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View all search resultsHanum Salsabiela Rais: Read more to write more
Hanum Salsabiela Rais says that as an author, books have become an inseparable part of her life as they are the sources of inspiration to write
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Hanum Salsabiela Rais says that as an author, books have become an inseparable part of her life as they are the sources of inspiration to write.
She usually finishes three to four books in a month and likes to read whatever is offered on the bookstores' best-selling shelves.
The 33-year-old Hanum developed her reading habit from her politician father, Amien Rais, as she often noticed him reading when she was younger.
'He read a lot of books on politics; I tried to read them too, but I didn't finish most of them,' she said, laughing.
'But thanks to him, I found joy in reading.'
Hanum, who is also a dentist, learned how to write when she served as a journalist with a private television station.
When she moved to Austria with her husband, Rangga Almahendra, she started to write books.
She released her first book ' a biography of her father ' in 2010 and a year later her second, a novel she wrote with Rangga entitled 99 Cahaya di Langit Eropa, came out.
She has so far released four books, two of which have been adapted into films whose scripts were also written by the couple.
Unfortunately, her involvement in movies has limited her reading time.
'I can't read as much as before because of my busy schedule with the movies, but my husband always reminds me to keep writing ' whether it'll be made into a movie or not ' because that's our core competence,' Hanum said.
'And to be able to write well, I must read as many books as I can.'
Hanum added that she had also set a target to write at least one book a year.
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'Dan Brown books'
I also like books that have good storytelling and Dan Brown is one of my favorite writers. All of his works are page turners and I love how he always makes an interesting cliffhanger. I have read all of his books and I am greatly inspired by his writing style. I try to apply a similar writing style to my own drama stories.
'What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West'
by Feisal Abdul Rauf
I have read a lot of books about Islam and its history and this one is definitely my most favorite. There are many misconceptions about Islam in the West and this book can counter them all very well. The writer gives explanations that are logical and rational, using a human interest approach so the book can relate to a broader audience.
