Books for gifts...

Everyone likes to receive gifts,but a few will admit openly.Let me make a confession.Not only I like to receive gifts,but I also enjoy giving gifts to others. Somehow,I just love the feelings of it!

Last weekend, my friend Badrul gave me a book entitled Interpreter of Maladies, written by Jhumpa Lahiri.It is a collection of short stories that received the Pulitzer Prize 2000! It really made me very happy for ,one I love to recieve gifts,two it is a collection of short stories(my favourite genre)  and three it is the thought that counts! This is a second time I received a book gift in the last ten years,the first was from Pak Din (entitled Jesus Speaks),the Malaysian Hall canteen operator when I visited him in London last April.Yesterday,I helped my son to buy a book as a present for his friend's birthday. When it comes to bithday's gifts to children, a poetry by Usman Awang always reminds me to buy books instead of toys of war.

By the way,when was the last time you receive or give a book as a present? This year I am very lucky to receive two books compared to nothing in the last nine years.May be it is good to buy a book and give it to someone. If no one cares to give you a book gift,just buy one and give it to yourself.

Badrul bought the book at Harvard Bookshop when he was there last month.Last Saturday we had a teh tarik session and he told me how wonderful was his trip there. I also related to him my story when I was there two years ago. You can read about it at this webpage:http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/8046/BostonNY.htm

Two years ago I attended the London International Book Fair held at Olympia.To coincide with it,London also held London Festival of Literature where authors all over the world congregated  there and attended reading and book signing events all over the boroughs in London. At the same time, the public was encouraged to buy book tokens to donate to 3,500 schools whick took parts in the reading campaign. A book token is just like a coupon where anyone can buy at any participating bookshop and can be exchanged for books.It is available anytime.I hope we Malaysians can do a similar thing to encourage reading especially among children in the coming Reading Month,August 2000.

Once again,Thank you Badrul!
ps. If anyone of you wishes to give me a book,just email to me and I will come running.Usually,I will return the favour.Let's start giving books to each other,especially to our loved one and freinds.