Books...

So it's been awhile and it is not Wednesday but I thought I would mention a few books I have been reading.

I

I was reading The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai right up until my due date and unfortunately I haven't finished it just yet.  I was stupid not to take it to the hospital with me. Again, this was a book that I picked up on the bargain table at Barnes & Noble and didn't really think about it apart from the fact that it was cheap.  I was so lucky to pick it up because it is amazing.  

It tells the story of a man in Shanghai who is caught in an explosion at a hotel.  When he wakes up he can no longer speak Chinese.  He can read it and understand it, but he can't say it or write it.  However, he can speak some English due to the fact that he spent his childhood in the states.

Obviously this is a problem as his wife and son are Chinese.  The same with his company.  His family, desperate to cure him, hire a young female Dr from the states to work with him.  However, rather than regain his Chinese, his English becomes stronger which creates tension between all of the characters.  A lot of people have given it bad reviews due to the melodramatic love story in the book, but I enjoyed it and am fascinated by the whole bilingual aspect and the expat aspect.

 

Mister Pip is a book that a friend gave to me to read when I first started maternity leave.  Again, a great find that I might have missed (there are just too many good books in this world).

It tells the story of a young girl living on an island and the only white man on that island, Mr. Watts.  Mr. Watts becomes the school teacher and he teaches the class of students by reading them Great Expectations.  Though it is a struggle due to the fact that the island children have never heard about 70% of the words in the book (nor do they have any real concept of England), the students soon become captivated by the story.

Meanwhile in the background there is a civil war going on and the small village that started out as a sort of paradise soon faces the reality of violence and oppression.  Still, the children have Great Expectations as a distraction.

Though I have read Great Expectations several times, this book made me want to read it again as the story is intertwined into this novel.  But even if you know nothing of the Dickens novel, I think this book is still a good read.  The main character is a young female, but I think men and women would find this book fascinating.  Though it would make a great high school book, I think parts might be too violent for some younger audiences.

Our November book for book club was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.  This was a book that I had read before but long ago (maybe in university...) so I didn't remember much other than a few key points.  The book is about a young autistic boy investigating the murder of a dog (my hero- the boy, not the dog) and how in doing so he uncovers all sorts of secrets about his family and neighborhood.  The story might not be the most fantastic but the style of writing is really great as the author tries really hard (and succeeds at) putting us in the mind of an autistic person.  At one point I was dreaming about math equations (and my inability to do them) as a result of the way the young man thinks.  This is a great read and also a quick read (I think I read it in a day and a half at work), especially good for travel.

Our December book for book club was Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.  I had read this book before (and had it already in my library) but didn't remember it as it isn't my favorite David Sedaris book (I can read Me Talk Pretty One Day over and over).  And because Robin was born and I wasn't sure I would make it to the meeting, I didn't actually finish it this time around.  But then again, David Sedaris is funny and he writes family so well so it is still worth a read.  It is also a good book for travel as the stories are short and easily picked up and set down (actually, I always take short story books when I travel as back up).

In this book I especially liked the story, "Let It Snow," when their mother locks David and his sisters outside during a snow storm.  She is used to having the house to herself during the day and can't handle having them home due to the snow.  To get their mom's attention the older kids try to convince their youngest sister to lie down in the middle of the road and get hit by a car.  It sounds horrible and sick and twisted, but Sedaris makes it endearing (as he always does).  It makes me think of my family (especially my mother's side) and how we aren't that weird (horrible/sick/twisted) after all.