The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri

I don't know where to start in reviewing this book. As I was reading it, there were several paragraphs that described perfectly how I have felt at different stages in my life. Other parts were wholly unfamiliar. I enjoyed the introspective nature of the main character, but didn't feel a good connection with many of the supporting cast. There were passages that made me ache and other ones that didn't touch me at all. Overall, it has me thinking and that is a good thing.

I would recommend this book, but I am still not sure whether it will be going on the permanent shelves. I already lent it out.

Quiet time

Just getting 10, 15 or 30 minutes to myself, no one calling Mom or crying. Having a few quiet moments to drink a mug of tea and read the newspaper or a glass of milk and browse a magazine. Or maybe it is just the quiet. It's something that makes me feel better, although I am not sure if that is the same as being happy.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

As I read this book, I kept wondering why it is considered a classic. The only thing I can think of is the fabulous description of the bull fights. The rest of the book left me bored and struggling to pick it up. I even went looking for reader guides or discussion questions to give insight into what I failed to notice. Even with those questions, I don't see what the fuss is about.

I'll be sending this back to the person I borrowed it from - and I'll have to think of something to say at book club next week.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses - Tom Standage

After looking through the bibliography of The Ghost Map, I decide to read A History of the World in 6 Glasses - and someone was nice enough to give it to me for Christmas. It really is a world history from ancient times to current. It all starts with beer - which was apparently a main currency back in the day. Everyone was given a ration, even slaves. As time went on, wine took on a larger role - increasing it's influence as the cultivation of grapes improved. Helping this trend along is that aged wine can improve where aged beer is not considered a delicacy. The discovery of the New World and the resulting slave trade and sugar production moved spirits (originally rum from the waste of sugar production) to the forefront. Not only was it cost effective to use the waste from the sugar process, it was smaller to transport back to Africa, where it was prized as the most efficient way to get drunk. The Age of Reason required everyone to sober up, so coffee and the coffeehouses moved to ahead - stimulating conversation rather than rowdy behavior and sleep. The British love for tea helped them become a world power, based on the antibacterial properties and the need to boil the water. And finally Coca-Cola - which did indeed (and incidentally still does) contain ingredients from the plant that is used for cocaine - is the best known brand in the world and made it there through the rise of the USA as the superpower. Reading this concise history made me look at things in a new light and gave me a better understanding of each area in history.

I would recommend this book, let me know if you want to borrow it.

Spring has sprung here

Spring has started to poke it's head out of the cold, wet ground. Nothing like happy tulips. I love them as my flowers around the house - not only when they are living and vibrant colors, but I love the way they die into interesting sculptural shapes. I'll be bringing some of that home today I think.

Safe Haven - Hannah Alexander

This one was lying around my parents house when I was taking a break. As expected, I picked it up and made it through 80% of the book before I headed back home. It's part of a Christian medical thriller series and I won't be going out of my way to finish it. I would pick it up if I happened to see it, but I have a pretty good idea where it will end up. The beginning of the book was pretty light on the save your soul message but the references to finding / relying on God are getting more and more frequent. The mystery isn't all that mysterious or thrilling to me, although I suppose if I finish the book I could be surprised.

Update March 7, 2008: Mom hand delivered the book to my house, so I finished it. I had barely 30 pages to go. Yup, just as a suspected. Not terrible, but not brilliant either. Since I am reading so much less these days, I am trying to be more selective in what goes onto my To Read shelf. Books by this author are unlikely to make it.

Deadly Gamble - Linda Lael Miller

Yup, I read a book that isn't from my "To Read" shelf - which is packed so full it should be shelves. My mom handed me this on and said she wanted it back when I finished. What a perfect excuse to read the introduction to the wacky Mojo Sheepshanks. This is fun in the vein of the Evanovich Plum series, but I don't feel that I need to keep it around. I look forward to more Mojo adventures in the future.

Now, back to A History of the World in 6 Glasses. I'm almost halfway through, or I think I am, since I am up to coffee having completed the beer, wine and spirits sections.