where all my money goes | book haul ✨

9.17.2018

pardon my lack of photo-taking skill

I'm finally temporarily back! The last post was posted and written ages ago, and who knows when will I be back again? I'm so busy (I keep saying that in my posts, even I'm bored by it) with everything and to be honest, I'm currently in a serious reading slump and writing block. Reading for fun or study, both are really hard for me now. And I've been dying to write a post for weeks already, so since I now have the power to write and secrete express my thoughts into words, why not I write something for this blog?

As a student, books in Malaysia are extremely pricey for me (yet I still buy books as if I have all the money in the world). Before, when I was in Ranau, where the most attractive places are the tourism places (Kundasang, Poring, Luanti), I was lacking of places to buy books. No Popular, no Eaton's and obviously, no Barnes and Nobles like in the city. The only place I could buy books is at Kedai Buku Ranau, and most of the books there are all Malay contemporary romance (the usual Malay drama), and although I loved them at some points in my life before, my love died down. I now only read them when I have the mood to, and the mood comes only come seldom. So, I could only buy books when I went to the city or through online shopping.

But here, in UMS, where the mall is literally just a stone throw away, and bookstores are easily found, all my belanja makan goes to books and another books and another books. And I haven't count in all my bookdepository orders that haven't arrived yet. So, to celebrate all the losing money for books books I newly bought since I went to college, this post is written.

I Have Lost My Way - Gayle Forman

This one was bought a few weeks before I went to college, when I was settling some stuffs for college at Kota Kinabalu (KK). Haven't read anything from her before, I only watched If I Stay but I haven't read the book yet. However, I watched Hailey In Bookland's video (I guess) and I was interested with the synopsis, and it being a bit musical themed so when I was choosing which book I wanted to buy, I chose this.

A powerful display of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay. Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven't been able to confront, and together, they find their way back to who they're supposed to be. Told over the course of a single day from three different perspectives, Gayle Forman's newest novel about the power of friendship and being true to who you are is filled with the elegant prose that her fans have come to know and love.


In the Shadow of the Banyan - Vaddey Ratner

For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Soon the family's world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus. Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labor, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of childhood - the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival.

I haven't heard about this book yet, but the book cover is so beautiful and stunning and it was only RM10.00. I'm pretty sure the book was in the shelf for a long time already, and because it was as if it was calling for help (now that is exaggerating, and probably caused by a little bit of hallucination), I bought it. Besides, I need this kind of book more on my shelf rather than keep buying all those contemporaries.



Empayar: Hikayat Putera Tanpa Nama - Teme Abdullah

The book review post for this book might be finished by the time this post is posted. Already read this one, and it was really good for fiction book debut. Teme Abdullah is one of my favorite Malay authors ever since I read his past books; Pelukis Jalanan and Arkitek Jalanan. This book was also said to discuss similar situation in the drama Nur on TV3. Loved that drama and love this author. So I bought the book. 

Ilmu agama ini umpama senjata yang boleh dimiliki sesiapa. Jika jatuh ke tangan yang baik, akan digunakan untuk menyerang yang jahat. Namun jika jatuh ke tangan yang jahat, akan digunakan untuk memusnahkan yang baik. Berlatarkan era ala-ala klasik (but on my opinion, it actually isn't), mengisahkan pemuda-pemuda yang terpilih memasuki sebuah madrasah. Ia menceritakan tentang kehidupan di madrasah, latihan yang mereka jalani untuk menjadi pegawai kesultanan, peraturan-peraturan, dan juga pelbagai golongan pelatih. Ada yang menggunakan ilmu agama Islam untuk perkara-perkara kebaikan, dan ada yang menjadi 'penunggang agama' dan menggunakan Islam untuk kepentingan sendiri. 

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman

Let me tell you a story. No, wait. One's not enough. I'll begin again. Let me tell you stories of the months of the year, of ghosts and heartbreak, of dread and desire. Of after-after hours drinking and unanswered phones, of good deeds and bad days, of trusting wolves and how to talk to girls at parties. There are stories within stories, whispered in the quiet of night, shouted above the roar of the day, and played out between lovers and enemies, strangers and friends. But all, all are fragile things made of just 26 letters arranged and rearranged to form tales which will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul.

I'm really anticipating this book, because my secondary school English teacher suggested Neil Gaiman to me and I want to try reading one of his books. What's the perfect way to see how you feel about a writer's writing? Short stories! Therefore, here the book is, in my book haul post.

Letters to God - Norhafsah Hamid

I was in kind of a "dark place" when I bought this (but haven't read it yet). It sounds like a perfect book for me that time, so I bought it.

Letters to God is about a journey of a young girl named Sarah in trying to find her footing in a challenging world. An introvert by nature, Sarah struggles to balance her work, life and her spiritual longing while trying to adapt to her new surroundings. She found friendship along the way and also experienced hostility and heartache. Not knowing who to turn to, she decided to rant and rave to her Creator. 
This is a story of how a young girl, who made a decision to write letters to God, telling Him of all her worries, and pain. She believes that one can talk to God at any time, any place, even outside prayers.
Did Sarah find solace?
Or did she continue to be lost?


Lelaki Kiriman Tuhan - Umie Nadzimah

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting to buy this. But it was also on sale for RM20, and my friend recommended it to me. I'm currently reading this and so far it is nice, but quite expectable to me. But since I already used my belanja makan to buy this book, I'll finish this book. Maybe there will be a plot twist that will change my mind? Who knows.

Dia hebat kerana dia tidak sempurna...
Mengisahkan Naira, si gadis garang dan selalu berwajah masam yang tidak percaya pada lelaki yang cuba mendekatinya dan Iqbal Raid yang dikatakan hantu yang suka menganggu hidupnya. Macam-macam cara Raid cuba untuk berbaik-baik dengan Naira. Raid selalu ada bila Naira susah dan bermasalah. Dia sanggup buat apa saja, berkorban segalanya untuk Naira dan tidak lari seperti lelaki lain. Hasilnya, Raid yang dikatakan miring dan hantu itulah yang Naira rindu. Tidak mahu bercinta sebelum nikah, Naira setuju kahwin segera walau dibantah oleh abang kandung sendiri, Mirza. 
Musim bulan madu berlalu dengan indah, baru terbongkar satu per satu rahsia Raid yang penuh misteri. Ketika itu, bolehkah Naira menerima Raid seadanya? Apakah kesudahan rumahtangga mereka? Terus bahagia atau sebaliknya? 

And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini is one of my favorite authors, and I love every single of his book that I've read before (The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns). Although I've heard some critics about this book, I still want to give it a shot, because it's Khaled Hosseini and his writing always hits the right place in my heart.

Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named - is everything. 
More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. 
Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.

Here We Are Now - Jasmine Warga

I haven't read anything by Jasmine Warga before. I wanted to read her other book; My Heart and Other Black Holes but I don't have the chance to do so. I was trying to find a contemporary that isn't so romantic at the bookstore and this book found its way to me.

Despite sending him letters ever since she was thirteen, Taliah Abdallat never thought she'd ever really meet Julian Oliver. But one day, while her mother is out of the country, the famed rock star from Staring Into the Abyss shows up on her doorstep. This makes sense - kinda - because Julian Oliver is Taliah's father, even though her mother would never admit it to her.
Julian asks if Taliah if she will drop everything and go with him to his hometown of Oak Falls, Indiana, to meet his father - her grandfather - who is nearing the end of his life. Taliah, torn between betraying her mother's trust and meeting the family she has never known, goes.
With her best friend Harlow by her side, Taliah embarks on a three-day journey to find out everything about her 'father' and her family. But Julian isn't the father Taliah always hoped for, and revelations about her mother's past are seriously shaking her foundation. Through all these new experiences, Taliah will have to find new ways to be true to herself, honoring her past and her future.

Do you buy books even when you're facing reading slump? Comment below 💖

That's all for this post, see you when I see you! xx
Love,
Pypaa.

16 comments

  1. ala sukanya dengan orang suka beli buku ni, sha kalau beli buku mesti bertahun tak habis baca hmm

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    1. ala biasa la tu, saya pun banyak lagi buku yg beli tapi tak baca lagi :')

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  2. I haven't read any for quite sometimes but I had been eying for chance to read teme's books..

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    1. his books are great, especially for students! I was so interested on how's malaysian student life in UK and his books are quite good, plus the omg illustration :) I read his first book, Pelukis Jalanan when I had a terrible reading slump but still I flew through it.

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  3. Banyaknya buku! I used to read a lot back in the day. It was so hard to read nowadays because life happens. Btw, ramai jugak eh yang tak terlepas dari beli or baca buku teme hehe I guess it is that good :D

    Lenne | Blog

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    1. Teme's books are totally great and one of the sources of motivation for me :) And the illustrations drawn by him are so amazing.

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  4. When I was in College back then, all my duit belanja makan goes to books as well. Specifically the Historical romance genre. Sanggup makan maggi the whole month for books but its so worth it!

    Fay x | ffmdigitalmemoirs.com

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    1. for book lovers like us, books > food :') I love historical romance genre too!

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  5. I've read Jasmine's My Heart and Other Black Holes a few times and I could say it's actually pretty awesome. Really wish to buy some more books to read but nahh, no money, no time and no mood :(
    And I had been eyeing Teme's books for a long time now since people kept reviewing his books but got no chance to read any yet. ayeeee

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    1. Now I really need to read that Jasmine's book if you read it a few times, it must be good! Same la, books are so extremely pricey for me too and currently I'm having a reading slump so it's very hard to read even a single page tapi I keep buying books and say "untuk stok bila ada mood". And the mood never comes ._.
      Teme's books make me feel like I'm flying through his narrating :) And the illustration omg

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  6. Books in Malaysia are so pricey that my wallet is crying when I bought myself one. I asked my junior to bring back Teme's books and I couldn't wait to read them.

    nurulrasya.com

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    1. Kaaan. I envy those people that live in the country where the books are very affordable. Teme's books are totally great, I'm so happy that you can read them! :D

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  7. Buying books actually helps to relieve my stress. I am in need of lotssaaa new books right now!

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    1. it helps me too, but after going out of a bookstore and see my almost empty wallet, I get stressed again lol

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  8. First time I saw Here We Are Now when I was doing some work at Borders, the kid next to me was reading it. Then a few days later my friend gave me the iBook but still tak baca lagi. I heard it was good so maybe after my current habis, I may read it later :)

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    1. I already finished it, and yes it was a good book! I had a little problems with the book but it was still okay for me. I'm sure you'll like it :)

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