Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer (#23, book club)

Another pick from the book club. I had mediocre hopes for this one, and was neither let down nor inspired by Septembers of Shiraz.

On the one hand I would compare it to The Kite Runner, and according to some other book club ladies it is even more reminiscent of A Thousand Splendid Suns. The book is fiction, but is based off of real life events--and real things that happened to Dalia Sofer in Iran. Once again I had no idea about the complete injustice that took place in the early 80s in Iran--during my lifetime.

The historical portion of the book I found enjoyable, as I always do, but on the not so positive side I found her writing and story very elementary. We were all amazed at all the praise you find about this "amazing debut novel" by a "breakout author" etc. etc. For whatever reason it seemed like the book just barely skimmed the surface of what could have been an incredible story, and I never had enough time to really get attached or care about the characters.

On to more books . . . who knows what the next book club pick will be, but in the meantime I am tying myself down with Les Miserables--unabridged!!

What is the What by Dave Eggers (#18, Nonfiction/Fiction Blend)

I am notorious for checking out several books at once and then not having enough time to finish them all before they are due back. I don't know what possessed me to check this book out last September but I saw it in the new books section and I grabbed it. Sadly, I decided to read Tucker Max and Eragon over this delightfully moving story about an unlucky Sudanese refugee.

I don't think I had even started the book before I relinquished it back to the library the last time but one of the delivery drivers at work started reading it shortly thereafter and he kept telling me to read it. So I finally saw it again on the shelf, checked it out, and after bounding through The Amber Spyglass, I found myself tiptoeing through this novel that is both nonfiction and fiction, as it is the story of Valentino Achak Deng as told to Dave Eggers. 

This is quite an amazing read. I came into it knowing there would be horrible atrocities and perhaps this is why the small scales events haunted me more than the large scale events. I kept wanting Valentino's life to level out. I kept wanting the bad luck to end and to have him find a happiness here in the states. But perhaps that is an unrealistic view of the way the world works. The second half of this book is heartbreaking, even more so than the first half where most of the raw carnage takes place. Their life at Kakuma (a Kenyan refuge camp) is hard and horrible and sometimes without hope. It is hard to read about this, but I feel that everyone should probably read a book like this. I enjoyed learning about Sudan and I definitely have a new perspective on the things in my life after having read Valentino's story. 

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (#22, Fun)

Not much to say here. I am enjoying the series.

After I finished The Golden Compass I watched the movie, and I actually really like the girl they cast as Lyra so now I don't find her nearly as annoying in the books.

I like Will, I'm so sad about Lee Scoresby, and I can't believe poor Will and his father met and then, well, you know, that silly witch and her grudge.

I haven't started the third one yet, I will be on a bit of a hiatus (think quality book and book for book club on the que), but Karl claims he did NOT like the way it ended. Hm. Interesting.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (#21, Fun)

I am shocked that "His Dark Materials" has been sitting around for over ten years, just waiting for me to read them. ESPECIALLY after finishing the last Harry Potter book and thinking I was going to have to either: a) wait until J.K. Rowling started another series, or b) delve back into the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And there it was, just waiting, patiently.

I am a sucker for talking animals--hello, Babe is the best movie EVER and I pretty much go crazy over Puss in Boots, and add the mouse from Prince Caspian to that list. I KNOW, kind of weird, but I think it gives me character . . . And now daemons--what could be better than having a talking animal attached to you forever? I bet Georgia is my daemon.

All this said, of course I have some complaints. I dislike the way Lyra talks about 25% of the time--I much prefer her thoughts. Does she really need to throw in the awful language? Didn't she grow up at a college surrounded by scholars? Did they forget to teach her some basic grammar skills? I get that she is trying to be rebellious and fit in with the gyptians, but I just don't find it necessary--especially because it comes and goes. If I'm going to read a book with a whole different set of vernacular, fine, but it needs to be CONSISTENT. Often times I would be reading along and then cringe, out of nowhere, at some line thrown in that was so unexpected.

Pullman leaves you with quite the cliffhanger at the end; you can rest assured I have already started the second book.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (#17, Young Adult)

Loved it. I know how I made a big stink about how Pullman's His Dark Materials series was not Harry Potter, but this book makes it worth suffering through The Subtle Knife. Of the three, The Amber Spyglass was my favorite. It not only handles multiple, converging story lines deftly, but the characters somehow become the kind of characters you never want to say goodbye to. I was afraid of the end of the book because I didn't want to see Lyra and Will and Serafina Pekkala and Iorek Byrnison go. 

While I did find the religious concept matter a bit off putting at times, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of  the book. There is so much more I want to say about it but I don't want to spoil it for others who haven't read it. Seriously, if you liked Harry Potter, you will enjoy Pullman's venture into what some might consider blasphemous fiction. You should run to your local library and check out all three books. Now! 

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder (#20, Nonfiction)

Now this is nonfiction. What a great book it was, and rather on point for my current 9-5er. Although I am working at a "non-profit" and doing work for the "good of national health," I don't think it is quite on par with the work of Dr. Paul Farmer. Not So Much.

You have to read this one to really appreciate it--you can only be told so much about the amazing life Farmer leads, and the amount of lives he has saved. But to read and see how he moves about the world on a daily basis giving away pretty much every penny he makes to cure diseases in populations that have been left to die slow, painful deaths is ridiculously inspiring. It kind of made me want to be a doctor . . . you know, other than all that blood, cutting and germy stuff. :)

A must read for anyone who wants to be inspired and humbled that: yes, my life is good, and no I am not doing my part.

The Girls by Lori Lansens (#16, Fun)

I received Lori Lansens' The Girls as a birthday gift last year and just now got around to reading it. One of the hardest gifts to give is a book--you have to really know the person to be able to pick something out that they will like and enjoy reading. Unless you know for sure that they want the book it's pretty much like trying to pick out clothing. You have to know the size they wear and the styles they like. 

I liken the art of giving a book as a gift to the art of recommending a book to someone; it is pretty much the same thing because in all essence, you are trying to find something that you think the other person will enjoy reading. I have a poor track record when it comes to recommending books. Becky is of course my victim and I admit to sending her down the Prep road when I knew full well how bad it was. I think I was testing her though--she claimed to be a big reader, a sensible reader and Prep was her hazing. And perhaps I wanted someone else to endure the torture of reading that slop so that we could pick it apart. Curtis Sittenfeld, Booknymphs has no respect for you! 

That said, as a gift, The Girls entertained. I was resistant to liking this book because frankly, I have not had a book picked out for me that I actually enjoyed in a long while. But Lansens is an excellent writer. The characters were real to me and I liked reading about the conjoined twins Ruby and Rose. And while I admit that it was the shock factor that drew me in, the reason I stayed in it was for Lansens' portrayal of sisterhood. Rose and Ruby may be conjoined, but they are first and foremost sisters, the girls of their family. And from someone who is apart of her own girls subset, that is a very powerful, distinct thing. Lansens captures it well.