THE RIGHT READ 21

theSun ON WEDNESDAY | JULY 23, 2014

BEST-SELLING BOOKS
Fiction
1. INFERNO Dan Brown
2. AND THE MOUNTAINS
ECHOED Khaled
Hosseini
3. GOLDFINCH Donna
TARTT
4. LOVE &
MISADVENTURE
Lang LeaV
5. SILKWORM Robert
Galbraith
AKA JK ROWLING
6. SYCAMORE ROW
John Grisham
7. THE SHOCK OF THE
FALL Nathan Filer
8. THE WOMAN WHO
WENT TO BED FOR A
YEAR Sue Townsend
9. KITE RUNNER
Khaled Hosseini
10. GHOST BRIDE
Choo Yangsze
Non-Fiction
1. DREAM BIG: 8
ADVENTURE STORIES
BY NICK YOUR KIDS
CANNOT MISS
Nick Vujicic
2. ENGLISH FAST & EASY:
USEFUL PHRASES FOR
WORK AND EVERYDAY
LIFE Marianna Pascal
3. HOW LIFE WORKS
Andrew Matthews
4. DAVID & GOLIATH:
UNDERDOGS. MISFITS
AND THE ART OF
BATTLING GIANTS
Malcolm Gladwell
5. WRECK THIS JOURNAL
EVERYWHERE
Keri Smith
6. FINDING YOUR
ELEMENT Ken
Robinson
7. LOST RECIPES OF
MALAYSIA Mohd Shakri
8. GRANDMAS BEST
RECIPES Parragon
9. CAN WE SAVE
MALAYSIA PLEASE!
Kee Thuan Chye
10. INSTANT MBA Nicholas
Bate
Courtesy of Borders Bookstore
Author: Robert Galbraith
Publisher: Little, Brown and
Company
THIS BOOK sees the return of
protagonist Cormoran Strike
whos an oversized, limping,
grisly-faced private
investigator.
The story opens in Smithfield
Market, eight months after the
first Cormoran Strike instalment
The Cuckoos Calling in which the PI
proved to the Crown Prosecution
Service that famous model Lula Landry
had not jumped from her fourth-floor
balcony, but that she was pushed.
Subsequent publicity from the case
has seen Strike scrape himself free from
debt and take his place as one of the
most sought-after detectives.
Strike has met ruthless News of the
World reporter Dominic Culpepper with
a tip-off about tax evasion by a well-
known peer.
The information was obtained by one
of his clients, the secretary and mistress
of Lord Parker of Pennywell, who is out
for revenge.
Back in his meagre but orderly office
above a small graphic design studio off
Tottenham Court Road, a woman
approaches Strike to report the
disappearance of her husband, a little-

Code (A Virals Novel)

Authors: Kathy Reichs &
Brendan Reichs
Publisher: Putnam
BINC: M159940
THE THIRD book in the young
adult Virals series by this mother-
and-son team tells how The Virals,
a group of teen agers who gained
special powers after being
infected with an experimental
canine virus, have to face off
against an evil opponent.
Tory Brennan, the great-niece
of Temperance Brennan (the main
character of Kathy Reichs adult
series Bones which has since been
made into a TV series), lives on a
fairly remote island near
Charleston, South Carolina, with
her scientist father after the
accidental death of her mother.

IN A CAPSULE
known writer named
Owen Quine.
Out of pity and
curiosity, Strike
takes on the case.
It soon transpires
that Quine had
penned a poisonous
manuscript enraging
pretty much
everyone he knows,
so when the writers
body is found, Strike finds himself at the
centre of a brutal murder investigation
with endless suspects.
What follows is a tightly-stitched
updating of the classic tale of the
dishevelled but brilliant private eye,
smattered with references to 19th-
century French literature and pre-
Levenson sleuthing tactics, alongside
well-realised characters not least a
chain-smoking literary agent with an
incontinent Dobermann, who capitalises
on the fact that she awoke in those
who were susceptible, childhood
memories of demanding and all-
powerful mothers.
Over the course of 455 or so pages,
Strike tackles the case with the help of
his loyal assistant, Robin Ellacott.
This is another interesting read from
J.K. Rowling writing under the name of
Robert Galbraith. M.L.M.
Tory has a close
group of friends who
live on the island,
too.
In the first book
(Virals, 2010), they
were all infected with
a mutant type of
canine parvovirus that
has given them
canine-like abilities.
Torys abilities
seem the strongest in some ways,
perhaps as she is the alpha of their
friendly wolf-ish group. She can,
in moments of stress, cause them
to link telepathicly.
In this book, the pack is
innocently lured into a game when
one of them gets interested in
geocaching. Its a treasure hunting
game in which you use a GPS to
find items left
by others.
The item
they find
leads into a
deadly game
from which
they cannot
e s c a p e
w i t h o u t
risking harm
to those they
love. Along the
way, they are shot
at, discover a
murder victim, and
almost get
poisoned.
Tory also has to
deal with the up-
coming debutante
ball along with the
other young ladies
of Charleston.
The action teeters between
Loggerhead Island, where Torys
father works at a research
institute, the prep school the
group attends on scholarship,
and Charleston proper.
Meanwhile, a hurricane enters
into the mix just when Tory and
the gang think theyve foiled the
bad guy.
The Brennans also take the
changes to the pack from the
super virus a bit further.
The Code is a crossover
between middle grade fiction and
young adult and will appeal to a
wide range of ages.
There is also much scientific
information that is revealed as the
group struggles to figure out the
clues that will help them stop the
murder of innocent people.
GET a 30% discount on Kathy and Brendan Reichs
Code by presenting this coupon upon payment at any
Borders outlet in Malaysia.
This offer is valid until Aug 3, 2014, or while stocks last.
It is not valid with other promotions and not exchangeable
for cash. One coupon for only one copy of the title and only
original coupons will be accepted.
Special discount
from Borders
The Silkworm
Rattling minds
BY BISSME S.
E
KA KURNIAWAN is
acknowledged as one of the
most exciting fiction writers
in Indonesia.
His debut novel, Cinta Itu Luka,
published in 2002, received
critical reviews and won him fans
throughout.
Since then, the 39-year-old has
written three novels and three
collections of short stories.
Born in Tasikmalaya in West
Java, in 1975, Eka was in Malaysia
recently for a book event and to
promote his new book, Seperti
Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar
Tuntas.
He sat down with theSun to
share his thoughts on his work
and motivation, the literary scene
in Indonesia and his new book.
You have been compared to
(the late) Pramoedya Ananta
Toer, one of Indonesias finest
writers. Some believe you are
the most exciting writer that
Indonesia has produced since.
Any comment?
I believe the comparison is not
fair. Pramoedya and I came from
two different generations and two
different eras. So, we tend to look
at Indonesia very differently.
When two people look at
something differently, naturally
the stories we tell will be different.
I really believe you cannot make a
comparison between the two.
Each writer has his own style
and his own perspective. Pram is
one of the finest writers in my
country. But he should not be
made into a God.
Some readers love your latest
novel Seperti Dendam ... but
others were not comfortable
with the vulgar language.
My characters in the novel are
from the lower class and I was
capturing the language these
characters tend to use when it
comes to sex.
I also looked at some of the
graffiti writings on sex that you
normally find behind the trucks
(In Indonesia, graffiti is often
found on trucks). I have used
some of these graffiti writings as
an inspiration.
> Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan loves to provoke readers to talk
about issues not normally discussed in life through his books
Personally, I take these
comments as compliments. It is
like some people who do not like
seafood but when a chef cooks up
a good seafood dish, they enjoy
the flavours. They forget the dish
they are eating is seafood.
Your novels deal with sexual
themes. Some may feel good
literature should discuss the
mind rather than desires of the
body. What is your comment?
I dont agree. We should be
discussing anything that is
relevant to human life mind and
body, happiness and sadness,
virtue and sin.
Our society and our history
are always dealing with the pain
and joy of our bodies and our
minds as well.
What motivates you as a
writer?
I started writing at the age of 11. I
was not a clever student nor was I
keen on sports. I wanted to win
the attention of my classmates,
especially the opposite sex.
So I started writing poetry.
But over the years, I became
serious about making writing my
profession.
What is the misconception that
people have about you?
After reading my work, some
people have this impression that I
am a serious old man. But when
they meet me, they are surprised
that I am nothing like that (he
looks boyish and jovial and loves
to laugh).
To me, an ideal literature is
telling a serious story with a touch
of humour. I know people who
read my work and have a good
laugh. But in the end, they regard
my work as serious literature.
Do you think every story should
have a message?
Consciously or unconsciously,
writers [leave] messages in [their]
stories. [But] readers may not see
things the same way the writer
wants them to see. The writer
simply has no control over how
readers interpret his stories.
I really believe a story should
not become a sermon. Once a
story becomes a sermon, the story
is no longer interesting. I write
mainly to disturb the mind of my
readers (laughs).
Why do you want to rattle the
mind of your readers?
Literature is one of the ways to
discuss our existence in this life, to
share our ideas and to react to
other peoples ideas. What is the
best way to get people into a
discussion? Perhaps by disturbing
their mind ... am I right?
How do you take criticism?
A well-known critic of a
newspaper gave my first novel
(Cinta Itu Luka) a bad review.
He said that my novel had no
direction it was not realistic nor
was it surrealistic. I did not mind
his review. But my friends and my
fans were not happy.
They felt the critic was unfair
and that he did not appreciate a
young writers view of the world.
They critiqued him for giving me a
bad review.
The reviewer jokingly told me
that my friends and my fans were
very garang (fierce)!