Reading..

Reading is a passion which is developed from young age and is absolutely irreplaceable.

Anyone can beat me?

Sometimes, I’m a bit greedy when comes to reading books. Too many books to read make me read four books in one time. Reading, slowly and steady, in between catering sessions, I always look for time to be alone and occupied with book.

Latest in my hand is Applying Sun Tzu's Art of War in Managing your Money by Khoo Kheng-Hor. Here you will find tips that could help you effectively manage your money. Just as generals of old could find practical tips on how to apply the 2,500-year-old military treatise to enrich their kingdom's wealth, you too could enrich yourself. The tips here could very well help you on your way to becoming financially independent, if not wealthy.

Opps, wrong, another one, book by Dr. Aidh bin Abdullah Al-Qarni, “Kisah Kerasulan Nabi Muhammad S.A.W (Intisari Dari Sirah)”.

Buy books online or offline?

Dear readers, I published this story because it’s interesting to take note that in the age of Internet, booksellers, and booklovers especially, still like to buy books at physical bookstores. Really? Some says better buy online, some says not. Hey, you have a choice.

Read this report.

Book world prepares to network at expo

NEW YORK- This year's BookExpo America will be a story of networking, the old way and the new.

Starting Thursday, thousands of authors, publishers, booksellers and librarians will gather at the Jacob Javits Convention Center to discuss what's coming out and what's going on. They will catch up as they always have, face to face, at exhibitors' booths and in conference rooms, in restaurants, bars and hotels.

"It is a sort of tribal ritual for the industry that can only happen in person," says Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher of HarperCollins.

"It's a bit like what happens when you're buying a book. There are people who think you can do all your shopping online, but if you go to a bookstore, there's a physical experience of things you might not see. With the convention, it's also serendipitous, a meeting of 'X' with 'Y' and 'Z' that can't happen with the Internet."

But BookExpo will also be a demonstration of how "X" and "Y" can meet online, and then link to "Z." For the first time, MySpace.com will attend the convention, hosting a panel on networking and serving as a supporting BEA sponsor. The industry has increasingly turned to the Internet social site, which features reading groups, author postings and its own list of the most popular titles, ranked by the number of "blog links."

"I think MySpace and YouTube and all the blogs are really the coming thing now," says David Shanks, CEO of Penguin Group (USA), which has been using MySpace to promote "Requiem for an Assassin," a thriller by Barry Eisler.

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Science fiction 'thrives in hi-tech world'

Science fiction fans, here is one news for you, read on!

By Darren Waters, Technology editor, BBC News website

Science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds is in a prime position to look dispassionately at the present and project into the future, having spent 12 years as an astronomer with the European Space Agency (Esa).

He spent more than a decade combining his work at Esa with writing science fiction short stories, before making writing his career and publishing novels such as Revelation Space, Pushing Ice and his latest, The Prefect.

Science fiction has always been regarded with disdain by the literati but the genre has helped the world understand some of the most profound changes to society wrought by technology - such as space travel, satellite communications and robotics.

But when we live in a world immersed in nanotechnology, quantum computing and discoveries of Super Earth-like planets, do we need science fiction anymore?

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The Jade King

The Jade King is the story of three generations of a Chinese Muslim family, from the turbulent years of the Japanese invasion and Second World War to the present. Central to the theme of this tragic novel are the four harrowing love stories of father, son, aunt and daughter, each victim of prejudice and fate.

The novel is regarding a modern Chinese culture set in the Muslim community in Bejing. Fascinating, and full of reminders of the importance of the past. The author Huo Da, a Muslim herself, locates her narrative in the specific milieu of Beijing`s Muslim community with its jade artisans, astute merchants, hardworking housewives, and its young people struggling to assert their independence and individuality in the face of religious and social bigotry.

The Muslim community and family concern in this novel is centered at Hui clan of Chinese races. This community pays a great attention to cleanliness, abstinence from pork, as well as wears white caps the Muslim men wear. And the fact is that the existence of a Muslim district in Beijing and the Ox Street Mosque.

Old Master jade artisan Liang, a poor but talented jade craftsman, has one regret in life; he has no son and heir to carry on the family business and run the Rare Gem Studio. One day, a venerable old Muslim (Tuloyedin) on his way to Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia and accompanied by his young disciple (Ibrahim or Han Ziqi) appears at Liang`s door to ask for sustenance. Entranced by Liang`s exquisite jade work and his two beautiful daughters, the disciple begs to be allowed to stay. The fate of the Liang family is changed forever.

Richly textured, moving, tremendously exciting, The Jade King is a veritable tour de force. It was accorded China`s top literary accolade, the Mao Dun Prize for Literature.

I hope readers will realize that amongst China`s 56 ethnic groups, ten are believers in Islam, and among the 1 over billion Chinese people there is a young Hui writer, who was written a book in Chinese about the life of the Hui people.

The publisher is Chinese Literature Press, Beijing, China, under trademark of Panda Book. In the 1980s and 90s, the Beijing-based publisher published the Panda Book series of Chinese literary works, similar to the UK`s Penguin Books, in English, French and German. The Panda Book series include modern and classical Chinese fiction and poetry, and is said warmly welcomed by Chinese literature funs.

Author: Huo Da
Publisher: China Literature Press, Beijing, China, 1997
ISBN: 7-5071-0090-1 and 0-8351-2099-6
Paperback, 595 pages