At the moment I am reading Orhan Pamuk's The Black Book, his masterpiece. The main character, Galip, lives in Istanbul, which is the politically and socially intriguing setting of the book. Galip and his wife Ruya are complex characters whom I haven't completely unfolded yet! I recommend the Maureen Freely translation in English.
I don't really like to read, but I'm trying to. I'm searching for a place to buy books from. I really would like to read a book called" twilight". Actually,it's a collection of six books, and also they converted it into a movie which I adore. I waiting for the second part to be made to go and see it with my friends in the cinema.
I am fascinated by The Alchemist by Paulo Colehio. I have read this book twice and i can't get bored of it. I like books with a message and this one was a strong message. It goes like, while finding a treasure, the true treasure is in the journey itself. Life is a journey not a destination, so enjoy every single moment. I like Santiago, the shepherd because he was so willing to learn throughout the whole journey in order to pursue his personal legend.
At the moment, I'm reading In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah. It's about the tradition of storytelling in the Middle East, but specifically centers on Shah's life in Morocco and his desire to find the story inside himself. Here's a quote from the book that I found struck a chord with me, "Stories are a communal currency of humanity. They follow the same patterns irrespective of where they are found....My father [Idreis Shah] used to tell me that stories offer the listener a chance to escape but, more importantly, he said, they provide people with a chance to maximize their minds. Suspend ordinary constraints, allow the imagination to be freed, and we are charged with the capability of heightened thought(p. 152)." The book is full of Goha stories and the story of how "1001 Arabian Nights" came to be compiled by Sir Richard Burton. It's fascinating reading.
I've read a great book which is called "All creatures are great and small" by james Herriott....Actually, this book is great as it's related to the field that I like. It talks about a vet and his cat.....I've really enjoyed and I've to thank ms.Gini who advised me to read it.......
Although it's been almoat a year since I read it, I found "The Shack" thought provoking. These days most of my reading is done aloud to our children but I'm always on the look out for good 'for me' books, too. Thanks for sharing your ideas! I'll be looking forward to checking out this blog again in the future.
I have just finished reading Ken Follett’s World Without End, which is the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. I think the latter is one of the very best stories ever written. These are romantic historical fiction stories about people in the 12th century who think of new ways to build cathedrals and bridges, and new ways to sell and dye wool. One girl saves people from the plague by figuring out that healthy people should be kept separate from the sick people, so as to not spread germs. The reader learns a lot while enjoying a great love story.
Like Gini, I'm reading a historical-romance with time-travel called "Outlander" which had really mixed reviews, but that I decided to risk buying. I am reading it as an audibook and so enjoying the Scottish dialect as well as the story. I am still part-way through so I am not sure how I will feel at the end of the book, but it has slightly more violence than I'm used to; then again, it kind of reminds me of Braveheat, which I loved. I also just finished reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club" and that's a great book about women, their relationships and how they deal with their lives.
I am almost finished reading "A fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry,(a present from Maha for my birthday). It is set in the India of the 70's when Indira Ghandi had declared a State of Emergency. The story is very powerful, an indictment of the regime and the caste system of a cruel face of India. At times the misery is almost unbearable (for me) and yet I think there are parallels in our own society. Interestingly, the book that I was reading before that was also written by another one of those MANY gifted Indian authors, Kiran Desai. It is "The inheritance of loss" which deservedly won the 2006 Booker prize. It is an extraordinary novel that is beautifully written. I would highly recommend it. The characters are well developed and their experiences are very much those of third world post colonial people, in this case set in the India of the 80's. This again is not an uplifting novel but it is powerful, insightful, with a set of characters you will remember.
I am now reading two books! the first one is Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela and the second one is Mohammad by Tawfik Al Hakim. Amazing books for great leaders.
I have read "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Marquez the great famous evocative writer. It is tempting to read this book as a romantic and sentimental story in which love prevails over time and death, and patience and devotion are rewarded with a happy ending. It is a very interesting book.
I read many books of Agatha Christie's books like Murder on the Orient Express, the Moonstone etc. etc. Murder on the Orient Express is one of my favorite , it is very exciting book with a really unexpected ending. Suspence and mystery you'll find in Agatha's books.
Hi Gini, I read The Da vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is a novel. It is a mystery and detective story, filled with action and explores the feminist ideas in Christianity. It's really an amazing and a non fiction book. I enjoyed greatly from reading it.
In this link, Ken Follett talks about The Pillars of the Earth, and whether Kingsbridge and its cathedral really exist. http://www.ken-follett.com/pote/kingsbridge.html In this link, he talks about World Without End. http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/world_without_end.html
I'm only a few chapters into "Dreams from My Father" by Barak Obama, still following him as a high school student in the posh Punahoo School in Honolulu. He is exactly half of the enrollment of blacks in the school - the other student is a US "military brat". His portrayal of his Mom, Dad, Step-Dad, grandparents, and some teen acquaintances is, of course, his adult memories of how he felt about his unusual situation. I'm neglecting most of my "duties" to read on in this fascinating autobiography.
To Sandra: This book is amaaaazing!!! Seriously, one of the best books i read. If you are into these kinds of books, try In Search For Identity (Al ba7ath 3an al zat) for Anwar Al Sadat. if you are good in arabic, do not read the transelated one, read the arabic copy because it is the one he wrote it himself! also, like Obama, Al sadat is a very talanted writer! Have fun and enjoy the book :)
I finished "On Mexican Time" by Tony Cohan. Set in the mid'80s, it is an autobiographical account of an American writer and his Japanese wife, who fall in love with a Mexican town and unexpectedly buy a home there while on a visit. It describes the joys and challenges of adapting to a new culture and way of life, as well as what they learn about their neighbors, themselves and each other in the process. The author writes with clarity and humor, and the book is joyful to read.
I regularly read People en Español as I'm intent on improving my ability to read, write and converse in Spanish. I'm convinced that you can solve all the problems of the world by learning other languages and understanding other cultures.
I am reading The Cellist of Sarajevo. It is fiction, but it is based on a real incident in the life of a real cellist. It tells of the horrors of war, and the power of the human character to find a way to survive.
Currently, I am reading three books at the same time. I do not really know if anyone has this habit everyone has been criticizing me for. Anyways, the book I like the most in all three is called Philosophy Made Simple, by Robert Hellenga. It is a novel about self discovery after the age of sixty. Rudy, the lead character, is a 60 year old widowed who finds himself alone after his three daughters move out of their family house. The youngest is involved in a love story which is to be crowned my marriage in months. She sends him the fifteenth edition of a student book titled Philosophy Made Simple, written by her Indian boyfriend's uncle. Accompanied by the book, Rudy sails on a self discovery journey as he decides to sell their family house and buy an avocado ranch away from home, though he never worked in the field of agriculture. He meets many eccentric characters which he tries to classify according to the book. I cannot wait to finish it. :-)
What a beautiful and intersting blog! This is Mrs. Gini Stevens the best teacher ever. She is the one who taught me how to write a well developed essay and how to make a perfect presentation. Thank you and take care Mrs. Gini.
What a beautiful and interesting blog! This is Mrs. Gini Stevens the best teacher ever. She is the one who taught me how to write a well developed essay and how to make a perfect presentation. Thank you and take care Mrs. Gini.
I just finished one of the best books I've ever read: Caravans, by James Michener. This is the first Michener book I've read, but I'm hooked. I believe he is a quite a famed, prolific fiction writer. Anyway, the setting is 1946 Afghanistan, and the characters are a mix of American expats, an ex-Nazi, and both Western educated and uneducated (but smart!) nomadic Afghanis. To answer the question above, the characters are a mix of nice and not nice, which makes the story all the more romantic! Anybody else read any good Michener titles?
One of my favorite Michener books is The Source. It is a fascinating and romantic story about Palestine and Israel that covers history all the way from the beginning of the crusades to why the Jews became moneylenders to the partition of Palestine to Martin Luther to Abraham's sacrifice, etc.
I love reading! I think the Outlander books are brilliant, with romance and action and history all entwined. Right now, I am reading Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. It is set in Botswana and follows the story of a female detective as solves mysteries. The language is simple yet very evocative. It's part of a series called the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
I just finished reading a book called outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, in which he attempts to explain why some people are exceptionally successful and others are not. It was interesting, although I'm not sure i agree with his definition of success.
Hi everyone! I would like to recommend Khaled Hosseini's two amazing books: "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." They are sad but fascinating stories about the lives of people in Afghanistan. I am currently reading "The Orientalist" by Tom Reiss about Qorbon Said/Lev Nussimbaum. Lori : )
Hi everyone. I read two amazing books during the summer; one was about the downfall of the Ottoman Caliphate and the other was Kemal Ataturk's autobiography. Right now I am reading an old but intriguing book called Lives of Destiny. This collection of the autobiographies of great men appeared in one of Reader's Digest's collections. I liked best the one about Leonardo Da Vinci's life and how he had to study several subjects like human anatomy and lighting in order to excel in painting.
As usual, I have done more summer reading than I can remember, but I can recommend two books that are ideal for summer reading. The first is a charming book, entitled The Guernsey and Potato Peel Book Society, is about an island community that gets hooked on books, but it is also the story of this community's resistance to invasion during World War II, love and friendship, and about the ways that one's life sometimes takes an unexpected turn. My second recommendation is a book that I took to reread on the plane. It's Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. If you like travel, good food, and sunshine, read this book. It is what I describe as a "happy" book.
Correction: The book I recommended is entitled the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Just in case you want to look it up in the library or one of the book vedors online.
For all who love scary stories and dark thrill ride, check on this story "Four blind mice" by James Patterson. It's talking about the corruption in the military forces and how the ware in Vietnam has a big influence on the soldiers who were chased by their past.And set ups where put to innocent people. And by the way James Patterson has write so many good books that were transformed into great movies such as;" The beach house" ,"The Jester"," The lake house" and "When the wind blows".
I have read a fantastic book which is called (growing leaders) the main idea in this book is how to find your hidden skills? inside all of us we can find some thing golden,some thing special like the golden poza discovered only 40 years ago. Before that it was in the middle of the city and it was ugly.By chance during they transmitted it .It broke and they found agreat block. this book was written by Dr.Tim Elmore
i read ''ALL My Sons'' by Arthur Miller its very nice novel. it communicates between different ideas war, family, and honesty. but the main idea that Miller focused on it is demonstrating the dangers of shriking responsibilities and, then blaming others. i really enjoyed reading this story.
I read "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" by John Gray.It 'sa very nice book, that explains the differences between men and women, and how to have a successful relationship.It expalins also, the men's hobbies and preferences as well as the women's. It really worked with a lot of people.My parents friends have very good experiences with this magnifisent book.
I've been reading a book called '' What you feel you can heal '' by John Gray . This book focuses on the point of the need for love only comes when you love yourself . Consciously or uncounsciously everyone is trying to improve their relationships in some way . Enriching our relationships is a talent (art and science) , to achieve this enrichment we have to love ourselves. Through out his experience in working with others to heal their pain , John Gray has found messages that many of us recieved while growing up . These messages can keep us from loving ourselves and from loving and recieving love from others . By exploring these messages we can change old thoughts about ourselves and others as well as create long-lasting , fulfilling , relationships. John Gray told us ' loving yourself in the presence of others means being able to express your inner gifts and talents without fear. When you don't love yourself and mask your real ...
Thanks to Sandra and Rania’s comments at the beginning of this blog, I have just finished reading Obama’s Dreams from my Father. I agree with them that Obama’s way of telling his story is one of the most fascinating ever. He is idealistic, wanting the world to be well, wanting people to get along, to communicate and listen to each other. In reading Obama’s story of being with his family in Hawaii, in Indonesia, and in Kenya, and his work trying to make poor communities in Chicago better, one is left with the feeling of gratitude that there are some people who still are working to make this world a better place.
I am happy that you enjoyed the book and the talented president/writer Barack Obama! He is a real man with a vision.
For readers who like stories about Afghanistan, i recommend a book called Kabul Beauty School. It has fascinating stories about Afghanistanian ladies' lives during the taliban period. Very interesting!
i really adore human development books.......the best of these books is the 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen covey......... Habit one is pro activity. the second habit is to begins with the end of of the mind.the third habit is to put first things first.the fourth habit is how to reach an agreement where all parties concerned end up satisfied. the fifth one is to seek first to understand then to be understood. the sixth habit is to synergies. the last habit is about renewal of your work in four different dimensions. this is not a book that you will read once,this is a reference
I read an interesting, adventure novel called"Around the world in 80 days" written by Jules Verne. It was an amazing story about an English man called Fogg who betted his friends that he can sail all the way around the world in 80 days with the help of his assistant Passepartout. the novel describes his journey and the difficulties, Mr Fogg encountered throughout his journey. I really enjoyed reading this novel and if you like adventure stories, i advice you to try this one.
I have "women are from venus and men are from mars" by John Gray.But actually, it is a follow-up books,series.It helps to improve the relationship between the men and women, and explains dealing with the opposite sex by understanding the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender. likening men and women to the classical Roman god Mars and goddess Venus as ideal types. In contrast to some psychologists (and feminists) who shows similarities between the sexes, Gray writes almost exclusively about differences". Gray says that.I really liked the book though it might be for older people than me.I think everyone have to be able to interact with the opposite sex or even with any other person whom one meets in life.
I have read "AL-Ayam" by the great writer Taha Hussien it is a very good book because.it shows that the human could achieve his goals and dreams inspite of the hard life,poverty and bad condition because he was able to make a great success inspite of his blindness and his bad condition so this story learn us that we must struggle and work hard to achieve our hopes.
My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor, is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a fascinating autobiography of how a young Puerto Rican girl, brought up in a tough life in the Bronx, observes those around her intently, learns how to see both sides of an issue, understands people in order to win arguments, and grows up to become a Supreme Court Justice.
I'm in the middle of reading Lawrence in Arabia, an historical narrative of T.E. Lawrence and how he had an influence on the events that led to the modern Arabic states. It is very interesting.
One of his most fascinating books among his three, is Khaled Husseini's latest novel And The Mountains Echoed! It is a charming novel that takes to you places that is hard to visit and stories of people whom you feel that you would love to meet in real life :) A highly recommended novel
I just finished reading an Arabic novel called the Blue Elephant for the third time. A very good read indeed. A psychiatrist who loses his wife and little kid in a car accident he causes because of intoxication returns to public hospital practice after choosing isolation for three years. Upon returning, he's assigned to the criminal mental section at the hospital where he meets a former colleague of his who's accused of brutally raping and killing his wife. The patient is diagnosed as the judging committee believe he's putting on an act schyzofrania because of his knowledge of all the symptoms and tricks. Wanting to help and being in love with the patient's sister, he indulges in a truth finding journey that introduces him to the world of DMT (a drug simulating the initial stages of death) and a tattoo feind which haunts him or at least makes him think it does. Very intriguing.
Like "the Miracle of Sam" about a half coyote/half golden retriever. The stories of a dog who has two sides, the wild adventures of a coyote and the opposite as a docile retriever and his caregivers who encourage both.
I just finished Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. There is much to think about here - about society and about science - wrapped up in an interesting story.
I have just finished reading Flash Boys, by Michael Lewis. It’s is about how an honest banker from Canada discovers that suddenly every time he presses the button to buy a stock, the price suddenly goes up. An investigation leads to finding that due to some people having the most advanced fiber optic cable technology, the second he hits the “buy” button, someone else’s computer is in a nanosecond buying all those stocks, which raises the price a nanosecond later on his screen. Brad finds others who also have figured this out, and they start a new honest stock exchange, IEX.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, is a fascinating book. It’s a memoire about the first part of her life, growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, getting raped by her mother’s boyfriend, visiting her parents in California, going off to Mexico with her father, getting pregnant in order to find out if she is a lesbian, etc. It’s a world most people can’t imagine.
Astoria, by Peter Stark, is a fascinating book about how John Jacob Astor, a businessman in New York, in the 1800s, decided, with Thomas Jefferson’s encouragement, to send adventurers to the northwest coast of the US in order to get sea otter fur pelts to sell to the Chinese, who used them for the lining of coats, etc. The story tells of the great difficulties the overland group had in trying to cross the mountains to get to the west, and the difficulties the adventurers who went by sea had with crossing the Columbia bar. Eventually they were able to set up a trading post, and called it Astoria. One of the biggest challenges was cultural problems. Those who knew how to trade and negotiate with the Native Americans did well.
At the moment I am reading Orhan Pamuk's The Black Book, his masterpiece. The main character, Galip, lives in Istanbul, which is the politically and socially intriguing setting of the book. Galip and his wife Ruya are complex characters whom I haven't completely unfolded yet! I recommend the Maureen Freely translation in English.
ReplyDeleteI don't really like to read, but I'm trying to. I'm searching for a place to buy books from. I really would like to read a book called" twilight". Actually,it's a collection of six books, and also they converted it into a movie which I adore. I waiting for the second part to be made to go and see it with my friends in the cinema.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by The Alchemist by Paulo Colehio. I have read this book twice and i can't get bored of it. I like books with a message and this one was a strong message. It goes like, while finding a treasure, the true treasure is in the journey itself. Life is a journey not a destination, so enjoy every single moment. I like Santiago, the shepherd because he was so willing to learn throughout the whole journey in order to pursue his personal legend.
ReplyDeleteHi Gini and other readers,
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, I'm reading In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah. It's about the tradition of storytelling in the Middle East, but specifically centers on Shah's life in Morocco and his desire to find the story inside himself. Here's a quote from the book that I found struck a chord with me, "Stories are a communal currency of humanity. They follow the same patterns irrespective of where they are found....My father [Idreis Shah] used to tell me that stories offer the listener a chance to escape but, more importantly, he said, they provide people with a chance to maximize their minds. Suspend ordinary constraints, allow the imagination to be freed, and we are charged with the capability of heightened thought(p. 152)." The book is full of Goha stories and the story of how "1001 Arabian Nights" came to be compiled by Sir Richard Burton. It's fascinating reading.
I've read a great book which is called "All creatures are great and small" by james Herriott....Actually, this book is great as it's related to the field that I like. It talks about a vet and his cat.....I've really enjoyed and I've to thank ms.Gini who advised me to read it.......
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's been almoat a year since I read it, I found "The Shack" thought provoking. These days most of my reading is done aloud to our children but I'm always on the look out for good 'for me' books, too. Thanks for sharing your ideas! I'll be looking forward to checking out this blog again in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading Ken Follett’s World Without End, which is the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth. I think the latter is one of the very best stories ever written. These are romantic historical fiction stories about people in the 12th century who think of new ways to build cathedrals and bridges, and new ways to sell and dye wool. One girl saves people from the plague by figuring out that healthy people should be kept separate from the sick people, so as to not spread germs. The reader learns a lot while enjoying a great love story.
ReplyDeleteLike Gini, I'm reading a historical-romance with time-travel called "Outlander" which had really mixed reviews, but that I decided to risk buying. I am reading it as an audibook and so enjoying the Scottish dialect as well as the story. I am still part-way through so I am not sure how I will feel at the end of the book, but it has slightly more violence than I'm used to; then again, it kind of reminds me of Braveheat, which I loved. I also just finished reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club" and that's a great book about women, their relationships and how they deal with their lives.
ReplyDeleteI am almost finished reading "A fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry,(a present from Maha for my birthday). It is set in the India of the 70's when Indira Ghandi had declared a State of Emergency. The story is very powerful, an indictment of the regime and the caste system of a cruel face of India. At times the misery is almost unbearable (for me) and yet I think there are parallels in our own society.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the book that I was reading before that was also written by another one of those MANY gifted Indian authors, Kiran Desai. It is "The inheritance of loss" which deservedly won the 2006 Booker prize. It is an extraordinary novel that is beautifully written. I would highly recommend it. The characters are well developed and their experiences are very much those of third world post colonial people, in this case set in the India of the 80's. This again is not an uplifting novel but it is powerful, insightful, with a set of characters you will remember.
I am now reading two books! the first one is Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela and the second one is Mohammad by Tawfik Al Hakim. Amazing books for great leaders.
ReplyDeleteI have read "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Marquez the great famous evocative writer. It is tempting to read this book as a romantic and sentimental story in which love prevails over time and death, and patience and devotion are rewarded with a happy ending. It is a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI read many books of Agatha Christie's books like Murder on the Orient Express, the Moonstone etc. etc. Murder on the Orient Express is one of my favorite , it is very exciting book with a really unexpected ending. Suspence and mystery you'll find in Agatha's books.
ReplyDeleteHi Gini,
ReplyDeleteI read The Da vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is a novel. It is a mystery and detective story, filled with action and explores the feminist ideas in Christianity. It's really an amazing and a non fiction book. I enjoyed greatly from reading it.
In this link, Ken Follett talks about The Pillars of the Earth, and whether Kingsbridge and its cathedral really exist.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ken-follett.com/pote/kingsbridge.html
In this link, he talks about World Without End.
http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/world_without_end.html
I'm only a few chapters into "Dreams from My Father" by Barak Obama, still following him as a high school student in the posh Punahoo School in Honolulu. He is exactly half of the enrollment of blacks in the school - the other student is a US "military brat". His portrayal of his Mom, Dad, Step-Dad, grandparents, and some teen acquaintances is, of course, his adult memories of how he felt about his unusual situation. I'm neglecting most of my "duties" to read on in this fascinating autobiography.
ReplyDeleteTo Sandra: This book is amaaaazing!!! Seriously, one of the best books i read. If you are into these kinds of books, try In Search For Identity (Al ba7ath 3an al zat) for Anwar Al Sadat. if you are good in arabic, do not read the transelated one, read the arabic copy because it is the one he wrote it himself! also, like Obama, Al sadat is a very talanted writer! Have fun and enjoy the book :)
ReplyDeleteI finished "On Mexican Time" by Tony Cohan. Set in the mid'80s, it is an autobiographical account of an American writer and his Japanese wife, who fall in love with a Mexican town and unexpectedly buy a home there while on a visit. It describes the joys and challenges of adapting to a new culture and way of life, as well as what they learn about their neighbors, themselves and each other in the process. The author writes with clarity and humor, and the book is joyful to read.
ReplyDeleteI regularly read People en Español as I'm intent on improving my ability to read, write and converse in Spanish. I'm convinced that you can solve all the problems of the world by learning other languages and understanding other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI am reading The Cellist of Sarajevo. It is fiction, but it is based on a real incident in the life of a real cellist. It tells of the horrors of war, and the power of the human character to find a way to survive.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I am reading three books at the same time. I do not really know if anyone has this habit everyone has been criticizing me for. Anyways, the book I like the most in all three is called Philosophy Made Simple, by Robert Hellenga. It is a novel about self discovery after the age of sixty. Rudy, the lead character, is a 60 year old widowed who finds himself alone after his three daughters move out of their family house. The youngest is involved in a love story which is to be crowned my marriage in months. She sends him the fifteenth edition of a student book titled Philosophy Made Simple, written by her Indian boyfriend's uncle. Accompanied by the book, Rudy sails on a self discovery journey as he decides to sell their family house and buy an avocado ranch away from home, though he never worked in the field of agriculture. He meets many eccentric characters which he tries to classify according to the book.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to finish it.
:-)
What a beautiful and intersting blog! This is Mrs. Gini Stevens the best teacher ever. She is the one who taught me how to write a well developed essay and how to make a perfect presentation. Thank you and take care Mrs. Gini.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and interesting blog! This is Mrs. Gini Stevens the best teacher ever. She is the one who taught me how to write a well developed essay and how to make a perfect presentation. Thank you and take care Mrs. Gini.
ReplyDeleteI just finished one of the best books I've ever read: Caravans, by James Michener. This is the first Michener book I've read, but I'm hooked. I believe he is a quite a famed, prolific fiction writer. Anyway, the setting is 1946 Afghanistan, and the characters are a mix of American expats, an ex-Nazi, and both Western educated and uneducated (but smart!) nomadic Afghanis. To answer the question above, the characters are a mix of nice and not nice, which makes the story all the more romantic! Anybody else read any good Michener titles?
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Michener books is The Source. It is a fascinating and romantic story about Palestine and Israel that covers history all the way from the beginning of the crusades to why the Jews became moneylenders to the partition of Palestine to Martin Luther to Abraham's sacrifice, etc.
ReplyDeleteI love reading! I think the Outlander books are brilliant, with romance and action and history all entwined. Right now, I am reading Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. It is set in Botswana and follows the story of a female detective as solves mysteries. The language is simple yet very evocative. It's part of a series called the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading a book called outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, in which he attempts to explain why some people are exceptionally successful and others are not. It was interesting, although I'm not sure i agree with his definition of success.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI would like to recommend Khaled Hosseini's two amazing books: "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." They are sad but fascinating stories about the lives of people in Afghanistan. I am currently reading "The Orientalist" by Tom Reiss about Qorbon Said/Lev Nussimbaum.
Lori : )
Hi everyone. I read two amazing books during the summer; one was about the downfall of the Ottoman Caliphate and the other was Kemal Ataturk's autobiography. Right now I am reading an old but intriguing book called Lives of Destiny. This collection of the autobiographies of great men appeared in one of Reader's Digest's collections. I liked best the one about Leonardo Da Vinci's life and how he had to study several subjects like human anatomy and lighting in order to excel in painting.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, I have done more summer reading than I can remember, but I can recommend two books that are ideal for summer reading. The first is a charming book, entitled The Guernsey and Potato Peel Book Society, is about an island community that gets hooked on books, but it is also the story of this community's resistance to invasion during World War II, love and friendship, and about the ways that one's life sometimes takes an unexpected turn. My second recommendation is a book that I took to reread on the plane. It's Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. If you like travel, good food, and sunshine, read this book. It is what I describe as a "happy" book.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: The book I recommended is entitled the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Just in case you want to look it up in the library or one of the book vedors online.
ReplyDeleteFor all who love scary stories and dark thrill ride, check on this story "Four blind mice" by James Patterson. It's talking about the corruption in the military forces and how the ware in Vietnam has a big influence on the soldiers who were chased by their past.And set ups where put to innocent people. And by the way James Patterson has write so many good books that were transformed into great movies such as;" The beach house" ,"The Jester"," The lake house" and "When the wind blows".
ReplyDeleteI have read a fantastic book which is called (growing leaders) the main idea in this book is how to find your hidden skills?
ReplyDeleteinside all of us we can find some thing golden,some thing special like the golden poza discovered only 40 years ago. Before that it was in the middle of the city and it was ugly.By chance during they transmitted it .It broke and they found agreat block.
this book was written by Dr.Tim Elmore
i read ''ALL My Sons'' by Arthur Miller
ReplyDeleteits very nice novel. it communicates between different ideas war, family, and honesty. but the main idea that Miller focused on it is demonstrating the dangers of shriking responsibilities and, then blaming others.
i really enjoyed reading this story.
I read "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" by John Gray.It 'sa very nice book, that explains the differences between men and women, and how to have a successful relationship.It expalins also, the men's hobbies and preferences as well as the women's. It really worked with a lot of people.My parents friends have very good experiences with this magnifisent book.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading a book called '' What you feel you can heal '' by John Gray .
ReplyDeleteThis book focuses on the point of the need for love only comes when you love yourself .
Consciously or uncounsciously everyone is trying to improve their relationships in some way . Enriching our relationships is a talent (art and science) , to achieve this enrichment we have to love ourselves.
Through out his experience in working with others to heal their pain , John Gray has found messages that many of us recieved while growing up .
These messages can keep us from loving ourselves and from loving and recieving love from others . By exploring these messages we can change old thoughts about ourselves and others as well as create long-lasting , fulfilling , relationships.
John Gray told us ' loving yourself in the presence of others means being able to express your inner gifts and talents without fear. When you don't love yourself and mask your real ...
Thanks to Sandra and Rania’s comments at the beginning of this blog, I have just finished reading Obama’s Dreams from my Father. I agree with them that Obama’s way of telling his story is one of the most fascinating ever. He is idealistic, wanting the world to be well, wanting people to get along, to communicate and listen to each other. In reading Obama’s story of being with his family in Hawaii, in Indonesia, and in Kenya, and his work trying to make poor communities in Chicago better, one is left with the feeling of gratitude that there are some people who still are working to make this world a better place.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that you enjoyed the book and the talented president/writer Barack Obama! He is a real man with a vision.
ReplyDeleteFor readers who like stories about Afghanistan, i recommend a book called Kabul Beauty School. It has fascinating stories about Afghanistanian ladies' lives during the taliban period. Very interesting!
i really adore human development books.......the best of these books is the 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen covey.........
ReplyDeleteHabit one is pro activity. the second habit is to begins with the end of of the mind.the third habit is to put first things first.the fourth habit is how to reach an agreement where all parties concerned end up satisfied. the fifth one is to seek first to understand then to be understood. the sixth habit is to synergies. the last habit is about renewal of your work in four different dimensions.
this is not a book that you will read once,this is a reference
I read an interesting, adventure novel called"Around the world in 80 days" written by Jules Verne. It was an amazing story about an English man called Fogg who betted his friends that he can sail all the way around the world in 80 days with the help of his assistant Passepartout. the novel describes his journey and the difficulties, Mr Fogg encountered throughout his journey.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this novel and if you like adventure stories, i advice you to try this one.
I have "women are from venus and men are from mars" by John Gray.But actually, it is a follow-up books,series.It helps to improve the relationship between the men and women, and explains dealing with the opposite sex by understanding the communication style and emotional needs of the opposite gender. likening men and women to the classical Roman god Mars and goddess Venus as ideal types.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast to some psychologists (and feminists) who shows similarities between the sexes, Gray writes almost exclusively about differences". Gray says that.I really liked the book though it might be for older people than me.I think everyone have to be able to interact with the opposite sex or even with any other person whom one meets in life.
I have read "AL-Ayam" by the great writer Taha Hussien it is a very good book because.it shows that the human could achieve his goals and dreams inspite of the hard life,poverty and bad condition because he was able to make a great success inspite of his blindness and his bad condition so this story learn us that we must struggle and work hard to achieve our hopes.
ReplyDeleteI like Taha Hussein's The Days.
ReplyDeleteI am now reading Cleopatra, by Stacy Schiff, and am learning a lot about Egypt, especially Alexandria, in her time.
ReplyDeleteMy Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor, is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a fascinating autobiography of how a young Puerto Rican girl, brought up in a tough life in the Bronx, observes those around her intently, learns how to see both sides of an issue, understands people in order to win arguments, and grows up to become a Supreme Court Justice.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read it after your brief
DeleteI'm in the middle of reading Lawrence in Arabia, an historical narrative of T.E. Lawrence and how he had an influence on the events that led to the modern Arabic states. It is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteJubal,
DeleteThanks for mentioning that book. I have heard of it, and wondered if it was any good.
One of his most fascinating books among his three, is Khaled Husseini's latest novel And The Mountains Echoed! It is a charming novel that takes to you places that is hard to visit and stories of people whom you feel that you would love to meet in real life :) A highly recommended novel
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading an Arabic novel called the Blue Elephant for the third time. A very good read indeed. A psychiatrist who loses his wife and little kid in a car accident he causes because of intoxication returns to public hospital practice after choosing isolation for three years. Upon returning, he's assigned to the criminal mental section at the hospital where he meets a former colleague of his who's accused of brutally raping and killing his wife. The patient is diagnosed as the judging committee believe he's putting on an act schyzofrania because of his knowledge of all the symptoms and tricks. Wanting to help and being in love with the patient's sister, he indulges in a truth finding journey that introduces him to the world of DMT (a drug simulating the initial stages of death) and a tattoo feind which haunts him or at least makes him think it does. Very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading Contes d'une grande-mere by Georges Sand. They are charming, grown-up fairy tales, and I'm enjoying them very much.
ReplyDeleteLike "the Miracle of Sam" about a half coyote/half golden retriever. The stories of a dog who has two sides, the wild adventures of a coyote and the opposite as a docile retriever and his caregivers who encourage both.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. There is much to think about here - about society and about science - wrapped up in an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading Flash Boys, by Michael Lewis. It’s is about how an honest banker from Canada discovers that suddenly every time he presses the button to buy a stock, the price suddenly goes up. An investigation leads to finding that due to some people having the most advanced fiber optic cable technology, the second he hits the “buy” button, someone else’s computer is in a nanosecond buying all those stocks, which raises the price a nanosecond later on his screen. Brad finds others who also have figured this out, and they start a new honest stock exchange, IEX.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, is a fascinating book. It’s a memoire about the first part of her life, growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, getting raped by her mother’s boyfriend, visiting her parents in California, going off to Mexico with her father, getting pregnant in order to find out if she is a lesbian, etc. It’s a world most people can’t imagine.
ReplyDeleteAstoria, by Peter Stark, is a fascinating book about how John Jacob Astor, a businessman in New York, in the 1800s, decided, with Thomas Jefferson’s encouragement, to send adventurers to the northwest coast of the US in order to get sea otter fur pelts to sell to the Chinese, who used them for the lining of coats, etc. The story tells of the great difficulties the overland group had in trying to cross the mountains to get to the west, and the difficulties the adventurers who went by sea had with crossing the Columbia bar. Eventually they were able to set up a trading post, and called it Astoria. One of the biggest challenges was cultural problems. Those who knew how to trade and negotiate with the Native Americans did well.
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