What I’m Reading Now (May 18, 2019)

The Buried: An Archeology of The Egyptian Revolution, by Peter Hessler

This was one of the May selections from Book of the Month Club. I chose it because it is about an American’s personal experience living in Egypt. I’ve always had a fascination with Egypt because… well… I am Egyptian, sort of.

Okay, well actually, my father’s from Egypt. I’ve never been. In fact, I never grew up with the culture. I don’t speak Arabic, I never saw the pyramids; you get the picture. So Hessler’s book intrigued me. My hope was that it would tell me what it was really like to live in today’s Egypt. So far, it doesn’t disappoint.

Peter Hessler, who is a staff writer for The New Yorker and a contributing writer for National Geographic, moved to Egypt at the start of the Egyptian Arab Spring. As an American, he had a big learning curve when it came to living in Cairo. Luckily, he met many people who were willing to help him along the way.

Throughout the book, Hessler explores not only the recent Egyptian revolution, but he also discusses the ancient culture. Yet, my favorite part of this book is Hessler’s personal encounters with the everyday people of Egypt. Through these people’s stories, the reader learns about what it’s like to live in modern Egypt.

 

Clock Dance, by Anne Tyler

I’m actually listening to this one on audio. The only downside to that is that I usually only listen to audio books on my commute to and from work and unfortunately, my commute is very short. I’m on my third week listening to this book and I still have 3 hours left until the end. That doesn’t seem like it is very long, but it’ll take me a few more days to get through it.

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis:

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life: when she was 11 and her mother disappeared, being proposed to at 21, the accident that would make her a widow at 41. At each of these moments, Willa ended up on a path laid out for her by others.

So when she receives a phone call telling her that her son’s ex-girlfriend has been shot and needs her help, she drops everything and flies across the country. The spur-of-the moment decision to look after this woman – and her nine-year-old daughter, and her dog — will lead Willa into uncharted territory. Surrounded by new and surprising neighbours, she is plunged into the rituals that make a community, and takes pleasure in the most unexpected things.

This is my first time reading anything from Anne Tyler. It’s a relatively fun book with quirky characters. So far, there’s nothing too crazy going on with the plot. It’s just a nice story about an older woman and her everyday experiences.

I will say that the most interesting part of the story is Willa’s relationship with the male characters. To put it bluntly, they are awful! I feel like Willa is constantly disrespected by these men. And the most frustrating part is that (so far in the book) she really hasn’t stood up to them. Her second husband refers to her as “little one,” and he says it in such a demeaning and patronizing way.

Again, I have 3 more hours left in this audio book. My prediction is that Willa will eventually speak up for herself a little more and she will follow her own path in life.

The Book of Essie, by Meghan MacLean Weir

I had never heard of “The Book of Essie,” by Meghan MacLean Weir until I happened to find it through the Book of the Month website. There was nothing about it through my Instagram feed, my book podcasts, book blogs, etc. I just read the book description through the site and thought it might be a fun read. I was pleased to discover that this book ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year (so far)!

Synopsis:

The story follows Essie Ann Hicks, the youngest child from the devout Christian family featured in the reality show “Six for Hicks.” Her parents are more fundamentalist Christians than traditional. From a very young age, Essie has been brought up in the spotlight and has been demonized and idolized by the public. When Essie’s mother discovers Essie is pregnant, a plan is made to try and avoid any controversy. This plan includes Roarke, a classmate who has his own secrets, and Liberty Bell, a conservative reporter who gets exclusive interviews on Essie’s story.

Throughout the book we learn a little bit more about Essie, Roarke and Libby. Weir keeps things interesting by leaving the reader wanting more at the end of each chapter. What is Esssie’s real plan? What secret is Roarke hiding? What happened to Essie’s sister and why is she estranged?

Favorite Quote from this book:

“It’s men who trust they will suffer no consequences for their actions, while women suffer no matter what they do.”

Overall Thoughts: 

This is a book that will keep you interested from the beginning to the end.  Each of the characters have something important to add to the story and I really enjoyed getting to know them. They each struggle with their own separate issues, but the one common element for the three main characters, Essie, Roarke, and Libby, is that of taking control over their own lives. We see how each of them decides for themselves how to stand up for what they want. This is something that many people can relate to, especially those of us who had to deal with controlling parents.

The one thing I will mention is that the author does bring up many hot button issues packed into just one book. Themes such as abuse, homosexuality, rape, religion, racism, and abortion are scattered throughout the story. I think the author would have done a better job if she had maybe cut out some of these and just focused on one or two of the main themes in the book. I loved all of the characters’ stories but felt like I wanted just a little bit more, but there was no room.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book overall.  The author is clearly a talented writer and she has a knack for keeping her readers interested. I was surprised by many of the twists in the story that I didn’t see coming. This is the type of book that you read at night, try to put down, but then say to yourself, “maybe just one more chapter…”

My Rating:

Since this book kept me entertained for every chapter, I have to give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day and it’s one of my favorite days of the year. To celebrate, I would like to share just a few of my favorite literary quotes about my favorite planet. Happy Earth Day everyone!

 

“This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.” (Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson)

 

 

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” (Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl)

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” (Walden, by Henry David Thoreau)

“My religion is nature. That’s what arouses those feelings of wonder and mysticism and gratitude in me.” (Oliver Sacks)

 

 

“Earth laughs in flowers.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” (Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll)

 

 

“The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” (John Muir)

 

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

The other day, a friend of mine at work (KerryAnn), told me about a book she loved. It was “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas. Of course I had heard about the book, everyone has by this point. It was an incredibly popular book from a couple of years ago and it seemed like everyone in the world has read it except for me. KerryAnn said as soon as she started it, she couldn’t put it down and she pretty much read it in one sitting. That’s impressive for a 400+ page book.

Honestly, the reason why I have been avoiding this book is because it’s YA. I’ve tried reading YA many times, and it just makes me feel old and out of touch. So as a result, I’ve generally focused my attention toward other book genres. I told KerryAnn this, but she pressed further. “This is not a typical YA book,” she said. I was skeptical.

The next day, I came into the office and found a copy of “The Hate U Give” in hardcover, sitting on my chair. It may as well have been a plate of green eggs and ham. I took it home and decided to at least give it a chance. My general rule of thumb when it comes to books is to read at least 50 pages and then decide whether to ditch it or continue to the end. I’m so glad I stuck by this rule because within the first 50 pages I was hooked! Angie Thomas is an amazing writer with a truly remarkable gift for getting inside a character’s soul.

I think by now everyone is familiar with the plot of this book. It’s about a sixteen year old girl names Starr who lives in a poor neighborhood, but attends an elite private high school with mostly rich, white kids. One night, while she and her best friend, Khalil, are driving home from a party, they get pulled over by a white police officer who shoots and murders Khalil, who is unarmed. This event sparks outrage in the community and forces Starr to start seeing things in a whole new way.

This is a book that should be required reading in schools because it talks about racism in a very modern way that is more real for today’s generation. Thomas uses her writing as a way of illustrating how bigotry and discrimination have become insidious in our society by showing it through the eyes of a sixteen year old girl. Starr sees and experiences the racism that is happening now, which is different from the racism shown in books that are normally read in school, such as “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, which was first published in 1960. It’s not that the message in “To Kill A Mockingbird” is no longer relevant, because it obviously still is. But “The Hate U Give” shows us that the hatred that existed almost 60 years ago is still among us, and that it has manifested itself in new ways. Thomas gives us this book as a way of fighting back against this hatred by educating the reader about systemic racism in America.

Beyond the overall message, Angie Thomas does an amazing job of telling the story, keeping it interesting for the readers, and writing in such as way that the reader truly understands each of the characters on a deep level.

KerryAnn was right when she said that this was no typical YA novel. Whether it was written for young people or not doesn’t matter. It’s still an important story to tell with a powerful message. I’m glad she talked me into reading this and I would encourage others to read it too… even if you’re old and out of touch like me!

Are You Brave Enough to Write a Bad Review?

I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. It’s always been my favorite hobby. So it almost seemed natural that I would want to start reviewing books. I even signed up for a book reviewing site that sends you free ARCs in return for an honest review. The first (and only) time I did this I panicked a little bit. What if the book I pick is awful? What if it’s so dull that I practically have to force myself to finish it? If that were the case, what would I write for my review? Well, an “honest” review means that if I hated it, I need to write about why I hated it. And probably the author would be reading it, especially if she or he is a new writer and jonesing for reviews.

I agree that if a book is bad and a review is promised, the review should be honest about how bad it is and give important feedback. It will only help the writer in end. But for me… I… just… can’t… do it!!! The book is clearly something that took a lot of time and effort. And hey, I should give the author props for even writing a book! How many books have I wrote? Oh yeah, zero! So it’s hard for me to justify writing a bad review.

But at the same time, we can’t just have good reviews for every book. How would the reader know which books are really good and which ones are not? For me, I just don’t have the bravery to submit the bad review. It’s strange because if there was a product I bought on Amazon and I didn’t like it, I would have no problem writing a comment online about how poor the product is. It’s just that a book is not like any other product. To me, a book is a piece of art that has deep emotional connections to the artist (the author). I think my official stance right now is this: I don’t have the guts to write a bad review at this point in my life (though that may change), but I have an appreciation for those reviewers who are brave enough to point out the bad books that I should skip.

What about you? If you’re a book reviewer, have you ever wrote about a book you hated? How do you feel about writing bad reviews in general?