March was the time I restarted my reading habit and binged on some social commentary, history and nonfiction books. I read a few fiction here and there and in total, this month I read over 10 books in different genres.
These days, I am taking my time to read rather than rushing through a book. Typically, I read when I am commuting or waiting for certain things to finish. Other than that, I don’t really have specific time to read but whenever I am free, I make the best of my time to read. These are the books that taught me something new, in no particular order.
Rich people Problems ( Kevin Kwan)
If you have watched Crazy Rich Asians, you must be familiar with its novelist, Kevin Kwan. Rich People Problems is the last part of the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy. In this story, the main character and spotlight is Astrid Leong, Nick Young’s cousin who is an icon and fashionista and the whole plot highlights her relationship with her former fiance, Charlie.
When reading the novel, I couldn’t help but to picture Gemma Chan (The actress who plays as Astrid in the film). However, the novel takes a different route than the movie where in this novel, it was Astrid who caused her marriage with Michael. So, perhaps it’s why the Crazy Rich Asians 2 wouldn’t be released as they need to completely change the storyline to match the first film. Still, the story is entertaining and you will get sucked into Young’s family and their drama just as I did. Definitely the type of book you read to pass the time.
The Grey Book by Alfred Boediman
When I tried to learn more about corruption in Indonesia, I stumbled upon this book, The Grey Book that discusses modern corruption and how it’s deeply rooted and ingrained in the society. Alfred is a seasoned professor and focuses on finance. So, that’s why through The Grey Book, he wrote about corruption through the financial lens and how corruption takes shape even in the digital era.
It's a refreshing read to understand corruption and one of the best ways to understand Indonesia’s corrupt system and navigate it. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to invest in the country or even doing a business.
Miracles in Papua by Tim Lit
These days, I also read quite a bit of spiritual and christian related books. I stumbled upon this book after finishing The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness by Steven S. Scott. Miracles in Papua is a biographical book from Lit’s family navigating their faith from Atheist upbringing to believing in Christianity.
With the backdrop of colonization in Indonesia, it gives an insight on how interfaith lived in the country back in the day including the christians. This book is for those who love history and explores faith at the same time. Hank Lit’s family story moved me and it was just an enjoyable read.
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness by Steven K. Scott
When I wanted to learn more about Solomon, I wondered what book I could read and stumbled upon this gem. Solomon was a rich man during its time and considered one of the wisest men on earth. The book is also dissecting proverbs and teaches us how Solomon acquired his wealth and what lesson we can get from it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned so much from it. It also made me read proverbs more and try to learn from it.
And last but not least, I also finished Poverty by Matthew Desmond. It is one of the most fantastic books I have read and loved it. It made me understand poverty in the United States and how urban poverty shapes society too.
I hope that this April I can read more books again and increase my library collection too.
- cover made in canva made with pictures from Good Reads.
 | 𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 & 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺; 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴. |