Genre Plans for Next Quarter

So third quarter is coming to a close. It is about time to start thinking about genre requirements. SO far into the year, I have read a majority of books in the fiction area. So next quarter, I will try reading some historical fiction, because I like fiction, and I also like history class, so why not mix it together? Fiction has always been a favorite of mine, because it lets you escape into another life, that may be better or worse than our own. Isn't this what a book is meant to do? Books like Purgatario, Naked, the Dan Brown series, all fall under the fiction umbrella. Hopefully I will find a historical fiction that is just right for me.

Naked by David Sedaris and Purgatario by Dante Alighieri

I finished Naked a while back and found it to be a very amusing book. Sometimes I forget that these are anecdotes that are written by Sedaris himself. The actions of Sedaris always seemed like some form of realistic fiction work. There were many parts that really made me laugh out loud, and others that seemed like Sedaris was being nice, and others where Sedaris seemed like a complete jerk. After that book I began reading Purgatario which is the sequel of the Inferno. In this book, Dante continues his journey to his ascension, and many key elements are already seen in the book. Most of these elements, such as love and humility are also seen in the Inferno. A part that surprised me was that those souls who are punished in purgatory are many of the same souls (crimes) that are seen in the Inferno, such as lust, and gluttony. Since I have just started, I will need to dig deeper into the book to find out more.

Naked by David Sedaris

I've delved deeper into this intruiging and hilarious book. I love Sedaris's narrations about his childhood life. He describes his eccentric grandmother, which almost drove his mother insane. He narrates about thetes he hitchiked all around the country, only to meet a stranger point a gun at his head in the end. His antics are amusing to say the least. This book would be perfect for anyone who wishes to get a good laugh out loud experiance out of a book. It is hard to state all the stories that Sedaris tells, because there are just so many in this one book. They span his whole life time, from his problems dealing with OCD, to imagining life to be a sexual fantasy. All in all, this book is very general, and has no plot what so ever, but keeps you entertained with short funny stories that can be enjoyed in 15 minutes each time.

Naked by David Sedaris

This may be one of the few nonfiction books that I really enjoyed. It tells the story of young Sedaris, who suffers from OCD. To him, his life is miserable if he can't roll his eyes until they hurt. All his life he was laughed at about his tics, and his Dad always threatened him if he didn't try to stop. His Mom had a good laugh trying to act out his tics in front of his teachers. I was able to read up to the part where Sedaris goes to college, and must hide his tics from his roommate. Overall, this book is incredibly hilarious, but unfortunately, I was not able to delve deep enough to get much out of the book.

Nectar in a Sieve

This book is the story of Rukmani. She is an Indian girl growing in an upper-class family up during the early stages of British imperialism in India. During her early childhood, she always gloated about being married to wealthy upper-class men, just as her older sisters had. But by the time she came of age, her dreams were shattered. The British had taken control of the town, and since her father was the governor, he held no more power. Rukami was married to a poor farmer, Nathan, who lived miles away from her home. At first, Rukami was distraught about having left her home and her family. She was disgusted by the lack of food, and the small hut that they now called home. Nathan was so poor, that he could not even afford the land; he was only able to rent the land from the landowner. But when Rukami heard from the local gossips that her husband had built the hut by hand for her, she realized how much Nathan cared for her. Her life continues from this point, as she watches her own children grow up, face the hardships of famine and the hardships of losing a child, having to face the reality that her daughter had become a prostitute, and seeing her children leave her. Although her life is full of anguish and grief, Rukmani exemplifies a strong woman, braving all of the hurdles in her life, and lives a simple life with Nathan.
This book is similar to many other books in the fact that it tells the story of a person who must overcome unimaginable amounts of hardships, only to come out stronger. Rukami’s life is a turbulent one, and one that seems almost unrealistic. She faces difficulties, that in my opinion, no one should have to bear. Also, her transformation from an upper-class girl, to a lower-class woman is extraordinary. By the end of the book, she wants nothing more from life than to stay with Nathan and tend to her garden. Generally, the most annoying part of the book was that it became very monotonous. Only two or three times in the book was there something that made you want to keep reading. I liked that the book was generally historically accurate as well.
This book has a few connections to what we learned about British imperialism in India and from our Ancient India unit from last year. In this book, it is shown how local industries are demolished due to cheaper British goods. This led to people struggling to get money, so they had to work in the well paying factories in the area. Also, a strong Hindu and Muslim population lives in India, due to Akbar the Great’s rule. The polytheistic beliefs in Hinduism are clearly evident in this book.
All in all, it was a very satisfying read.

The Lost Symbol | Entry 1

I have had the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown on hold at the library since last July. Today I got an email stating the book
had arrived. I quickly went and got the book and immediatly started reading.
The book starts off much like the Da Vinci Code. Langdon is brought to the nation's capital only to learn of his friend's abduction. It soon becomes a race against time to free his friend and uncover secrets that have long been hidden under DC. I haven't been able to get too far into the book, but I have just passed the part where Landon learns about the abduction. When this happens he is in the Capitol building, where he recieves a phone call from a mysterious person. While talking he hears screaming in another room, where he rushes over to find a severed human hand on the floor. According to Langdon, the hand is a Masonic symbol known a the Hand of Mysteries, which is offered to people who are invited to learn deep, dark, secrets. Soon, the CIA shows up, and they work in conjunction with Langdon to uncover the symbolic trail being left by the kidnapper.
This is as far as I have read, hopefully the bool will continue to be as thrilling as it has.

Troy and A Thousand Splendid Suns

I finished reading the last bits of Troy. Although I did not like the book, as before mentioned, the ending was a bit sad, yet incredibly unrealistic. They through the king's baby off of a sheer cliff so he would not be able to avenge his father's death. That really shocked me. But what really seemed unrealistic was the reaction from the prisoners captured from Troy. They seemed pretty happy, or indifferent when the news of the prince reached them.
Also over the Thanksgiving break, I read the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossini. The book takes the same theme of the Kite Runner: in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. This book does a better job of showing the oppression that the Taliban commits on a daily basis: random killings, random arrests, random beatings, no rights for women, and more. This book was another connection for me, as most of the characters in the book are Muslims, and I too am a Muslim. But what separates us is the cultures we live in, and the interpretations of our religions. This book is about a woman who is forced into marrying an abusive husband. This happens very commonly in the Middle East. Eventually, she becomes a loner, as her husband won't even let her go outside. Then her husband married another woman. The first wife and the second wife become friends almost immediately, and plot to avenge their husband for all the cruelty he commits. All in all, it was a good read.