Guest Post: Book Reviews from Melissa

So proud of my mom and aunt for setting up this book blog! I wanted to contribute with a list of books I’ve read recently that I want to shout from the rooftops about a little bit. --Melissa

Delancey - Molly Wizenberg’s blog Orangette hooked me years ago and now she’s one of those writers who I will follow anywhere and buy whatever she wants me to buy.  I loved Delancey especially because it’s a story of her and her husband’s pizza restaurant (yum) but also the story of their marriage so far.  I was recently in Seattle for work, so I got to go to the restaurant and meet Molly - it and she are just as lovely in person as on the page.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub - How could I not pick up this novel?  The two cover quotes (or blurbs, as we say in the book biz) are raves from Elizabeth Gilbert and Maria Semple.  Hilarious but thoughtful, this book is the perfect amount of breezy to get you through the middle of summer.

Friendship by Emily Gould - This is another writer who I have followed for a while.  She is kind of a messy, honest feminist who hit rock bottom in her 20s and now writes like she has nothing to lose.  Friendship is semi-autobiographical, so you can imagine the character trajectories, but I appreciated the believable bond between two women in their late 20s in NYC, just trying to get by and make a life.  If you’ve watched an episode of HBO’s Girls or Comedy Central’s Broad City, this book has a similar voice, but less comedy and more feelings as you follow them through break ups, job losses, etc.

Currently Reading:  

The Stager by Susan Coll - So, I’ve been on an HGTV binge lately (Fixer Upper, anyone?) and this book hits that sweet spot of literary and quirky and humor that I love - basically, the behind-the-scenes drama of a family trying to sell a house and move out of the country.

Up Next:

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - a collection of essays by a writer I admire.  I’m excited to dip into these.

The Tenth of December by George Saunders

I finally managed to read all of the stories in Saunders latest book of short stories.  Wow -- what a writer!  

I can't say I "enjoyed" the stories, as much as I appreciated the craft of writing in his work.  These stories are dark, very dark.  But his characters are intriguing and the stories themselves are incredibly compelling.
The aspect I liked the most was Saunders ability to take the reader beneath the surface, to the inner life of his characters.  The action is always complemented with a narrative of his characters perception of the events - Fascinating.  

In the Light of What We Know ~ First thoughts

I decided to veer from my TBR list to read this novel that Melissa was so kind to send me after she heard I was interested.  MacMillan is the publisher and so she was able to snag a copy for me.  

I was interested in reading it because the review mentioned the sentences were breath-taking. I have to say -- they're pretty good, though not exactly in league with Gabriel Garcia-Marquez.  

This is quite an interesting novel to read on the heels of Radical. The two main characters are Pakistanis and the story takes place over a period of years following 9/11 into and beyond the financial crisis.  

It's the story of the friendship between these two men, but it revolves around a mystery involving the disappearance of one of them for several years.  The narration takes place after he resurfaces and the reader is taken along a ride through their experiences as the narrator attempts to put some puzzle pieces together.  

There are many references to the same bigotry and persecution as described in Radical and the behavior of the protagonist in this book seems to parallel the actions of Nawaz, the author of that book.

It's a good literary novel -- well-written and meets ALL of my criteria for sticking with a book!!  Worth taking a break from my TBR list!  

Honoring Marquez

I wish everyone was as talented as Gabriel Garcia Marquez! There will be no forced reading on my part with this novel. It has it all and then some. Just the three sentence opening paragraph is a masterpiece, introducing an epic story whose themes include love, war, sickness, death, and exotic settings. Here is an example of his prose:

"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love. Dr. Juvenal Urbino noticed it as soon as he entered the still darkened house where he had hurried on an urgent call to attend a case that for him had lost all urgency many years before. The Antillean refugee Jeremiah de Saint-Amour, disabled war veteran, photographer of children, and his most sympathetic opponent in chess, had escaped the torments of memory with the aromatic fumes of gold cyanide." 

I'm sneaking this novel in now since it's our next book club selection. We chose this to commemorate Mr. Marquez's recent death and his considerable literary accomplishments. 

BTW, what are "bitter almonds," anyway?

Glad to Be Off This Train

Mr. Guralnick's goal was to write the definitive biography of Elvis Presley. Surely he was successful, if success is judged by painstaking accuracy of every bit of minutia in his subject's life. I just got bored and left the train station. As we agreed, we don't have to finish a book if it's becoming a forced effort. What I did enjoy, as I mentioned in my last post, was becoming more knowledgeable about Elvis's early years and the beginning of his career. Combining this information with videos from the Internet was very entertaining. The book, by itself, was not. 

Radical: My Journey Out of Islamist Extremism by Maajid Nawaz (#3 of 3 posts)

Whew!  I finally finished this book.  Well -- admittedly, I skimmed quickly through the final 1/4 of the book.  Nawaz bogged down his writing with too many details.  Normally I enjoy details that enhance the meaning -- but I felt distracted and anxious slogging through them in this book.  

Having said that -- while I can't say I savored the writing, I was intrigued by the story.

Nawaz found himself deeply involved in an Islamic Extremist group known as Hizb al-Tahrir (he refers to as HT throughout the book).  He zealously embraced their mission to overthrow Western influence and political control of Muslim countries until he was imprisoned and tortured in an Egyptian prison for his activities against the government. His role in HT mainly involved recruiting other HT members.  He claims he had no part in violent activities. 

When he was released from prison as a result of advocacy from Amnesty International, he began to reevaluate his commitment to the Islamist cause.  He realized that what happened to him was he had learned to dehumanize "others" through the teachings of the leaders of HT and so felt the goals of HT were justifiable.  But with the kindness and perseverance of Amnesty International leaders and members, he gradually rejected that perspective and grew to embrace the humanity of his "enemies".  By doing so he began to appreciate the differences in cultures -- and no longer felt threatened by those differences.  

The take away from this book can be summed up by a quote early on: "Hatred of 'the other' thrives on myths and stereotypes."  Nawaz has declared his current mission is to dispel the myths and stereotypes that are causing both Islamists and Westerners to fear each other.   I'm reminded of Rodney King's famous plea ~ "Can we all get along?"  But as long as dehumanizing of "the other" continues through lies, myths, and stereotypes, I fear we never will.  Maybe the first step is to stop and listen to the stories of people like Maajid Nawaz.

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

I just couldn't focus well enough to read Radical over the holiday weekend.  I needed to pick a lighter read and a good story.  Melissa recommended I read The Vacationers and I am so glad she did!  It was a good story -- not great literature, but well written and easy to read off and on.  

The novel is about a family who takes a vacation at the home of a friend in Mallorca.  It examines the delicate balance of sibling rivalries and marital infidelity while gently guiding the reader to the age-old wisdom of "time heals".  But the characters were multidimensional and  interesting.  Their motivations seemed plausible.  All in all -- I'd recommend this book to anyone...especially to take along while vacationing!!!

Now that I'm home -- it's time to dive back into Radical!