Posts

Showing posts from September, 2021

Megane Collection: The Bespectacled Gentlemen Anthology (Volume I)

Image
Megane Collection: The Bespectacled Gentlemen Anthology (Volume I) Story and Art by Shin Kawamaru English-language edition published by Shogakukan Asia Pte. Ltd. (2014) Still fresh from simping over William Sloan in My Nerdy Valentine , I decided to continue exposing myself to an overload of geeky guys through this manga, which pays special tribute to the megane type. Megane literally means eyeglasses in Japanese, and a megane character in Japanese manga / anime refers to the bespectacled heartthrobs of the story (and I repeat, HEARTTHROBS. Megane does not refer to the awkward social outcast type of character who happens to wear glasses). “ Everyone falls for those glasses. When he puts them on, his appeal increases by thirty percent... ” – Taeko Eguchi (in love with Mitsuru Sakuragi the bespectacled pastry chef / Chapter 1, Part 3) This anthology contains short (love) stories featuring nine different men who were all, as you guessed it, bespectacled! The men have different persona

My Nerdy Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Image
My Nerdy Valentine By Vicki Lewis Thompson 339 pages Published by St. Martin’s Press (2007) I had a crush on a geeky-looking guy a few years ago, but when my feelings for him were crushed as he ghosted me, I had totally forgotten that I used to feel excited at the sight of a bespectacled man. Ever since, whenever I drooled over a hero in romance novels, I had been indifferent of whether they wear spectacles or not. When I read My Nerdy Valentine one fine day, it all came back to me. Suddenly I recalled that I used to have a soft spot for bespectacled guys! My Nerdy Valentine follows the story of Amanda Rykowsky, a psychology student who was doing her internship at the office of Dr Gloria Tredway, an infamous sex therapist. Amanda was very focused on her studies because she had planned her life well ahead: after finishing her internship, she wanted to enrol at Harvard and in the future become a therapist specialising in adolescent psychology. She wanted to have a very stable life and

Langsir Biji Remia oleh Noor Suraya

Image
Langsir Biji Remia Oleh Noor Suraya 263 halaman Terbitan JS Adiwarna Sdn. Bhd. (2011) Noor Suraya sudah lama berkarya, namun inilah hasil tulisan beliau yang pertama sekali aku pernah baca. Ternyata reputasi beliau yang disebut-sebut selama ini benar belaka: tulisannya menggunakan bahasa yang indah lagi memikat hati. Penggunaan bahasanya ringkas; apa yang paling penting bagi aku ialah karya yang mudah dibaca. Mesej tersirat yang cuba disampaikan oleh penulis jelas semuanya. Penulis banyak membawa persoalan tentang kecintaan terhadap bahasa Melayu, peranan sastera dalam kebudayaan dan kemajuan sesebuah tamadun. Paling aku suka adalah cara penulis menggambarkan tentang makanan di dalam novel ini – pembaca seolah-olah dapat merasai kesedapan hidangan yang diceritakan itu seperti kita benar-benar sedang menikmatinya! Begitu juga adegan ketika di Tanah Suci Makkah dan Madinah, gaya penceritaannya buat aku terbuai dan berupaya menggamit semula memori sendiri ketika menjejakkan kaki ke sana b

The Princess And The Hare and Other Princess Stories

Image
The Princess And The Hare and Other Princess Stories Compiled by Tig Thomas 40 pages Published by Miles Kelly Publications Ltd (2013) This book contains four lesser-known fairy tales that, nevertheless, still feature princesses who finally live happily ever after. They are The Princess and the Hare (a traditional German tale), Earl Mar’s Daughter (Joseph Jacobs), The Three Dogs , and The Sea-Hare (both by the Brothers Grimm). The Princess and the Hare follows the story of Princess Letiko, who was taken away from her mother by the Sun because of a bargain the queen made with the Sun before Letiko was conceived. Letiko was always sad after the separation. Sympathetic, the Sun eventually decided to send Letiko back to the queen in the company of two hares. Earl Mar’s Daughter tells the story of the said girl (who remained unnamed throughout the story), who secretly married the enchanted Prince Florentine. The Prince’s mother put a spell on him that he turned into a dove during the day

Searching For Her Prince by Karen Rose Smith

Image
Searching For Her Prince By Karen Rose Smith 184 pages Published by Harlequin Mills & Boon (2002) Lady Amira Sierra Corbin was sent to Chicago by Queen Marissa of Penwyck – a small faraway island kingdom in Europe – to look for hotel tycoon Marcus Cordello, who could be the heir to the throne. Amira’s mother was the queen’s lady-in-waiting, and Amira herself was a companion for the princesses. Kindly Queen Marissa was quite motherly towards her that she trusted Amira enough to be her emissary for the mission. King Morgan had fallen ill and a scandal was untimely exposed regarding the heirs to the throne of Penwyck: the current so-called heirs, twins Owen and Dylan, might have been switched at birth with another set of twins. The latter changeling twins – the possible true heirs of the throne – had been adopted by an American couple. The set of twins that had been taken to America were whom Queen Marissa was looking for. Based on what little information they had, Amira learnt that o

Nakalnya Setan Cinta (“Ijiwaru Love ♡ Devil”)

Image
Nakalnya Setan Cinta (tajuk asal “ Ijiwaru Love ♡ Devil ”) Karya Nakahara An 189 halaman Diterbitkan oleh Art Square Creation Sdn. Bhd. (2009) Jyan adalah daripada spesies setan dan berniat membuat kacau dengan melepaskan aura negatifnya di dunia manusia. Bagi menjayakan misi jahatnya, dia telah menjelmakan diri dalam rupa bentuknya yang mirip manusia, namun malangnya dilanggar lori sebelum sempat berbuat apa-apa. Jasad Jyan mati di tempat kejadian, namun rohnya boleh terus hidup sekiranya berjaya mencari jasad baru dengan segera. Sekiranya dia tidak dapat mencari jasad gantian, rohnya akan musnah sedikit demi sedikit. Dalam keadaan terdesak, roh Jyan melihat sebuah patung beruang ‘teddy bear’. Tanpa berfikir panjang, roh Jyan terus merasuk teddy bear tersebut bagi menjadikan teddy bear itu sebagai jasad gantiannya sementara mencari jasad baru. Teddy bear tersebut adalah milik seorang gadis 14 tahun bernama Yui Yoshimura. Apabila mendapati teddy bearnya mampu bercakap dan bergerak, Yui

Ombak Rindu oleh Fauziah Ashari

Image
Ombak Rindu Oleh Fauziah Ashari 563 halaman Diterbitkan oleh Alaf 21 Sdn. Bhd. (2003) Barangkali novel ini dinamakan “ Ombak Rindu ” kerana perasaan dua watak utama novel ini iaitu Izzah dan Hariz yang bagaikan ombak yang membadai pantai. Kadangkala terasa rindu sangat, kadangkala hati menjauh. Ibarat ombak yang ada pasang dan surutnya. Izzah seorang gadis yatim piatu telah dibela oleh Pakcik Taha dan Makcik Hajar sepeninggalan ibu bapanya ketika dia berusia 13 tahun. Izzah tidak pernah dilayan dengan baik oleh Pakcik Taha dan Makcik Hajar, sebaliknya selalu menjadi mangsa penderaan fizikal dan mental mereka. Selepas tamat peperiksaan SPM, Izzah telah bekerja di sebuah kilang bagi mengumpul wang untuk melanjutkan pengajiannya. Bagaimanapun, Pakcik Taha ada rancangan lain buat dirinya. Selama ini Pakcik Taha dan Makcik Hajar hidup susah kerana Pakcik Taha terlalu banyak hutang judi di keliling pinggang. Mereka menganggap kehadiran Izzah cuma menyusahkan mereka sahaja, oleh itu bercadang