Malaysia's fave fic titles and Tunku Halim interview
So it's out, Malaysia's favourite fiction titles. I must say I didn't have time for vote in this poll. But the top 10 favourite fiction books in Malaysia are:
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (holds a proud place in my collection)
2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (read them all and loved 1,2,3,4 and 6.)
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (must get this one...I know, I know, I'm very low lit)
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (read this in Form 3 and didn't like it at that time. But love Colin Firth as Mr Darcy)
5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (read this twice!)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and thought it too simplistic. But then, read it as an adult)
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (loved the mini series!)
8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (read it in Form 2 and didn't like it much)
9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (read it in Form 2 and liked Beth the best)
10. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger (must get this)
I was particularly stoked when I read this sentence in today's Star in the same article:
"There are no books by Asian writers in the top 10, but American-Chinese Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things are in the top 20. Other Asian authors whose work was listed include Chinese author Su Tong (author of Raise the Red Lantern), Indian writer Vikram Seth, Indonesian Pramoedya Ananta Toer Azizi and V.S. Naipaul. Azizi Haji Abdullah, Shaari Isa and Xeus are the only Malaysian authors whose books made it onto some lists."
I made it to some lists! This makes all that writing worthwhile after all!!!
In the same Starmag section, there's an interview with Malaysia's very own Stephen King, Tunku Halim, and he mentioned:
Malaysian books recently enjoyed: “Lydia Teh’s Honk! If you’re a Malaysian, Xeus’s Dark City, Adibah Amin’s This End of the Rainbow and the Silverfish series (that features local writers).”
Thanks, TH! I'm glad you enjoyed our books!
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (holds a proud place in my collection)
2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (read them all and loved 1,2,3,4 and 6.)
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (must get this one...I know, I know, I'm very low lit)
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (read this in Form 3 and didn't like it at that time. But love Colin Firth as Mr Darcy)
5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (read this twice!)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and thought it too simplistic. But then, read it as an adult)
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (loved the mini series!)
8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (read it in Form 2 and didn't like it much)
9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (read it in Form 2 and liked Beth the best)
10. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger (must get this)
I was particularly stoked when I read this sentence in today's Star in the same article:
"There are no books by Asian writers in the top 10, but American-Chinese Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things are in the top 20. Other Asian authors whose work was listed include Chinese author Su Tong (author of Raise the Red Lantern), Indian writer Vikram Seth, Indonesian Pramoedya Ananta Toer Azizi and V.S. Naipaul. Azizi Haji Abdullah, Shaari Isa and Xeus are the only Malaysian authors whose books made it onto some lists."
I made it to some lists! This makes all that writing worthwhile after all!!!
In the same Starmag section, there's an interview with Malaysia's very own Stephen King, Tunku Halim, and he mentioned:
Malaysian books recently enjoyed: “Lydia Teh’s Honk! If you’re a Malaysian, Xeus’s Dark City, Adibah Amin’s This End of the Rainbow and the Silverfish series (that features local writers).”
Thanks, TH! I'm glad you enjoyed our books!
24 comments:
Congrats to you! I'm sure that's very good reason for a toast tonight.
Yes, today's Starmag has fantastic features. And by the way, Kam Raslan's COnfessions of an Old Boy makes good read. I got it already.
You can get one and we go for the signing together? How are Lydia?
oOOOPS, fault of the finger! I mean, how about Lydia? ( going together-gether? nope this one not finger's fault;)
Thank to you for pointing it out to me, Yvonne :) You know how I am, never read newspaper until night. Yes, it would be fun to go. We shall ask Lydia. When is it?
And congrats for getting your own column in the main newspaper! Is it going to be a permanent feature? You look very nice in your little pic :)
Hi Xeus! When I sms-ed you, I thought you were having Vietnamese Coffee. So, you're home.
Kam Raslan's signing will be at The Curve Borders on 27 MAY, 3pm, the same place we met up with Lydia the last time.
No laa, Guest Columnist is not a permanent column. I think it's for readers' ad hoc contributions though I don't seem to remember other guests appearing in that guest column. But it's a paid one. The last time I wrote was last year. On Book Tax Relief.
wow, it is all happening, eh? so much excitement and i only get to read about it.
Xeus, ya lah, I'm in the same boat as Kak Teh. And yes, I did enjoy yours and Lydia's books. Looking forward to Dark City 2.
Yvonne, 27 May ah...hmmmm, must see first. Going to US the next week lah.
Kak Teh, we depend on you to keep us abreast on the London scene, which I'm sure is infinitely much more exciting.
TH, might also have a launch. When are you next back?
aiyo xeus, last night I couldnt put the book down - reading psychotic! today, I must not touch it again as i have loads to do.
Abt happenings in London? well, Tan Twan Eng is here and he has been going around signing books but I sense disappointment in his voice because not much publicity thus not many people turned up. I didnt even know that he was signing at waterstone's. I will try to meet up with him and then also meet up with Yang-May Ooi. Will phone Tash too as we did promise to meet up. Am trying to squeeze as many hands as possible to get the inspiration flowing.
Kak Teh, hope you like the rest of the book too. Beware, lots of sex and gore!
Did the publisher send Tan Twan Eng or did he go there himself? It would be nice if the publisher did drum up more publicity for him.
Xeus, congrats! I've seen you grow from a sex advice columnist to a feature writer cum multiple-columnist and fiction author. And now this -
hurray!
I'll be back in July or August - hope in time for DC2 launch.
Tan Twan Eng's 'Gift of Rain' is a wonderful book; it delighted me with the many Malaysian-flavoured similes and allusions and made me smile and weep for the endearing characters. I hope it becomes a bestseller, too.
xeus, i just spoke to him and he will be making the rounds again next week. The publisher is certainly keeping him busy. And i think he sounds more chirpy although he was quite lost searching for a train station in Brighton. If and only if there's time - he will call to meet up. h is so busy.
On another note : I've just received my royalty from Routledge - hmm this year just enough to feed cats, children.
Argus, great! We then shall have a July launch. I must read the Gift of Rain then, everyone says it's marvellous.
Congrats Kak Teh! Considering cats and children eat quite a lot, your royalty must be considerable!
xeus, the MAID!!! whoaaaaa!!!! areal twist there you've got!
Kak Teh, it seems you're having a swell time with the first book - just before DC2 comes out.
'The Maid' is rather 'Fight Club'-ish, eh? (Ooops, hope you've seen the film.) So, was it too graphic? The S'pore library thought so... ^_^
('Psychotic' and 'Scarlet Woman' had a hand in that, too, one supposes.)
Kak Teh, that's sealed it. You MUST MUST MUST contribute to Dark City 3 now. Think of all the twists you can weave, The unsuspecting mak chik in London, benevolent mother to all, turns out to be a deadly assassin! She poisons people with tea at Claridge's!
Argus, actually I was inspired by the Machinist....
Ah, yes, 'The Machinist' - loved the movie and the actor shocked viewers with his emaciated body. Christian Bale, was it?
Ha ha, imagine a mild-mannered makcik going around poisoning the tea of all the famous brands and tea houses in London... in the vein of 'The Resistance', mm?
hahaha! i got the idea now - this mak cik in London taking all the lonely visitors to london under her wings and then seducing them with her nasi lemak that they kept coming back for more,more and more. They'd do anything for her nasi lemak..until
one day,someone saw what she puts in the sweet smelling nasi boiling in her damp kitchen....
ooo... Kak Teh, the next time I get to eat nasi lemak (kesian, I'm in der Schweiz), I'll be sure to think of this femme fatale of a London makcik. Eh, sedapnya! :-P
Oh no, Kak Teh is getting ideas to turn monster!!
Seriously, Kak Teh, I think you would be swell at short fiction. If you did like Dark City, mayhaps you can give me a little blurb to put in my blurb page for the book? You might have seen that we authors are quote whores :)
Looking forward to your contribution. You can even begin writing now! Argus can beta it. We'll have a blast! (He he he, diabolical ways to kill unsuspecting Malaysians in London....)
Oh I do look forward to Kak Teh's story in Dark City 3. Xeus - No immediate plans to visit KL, but will be there!
congrats, Xeus!! =D
TH, whenever you come down then :)
Grace, thanks!
Xeus, new entry please!
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