The Toss of a Lemon

The Toss of a Lemon, by Padma Viswanathan, is a fascinating epic about a family in India, and I learned a great deal about Indian cultural and religious history from it. There are many rules about the caste system and the Hindu religion, even rather draconian measures, especially regarding widows, that are illustrated as the story follows several generations in one family. It was a terrific story, with wonderful characters and unexpected plot twists. For some reason I have a fondness for stories about India or Indian immigrant families; I'm not sure why. Maybe Indian writers are just really good at storytelling. Other books of this genre I've enjoyed include The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, which was made into a pretty good movie, and Lahiri's collection of short stories Unaccustomed Earth; Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Baudami, A Proper Education for Girls, by Elaine di Rollo, and A Good Indian Wife, by Anne Cherian.

After the Falls

After the Falls , by Catherine Gildiner, is the sequel for all those readers who wonder what happened to the quirky little girl with the extraordinary upbringing in Too Close to the Falls. As you might expect, Catherine's family life in the 60's was unusual, and when you throw in the chaotic and liberated political and social scene of the time, it makes for another fascinating memoir. There's a bit of a twist at the end which goes a little way to explain some things, but her story is still improbable and entertaining.

The Postmistress

I enjoyed The Postmistress , by Sarah Blake, particularly for its fleshing out of what I know about World War II-era Europe. The story is a sort of a romance, a little twist from the usual, but it gave me a very tangible and real sense of what it was like for the Jews who were being expelled from Europe. Don't be put off by that - it's a warm book. I liked the characters a lot, and if the last concept of the plot was just a little too coincidental, I was willing to forgive it. A nice read.

Reading and Listening

As you've probably noticed, one of my favourite goals when reading is to laugh. In order to complete my Web 2.0 training for work, I needed to listen to a podcst, so I chose an episode of Laugh Out Loud from the CBC website. It was a Mother's Day edition, and included old and new comics, from Bill Cosby to Deb Kimmet, talking about mothers. Quite a few chuckles there, and I felt de-stressed, even while "working". This might be a good thing to include on our KFPL Staffnet website - humourous podcasts to help keep the staff mellow. :)

Vacation Reading

Hello my faithful readers - sorry I've been absent for a while. Life got a little too wild for blogging, and even for reading much. In a couple of days I'm off for a much-needed vacation, and I'm hoping to plow through dozens of books in a week. Well, maybe not dozens, but a whole bunch, anyway. I'm not taking library books for fear of them ending up in the Hudson River, like Captain Sullenberg's. For the plane trip I'm carrying a trilogy of books by David Lodge, highly recommended by my friend Rosalind. In the suitcase are Sex With Kings (Eleanor Herman), Case Histories (Kate Atkinson), Little Bee (Chris Cleave), and more.I promise to let you know what I think about them, and how many I got read.

At the moment I'm enjoying You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn. This is a terrifically funny he said/she said book about their relationship; both are very clever actor/writers and are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Which is an essential life tool, in my book.

The 19th Wife

Hmmm. I'm not entirely sure what I think about this book, which purports to be the story of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young. It was engaging, in the sense that I kept reading until I was finished (except for the two days the book spent on the window sill at KCVI, accidentally left behind), and the story kept me hooked. Maybe it was the leaping around in time, between the early days of the Latter Day Saints and the present, but somehow I just didn't connect with the characters. Perhaps there was an element of frustration with the gullibility of the converts, or maybe it was the fact that 98% of the book was buildup, and then the real action of the story, Ann Eliza's escape from Brigham Young, was sort of rushed in at the end. In any case, it's a good enough read, if you're interested in the phenomenon that is Mormonism, but not one of my faves.