Archive for the 'Books' Category

A disturbing yet incredibly compelling read, A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the life of two women living in Afghanistan during the changing landscape and atrocities of war. We first met Mariam who is an illegitimate child living on the outskirts of Herat where her father comes to visit weekly. Never allowed to interact with his real family we see a young girl idolising her father while her mother tries to instill in Mariam that she will never be welcomed as a legitimate daughter. The realisation eventually comes when Mariam is sent away by her father and married off to a much older man, Rasheed, living in Kabul. When she fails to provide him with a son he takes a younger wife, Laila. The book follows the lives of Mariam and Laila as their friendship forms and strengthens as they do the best they can trying to survive a country at war and a brutal life at home.

The story of these women are so far outside the realm of my reality or the comprehension of their lifestyle yet it is so well written that they become familiar to you.

What amazed me about the characters is the incredible endurance through all the situations thrown at them. I still haven’t finished mulling over this book as yet and figuring out what I have taken away from it.

I have long been fascinated and probably have held a rather romantic idea of living off-grid in my strawbale construction home with my small holders set up e.g. vege patch and limited livestock. I have also thought that going off-grid probably is not that easy or more people would be far more successful at it than they appear to be. Reading this book, I would be right.

Basically the book takes you through the journey of a London freelance journalist who had bought a small place in Spain and was investigating how to improve the off-grid experience he was having. The book meets a number of different characters with varying levels of independence from water mains, electricity and sewage. It looks at different types of systems used e.g. wind, solar etc and how well (or in most cases) how work intensive they are.

It would seem that there are many people out there wishing to go off-grid but realising when they get there that it is hard work as many of the options require continual maintenance, receive little support from the manufacturer/supplier and most importantly if you try to do it on the cheap then you will shoot yourself in the foot. Do it right the first time so it doesn’t need to be done again!!

Anyway, I still have half the book left to go but am enjoying it so far. I don’t think it has tarnished the dream but has definitely given serious food for thought and reinforced my feeling that you need to make the right contacts and ensure that those you buy from or get info from are also living the experience and therefore show they can live by their product/advice.

It has been a while since I finished a book in full. I have started many and have them stacked next to my bed to complete one day. For some reason I find many other things to do besides read which is rather tragic as I enjoy a good book.

Someone from work loaned this book to me. Written by Asne Seierstad it is set in Kabul where she was lucky enough to live with an Afghan family for a few months. If what I read is correct there has been a fair bit of fall out from this book since.

Asne lived with the family for several months where she has focused on portraying the family life. The book tells the story of Sultan Khan (not his real name) a bookseller in Kabul and his family. The business has managed to survive through book burnings, censorship and much more as the country’s political regime continued to change throughout the years. The book also tells the story of the Khan family – mother, wives, sisters and children that live under Sultan’s roof. We see the struggle that Sultan has undertaken to keep his business and the struggle that his family have against his power over them and that of the social and political aspects that they must also comply with to in order to get through each day. We also see the changes occurring in Afghanistan with the departure of the Taliban.

I am still mulling over what I take away from this book besides the obvious thankfulness for the choices I have as a woman in the western world. I also take away a tiny bit more of an understanding of the Islamic faith. It has made me curious to read some more of her work though.

I first started reading Janet Evanovich’s novels while in Australia. Each year I always anticipated a new release. Nothing has changed. Based around the main character, Stephanie Plum, she is a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter) that just can’t seem to get it right. The novels are a great light read with loads of witty humour and a storyline that will keep you up all night in order to get to find out whats going to happen. The latest instalment had me laughing like a mad women on the train to London. Thankfully I just blend in with all the other weirdos on the train during the school holidays. Love these books. Highly recommend starting at the beginning with "One for the Money" and just watch Stephanie bumble her way through figuring out how to be a bounty hunter.

The sequel to The Pillars of the Earth (one of my favourite books) this was an epic read comparable to Pillars. Written by Ken Follett I have been waiting for years for this book to come out and it did not disappoint. My only regret is that I have finished it. Believe me, I put it down for a day as I was nearing the end, just to avoid having to complete it.

Just like Pillars it is not a book for the faint hearted. It is often gruesome in a most graphical sense as it describes life in the 14th century. I believe that if it had been written in lesser tones this would have diminished the harsh and brutal reality of life during this time. The lives of simple peasants, earls, tradesmen, religious orders and merchants are played out in the town of Kingsbridge 200 years on from Prior Phillip, Tom, Jack, Aliena etc however family ties link new characters to the old. As the cathedral was built 200 years ago this book looks at further building projects undertaken within the town and with it yet again the struggles for power, control and love. The characters this time are also faced with the Black Death sweeping through Europe which brings another layer to the epic journey.

I continue to be fascinated with lifestyles of those in the middle ages and again this book brings this particular section of years to life. At 1111 pages it is a rollercoaster ride that you just don’t want to end. I will be re-reading this again and again just as I have done with Pillars over the years. 10 out of 10!