Thursday, May 21, 2009

Waiting For Daisy- Orenstein (Book #37)

I have enjoyed Orenstein's other books and this book is no different. Its an honest and very easy to read memoir of her struggles to conceive. I very much enjoyed the read. She is a good writer.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

He's Just Not That Into You- Behrendt (Bok #36)o

It may seem strange for me to read a book written for singles understanding men, but I had read a fiction book by the co-author Tuccillo and felt myself lost in a well written chick lit novel. Since I am of the variety who devours everything written by an author I love, I picked this book up too. This book is okay. I understood a lot of Tuccillos first novel by reading it, but the message is very simply for this book: If a guy acts vague, distracted or uninterested, or treats you bad, or cheats on you, or exhibits any other strange behaviors, he is just not that into you. That's it. The book is writte in a Q&A style with question after question with the same response: He's just not that into you.

I think there are important lessons for women to learn.... about how men's minds work but this is a black and white approach to a gray situation. Relationshps just aren't as simple as the author makes them. Still, I think a single woman would benefit from the main point: You are too fabulous to spend your days pining after someone who does not care.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Odes To Common Things- Neruda (Book #35)

When I saw the title I thought it would be a silly book of poems about objects. No, Neruda is a simple but inherently deep poet. His lyrics flow, and I loved that this book had the Spanish version. Though I could not fully understand the Spanish, I loved the beautiful words. I long to read it in Spanish because I know that is where the fullest beauty of his poetry resides. I enjoyed these poems very much. Some of them, I know I will someday know by heart.

Leaving Tangier- Jelloun (Book #34)

A very new book, I'm surprised this novel ranks so low on Amazon. I found this simply browsing a library and I'm glad I read it. This is a story about immigration and the desperation that can cause someone to want to leave their homeland. This novel written by a Moroccan and translated into English, revolves around the immigration desires of Moroccans to Spain. The story focuses primarily on Azel, an educated Moroccan who cannot find a job and is taken in to be the personal everything to a rich Spaniard Miguel. The story also delves into his sister's life, and a few others along the way. The author alternates chapters with each of their stories. This is a somber novel but it helps me understand how universal the plight of desperate people are. What I mean is, it helps me understand why people are willing to take the risks to become illegal immigrants. This is not just a US thing. It's beyond our borders. The story shows how dark such immigration can be.

Saturday, May 09, 2009

A Princess Remembers- Devi (Book #33)

This book is the autobiography of a former Indian princess. The book chronicles her life and political trials as India went from being ruled by monarchs to a democratic system. I liked her cool descriptions of her palaces, and activities but there was little warmth. I just could not connect with her. Its interesting though as a historical insight into life in India once upon a time.

Friday, May 08, 2009

The Guide- Narayan (Book #32)

As a child I loved watching the Indian movie "Guide" with my family. The story is about a con-artist who ends up on the banks of an abandoned temple and is mistaken for a Swami. The story delves into his past and his present. I remember my parents saying it had very good dialogue. Anyways, browsing the library I came across this book and realized the movie I watched was based on this book. The book is a very easy read and is certainly well written, however, I feel as though I preferred the movie. A lot of the book focuses on Rosie, his lover, and her dancing. Narayan simply does not, or perhaps, cannot, fully describe the beauty of Indian classical dancing with his words. The dancing was my favorite part of the movie. So in this sense, though I loved the book because it reminded me of the movie I cannot help but wonder how much I would love the book without the movie. Certainly it is a profound book about self deception and human nature, but its merits as a book are different from its movie version.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

South Beach Diet Guide (Book #31)- Agatston

I've done South Beach in the past and it does work though the effects do not always say, however I do not blame the diet for this because I typically do phase I with the rapid weight loss and ignore the other phases meant to ease you into incorporating fruits, sugars back into your daily life. This is a nice concise book letting you know what you can and cannot eat with South Beach. The internet just had so much conflicting information on phase I so if you know the basics of South Beach already and are just looking for a food guide and other basic information, this is a good book for you.