Books

It all started with Tahir Shah's
1. The Caliph's House and the madness caught on. Actually it was long overdue. I had been ignoring one of my passions for years - reading, but I am very happy that I got back into it. My love of Morocco and Shah's hilarious and fascinating account helped kick start it again.

The finding of this book could not have been mere coincidence for the topic was apropos: guy leaves his all too comfortable life in the UK and takes off with family and luggage to new country to start afresh and gets the cultural shock of his life when he collides head on with the snail's pace of the third world - does it sound familiar ? If not it should because the plans to pack up and leave just took on another dimension.

After that I read all Shah's books I could get my hands on, that is, all the books that the local library carried and it even led me to discover other libraries in neighboring cities to which I became a member of just so I could get a hold of the copies they had circulating.

2. In Search of King Solomon's Mines
Ethiopia as I never knew it but was glad to be introduced to.

3. Sorcerer's Apprentice
India ... magic ... Tahir, what more can I say ? Funny ... yes ! Shocking ? oh Yes ! Entertaining .... absolutely !!!!
I found myself with the lonely planet guide to India, reading about Thugs in ancient India and even seeing the movie The Deceivers with Pierce Brosnan.

4. Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
A mix of Aguirre, Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo both of which I saw after / during my reading for extra visual stimulation.

5. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
I clicked with this book; so much of it spoke to me as an immigrant, as an outsider and so much of it spoke of what my kids could become as second generation immigrants.
The timing of this read was also interesting because we had been talking about going to Ghana, possibly to stay for a few years so the kids could experience another culture first hand rather then through us alone.
Later when I saw the movie version was disappointed.
It happens to me all the time (except for "Like Water for Chocolate" which I thought was a remarkable translation).

6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I was in Ghana in September and had taken this book with me as a must read, I had postponed it for too long and was going to force myself to read it to find out what the hype was all about.. I could not put it down, although the story made me quiver, the storytelling power of the author kept me enthralled.

7. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
This was another book I had with me on my vacation to Ghana. Also well written but way off beat.

8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
After returning from Ghana I had to look for the newly published book an I was so caught up by it that I would have read it all in one seating had it not been for my usual alarm clocks that do not feel sorry that Mommy stayed up all night reading.
I wept, I cringed, I felt the pain of these women. Once I am brave again I will re-read this book.

9. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
She has done it again, made me laugh, cry ... and the best of all, transported me into her world so seamlessly I did not want to return so soon. I went and picked up all her other books and lined them up ready for reading and re-reading. I think this lady is a genius with the pen !!!!

10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Very well written, no doubt about it but not my thing, at least not now, not in the midst of Danticat and Hosseini.

11. After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti by Edwidge Danticat
The next book I picked by Danticat, much lighter then the previous one but visually gratifying all the same.

12. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I took a break from Danticat to pick up this highly recommended book. Although interesting and full of twists and turns, it was not the book for me at the moment, it was too long with too many characters and my mind kept drifting in and out of it.

13. The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
Currently reading and already mesmerized.

14. Drown by Junot Diaz
Currently reading (wanted to interrupt Danticat to have more of her later). These shorts stories are great and now I see the big deal with Diaz. I have read 4 of the 10 stories and love it, very raw.

... to be continued.