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Post by sarahg on Mar 1, 2006 13:13:57 GMT 8
Hello Uncles and Aunties! I always believe that reading gives a wealth of knowledge. It allows you to imagine (and nowadays, match your imagination to the movie produced based on the book eg Narnia, Harry Potter), helps in creating conversation and in Msia, claim for tax deductions ;D! I started when I was almost 8 - my first book that I owned was 'The Naughtiest Girl in School Again" by Enid Blyton. I am sure everyone this generation has read a book by her. And I havent stopped since. Nowadays, I have a book or a magazine with me - very handy to pass time while waiting in the queue, stuck in a traffic jam, waiting for kids during their activities, before bed and errr even when you are in the loo... Because libraries are so limited (one of my hopes is tht if I become a rich old lady , I will build some libraries in the rural areas), I keep buying and bec they do cost money, it really gets to me if I get a lousy book . So, what better way to get recommendations then from the ladies and gentlemen of the Daniel Fan Club ? I welcome your inputs and if anyone else is an avid reader, maybe they can use this as a resource... Anyone?
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Post by sarahg on Mar 1, 2006 13:26:40 GMT 8
I recently finished The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. It is a story set in China, when marriages were still an arrangement of necessity and matchmade.
This story tells of Wang Lung and O Lan, their lives together. And how O Lan as the wife, made sacrifices for her family. There is happiness, betrayal, mention of the many civil wars that time.
It was an easy read and I enjoyed it a lot because I didnt have to do plenty of analysis. The amazing thing about this was the author is an American lady - but she gave a rather accurate description of life during that time.
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Post by jwong on Mar 1, 2006 14:16:16 GMT 8
I recently finished The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. It is a story set in China, when marriages were still an arrangement of necessity and matchmade. This story tells of Wang Lung and O Lan, their lives together. And how O Lan as the wife, made sacrifices for her family. There is happiness, betrayal, mention of the many civil wars that time. It was an easy read and I enjoyed it a lot because I didnt have to do plenty of analysis. The amazing thing about this was the author is an American lady - but she gave a rather accurate description of life during that time. I read this book too! Must be more than 15 years ago lah.... I enjoyed the book at the time, but did not learn the valuable lesson from it. And what is tt valuable lesson? haha, that land is valuable!!! I shld hv been investing in lots of properties.... well miss the boat lah... ;D ;D ;D
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Post by chilicandy on Mar 1, 2006 14:22:14 GMT 8
i started reading all books by enid blyton when i am about 8 or 8, i think... was very poor when young, so most of the time i hang out at the libary to borrow those cool story books to read. Even goto the national library every sunday! But those days, the books in our national library are quite old and worn out...
i read so many books, i dont remember their titles anymore... kakakaka...
but nowadays, i am up to reading comics lately... going for pictures, because some of the artist are real good!
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Post by agentpink on Mar 1, 2006 14:27:25 GMT 8
did you all read one book entitled Chinese Cinderella???had a good cry when i read it..the story was so sad..the little girl was so pitiful..they say itz true story,but i dun tink so lar..at least not 100% true..cuz they mentioned that the girl was 4 years old when all those started..how can a 4year old girl remember so well n wrote the book when she is bout 40 something if i not mistaken .
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Post by mintcube on Mar 1, 2006 14:39:43 GMT 8
i'm quite interested in the Da Vincci Code (correct me if it's wrong ) .. but i've no time to read it.. i've read an article about this book.. n it seems quite interesting.. Usually, i'll read chinese book.. something about facts or story book..
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Post by chilicandy on Mar 1, 2006 15:00:58 GMT 8
agentpink, i still remember my childhood well... even something that happens when i am three years old, its still vivid in my mind. And 4 years old, i even have more memories now!
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LadyBird
Toddler
my precious ladybird - Mimi
Posts: 245
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Post by LadyBird on Mar 1, 2006 15:14:02 GMT 8
did you all read one book entitled Chinese Cinderella???had a good cry when i read it..the story was so sad..the little girl was so pitiful..they say itz true story,but i dun tink so lar..at least not 100% true..cuz they mentioned that the girl was 4 years old when all those started..how can a 4year old girl remember so well n wrote the book when she is bout 40 something if i not mistaken . hey ping ping...!!! i love this book most...The true story of an unwanted daugther!!! Chinese Cinderella is a very interesting autobiography.It is written by Adeline Yen Mah. It touched me deeply by her stubborness,academic excellence,hardworking and her hopes of being loved. This novel is the story of a very young Chinese girl whose mother dies soon after giving birth to her. Her father, who has children of his own, remarries and her step- mother has two children of her own. The other children in her own family tend to blame her for their mother's death, and the new step-mother dotes on her own two kids but mistreats the other children, especially Adeline. Adeline is put into a variety of boarding schools, ignored by her parents, disliked by her siblings and at the same time tries to find ways to win her father's love and attention.No- one cares for her except her Aunt Baba and her Grandfather, but her Grandfather dies and her Aunt get taken away from each other. Her step mother is evil. Adeline gets treated terrible by her. She has a pet duck and she loves it so much. But her family give the duck to the dog and she has to watch the dog rip her duck to pieces. She even ends up in a situation where her very life is in danger by Communists who, at the time, are basically taking over China. Adeline is a dedicated student; she ends up being able to skip grades and even wins an international writing competition. At the same time, she is the only student whose parents do not come to visit her or even write her. She is basically an outcast from her own family Throughout the entire book her father has basically ignored her, always bowing to his second wife's desires and intense dislike for Adeline. Adeline wins an international writing competition and her father suddenly is extremely proud of her and willing to send her to college in England, as long as she will study to become a doctor. This sudden about-face on the part of her father is hard to understand considering how he has treated her, but it might be explained by the fact that her winning the essay improved her father's stature in the eyes of others. Still, it's an interesting book, especially if you study the history of those times in China. If you liked this book, try Adeline's full autobiography, Falling Leaves, also very good. About the Author Adeline Yen Mah is a physician and writer who lives in Huntington Beach, California. The book was written following the successful publication of Adeline Yen Mah’s first autobiography, Falling Leaves, which details the years of Adeline’s life from fourteen years of age into adulthood. Adeline is dedicating both books to unwanted children in the hope that they will persist to do their best in the face of despair, to believe that in the end their spirit will prevail, and to nurture their childhood traumas into a source of courage, creativity, and compassion.
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Post by chilicandy on Mar 1, 2006 15:36:13 GMT 8
thanks julie ! thats a good review indeed! now i am all fired up to get my hand on this book to read. Reading Autobiographies always interest me the most...
chinese gals tends to be neglected in a chinese family. And most of the poor family, would rather send their son to school than their daughters.
i dont know how some family can treat their own offspring as aliens. I for one, finds it difficult to even leave them alone. The attachment is so strong, that i can feel their worries, sadness and fears too.
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Post by melody on Mar 1, 2006 16:03:44 GMT 8
Oh I love Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah. Read it twice. Chilicandy, I can lend you the book if you like.
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Post by agentpink on Mar 1, 2006 17:14:32 GMT 8
ladybird...i still remember one part where she say her father gave her a map n expect her to go to school herself when she was 4....n the duck part...i cried...n oso the part when during CNY,the step-mother's anak get to wear the nice nice clothes n they hv to wear samfu or something like that...cried so badly for that...
they even hv to diff level house..the 1st wife one stay downstairs n eat yucky food..den the step-mom's family stay 2nd floor wif good food..the thing is,they wont even gif the leftovers to adeline n her siblings...they rather feed the dog...itz a good book..really good book..
i would love to read the falling leaves one day..that book we borrow from my sis frenz...n my mum cant stop crying while reading it...
aunty candy??am i the only one who kenot remember anything??hehe...i mean i cant remember wat i did when i was 3...hehe or 4...or even 5...hehe..
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Post by sevelynn on Mar 1, 2006 19:40:58 GMT 8
ladybird...i still remember one part where she say her father gave her a map n expect her to go to school herself when she was 4....n the duck part...i cried...n oso the part when during CNY,the step-mother's anak get to wear the nice nice clothes n they hv to wear samfu or something like that...cried so badly for that... they even hv to diff level house..the 1st wife one stay downstairs n eat yucky food..den the step-mom's family stay 2nd floor wif good food..the thing is,they wont even gif the leftovers to adeline n her siblings...they rather feed the dog...itz a good book..really good book.. i would love to read the falling leaves one day..that book we borrow from my sis frenz...n my mum cant stop crying while reading it... aunty candy??am i the only one who kenot remember anything??hehe...i mean i cant remember wat i did when i was 3...hehe or 4...or even 5...hehe.. Ping and ju... Yalor!!! The duck part so sad laa!!! I'm currently reading Falling Leaves... Wah, cry until my mom also cannot recognize my face dy ;D Jkjk! Not so kua cheong!!! Can't believe it's a true story!! And the way adeline's dad treat the grandfather... The 'Niang' is really horrible!!!! Erm, I also read books from Nora Roberts... It's just normal love stories but bring some magical touch in the books... love them... Other than that... I only read recipe books la ;D
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Post by chilicandy on Mar 1, 2006 21:56:59 GMT 8
agentpink, u have a peaceful and well protected childhood... so probably thats why u dont remember much. Because we tends to remember most something that is very painful to us, or very sweet which wont happens again.
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Post by idolhunter on Mar 1, 2006 23:09:27 GMT 8
I started reading late in my life... ;D when I fail in my SPM ...left school... My English was horrible, my BM even worse.. a true drop-out.. ;D I had no interest in reading at all.. its always sports and play... ;D It was when I started to work, my work is so so boring... nothing much to do...I only work 2-3 hours a day and the rest of the time... just sitting around doing nothing.. ;D then I found a hobby. - photography... and started buying all kinds of photography books and when computers came into malaysia.... I found something new to learn...and the only way was to read and learn.... becos in Changlun it is so difficult to find an english speaking person less to find a computer teacher.. ;D and thats when I started reading alot... I even buy books on how to rear chickens ;D becos I was doing some chicken rearing business. ;D I buy all kinds of computer books..even flew down to singapore in search for books on robots... but could find one. at that time... From computer books... I start to love all kinds of books... and most of the books I read is about self-improvement books. The book that changed my life is "Think and grow rich" it was a best seller in those days.. and the "power of the sub-concious mind".. I forgot who the writers are.. ;D conversation with GOD. vol 1,2 and 3 "The greatest saleman in the world" and lately - the Da vinci code There are many more books.. but I can't recall their exact title... ;D Well... books and reading are very important in our lives, it is from here that we can look far beyond to places where we can only dream of. becos life is short and there are too many things to know or do...and reading is one of the ways to go beyond that..
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Post by melody on Mar 2, 2006 13:17:37 GMT 8
most of the books I read is about self-improvement books. The book that changed my life is "Think and grow rich" it was a best seller in those days.. No wonder la uncle so kaya raya one....share la uncle, how to become rich, i also wan $$$ leh... ;D ;D ;D
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