"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

I was intrigued by this 500+ page book before I ever laid hands on it because of all the negative reviews it received. It is the first book for adults by one of the best story-tellers of our time. So naturally I had to read it!

The first thing I am going to say about this book is that it is not an easy read. Rowling uses multiple points of view - someone counted as many as 18 - and for the first 200 pages or so I really had trouble keeping all the characters straight. Sometimes a chapter would start with one POV and then shift to another one and even a third. This structure definitely makes the book challenging for readers but it also offers a unique glimpse into the thoughts of multiple characters.

The story is set in a picturesque village (Pagford) in the British countryside. The community is shocked by the sudden death of one of local Parish councilors Barry Fairbrother. The council itself is divided on the issue of a seedy neighborhood adjacent to the village. The neighborhood - the Fields - is plagued by crime, drug-use and high unemployment, and a lot of the villagers would love to see the boundary line redrawn and the Fields transferred to another jurisdiction. With Fairbrother gone, his seat becomes highly contested by candidates from the opposing camps.

However, this is just the backdrop for the story. Rowling examines the petty lies, hatred, and pain that various villagers are dealing with. Pagford is not the idyllic place it seems to be. There are skeletons hidden in many a closet, and a lot of secrets come to light during the time leading up to the Parish Council elections. Unsurprisingly, teenagers play a permanent role in Rowling's story. They are the ones that war with their parents, rebel against the rules and ultimately reveal the above-mentioned secrets on the Parish Council's website.

The book gradually drew me in and I could not give up reading it because I wanted to know how it would end. The narrative really picks up the pace in the last 100 pages as events race to their conclusion. Rowling called this novel "a dark comedy" - I would probably call it more of a satire. Most of the characters are grotesque with one or more flaws blown out of proportion.

The book ends just as it starts - with death. However, whereas in the beginning the death of a local parish councilor divided the community and brought to light a lot of ugly secrets; the deaths of a little boy and his teenage sister at the end of the book unite the community and bring the more grotesque characters to their senses - the local bully is humbled and shamed, a taunted and pained teenager becomes a hero and a lost middle-aged woman finds a new purpose in life and wants to serve the community.

So I would say if you are a thoughtful reader who can keep track of multiple characters, you will definitely enjoy this book. But do keep in mind that it is not light reading.

Holiday Reads

Since we are in the end of December, I decided to do a post about favorite holiday reads. My all time favorite is of course The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. But if you'd like to read something more contemporary, I highly recommend Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. This book was made into a movie a few years back starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. However, I think the book is much better. It is really a laugh-out loud impossible-to-put-down kind of read. As a side note, I used to read everything by John Grisham and this book really opened him up for me as a versatile writer who successfully crosses over to other genres from his usual detective story/legal drama/thriller type books.

Of course, Christmas is also the time to open up the gospels and read the Christmas story. If you are looking for other books on Jesus, there is a new book out called Zealot: the Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. I started reading the book and will do a separate review of it once I am finished. But basically it gives a very good overview of the political and historic landscape in the beginning of the first century when Jesus began His ministry. I do not necessarily agree with all of the author's conclusions about Jesus but that is precisely the point. I do not think any of us can ever quite know what Jesus was like as a person. We can attempt and study the historic accounts and piece together other information about the time period, but ultimately, it all comes down to whether you believe that He truly was the Son of God. And that is not something you will get out of this book.

The beauty of having a blog

I started this blog so I can "gush" about books whenever I am particularly excited about a specific author or a title. So I tried to keep my posts limited to only book reviews, but then this morning driving to work I thought: why set parameters? This is my blog, I am doing this because I enjoy it and it is absolutely up to me what I write on here - after all, no one is obligated to read it! So there, this post is not about any particular book, but rather about the love of reading.

Sometimes when I read a particularly engaging book, I feel like I am almost losing myself in the story: I get obsessed with the characters, the story line, the setting and I feverishly read on almost to the point of neglecting my own life... I've seen others do this as well. Thank goodness, each book has an ending... It is a great rush to read a book like that, but then I wonder is this escapism? Am I trying to lose myself in a story to escape my own surroundings? Other people get addicted to video games, TV viewing and other less innocuous activities. I am pretty sure it is possible to be addicted to reading. I know quite a few people who would definitely qualify. I have already reviewed some of the books that have given me such a rush, the Hunger Games trilogy is definitely on the list. You can also add Hopeless, Beautiful Disaster and Mortal Instruments to this category.

However, not all books are the same. As Cornelia Funke aptly states in her book Inkheart,

Some books should be tasted,
some devoured,
but only a few
should be chewed and digested thoroughly

For my part, I like all sort of books, and I do get something out of all of them. Even a silly romance novel has its purpose. Some may think - reading novels is a waste of time, but if a book makes you dream and imagine the things you could do with your life, if it inspires you to try something new, or gives you a different perspective on issues, if it makes you think and analyze your own experiences, it is quite the opposite!

So, if you are wondering how to get away from your everyday worries without spending a fortune on a trip to a faraway land - I say go find a great book to read. There are so many!

"Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See

I finished reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See a few days ago and have been thinking about how to describe it. This was the first book I've read that gave me a real feel for the Chinese culture. The book starts out in Shanghai in 1937 right before the Japanese invade China. The story follows the lives of two sisters Pearl and May, who are young, carefree and excited about the future.  Their lives undergo a dramatic change once they learn that their father had gambled away his fortune and sold his daughters into arranged marriages to the US. They try to escape this fate, but to no avail. The Japanese invade China - and more personal heartbreak and tragedy follows. I must warn readers that some parts of this book are quite graphic. I myself often prefer not to read books that desribe violence or suffering in a lot of detail. There is one particular point in the book that is quite descriptive, however, the event is critical to building the storyline and understanding the relationship between the two sisters.

Pearl and May eventually get settled in the US with their husbands, and we get a glimpse into what life in the Los Angeles Chinatown was like in the 1940-50s. The book ultimately is about sisterly love and the love of one's country. Pearl and May miss Shanghai terribly, but cannot go back to China because it is ruled by the Communists. Their lives are also deeply intertwined: they are sisters, best friends and sisters-in-law. They also have a "common" daughter - Joy (May gives birth to her and Pearl raises her as her own).

Lisa See has also written a sequel called Dreams of Joy - which is about the daughter I mentioned above. This next novel is definitely on my to be read list.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Since I have a young daughter, I read a lot of books for middle schoolers, and would like to review a very popular five-book series by Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The first two books The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters have been made into movies. However, the movies really do not do justice to the series, especially the second movie which is significantly different from the book.

The books are based on Greek mythology, but set in the modern day. The main character Percy Jackson is a demigod - a son of the sea god Poseidon born to a human mother. The books are a roller coaster of adventure and action. They are easy to read and provide lots of entertainment. Riordan has a great sense of humor, and his characters are witty and funny.

I read some reviews where the readers were frustrated that Percy Jackson appears to be a bit slow on the uptake. Basically, he is usually the last person to realize what is happening, who the bad guys are, etc, to the point that the readers already know what is going on and Percy is still in the dark. My response to this is: this book is for middle schoolers, who are encouraged to figure out the plot as they read along. The main character is just a kid who is not supposed to have experience with fighting monsters or unravelling evil plots. So keeping this perspective in mind, really helps adult readers to understand why Riordan wrote Percy a certain way.

Another important feature of the series is that there is a clear character development from book to book, and book five has a very strong ending. It does not leave you hanging or hoping for another book. It is a complete stand alone series where all the story-lines are nicely tied up in the end. I really enjoyed reading these books. If you have young children, this is a great series to read as a family, and also a nice way to encourage your child to read. Riordan has two other mythology-based series: The Kane Chronicles (focused on Egypt) and Heroes of the Olympus. So if you can't quite say good-bye to the world created by Riordan, there are more stories to dive into.

Great NDE Reads

My postmodernist upbringing makes me question everything. It is hard for me to accept any absolute truth. Even though I consider myself a religious person and firmly believe in the existence of divine Mind, the skeptic in me still searches for proof of supernatural (or divinely natural if you will) in the physical world. Our materialistic culture with its focus on science, medicine and the uncovering of all secrets, seems to fail when encountering so-called miracles: unexplained healings, intuition, premonitions and near death experiences (NDEs). I always thought: if God is real - and I believe that He/She is - why wouldn't He reveal Herself in today's age in a way that our medicated, scientifically oriented and perpetually skeptical minds can understand?

Well, judging by the number of recent NDE books that are out there, I think that perhaps God never stopped revealing Himself in every age and clime. Two of my absolute favorite recent NDE accounts are Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani and Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander. The authors have almost nothing in common. Ms. Moorjani lives in Hong Kong and is an adherent of Hinduism. Dr. Alexander is a neurosurgeon from the United States who never before his own brush with eternity believed in near death experiences or considered himself religious. Both authors seemed to succumb to incurable diseases: Ms. Moorjani had cancer and Dr. Alexander ended up in a hospital with meningitis. Both experienced life beyond the grave and woke up completely healed. I highly recommend these books. The authors do not promote any kind of religion or try to establish a new one. But the sincerity of their voices is beyond doubt. They have experienced something that is beyond any explanation according to the scientific worldview, and lived to tell about it. If nothing else, these books give us hope that life does not end with physical death, and that life is so much more than our ridiculously short earthly existence. Happy reading!

"The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" by Ayana Mathis

Let me just begin by saying this, if I ever decide to write a book, I want to be able to express my thoughts the way this author can. Reading this book is akin to watching a movie or looking at a painting, except Mathis uses words to paint her pictures. I could literally hear, feel, smell and taste things together with the characters. What an amazing writer!  Sometimes descriptions can get tedious in novels, you just want to skip over them and get to the "good part." Not in this book. Her descriptions pull you in. Rather than simply following the narrative, the reader literally gets transported into the scene and starts experiencing the events, reliving them along with the characters. I highly recommend this book. Even if you do not like the storyline, it is quite an experience just to read Ayana Mathis' prose.

The plot itself is centered on the life of one woman (Hattie) and her twelve children (sort of like twelve tribes of Israel, but instead of the male head of the clan, we have a female).  Hattie herself moves from Georgia to Philadelphia in search of a better life (or a "promised land") in the North. When we first meet her, she is 17 and has just given birth to twins. All subsequent chapters focus on one of her children, their life stories, struggles and joys, and on their relationship with their mother.  Hattie is a strong woman, a survivor; she might not be outwardly very warm or loving towards her children, but all of her actions are motivated by her great love for them. She is just too busy keeping them fed and clothed to worry about hugging them or paying attention to what might be on their minds. Her husband does not really deserve a mention in this review since she raises this family almost despite of his wayward and selfish lifestyle.

I think this is definitely an author to watch.  This book is also widely publicized by Oprah who selected it for her Book Club 2.0, and it is a great selection!

Let's talk about dystopias

Dystopias are widely popular right now. The Hunger Games gave this genre a new ticket to life. When I first saw The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in a local bookstore, I purchased it for my husband. I did not think it was my type of book, but thought that he might enjoy it. I was right - he absolutely loved it and went on to buy the rest of the books in the trilogy as they came out (Catching Fire and The Mocking Jay). I was still skeptical about the books, and got only marginally interested in the first one after I'd seen the movie. However, once I started reading the trilogy, I literally could not put it down and devoured the three books in less than six days. If you have not read these books, I do highly recommend them. Collins takes the current obsession with reality TV to a new level. She describes a society that picks teenagers from 12 "districts" to fight until death in the nationally broadcasted annual Hunger Games. The country itself is rules by the "Capitol" - the only prosperous area in the country, whose inhabitants watch the Hunger Games as you would a favorite sitcom.

To be sure, dystopias are not a new invention. Fahrenheit 451, Nineteen Eighty Four and others portrayed totalitarian societies gone very wrong. My personal favorite is We (published in 1924) by the Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin who described a dystopian society based on his personal experiences during the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917.

I tried reading other popular dystopias. I mostly stick with the young adult books for this genre. The Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver started out a bit slow but picked up the pace in books 2 and 3. The main character also developed quite a bit by book 3. The premise of this book is that a futuristic society decides that love is a disease and "cures" all citizens at the age of 16. If you are looking to get a dystopia fix, this could be a reasonable choice. However, it does not really compare to The Hunger Games. Other dystopias on my to be read list are: Matched and Divergent. So look for reviews of those in the coming weeks.

"The Breath of God" by Jeffrey Small

If you liked The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, you will probably enjoy this novel by Jeffrey Small. The plot is based on a myth according to which a 19th century Russian explorer discovered records in the Himalayas that confirmed Jesus' travels through the region. The story follows a modern day doctorate student who retraces the steps of the Russian explorer in search of truth about historic Jesus. The book is filled with suspense, travels to exotic places, high-paced chases and unexpected twists. Apart from writing a thriller, Small attempts to demonstrate that ultimately all religions teach the same truth about God. Human misconceptions distort the pure message about the divine, but its essence is always there. I think this book is a good choice for a long train or airplane ride or for a trip to the beach. It will not only keep you entertained but will also spark your curiosity about comparative religion and maybe even prompt you to look into further study of the subject.

"Biocentrism" by Robert Lanza, MD

Dr. Lanza in his book Biocentrism puts forward a theory according to which human consciousness plays a huge (if not the main) role in forming what we perceive as reality. Let me immediately state that the book is not meant exclusively for scientists. It is very readable and clearly meant for a wide audience of readers. Dr. Lanza explains the basics of quantum physics, according to which particles behave differently depending on the expectations (!) of observers. He then comes to the conclusion that human consciousness basically forms the reality of everything we see around us. To be sure, this is not a new concept. Hegel and others have taken a similar view two centuries ago. However, where 18th century philosophers mostly theorized, Dr. Lanza uses the latest scientific discoveries to back up his theory. I think this book will challenge you to re-examine the very notion of what is real. To make this totally absurd - when you leave your kitchen (i.e. no one is there to observe its existence), is it still there? Enjoy! It is a fascinating read.

"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers

This book is another favorite of mine. It is a heartfelt story of a young man,  who loses both of his parents to cancer, and ends up being the sole caretaker of his eight-year old brother. Eggers is a brilliant writer. He is able to express his emotions with such precision that I found myself nodding in agreement more than a few times, knowing exactly how he must have felt. The thing that I liked the most is the way Eggers describes the feelings and thoughts of a new parent. Here is this young man who is still in college and has not figured out his own life, and all of a sudden he has the responsibility of taking care of a young child. He experiences all the fears and insecurities of first-time parents which a lot of us can relate to.

This book is the story of the two brothers' journey of learning to cope with the loss of their parents and trying to find their way in this world. It also asks the question of what constitutes a real family. Does every family have to have a mom, a dad and a kid? When my daughter was little I used to tell her: families are different, it can be a mom and a child, or a dad and a child, or grandparents and a child. In this story, the family is the two brothers. What matters is that they love and take care of each other.

"The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve

I borrowed this book from the library knowing nothing about it. I had read another book by Anita Shreve (A Wedding in December) and really liked her writing style and the candor of the plot, so decided to try this one. This book will move you to tears. It is about heartbreak and betrayal. The main heroine (Kathryn) receives the terrible news that her husband's plane crashed near the coast of Ireland. Trying to cope with grief, she focuses on recalling the details of how they first met, fell in love and built a home together. At the same time, she starts discovering little secrets that her husband (Jack) apparently kept from her. Little by little, she finds out that he led a double life, which she knew nothing about. Her search for answers brings her to Europe, where she learns more about Jack's secret life and realizes that she never really knew her husband... It's a great read, and a very moving story. It will make you question whether it is ever possible to really know another person.

"The Bastard of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak's The Bastard of Istanbul is a story of two seemingly unconnected families: a Turkish family in Istanbul and an Armenian family in the United States. The plot revolves around the lives of four sisters of the Kazanci family, and their estranged brother who lives in Arizona. The brother's wife has an Armenian daughter from her previous marriage, and thus the story of unexpected connections begins.

Shafak candidly talks about the Armenian genocide in Turkey, and at the same time explores the lives of individual women who were touched by this horrific past. The novel also has an unexpected family secret (which I did not see coming at all), and which unravels when several of the main characters finally all get together in Turkey. The novel also zeros in on two young women of the new generation: a Turkish girl named Asiya and an Armenian-American Armanoush. Both of them yearn to know more about the past of their families and search for their own identity.

Shafak skillfully weaves the stories of several generations of the two families into one amazing tapestry of unlikely friendships and unexpected twists and turns. Her characters are bold and interesting. You cannot help but get attached to them. Her style is that of an experienced story-teller, who draws you in from the very start and whose voice stays with you long after the book is over. Reading this book is an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend it.

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

I loved this book. It offers a new and much more personal perspective on the Biblical story of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, and - most importantly - their sister Dinah, who gets only a passing mention in the Bible. If you are familiar with the book of Genesis, you cannot help but have a reaction to this novel. The portraits of Joseph and Jacob might totally shock you to the point that you won't be able to recognize the familiar Biblical stories. But what the novel really does brilliantly is examine the fate of Biblical women. The red tent is the place where women went during their menstrual period, illness or when giving birth, in order to stay separate during the time when they were unclean. This is the story about the women of Jacob's family: their love, struggles, pain and survival. I highly recommend this book. It showed me the familiar Bible stories in a completely new light and made Biblical characters very real.

"The Day the Falls Stood Still" by Cathy Buchanan

I picked up this novel from a bargain rack at one of the bookstores. The title caught my attention and the book cover said it was about Niagara Falls. So I decided to get it. And what a find this turned out to be! This is not the type of book you read in one sitting. This is the kind you savor bit by bit, and then keep thinking about it long after you turn the last page. It has everything: a gorgeous setting - think turn of the century Canadian town whose life centers around the Falls; a love story; a war; and a supernatural family legend. Buchanan is a great story-teller and I truly enjoyed reading this book.

"Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff

Let me begin by saying that I was always fascinated by Cleopatra as a historical figure, although granted, everything I knew about her I learned from the popular culture. Cleopatra is normally presented as a powerful and proud queen, who was loved by both Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony, and who famously took her own life rather than surrender to Romans.

If you are looking for a quick-paced novel about Cleopatra, this book is not for you. This is not fiction, it is a biography. It is very well researched and based on historical facts. To be sure, the author examines popular myths and misconceptions, but this book is for those who want to learn about the real historical figure rather than read a historic fiction.

To be honest, even though very interesting and engaging, this book was a slow read for me. It gets a bit dry in places and well... reads like a well-researched biography. So I would say as long as this is what you are looking for, you will not be disappointed!

"Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg

I started reading Lean In by the Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. My first reaction is: Mothers, read this book and get your daughter to read it. Fathers, brothers and sons - you should at least try reading it.

I think every woman whether she is a stay-at-home mom or a powerful executive will learn something about herself by reading this book. Ms. Sandberg uses her own experience and experiences of women she's interacted with to show how different societal expectations program women to behave differently from men in the same professional and academic situations. She has a powerful message to girls and women everywhere, think about what you would do if you were not afraid?

I would encourage everyone not to pass this title by. It is truly inspiring and will motivate you to re-examine how you see yourself and what internal barriers you set up that limit your potential.