Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
By Ballin Kaur Jaswal
A quirky, if unbelievable story centred around the Punjabi community in London. Nikki, a young, modern British Punjabi Sikh, quits law school and is at loose ends, while working in a pub to make ends meet. She visits the local gurudwara to post a matrimonial ad for her sister, and comes across an ad for a writing teacher for women.
She thinks the job is about helping women write stories, but something quite different unfolds. The women, mostly widows, end up writing stories about their sexual longing an desires, and the stories quickly gain circulation within the Punjabi community (This was the unbelievable part, like, really?)
Nikki also helps solve a murder case.
Some interesting bits about the racism faced my the Sikhs in London, about how gangs of male thugs control the women in the community, how murders of innocent women are generally labelled "accidental deaths" and are never solved.
Rating: 3/4
Recommendation: Another book about things with an Indian theme. Cutesy.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
#82 Year of No Sugar
Year of No Sugar
By Eve. O. Schaub
A memoir about a family that decides to eat no sugar for a year. This family were sugar lovers, and after mom sees a video and reads a book about the evils of sugar and how it pervades the processed food which most Americans eat, she decides to do the "year without sugar". Originally a blog, it was turned into this book.
It's the world of hidden sugar that she uncovers in the book, as well as the cravings and emotional attachment to various sugary desserts. They discover that to eat without sugar, you basically have to eat at home and cook your own food, so that you know what's in what you're eating.
Talks about the different kids of sugar and sweeteners, as well as the unnecessary sweeteners in many common "foods" such as ketchup, peanut butter, bacon, salad dressing and crackers.
An interesting read, though I skipped through some of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you're into food issues and healthy eating, sure.
By Eve. O. Schaub
A memoir about a family that decides to eat no sugar for a year. This family were sugar lovers, and after mom sees a video and reads a book about the evils of sugar and how it pervades the processed food which most Americans eat, she decides to do the "year without sugar". Originally a blog, it was turned into this book.
It's the world of hidden sugar that she uncovers in the book, as well as the cravings and emotional attachment to various sugary desserts. They discover that to eat without sugar, you basically have to eat at home and cook your own food, so that you know what's in what you're eating.
Talks about the different kids of sugar and sweeteners, as well as the unnecessary sweeteners in many common "foods" such as ketchup, peanut butter, bacon, salad dressing and crackers.
An interesting read, though I skipped through some of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you're into food issues and healthy eating, sure.
#81 The Last Days of Cafe Leila
The Last Days of Cafe Leila
By Donia Bijan
An easy read, written by an Iranian American. The novel takes place in both the U.S. and in Tehran. Leila grew up in Iran, and her family had owned Cafe Leila for two generations. Before the Islamic dictatorship, the Cafe was a famous gathering place for intellectuals and artists. With the rise of the Islamic regime, things changed, though Cafe Leila endured. Leila and her brother are sent to America, to get away from the oppression in Iran, and they marry and have children. Leila leaves her husband after he has an affair, and she and her daughter Lily, go back to Iran to spend time with Zod, who is dying of cancer. Leila and Lilly face hardships in Tehran, but they stay until Zod's death, and the demise of Cafe Leila.
Interesting descriptions of Persian food. Some difficult scenes when talking about the oppression and brutality of the Islamic regime that are difficult to read.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure. An easy read, though some difficult sections due to subject matter.
By Donia Bijan
An easy read, written by an Iranian American. The novel takes place in both the U.S. and in Tehran. Leila grew up in Iran, and her family had owned Cafe Leila for two generations. Before the Islamic dictatorship, the Cafe was a famous gathering place for intellectuals and artists. With the rise of the Islamic regime, things changed, though Cafe Leila endured. Leila and her brother are sent to America, to get away from the oppression in Iran, and they marry and have children. Leila leaves her husband after he has an affair, and she and her daughter Lily, go back to Iran to spend time with Zod, who is dying of cancer. Leila and Lilly face hardships in Tehran, but they stay until Zod's death, and the demise of Cafe Leila.
Interesting descriptions of Persian food. Some difficult scenes when talking about the oppression and brutality of the Islamic regime that are difficult to read.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure. An easy read, though some difficult sections due to subject matter.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
#80 City of Friends
City of Friends
By Joanna Trollope
Chic lit at it's best! British author, so all those cute English words and expressions. An easy romp through the trials and tribulations of four women, all best friends, all successful career women. Their lives are interwoven, there's intrigue, gossip, relationships break up, hurts are healed, and ultimately there is change.
An easy read. Effortless. Good pacing.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Only if you like chic lit and need something quick and easy.
By Joanna Trollope
Chic lit at it's best! British author, so all those cute English words and expressions. An easy romp through the trials and tribulations of four women, all best friends, all successful career women. Their lives are interwoven, there's intrigue, gossip, relationships break up, hurts are healed, and ultimately there is change.
An easy read. Effortless. Good pacing.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Only if you like chic lit and need something quick and easy.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
#79 A Piece of the World
A Piece of the World
By Christian Baker Kline
Historical fiction, told in the voice of Christina Olson, the muse to famed American artist Andrew Wyeth. The novel is focused around the visual narrative told in Wyeth's iconic painting entitled, "Christina's World".
The writing in this novel is wonderful, and Christina's world is beautifully constructed. However, this is not a happy read. Christina has a rare degenerative disease which makes her limbs grow less and less functional, and eventually she is unable to walk. She finds her first love, who "promises" to marry her, but he eventually faces the pressure from his family and marries someone more suitable. Her father won't allow her to finish school and become a teacher. She spends her life living on the family farm, looking after her parents until their deaths.
Christina gradually becomes housebound, cared for my her brother, who remains a bachelor to look after her. When she is 46, she meets Wyeth, who spends the summers painting at the Olson house. Landscapes, portraits, pictures of ordinary things, culminating in "Christina's World".
The book is kind of depressing, and the back and forth in time gets kind of confusing.
By the author of "Orphan Train".
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure.
By Christian Baker Kline
Historical fiction, told in the voice of Christina Olson, the muse to famed American artist Andrew Wyeth. The novel is focused around the visual narrative told in Wyeth's iconic painting entitled, "Christina's World".
The writing in this novel is wonderful, and Christina's world is beautifully constructed. However, this is not a happy read. Christina has a rare degenerative disease which makes her limbs grow less and less functional, and eventually she is unable to walk. She finds her first love, who "promises" to marry her, but he eventually faces the pressure from his family and marries someone more suitable. Her father won't allow her to finish school and become a teacher. She spends her life living on the family farm, looking after her parents until their deaths.
Christina gradually becomes housebound, cared for my her brother, who remains a bachelor to look after her. When she is 46, she meets Wyeth, who spends the summers painting at the Olson house. Landscapes, portraits, pictures of ordinary things, culminating in "Christina's World".
The book is kind of depressing, and the back and forth in time gets kind of confusing.
By the author of "Orphan Train".
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: Sure.
#78 Pachinko
Pachinko
By Min Jin Lee
A long novel, at 485 pages, but an easy read. The novel traces three generations in the lives of a Korean family living in Japan before, during, and after WWII. Korea was colonized by the Japanese, and many Koreans came to Japan for better options. There, however, they were discriminated against, often forced to work at the lowest jobs, or running gambling parlours. The gambling was a game called "pachinko", kind of like pin-ball machines.
The novel looks at what it takes to be an immigrant, at identity, the roles of women, and survival.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes, a good solid read.
By Min Jin Lee
A long novel, at 485 pages, but an easy read. The novel traces three generations in the lives of a Korean family living in Japan before, during, and after WWII. Korea was colonized by the Japanese, and many Koreans came to Japan for better options. There, however, they were discriminated against, often forced to work at the lowest jobs, or running gambling parlours. The gambling was a game called "pachinko", kind of like pin-ball machines.
The novel looks at what it takes to be an immigrant, at identity, the roles of women, and survival.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes, a good solid read.
#77 Drift Child
Drift Child
By Rosella Leslie
This novel was written by a BC author and is set on Vancouver Island and the area of islands and mainland off the northeast coast.
Emma finds herself on a sinking boat during a storm. The captain dies, but not before they come across and zodiac with a dad and three kids, also struggling in the storm, and she watches the dad disappear under the waves. Emma ends up rescuing the three children, and they make it to safety. She knows the coast, having worked on a fish boat for several seasons, so she is able to get the four of them safely home.
Once home, the story focuses on Emma looking after the three children, and eventually deciding to become their permanent caregiver.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: An interesting, if somewhat unbelievable (especially the ship sinking and rescue) story. Good for locals to read.
By Rosella Leslie
This novel was written by a BC author and is set on Vancouver Island and the area of islands and mainland off the northeast coast.
Emma finds herself on a sinking boat during a storm. The captain dies, but not before they come across and zodiac with a dad and three kids, also struggling in the storm, and she watches the dad disappear under the waves. Emma ends up rescuing the three children, and they make it to safety. She knows the coast, having worked on a fish boat for several seasons, so she is able to get the four of them safely home.
Once home, the story focuses on Emma looking after the three children, and eventually deciding to become their permanent caregiver.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: An interesting, if somewhat unbelievable (especially the ship sinking and rescue) story. Good for locals to read.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
#76 Hum If You Don't Know the Words
Hum If You Don't Know the Words
By Bianca Marais
This novel started off great! I thought it was going to be my first 5/5 of five rating.
The story of a young white South African girl, Robin, and her black Xhosa care giver, Beauty. The two characters both suffer immense loss and grief, but they bring love and joy to one another. It starts off as such a great story. But.......
Unbelievably, at p. 291 the novel totally changes. All of a sudden, Robin, the 10-year old white girl becomes a detective and starts doing all these really silly and totally unbelievable things to try and help. The rest of the book becomes sort of like a detective novel, but it just doesn't work with the rest of the book and for me it was totally ruined.
Rating: 3/5
Recommendation: The first part is a lovely read......and the end is, well, stupid.
By Bianca Marais
This novel started off great! I thought it was going to be my first 5/5 of five rating.
The story of a young white South African girl, Robin, and her black Xhosa care giver, Beauty. The two characters both suffer immense loss and grief, but they bring love and joy to one another. It starts off as such a great story. But.......
Unbelievably, at p. 291 the novel totally changes. All of a sudden, Robin, the 10-year old white girl becomes a detective and starts doing all these really silly and totally unbelievable things to try and help. The rest of the book becomes sort of like a detective novel, but it just doesn't work with the rest of the book and for me it was totally ruined.
Rating: 3/5
Recommendation: The first part is a lovely read......and the end is, well, stupid.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
#75 When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air
By Paul Kalanithi
A memoir by a renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, who dies of lung cancer in his early 40s.
Beautifully written, a brave exploration of facing his inevitable death from lung cancer, at a young age. His wife finishes the book after his death.
Moving. Courageous.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: Yes, but only if the subject matters is of interest. Not a general read. Short.
By Paul Kalanithi
A memoir by a renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, who dies of lung cancer in his early 40s.
Beautifully written, a brave exploration of facing his inevitable death from lung cancer, at a young age. His wife finishes the book after his death.
Moving. Courageous.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: Yes, but only if the subject matters is of interest. Not a general read. Short.
#74 The Women in the Castle
The Women in the Castle
By Jessica Shattuck
Another WWII novel. This novel follows the lives of the wives and children of German Nazi resisters. Their husbands were all killed because they were involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler, which failed, and they were hung.
Marianne, one of the wives, pledged to her husband to take care of the widows and children of the men. She finds two of these women, and during the rest of the war, they live in an old family castle, surviving the best they can.
Once the war is over, the women move on, for various reasons, remarrying, dying, leaving Germany. At the end, the two remaining women reunite at the castle, which has been restored and is now an academic meeting place for scholars from around the world.
Children and grandchildren are discussed, and all these years later, secrets are revealed.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes. An interesting read about WWII, about the German side of the story and those who did not believe in Hitler or the Nazis.
By Jessica Shattuck
Another WWII novel. This novel follows the lives of the wives and children of German Nazi resisters. Their husbands were all killed because they were involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler, which failed, and they were hung.
Marianne, one of the wives, pledged to her husband to take care of the widows and children of the men. She finds two of these women, and during the rest of the war, they live in an old family castle, surviving the best they can.
Once the war is over, the women move on, for various reasons, remarrying, dying, leaving Germany. At the end, the two remaining women reunite at the castle, which has been restored and is now an academic meeting place for scholars from around the world.
Children and grandchildren are discussed, and all these years later, secrets are revealed.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Yes. An interesting read about WWII, about the German side of the story and those who did not believe in Hitler or the Nazis.
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