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/span>Apart from his musical talents, singer and songwriter Agustinus 'Nugie' Gusti Nugroho has also surfaced as an avid eco-activist.

He is one of the ambassadors for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and he almost always takes his bike to go anywhere around Jakarta -- be it for work or leisure. Last month, the 41-year-old even announced that his songs, which take the environment and the planet as themes, can be downloaded for free.

As a singer, he rose to fame with his alternative rock single 'Tertipu' (Deceived) which was released in 1995. Recently, he established The Dance Company band with notable singers and songwriters Ariyo Wahab, Pongki Barata and Ibrahim 'Baim' Imran.

Nugie said that he had decided to quit reading any books after his graduation from college back in 1997, but was lured back to the world of literature by readings on conspiracy.

He said he also loved science fiction because it is wildly imaginative and it taught him that he should not be afraid to go wild with his imagination. Here are books that he loves the most:

State of Fear by Michael Crichton

I like reading books by this author because he uses scientific data and then connects the data using logical thinking and with a logical conclusion. He is a conspirator; he compiles incidents and data from all over the world and produces a massive conspiracy scheme.

Books by Dan Brown

Dan Brown, who is famous for his 2003 mystery-detective novel The Da Vinci Code, is very similar to Crichton, I think. However, Brown delves more into social dynamics than into politics and other issues. He writes about things that I always look for: conspiracies.

Khoo Ping Hoo by Asmaraman Sukowati

This massive epic martial arts series is not only about fighting but more importantly it is filled with the philosophy of life. Every day I cannot get myself away from this text.

' Andreas R. Arditya