This book is a fictional crime novel set in Saudi Arabia.
I enjoyed it just because this is not your typical stereotyped book about Saudi Arabia. In fact, one of the main characters is not only female, but she is employed at the police station too. Due to the fact that it is Saudi Arabia, there are some things to be overcome. A single woman is fired because she said she was married in order to get a job. A woman is dismembered because she was exposing some of the unsavory aspects of society and trying to go against religious dogma.
Verdict - a very refreshing take on a novel from Saudi Arabia. The author, who lived in Saudi Arabia for a while manages to balance reality with not forwarding stereotype. Also interesting as a detective story in Saudi - something very unexpected. Read it!
The Never Ending Attempt to Expand the Mind Through Reading.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen
I picked up this book because my folks used to attend a Mennonite church when I was little and I thought it might be interesting. Not many people are familiar with Mennonites today, as there are rather few of them out there, and it provides a very interesting look.
I liked Rhoda's sense of humor. She is unapologetic about who she is and where she came from and takes a humorous look at some of the stereotypes people have about Mennonites. She also addresses that even if you change a lot from when you were a child, you still can't escape your roots and where you came from, even if you try. And it isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Verdict: Read it.
I liked Rhoda's sense of humor. She is unapologetic about who she is and where she came from and takes a humorous look at some of the stereotypes people have about Mennonites. She also addresses that even if you change a lot from when you were a child, you still can't escape your roots and where you came from, even if you try. And it isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Verdict: Read it.
Welcome to the Jungle (Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Bipolar but Were Too Freaked Out to Ask) - Hillary Smith
I initially picked up this book because I am an absolute freak for Guns N Roses, but once I read the bipolar hook I was interested also.
This book is written by a bipolar author trying to make this disease accessible to both the general public and people with bipolar trying to better understand their disease. The author has a frank style and matter of fact writing that makes the disease seem easy to understand and deal with .
Verdict: Even if you don't have Bipolar, this is still an interesting read for anyone looking to improve their general knowledge or their knowledge of bipolar.
This book is written by a bipolar author trying to make this disease accessible to both the general public and people with bipolar trying to better understand their disease. The author has a frank style and matter of fact writing that makes the disease seem easy to understand and deal with .
Verdict: Even if you don't have Bipolar, this is still an interesting read for anyone looking to improve their general knowledge or their knowledge of bipolar.
How Did You Get This Number? - Sloan Crosley
I'm pretty picky when it comes to humor because it's highly subjective, like music, but I did like Sloan Crosley. Her refreshing, ironic take on her travels and New York life had me hooked and enjoying the ride.
Verdict: Pretty wide appeal - read it.
Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry - Christine Sneed
This was an interesting book. It is written as a series of short stories about people in the author's life and the type of relationship they had. Most of the stories are rather sad, but still very interesting to read.
Verdict: A bit much with the Chick Lit flavor, but still a good read.
Verdict: A bit much with the Chick Lit flavor, but still a good read.
All New Letters from a Nut - Ted Nancy
Unfortunately, this trip to the library was a little heavy on the sophomoric humor, and not the good kid. The crappy kind where immature guys just annoy the crap out of other people. That would be this book a nutshell. I'm all for a good practical joke, but reading a whole book of essentially the same joke where the punchline takes forever to appear and greatly wastes people's time is just rather sad.
The author apparently thought it was funny enough to write a sequel to the first book, which is just one too many. This book has the author writing annoying/fake letters to businesses and stringing them along for a while.
Verdict: I'm not even going to recommend this one. I refuse.
The author apparently thought it was funny enough to write a sequel to the first book, which is just one too many. This book has the author writing annoying/fake letters to businesses and stringing them along for a while.
Verdict: I'm not even going to recommend this one. I refuse.
In 50 Years, We'll All Be Chicks - Adam Carolla
Yes, this is written by the same Carolla who used to be on Dr .Drew. Just keep that in mind, the humor and tone hasn't changed at all. I wanted to see if he had any different sides to him but the answer is "no" according to this book.
So Adam Carolla contemplates different experiences and issues. In typical sophomoric fashion. Even enjoying that type of humor, I found this funny for all of 5 pages, then it just got rather old.
Verdict: Rather disappointing. I guess if you enjoy Adam Carolla, a lot, you may enjoy this. Or frat boy humor. Otherwise, it just leaves you feeling like brain cells were escaping.
So Adam Carolla contemplates different experiences and issues. In typical sophomoric fashion. Even enjoying that type of humor, I found this funny for all of 5 pages, then it just got rather old.
Verdict: Rather disappointing. I guess if you enjoy Adam Carolla, a lot, you may enjoy this. Or frat boy humor. Otherwise, it just leaves you feeling like brain cells were escaping.
The Virgin Widow - Anne O'Brien
As promised, I don't review too many fiction romance novels. To be fair, this wasn't exactly a romance novel, it was more of a period novel. There was romance, to be sure, but it definitely wasn't the soft-porn type Harlequin novel I was expecting.
Well written, the author goes into detail of politics during the time of Kings in England. The main character is the daughter of a political advisor to the king who ends up being killed for plotting against the king. She is married off to a very unwilling family, widowed (hence the title), and then finally reunited with her childhood love interest.
Verdict: A very well written period piece about a strong woman trying to dictate her own future in a time very unamenable to that type thing. Read it!
Grow Your Own Drugs - James Wong
Ok, so a disclaimer, this book is much, much less interesting than it sounds. The author is describing methods of growing your own herbs (and no, not that herb) and making them into homeopathic type medicines. Even after I figured out that distinction, this was still too hippy - granola-ey - organic for me. Many of the herbs are difficult to find and I really didn't find enough time in my schedule to make potions. I also am rather leery of using herbs for drug purposes as it is in a medicinal capacity and a doctor is not involved.
If you're interested in this type of stuff, this would be a nice book for you, it just wasn't for me. You would have to have a pretty heavy interest in homeopathic made medicine and a basic knowledge of herbs and where to find the lesser known ones.
Verdict: Read if you're interested in this type of stuff.
If you're interested in this type of stuff, this would be a nice book for you, it just wasn't for me. You would have to have a pretty heavy interest in homeopathic made medicine and a basic knowledge of herbs and where to find the lesser known ones.
Verdict: Read if you're interested in this type of stuff.
Luka and the Fire of Life - Salman Rushdie
This book is the sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories, another excellent read. In this tale, Luka, Haroun's younger brother goes on an adventure of his own.
I would highly recommend reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories if you would like to read Luka and the Fire of Life because it provides a lot of background on this family that provides useful when reading. Remember - when reading Rushdie, it's always best to have as much information as possible, or you will be lost. That being said, both Haroun and Luka are comparatively easy reads as far as Rushdie goes, Luka even more so than Haroun.
For what it's worth, I found Luka and the Fire of Life even better than Haroun. Even though it's written for adults, this would be an excellent book to read to your kids at bed time, with a little additional explanation added.
Verdict: A definite read it. An excellent introduction to Rushdie for those interested in his work.
Becky
I would highly recommend reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories if you would like to read Luka and the Fire of Life because it provides a lot of background on this family that provides useful when reading. Remember - when reading Rushdie, it's always best to have as much information as possible, or you will be lost. That being said, both Haroun and Luka are comparatively easy reads as far as Rushdie goes, Luka even more so than Haroun.
For what it's worth, I found Luka and the Fire of Life even better than Haroun. Even though it's written for adults, this would be an excellent book to read to your kids at bed time, with a little additional explanation added.
Verdict: A definite read it. An excellent introduction to Rushdie for those interested in his work.
Becky
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