Girls of Riyadh

Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea tells the story of four young women, Sadeem, Gamrah, Lamees and Mashael, who live in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The girls are from the wealthy class and are well educated. Each girl is hoping to find love, while navigating strict social rules and customs. I actually had no intention of reading this book, but when I found out my favorite narrator, Kate Reading narrated the book, I decided to give it a shot. Some of the writing and dialogue seems odd, but that may just be the translation (the book was originally published in Arabic). I liked each woman's story and hearing about the Saudi culture, but I had hoped for more growth from the characters. By the end I wanted to shake these women and tell them to stand up for themselves! Forget those men! I had hoped to see them begin to question and challenge the suffocating rules they are forced to live under. But their lives continue in pretty much the same way, which left me a little sad.

Not surprisingly, when the book was originally released in Arabic in 2005, it was banned in Saudi Arabia (the author's home), although it became a bestseller in the Middle East. In the author's note, she says that she hopes readers will realize Saudi Arabia "is a very conservative Islamic society. The women there do live under male dominance. But they are full of hopes and plans and determination and dreams."

Geraldine Brooks on People of the Book

Terry, one of our fantastic readers' advisers, recently attended a talk by Geraldine Brooks on her latest novel, People of the Book. Here's what she had to say:

How lucky can you be to hear one of your favorite authors discuss her most recent novel!!! Geraldine Brooks, an Aussie, former reporter, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and author of People of the Book, talked of her circuitous route which led her to hear of and finally write a novel about the famed Sarajevo Haggadah. This illuminated codex was probably scribed in 15th century Spain and made its way to Sarajevo, surviving inquisitions and wars. Brooks finds her voice through an Australian book conserver, Hannah Heath, who examines the Haggadah and finds stains in the text, artifacts in the binding, and the absence of a clasp on the book. Brooks weaves these into stories and takes us on the journey of the Haggadah traveling from Spain to Sarajevo. This was a great read and like all Brooks' fiction, beautifully written. Can't wait for Brooks' next novel which will be about the first Native American who graduated from Harvard in... Guess the date.... Nope, it was 1666.

Reading Resolution #1

So, one of my reading resolutions was to read a James Patterson book. I realized that I have taken somewhat of a haughty attitude toward his work. But, I figured there must be something to his books, since they seem pretty popular with the masses and I thought I had better actually read one before passing judgment. A reader suggested that I start with any of his Alex Cross books, but having seen the movie version of Kiss the Girls, I was afraid they might be a little creepy for me. I decided to start with 1st to Die, the first in the women's murder club series. A serial killer begins killing newlyweds on their honeymoon and detective Lindsay Boxer enlists the help of her friends, a reporter, a district attorney and a medical examiner, to help her solve the crime. I'll admit that it wasn't bad. The story was fast-paced and kept my attention. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing who the killer was. Although the idea of a group of women solving crime was appealing to me, I had a hard time finding it plausible that a police detective would enlist the help of friends to solve a crime. The only person I could see her getting help from would be the medical examiner. But, quite a few mysteries feature very implausible crime solvers, such as the chef-turned-detective, so I can't fault it too much for that. All in all, an entertaining read, but I don't feel compelled to follow these characters.

Ishmael Beah's Memoir Challenged

Ishmael Beah's bestselling memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, tells of his childhood in Sierra Leone during its civil war. As a young boy, he is displaced from his home, forced to walk through the desert and jungle, and is finally captured and forced into the army. If you haven't read it, you should check it out. Amazing story.

Recently, the Australian ran an article challenging Beah's story, citing a discrepancy in the dates of events. In the memoir, Beah claims that in 1993, when he was 12 years old, rebels attacked his village. When he was 13, he was captured and forced to fight in the army. The Australian says that an "investigation" into Beah's story revealed that the events Beah described did not actually occur until 1995, and he was only soldier for a few months, rather than the 2 years Beah claims. Beah is standing by his story and the dates of events. The Australian does concede that the supposed inaccuracies are probably a result of Beah's memory being impaired by trauma, drugs and extreme youth.

While I agree it may be possible that the trauma of the events may have affected his memory, let's look at the big picture here people. So maybe he has some dates wrong. What does that change? Is what happened to him any less horrific because he was 15 instead of 13? Is it not so bad because he was only forced to kill people for a few months, rather than a few years? I didn't think so.

New novel from Rushdie

Salman Rushdie will be releasing a new novel this June entitled Enchantress of Florence, which will be an historical novel set in....Renaissance Florence. I will add this to my list of Rushdie novels I keep saying I'm going to read but still haven't.

Bourdain joins the blogosphere

Exciting news people! Anthony Bourdain has a blog. Have I ever mentioned how I love him? Maybe once or twice. I just love his writing, and now we can all enjoy it on a regular basis!

To burn or not to burn...

Before Vladimir Nabokov died, he had begun work on a new novel called The Original of Laura. However, he expressed his wishes that the notes be burned after he died rather than published. The notes have sat in a Swiss bank vault untouched, and his surviving heir is torn between following his father's wishes and the demands of the literary world.