i've just finished reading neil peart's ghost rider: travels on the healing road. peart's the drummer for canada's progressive rockers, rush. he's the lyricist (nicknamed the professor due to his prolific lyrics) for rush and is one of the greatest drummers of all time. the book (which is a sophomore effort for peart) is about a tragedy he endured in 1998.

in the space of 10 months in 1998, he lost his only daughter, selena, and later, his wife, jackie.

how does one cope with such personal tragedy, i wondered. he blamed 'a broken heart' for his wife's death even though a diagnosis of cancer was given by her doctors. as a form of therapy, peart chose to take his bmw motorbike and get on the road. a road that went on for 55,000 miles from quebec to belize, via alaska and the west coast of the united states. he called himself the ghost rider, a ghost of a man. nothing but an empty shell with no hope. no meaning to continue on with what is left of his life that he's had with the ones he loved dearly.

The Famous Five is my second-favourite of Blyton's adventure series. I love the books mainly for their detailed descriptions of food and certainly not for Julian's bossiness or George going on and on about wanting to be a boy! Dick is the coolest character but what a name!

Every title sees the kids on holiday by themselves, often in some cool location like a castle or island or light house. Once they're all settled in, they see flashing lights or faces in windows or hear something mysterious. It's all very exciting, especially if you're nine, but, I'm 37 and I still like the books so they obviously a good investment.

Source: TIMES The Bookshop is having a warehouse sale, June 24 (for Times Privilege Card holders only), and July 25th to July 4 (Semua Org!!! ^_^), 10am to 7pm daily.

Venue: Kompleks Kemajuan, Jalan 19/1, Petaling Jaya (opposite the Perodua showroom). No. 4, Jalan 13/4, 46200, Petaling Jaya (Fedex office) For more information, please call 03-20959115 or 23829098.