Book List
I always say I am going to do a list of all the books I read in a year, but I never get around to it, so I am going to write the books I have read lately and keep a list from there! Here are the books I have read, starting with the most recent.
"What the Body Remembers" by Shauna Singh Baldwin. This novel takes place in India and covers much of the twentieth century until just after India's independence. It follows the protagonist, Roop, from her childhood to her marriage to a wealthy engineer who already has one wife. Roops "older sister" (the other wife) and her husband also narrate. The family and relationship narrative of the story is lacking. I never quite cared for any of the characters and hteir relationships lacked depth. However, Baldwin did an excellent job of creating the world in which her characters inhabit. There a lot of interesting political and historical commentary, and the book is filled with interesting metaphors. Themes include the role of women, which is compared to the role of the Indians who are paternalized by the British. Although the themes and meataphors are rather heavy handed, I would still recomend the novel. B
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. Lets be honest. This is not great literature. However, it is a fun and entertaining quick read. I read it in a few hours, then went back to my textbooks revived. It is like the romantic comedy in movies. It doesn't have a lot of depth, but if you are in the mood it is a lot of fun. B
"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. This is an excellent novel in many ways. It is beautifully crafted with interesting, dynamic and honest characters. It too takes place in India around the time of the struggle for independence and particularly its aftermath. It took me a chile to get into this novel because ever 200 or so pages at the beginning it changes narrators, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. It is not the kind of book that you feel satisfied after reading. However, I think it is a very good book. A-
"All is Vanity " by Christina Shwararz (The author of "Drowning Ruth.") This novel follows the life of a woman who takes a year off work to write the great american novel. It is funny, and tragic, and very engrossing. The narrator is not very likeable, but her best friend who has a major part in the novel makes up for it. A well written, but fun read. B+
"The Icarus Girl" by Helen Oyeyemi. I honestly am not sure what to make of this book. It is fascinating, intriguing and disturbing. It is about a little girl who goes with her family to Africa for a visit to her mother's family. When she comes back, something evil comes back with her. It is not quite a ghost story. It is more in depth than that, and more frightening. I'm not sure if I even understand what happened... B
"Behind the Scenes at the Museum" by Kate Atkinson. This is just the kind of book I love. It follows the life of a family in Britain in the mid 20th century. The family is disfunctional and entertaining. It a way it reminds me of "Fall on Your Knees" by Anne-Marie MacDonald, although it is not nearly as depressing. It is still dark, but an interesting look at human beings and their relationships. A-
"What the Body Remembers" by Shauna Singh Baldwin. This novel takes place in India and covers much of the twentieth century until just after India's independence. It follows the protagonist, Roop, from her childhood to her marriage to a wealthy engineer who already has one wife. Roops "older sister" (the other wife) and her husband also narrate. The family and relationship narrative of the story is lacking. I never quite cared for any of the characters and hteir relationships lacked depth. However, Baldwin did an excellent job of creating the world in which her characters inhabit. There a lot of interesting political and historical commentary, and the book is filled with interesting metaphors. Themes include the role of women, which is compared to the role of the Indians who are paternalized by the British. Although the themes and meataphors are rather heavy handed, I would still recomend the novel. B
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. Lets be honest. This is not great literature. However, it is a fun and entertaining quick read. I read it in a few hours, then went back to my textbooks revived. It is like the romantic comedy in movies. It doesn't have a lot of depth, but if you are in the mood it is a lot of fun. B
"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. This is an excellent novel in many ways. It is beautifully crafted with interesting, dynamic and honest characters. It too takes place in India around the time of the struggle for independence and particularly its aftermath. It took me a chile to get into this novel because ever 200 or so pages at the beginning it changes narrators, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it. It is not the kind of book that you feel satisfied after reading. However, I think it is a very good book. A-
"All is Vanity " by Christina Shwararz (The author of "Drowning Ruth.") This novel follows the life of a woman who takes a year off work to write the great american novel. It is funny, and tragic, and very engrossing. The narrator is not very likeable, but her best friend who has a major part in the novel makes up for it. A well written, but fun read. B+
"The Icarus Girl" by Helen Oyeyemi. I honestly am not sure what to make of this book. It is fascinating, intriguing and disturbing. It is about a little girl who goes with her family to Africa for a visit to her mother's family. When she comes back, something evil comes back with her. It is not quite a ghost story. It is more in depth than that, and more frightening. I'm not sure if I even understand what happened... B
"Behind the Scenes at the Museum" by Kate Atkinson. This is just the kind of book I love. It follows the life of a family in Britain in the mid 20th century. The family is disfunctional and entertaining. It a way it reminds me of "Fall on Your Knees" by Anne-Marie MacDonald, although it is not nearly as depressing. It is still dark, but an interesting look at human beings and their relationships. A-