Summer reading

UPDATE OCT 5TH, 2007

Really not that special:

Home and Dry in Normandy by George East and C'est la folie, by Michael Wright (along with about 10 others I can't even remember the title of):
Another englishman moves to rural France, neighbours simple folks, reserved but warmhearted, septic tank breaks down, the French speak a lingo of their own (in fact, it's called French, in case you wonder. It is spoken in France - honestly, what did they expect?). While wonderful books have been written on the subject, these two are not part of the lot. I would much rather re-read A small place in Italy by Eric Newby, A year in Provence by Peter Mayle, or Under the tuscan sun by Frances Mayes.

Glennkill by Leonie Swann:
This one is a bestseller in Germany: the first sheep crime novel! I can't really speak about it because I never made it past page 30 (although I really like sheep). Will try again and tell about it, but gripping it isn't.

Good but not great:

Saving fish from drowning, by Amy Tan:
I am a big-time Amy Tan fan and have read them all. I wasn't sure about this one and didn't buy it hardback - quite reasonablyI should add, since it is clearly not her best work. This is the story of a group of american travellers to Burma as narrated, partly, by the ghost of their tour guide who died shortly before the departure. I loved, loved the character of Bibi Chen, the chinese ghost. Unfortunately, I did not love any of the other characters or anything happening to them. I really wish Amy Tan had developed Bibi Chen some more - perhaps she will do in the future?

Three cups of tea,by Greg Mortenson:
Visit the book's website at threecupsoftea.com
It is a biography of Greg Mortenson, an american mountaineer who got lost climbing the K2, wandered in a small village in the remotest Pakistani mountains and ended up building schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan for his whole life. The story is nicely written up by journalist David Oliver Relin and is quite heartwarming once you get past the basic American Hero thing. Mortenson seems to do outstanding work. Have a look at the Central Asia Institute website for more information, and do buy the book (part of the purchase price goes towards the building of schools).

Really good reading:

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver:
A great book. It was my first Kinsolver and I've already bought the Poisonwood Bible to see if her writing is always that good. Kingsolver writes about four seasons on her home in rural Appalachia with much humour and insight. Suse at Pea Soup also liked the book and wrote a review on July 27,2007. It is too bad that the rest of the Kinsolver family (elder daughter Camille and husband Steven Hopp) pitched in in the making of this book, because their articles (facts about environemental impact and nutrition that would be known already by anyone interested in the subject matter) are strewn through, making it harder to concentrate on the author's delightful text. I understand the concept of family writing in this book, but they should still be relegated in the annex.

The Yellow House, by Martin Gayford
A art history book about the weeks the painters Van Gogh and Gauguin spent together in Arles in the fall of 1888. Highly readable, this book is structured around the paintings that were created there, the circumstances that led to them and, quite delightfully, the comparison of how two different minds painted the same subject. My only negative on this book would be that the illustrations are black/white even on the hardback edition.