Good news: A prize for the best Arab fiction

I was extremely pleased to learn of the existence of the brand new "International Prize for Arabic Fiction," which this year went to Egyptian author Baha Taher for his book Sunset Oasis. According to Bloomberg, "The $50,000 prize, announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, aims to secure recognition for outstanding Arabic authors and to ensure that their works will be translated."

The list of finalists includes:

• June Rain by Jabbour Douaihy (Lebanon)
• The Land of Purgatory by Elias Farkouh (Jordan)
• In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa (Syria)
• Walking in the Dust by May Menassa (Lebanon)
• Swan Song by Mekkaoui Said (Egypt)
• Sunset Oasis by Baha Taher (Egypt)

Yes, I'm pleased to see a Jordanian on that list. This is really great news for Arab fiction and it is highly needed. I always enjoy reading Arab fiction. I have enjoyed it still more while here in the US since it is so hard to find. My friends and family have been extremely generous in providing me with the latest in Arab contemporary fiction. For that I'm truly grateful. Now I'd love to get my hands on a copy of Elias Farkouh's The Land of Purgatory. Can anyone hear me?

Hat tip: [Moorish Girl]

'Live from Jordan' reviewed in The Jordan Times

Here is a link to a book review I wrote for The Jordan Times. The book, Live from Jordan: Letters home from my journey through the Middle East, was written by Benjamin Orbach who was based in Jordan for almost a year. As a Jordanian and fan of travel writing, I enjoyed this book and recommend it. Here is my conclusion:

It is no secret that Orbach's book is intended primarily for Western readers. It is written with the aim of giving the Western audience a glimpse of life in the Middle East. The Western reader is given a fairly accurate accounting of life in modern Amman and some neighbouring Arab cities. To Jordanians, though, the book offers a chance to reflect back on pre- and post-Iraq invasion sentiments, and is a dissection of the lifestyle of modern Amman with all its complexities and the social and economic disparities of its residents. While the Western reader will have a great deal of material to digest, for Jordanians, the book primarily serves as an avenue for contemplation and critical self-examination.

Read the whole review here. 

Rana’s Husseini’s upcoming book

I was very pleased to stumble upon the website of my former colleague Rana Husseini, who is currently working on a book on honor crimes. I really can't wait to put my hands on this intensive piece of work. According to her site, the book:

... will provide people with a credible source based on real-life experience tackling a sensitive issue which is often susceptible to misconception. The book is entitled Murder in the name of honour and is expected to be published in the next few months.

It should be good. I can't wait!

Taking a break from the Muggle world

A new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is coming out this summer. Sweet! Also, the highly-anticipated finale to the book series will also be available next month. This, of course, is making the summer even more exciting, at least for me. Last week, my husband confessed that he had pre-ordered Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows for me some months ago, which I thought was very thoughtful and sweet. However, the minute he mentioned this, I felt intense pressure. I'm behind, I thought to myself. I still need to read The Order of the Phoenix before the movie comes out and there is still another book to finish before I can put my hands on the finale.

Ahh! Too much to read, too little time. Yes, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan but I have not been doing my homework lately. I'm leaving everything until the last minute. I just started The Order of the Phoenix and so far it is as expected: charming and magical.

It is worth noting that I'm reading this while the region that I'm so attached to seems to be deteriorating even further. From Gaza to Iraq to Lebanon, things are moving from bad to worse. While all this is happening, I choose to lose myself in a world of witchery and wizards. It is a world so mesmerizing that it makes you lose sight -– at least for a moment -- of the dramatic real-life events around you. Yes, it's true. I'm sick and tired of the Muggle world. Take me to Hogwarts.

Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns:' Disappointing, clichéd

Everywhere I go in DC these days, I see people carrying around Khaled Hosseini's latest novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns. Washingtonians are reading it everywhere: the train, the park, the bus, you name it. According to the Washington Post's "Book World" section, the hardcover edition of the book is the top seller in the Washington DC Metro area. It is really quite fascinating for me to see a bestseller at work.

I, too, am among those Washingtonians carrying around this novel. Like everyone else, I'm reading it while commuting back and forth to work. I'm nearly done with it and so far I'm unimpressed. It's a real disappointment for me, as I was so enchanted by The Kite Runner that I could not wait to put my hands on Husseini's next work.

But this novel doesn't really present anything new. It is filled with clichés and it's quite obvious that Hosseini had Western audiences in mind when he wrote it. I felt he was writing to please an audience and not merely to exorcise his deep-rooted feelings. I was also disappointed with the prose. It felt so dull and it dragged until eternity. I also felt he had trouble portraying the female point-of-view. His Kite Runner protagonist, Amir, was so well-developed and complex. That is not the case with the two protagonists here: Mariam and Laila. Too bad!

But then again, this is only humble opinion. I'm sure there are many out there that will disagree.

Ibrahim Nasrallah profiled in 'The Guardian'

Last week, The Guardian newspaper ran a profile of Jordanian-Palestinian novelist/poet Ibrahim Nasrallah. Of course I was thrilled to see a fellow countryman profiled in such a highly acclaimed publication. However, it ailed to realize that the focus of the article was on the constant harassment he was/is receiving from the notorious Jordanian censorship department. It really is a shame what intellectuals have to go through in our part of the world for simply speaking up. Here are some excerpts of the article:

Last June, a journalist phoned Ibrahim Nasrallah and asked him how it felt to face a host of charges concerning national security. It was the Jordanian-Palestinian writer's first warning that he was facing prosecution ... The charges related to his fourth collection of poetry, Nu'man Yastariddu Lawnahu (Anemone Regains Its Colour). These highly figurative poems, first published in 1984, were suddenly banned, while the poet himself faced charges of insulting the state, inciting dissension and reporting inaccurate information to future generations.

... The authorities raided the offices of his Lebanese publisher in the Jordanian capital, Amman, confiscating copies of the banned collection. Protests from the Jordanian Writers' Association and the Arab Writers' Union were soon joined by support from the press in Jordan and the rest of the Arab world, while an internet campaign mobilised support from further afield. After almost four weeks which Nasrallah remembers being "haunted by these threats", the case was dropped on July 9 2006.

You can read the whole article here. I have to admit, I have never read anything by Nasrallah. Shame on me I know. Anyone out there willing to loan one of his books (In Arabic please)? Now after reading this article, I'm really intrigued. Here are two of his of poems translated by Ibrahim Muhawi.

Battles They'll wake up in the morning And they will fight That which you saw last night was my dream The other will answer: no, it was my dream They will gently retrieve two pistols From the sides of the same pillow And at the same moment They will fire

Bewildered In the beginning The horses said, we need plains The eagles said, we need summits The snakes said, we need lairs But the humans remained bewildered

Ode to the library

One of the things that I enjoy about where we currently live is the easy access to our local library. I have no idea why it took over a year since our exodus from the Middle East for me to join the library. I guess it is because I am used to buying books without thinking twice, as I'm one of those that feels like a kid in a candy store when surrounded by books. I used to buy and buy, then I end up hating most of the books I own and eventually I give them away.

Lately, things have changed. Thanks to the encouragement of Rob and Jenny, I finally managed to drag myself down to the closest library, which turned out to be less than a mile away, and I got myself a free membership. Life was no longer the same after joining the library.

I'm hooked! I go there every other day. I check out books and DVDs like there is no tomorrow. The most fascinating thing for me about our local library is the on-line catalog. I was blown away when I realized that I could browse an on-line catalog of all the libraries in our county, put books on hold, and pick them up from our local branch! It's that simple! During the past two days I've checked out: The Namesake, The Haunted, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Let It be Morning, The Edukadors, Lucia Lucia, among others. When it comes to due dates, I really like having a deadline. It makes my reading more focused and more efficient. And if I ever fail to meet my deadline, I simply go on-line and click the "renew" button.

I never thought of checking out books from the library when I was in Jordan. I don't know why. Maybe it was because there was only one major library back then and it did not have many of the books I wanted. So I gave up and started spending a big chunk of my money on books. Today, I only buy the books that I really want to own.

I hope that Jordan can one day establish top-notch local libraries. I know many in Jordan who crave good books but cannot afford them or can never find them. Having access to a local library would make many Jordanians happy!

Dancing Arabs: A delightful read

Very few books manage to put a smile on my face these days. I really do not know what's happening to me but the number of books that I hate is far larger than the ones that I like. Dancing Arabs, however, is one that I'm absolutely falling in love with. I'm already half way through, and so far, not a single chapter has managed to disappoint me. The story, originally written in Hebrew by Arab-Israeli author Sayed Kashua, is a tale about the tiresome hunt for somewhere to belong.

It sheds light on the lives of Arab-Israelis and their constant struggle to determine their identity. The book portrays the life of the protagonist as someone living on the periphery, in limbo. He is stuck in two worlds, miserably failing to belong to either one. The writing style is absolutely gripping but whimsical and very comical at times.

Here is an excerpt:

I look more Israeli than the average Israeli. I'm always pleased when Jews tell me this. "You don't look like an Arab at all," they say. Some people claim it's a racist thing to say, but I've always taken it as a compliment, a sign of success. That's what I've always wanted to be, after all: a Jew. I've worked hard at it, and I've finally pulled it off.

One paragraph that I personally identified with is this one:

The Arab newspapers wrote a story about a goat that could say "Sadaa - aa- aam." Then people began seeing Saddam's face in the moon. When I came home, my father couldn't believe I didn't see it myself. He took me outdoors and tried for hours to explain where I should look: where the nose was, where the mouth was, where the mustache was, and the beret. In the end, I did see him. It really did look like him. Not just like him -- It was him. Look straight up.

I was almost thirteen when the first Gulf War took place. Back then, Jordanians were cheering for Saddam. All my classmates were seeing Saddam's face on the moon. They used to come to school telling stories of their visions from the night before. One night, I grabbed my ten-year old sister by the hand and told her that tonight was the night, that we had to do our best to see Saddam after our earlier failed attempts.

We walked to the end of our bedroom and looked out from the window at the dark blue, star-less sky. We could see the moon clearly. It was a full one that night. We stared and stared. I squinted hard until I saw the mouth, the eyes, and even the mustache. "Tania! Look, I see him. Saddam is on the moon. Do you see him now?" I asked my sister. "I do," she said before dragging herself back to bed.

Author Laila Lalami hails this book on her blog. Here is a link to her review of the book. She concluded her review with the following statement:

Dancing Arabs is a difficult book for both Arabs and Jews to read--neither group is shown in a particularly good light, and, no doubt, people on either side will be angered by the mirror that the writer holds up-- yet Kashua's unsparing account is a necessary read for both.

Do read this book if you get the chance. It is a treat.

Quick thoughts on 'The Interpreter of Maladies'

While I was on the phone the other day with my very good friend Mariam, the subject of our current reading lists came up. I was surprised to find that Mariam was reading Jhumpa Lahiri's The Interpreter of Maladies. It's a collection of short stories that I finished a couple of weeks ago and haven't stopped thinking about since. We both agreed that these stories, which shed light on the lives of Indian immigrants in the US, are just beautiful in every sense of the word. Each tale is a masterpiece. Lahiri raises various issues such as integration, arranged marriages, detachment from home and marital complexities. It is no surprise that this collection of stunning tales clinched the Pulitzer Prize.

Lahiri's stories avoid cliché, as they draw what I perceived as a realistic picture of the lives of first and second generation Indian immigrants. One thing I liked was the way Lahiri presented the issue of arranged marriages, which is quiet common in Indian society. In one of her tales, an arranged marriage was doomed to failure from the beginning. While in another, an arranged marriage worked beautifully, as the couples involved fell in love shortly after they tied the knot. In this manner, Lahiri has succeeded in presenting a balanced portrayal of preplanned nuptials.

I could go on forever about how much I enjoyed this book but I won't. I would simply say that it was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It is simply a treat.

On censoring books

Diala Khasawneh writes in The Jordan Times about book censorship in Jordan, recounting a story that happened to her years ago when she was traveling with her mother across the borders from Beirut to Amman:

The original officer, his superior and a couple of curious men were now hovering around our car. We were being questioned about these books. Telling them the box had several books, some on art others on psychology, was not sufficient. They wanted to look through the box, see every single book. I had to tell them the title, a brief of the content and leaf through each one, by the third book my mother had lost it. "I am a professor, a teacher, I have material to teach students, a university, academia, research, knowledge .... She, my daughter, is a student, at school, reading, studying... What do you expect us to have in the car?.... What do you expect us to own?"

Books were simply not an easy item to smuggle through to Jordan. To be honest, we knew that. We had anticipated it, but still, the truth is, we are continuously shocked by it. I always hide books I bring back home from travel. I always distribute the music CDs in my suitcase and very carefully wrap the films. I am always worried they will be confiscated for censorship. Although there is a "procedure," but in most cases one never sees these items again. Books are the drugs of Jordan.

A similar incident happened to me some years ago when I tried to ship my books from London to Amman. I went to Queen Alia Airport one month after my arrival in Amman to pick up about three boxes of books. Of course, I had to go through the censorship department, which consisted of one man in an office. The man, who had a cigarette dangling from his lip, flipped through the pages of every book I had packed into my boxes. I had to explain to "the inspector" that I was a student and that these were academic books I bought when I was studying in London. This did not convince him. He continued flipping through the books, which were mostly about media and journalism. I guess he found them somehow threatening. I waited patiently until he realized that I was not trying to smuggle anything that might endanger our society. Fortunately, that day, I was allowed to reclaim my books.

So while the jaded thirty-year-old in me blogs about book censorship in Jordan, there is a young motivated Jordanian who blogs about ways to encourage Jordanians to read. The jaded part of me somehow finds it easier to identify with Diala, who says:

Today in Jordan, the censorship institution destroys the books confiscated. They are all collected and regularly destroyed. Piles and piles of words and images, of histories and fiction, of truths and lies condemned with capital punishment. Books are the witches of today. Burnt to death at the stake. The books burn to ashes. The books are burning towards our death. We are at a standstill. The world moves on. We are sinking in the quick sand of ignorance. Our rivers are pitch black. We do not remember their original color and are too afraid to imagine.

… than with Lina who wants to start a campaign to encourage people to read. The jaded part of me believes that we first need to examine the root cause behind the mediocre number of readers in Jordan. I say let's start with abolishing the censorship department. In this day and time -- where anything can be accessed with no sweat -- this department is simply a waste of space. Hat tip: [Euroarabe]

Book Review: "The Attack"

I recently finished reading Yasmin Khadra's The Attack, a novel revolving around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The story is about Amin, an Arab-Israeli surgeon who is well-assimilated into Israeli society. He discovers -- to his utter surprise -- that his wife has blown herself up in a crowded restaurant inside Israel. Flabbergasted and devastated by her actions, Amin embarks on a journey of discovery in an attempt to understand the reasons behind his wife's unexpected actions.

Khadra, whose real name is Mohammed Moulessehoul, does not take sides. Instead, he does quite a good job in presenting both sides of the bloody conflict. Written in the first person, human emotions are what drives this story. The narrator's internal struggle is well presented and skillfully written. I highly recommend this book, especially to those that are seeking a better understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here is a blurb from the New Yorker's review:

Dr. Amin Jaafari, an Israeli Arab, seems fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society, with a loving wife, a successful career as a surgeon, and numerous Jewish friends. But after a restaurant bombing kills nineteen people, and it becomes apparent that his wife was the bomber, he plunges into the world of Islamic extremism, trying to understand how he missed signs of her intentions. Khadra (the nom de plume of Mohammed Moulessehoul) vividly captures Jaafari's anguish and his anger at the fanatics who recruited his wife. The Israelis don't escape lightly, either, as their army marches over law-abiding Arab citizens in an attempt to stamp out the militants. Khadra's writing has a tendency toward cliché, but the book's dark vision of the conflict is powerful.

Review: Kafka on the Shore

While vacationing in Myrtle Beach, I managed to finish Haruki Murakami's Kafaka on the Shore, a lengthy novel that I had been carrying around for over a month. This was my first book by Murakami. It was actually the first time I've ever read anything by a Japanese author. The novel had a unique style (at least to me). It played and reminded me a bit of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, where reality blended with mysticism. There were parts in the novel where leeches dropped from the sky and others where characters spoke with cats. Some bits really engaged me while others failed to attract me making the novel a bit of a drag.

A reviewer on Amazon.com described the novel as the last ten minutes of Magnolia. What an accurate description! I had the same thought while I was in the middle of the novel. One thing I noticed about Murakami's style is that he is a great creator of characters. I managed to empathize with each of his characters, even his darkest character, who he christened "Johnny Walker." Yes, like the whiskey!

One character that really intrigued me was Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Murakami brought him to life in this novel, although he doesn't represent himself but rather plays the role of a floating soul who has adopted the physical appearance of Colonel Sanders. For anyone looking for a bit of off-beat reading, this is your book.

Meeting the Moorish Girl

I had the opportunity to meet Moroccan author Laila Lalami face-to-face the other day in Washington, and I must say that she is extremely admirable and more impressive in the flesh than in cyberspace. She was in Washington, DC this past Thursday to read some excerpts from her debut novel, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (signed copies link), which I read several months back and liked very much. I enjoyed her reading immensely as I did the discussions that followed. Lalami eloquently managed to answer every question directed at her, the majority of which came from euroarabe.

One question someone asked was who she has in mind as her audience when she writes. Her reply was simply: "I write for myself. I am my ideal audience." I thought the answer was brilliant because as an aspiring fiction writer myself I tend to fall into the trap of thinking a great deal about my audience, something that can sometimes make me feel mentally impotent. I end up failing to jot down anything for fear of retribution from a certain individual or a group. I think I will try her method and think solely of myself when I write.

It was also fascinating for me to see the large amount of her blog readers who showed up at the event. She got a great deal of praise for her blog from the audience with one describing her site as "the best literary blog out there." Following the reading, I had a quick but pleasant chat with Laila in which we exchanged compliments and pleasantries and took a couple of pictures. The husband and I wrapped up the evening with a nice dinner in DuPont Circle with some wonderful friends, including Basboos, Leilouta and her husband, euroarabe, and another non-blogger friend of ours. All in all it was a perfect day in the city.

Moorish Girl comes to DC

Laila Lalami, author of Hope and other Dangerous Pursuits and creator of the Moorish Girl blog will be in Washington, DC on Thursday to read from her debut novel. The event will take place at Olsson's Bookstore in Dupont Circle at 7:00 PM.

For those of you who live in the DC metro area, make sure to mark your calendar. Lalami is very admirable. She is a wonderful example of a talented, smart and eloquent Arab woman.

Giveaway: 'How the Garcia girls lost their accents'

Inspired by the generosity of Moorish Girl, I've decided to start giving away some books and other items every once in a while. Why am I doing this? Well, it is a token of appreciation for everyone who spends time reading my mental scribbles. It is also a thank you to all of those who took time to comment on my humble blog. Whether they were encouragement, criticism or suggestion, these comments have helped me become a better writer, blogger and a better person generally. So, thank you!

This week I'm giving away a novel by Julia Alavarez called How the Garcia girls lost their accents. The rule is simple: just send an email with the title of the book to ntynes [at] gmail dot com. The first person who sends me the email will get the book. I will take care of the shipping costs so no worries there. I got this book last year so it is little bit worn but it is free!.

UPDATE: And the book goes to ... Ananyah (inspiration for this blog's Radio).

Banat Al Riyadh: An intriguing read

The first time I heard about the controversial Saudi novel Banat Al Riyadh (The girls of Riyadh) by female Saudi writer Raja Al Sanea was when I read about it in the Arab blogosphere. If my memory serves me right, I think I heard about it first on Saudi Jeans blog. So when I was in Jordan I made sure to visit Prime Mega store at Mecca Mall to get my hands on a copy of the book to see what the fuss was all about.

I finished reading it on the plane from Amman to Chicago and I have to admit it was an amusing read, although not as controversial as I expected. The author sheds light on the lives of four young upper-class Saudi women who are desperately trying to find the loves of their lives. In their pursuit, the women face a plethora of obstacles, ranging from their own insecurities to their ultra-conservative society's strict rules.

The writing is whimsical and very amusing at times. The only disappointing part for me was that I was expecting the novel to be more daring, revealing the secret lives of the female half of Saudi society. After all, the novel was banned in Saudi Arabia. But then again, many things get banned in Saudi Arabia.

The novel reads pretty rapidly, though I found it difficult at times to understand the Saudi dialect. All in all, the book is definitely worth your time. For someone unaware of the lives of Saudi women, I found this book entertaining, pretty enlightening and, at times, daring. Here's an interview with the author in English. And here is what some other bloggers said about the novel: Anolita, Badr and Ohoud (in Arabic).

The Jordan Planet Book Club

One new initative that has sprung forth from the constantly evolving realm that is Jordan Planet is an online book club -- the brain child of Jordanian blogger Ohoud. The members of the club are currently discussing Diana Abu Jaber's novel novel Crescent. Although I haven't read the book, I highly enjoyed reading the discussions taking place between club members.

Surprisingly, a majority of members slammed the novel saying it had a number of factual errors! It is very refreshing to see such bright Jordanian voices dissecting literature and giving their take on the work of a Jordanian-American author! Kudos to those behind the Book Club. I hope time will permit me to take part in an upcoming discussion.

Review: 'Sharon and my Mother-in-Law'

I recently finished Suad's Amiry short book Sharon and My Mother-in-Law. The book is based on Amiry's daily doings and escapades in Ramallah in the West Bank. It is an engaging book that sheds some light on life while living in the West Bank under occupation. It uses humor to take the reader inside the lives of Ramallah residents that must endure curfews, incursions and travel restrictions. Sharon and my Mother-in-Law is written in an informal and sardonic manner that brings the challenges suffered by Amiry and her family closer to the reader's heart.

I must admit, however, that although the book can be extremely amusing at times, I found the writing to be too informal. I am someone who appreciates a simple yet elevated writing style. The continually informal tone turned me off a number of times and stood in the way of my completely enjoying the book.

The book also doesn't provide enough historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and it jumps between the years, failing to fill in the gaps. As a concerned observer of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, I had no trouble following Amiry's portrayal of historical events, but I would have to assume that someone less familiar with the conflict would find the book hard to follow. All in all, the book is an easy and amusing read. I would give it 6.5/10.

Meanwhile, it has been seven days since the kidnapping of my friend Jill and still no news! Sigh!

Best books of 2005

The New York Times has come up with its ten best books of 2005. On the fiction list: Zadie Smith's On Beauty, Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep, Ian McEwan's Saturday, Mary Gaitskill's Veronica, and Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. On the non-fiction list, Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking made the cut.

[Via: Moorish girl]

Among the books mentioned in the article, Zadie Smith's On Beauty is the only book that is already on my reading list. I will attack it soon. Unfortunately, I have been stuck with Reading Lolita in Tehran for over a month now. I just can't seem to finish it and it is extremely frustrating.

I have to admit this highly-acclaimed memoir offers many intriguing bits, especially the parts comparing pre- and post-revolution Iran. Although some of the literary discussions are thought-provoking, the book somehow drags and I just can't get myself to get completely immersed in it!

I'm one of those that loathes the idea of starting a book and not finishing it. It is a bit akin to my attempts at cooking; I'm not going to give it up until I make it happen. Anyway, the weekend is coming up. Maybe I will get enough discipline to sit down and finish this memoir once and for all. We'll see.

Kudos to Moorish girl

One of the blogs that I enjoy a great deal is Moorish Girl, a site maintained by Moroccan author Laila Lalami, who recently released her fist novel Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits.

In addition to providing reviews and book recommendations, every once in a while Moorish Girl gives away a book to the first person that responds after reading her "give-away" announcement. Last week, I won a book entitled Waking Up American. This was not my first time either, as last year I was also fortunate enough to win another of the Moorish Girl's generous gifts. For those that enjoy reading fiction, I have to highly recommend Moorish Girl. Make sure to bookmark it and make it your daily read. And thanks again, Laila!

Books galore

Roba "book-tagged" me a long time ago but I never got around to responding for one reason or another. Now that I have some time on my hands here is my response:

The number of books I own: I really do not have any idea. I gave away some while we were hopping continents and I left a big chunk at my parents house in Jordan so I really can't give an exact figure. I would say maybe 2 or 300. I really don't know.

The last book I bought: Kissing in Manhattan. I read so many reviews hailing this novel that is supposed to be the story of New Yorkers struggling with life. Somehow this intrigued me. We'll see.

The last book I read: How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents. I bought it after it was mentioned on Mariam's blog and frankly I hated it. I thought it was disjointed although it had some interesting moments here and there.

The five books that mean a lot to me:

1. The Unbearable Lightness of Being: It is an absolute masterpiece by one of my all-time favorite writers: Milan Kudnera.
2. The World According to Garp: I read this book so many years ago that I really can't remember much. One thing I remember, though, was that when I finished this book I had a huge smile on my face, something that rarely happens after I finish reading any certain book.
3. In the Eye of the Sun: Ahdaf Sweif really excelled in this book. It is a book that many women can relate to in the Arab world.
4. Love in the Time of Cholera: This book occupies a special place in my heart, as it played a central role in our early days of courtship.
5. The Ground Beneath Her Feet: A very beautifully written love story. Although it drags forever, the writing style is really out of this world.

The book I've been trying to finish forever: The Lord of the Rings. I'm sorry Roba, I tried!

Okay in return I'm tagging the following people: Dalia and Aunt Karen.

Book talk: A journey with Djinns

I recently finished Jamal's Mahjoub's novel Travelling with Djinns and I have to say it was better than I expected. I borrowed it from Amal back in Doha maybe two months ago but I never got around to reading it for one reason or another.

It tells the story of a Sudanese-British man whose marriage is in shambles so he decides to take his seven- year-old son on a road trip across Europe before he loses him to his wife when they eventually separate. It is well-written novel about travel, identity, relationships, family bonds and finding oneself. Yes, it tackles the cliché topic of being lost between East and the West but it puts forward a number of intriguing ideas. For those that love travel and enjoy reading about the crisis of identity, this book is an enjoyable read.

Right after finishing it, I picked up Sandpiper, a collection of short stories by Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif. I fell in love with Soueif's writings after reading In the Eye of the Sun, which I thought was brilliant. Sandpiper is not as a powerful but is enjoyable nevertheless, perfect for a bed-time or plane read. There are just too many good books out there and too little time.

With a falafel in his hand

While browsing through Amazon the other day, I came across a book entitled He Died with a Falafel in His Hand. And then, low and behold, I found out that they'd actually made the book into a movie, described as "a nightmare chase through hell in a never-ending, unrequited daisy chain of desire ..." And better still, the film version (at least) "leaves the viewer entertained, exhausted and surprisingly reflective."

For some reason I found this to be extremely amusing. Without knowing anything about the book, I added it to my wish list (hint hint).It just sounds like too much fun!

Under the weather

I have been under the weather for the past two days. I have the usual symptoms of a nasty flu: coughing, sneezing, runny nose, scratchy throat and general grumpiness. The husband has been wonderful in taking care of me and my bad mood, supplying me medicine, food and healing liquids.

I didn't do much the past two days besides moving from bed to sofa, but I managed to finish a great book that I recommend highly. That book is High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I saw the movie years ago but the book is something else: witty, funny, entertaining, musical and very well-written. It helped perk me up for sure. If I ever decide to write a novel of some sort then the writing style that I would like to adopt would be something like Hornby's. It is very close to the heart.

I have already started another book, again upon Amal's recommendation, prompting me to give her the official title of "Book Adviser." The novel is called Traveling with Djinns by Jamal Mahjoub. So far I've read only the first chapter so there's nothing much to report.

In the interim I also managed to watch the movie Grease for the very first time -- yeah, you heard me right. I thought it was very cheesy but fun. It worked perfectly as entertainment for someone with a strong flu. I have been away from the blogosphere for two days now and have lots of reading to do. Hopefully by the end of the day I will be able to catch up with the wonderful bloggers out there. Ta ta for now.