Steve & Me by Terry Irwin

Title: Steve and Me
Author: Terri Irwin
Source: Personal Shelf
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My thoughts:
Who hasn’t heard about Steve Irwin? Even though I’m not a crocodile fan, I still watched his show sometimes because his enthusiasm and obvious love for his work pulled me in. His wife was always in the background. I never gave her much thought and I wondered what this book might have to say. But I was pleasantly surprised. Terry has her own charm and genuineness which comes across through the pages.

Terry met Steve when she visited Steve and his parents zoo in Australia during a vacation. After a few months they got married and Terry moved to Australia to be with him. She had her own business, worked part-time at an emergency veterinary hospital and operated a wildlife rehabilitation organization called ‘Cougar Country’. So she was, before she met Steve, a wildlife warrior in her own way. After she met Steve she was introduced to a bigger world and a passion for Wildlife that matched or even surpassed hers. She was with Steve when he wasn’t with Animal Planet and wasn’t famous. She assisted Steve in his crocodile hunts and helped him manage the zoo.

Through Steve and Me, I got to know a Steve who was as passionate and dedicated as we know him but we also got to know how emotional and vulnerable he was. I was especially touched when Steve cried because he couldn’t save one of the crocodiles from the hunters. He did not limit his love only to Crocs, he loved every animal out there and worked for their welfare.

There were also a lot of things that I learnt from this book. The one that gave me goose bumps was when Terri described what Crocodile farming was really like. She also writes about the time Steve was surrounded by controversies-once during the Whale shoot and another during the time he did a croc show with his daughter Bindi in his arms as an infant. It’s disheartening to know what kind of stories people cook up to create sensation.

I feel that Steve’s death, other than the loss to his family, also robbed the world of a wildlife warrior, the kind who would be difficult to find again. I hope his children have the same passion and energy he had and take his legacy forward. In terms of writing, this book is as simple and straightforward as it gets, but I feel it doesn’t need frills and flowery language to describe what an amazing man Steve was. Highly recommended.

All kinds of Randomness…

Work is getting more hectic as we are approaching the go live date in May. Just today I had a big discussion with my Manager because I told him I cannot come to work on the coming weekend. Whatever!!!

Anyway, my husband and I are going to Kuching, Malaysia tomorrow. Soooooo excited. I desperately need a break and some time alone with my husband. I’ll post photos if possible.

I think I am slowly finding a balance to work and blogging and personal life. It will still take some time to adjust, but I just have to plan my time properly.

My husband and I watched ‘Hall Pass’ the other day. I enjoyed the movie but I also thought there were a few unnecessary things in it.

I’m loving my new Blackberry. I can keep track of emails and reply instantly instead of waiting to reach home and find time to log on to the internet.

I’m at a phase in my life when I really don’t feel like making new friends anymore. You don’t get friendships like the ones you form in schools and colleges.

I fell bad that I don’t get to watch any Hindi movies here although I’m glad for the ones that do release. Something is better than nothing right?

I bought a small 6 shelves rack for my shoes but when I got home from work I found that my husband had unpacked it and arranged it with my books. I was so pleased with the way it looked that I’ve kept it. It means I need a new shoe rack.

The Black Book of Secrets by F.E.Higgins

Title: The Black Book of Secrets
Author: F.E. Higgins
Genre: Fiction
Set in: England
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (October 2, 2007)
Source: Personal Library
Rating: 4/5

My thoughts:
I honestly did not expect much from this book. It was just something I found in a sale at dirt cheap price. But I was pleasantly surprised. The Black Book of Secrets is a very unusual book. Ludlow Fitch, a 16-year-old boy, runs away from his cruel parents and by chance reaches a village called Pagus Parvus in the dead of the night. There he meets a man called Joe Zabbidou who has come out of nowhere to live in the village and has a secret. He is a pawnbroker by day and a trader of secrets by night. Ludlow becomes his assistant.

The bad guy in the village is Jeremiah Ratchet who has half the village under his debt and is a very cruel man. The villagers start to trust Joe and come to trade their secrets with him in the night. Most of them have to do with Jeremiah’s cruelty. Joe is unable to do anything in spite of knowing how cruel Jeremiah is.

I don’t want to reveal much so I wont tell you what happens. But I loved the end as much as I loved the book. I loved reading all the secrets and wondering how everything tied together. The Black Book of Secrets is supposed to be a children’s book but I think it’s very dark to be read by children. It could be more of a YA novel.

The back of the book says the author found Ludlow’s memoirs concealed within the hollow of a wooden leg. She pieced together the memoirs and filled in the gaps with her imagination. I don’t know how true it is but the result is a very entertaining book.

Definitely recommended.

Wordless Wednesday: Floating Market Thailand

Book Loot or Monday Mailbox

Looks like all I’m doing lately is buying more books and reading very less. Although I do manage to read regularly even if it’s not much, I still don’t feel a lot guilty about buying a lot of books. Just last weekend I went to this MPH warehouse sale to have a look. But you know how it goes, I ended up buying these books. Most of them were on my Wishlist so I’m quite happy

On a normal day I would list down all the books with the Amazon links but today I’m way too tired. Why don’t you just enlarge the pic and let me know if you’ve read any or looking forward to read any? Pretty please?

Muslim Women Reformers by Ida Lichter

Title: Muslim Women Reformers
Author: Ida Lichter
Hardcover: 513 pages
Publisher: Prometheus Books (May 26, 2009)
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My thoughts:
When I first browsed through the book, all I saw was too much information. Just from the index I could tell that there were too many countries and too many reformers from each country. I thought it would be an overload and I would finish the book without knowledge about anything in particular.

But how wrong I was. After reading the book I can still say it has lot of information but everything is so nicely structured that I could go read it in sections without getting overwhelmed. It was definitely not an overload and I could tell how important it was to include as many reformers as possible. I would feel bad if even a single among them was excluded and I feel there was still room for more.

Every countries section begins with a brief but concise history of the reformation with how the countries past and present has affected the position of the women for better or for worse. Under each country we have the information on different women reformers and the work they have done and are still doing for the betterment of women. It also lists the awards won and books written if any and the various organizations that are working towards a single goal-the betterment of women.

I found Muslim Women Reformers an awesome resource on the work done by women from different Muslim countries. Although every country has it’s own laws, one thing remains common-the exploitation of Muslim women in the name of Islam. The problem is combining religion and politics and hence the misinterpretation of religion to achieve the political goals. Since most of these politicians are men, they use Islam as a way to keep women out from what they consider their territory. But women are learning to interpret Islam the correct way which is helping in fighting with these fundamentalists.

These are the women who are fighting for basic rights, both political and personal, and suffer tremendously for it. I am amazed by their courage and determination at the cost of their personal lives. The saddest part probably is that these women have to fight even for basic things like custody of their children, honour killings, right to decide if they want to wear a veil and right to express their opinion; and although it is a slow process, there is definitely progress in many parts of the Muslim world.

I am in no situation to say how accurate or inaccurate this information in this books is but I have faith that the author has done enough research before writing the book. I also understand that there are exceptions everywhere. For me, this books definitely deserves a place on my shelf. I highly recommend it.

Related/ Similar topics:
Teaser Tuesday: Muslim Women Reformers
Honour Killing: Stories of men who killed by Ayse Onal