The PACT by Jodi Picoult

It was simple. I had two weeks holiday and nothing to do. Not entirely true actually, i had maths homework to do, chemistry to revise, physics to look into and thinking skills to worry about. I grabbed the book, and I stared at it. Started leafing through it. You see i got it as a present from my teacher in high school. I was very much into novels and still am. I looked at the book. The cover page had a male and a female sitting with their backs facing us. And the second page had the same scenery, the same male figure but the female one was missing. Intriguing.

I started the book, like any one would actually. Just reading 20 pages here 10 pages there. But that changed. I don’t remember when or even what triggered the change. Could it be the fact that the male character, Christopher Harte, was 17 years old and by that age he had found his true love? Or the heaps of trouble he goes through when the only wrong he did was love Emily, his childhood friend, confidante, and finally lover? I don’t know. I still don’t know. But I began connecting to the book. As in, my thoughts were merged with the book. I was thinking what it would be like to be in his place. To be in Chris’s shoes and to watch his whole world crumble down right in front of him when all he did was love the girl who was, or so he thought was, his soul mate.

For the very first time, a book grabbed at me so hard that it made me shiver. When you reach a point where you knew you had loads of stuff on your hand but ignored everything and immersed yourself completely in the world of the two characters that seemed very real, you know that the book is good. I did it. The only time, i cried for a book was when I was reading Marley and Me. The only time, I felt my heart being wrenched away was when I read The Pact. Imagine this, I was actually praying for a character. I am not denying it. I felt these characters. For three days, I believed that I was actually living in their world, where true love actually existed. It was like watching a movie and then getting up and walking right into the television.

The funny thing was that these characters never had a definite face. Usually the introduction of a character means the entrance of a faceless individual into the picture. Then slowly an image came clear; a guy or a girl that I had seen in some hallmark movie or even a guy from an advertisement on NTV7. I don’t know whether it was suppose to be that way or that’s just me but I liked it. I also got to rework these images when the author throws in a detail in the next line. And the image would stay that way till the end of the book. For the first time, I had not had one steady image for Chris. He was a different guy every time I closed the book and opened it again.

I wish I could say more but I have got to reread the book again!!!..so thats all yeah!!... the pact is an awesome read and if you don’t try it, its your loss!!..

readmalaysia....

well, the readmalaysia book fair was held in mines resort city in the exhibition hall. it was huge but they only had a small section for English books. most of the books were of Chinese language and malay language. the MPH booth was really awesome. the prices were not to say that attractive but they were alright.

i reached there around 1.30 on Sunday. it was the last day of the fair. i was hoping for last minute discounts but was disappointed. the books were stacked up high in all the booths. i had my eyes on Jodi picoult's Plain Truth. i really wanted that book. i was glancing around the booths before deciding to go back to the MPH one to get the book. it was RM 10 cheaper meaning it was at RM 24.40. my sister bought robin sharma's The Saint, The Surfer, and The CEO and chicken soup for the girl's soul.

the trip was great actually. later, we went to midvalley megamall for the global Indian shopping festival. my mom wanted to just 'experience' the atmosphere there. we were there for about three hours. and guess what we didn't have lunch. yes, we were so caught up with books and the shopping festival that we forgot to eat.

anyways, everything went according to plan. now it's time for me to maybe take a break from all the travelling . yeah right!! i still have moral folio to do with my revision. it's going to be a heck of a day to do.

Are You a Reader?

who is a reader? so, go on, tell me. who is a reader? some one who reads. hmmmm. lets see, a reader is some one who READS. define read. aha... that's where our opinions (or point of views )come in. reading something can be reading anything. the newspaper, magazines, newsletters. there are book-orientated reads too; fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, sci-fi, thriller. what makes someone who reads a reader?

well, i am a bit confused too. when i started this post, i was thinking to write HOW TO BE A GOOD READER, but then again, i got mixed up and ended up with this topic. it intrigues me too. what makes one a reader? is that by merely reading the sentences, paragraphs, short stories or novels that you become a reader. isn't there so much more to be a reader?

a reader is one that understands the writer, connects with the book, appreciates the style, admires the prose, and most importantly, loves reading. just reading a book does not make you a reader. (my teacher, would not agree on this, but what the heck) i mean seriously, if that is the case, then everyone can be a reader.

this lack of acknowledgement to the real readers make them one of the communities that are facing extinction. this reminds me of a post by Sharon bakar. here it is. according to the national literacy thrust which recently did a survey of 30000 pupils in UK, it proves that :

... children's reading habits slump dramatically after they start at
secondary school. The typical eight-year-old reads nearly 16 books a year but,
by the time they reach 15 or 16, this has dwindled to just over three books per
year. The big drop-off starts after the first year of secondary school, when the
number of books read falls from nearly 12 a year to just
six.

so people, don't just stand there watch readers extinct. go and grab a book (of a genre you like, of course) and start reading. a wise man (i forgot his name) once said, reading is the only tool that unlocks the world.