteen years after escaping the clutches of the Bendini law firm, Mitch McDeere was a partner at a big law firm, Scully & Pershing, in New York. I won’t tell you how he ended up there; you’ll discover it yourself. Luca Sandroni, a senior partner, asked Mitch to take over a Turkish client. The client was Lannak, a construction company that was suing the…

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Saintis-saintis Agung Islam

Yang membezakan buku ini daripada buku-buku lain mengenai tokoh-tokoh Muslim adalah ia membincangkan ahli sains masa lalu dan sekarang. Penulis mula dengan membincangkan keluasan ilmu dan mengapa ilmu penting. Salah satu pemahaman yang disangkal penulis adalah ‘lebih baik belajar ilmu agama daripada belajar sains’. Secara peribadi, saya rasa itu pendapat yang dangkal — ilmuan dan sarjana Muslim…

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