When Guardian declared 2014 as the year of reading women I was hoping to marry this project with my other one - OBOC. I've succeeded partly in the sense I've been reading a lot of women but not all necessarily connected to OBOC.
As part of OBOC - Morocco I read "A palace in the old village" by Tahar Ben Jelloun, a story about Moroccan immigrants in France. When the patriarch character decides to move back to Morocco after retirement and build a home, a "palace" for his grown-up sons and daughters and their kids, will his children honor his wishes and return to Morocco, or have they been assimilated by France that the scheme looks to them completely crazy? It is a touching novel that talks about the immigrant experience, aging, cultural wars, and values.
I then did a quick reading of Boris Akunin's Murder on the Leviathan -a Fandorin mystery. Can't say I enjoyed it, so am not sure if I should put a checkmark against Russia.
I also read "Gandhi Before India" by Ramachandra Guha which is a must-read for anyone curious about Gandhi and Gandhian philosophy. I enjoyed this book even more than "India after Gandhi" by the same author. Now I await his second part of the biography of Gandhi.
Am sorry to say that's all the progress I made with OBOC. But I have had more success with reading women. I finished Atwood's Oryx and Crake trilogy with MaddAddam which I thoroughly enjoyed! Then for the first time I read Louise Eldrich's Painted Drum, and Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Loved both their styles! Right now I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Eleanor Catton's Luminaries which won the Booker this year. I think the last time I was this excited about a book was when I was waiting for MaddAddam. I hope the 800 pages investment will be worth my time.
So here is how my summer reading list looks
FICTION
1) Eleanor Catton - Luminaries (the only one that is part of OBOC)
2) Alice Munro - Runway
3) Toni Morrison - Beloved
4) Kate Mosse - Labyrinth
NON FICTION (Unfortunately don't have books on my current pipeline written by women)
1) Am wrapping up Journey to the Ants by E.O.Wilson
2) Birds: their life, their ways, their world
3) Ken Burns' book on National Parks
I have given myself till end of August to wrap up these 7. Let's see :)
As part of OBOC - Morocco I read "A palace in the old village" by Tahar Ben Jelloun, a story about Moroccan immigrants in France. When the patriarch character decides to move back to Morocco after retirement and build a home, a "palace" for his grown-up sons and daughters and their kids, will his children honor his wishes and return to Morocco, or have they been assimilated by France that the scheme looks to them completely crazy? It is a touching novel that talks about the immigrant experience, aging, cultural wars, and values.
I then did a quick reading of Boris Akunin's Murder on the Leviathan -a Fandorin mystery. Can't say I enjoyed it, so am not sure if I should put a checkmark against Russia.
I also read "Gandhi Before India" by Ramachandra Guha which is a must-read for anyone curious about Gandhi and Gandhian philosophy. I enjoyed this book even more than "India after Gandhi" by the same author. Now I await his second part of the biography of Gandhi.
Am sorry to say that's all the progress I made with OBOC. But I have had more success with reading women. I finished Atwood's Oryx and Crake trilogy with MaddAddam which I thoroughly enjoyed! Then for the first time I read Louise Eldrich's Painted Drum, and Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Loved both their styles! Right now I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Eleanor Catton's Luminaries which won the Booker this year. I think the last time I was this excited about a book was when I was waiting for MaddAddam. I hope the 800 pages investment will be worth my time.
So here is how my summer reading list looks
FICTION
1) Eleanor Catton - Luminaries (the only one that is part of OBOC)
2) Alice Munro - Runway
3) Toni Morrison - Beloved
4) Kate Mosse - Labyrinth
NON FICTION (Unfortunately don't have books on my current pipeline written by women)
1) Am wrapping up Journey to the Ants by E.O.Wilson
2) Birds: their life, their ways, their world
3) Ken Burns' book on National Parks
I have given myself till end of August to wrap up these 7. Let's see :)
You are a MOST ambitious reader. Good luck getting through your reading list.
ReplyDeleteha ha... but i do have a 19 hour (each way) flight to india coming up this summer. Luminaries will get done in that flight :)
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