Thoughts on 2011

Books and Blog:
I'm pleased that I've continued to enjoy reading and blogging throughout 2011.  As the year has gone past, I've become less worried about number of followers and frequency of posts and the types of books I review and I've just settled in and enjoyed it more.  There are a number of bloggers that I feel like I've developed friendships with this year, so thank you to all of you who keep visiting and commenting :)

I've also managed to meet my own vague personal goal of reading 100 books, which I am chuffed with.  I'm going for the same next year, but without any pressure.  All I want in terms of reading is to read and enjoy some great books, then share my thoughts on them.

Personal:
On a more personal level, 2011 has been the most intense year of my life so far.  There have been so many good and even wonderful things about it and a share of bad too, and it feels in some ways that someone pressed a fast forward button on my life this year.  I don't usually discuss personal things on my blog, because it's a book blog, but I wanted to share some things that happened in 2011 for me:

At the start of the year I had proper health problems for the first time. I actually ended 2010 in hospital and spent a lot of 2011 at hospital appointments and having diagnostic tests.  Luckily things are well under control now and I feel better than I have done in ages, but I never really realised how important good health was, and how much not having it can effect everything in your life until this year.

And then in April we moved house.  Wasn't planning to so soon, but we are so glad we did now as we moved from a flat to a proper house with a garden (still renting, when is the housing market going to settle?) and we're both happy here.  After April all my time was taken up with wedding planning as I got married at the end of July.  All of August was spent having the most wonderful honeymoon touring the southern states of the USA.  That was definitely my favourite part of the year and we're planning to go back to New Orleans at some point in the future.

September was a difficult time.  The new school year started and I had some new things at work to get used to.  My granddad also passed away at the end of this month, which I haven't felt OK typing about until now.  My grandparents lived in the house opposite us during all of my childhood and teenage years and I'm lucky to have so many happy memories.  He had been ill for a very long time, but it was still hard.  I'm getting there now.

And then in December, a welcome happy event as my big sister got married.  My poor parents - both daughters married during the same year, I'm sure it was a challenging year for them too!  It was nice to be so involved with the ceremony (I was a bridesmaid) without the pressure of making all of the decisions.

Thankfully, my Christmas holidays have been relaxing and low-key.  I'm planning a quiet New Years Eve, cooking a curry for my husband and parents and staying in.  I hope to have a quieter 2012, and to have time to take pleasure in the simple things.  And read a great many good books of course!

Happy New Year Everyone!
Are you happy or sad to see the end of 2011?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Regular readers will know that I don't read much YA, but every now again I like to pick up a YA book from the library and see what I am missing.  Before I Fall is the story of high-school student Sam, who is killed in a car accident whilst being driven home from a late-night house party (not a spoiler, it happens right at the beginning).  But rather than moving on, she finds herself reliving the day of her death over and over again in a Groundhog-day type scenario.  As she starts the same day afresh every morning, Sam must learn that every action and even inaction that she takes has consequences for those around her.

I liked the main character of Sam in this book.  At the beginning, she was not a very nice person - not the sort to start bullying others but the kind that will readily join in without feeling guilty.  She's distant from her parents and has cut her best childhood friend out of her life in order to be seen as popular.  She's obsessed with wearing the right thing, saying the right thing and even eating the right thing at lunch-time.  She's self-absored in the way that only teenagers can be, and Oliver wrote this part beautifully. But then as the book went on, I got to see Sam slowly change and mature.  Of course the whole process was sped up by the groundhog day scenario, but it read like a real reflection on the growing up process that happens to all of us.  I appreciated that Oliver didn't create a perfect main character (like I've seen in a lot of YA books) but instead let us watch her develop throughout the course of the story.

When I was reading Before I Fall, I felt as though I had gone back to my own teenage years, as Oliver perfectly captures what it is like to be a teenager when you aren't sure of yourself and the world of school and your relationships with other teenagers are the most important things in the world.  At points I wanted to reach into the book and shake the characters, saying "it does get better when you get to the real world."  And that's the essential problem for me with this book and with YA books in general - I don't always want to be transported back to my teenage years.  In fact, I'm quite happy to be out of them.

But Before I Fall is definitely one of the best YA books I've read for a long time.  It's addictive, hard to put down, well written and contains a cast of decently developed secondary characters.  There are no stereotypical teens present in Oliver's book.  As the story goes on, you do find yourself rooting for Sam and hoping that she will be able to change herself into a better person.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, or anyone who wants to be reminded of what it is like to be a teenager.

Verdict: A good YA book about a teenage girl in a ground hog day scenario who must learn to be a better person.

First Published: March 2010

Source: Library (random browsing)

Score: As YA, 4.5 out of 5.  For me overall, 3 out of 5.

The Ruins Of Us by Keija Parssinen

The Ruins of Us hits the ground running.  Rosalie, an American woman married to a Saudi man, Abdullah,  is shopping for a gift for her daughter when the shop-keeper casually asks if she enjoyed the anniversary gift her husband bought recently.  Knowing that the gift was not for her, it doesn't take Rosalie long to find out that her husband has secretly taken a second wife, Isra.  The after-shocks of this revelation are the real meat of the story as everyone in the family is affected.  Rosalie must decide what to do whilst Abdullah hides behind the shield of tradition.  Their daughter feels oppressed by the contradiction between her upbringing and the rigid rules for Saudi women but it is their son, Faisal, who is holding a deep resentment against his mother and her American-ness.  As he becomes further drawn into extremist activity, events start to spin out of control.

The Ruins of Us is an impressive novel that straddled several genres comfortably.  Different chapters in the book are told from the different perspectives of each of the main characters and Parssinen managed to make each voice distinct.  I was particularly drawn to the story of Faisal as he became radicalised and this remained undetected by his family.  Parssinen did a fantastic job of showing how bored, wealthy young men are often easy targets for extremists- in the news here it's not unusual to hear of young men from moderate, successful families ending up in terrorist training camps abroad, and I felt that this part of the story showed real insight.  Faisal's guilt at being half-American was easily manipulated and used against him as he was desperate to become more Saudi and more Muslim.  As his family struggled to deal with their own issues, no one noticed what was happening to him as he started to idealise poverty and suffering and rebel against his wealthy upbringing.

Parssinen also successfully showed the emotions that each family member went through as they came to terms with Abdullah taking a second wife.  I felt for Rosalie, even if I couldn't understand her choices.  Having grown up on an oil reserve in Saudi Arabia, she was as much in love with the country as she was with Abdullah.  There was also some good examination about what it means to truly belong somewhere, and to be caught between two very different cultures.

One criticism I will make is that I wanted to hear more from Rosalie and Abdullah's daughter, Mariam.  Whereas Faisal was rebelling by becoming more extremist, Mariam was busy fighting the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia by decorating her abaya (outer covering worn by Saudi women) and writing an anonymous blog.  These issues about life for women in Saudi Arabia were just touched upon through the characters of Mariam and Rosalie and I would have liked to see some more examination.  But this is just a minor criticism - I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for more by the author in the future.

Verdict: Good examination of family dynamics and culture clash in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

Source: From the publisher via NetGalley

Score: 4 out of 5

The Ruins of Us is published on January 17th 2012.

Christmas Loot!

I'm having a relaxing day today after a busy Christmas.  I have had a lovely few days and thoroughly enjoyed my first Christmas as a married person, as well as the first Christmas in our house (last year we were in a tiny, poky flat so it's a definite upgrade).  The majority of my presents were not books as the fact that I own a lot of books is well known and generally puts people off buying any more for me.  However, I did receive some books that I'm very happy with ....

 

The Night Circus was a gift from my parents.  I bought the same book for my sister as a gift and when it came in the post I read the first chapter.  That was enough to get me hooked and I added it to my own Christmas list straight away.  My parents always get me a beautiful hardback book for Christmas - last year it was The Passage and the year before, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

The Marriage Plot was a gift from my husband, and he had specific instructions about which book I wanted!  I've been desperate to read this ever since I started seeing reviews pop up on other people's blogs.  I am a big fan of both The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, so fingers crossed I will enjoy this one too.

My final bookish gift was a wonderful surprise present from my in-laws - a hardback collection of the Penguin classic editions of Arabian Nights!  I read the Burton translation of Arabian Nights earlier in the year and loved it so much that at the time I did mention to a few people that I would like a beautiful copy to keep on my shelf.   These are going to look great on my bookcase next to my other hardback Penguin Classic editions.  I can feel the urge to collect coming on....

Each of the three books has a different cover. The paper inside is just beautiful too.

My favourite.

So I have lots of reading to keep me busy over the next few months!  I want to dive straight into my new books but I do have some review deadlines coming up as well as some books on hold at the library that I need to finish before the return date. I will have to practise restraint...

All in all, a great Christmas.  Did you receive any books as gifts?

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

The Oracle of Stamboul is a charming fairytale about nine year old Eleonora Cohen, who is precociously intelligent.  She can memorise anything she is given to read and converse in seven different languages.  When her carpet-seller father leaves for Stamboul (Istanbul) on business, Eleonora secretly follows him.  But her intelligence and gifts can not stay secret for long, and she soon finds herself wrapped up in the Sultan's court.

  

I have to admit that I chose this book purely because it is set in Istanbul during Ottoman times. The Ottoman Empire is one of my favourite parts of history and I'm always looking out for new books about this period.  Where I think Lukas definitely succeeded with this novel was in the way he described the city and the Sultan; he really captured the exotic, other-worldliness that we as Westerners often think of when we imagine Istanbul at that time.  I wouldn't have been surprised if at some point a flying carpet or a genie appeared.  There were spice markets and mosques and tiled mosiacs and the call to prayer and at some points I wanted to climb right in through the pages.

The setting was so wonderfully described that at times the story was secondary to it.  The basic story line of a gifted child and a worried Sultan was a good one, but it is Stamboul itself I will remember from this book.  The story was told in the way you would a fairytale, which I am not usually a fan of, but it did work well in this case.  Because of this method of storytelling, the magical elements did not seem out of place and they didn't bother me at all. In much the same way the secondary characters were slightly underdeveloped, but again it didn't matter as the whole novel was like a fairytale.

The Oracle of Stamboul is a quick, charming read which I liked but didn't love.  It's perfect for a cosy Sunday afternoon in front of the fire but it's not one I will reread or remember for years to come.

Source: Library

First Published: 2011

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Best of 2011: Part The Third.

Part One: Jan - April

Part Two: May - August

Welcome back to my Best Of 2011 posts, where I am highlighting my favourite book from each month of the year.  

September:

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

The Sandalwood Tree is the story of two Western women in India at different times.  American Evie has moved to India in 1947 with her scholar husband Martin, and whilst she is there she finds a cache of letters written by two Victorian women, Felicity and Adela.  This is a very evocative book and both stories are delightful.  You'll definitely want to visit India after reading this one.  Recommended for armchair travellers and fans of historical fiction.

My Review

October:

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

This is hands-down the best history book I've read all year, the one that has the best balance between being readable and satisfying history buffs.  It's full of great little facts and manages to place Cleopatra's life in the context of the time in which she lived, rather than mythologising her.  A good introduction to reading non-fiction if you're not a regular reader.

My Review

November

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway

This is simply a beautiful book about normal people and normal life during the worst siege of modern times.  When death becomes a random act and the person next to you is gunned down by a sniper whilst you survive, how can you continue to live as normal?  Quite a philosophical book, it still has a story that is devastating in places.

My Review

December:

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

There's not much I can say about this book apart from: it's amazing and go and buy a copy right now.  It's a harrowing story about the abuse of two Estonian women during the late twentieth century, but it also has lots of elements of a psychological thriller and one of the creepiest characters I've read about in a long time.  Go and read it!

My Review

I hope you've enjoyed this run-down of my favourite books of the year, I've certainly enjoyed reading the lists on other people's blogs.  I'll be celebrating Christmas with my family over the next few days, so see you all on the 27th...Merry Christmas!

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

Najin Han is born in Korea just as it becomes a colony of Japan in 1910 and grows up in a country that is mourning the loss of its freedom and age-old traditions.  Her father clings on to traditional views and customs in the face of rapid change and discrimination, making it hard for Najin to gain an education and employment. As the rule of Japan becomes more oppressive and opportunities for Koreans narrow, Najin must do all she can to support her family and balance her traditional upbringing with Japanese rule and the reality of modern Korea.

The Calligrapher's Daughter is a leisurely read packed full of lovely description.  From the winter snow to the rustle of clothes to the smell of cooking, I felt as though Kim had transported me back in time and half way around the world to Korea.  Unlike a lot of historical fiction, she used showing rather than telling as her main literary device.  Despite not being explicitly told that 'yangban' meant a respected class of people in former Korea, it was easy to guess this through the use of the word.  And there was a lot of this trust in the reader to work things out for themselves, which I really liked as it made me feel like an observer to the story, rather than the main reason the story is being told.

Najin was a likeable main character and it was hard as a modern woman not to sympathise with her struggles against her father's traditional views.  Najin goes through hardships and good times during the course of the novel and I definitely empathised with her when things were rough.  A lot of the story is apparently based on the story of Eugenia Kim's family, which added a bit of weight to the story and my reaction to it.

I do think there were some pacing issues with this novel. It starts with a very slow, leisurely pace which I personally enjoyed as it was like being immersed in Korea at the time and I love the little details in historical fiction. This slow pace continues through most of the book.  By the last third, I was used the characters spending time thinking about the events of the novel when suddenly things sped up.  I don't know if Kim wanted to finish the book quickly, or convey some kind of urgency, but I found the change in pace and the swiftness of the ending unsettling when compared with the rest of the novel.  I still very much enjoyed it, but I felt a bit unsettled after the end.

Verdict: Intriguing novel set in Korea during Japanese rule; a portrait of a country struggling to balance traditional beliefs with a more modern world.

First Published: 2009

Source: Library

Score: 4 out of 5