vodkafan Posted February 27, 2010 Author Share Posted February 27, 2010 book review: Shame by Jasvinder Sanghera This was a quick non-fiction read . Not wanting to go into too much details because if things had been slightly different somebody very close to me could have suffered a similar fate. This is the true life story of Jas, a Punjabi girl growing up in Derby with her strict Sikh family. Always independent and questioning, Jas eventually rebels against an arranged marriage to an older man by running off with a forbidden lower caste boyfriend. She tries to make the best of life with this man , marries him and has a child but knows that she never really loved him , and the marriage eventually breaks down. . She tells poignantly of being completely and irreversibly disowned by her family, and gives an insight of how Asian society is run on the notions of shame and honour. I read many reviews on Amazon before purchasing this book, and some of them (by Asian women it has to be said ) were quite critical of her behaviour. I think they missed the point. Jas never holds anything back, nor tries to excuse herself or portray herself in a good light when she does behave badly. She tells her story with honesty. The second half of the book is different. Eventually after some tragic circumstances within her own family, Jas throws off any vestiges of "shame" at her own situation and finds that she is able to help others and is still helping them now with her own organisation. Laundry Fairy saw me reading this and told me that she had read it herself many years ago. As I said I won't go into any details there. I think this is an important book which highlights something that is still happening in Asian communities today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 Learning Polish is not going very well. The Get By in Polish book seems to have no plot at all and no main characters (I am joking). Seriously though I am going to have to work harder. My first strategy has been to learn five phrases and five words a day (only when at work) from flash cards then try them out on Polish people I work with. Only in a work situation I don't get much quality talk time. Also if my pronunciation is OK then they think I know more than I do and come back with something I haven't learned yet. End of conversation. I will buy a portable CD player tomorrow and get listening to the CD that came with the book. Also I will have to widen my net. There is a Polish shop near my house. I will introduce myself to them tommorrow and start going in every day for a chat. I know Polish have a great sense of humour- they must have I have seen their food. Surely they are having a laugh. Those things in jars in the supermarket that look like pickled biopsy specimens. I really want to do some normal reading but until I start making progress with this everything is on hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Those things in jars in the supermarket that look like pickled biopsy specimens. Good luck with your lanaguage study. Though I've never tried Polish, I can imagine it is a hard one to learn. The idea of going into the Polish shop and talking with them is a great one to help you retain and remember the words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 Book Review: Model Behaviour by Jay Mcinerney This was a fun quick read I did a while back after slogging through ATSS. I really enjoyed it. It is set in the 1990s but I bet this particular subculture has not changed overmuch. Connor McKnight is a celebrity magazine journalist. His life is a whirl of cocktail parties and meeting celebrities. But this life is kind of false and deep down he is not sure he is up to it. His steady girlfriend is a beautiful fashion model who aspires to be an actress. Connor worships her and can never really believe his luck. But when his girlfriend takes off for a routine fashion shoot which Connor later finds out does not exist, rumour has it that she is leaving him. Connors fears and insecurities all come home to him big time when he realises that his place in this celebrity world is totally dependent on him being attached to one. We watch his life coming apart at the seams. As the story is basically simple there are a couple of little sub -plots going on to keep interest up . The family meal in the resteraunt is a scream. And his teenage fan/stalker. Good book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Book Review: How Opal Mehta Got Kissed Got Wild And Got A life by Kaavya Viswanathan This is a young adult book-actually my daughter's. But both myself and Laundry Fairy have picked it up on numerous occasions to sneak a look so I read it properly. It is written by an 18 year old-no mean acheivement. Sometimes it does show in a couple of the passages, but as she is writing for her own age group she gets away with it I feel. Other times the author shows a mastery of dialogue to set a scene that shows great promise in my opinion. She follows the Golden rule of writing: that is, write about something you know well. In her case two things, high school and being an Indian teenager in America. The story bowls along at a cracking pace and is always fun to read, if just a little predictable. The lead character Opal has been groomed and pushed from an early age by her well meaning parents for one goal- to get into Harvard University. They have followed the plan exactly (HOWGIH- How Opal Will Get Into Harvard) but in her primary interview Opal falls to pieces when she doesn't know how to answer a simple question- what does she do for fun? With her whole future hanging in the balance her parents invent a whole new plan: HOWGAL (How Opal Will Get A life) But putting it into action brings unexpected results for Opal which make her question everything she has taken for granted. This young author writes enthusiastically and the book is very funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 Just finished a Scanner Darkly. I enjoyed it a lot but it is a Reading Circle book so will review it in the proper section at the proper time. Have started reading The Lovely Bones. The first chapter is distressing but that's over now and I am curious as to what will happen next. Never read anything like this before. If it wasn't for this place I would never have picked up this book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 I just finished Lovely Bones. I went straight to Laundry Fairy book in hand and said: "whatever you are reading, dump it and read this instead." She likes it when I am all masterful like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 It's an intense book, but I really enjoyed it when I read it too Hope your wife enjoys it as much as you seemed too as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 That was a great book, I hope Laundry Fairy likes it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Thanks lexie and Abby. Yeah I found it quite moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I just finished Lovely Bones. I went straight to Laundry Fairy book in hand and said: "whatever you are reading, dump it and read this instead."She likes it when I am all masterful like that. Glad you enjoyed it, hope Laundry Fairy enjoys it as well I love it how you both read books and can swap them and know what the other would like and should read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Glad you enjoyed it, hope Laundry Fairy enjoys it as well I love it how you both read books and can swap them and know what the other would like and should read! We do that with films too. It comes from having been together a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have got 20 books in my TBR pile now! TBR PILE: Tipping The Velvet The Night Watch The Boy In Striped Pyjamas Lyonesse Lyonesse 2 Lyonesse 3 Persuasion Out Of India Five people You Meet In Heaven One Girl's War Trainspotting (screenplay) The Mathematics Of Love Either Side Of Winter Why Men Marry Some Women And Not Others Judgement on Janus Victory on Janus If Chins Could Kill Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Q & A ( Reading Circle book) Claude and Madeline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Coming to the end of Sophie's World. It has been a "sticky" book for me. I am impatient to finish it and get onto something else. I know exactly what that is going to be! I almost bought two more second hand books today but luckily the bus came in the nick of time. Damn that charity shop being right next to the bus stop! Temptation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Lots of people have reviewed this book already here so I won't say too much just my subjective thoughts on how it affected me. The first chapter is both horribly gripping and disturbing; you have a weird sense that, just like poor Suzie you must go through the ordeal with her to get to the other side. To stop reading is to abandon her. That's how powerful the attachment is to the character. I am glad it was not too graphic. The idea of everybody's personal heaven is very well thought out and realised. The idea of her soul rushing out and touching Ruth (who would have turned out to be a normal, if introverted kid) who then becomes a spooky loner who can see where women have died is the thread of the story that interested me most. The book is at it's most powerful in the first few chapters and how the characters deal with Suzie being gone. Towards the end it lost some of its power for me but the book was still interesting right till the end. Hope Mr Harvey laid in extreme pain for a long time in the ravine and died slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 ^^ Judging by the review, you really enjoyed the book. Since I've registered here, I got from not even considering to read this book, followed by putting it on the TBR list, and now moving it closer to the top of the list xD Lol. Also, I've noticed you're planing on reading Trainspotting. Tried reading it once (haven't even seen the film), but the language just put me off. I mean I'm not a prude, but I could hardly follow the story Mkay, I'm exagerating a bit, but still... I hope you'll like it though. Will read the review if you post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 ^^ Judging by the review, you really enjoyed the book. Since I've registered here, I got from not even considering to read this book, followed by putting it on the TBR list, and now moving it closer to the top of the list xD Lol. Also, I've noticed you're planing on reading Trainspotting. Tried reading it once (haven't even seen the film), but the language just put me off. I mean I'm not a prude, but I could hardly follow the story Mkay, I'm exagerating a bit, but still... I hope you'll like it though. Will read the review if you post. Thanks Brida. I have a reader! I didn't think anybody still read my reading log so I didn't bother put spoiler hiders in my review- I sincerely hope I haven't wrecked the story for you. About Trainspotting, the copy I have is a very slim screenplay from the film version (which I haven't seen)- so basically just the dialogue. Is it a proper book then? Yeah I bet there is a lot of swearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Don't worry, you haven't wrecked it Yes, it's a proper book, can't really say whether it's a good one or not, for obvious reasons...I tried reading it after reading We children from zoo station (is that the correct title in English?), to continue with the drug theme, but this one, unfortunately, did not get finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 Don't worry, you haven't wrecked it Yes, it's a proper book, can't really say whether it's a good one or not, for obvious reasons...I tried reading it after reading We children from zoo station (is that the correct title in English?), to continue with the drug theme, but this one, unfortunately, did not get finished. If you still have it and don't want it, do you want to swop it for something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 ^^Sorry, it was a library book I had a couple of years ago :/ And it wasn't in English, not sure whether that would be a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 3, 2010 Author Share Posted April 3, 2010 [quote name=Brida;379733/ And it wasn't in English' date=' not sure whether that would be a problem [/quote] YEP! it would... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brida Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Well then, I hope you find the version you're looking for in a bookshop or a library or...somewhere else. And finish it, unlike me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Hiya vodkafan, nice to see you enjoyed Lovely Bones, I liked your review of it and I'd say I agree with what you said about the novel Yep there's a proper book of Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, I've read it both in Finnish and in English, the English is a bit difficult to get into, the dialect is a bit hard Don't let that bother you and you're in for a pretty wicked read! It's written from different peoples' perspective so that's a bit confusing as well but I dare say one gets used to it. I've been dying to reread this for a while now but someone's always borrowing it from the library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Hiya vodkafan, nice to see you enjoyed Lovely Bones, I liked your review of it and I'd say I agree with what you said about the novel Yep there's a proper book of Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, I've read it both in Finnish and in English, the English is a bit difficult to get into, the dialect is a bit hard Don't let that bother you and you're in for a pretty wicked read! It's written from different peoples' perspective so that's a bit confusing as well but I dare say one gets used to it. I've been dying to reread this for a while now but someone's always borrowing it from the library Thanks Frankie and Brida -think I might hold out and look for the full novel then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Well I have almost finished if Chins Could Kill and I read another book in between. I have a book coming from Amazon, Marianne Dreams along with a DVD of a 1970's children's BBC TV series based on the book, which was called Escape Into Night. This terrified me as a kid and is indelibly etched on my memory, I am always telling my kids about how good it was, so now I can terrify them with it too! I also bought 3 more books today while waiting for the bus. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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