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Having a cup of morning coffee while reading the
local paper every day has plenty of advantages. It is one of the main sources
of daily information that is fastened with details on government activities and
country’s events where the society is dependent on. Television and radio
stations also provide news stories but reading from the newspaper is much more
comprehensive. It is a good habit to cultivate on as it provides sufficient
educational benefits. Not only you will be updated with current news, it too
will boost our grammar and vocabulary. Local newspapers like The Star, New
Straits Times and The Sun Daily help to blossom one’s word stock and reading
skills. Local newspaper companies like The Sun gives out thousands of
newspapers without charge daily, this method encourages the public to grab a
copy thus improve their reading skills.
E-books
should be encouraged to everyone as majority of people nowadays have
smartphones and tablets at all times in their pockets that could potentially be
utilized not only for its general purpose but as e - readers to read countless
reading materials. To elaborate on my point, instead of using these
technologies to just play games or access social networks, we can utilize it
for the wide variety of e-reading and there are many apps available for us to
obtain these reading materials such as Kindle, Scribd, Wattpad and so on. By
doing this, you are able to read whatever book of your preference in a digital
format. Online journalism can be easily accessible too, who wouldn't want free
access of news on the touch of their fingertips right?
Reading
before heading to bed can be made into a practice by reading any kind of materials
such as books, magazine, newspaper or even e-books before hitting the sack. As
a result, you will constantly think about what you just read as you fall
asleep. This is productive to do when studying or doing a revision for your
studies. Your brain will process what was last on your mind as you are deep in
slumber and this exhibits greater memory too.
Independently,
the public should allocate time to visit your local library or bookstore weekly
or monthly depending on your individual schedules. This is because the library
has a wide variety of books with different genres that will suit your personal
interest. The library can also be a rendezvous point for many people who share
the same interest as you and exchange books to inter-exchange books among each
other.
Subscribing to a magazine of your interest is one of the many ways to get
people to read mainly because it touches on many topics such as lifestyle,
fashion, home decorations and many more. On top of that, magazine’s are more graphic
in comparison to books or newspapers. When reading, you tend to visualize things better when illustrative images are provided. By subscribing to a
magazine of your choice, these magazines will be delivered to your home at a
monthly rate. Alternatively, you can also pay an annual rate and it saves you a
little more cash rather than paying at a monthly rate. There are plenty of
articles to read in a magazine such as ‘How-To’ articles that gives a
step-by-step guide on certain information. For instance such as Do It Yourself (DIY) items or
anything that is related to building and inventing falls under the 'How-To'
category. Magazines often talk about current issues around the world that
is happening to keep you updated on the present. Examples of magazines that are
very popular among readers are Time, Forbes, Readers Digest, GQ magazine
and many more.
It is also
important to have parents contributing on the encouragement for reading.
Parents should expose their children from a young age as when kids are young,
they do absorb things better and hence they could gain more knowledge at a
young age. On top of that, parents could set up a mini library at home with
proper materials, regardless whether it is fiction or nonfiction books. By
doing this, they could also learn how to improve their vocabulary and grammar
as this leads to them looking up in the dictionary on certain words and being
exposed to new ones.
Highly Recommended Books!
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
Source: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/reading
Fatyn
Source: http://emmaclairesweeney.com/2013/01/02/blog/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/
A remarkable book that I have recently read is titled, The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Written by Mark Haddon, this
murder mystery novel has won numerous awards. It received enough attention that
the book is now being produced into a Broadway play. The book is written from
the viewpoint of a 15 year old boy named Christopher who suffers Asperger’s
Syndrome. Christopher was intelligent
with numbers and awfully observant. One night he discovers that his neighbor’s
dog, Wellington , dead stabbed by a pitchfork.
After being accused of killing the dog, Christopher was sent to the
police. This lead the 15 year old to uncover who was the actual murderer and
overcoming his sense of fear through the mental difficulties he writhes on.
I personally love the character build up of Christopher. Knowing
that Mark Haddon has worked with people with disabilities, he is able to give
me as a reader a detailed explanation on how it is to be in the shoes of someone
who has autism. In the book we are able to see diagrams and drawings done by Christopher himself that gives a reader a graphic image on how the mind of the
boy works. This method I feel made the character Haddon made alive and
believable.
There are some minor points that made me love this book so
much more. I like how Haddon uses his intended catch lines and jokes to be
ironic as Christopher would never be witty and humorous due to his status. The chapters
in the book are in prime numbers thus; this shows Christopher’s adoration for Mathematics
and studying.
After reading this remarkable book I strongly feel that it
needs to be recommended to the many readers out there who enjoys a little bit
of everything. From adventures to drama this novel contains it all. Go ahead
and give it a try, trust me it’s worth it.
Apple
Source: http://image1.suning.cn/b2c/catentries/000000000133120162_1_400x400.jpg
“Panda is coming! More important than the black
and white decision, FanFan with River and Ryan brother happiness diary!” is one
of my favourite book. The book is an autobiography which written by Christine
Fan, she is an American-born Taiwanese singer-songwriter. This book is recorded
the hardship of her over longing for a child and how she faced and overcome all
the difficulties that she endured. In just a few short lines, before she
success in pregnancy, she had despaired that she cannot became a mother in her
life. However, the increased risk of ongoing health conditions and gestational
diabetes have exposed her to the potential risk of trying to get pregnant.
After the delivery of the babies, she is separated from her babies as they are
born at 33 weeks whereas, a normal pregnancy is generally 40 weeks long. As the
twin baby are too weak, they are admitted to a hospital with specialist
facilities for premature babies, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
I like
the story line of this book as the main character has been through so much in
the great emotional poles, her longing to becoming a mother. Even after her
first two attempt for pregnancies, she never once gave up and letting herself
swayed by doubt. Besides that, she sticks to her Chinese herbs to nurse her
health and her persistence paid off. She also need to regularly inject
menotropin, which can stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs.
“Bear all
things, believes all things, hope all things, endures all things.” which is
mentioned in the bible, Corinthians 13:7-8 has inspired and motivated me never
give up. This book touches my heart deeply, it taught me no matter what happens
we must face and cope with all the difficulties bravely. Even though there were
a lot of difficulties in the writer’s life, but she still looks towards the
positive way.
Connie
One of my all-time favourite book that I have
read so far is Divergent, the first
novel from the trilogy series by Veronica Roth and it has become a major motion
picture on screen. The story revolves around a 16 year old girl, Beatrice Prior
(Tris) living in a society divided into five different factions which are Amity
(kind), Erudite (intelligent), Dauntless (brave), Candor (honest) and
Abnegation (selfless). All the people that live there are forced to choose
where they belong and the choice that Tris decided on shocks everyone including
herself. Then, she finds herself in a harsh new life where she could not trust
anybody and along the way she met a guy that seems dangerous but safe to be
with. She is different and feels that she does not belong in any of the
factions because she has a deadly secret that might save those she loves or
destroy her.
The book was very interesting with a great
story line and captivating characters that makes me read from the start to the
end without pausing. The part I liked most about the story is that the author
portrays Tris as a strong female character and not those general weak female
protagonist in most novels. She has a mind of her own and did not abide the
rules. She fights for her loved ones and face the enemies head-on to restore
peace. Another part I like about Divergent
is it also focuses on the aspect of friendship and family. Tris must determine
who her friends are and whether she can trust them or not. In addition, she
builds a stronger relationship with her family and also suffers losing her
family members. To top it all off, there was a little romance in the story that
makes it even better to read. I would strongly recommend people to read this
book especially people who enjoys science fiction and adventure related books
because it was definitely a good read!
Mukmin
My
most favourite book that I will forever have a place in my heart is Heroes of
Olympus: Son of Neptune. The Heroes of Olympus series is the continuation of
Rick Riordian’s most famous book series which is the Percy Jackson series. This
book is about boy named Percy Jackson losing his memories and taken away from
his home, Camp Half-Blood. He was brought to roman camp called Camp Jupiter and
has to adapt to his new environment.
What I like most about this
book is how Percy is separated from his friends at Camp Half-Blood and has to
make new friends with the people of Camp Jupiter that has a bad history with
the Greek counterpart. Even though Percy had this problem, he was still able to
make friends with two Romans, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque. Together with his
new friends, they go on a quest that can endanger their lives.
Other than that, this book makes
me imagine a lot during Percy’s adventure. It makes me visualize the battles he
and his friends had to go through. I could feel the tension when the trio were
battling the giants. As I kept on reading, the story gets more interesting. One
of the characters, Frank, was also battling internally as his mother had just
passed away. While feeling grief over the deaths of his mother, he still had to
continue his journey with his friends.
Lastly, the main character’s
reaction in different situations makes the story more fun. Even when times are
tough, Percy still has a sense of humor. It does not matter whether he is
celebrating with his friends or fighting a giant, Percy can still make jokes
and have a good laugh. Although the jokes are usually about his enemies which
will lead to them getting angered and making the situation harder than it needs
to be.
I highly recommend this book
if any of you are interested in story lines with mythological aspects. Before
you read this book, make sure you have read the book that was published before
this which is “The Lost Hero”.
Jane
The book that
I have read which is unforgettable is Life Without Limits by an extraordinary
man name called Nick Vujicic. Nick Vujicic is born with no arms and hands. He
overcome his disability to live but not just only independently but also a rich,
fulfilling life, becoming a model for anyone to see his true happiness and now
he is married. Nevertheless, he is a father now and he is a father of 2
beautiful children.
Nick Vujicic
is also a successful speaker even though he is born with no arms and hands he
is still a successful man. It is not easy to find someone like Nick Vujicic
that will never give up in his life. He motivates people and advise people how
to not give up in life. This lead to make people around him perceive life and never
gives up.. He don’t only tell about giving up in life but he also tells how god
has been around with him. This is because he wants the reader to feel the same
way about how he is feeling and our life no matter what challenges we are
facing recently in era.
As we begin
our journey, we should continue it until the end no matter what happen to our
life . Nick vujicic is a really a successful man and yet I admire him.
Moreover, no one else can be as strong as him to handle a family yet a successful
speaker. Also, he said ‘ I do believe my life has no limits’ this is because he
wants us to treasure life. This book makes me realize how to appreciate and start relishing the moment we have it now
before it is too late. It is really an
unforgettable book that I have read until today. I highly recommend this book. You will never
regret reading this book and this can change your life.
Neveen
An unforgettable book for me is ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ written by John Green about a love story between a sixteen year old thyroid cancer patient, Hazel Grace Lancaster and seventeen year old Augustus Waters who lost his leg battling osteosarcoma. Hazel met Augustus when she attended a cancer patient support group. Augustus attended the group to support his friend Isaac, who was losing his remaining eye to cancer. Later on, Hazel and Augustus headed back to his house and bonded over movies and novels, especially ‘An Imperial Affliction’ written by Peter Van Houten.
After a week, Augustus reveals to Hazel that he tracked down Van Houten’s assistant Ledewij in Amsterdam via the internet and has then swap emails about the ending of the novel. Van Houten replied that he could only give the answers to their questions in person, but due to medical conditions and financial restrictions, her mother didn't to let her go.
Struggling thinking about death, Hazel suffered pleural effusion and is immediately sent to the Intensive Care Unit. This made the doctors and medical team questioned her ability to travel to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten. They continued arguing till Dr.Maria, a physician that is familiar with Hazel’s case speaked up on the importance of letting her travel.
Upon arriving in Amsterdam, Van Houten paid for dinner and Augustus opened up about his love towards Hazel. They then met Van Houten the next day and turns out he is the opposite of a literate genius and had the worst behavior and continued to insult Hazel’s cancer while starting an argument. Ledewij finally confessed on arranging the meeting on his behalf after Hazel’s and Augustus's shocking flee.
Ledewij make it up by accompanying both of them to the Anne Frank House and shortly after that, Hazel found out about Augustus’ cancer pains. Augustus confessed about his worse health conditions and upon returning home, he was admitted and later on passed away. Later on, Hazel found out that Augustus has been writing sequence to ‘An Imperial Affliction’ and sending them to Van Houten because he wanted him to write a well written accolade for her.
This is a recommended book among teenagers as it teaches us life values and also takes us on a roller coaster of emotions.
Umar
The story of Huckleberry Finn was written by one of my personal favourites, Samuel Clemens who is well-known throughout the literature world by his pen name, Mark Twain. To start of, the book I have chosen as a subject for this review has left an everlasting mark on this world to such an extent where it still raises controversies concerning racial issues even in our time now. Unlike any other books I've read, the ripples caused by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn did not rest as soon as it was published, but rather it echoed through the decades that came by.
The book itself is not very thick, nor is it difficult to read. But the main reason behind the success of the book is because it tells an enrapturing tale of a beautiful sprouting friendship between an extremely superstitious, African-American slave, Jim, and his polar opposite who happens to be a simple American boy by the name of Huck. In fact, the entire story revolves around these two protagonist and how their friendship grew into something much more enticing that completely contradicts with the stereotypical beliefs of the olden days in the South. Other than that, the plot-line of the story gives an account of Huck and Jim’s soul searching journey on the long stretch of the Mississippi River to the riveting cliff-hangers that would nevertheless leave a reader with clammy hands at the edge of their seat. Although many argue that the use of the racial slur, “nigga” used consistently in the book is unethical, I think otherwise. In all honesty, I don't think a single word should be altered in the book because Twain used that specific word for a reason which was to capture a perfect mirror image of the society back then.
Despite of all the negative spread against the book, it is a must - read for most just because it's a real page turner.
A quick note from our Managing Editor: This would then conclude our 3rd Blog task and I just would like to express my gratitude for anyone reading our blog. Your support matters to us.
A quick note from our Managing Editor: This would then conclude our 3rd Blog task and I just would like to express my gratitude for anyone reading our blog. Your support matters to us.
EDITORS: Ting Yie Chee, Chua Jing Wen
WRITERS: Neveen Ashiblie, Fatyn Afiqah
RESEARCHERS: Jane Cho, Syed Mukmin, Umar Ashar
