Salt Houses is a very interesting novel about what it is like to live as a Palestinian in the Middle East.
Author, Hala Alyan, an American Palestinian is writing about what it is like to be a middle class, well to do, educated Palestinian family having to leave Israel and move from place to place. We start as the first generation of this multilayered family, watching through the eyes of Salma, as her family leaves Jaffa and moved their family to a home in Nablus, Palestine, the year is 1963. We follow in alternating chapters different members of the family in each generation as they live trough the history of the mideast. In 1965 we follow Mustafa, Salma's young adult son, who is visiting the Mosque and handing out anti Israel pamphlets. There is violence, arrests and deaths as the family again leaves separating between Amman and Kuwait City. We see how the Palestinian Israeli conflict could lead to radicalizing a young man.
We follow Salma's daughter, Alia and her husband, Atef as the newly married couple moves to Kuwait City. Salma joins her sister and other family living in Amman.
The reader is drawn in as each of the characters experiences the upheaval and fear as historical events impact their day to day lives. We listen with the family as the news reports the Kuwait airline hostage crisis.
Later generations start a new life in the United States, returning to spend summers in either Kuwait City or Amman with family. Souad, Alia and Atef's daughter returns from life in America, as a divorcee with two children. She come back to live in Beirut.
This is a story of both Palestinian displacement and family drama. This is a novel that examines the effects of loss and displacement of a family home even for the privileged. This novel explores the way outside forces affect our family lives and connections.
Friday, January 4, 2019
The Body in the Gallery
A Faith Fairchild mystery by Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Gallery, is the first in this series of culinary mystery books. Faith is a young mother, who is married to a minister and is starting up her own catering service. Living in Alford, Massachusetts makes this a fun read for people who know the area. Also she has added recipes to the end of the book that are referred to through the novel, which makes it extra delicious.
Interestingly, Faith is married to a small town minister which gives her access to all the gossip and members of the community. Though she says that because her father was a minister she never wanted to marry a minister. She met her husband at a wedding and fell in love before he changed his clothes back into his minister's suit. Author, Page, also says she did not realize that amateur detectives were not supposed to have children until after she had written her first book, so Faith has to fit her detecting in between carpooling children and cooking meals.
Keeping this mystery very relevant, Faith also has to work with her husband and family as her son goes through some trouble as he starts middle school. He is making new friends with some of the wrong kids and getting into trouble on the internet.
I look forward to reading some more of this series and trying some of the recipes.
Interestingly, Faith is married to a small town minister which gives her access to all the gossip and members of the community. Though she says that because her father was a minister she never wanted to marry a minister. She met her husband at a wedding and fell in love before he changed his clothes back into his minister's suit. Author, Page, also says she did not realize that amateur detectives were not supposed to have children until after she had written her first book, so Faith has to fit her detecting in between carpooling children and cooking meals.
Keeping this mystery very relevant, Faith also has to work with her husband and family as her son goes through some trouble as he starts middle school. He is making new friends with some of the wrong kids and getting into trouble on the internet.
I look forward to reading some more of this series and trying some of the recipes.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Kingdom of the Blind
I can never really do Louise Penny justice. Her books are written with such beautiful, moving and flowing prose. They are a pleasure to read even before you get to the fact that she writes a believable, beguiling and intriguing mystery plot in each one.
This is a series that I look forward to reading as soon as each new book is released.
I put aside all other work, reading and activities to immerse myself in the world of Three Pines and become apart of the group that gathers at the bistro owned by Gabri and Oliver. I look forward to conversations over dinner with Reine Marie and Armand either around their table or their neighbor, Clara's. As Ruth and Myrna join the Chief Inspector and his daughter, Annie and her husband the Chief's second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir.
Oh, to feel that kind of connection to a group of friends in real life. It seems like it would be the perfect life.
Again in this mystery novel, Penny tackles current day issues and modern problems. The opioid crisis and electronic banking and money schemes. Picking up where she left off at the end of the last book, drugs are being released on the streets that can kill the addicts who live day to day. Gamache seems to be responsible because of the way he did not arrest all the dealers at the end of Glass Houses.
Also interspersed with the plot is the death and will of an old woman in a nursing home, who called herself the Baroness, though she cleaned houses in her younger days. She has named Gamache, Myrna and another young man the liquidators of her estate. This is an unusual occurrence and it starts the digging into of the people involved. Two separate plots running concurrently, until though as a reader you may have some theories, they will be uncovered all in good time.
The prose is incredible, with examples like where he thinks back to the last tragedy he lived through with his police officers,: "But leaving was hard. Especially his agents, men and women whose lives were lost because they followed his orders. Followed him. He'd felt, for a long time, that he owed it to them to not leave that place of sorrow. To keep them company there....Their lives could not be defined by their deaths. They belonged not in perpetual pain but in the beauty of their short lives."
So many connections to the word blind. People being blind when they are dealing with other people. Being blind to your emotions, being blind to people's lies, being blind in a snow storm or being blind when something physically affects your eyesight.
So beautifully crafted. I will say that Penny has built up her talent and I have become so attached to these characters, I feel like I know them. I was moved to tears at the end of this book. That is a first when reading a mystery novel.
This is a series that I look forward to reading as soon as each new book is released.
I put aside all other work, reading and activities to immerse myself in the world of Three Pines and become apart of the group that gathers at the bistro owned by Gabri and Oliver. I look forward to conversations over dinner with Reine Marie and Armand either around their table or their neighbor, Clara's. As Ruth and Myrna join the Chief Inspector and his daughter, Annie and her husband the Chief's second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir.
Oh, to feel that kind of connection to a group of friends in real life. It seems like it would be the perfect life.
Again in this mystery novel, Penny tackles current day issues and modern problems. The opioid crisis and electronic banking and money schemes. Picking up where she left off at the end of the last book, drugs are being released on the streets that can kill the addicts who live day to day. Gamache seems to be responsible because of the way he did not arrest all the dealers at the end of Glass Houses.
Also interspersed with the plot is the death and will of an old woman in a nursing home, who called herself the Baroness, though she cleaned houses in her younger days. She has named Gamache, Myrna and another young man the liquidators of her estate. This is an unusual occurrence and it starts the digging into of the people involved. Two separate plots running concurrently, until though as a reader you may have some theories, they will be uncovered all in good time.
The prose is incredible, with examples like where he thinks back to the last tragedy he lived through with his police officers,: "But leaving was hard. Especially his agents, men and women whose lives were lost because they followed his orders. Followed him. He'd felt, for a long time, that he owed it to them to not leave that place of sorrow. To keep them company there....Their lives could not be defined by their deaths. They belonged not in perpetual pain but in the beauty of their short lives."
So many connections to the word blind. People being blind when they are dealing with other people. Being blind to your emotions, being blind to people's lies, being blind in a snow storm or being blind when something physically affects your eyesight.
So beautifully crafted. I will say that Penny has built up her talent and I have become so attached to these characters, I feel like I know them. I was moved to tears at the end of this book. That is a first when reading a mystery novel.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Blackbird Fly
I admit that I picked this book to listen to because the main character and I share a first name. That is unusual for me to find in books. So I listened. It was fun to hear my name and the plot line is interesting and keeps you interested trying to figure out the mystery. It just moved extremely slowly.
The story seemed stretched out interminably and I was like lets get to the solution way before the book got there. The narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to and the story line is interesting about wine country in France and the small village where Merle finds herself, after her husband's death, having inherited a small house there. The description of the house and fixing it up and the death of an old woman keep you reading. You do want to find out who the woman was and how Merle and her son will succeed in fixing up the house and if they will live there. I do think that some of the loose ends are not sufficiently tied up at the end. Some answers are not clear, but all in all I enjoyed listening while I walked and while I drove to meetings.
The book is written by Lise McClendon and narrated by Denise Stradling.
The story seemed stretched out interminably and I was like lets get to the solution way before the book got there. The narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to and the story line is interesting about wine country in France and the small village where Merle finds herself, after her husband's death, having inherited a small house there. The description of the house and fixing it up and the death of an old woman keep you reading. You do want to find out who the woman was and how Merle and her son will succeed in fixing up the house and if they will live there. I do think that some of the loose ends are not sufficiently tied up at the end. Some answers are not clear, but all in all I enjoyed listening while I walked and while I drove to meetings.
The book is written by Lise McClendon and narrated by Denise Stradling.
Friday, November 30, 2018
The Fallen Architect
Another enjoyable novel from the author, Charles Belfoure. I believe his most powerful novel was
The Paris Architect and then also his next incredible read was House of Thieves. Now this novel has a little lighter plot and is not as architecturally intricate, but it is every bit as entertaining as his previous books.
This time we meet an architect who has been disbarred and sent to serve a five year sentence in prison when a theatre he designed collapse, killing and injuring many people. Douglas Layton, who has risen from his station in society as the son of a mason to become a well respected architect, has lost his wife, son and home when the balcony falls and he accused of faulty design work.
Now, his sentence is finished and he has paid his debt to society. He returns to London, under a new identity, as Frank Owen, a scenic designer. He becomes beloved by the people he works with and the woman he works for, Cissie Mapes. Creating a new life for himself, he is finding happiness and also realizes that he was not responsible for the accident that brought down the house and killed the patrons of the theatre. He and Cissie decide to clear his name and investigate on their own to find out who was responsible for the collapse of the theatre.
Belfoure uses tricks of the trade to build the case for this mystery. Describing the architecture behind building theaters in London at the turn of the century, we are again treated to the world building and designing buildings. We are also treated to the fascinating world of vaudeville back stage. The characters are colorful and the backdrops, Owens paints are realistic and beautiful.
the plot is intricate and keeps the reader thinking alongside Douglas Layton aka Frank Owens as he tries to clear his name and get a second chance at happiness.
The Paris Architect and then also his next incredible read was House of Thieves. Now this novel has a little lighter plot and is not as architecturally intricate, but it is every bit as entertaining as his previous books.
This time we meet an architect who has been disbarred and sent to serve a five year sentence in prison when a theatre he designed collapse, killing and injuring many people. Douglas Layton, who has risen from his station in society as the son of a mason to become a well respected architect, has lost his wife, son and home when the balcony falls and he accused of faulty design work.
Now, his sentence is finished and he has paid his debt to society. He returns to London, under a new identity, as Frank Owen, a scenic designer. He becomes beloved by the people he works with and the woman he works for, Cissie Mapes. Creating a new life for himself, he is finding happiness and also realizes that he was not responsible for the accident that brought down the house and killed the patrons of the theatre. He and Cissie decide to clear his name and investigate on their own to find out who was responsible for the collapse of the theatre.
Belfoure uses tricks of the trade to build the case for this mystery. Describing the architecture behind building theaters in London at the turn of the century, we are again treated to the world building and designing buildings. We are also treated to the fascinating world of vaudeville back stage. The characters are colorful and the backdrops, Owens paints are realistic and beautiful.
the plot is intricate and keeps the reader thinking alongside Douglas Layton aka Frank Owens as he tries to clear his name and get a second chance at happiness.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Tombstone: Not A Western
Just a quick short review about Tombstone: Not a Western because I really did not like this book. Because I usually do not like to give bad reviews, I will keep this short but I just want to acknowledge that I have read the book.
This is supposed to be a funny look at death, old age and end of life.
Maybe because I have three elderly parents and I am definitely a member of the sandwich generation, I was both looking for a good laugh about the end of life and then did not find this book funny.
Though I do try to keep my sense of humor about all the changes that you watch happening to your parents and trying to laugh with them at themselves and with my friends over dinner with funny antidotes about what we are experiencing, this book is not that kind of funny.
I found it so unfunny that now even though I have a copy of the book, I do not have anyone I can even think of to share it with.
This is supposed to be a funny look at death, old age and end of life.
Maybe because I have three elderly parents and I am definitely a member of the sandwich generation, I was both looking for a good laugh about the end of life and then did not find this book funny.
Though I do try to keep my sense of humor about all the changes that you watch happening to your parents and trying to laugh with them at themselves and with my friends over dinner with funny antidotes about what we are experiencing, this book is not that kind of funny.
I found it so unfunny that now even though I have a copy of the book, I do not have anyone I can even think of to share it with.
The Rain Watcher
The Rain Watcher is not my favorite of Tatiana De Rosnay's novels. It is an interesting story told about a family who has never been able to share personal feelings, now faced with illness and the rising water of the 2016 Paris flood, finds ways to open up and share long hidden fears, hurts and resentments.
Set against the backdrop of the Paris flood with newscasts and very descriptive narration of the rising water comparing this flood to the Paris flood of 1910, we meet the Malegarde family. Linden is the famous photographer and son to Lauren and Paul. Lauren , married at an early age to Paul, who has become famous for his love of trees. Known as the "Treeman", he travels the world trying to save tress that come in the path of progress. Paul had told his son, "What do the trees tell me? Everything. ...
They tell me what lies under their roots, in the thickness of their leaves. That's why we need trees to understand the world. Trees are living encyclopedias. They give us the keys."
Lauren was a young girl traveling with her sister Candice, from Boston, when she met Paul. She married him and moved to the quiet and distant homestead of Venozan between the villages of Nyons and Sevral, a six hour drive from Paris. Each family member has secrets they have been harboring for years. As the flood waters rise and Paris is evacuated, Linden, his sister, Tilia and the parents slowly unravel and face their long buried fears to bring the family together and face the turmoil that is happening both within the family and around them with the weather.
Though the main plot should be the focus of the family and their relationship and interactions, the book is mainly focused on the flooding of Paris. It is interesting historically, but I thought it should take on more of a background role in the novel.
Set against the backdrop of the Paris flood with newscasts and very descriptive narration of the rising water comparing this flood to the Paris flood of 1910, we meet the Malegarde family. Linden is the famous photographer and son to Lauren and Paul. Lauren , married at an early age to Paul, who has become famous for his love of trees. Known as the "Treeman", he travels the world trying to save tress that come in the path of progress. Paul had told his son, "What do the trees tell me? Everything. ...
They tell me what lies under their roots, in the thickness of their leaves. That's why we need trees to understand the world. Trees are living encyclopedias. They give us the keys."
Lauren was a young girl traveling with her sister Candice, from Boston, when she met Paul. She married him and moved to the quiet and distant homestead of Venozan between the villages of Nyons and Sevral, a six hour drive from Paris. Each family member has secrets they have been harboring for years. As the flood waters rise and Paris is evacuated, Linden, his sister, Tilia and the parents slowly unravel and face their long buried fears to bring the family together and face the turmoil that is happening both within the family and around them with the weather.
Though the main plot should be the focus of the family and their relationship and interactions, the book is mainly focused on the flooding of Paris. It is interesting historically, but I thought it should take on more of a background role in the novel.
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