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Showing posts with label elif shafak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elif shafak. Show all posts

Book : Thoughts and Elif Shafak's Fiction

February 26, 2016

The thing that worries me has always been the static silence of my thought. If I'm not able to hear the voice that helps me to write, when I stare at the monitor for far too long, and I can't open up to things inside. Some people feel like they are bound to their private thoughts, keeping it away from the public - in search of their own serenity. As for me, what's written here, or in my mind, have always been one. Some people can see what's not been written, and some people can't even see things in front of their eyes.  The one who decides on the mystery of things aren't us from the start. So I don't mind sharing, because I am as curious as strangers towards what's there in my thoughts. This is a journey of finding myself as a writer and I share my humble thoughts and present life here, for all of you, the one that has been in your personal life-searching journey as well :) May all of us find peace deep inside.

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Current book : The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak.

My previous book that I just finished reading this week is Elif Shafak's The 40 Rules of Love. I got it as a present, little did I know part of the fiction is telling a story on Shams Al-Tabriz and Rumi, the Sweet Blasphemy and sufism. I don't know how much of it is fiction but I love the flexibility in having it 50% true and 50% fiction. I've always see life as that, non-taken too seriously, or putting up extreme rules either right or wrong, or as a mystery that needs to be solved. 

I love the questions, it somehow makes me feel like I'm alive and I'm thinking and feeling. I don't really mind if there are questions with no possible answers, or questions that might trigger your faith to wobble aside for awhile. It actually make me feel more human. As Shams Al-Tabriz did in Rumi's life - asking questions to let Rumi wander in the void that he never reached before. The beauty as he changed from being a well-respectful scholar to a dervish and a well-known poet.

I've never thought about the importance of having someone like Shams Al-Tabriz in our life, until I read the story. It makes Rumi's poems more meaningful and beautiful, once you see the hidden stories behind it. One layer at a time.

A great book for people that have a lot of unanswered questions :

A photo posted by azreenchan (@azreenchan) on


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Previous book read in Jan 2016 : In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut, a South African writer. The story is divided into 3 sections : "The Follower", "The Lover" and "The Guardian". The writer went on a backpacking to several countries and met different people in each places that changed his life. His life as a follower in one journey, as a lover in another and as a guardian in the last journey before heading back home.

I've never heard of Damon Galgut before this. I found the book at the previous BBW that sold for RM 5. So I just bought it - knowing that it is about life-searching journey.

Book : Honor by Elif Shafak

December 14, 2015

1.  Back in Popular Book Fair at Viva Mall two months ago, I bought Elif Shafak's book : Honor for RM 5. I've been seeing one of her book : The Bastard of Istanbul for quite some time and remember it because of its peculiar title written by a Middle Eastern writer. The name got stuck in my mind without I noticed. So when I saw "Honor" by Elif Shafak for only RM 5, I just picked it up and bought it.

2. On my random TEDtalk class while I was working, I found Elif Shafak's video listed in one of the playlist for aspiring writers. That's when I found out that she is a woman, she came from the Middle-East and she grew up in many European countries. I fell in love with her talk and found it inspiring enough to start reading the book right-away - to see whether she's really good. 

Here's the video :

 

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3. I just finished the book last weekend after a month (alternate reading with : The Art of Thinking Clearly). I read several final chapters in one shot - I was hooked with the story and been waiting for the ending. I was also totally shocked by the unpredictable ending ! I've been reading so many books in my life and I usually know what to expect but this was different. It was a bit confusing at first because there was so many characters in each individual story but those stories were interesting enough for me to make an effort in remembering who's who. And she crafted all the stories beautifully.

4. I'm inspired, I fell in love. So I bought : The Architect's Apprentice at Big Bad Wolf last week for RM 8. I was searching for other books from her as well : The Forty Rules of Love or The Bastard of Istanbul but I did't find it - yet. I will definitely try those books as well. I found new love before the year ends  


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Note : It's my 28th book from my 28 books goal for 2015 ! 
Another 17 days left before new year, I hope you reached your reading goal :D 
I'm getting ready for my 29 books for next year.