I have a bad habit of reading. It has to be several books and some magazines in between, all read simultaneously. They are all scattered around the place at home, as scattered as my mind… what do you expect… The title of Books on my bedside table, is just to maintain a perception of its orderly and properliness, that’s all. These are the ones which I read lately, either finished, in the midst of, or gave up in the process to find the meaning of:
- Life by Paulo Coelho – selected quotations from his books on the essence of life. Beautiful and gives new meaning of life… at least to me.
- Tuhan & Hal-hal yang Tak Selesai by Goenawan Mohamad – 99 short essays or ‘percikan’ he called it. I treasured reading this, since it is so depth with philosophy and meaning. Probably, it’s just me being shallow and incomprehensive! Especially, when looking at the cover, GM’s mid-half facial photo, featuring his beard… maybe it’s his best feature and definitely, not an important stuff compared to the content.
- Onze Ong – a memoir of the late Onghokham – considered as an eccentric Indonesian Chinese historian, which was more known for his culinary loved and antique collection in life, then his real work. And he is gay, too, that was why his life was so colorful. People in his memoir were so timid to admit about it. Wake up, people!
- Mimi lan Mintuna by Remy Sylado – a story about human trafficking and survival of life. A bit long winded, that’s why it took me a while to finish it. I got bored in the process.
- The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid by CK Prahalad – the tagline is eradicating poverty through profits. Heavy stuff, but I enjoyed it to enrich my horizon of thinking and my already crowded mind to think about the issues in the world. Prahalad gave hope and definitely, a genius!
- Gravity sucks by Maggie Alderson – if you fall under the category of what I experience in life now: female of mid forties, struggling between not to become cynical towards the youth and trying to find the rules for older women and who on earth, makes them.. I strongly urge for you to read this, you’re gonna love it! It is so hilariously funny, but it is true.
- Style by Kate Spade – what can I say, she is my favorite designer from top to toe. Timeless, yet modern, fearless on splash of color. And the last one…
- Vanity Fair March edition…. how can I live without it…
Shankara 
hartogeek said,
6 March 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hartogeek-noun:
1. Someone with large amounts of interest and knowledge, so as to be deemed geeky, about the now deceased 2nd President (but #1 in terms of greatness) of Indonesia.
2. 3 guesses who this is
Anyways, yeah I read multiple things at once as well. Usually I stop reading when I deemed that that the writer has sufficiently made their point.
Shankara said,
8 March 2008 at 12:17 am
Don’t stop reading until the end of a book. When a writer has sufficiently made his/her point, they have not concluded yet. Sometimes, the conclusion can catch you as a surprise. By ending it before it actually ends, you are making an assumption.
On the first part, I am not too clear what you want to express here ;-). In any case, I know you better. Love, J.
hartogeek said,
8 March 2008 at 5:44 am
Well that also depends on the book. If it’s a history book, obviously you have to read it until the end. Usually I do this with political philosophy books because they can get repetitive towards the end.