My small books collection was turned upside down during the weekends as I was deciding which books to bring for the Belait BookSwap this coming Sunday, 11th March.
Since I have no idea how book-swapping works (except that this coming one in OGDC Seria will include cupcakes!), I will offer books I liked the least.
And so I pulled a bunch of books, one in particular has been on my shelves for at least 5 years, to be put in my swapping pile. But after a while, I decided to read it first – and I mean for the first time, ever!
Drily-titled “Instructions for visitors“, I think I bought this during my crazy-about-European-countryside-phase, perhaps after I watched “Under The Tuscan Sun” (I have not read the book this movie was based on).
As dry as the title was, the content of this part-travelogue and part-diary, despite being set in France, was even duller in an annoying way. I managed 3 pages before I needed to stop and it was a relief to put it down. Just what it is with some writers who feel like they have to describe every single things in one paragraph that you get all sorts of jumbled-up images and scenarios; unconnected, unnecessary and really quite maddening!
Maybe it gets better further on but this book failed to engage me in one page and when it comes to judging books, this is a sin for me.
On the other hand, I randomly pulled out my read-and-loved copy of “Eat, Pray, Love” earlier today and decided to re-read the first chapter. My mind was literally sighing in pleasure when I reached the last line, “But first…Italy“.
This is a book that will stay on my shelf.
So yes, set-in-France will go to the Belait BookSwap and hopefully someone will enjoy it because it won’t be me.
The roads of the interior towns of Ranau-Tambunan-Keningau-Kota Kinabalu in the mid-70s were nothing like they are today.
I am still reading 




