Thursday, January 31, 2013

5 Reasons Why Book Clubs Are A Good Idea

Last night was Book Club night. Our club's first since the new year started and there was a real buzz as we set out choosing what we'd be reading for the coming eight weeks.

Reader, I want to pause here and take a moment to address the sceptics who sniff and snort at the mention of book clubs, who wrinkle their nose in disgust looking down at such gatherings as a sorry excuse for women to drink on a school night or engage in idle gossip. Yes, there is drinking involved with alcohol being only one of the beverages on the table and yes there is food (cheese, crackers, crisps and hummus if you really want details) and a big yes to absolutely heaps, loads, tons of speech going on with gossip at the botton of the night's agenda (apologies for dispelling any illusions on that front!) but there is also much more to a book club than meets the eye.

To a great extent,  I believe that reading is one of the few activities one can fully enjoy in one's own company. However, there is an intimacy to be had with reading to our children, sharing passages with partners, or reading out literary works to small groups or even larger audiences. The act of collectively sharing the same experience creates an atmosphere that is ripe for conflict and that may not always be a bad thing. All groups are made up of individuals with inherently different traits and with personal experiences that have had an impact on the ideas and beliefs they live by. Discussion groups - book clubs - present a platform to test out those beliefs, ideas, theories, (whether old or recently acquired) and to learn a few things about oneself along the way.

So without further ado, here are my own 5 reasons why I think it's a good idea to join a book club:

1. A chance to meet new people: We are all creatures of habit and would rather socialize in settings that are familiar to us and preferably with people we already know. Stepping out of your comfort zone has its own buzz and gives you the opportunity to meet people that wouldn't normally be a part of your social scene. Still feeling intimidated? here's something to think about: the fact you've chosen to join a  book club already gives you something in common with everyone there.

2. A chance to read books you wouldn't pick yourself: This has to be my favourite reason for joining a book club. I do get stuck in a rut sometimes choosing titles that often get bracketed in the same genre. So it is great when a book choice comes up that I wouldn't have chosen myself and an even bigger bonus when I find that I've actually enjoyed it.

3. A chance to discuss, discuss, discuss: Sometimes as soon as you've finished reading a book all you want is to find someone who has also read it so you can discuss a point, or two or ten with them pertaining to a certain character or event in the book. Was it the butler? Was the book about religion or did it carry a subliminal message? Was that scene really what I think it was and is it just me who hated the protagonist? Sharing these questions and listening to the answers from different members of the club who each have their own personal experiences that they rely on to judge the events of a book can be very refreshing and a window into how other people live and think.

4. A chance to improve your communication skills: If you are the type of person who dreads speaking up during boardroom meetings or presentations, then joining a book club could be just the thing to consider.  We are usually more vocal when we talk about things we love and enjoy. Everything in life is about practice and book clubs provide a great platform for just that. You already know you're in the club because you enjoy books so you are more likely to engage in activities at the club - such as voicing your opinion to the group about a certain character or what you believe Jane really should have done to make it all OK in the end - that are bound to have a mirror effect on your working life in terms of finding the confidence to speak up loud and clear. Book clubs are also great platforms to observe how other people put their points across by observing the techniques they adopt and body language they exhibit to make them appear more confident and relaxed.

5. A chance to have fun: It's not all about the book in a book club (gasp!) as there is always room for idle chit-chat before or after book discussions. Members of a book club who meet regularly soon develop friendships that translate outside into the real world. Relax, have fun and enjoy the experience. Besides, if you haven't managed to finished the book in time for the meeting (gasp) you can always google the ending (double gasp!!).

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Winners of the 2012 Costa Book Awards

Well I can't say I'm surprised that Hilary Mantel has walked away with yet another award for her novel 'Bring Up the Bodies'. This time it's the Costa Prize for most popular novel of 2012. I am thrilled especially that early this month I re-read the book in spite of the fact that I'd only completed the first read in November of last year. It is the type of book that many will return to many a time. With preparations underway for a stage production of the trilogy (Mantel is currently preparing to release the third and last instalment this year) no wonder Mantel is beaming in all the press photos taken of her.

The Costa Book Awards were formerly known as the Whitbread Awards from 1971 until 2005 when Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of the Whitbread took over sponsorship and voila the change of name! 

There are five categories to be won and here are the winners with the categories they won the prize for:

First Novel Award: Francesca Segal, 'The Innocents'.
Novel Award: Hilary Mantel, 'Bring Up the Bodies'.
Children's Book Award: Sally Gardner, 'Maggot Moon'.
Poetry Award: Kathleen Jamie, 'The Overhaul'.
Biography Award: Mary Talbot and Bryan Talbot, 'Dotter of her Father's Eyes'.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Review: Scorpion Soup by Tahir Shah

Anyone who grew up in the Middle East in the mid-1980s or spent time there particularly during the month of Ramadan will remember the TV series "Alf Layla Wa Layla - A Thousand and One Nights" starring Egyptian actress Sherihan and directed by Famhy Abdel Hameed. Watched by millions in the Arab World, it owed its main success to the affinity people felt for the tales of Sheherazad and Shehrayar of 'The One Thousand and One Nights'. Not only was the older generation thrilled to have the tales of their childhood played out vividly on their screens but the show also succeeded in sparking an  interest in the younger generation who had assigned these tales to the archives of the past only to find them dusted down and repackaged relevant to their own modern times.

This brings me to storyteller and author Tahir Shah's latest release 'Scorpion Soup'; a work heavily influenced by 'A Thousand and One Nights' as attested by the author in his introduction whereby he writes that this book is 'a small hymn' to the tales that he 'feasted' on since early childhood and have shaped the man he is today. The work is a celebration of stories and storytellers in which ultimately he, Shah himself, emerges supreme.

Shah in 'Scorpion Soup' introduces a network of tales that can only be compared to a set of Russian Dolls, you know the ones where you open up one doll to find another smaller one contained inside it and then that holds a smaller one too and so on until  you get to the last and smallest doll in the set. And that is what Shah does in this book. He starts with one story and then this story is the beginning of another and that contains the beginnings of another all the way until the end when we are back at the first story we started with. All the while commanding the reader's full attention engaging the imagination, entertaining, instructing and questioning. Idle readers beware!

The book begins in the hellish prison of Oran where a once-upon-a-time fisherman is now a shackled worn down slave slowly losing all hope of survival. However, we know he is going to survive because he is going to tell us how a tale recounted in a barely audible whisper by another inmate was key to his salvation. And so the reader's journey with Shah begins. From North Africa to Spain, Ethiopia and Egypt, China, Persia and Iceland. Lands of frogs, lands of cats and others ruled by dogs. We have wizened witches and a jinn in an urn at the bottom of the Red Sea. An old man in a cave and the story of a deity or two.  The reader meets wise men, foolish men, knights, kings, queens, princes and princesses. A box with a rusty nail and a pendant with tears of a unicorn and still more and more and more.

The stories are meant to entertain but Shah has an ulterior motive. He believes that stories are 'part of the default programming of Man' and as such carry an important role in the shaping of minds and souls. His work is not only a nod to a revival of storytelling, he seems to want a complete resurrection and by the looks of it he might just get his wish.

'Scorpion Soup' is currently available as an e-book but hardback copies will be dispatched starting March 2013. The hardback cover is only available to purchase from Taher Shah's personal website. Click HERE to go there.


Monday, January 28, 2013

Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Read this book! Drop whatever it is you are doing and go out and get 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn. If you've already got a reading list for 2013 create space on it for this book. If you have to, bump off one of the books for it (It won't matter which one because I can guarantee you that the one that bites the dust will never measure up to this one). My point: get it on that list.

So why am I so excited about Gillian Flynn's novel? Because it is a story that will genuinely consume you. It traps you like a fly caught in a spider's web, you struggle to leave, to break free and yet the more the struggle the more futile the escape as the author has cast webs such that Spiderman could only dream of. And you will want to leave (somewhere halfway into the book and just before the end of part one to be exact), but you shouldn't and most of you won't be able to and actually I plead with you to hang on, for lurking just there after the page that has part two written on it is a bombshell revelation about to explode; the aftermath of which carries chaos of incredible proportions. And the ending? I dare you to see it coming. I wasn't even close.

This is the story of Amy and Nick who have both lost their jobs in New York and move to Mississippi to Nick's family home. Nick's dad, a proper woman-hater, suffers from Alzheimer's and has been placed in a home ironically run by women who he has to depend on for his daily needs. Nick's mum is suffering from cancer and is the main reason Nick moves back so as to help his sister Go take care of her. Amy is the rich daughter of once-upon-a-time famous authors of the children's book series Amazing Amy. She is beautiful, popular, with the perfect marriage to a husband who adores her. Or so it seems until on the day of her fifth wedding anniversary she suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick, an accusation he denies. However, Amy's recovered diary tells its own story. 

'Gone Girl' is a thriller. A haunting thriller. Not in the sense of ghosts and spirits haunting but as in 'it will haunt you for days and days and days' to come. I personally don't think I'll be forgetting this one any time soon. 'War of the Roses', if you've read it, is a walk in the park compared to Nick and Amy's marriage. This is not only an addictive read but a toxic one. It will test your views on many of today's modern social issues and how we have come to view ourselves and others in this fast paced dominant world of reality television and  the fame that tags along with it. How even our basic everyday reactions to modern day issues are dictated by what movies we see, what books we read and of course the internet. Where everything needs to be as if airbrushed to appear perfect although it is far from that and the extremes one is willing to take to maintain that perfection. And yet despite the knowledge that we've become a society slave to the 'same script syndrome' we still hang on to the  belief that we always know those closest and dearest to us. Or do we?

What are you still doing reading this? Go. Now. Get it!


Friday, January 25, 2013

Cannot Stop Watching This! Amazing!

This is exactly what I imagine books do at night when the lights are switched off!


Have a lovely weekend, and see you all on Monday!


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Howard Curtis is Winner of the Marsh Award

It has been announced that translator Howard Curtis is winner of this year's Marsh Award for his translation of Italian novel by Fabio Geda 'In the Sea There are Crocodiles'. The novel is based on the true story of a 10-year old Afghan boy fleeing the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan to seek asylum in Italy.

For more on Howard Curtis, click HERE.
The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation is awarded biennially and celebrates the best translations of books from a foreign language into English. For more on the award and its foundation, click HERE

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Today, Next Week & Before!

Well, as those of you who follow this blog (love you!) have noticed, I have changed the blog's header. It just seemed the right time for a change. I must say I am happy with it as the photo seems to better represent who I am at the moment barring the tiny waist I must point out for honesty's sake. I have nothing against the red lips that used to be there instead and if you look really closely (I mean really really closely) at the silhouette you might realize that actually I'm wearing red lipstick. Yeah, honest!

High heels are an important part of my life, the one constant I have stuck to since I was allowed to own my own pair at 16 (those days we did listen to our mums); an event that coincided magically with the event of my growth hormones deciding to retire from service resigning me to the life of the vertically challenged - I believe the term is 'short' for all you who have never had to use a large wooden spoon to get to that damn tin of soup placed at the far end of a top shelf! 

Anyway, what I am trying to say and hopefully will not fail miserably to clarify is that the red lips did not represent a constant whereas family and friends will swear to my thing for high heels. I cook with high heels, I write only wearing high heels (hence the avatar) and if they made running trainers with high heels I'd be the first to sign up. Of course I'd actually have to be able to run in them though. I'm short not stupid. Duh! Anyway, do let me know what you think of this new header either by emailing me or writing a comment.

Anyhoo, and moving along I shall stop about the blog's header in the fear that I might bore you to oblivion or worse yet have you reaching towards your mouse to click on someone else's blog (gasp!) and tell you about the new book I have started reading. It is called 'The Book of a Thousand Days' by American author Shannon Hale. It was published in 2007 and won the Whitbread award for best Speculative Fiction in the same year. It is about a girl called Saren who refuses to marry Khasar, the man chosen for her by her father. So in retaliation for her disobedience, her father locks her up in a tower for seven years. Sharing her fate is her maid Dashti, the only person willing to go in there with her. The novel seems really promising and I will let you know how I get along in later posts.

Next week I will be heading off again to the British Library. First I will be re-visiting their exhibition on Mughal India for a more in-depth look as the first time round I was in a real rush being pressed for time. I was first introduced to the Mughals when I read William Dalrymple's book 'White Mughals' in 2003. Since then, not only have I read each and every book by the author (his latest 'Return of a King' is out now) but have become fascinated with everything to do with the Mughal Empire. The exhibition is the first of its kind to ever document the entire period, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, exhibiting more than 200 objects.

Next I will be taking a look at the library's new exhibition 'Murder in the Library: An A-Z of Crime Fiction'. This exhibition promises locked rooms of mystery and mayhem and promises "a journey into the development of crime and detective fiction from its origins in the 19th century through to contemporary Nordic Noir, taking in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the first appearance of Miss Marple, and the fiendish plots of Dr Fu Manchu".

The original cast of the A-Team

Finally, did you know that on this day in history, French Impressionist Edouard Manet was born (Jan 23, 1832) and the 'A-Team' made their first appearance on American TV screens (Jan 23, 1983)?

Enjoy your day & see you all back tomorrow!


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Review: 'Enemy in Blue' by Derek Blass

'Enemy in Blue' kicks off with cameraman Max Silverman on assignment with a group of special force police officers responding to a domestic violence complaint. The house in question is that of an old Chicano -Livan Rodriguez who in the 60s was part of the Chicano Movement but is now "pretty old and beat up" living with his daughter and her husband. Things go violently wrong from the onset and turn more sinister with this particular force headed by its leader Shaver; a frightening racist character with a "violent aura" about him. Rodriguez is murdered in cold blood and his daughter brutally handled by Shaver who is unaware that Max has secretly recorded the entire incident.

As you would imagine, a series of high-action, bloody violent incidents occur to procure the USB drive from Max's hold. Many characters make a brief appearance and no longer do you start to warm up to one of them than Derek Blass puts a violent end to their existence. This makes for a good number of characters wandering in and out of the story whose safety is never guaranteed from one page to the next adding to the gripping element of this book. And gripping it was reading like a fast-paced action movie; it was vivid in detail that it made it easy to live the police chases, hear the sirens and imagine the chilling murders all from the comfort of my sofa and truly connect emotionally with all the characters.  I was spell-bound all the way to the end, unknowing that the author has saved his best for last. I adore explosive endings and Derek Blass has guaranteed that this customer is well and truly satisfied.

From the onset of this thriller, Derek Blass is keen to show alliances; Officers Martinez and Williams who met in high school both playing for the school's football team, the other between villainous Shaver and his men Tomko and Lindsey. Another is between kick-ass lawyer Cruz Marquez and stunning TV anchor Sandra who not only lived on opposite sides of the street in a poor Latino neighbourhood growing up but had also been in love with each other at some point in the past. However, what Derek Blass is keen to emphasize throughout the novel is that alliances change all the time, and you are never too sure who's on your side or when or why that may suddenly change. 

This thriller drew my attention mainly for its subject matters. It is a very well-constructed novel with all the elements in place ensuring a tight-knit, well-thought out plot. It is captivating, powerful,  extremely violent, and I would believe that some would say highly controversial. This is a novel that tells of a bunch of corrupt police officers who are racist, violent murderers who claim to be protectors of the 'people'. There is a lot of vindictive score-settling being done by men who one would think would know what the right thing to do would be. Allegiances are tested time and time again and even the reader starts to question where the line is drawn when it comes to those we care for and love. But we also find that nobody is as they seem and that in one way or another some have to fight not only for justice to be served but are faced with a bigger battle fighting the demons lurking in the shadows of their past.

The sequel 'Allegiance' is out already!

Derek Blass



For more on author Derek Blass, click HERE.













Topics you may want to further explore after reading this book: The Chicano Movement, Spic (and you'll be mighty surprised to find 'spic & span' when you read about this one!), Latino.

Friday, January 18, 2013

The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize Winner Announced


If you're a subscriber to the Banipal magazine (which I happen to be) then you will have received an email announcing the winner of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize. A prize awarded to translators in recognition of their contribution to the literary world. 
The winner of the 2012 award (the ceremony takes place on Feb 4) is Roger Allen for his translation of 'A Muslim Suicide' by Moroccan Bensalem Himmich published by Syracuse University Press. 

Runner-up is Humphrey Davies for his translation of 'I Was Born There, I Was Born Here' by Mourid Barghouty, published by Bloomsbury.

As stated in the Banipal email, the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation is an annual prize of £3,000, awarded to the translator(s) of a published translation in English of a full-length imaginative and creative Arabic work of literary merit published in the thirty-five years prior to submission of the translation and first published in English translation in the year prior to the award. Entries are judged by a panel of four distinguished authors, critics and literary experts, two of whom read and consider both the Arabic original and the English translation.


The prize is administered by the Society of Authors in the UK, as are other prizes for literary translation into English from European languages. The Award Ceremony is hosted by the British Centre for Literary Translation, the Arts Council, and the Society of Authors. The Saif Ghobash-Banipal entries can have been published anywhere in the world but must be available for purchase in the United Kingdom, either via a distributor or on-line.

The prize, the first worldwide for a published work of English literary translation from Arabic, was established in 2005 by Banipal, the magazine of modern Arab literature in English translation, and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. It is wholly sponsored by Omar Saif Ghobash and his family in memory of his father, the late Saif Ghobash, a man passionate about Arabic literature and other literatures of the world.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Review: 'Dodger' by Terry Pratchett

By gosh, it really was freezing last night with temperatures dipping to -3 (that's what my phone seemed to show anyway)! So with the heater barely able to keep up, it really was the best opportunity to ditch all fashion sense and layer up with woollies mostly 'borrowed' from hubby. Two jumpers and two layers of socks later, I am as happy as a bunny all snuggled up in bed with Terry Pratchett's fantastic book 'Dodger'. I'd got into bed so early that I actually managed the entire book in one go and what do I think? Fun with a very capital F.

Now that's a word I haven't used to describe a book for a quite a while now. So, I shall say it again: it was was pure fun and joy interspersed with wit, philosophy and good old fashioned charm. As you may all well know, Dodger is the character in Charles Dickens' novel 'Oliver Twist'. He's the cheeky lad with the tophat who finds Oliver and teaches him (unsuccesfully) the art of the pickpocket. The novel is written true to the Victorian setting and is complete with an appearance from Charles Dickens himself who appears as Mr. Charlie, the journalist with an eye for a good story and the heart of a philanthropist.

In essence this book is about Dodger but it is also about Dickens and the characters he bumps shoulders with in Victorian London and who he was to base several of his novels' characters on.   We have Todd Sweeney (aka the Demon Barber) and a conspicuous Jewish jeweller by the name of Solomon who isn't what he seems and is somehow Dodger's guardian offering him a place to live and cooking his meals. He is the closest to the character of Fagin in the novel 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens.

We are first introduced to Dodger doing what he does best: Scouring the filthy sewers of London in search of money and anything that the London streets spit out. And on the night we meet Dodger, "the drains and sewers were overflowing, throwing up- regurgitating, as it were - the debris of muck, slime and filth". At this moment, a woman hurtles herself out of a moving carriage screaming. Dodger who has just appeared literally out of the gutter comes to the rescue and upon doing so meets Mr. Charlie and Mayhew who also come to the assistance of Dodger and the girl Simplicity. The assailants 'take to their heels' and manage to get away.

This is a deceptively easy book to read. On the face of it, the book has a very easy plot to follow that is quite straight forward with a mystery to boot. But on a more serious note, the book also sheds light on the machinations that were taking place in London during that period that were to instigate the beginnings of social reform and the awareness of the British government as to the miserable conditions of the poor thanks to the work of people such as Dickens and Henry Mayhew, among others.

A really good read that you must have a go at yourself. Why? because everyone knows the Dodger and you don't want to be the one left out. Do you now?

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Ready for Burns Night?

Two weeks ago if you were up in Scotland celebrating Hogmanay (the last day of the year) you can't not have joined in a few renditions of "Aulde Lang Syne" written in 1788 by poet and lyricist Robert Burns. 

Also known as 'The Bard', Burns was highly regarded in Scotland thanks to the bards or poems he wrote addressing social and political issues of his generation. He is one of Scotland's most prized and famous icons. He died on 21 July, 1796. On the anniversary of his death, his friends organised a supper  in honour of his life and contribution to literature. It was later changed to January 25, which marks his birthday. Today, Burns Suppers are held all around the world on January 25 by people with Scottish origins.

What is interesting is that Burns is still making headlines today. In Saturday's 'The Guardian' newspaper,  mention was made of the discovery of three long-lost manuscripts as well as correspondence between the Scottish author and his friends. To view the article, click HERE.

'Haggis' - for photo source, click HERE
At the Burns Supper, people gather at the dinner table sharing toasts and reading pieces from Burns' works. One of the main events of the night though is the Haggis - a type of sausage prepared in a sheep's stomach. (Click on the Haggis photo on left for how to make it if you're interested). As it is laid on the table, the host reads out 'Address to a Haggis' by Burns, then it is sliced in two and the meal begins. For more on the Burns Supper, celebrations and events taking place this year or to hear the story of Robert Burns, click HERE.



Monday, January 14, 2013

Review: 'Time of White Horses' by Ibrahim Nasrallah

Time of White Horses
It's been six years since the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) crowned its first winner, Egyptian writer Bahaa Taher, for his book 'Sunset Oasis'. Managed in association with the Booker Prize Foundation in London this award is a big deal for Arab authors. Not only do those on the shortlist find themselves $10,000 better off (the winner receives an additional $50,000) but the more important gain is the jump in book sales the authors can look forward to enjoying thanks to the exposure their work receives. 

More importantly the IPAF has fulfilled a key promise: to translate quality Arabic literature into other languages. All prize winners and even many on the short and long list have been secured translations with various publishing houses in the America, Asia and Europe. One such translation is of a book by Ibrahim Nasrallah, 'Time of White Horses' which was shortlisted for the IPAF in 2009 and which hit shelves in its English translation last year. 

'Time of White Horses' is the story of Palestine before the establishment of Israel in 1948. The novel, translated by Nancy Roberts, is divided into three books: Book One is Wind, Book Two: Earth & Book Three: Humankind. It has been twenty years in the making and although a work of fiction it is footnoted when certain parts are based on real historic accounts obtained by the author from witnesses who after 1948 had 'been uprooted from their homeland and had gone to live in exile'. Sadly many died never having seen their homeland again.

The novel follows the life of the family of Haj Mahmud and his son Khaled who live in the fictional village of 'Hadiya' -which means Peaceful- first under Ottoman rule and later under the British mandate right up to the 1948 war when the village is wiped out and the land annexed to Israel rendering the villagers homeless and destined to a life spent in refugee camps dreaming of a day that never arrives. Nasrallah himself was born and raised in the Wihdat camp in Jordan.

In Book one we are introduced to Hadiya village, to the mare Hamama and to various village characters as well as to some living in the neighbouring areas. We meet Habbab, a psychopath of sorts who in the early pages seems to disappear (probably with the Turkish army) only to come back wealthier, stronger and meaner still. His main enemy is the village elder, Haj Mahmud himself. Indestructible, he finally meets his match when he marries his third wife Rayhana and his story reads like one from a Thousand and One Nights. We are introduced to al-Barmaki whose story of his son Ghazi's birth is the most comical yet towards the end of the novel proves to be one of the saddest twists of the book.

Book one exhibits a simplicity, a lyricism even, which makes it read like an Arabian nights tale as author reminisces of customs long given-up and of a way of village life that has ceased to exist except in children's fairytales and bedtime stories. As things get more difficult for the villagers of Hadiya under British rule in the next two books so does Ibrahim Nasrallah's style of writing. The novel takes on a dis-organised, crammed even claustrophobic feel and by the end of it as life is slowly squeezed out of Hadiya the reader is truly feeling boxed-in already. The translator's brilliant command of the language creates a real picture of helplessness and despair that manages to jump off the pages of the book and grasp the reader firmly in its hold. A feeling that is very hard -nearly impossible- to shed and further compounded when the reader already knows that there will never be a 'happy' ending to this story.

The story of Hadiya's monastery is a very interesting one and it is one that Nasrallah says is not only true but is the story of his village monastery. In the beginning Ottomans sold off Palestinian lands to the Greeks to sustain war with Turkey's enemies. However, by the 1920s things were tough on everyone and by the time the British Mandate was upon Palestine the Patriarchate was officially bankrupt. The British stepped in forcing the Patriarchate to sell off lands that they owned to the Jews who were returning after World War II to settle in Palestine. What is interesting to know is that in 2005 patriarch Irenaios (140th Patriarche of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem) was deposed in the aftermath of a scandal involving selling of church land in East Jerusalem to Israeli developers. Land that the Palestinians were hoping would be part of the Palestinian State.

Packed to the brim with an interesting cast of characters this novel is a serious powerful achievement. 'Time of White Horses' is testament that Arabic literature is well and truly a force that can easily hold its own on the international literary platform. When asked why he had written this novel in particular, Nasrallah answered it was so that the young would not forget and that the old would forever be remembered. It is said that to know oneself one must return to the root, and that is exactly what Nasrallah has done for a generation who has lived all its life far from a homeland it dreams of returning to. It is possibly a gentle reminder that those who do not remember the past are most condemned to repeat it.

This is a story of remembrance, love, heartbreak, loyalty, betrayal, justice and greed. It is a story about family, honour and decency. A novel about courage, heroes, tyrants and doing the right thing. It is all of the above and much more but most and foremost I see it as a story of beginnings or a story of endings giving birth to new beginnings for George Santayana once said: 'We must welcome the future remembering that soon it will be the past, and we must respect the past remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible".

An emotional roller coaster of a book with the hardback cover beautifully illustrated by Palestinian artist Tamam al-Akhal who I had the honour of interviewing for a TV show I was presenting around ten years ago. A great read particularly for those who enjoyed Rafik Shami's 'The Dark Side of love' or Naguib Mahfouz's 'Cairo' Trilogy this is not one you want to miss.


Friday, January 11, 2013

A Little Something for the Weekend!


http://www.bigbookbabble.co.uk


How have I not known about James Campbell's brilliantly funny and informative online programme the Big Book Babble? Here's your chance to find out as well. I especially liked the episode featuring McFly. Is there anything those boys can't do?

Have a lovely weekend, and see you all on Monday :)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

From Quinoa To a Murder Mystery: all in a day's work!

Quinoa
Do you know that 2013 is the International Year of Quinoa (Keen-wah)? Do you know that Quinoa although may look somewhat like couscous is actually a complete protein? Do you know that to get the maximum absorption of iron from haem and non-haem iron sources you ought to have a small glass of orange juice or fresh fruit, especially berries or kiwi fruit, with meals thanks to the Vitamin C these foods contain? Well, you may by now be asking yourself how I know all this. Simple answer is The Healthyfood Guide magazine. 

'Healthyfood Guide' is a compact (as in of a size easy to carry in a purse) monthly magazine packed full of very useful nutrition information that are easily understood by anyone outside of medicine and more importantly the advice is quite easy to apply even by the busiest of us. Packed full of healthy recipes it is a great reference for those who like to cook from scratch and offers advice each month on what to choose from the ready-meals we pick up from our supermarkets to advice on how to better our general well-being. The publication goes further with sensible fitness and shaping up tips. The panel of monthly experts make sure that whatever health resolution you've made for the new year, they have it covered. I cannot begin to say how brilliant this magazine is and 'No!' I don't get paid to say this :)

My favourite part of HFG? It's got to be the weekly diet planner. Each month a nutritional consultant offers up a week of planned meals that you can shop for at the beginning of the week which definitely takes the hassle out of deciding what to eat each day. Besides research has found that people who plan their meals ahead and know what they are having each day are more likely to stick to their diets and enjoy better health. 'What?' I hear you say 'and give up the daily mad hectic high blood-pressure inducing rush of getting home after a long day's work trying to frantically put together whatever's in the fridge to come up with some decent sort of dinner to feed those hungry mouths in the living room?'- Yup, I thought so!

HFG wouldn't be a decent mag though if they didn't have a website that lets you check out a sample issue. So, honestly head there now and let me know if you agree with me- or not but that's what the comment section below is all about - To go to HFG's website, simply click HERE.

In other news today, I have just finished reading 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon. I've had this book on my wish list for years and now that I have finally got round to it, I completely get why everyone continues to rave about it. You cannot possibly read this book without falling in love with the story's main character Christopher who suffers from Aspeger's Syndrome, a type of Autism. A genius at maths he struggles with day to day activities that a lot of us take for granted. A sensitive eye-opener of a book and it has been widely embraced by both adults and teenagers.

Although it has taken me nearly 10 years to get to this murder mystery (the novel was published in 2003), there is a silver lining here: the stage production will be running at the Apollo Theatre in the West End from March to May this year. Having completed its run at the National Theatre it hits the theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue from March 1 and is scheduled to run until May 25. Tickets have been on sale since November of last year. Mine are probably in the post as we speak. How exciting!

The award-winning novel is adapted to the stage by playwright Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott (the award-winning co-director of War Horse). Luke Treadaway, who appeared in 'War Horse' at the National Theatre and in the films 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Wasteland', plays Christopher, the 15-year-old central character of the book. A film adaptation is currently being discussed. Yay!

The blurb about the book as on the back cover of the paperback edition:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction Shortlist

The shortlist for The International Prize for Arabic Fiction has just been announced in Tunisia. For a full list of the books, click HERESinan AntoonJana ElhassanMohammed Hassan AlwanIbrahim IssaSaud Alsanousi and Hussein Al-Wad are on the list. Congratulations. Winner will be announced on April 23, 2013

JJ Reviews!


A few months ago in the BOOKFABULOUS household, negotiations were under way to try and find a solution to a major dilemma I was having regarding my 10-year-old. I call it dilemma, JJ calls it drama but nonetheless it was time to sit down in the household's negotiating boardroom (the kitchen) and hash things out. As of late I had noticed that JJ was more into his DS case than his bookcase, so being who I am I panicked. I imagined a world where I'd give my son a book and he'd stare vacantly at me not knowing what it was, unable to decipher its contents. Sirens rang in my ear, and sleepless nights ensued the result of which the meeting was called and set.

I thought I'd start out calmly, maturely, all grown-uppish so I gave the usual speech of how great reading is and how personality building it could be. How I was doing this for his own good and that he'd thank me later in life. How reading could help with his writing at school when he moved to the more demanding Secondary phase of education and so on and so forth. Then I did what I had promised myself never to do (pre-children): I told him how when I was a child his age I'd already read 'Anna Karenina' and 'War&Peace' and for extra effect I said I did that by candlelight (I think that's where JJ gave me the drama-mum look). By the look on his face and judging by how old he thinks I am he didn't find the candlelight thing far-fetched... mental reminder to sit down for another meeting and discuss what decade I come from. Slowly the mum-son chat turned to lecturing and I desperately realised that we were going nowhere with this except for my son's body which seemed like it was slowly melting away from his chair as he slid further downwards and was eventually going to end up pooled under the kitchen table. This 'meeting' was definitely over!

A week later, JJ comes back home with his school book-club reading book "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens which is not easy reading for a 10-year-old. Judging by the look on his face reading the first page he was struggling. I offered to help in the reading and as they only had three weeks to complete the book, we decided that we would actually read together swapping who would be reader; he would read aloud a few pages and then ask me for the words he did not get or sentences he found quite ambiguous in the Dickensian English it was written in and then he would take a break from reading and I would read to him but stop to see if he was following up with the events of the story. It worked! three weeks and the book was done and we had both enjoyed the experience of reading the same book at the same time and having discussions about it even at times when we weren't even reading. The penny dropped and the solution to my dilemma seemed to be staring me in the face.

Once "A Christmas Carol" was done, JJ moved on to more modern reading in the form of 'Ratburger' by one of his most favourite authors David Walliams. But this time he asked to independently read the book after which I would have a go after he was done with it and then we would discuss it. Agreement reached we have since completed two books in this manner. The process seems to be working and fingers crossed I can put my fears to rest, for now at least! 

As those of you who read the blog will have noticed I have included 'Ratburger' by David Walliams in the January Reads list and the reason- although obvious from my post- is because it was a landmark book for JJ and I. Therefore, it is JJ's review that I post below today. This is his own work (with really minor tweaks from myself) and he is really proud of his work as I am of him.

Finally to David Walliams we both say: thank you for in terms of role models they rarely get better than you (not that he reads the blog but one can only hope). Big love!



'Ratburger' by David Williams
Reviewed by JJ (age: 10 years)

Ratburger is a story is about a girl called Zoe whose mum we know from the beginning of the story is dead. Zoe is left with her dad who loses his job when the factory he works at shuts down. He now spends most of his time at the pub although he really tried to get a job but couldn’t find anything so he gave up looking. Dad has re-married Sheila who is a lazy, horrible , ‘fat, huge’ person.

Zoe has just come home to find that her pet hamster has died under suspicious circumstances and she is really upset about that. Anyway, one thing leads to another and she now finds a pet rat that she is convinced is smart enough to learn breakdancing moves.

One day, Zoe meets a man called Burt who is hiding an awful secret and who tries to kill first her pet rat and then her after she finds out about his secret. After Burt gets hold of her rat by force (thanks to nasty Sheila’s help) Zoe desperately tries to find him (his name is Armitage by the way but don’t ask why because it’s a long story. Honest). With nobody to help it seems like all is lost unless Zoe manages to convince the only person who loves her in the world to help.

Ratburger is an outstandingly funny book by David Walliams. I liked how he described the stepmother as “fat, huge”, and how she is always stomping to Zoe’s bedroom. Sheila loves nothing more in the world than her prawn cocktail crisps and spends all her time eating them. One thing I have to say here though is I can’t believe that Zoe doesn’t like these crisps. They are one of my favourites.

This book is one of the best of David Walliams’ books and I should know because I have read his other books: The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy and Gangsta Granny. I would recommend this book to any child or adult who wants to laugh their head off. The book is very quick and packed with adventure. I enjoyed seeing the character Raj who seems to pop up in all David Walliams’ books. I also enjoyed the illustrations by Tony Ross.