I am reading John Burdett’s second book ( the first is Bangkok 8 ) out of curiousity, I’ve never read a Thailand detective, solves murderer case in Bangkok about prostitutes, sex industry, drug-dealers, bad cops, and so on…

Just by reading the cover make me anxious…

But thing that really make me reading is the author’s note:

Bangkok is one of the world’s great cities, all of which own read-light districts that find their ways into the pages of novels from time to time. The sex industry in Thailand is smaller per capita than in many other countries. That it is more famous is probably because the Thais are less coy about it than many other people. Most visitors to the kingdom enjoy wonderful vacations without coming across any evidence of sleaze at all. Indeed, the vast majority of Thais follow a somewhat strict Buddhist code of conduct.

On a related topic, I am bound to say that I have not myself come across police corruption in Thailand in any form, although the local media reports malpractice on almost a daily basis.

Compare to where I live, too many hypocrites, too much hypocrisy in many ways…

I am “trying” to read this book, authored by Sydney Sheldon, titled “Are you afraid of the dark ?”

“Trying”, because for quite sometime I am just so busy with many tasks to do, and less and less time for reading and doing other stuff.

“Are you afraid of the dark ?” seems promising, as the back cover says:

In New York, Denver, Paris and Berlin, four people have died separately in apparent accidents.
Two women – the widows of two of the dead – find themselves under ruthless attack and are thrown together in fear, confusion and for mutual protection. They could not be more different: Diane Stevens is a well-connected, affluent artist from the Uppers East Side. Kelly Harris is an African-American model who, having grown up in a rough Philadelphia neighbourhood with a new ‘uncle’ every month, believed she had at last found safety and contentment in Paris, married to a brilliant scientist.
…

I read some of Sheldon’s, even watching “I dream of Jeanny” and “ER” series, hopefully I can finish this book as I have other Sheldon’s and Grisham’s waiting …

Dan adalah sangat menyedihkan karena beberapa pejabat terkait pendidikan mengeluarkan pernyataan yang kira-kira: “Menyedihkan, minat membaca generasi mudah sekarang sangat kecil !”
Itu kalimat yang sungguh-sungguh sangat tidak pantas diucapkan oleh pejabat negara yang konon merupakan pelayan publik (well, public servant, isn’t it ?) tanpa dasar yang cukup kuat.
Apakah ada survei ? Rasanya belum pernah ada.

Kenyataan yang ada, buku (atau majalah atau cetakan lainnya) itu sangat-sangat mahal.

Sebagai gambaran, sebuah buku cerita yang kira-kira 3-6 bulan lalu berharga Rp. 15ribu, sekarang menjadi Rp.20ribu. Hanya maniak buku atau yang uangnya berkelebihan yang akan membeli buku.

Kalau tidak ada uang untuk membeli buku, kenapa tidak ke Perpustakaan Umum saja ?
What ? Perpustakaan Umum ?
Secara de-facto, dengan polling ala kadarnya yang saya buat, dari 10 orang yang saya kenal, tak satupun yang pernah ke Perpustakaan Umum apalagi jadi anggotanya…
Mungkin kalau sampling saya 1000 orang baru tampak prosentasenya.

Di Indonesia, Perpustakaan Umum sangat tidak populer.
Saya pernah menjadi satu anggota Perpustakaan Umum, well, susah mencari buku yang berumur kira-kira 6 bulan terakhir…

Omong-omong, anda pernah ke Perpustakaan Umum ?

*) Perpustakaan Umum yang saya maksud adalah Perpustakaan Umum Daerah, berarti milik negara, dan bukannya tempat sewa novel dan komik.