while I was gone...

I read:

Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
I don't think I was in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate this novel, the story of the strange friendship between two cousins.

The Kalahari Typing School for Men
by Alexander McCall Smith
More from the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency.

Killing Time by Caleb Carr
We listened to this one read by the author. It was heavy-handed to say the least, but it did have a suprisingly statisfying ending.

The Samurai by Shusaku Endo
A somewhat-boring historical novel. I think I would have appreciated it a great deal more if I had read the afterword before I began the novel itself.

break

Just fyi I'm going to have limited internet access for the next week or so.
I expect to be posting again on October 24th.

Orhan Pamuk!

I was so excited when I heard today's announcement of the winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature...
Orhan Pamuk...
a Turkish author who, quoting the Swedish Academy, "in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."


My friend Milan was lucky enough to meet Pamuk in person in May (I'm so jealous!). He was also nice enough to let me use his picture for this blog post.

Pamuk is probably one of the most perfect choices for the Nobel Prize. The announcement is definitely cause for celebration.

How am I going to celebrate?
I am going to pick up a copy of Istanbul: Memories and the City, a book that Milan and I both have on our wishlists. While I fully expect that copy to make it into Milan's m-bag, I'm not going to get a second copy until after Christmas so as not to thwart any gift-giving plans my friends or family might have. ;)

Kiran Desai!

This week Kiran Desai became the youngest woman to win the Man Booker Prize for The Inheritance of Loss.

Absolutely wonderful news!

And, even better, a perfect excuse to bump Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard to the top of my to-be-read pile!

Read the full press release.

rule of 50

Librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl advocates what she calls "the rule of fifty."
The rule of fifty "acknowledges that time is short and the world of books is immense. [...] If you're fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide whether to commit yourself to reading it or giving it up" (Book Lust, xi-xii). The older you are (over 50) the less you need to read before you make that decision.

The point is, reading should be pure pleasure. You haven't failed that author by not enjoying the book. Instead, the author has, at that moment in your life, failed you. That doesn't mean that in six days, or six months, or six years, or sixty years, you won't go back to the book and find that you love it. All it means is that at that particular moment in your life, you were looking for a different sort of book. (More Book Lust, xiii)

Why am I writing about this?
Well, besides the fact that I love Nancy Pearl, I recently had to give up on a book that I was reading, which always makes me feel guilty. Yes, she's a great role model, but mostly I need Nancy to help assuage my guilt. ;)

That and I'm looking forward to her new book Book Crush, which is set to hit shelves in April.

slow weekend

I don't have much to report.

This weekend I:
finished reading the lastest version of my friend Susan's manuscript,
started working on my review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and
read some of The Dark Bride.

More friendly book buying

After spending a little more time searching wishlists over on amazon.com, I picked out a couple more books:

For Kristen...

Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. Subtitled 'Our Journey to Catholicism,' the book is a joint memoir in which the couple recounts their conversion to Catholicism.
The publisher, Ignatius Press, says:
[The Hahns'] conversion story and love for the Church has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of lukewarm Catholics and brought them back into an active participation in the Church.
Written with simplicity, charity, grace and wit, the Hahns' deep love and knowledge of Christ and of Scripture is evident and contagious throughout their story. Their love of truth and of neighbor is equally evident, and their theological focus on the great importance of the family, both biological and spiritual, will be a source of inspiration for all readers.


For Lizzie...

Lost in a Good Book - the second book in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.
In my journal entry, I wrote:
Because so often the second book in a series doesn't measure up the to the first, I was a little worried about starting this one. I am happy to report though that I was not disappointed. I loved this book as much as The Eyre Affair.
Jasper Fforde has an amazing imagination--I am in awe--and I love all the literary references in these books (after reading The Eyre Affair I decided that I really needed to reread Jane Eyre since its been many years since I first read it).
Beyond all the new developments in this book (more "extinct" species, different villians, the Jurisfiction, the footnoterphone, and all the other new things we learn about Thursday's world), I really like the fact that Pickwick's character is more developed in this book. Yes, I'll admit it... I love the dodos!


Again, Happy Buy a Friend a Book Week!

Buying friends books

Giving gifts is one of my favorite things to do. So I definitely can't pass up an opportunity like Buy a Friend a Book Week. Here's what I've done so far:

For Jessica...

Twilight, the 6th book in Meg Cabot's Mediator series.
She's been trying to get her hands on a copy for quite some time.


For Karina...

Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon. She loves Gabaldon's Outlander series and I'm pretty sure she's never heard of this (tangentially-related) book.


For Russell...

Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas by John Burnett. It's on on his wishlist and it's about pirates.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

"Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blond Ukrainian divorcee. He was eight-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives life a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."

When you hear that a book was nominated for the Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Orange Prize, you expect a work of serious fiction; but when you read a book with a first paragraph like the one above, you know you’re in for a treat...

Read my full review at Armchair Interviews.

By the Time You Read This

By the Time You Read This by Giles Blunt

Wow. I just finished reading this book and it's really good.

Crime fiction is not usually my thing, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. Beyond having a captivating story, the novel is well-written, remarkably so.

Synopsis:
Autumn has arrived in Algonquin Bay, and with it an unusual spate of suicides. The most shocking victim yet is Detective John Cardinal’s wife, who has finally succumbed to her battle with manic depression. As Cardinal takes time to grieve, his partner, Lise Delorme, handles an unsavory assignment: a young girl appears in a series of unspeakable photos being traded online, and background elements indicate she lives in Algonquin Bay. Delorme is desperate to find the girl before she suffers more abuse.
When Cardinal receives a string of hateful anonymous notes about his wife’s death, he begins to suspect homicide. His colleagues believe he is too distraught to think clearly, and he’s forced to investigate alone. In doing so, he comes up against a brand of killer neither he—nor the reader—has ever seen before.

By the Time You Read This (published as The Fields of Grief in the UK) is Blunt's fourth John Cardinal book after Forty Words for Sorrow (2000), The Delicate Storm (2002), and Black Fly Season (2005). Since I'll freely admit that I haven't read any of the earlier books, I can testify that this book stands on its own.

Set in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay, the novel seems to exude the essence of Ontario. The setting is subtle, but it seems to be an integral part of the story.

It is very hard to explain the way this book makes you feel. I can easily imagine it being adapted for film because of the way it's written; it's very cinematic. Blunt takes readers on a journey throughout the course of the novel. There is a slow comprehension. One is carried through the novel always engaged.

I had to include the synopsis because I feel like I can't say anything substantial without including spoilers. Suffice it to say that the killer and the extent of his crimes are horrific. And, it seems to me, the reader figures things out at exactly the right time.

September reading recap

Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman
~ see this post

The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
~ see this post

Fat Kid Rules the World by KL Going

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
~ see this post

Mister Monday by Garth Nix
~ see this post

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
~ see this post

Shopgirl by Steve Martin

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
~ see this post

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan
~ see this post

Thirty-three Swoons by Martha Cooley
~ see this post

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

Varjak Paw by SF Said

The Whole World Over by Julia Glass

Happy BAFABW

Happy Buy a Friend a Book Week, everyone. This is a wonderful excuse to do something nice for your friends.

Just get yourself to a real-life or virtual book store during Buy a Friend a Book Week [...] and, well, buy a friend a book (or e-book)! But here's the fun part: you can't buy your friend a book because it's their birthday or they just graduated or got engaged or had a baby or anything else. You have to give them a book for no good reason. In fact, this present out of the blue from you should shock the pants off of whomever you decide to give it to. And it'll make them happy. And that's the point: promote reading, promote friendships. (BAFABW website)

I've been busy working on a couple of reviews this weekend so I apologize for not posting. I'll try to make up for it this week ;)

Last chance to enter...

Buy a Friend a Book Week is coming up soon!

Don't miss your chance to enter the fabulous contest my friend Susan (of West of Mars) is hosting.
Here's what she says:

"During the month of September, I want YOU to send ME a story of how music has touched your life. [...] What I'll do, during Buy A Friend a Book Week, coming up this first week of October, is Buy a Groupie a Book. [...] Seven of you lucky groupies will win a copy of a book."

Visit her blog to see all the details and learn how you can enter the contest.

my biggest fan?

As you all know, on your birthday lots of people call you to wish you well. Yesterday a friend from India called and we chatted for a bit. He's not a big reader so he doesn't really bother to read my blog much, but apparently he tells his friends about it. Anyway, yesterday he informed me that my biggest fan (I have a biggest fan, who knew!) works with his girlfriend in Bangalore.

This all seems pretty suspicious to me since this mystery fan has never actually commented on any of my posts AND my statcounter doesn't list anyone from India, let alone someone from Karnataka.
(ok, I know the statcounter isn't infallible, but still)

Honestly, I think my friend is pulling my leg.

There's only one person who can prove me wrong...

So, mystery fan, if you're out there, comment on this post. While you're here, you might as well give me a list of your five favorite books. To prove that you are who you say you are, you'll need to tell me the names of your officemate and her boyfriend. ;)

birthday books

I got some books for my birthday ;)

Blue Angel by Francine Prose

Confessions of a Coffee Bean: the Complete Guide to Coffee Cuisine by Marie Nadine Antol

The Devil's Cup: a History of the World According to Coffee by Stewart Lee Allen

The Fourth Bear (Nursery Crime Series) by Jasper Fforde

The Illustrated Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Dame Darcy

Let it Rain Coffee by Angie Cruz

Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee by Meera Syal

* Yes, I know there seems to be a theme here... but I have to admit, I do love coffee. Actually all those books are straight from my wishlist (well, all of them except Confessions of a Coffee Bean, which hubby picked up as a surprise)

Also, my coworker also gave me a little pile of books that she picked up from a library sale. She likes to feed my BookCrossing habit. :D

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I read the first half of the book yesterday and I have to admit that had a hard time falling asleep last night. The images and feeling invoked by the book haunted me.

Having just finished the book I'm a bit at a loss for words. For now, I think the best I can do is quote from a much more eloquent reviewer from The Washington Post Book World:
"A powerful book... no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose... an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written."

We'll be discussing the book at my book club meeting tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have figured out a way to talk about it by then.

Jane Eyre... bigger and better

I saw the coolest book at the book store yesterday... an absolute must-have book...


Charlotte Brontë’s sweeping Victorian romance is reborn through the striking illustrations of the inimitable Dame Darcy.

A devoted readership will recognize Dame Darcy as the creator of highly original and off-kilter comic books. Here she uses her lavishly detailed illustrations to bring the best-loved Victorian novel Jane Eyre back into the spotlight. Darkly elegant illustrations draw back the novel’s curtain, revealing the depths of human depravity, despair, and ultimate redemption. Sure to impress traditional fans and newcomers alike, The Illustrated Jane Eyre updates the classic for a new era.

It's time to start your holiday shopping (not to mention Buy a Friend a Book Week) and this is the perfect gift for the lit majors on your list! Also a good choice for teenagers that could use a little motivation to read the classics.

I'm pretty sure that I'll be getting a copy for my birthday ;)

more YA fiction

The one benefit of being home sick with a cold is having the chance to do some extra reading. Of course, the problem with being sick is that anything heavy is out of the picture. Here are a couple of books I've read amid the coughing and sneezing:

Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

Synopsis:
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids: his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization. Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things — like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade as they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? But when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent — the one who wants to put his father away for good.

Pretty basic plot line, a modern-day Romeo and Juliet where Romeo/Vince is from a mob family and Juliet/Kendra's father is an FBI agent. This book just doesn't seem particularly fresh.

I liked the book (definitely liked it better than Mafia Chic), but I'm not exactly sure why it was named a 'best book for young adults' by the American Library Association.

It also looks like there is a second 'Son of the Mob' book out. It's called Hollywood Hustle.

The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

The first book in the Midnighters series:
For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of teenagers know about the secret hour — only they are free to move about the midnight time. They call themselves Midnighters.

Interesting concept, kinda scary.

This book is definitely the first in a series. It leaves you feeling unresolved and wanting to jump into the next book (Touching Darkness).

So far, though, I don't like this series as much as the Uglies trilogy. The Uglies books were my first introduction to Westerfeld and I thought they were phenomenal.

The Egyptian

The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Hubby and I literally just finished listening to this book. The first adjective that comes to mind when trying to describe this book is LONG (20 CDs!). It seems like we've be listening to it forever, but that's also because we could only listen to it when we were together.
Overall, good book. An epic tale of one man's life is the best way for me to describe it.

Book description:
A full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world's history: the Egypt of the 14th century B.C.E., when pharaohs and gods contended with the near-collapse of history's greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon to Crete, from Thebes to Jerusalem, while centering around one unforgettable figure: Sinuhe, a man of mysterious origins who rises from the depths of degradation to become personal physician to Pharaoh Akhnaton.

The best part about the book is definitely its scope. It also seems to be really well researched. Waltari does a wonderful job describing the ancient world. He brings Egypt (and the rest of the places to which Sinuhe travels) to life for his readers.

Of course the book isn't perfect.
Sinuhe is "a complete imbecile" (quoting hubby here). In all honestly, though, it's hard to relate to the protagonist because keeps doing the stupidest things. That being said, his life is a fascinating one.
My only other complaint is about audio version (by Audio Connoisseur, available at audible.com) in particular. Charlton Griffin, the reader, gives the book's female characters (as well as Sinuhe's slave/friend Kaptah) the most annoying voices, voices that grate on the nerves.


You will not believe what I found in the store this weekend...
A brand new (copyright 2006) game called Aton!

The whole of Egypt is in uproar – Akhnaton, who has just acceded to the throne, wants to ban the old deity Amon from the temples of the land. Aton is to be worshipped as the new God.
But the priests of the land are not willing to give up their temples without resistance so the 4 largest temples are fiercely disputed.
The players are adversaries and fight out this battle of the Gods between them. Both have the same starting position, but who will be able to make better use of his abilities and help his God to victory?

After reading this book, we just have to get it (we play alot of euro board games). I put it on our wishlist as soon as we got home. ;)

Thirty-three Swoons

Thirty-three Swoons by Martha Cooley

I loved The Archivist (because or despite the fact that I am an archivist), so I was pleased to be able to review Cooley's second offering for Curled Up With A Good Book.

The novel is well-plotted, keeping readers interested as its stories unfold. A number of different themes thread through the novel--perfumerie, theatre, dreams--providing cohesion. Thirty-Three Swoons works as a novel precisely because of Cooley’s attention to detail. The accuracy with which Cooley is able to describe the art of perfume-making is evidence of the amount of research that went into this novel.

In Thirty-Three Swoons, Cooley has given readers a novel that is both similar to and different from her debut. A psychological novel that showcases Cooley’s understanding of the human condition, Thirty-Three Swoons seems to be a study in duality. The novel is both contemporary and historical. Multilayered, it reads as both a novel and a play.

Read my full review on here.