Nose in a Book

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

Read for: This review by raych on books i done read

Well, this book is exactly what the title says it is…a memoir of growing up Iranian in America.  It was a nice short little read and it was enjoyable.  The chapters were a little disjointed but it didn’t really bother me.  It’s almost like a collection of short stories or essays rather than one long story.

While I enjoyed reading this, there were a few times when I felt like saying, “that’s not growing up Iranian, that’s just growing up.”  I have never experienced the racism she has but there were a lot of situations that I could totally relate to.  (I happen to have a first name that nobody can ever pronounce properly, I feel your pain Firoozeh!! I’ve been called the craziest things and people have a habit of throwing extra letters in there on a regular basis.  Fritzy Dumbass though?  That’s a good one.  I had a good laugh over that one!!)

Now, granted, I have no idea what Dumas had to go through in her growing up, but there were a couple of times I found her to be just a teensy bit whiny about things.  I can’t really come up with any examples because it wasn’t really over specific incidents, it just seemed to be an attitude that shone through sometimes.

Overall though I did enjoy reading the book and it was definitely entertaining.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

After reading The Tipping Point and Blink I was very excited when I got an email from the library letting me know that it was my turn to read this newest of Gladwell’s books.  This one is about outliers, an observation that is numerically distant from the rest of the data. Using examples and case studies, Gladwell argues that successful people are more than just smart.  He claims that birthdate, opportunity, cultural background and ethnicity have a lot to do with what a person accomplishes in their lifetime.

A lot of what Gladwell reveals is surprising.  He begins the book in a discussion of the birthdates of hockey players in the WHL (Western Hockey League) and points out that a huge majority of hockey players are born in the first half of the year.  There is a completely reasonable explanation for this.  Want to know what it is? Read the book.

Gladwell also goes on to introduce the 10 000 hour rule and explain why so many successful computer guru’s are born between 1953 and 1957.  (My dad is a successful  programmer, and guess when he was born?  You got it, 1955, the year that Gladwell pinpoints is the ideal year for computer geniuses to be born in, along with Bill Gates and other famous software engineers.)

Ever wonder why Asian’s are typically so much better at math than everybody else?  Gladwell has an answer for that too!  He also discusses a Korean airline that had a terrible track record, and how they were able to turn that around just by looking at cultural issues.

Outliers was really interesting.  I don’t think it’s as good as his previous two, but still definitely worth reading!

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot.  I hadn’t really read very much chick lit until I had my first baby and one of the first authors I picked up then was Meg Cabot (the other was Sophie Kinsella).  I have since come to love most chick lit (even the extra cheesy stuff!)

The thing is, the writing isn’t all that great, the plot is pretty cheesy and unrealistic, and the characters are pretty unbelievable but….I still loved it.   The main character is cute and quirky and actually pretty funny.  Her love interest is charming and sweet and kind.  And even better the story takes place mainly in a chateau in France, not the typical London/New York setting.  It’s exactly what you expect out of a good chick lit book.

Lizzie the main character has just graduated from college and is going to spend a month in England with her new boyfriend.  When she arrives in London, he turns out to be not quite what she’d expected and she ends up on a train to join her best friend in France.  And France is where most of the story takes place.  I don’t want to say much more because it would give away pretty much the entire plot.  (Which if you are at all familiar with chick lit, you know already anyway!)

If you are looking for a fun, quick read this is the perfect book.  Perfect for vacation or just a break from heavier reading.

St. Urbain’s Horseman by Mordecai Richler

Read for: Orbis Terrarum Challenge – Canada

This is either the third or fourth book I’ve read by Richler.  I like his books because although they are definitely can lit they aren’t as depressing as some books in this genre tend to be.  This one was no exception.  Richler’s novels (at least the ones I’ve read) tend to be satirical and sometimes funny without being satirical, which according to the wiki article linked above is one of the traits common to can lit, who knew?  (Probably lots of people, but I haven’t read that much can lit that was funny!)

Anyway, this one is about a man, Jake, who is on trial.  The book is one of those story’s where the reader isn’t given a lot of information and has to try and piece it together until your suspicions are confirmed near the end of the novel.  Richler gives us a peek into Jake’s life at the time of the trial and the reasons he is on trial but then back tracks to give the reader more insight into the Jake and his character.  As Jake remembers different incidents and times in his life he begins to question who he is and where he’s been.  St. Urbain’s Horseman, the title character is Jake’s cousin whom he pretty much worships even though he hasn’t seen him for years.  I don’t want to give away too much more about the horseman and Jake’s trial because part of what is good about the book is finding these things out as they are revealed in the book.

I wasn’t really sure if I would like this book when I first starting reading.  It took a while to get into it because as I mentioned before, the reader isn’t really given a lot of information.  I think Richler did this on purpose though.  He introduces his character, charging him with a crime and then puts him on trial.  By the end of the novel, the reader knows whether Jake is guilty or not before the circumstances around his crime are described.  We know whether or not he should be acquitted because we know Jake and we know his character.  What I didn’t like at first, I had come to appreciate by the end of the novel.  I would defintely recommend this book to most people.  It is kind of crude though, so you might what to avoid it if that kind of thing bothers you.

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

Third in the Sevenwaters Trilogy, (See reviews for Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows)

This story is told from the point of view of Fainne who is the niece of the narrator of the second book and the granddaughter of the first.  Through-out the first two books the people of Sevenwaters have been waiting for the child of the prophecy.  The prophecy tells of of child who will bear the mark of the raven and will help the people to regain sacred islands that were from them by the Britons.  Fainne, who grew up far away from Sevenwaters is a sorcerer’s daughter and has been taught in the ways of her father.  Her grandmother, a powerful sorceress herself,  has a grudge against Sevenwaters and sends her to back.  The child of the prophecy has come of age and they are planning on retaking the islands.  Fainne’s grandmother expects her to sabotage their plans  Fainne fears her grandmother and what she might do to her loved one but she also grows to love her uncles and cousins and can’t imagine betraying them to her grandmother.  The novel is mostly about her struggle between these two sides.  And of course there is a love story in there too!

I liked this book almost as much as the other two.  I wasn’t totally in love with the main character but she was real.  I found the narrators in the other two books to be so perfect and unrealistic.  The story was really good though.  All of these books were so fun to read and just get lost in.  Definitely worth the time!

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

Read for: What’s in a Name Challenge – Book title with a relative in it

This is the second novel in the Sevenwaters trilogy (First novel – Daughter of the Forest).  It tells the story of Sorcha’s (the narrator of the previous novel) youngest daughter.  Although the novel is part of the trilogy, it could be read without reading the first novel.

Liadan, Sorcha’s youngest, is sixteen when the novel begins.  There have been tales of a band of vicious mercenaries in the area and as she is travelling home, Liadan, a healer,  is taken against her will by this group of men.  The men demand that she try to save one of their number who has been involved in an accident and is dying.  She does as is she commanded, but the man is beyond saving.  As she spends time with the men, she soon realizes that they are not as bad as the stories about them have led her to believe.  And wouldn’t you know it, Liadan ends up having a relationship with the leader of this group of men, Bran.

Bran sends Liadan home and, of course, she soon realizes that she is pregnant.  For some reason when her family finds out about the pregnancy, they don’t care who the father is and they allow Liadan to carry the child and remain at Sevenwaters with it.  Liadan wants to be with Bran but she knows that her family with not accept him, because he is this crazy, evil murderer so she keeps the identity of her father’s baby a secret.  Bran is a wanted man and Liadan does everything she can to protect him from the men around her who all want him dead.  (They don’t know what a great man he is, you see…) Anyway, I don’t to give away the ending, but everybody gets to live happily ever after.

I liked this book almost as much as the first one.  The story was great.  I loved all the twists and unexpected turns (and the expected ones too).  Marillier started telling this story in the previous book, without us even realizing it.  (But you don’t need to have read the book to understand, she is very careful to give the reader all the pertinent details.)  I also really like Mariilier’s writing, it just draws the reader into the story and I almost felt as if I was there.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book that I didn’t notice in the first one.  Some of the characters were a little unbelievable.  I had a hard time reconciling the two sides of the men Liadan meets as she is trying to nurse the injured man back to life.  They were supposed to be hardened men, men who didn’t trust and had terrible secrets in their past but they were so ready to accept Liadan into their inner circle.  It just didn’t make sense to me.  There were also certain parts of the story that were almost cheesy.  There is a very fine line in a love story between cheese and reality and Marillier might have left a toe or two cross that line a few times.

Overall though, this book was pretty good and I will definitely be reading the third one.

The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

Read for: Orbis Terrarum Challenge – Japan

The Makioka Sisters is a story about the four Makioka girls.  The eldest two are married and the younger two are not.  The story centres around finding a husband for the 3rd sister (who is almost past marriageable age) and the attitudes of the 4th sister, who cannot marry until her older sister does.

The book takes place over a period of about six (?) years, starting just before WWII began and ending sometime in the spring of 1941.  The war isn’t a huge part of the novel, just something that is going on in the background in the lives of this family. The story is more about the family and their struggle to find balance between tradition and the western world.

The youngest sister, Taeko, is the most modern and western (these two terms seem to be interchangeable in the novel).  She tried to elope with a man sometime before the novel begins and carries on a secret relationship with him.  Taeko spends a lot of time away from the house where 3 of the sisters live together and Tanizaki hints that during this time she is carrying on sexual relationships with several different men.

Meanwhile, the second sister and her husband are doing all they can to try and find an appropriate husband for the third sister in the traditional way.  This involves matchmakers and miais (formal meetings between the prospective bride and groom and the matchmakers).  Yukiko, the second sister is very shy and in some ways is the most traditional of all the sisters.  This causes some complications in the matchmaking process.

The novel doesn’t really tell a traditional story, instead it just tells about the lives of these sisters through this period of time.  There were times that I found this to be really tedious and there were several times I wondered what a specific incident had to do with the story.  There were other times though that I felt very involved with the characters.  At one point there is a flood and several of the family members are in some danger as they were caught out of the house.  I almost felt as if I was waiting to hear news of my own family as I read about the sisters doing the same.  The boring tedious times contrasted with the exciting times is exactly what real life is like.

At first, I didn’t really like this book, but after thinking about it overnight I began to appreciate it more.  It’s a story about real life and real like doesn’t always have a neat beginning, ending and climax.

I just found this challenge and it looks like fun.  I’m in!  It’s the What’s in a Name Challenge.  There are six books to be read.

1. A book with a profession in the title
2. A book with a time of day in the title
3. A book with a relative in the title
4. A book with a body part in the title
5. A book with a building in the title
6. A book with a medical condition in the title

I have no ideas about what to read yet, so I’m open to any suggestions!

April 2nd was International Children’s Book Day. And April is National Poetry Month. In celebration, I have two lovely options for you this week:

Option A: Be a kid!

You could read a picture book (or two or three) and share what you read.
Write up a post sharing your favorite books from childhood
Write up a post about reading together with your child(ren)

Option B: Be a poet!

Write your own poem and share with us!
Write bookish ABC poems–ABC’s of favorite authors, favorite books, favorite characters, favorite book blogs, or any combination of the above. Maybe even an ABC’s of a bibliophile or book addict. (A is for…B is for…etc.)(For example, ABC’s of Dr. Seuss)
Review a book you’ve read recently in haiku. (It doesn’t need to be a poetry book you’re reviewing, any book will do.) See Emilyreads for an idea of what I mean.
Read a poetry book and review it
Participate in Poetry Friday (This week’s host will be Carol’s Corner.)

I’m not much for poetry so I’ve chosen option A.  I have quite a huge list, so here it goes:

• Below the Root, And All Between and Until the Celebration by Zilpha Keatley Snyder – I remember loving this trilogy when I was about 12 (?).  It was so magical and I could just see this fantasy world in my mind.  I haven’t read them in forever, but I am definitely going to try and pick them up again.
• The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell – I remember reading this one for school in grade 5 and then rereading it over and over.  I loved Karana and I thought she was so smart and brave to create a home and existence for herself all on her own.
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien – The was another one we had to read for school.  I think this one was grade 3.  I loved it because I loved the thought of the rats creating this whole little world for themselves underground.  I recently read it to my 5 year-old and I think he liked it a lot too.
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks – I’m starting to see a pattern here!  I seemed to really like books with a little bit of magic in them.  I loved the thought of a little toy coming to life.  I used to wish that some of my toys would come to life too! I hope my son will enjoy this one as much as I did.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – This is another fantasical classic.  I remember liking this one because it was kind of science-y (not a real word, I know) and that was right up my alley.  I also read the sequels to this one and I liked them just as much.  I plan on reading all of these to my son as well.

I could go on and on, but I think I’ll revisit this topic another time!

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

Read for: Once Upon a Time Challenge

This is a novel based on The Six Swans fairy tale.  In the fairy tale a king with 7 children (six sons and one daughter) gets remarried to a jealous woman.  The new queen turns her step-sons into swans who can only return to their human form for 15 minutes every day.  Luckily, the daughter was able to escape before she was turned into a swan.  If she can sew six shirts out of starwort for her brothers and remain silent the whole time, she can release them from the spell.  Eventually, another King finds the remaining daughter, falls in love with her and marries her.  In her new home, she is wrongly accused of a crime and as she cannot speak to defend herself she is sentenced to burn.  She has almost finished her brothers’ shirts, only one is missing a sleeve.  Just as the fire is being lit, her brothers, as swans, appear and she slips the shirts over their necks one by one.   She is then able to speak and proclaim her innocence.  She is released from the stake and her accusers are burned in her place.  She and her husband live happily ever after and all of her brothers are turned back into men, but for one brother who is left with a wing in place of his arm.

In Daughter of the Forest, Marillier basically retells this story.  And I mean basically.  I’ve never found this particular fairy tale to be all that compelling but I loved this version of it.  I have to admit, I had a hard time getting into the story at first, but once I did, I could not put the book down.  Marillier tells the story in a Celtic setting and adds some extra magic to the story by including the fair folk, who assist the heroine (Sorcha) in her quest and setting the story in an enchanted wood that protects Sorcha through the first part of her task.

Marillier also does a good job of spinning the love story.  Fairy tales always seem to have people falling in love at first sight and living happily ever after, but in this retelling, the love between Sorcha and Lord Hugh grows gradually and we as readers see the love before the characters do themselves.

And even though I knew what the ending of the story was, I still found it very suspenseful!  I could not stop turning the pages, waiting to see what would happen to Sorcha as she was being led out to be put to death. Would she finish the shirts?  Would her brothers come?  How would she be saved from the fire?  The ending of this story is quite different from the ending of the fairy tale, but also quite similar.  I don’t want to give away the ending so that’s all I’ll say.  I think the ending is much more satisfying than the ending of the traditional story.

I also found the characters in this story very compelling.  They were so easy to love (or hate, as the case may be) but they still had faults. I especially liked Sorcha’s brothers and the relationship they all had with her and each other.  It was so much fun to read about them.

I really liked this book and can’t wait to read the next one.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good fairy tale!