About Me

Rebbie, or Reb for short, has been my online nickname since nearly a decade ago. My real name is Fatin, and I love books!

My second love is coffee, followed by desserts. Here I am with my third love!

I love books in many aspects. Mainly I love reading them, but I also love to analyze, organize, wrap, unwrap, and admire them up close and from afar. I do love talking about or discussing them as well, but never found a proper channel for that. After much deliberation and no small amount of persuasion by the most ridiculously amazing man on Earth, I started this blog on 31 December 2014, with the first review on January 1st, 2015, for that exact reason.

Reb's Reading Room is a dedication for all the books I've read or will want to read; a place to share my bookish experiences. Whether they are wonderful or terrible or somewhere in between, I would love to talk about them and discuss them with others, and- ultimately- help others find a great reading experience in the process.

Occasionally I would write things- one of my lifelong dreams is to publish at least one book. Hopefully, this will also serve as a means of improving my writing skills, and my English. :)

My Heroic Reading History (Abridged)

I can't pinpoint the exact book that got me into this lifelong hobby, but I can probably attribute it to a childhood without computers, games, or internet, and a deep curiosity. I was known as the shy, voracious reader in class with a tendency for unintentional verbosity; also quite the teacher's pet. For obvious reasons, my favourite childhood movie was Matilda- I envied her ability to go to a well-stocked library every day to read as much as she pleases!

My first favorite book is probably Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone. It was introduced to me by Maya, my best friend in Grade 4, and the first time I saw the book I actually scoffed it away. In reality I found the seemingly tiny font and excessive page count overwhelming- at the time, I have only started conversing regularly in English for a few months, and read books that are generally less than 100 pages long. It wasn't until a year later that my favourite teacher of all time made a class book project based on the book, effectively changing my life.

From then on, I became more confident in reading larger tomes with more miniscule fonts.
In addition, I started to have an unusual hankering for fantasy books that continues to this day.

I was an assistant librarian in high school and flew through books at a rate that surprised even the librarian in an effort to oust Matilda, my fictional reader idol, from her reading throne.
I haven't succeeded yet- she had too much of a head start on me- but I'll get there!

A Little Reality Check

I am a final year medical student at the time this blog is started, but I have made time for leisurely reading besides the usual work, and intend to do so even after I get my job in a year's time (fingers crossed!). Currently in my mid-twenties, I am slowly growing my book collection for the ultimate personal library in Malaysia- my birthplace. It's a wonderful country, but I have moved a lot during my childhood and am afflicted by a slight case of wanderlust. Books are my remedy for that while I am grounded.

I think I should mention a dear friend: Rinn Reads, whose dedication inspired me tremendously!

Also, to the most ridiculously amazing man on Earth: you know who you are. Thank you for all these years of accepting me, putting up with me and supporting me in all that I do. Thank you for turning impossibilities into reality. Without you, I am incomplete.

Contact Me

Q: Reb, do you have a review policy?

A: (14 Feb 2015) As of now, I am reviewing English-language books from my own collection, at my own leisure. However, I welcome any odd review requests as long as they are not from the following genres: erotica, most non-fiction. Preferable genres are young adult, fantasy, and their subsets. I will do my best to review constructively (see Rating System), within the shortest possible amount of time.

Do note that I can only review books that do not require an exclusive reading device other than the typical PC or android phone.

I am not very particular with these terms at this very moment as 1) the blog is in its infancy and 2) I wish to consolidate my content before I begin my foray into semi-professional reading and reviewing. This will change with time.

That said, I welcome and appreciate any comments, feedback, suggestions, enquiries or even heartfelt greeting cards- just keep them civil! I will try my best to respond as soon as possible, to the best of my abilities, when it is appropriate. Please allow me some time to get to you, as I am not the most free bee in the forest. ^^;

Still interested in contacting me? Wonderful!
You may drop me an e-mail at rebsreadingroom[at]gmail.com