Gantung & Gantung:2 by Nadia Khan



SMCGT bukan sekadar sekolah elit biasa. Di sebalik reputasinya, wujud sekumpulan pelajar asrama yang dikenali kerana kenakalan mereka. Mereka hidup berpegang pada satu kod persahabatan, Musketeer Code iaitu no all for one, just one for all. Tiada siapa dibenarkan ada steady girlfriend. Nampak klise namun semuanya berubah apabila salah seorang dari mereka melanggar kod tersebut. 

Dari cerita gila-gila remaja yang klise kemudiannya bertukar 180° mula menyentuh isu berat seperti buli dan bunuh diri. Dan harga yang perlu mereka bayar sangat mahal. Selepas dari kejadian itu, kumpulan mereka tidak lagi sama. 

Gantung dan Gantung:2 berbeza temanya. Gantung lebih kepada fantasi/paranormal. Kalau tak dibaca dengan teliti boleh rasa keliru sebab time linenya. Kalau kata soal plot, Gantung menjadi kegemaran saya. Gantung:2 lebih kepada kesan emosi dan trauma yang berpanjangan. Kalau dari segi penulisan, saya suka Gantung:2. Walaupun berbeza pendekatan, kedua-duanya saling melengkapi dengan baik.

Saya baca review di Goodreads yang Gantung:3 lebih mengundang, kompleks dan memeningkan. Tapi itu nanti-nantilah saya baca. Secara keseluruhan, ini adalah kisah yang mungkin bermula dengan rasa familiar, tetapi berkembang menjadi sesuatu yang jauh lebih berat dan menghantui. Sesuai untuk pembaca yang sukakan cerita dengan plot twist, dan permainan emosi.


 

Rezeki


Semalam dapat rezeki yang tak disangka. Orang biasa mungkin anggap ini biasa. Tapi kalau jenis collector, hoarder, ulat buku macam saya memang terasa seronok. Gambar atas antara koleksi yang saya dah susun (walaupun nampak macam tak tersusunπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚). 

Buku Faisal Tehrani tu memang saya tercari sangat. Saya ingat nak pinjam kat library. Tapi tiba-tiba dapat rasa nak lompat bintang. Lagi ada karya awal Ramlee Awang Murshid dan A. Samad Said. AHHHHH!!! Rasa lengkap bacaan tahun ni. Dan ada buku selenggaraan Prof. Amida. Rasa sedih tiba-tiba teringat zaman muda.

Semangat terus nak membaca. Selamat membaca semua! 



She Walks At Night by Seishi Yokomizo


I read Seishi Yokomizo ages ago, and honestly I forgot how much his stories could pull me in until I picked up She Walks at Night. This one easily became a five star read for me. The whole crime of passion angle feels intense, unsettling and vivid. What really caught me off guard was how Torata Yashiro and Naoki Sengoku almost stole the spotlight from the legendary sleuth Kosuke Kindaichi!

The story is told through Torata Yashiro, a struggling novelist who gets invited by his friend Naoki Sengoku to stay at the Furugami estate. From the moment he arrives, something feels off. The atmosphere is thick with unease. At the estate, he meets several memorable characters including Morie Furugami, the young master, his half sister Yachiyo, and Koichi Hachiya, a famous artist. The fact that both Morie and Hachiya are hunchbacked adds to the strange and slightly disturbing vibe of the story.

Then the murders begin. One after another. At the center of it all is a sword locked away in a double secured safe, along with episodes of sleepwalking that blur the line between intention and unconscious action. Nothing really makes sense at first, and that’s what makes it so gripping. I was so caught up in the tension that part of me didn’t even want to know who the culprit was. It genuinely got under my skin.

The way the crime is carried out is complicated and honestly a bit crazy, but that’s what makes it so fascinating. Kindaichi does not just solve the mystery, he brings clarity to the chaos.

First published in Japan in 1973 and now set for release in English on June 2, this novel delivers a rich and haunting atmosphere. The sense of unease, the emotional intensity of the crime, and the complexity of the characters all come together beautifully. Thanks to @PushkinPress and @NetGalley for the review copy.