Long time since our last meeting…went through a very hectic (but good) period and I’m back in full force.

Generally I read only fiction, with very few exceptions. For me reading is about going on a journey to other people’s lives and minds, and the human situation is what fascinates me. Therefore I tend to skip non-fiction.

But – for every rule there is the exception, and today I am here to share with you my experience in reading a magical book – The Orientalist by Tom Reiss. This is the true story of a Jewish writer and author called Lev Nussimbaum and his remarkable life story – running away from the Bolsheviks and than the Germans, his literary career, his fascination with everything oriental and his conversion to Islam, his tumoltous love and family life- all this before his early death at the age of 36.

This book opens a real-life Aladdin’s cave of treasures and looks into the many facets of the life of an extremely intelligent and talented, but also risk-seeking and complex man.

It is also a journey into a world that no  longer exists – Baku and its oil magnates, Berlin and Vienna bustling with cultural life in which the Jewish community has a prominent role, Paris as the capital of Russian immigrants escaping the Bolsheviks – worlds that have died away, and which Reiss has succeeded in bringing to life with the help of the bery last few living witnesses of these places and times.

I came across this book completely by chance in my trip to Georgia, when in a very rainy day we found refuge at Prospero’s – the best English book store in Tbilisi. The thing I really rregret is that at the time I had no knowledge of the person the book spoke about, so I left behind a copy of Nussimbaum’s masterpiece Ali and Nino: A Love Story (written under the pseudonim Kurban Said).  I hope to rectify this and find a copy somewhere.

As my trip was, among other things, a discovery of the fantastic world of the land of the Caucasus, parts of The Orientalist really took me back to the beautiful scenery, the kindness of the people and the sense that everyone has a place.

The book is filled with the mystery and magic that is often present in real life but difficult to put into words. Tom Reiss has done a marvelous job and created a book that is not only a biography but a poem and a eulogy. It was moving and fantastic. You should give it a try.

If any of you has suggestions for other surprise masterpieces I’ll be very happy to hear about them.

When I was younger I had a habit of never leaving a book I started reading, even if I didn’t like it. As I grew older I became (a little) less strong-headed and also realized that if I don’t seem to “click” with a certain a book, there are two possibilities:

1. I really don’t like the book. In this case – why suffer? Better go on to something more enjoyable.

2. This is not the right timing for me to meet this book. I have let a few books “ripe” in my library, and to my surprise a    book I could not get over page 20 in at one point was read in one continous read three years later.

That said, I sometimes go through periods in which I find it very difficult to read anything. These episodes are rare, but they do happen. They make me wonder – is there a “Reader’s Block” similar to a writer’s block?

Lately I find myself picking one book after another, reading a few dozen pages and leaving them for a later date, or moving very slowly through them. I started getting worried until I found this lovely book – The Oxford Murders (Crímenes imperceptibles) by Argentinian author Guillermo Martínez – an enjoyable, easy to read, intelligent little thriller that I finished in two days’ reading on the bus on my way to work.

Although I am still struggling with other books I started, this gave me hope that this phase shall and can pass.

One of the things that really struck me as a reader is that although I brought books with me, the nest read for me throughout the trip were guidebooks. We had three guides: Lonely Planet Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan Travel Guide – highly recommended ; Bradt Georgia Travel Guide – which we found quite unhelpful; and Peter Nasmyth’s Walking in the Caucasus – a very good book to guide you through the many very worthwhile walks this country offers.

In the many hours we spent on buses, taxis and cars I found myself going back to these guides again and again. This has happened to me on other trips abroad as well. Maybe it’s the wish not to disrupt the spirit of traveling that engulfs you during such trips, the wish to be completely there and not wander anywhere else.

One of the interesting people we met on the trip was Cathy, a British woman living in the US for many years, who has decided to take early retirement and go on all the trips she wished she had and never got around to. In this post she also talks of the fascination of travel guides from a different angle.

If you don’t get to travel (which is very recommended), you can at least grab one of these books and walk into some place completely different and fascinating.

I’ll leave you with one picture from the beautiful land of Georgia:

The little comedy I do like is British humor. Here, as with detective stories, the British rule supreme. Their comedy (or at least the kind of comedy I like) has a streak of sadness or complexity, as it speaks of life and the funny bitter-sweet or horrible but still laughable things we live with. To write these comedies one has to have a discerning eye for detail, a deep understanding of human behavior, irony and compassion – not bad traits for an author.

It is therefore not surprising that some of Britain’s great comedians have turned out to be excellent authors as well. Today I will present two of my personal favorites, and I will be happy to be introduced to more such authors.

First and Foremost – Sthephen Fry. This genuine multi-talent is one of the funniest, saddest, most interesting people on earth. Do take a moment to examine the extent and breadth of his work – it’s amazing. Alone and with friends he has written and participated in some of the most hilarious comedy you will ever set eyes on.

As an author he remains highly entertaining yet touching, bordering on some heavy issues in a refreshing and intelligent manner. of the novels he published I read The Hippopotamus (highly amusing) and Making History (fantastic), and The Stars’ Tennis Balls is next on my reading list. Not to be missed!

The Eedgier Option – Julian Clary. This fantastic comedian has made a carrer of being sarcastic, mean and over-the-top camp. He just tears me up. When I stumbled upon his first novel, Murder Most Fab, in a second-hand book store, I just had to have it. And it didn’t disappoint. Funny, shocking and a great read, with the added bonus of an interview with the author at the end of the book. Very much recommended. I understand he has written another novel, Devil in Disguise, and I definitely intend to read it.

Have fun with it!

In this art form the British definitely set the tone, and today I will discuss three of my all time favorites.  I provide no specific recommendations – anything by these authors is definitely worth reading.

First and foremost, Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The father of all detectives. The mesmerizing story lines, the enigmatic, charismatic character of Sherlock Holmes and the comic and emotional relief the character of Dr. Watson brings to the stories combine into a thrilling, challenging and highly enjoyable series of books and stories. Holmes’ powers of deduction and his encyclopedic knowledge in various scientific and cultural realms is fascinating.

The great Dame – Agatha Christie

Ms. Christie lived in a man’s world but managed to express her extraordinary talent, introducing two of the most unlikely but shrewd detectives – the flamboyant (and probably gay) Hercule Poirot and the seemingly frail old spinster, Miss Marple. These two exhibit a surprising acute perception of minute details in the ongoings around them, making for many books that have a fantastic mixture of a sensitively described social scene, a humorous take on that same scene and the detectives themselves, and great suspense.

Last but not Least – P.D. James and her poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh

Don’t you just adore a man that is both a hard-working, no-nonsense police officer and a sensitive, tortured poet? This author is much more modern than the previous two, and her books reflect that in the more complex, full characters she presents and in letting us into the lives of both victims, murderers and the people who investigate the crimes. Apart from being wonderfully and thoughtfully written, these books offer a wonderful mixture of great detective work and pure old good story telling.

Do you have more recommendations for great detective books?

Some people (mostly men) wrongly refer to Jane Austen books as ‘chic books’. Although there is nothing wrong with chic books (I confess to having a soft spot for Little Women and Jane Eyre, hard-core chic books), treating Jane Austen books as such degrades the work of a great artist, focusing on form rather than substance.

It is undeniably true that each and every one of her books features a young heroine going through some sort of journey or crisis on the way to finding the man she will eventually marry and setting out to the horizon on the exciting life of a married woman. BUT where other people see only the romance, I see sharp and poignant social criticism of the situation of women in society at the time and the mechanisms ensuring things will not change, including inheritance laws,  unavailability of education for women and the most effective tool of all – pressures from other women. Though her books are comic, to me they have a rebellious streak which echoes in my heart, as unfortunately we girls are not done fighting for our rights yet.

To those not familiar with the work of this fantastic author, here is the list of the six novels she left behind, ordered by how much I like them – favorites first, not so favorite last: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey.

Yes, yes, I know, you all adore Emma. I’m sorry – to me she seems like a not very bright spoiled brat. Of all Austen’s heroines, only Catherine Morland is more stupid than Emma, and is therefore my least favorite. I like the more sensible Austen girls – Lizzie Bennet and Elinor Dashwood, and Lizzie is my all time favorite.

In a scene that explains in the best way why I love Lizzie so much, Mr. Darcy – the man most women in the country would kill to marry – proposes to Lizzie in the rudest possible way, explaining that although she is clearly quite beneath his class and could in no way be considered a good match for him, he finds himself inexplicably attached to her. In a response that always makes me go: “Go Lizzie! Go Lizzie!” she makes the socially suicidal and courageous act of throwing him the hell out. FANTASTIC.

I do recommend each and every one of Miss Austen’s books. They provide a look into the difficult lives of young women in a different era.

I leave you with a clip from the fantastic 1995 BBC mini-series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (Attention:Addictive!)

When I started school, a fantastic new world was open to me – the world of books. So many books available, containing fantastic stories! My father, a fellow aficionado, recognized my passion and took me to the public library, and from that day onwards I was the favorite of all the librarians I met. They all let me borrow much more books per week than was allowed, and allowed me to forage into the darkest corners and into “staff only” zones of the library.

As I grew older, I left public libraries behind in favor of a new addiction – the second hand book store. Good second hand book stores give me a rush – the floor-to ceiling shelves packed with books, a real Aladdin’s cave where the strangest, most wonderful books await, make me dizzy with anticipation.

The great thing about thsee cstores is that, unlike chain stores, they don’t rely on a steady stream of books arriving from publishers but on chance and on the specific tastes and whims of the people arriving at their door.  Second hand book stores allow you to find books that are out of print, books which nobody heard about but are great, authors you would generally not come across…

This is particularly true for someone living in a non-English speaking country as myself. Although books in English are readily available in any bookstore, most of them tend to have only bestsellers or classics – no surprises there. Buying online is a good solution if you know what you are looking for, but does not provide a good rummaging experience. Only a second hand book store gives you the opportunity to wander around, hunting for something unique, bizzare, interesting and completely new.

Every now and then I come across a work of art – a book, a film, a play – that is considered to be very good or even a masterpiece, and sometimes really is very good, except for one flaw – the main character seems to be riding the fast lane for self destruction for no apparent reason.

You might argue that people don’t always act in a reasonable way, and being the emotional being that I am I would of course have to agree.

Nevertheless, to me, the character’s actions should be explainable in terms of the character’s inner world and motivations as reflected in the story. Random or unjustifiable acts of suicide disguised as acts of love/heroism/despair/folly just don’t do it for me. There has to be something more.

To demonstrate my point, here are several examples of such annoying acts in otherwise very good books:

Oscar Wao in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao By Junot Díaz

This one really bugged me. After leading a life that’s mostly lead in his own mind, Oscar attempts to kill himself, which is reasonable within the scope of the story. He later goes on a suicidal mission of love, which thanks to the author’s great talent is compelling and even moving, but really uncalled for. It greatly annoyed me and made me dislike the main character immensely.

Still, as stated in my last post, Two books by Young Latin Authors – It is still a fantastic book, and highly recommended.

April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

The mother of all annoying characters. That she is frustrated with her small suburban life is understandable. Even sleeping with the neighbor can somehow be within reason, but the final act April commits seemed to me to be the ultimate act of an aging drama queen. It really left me unmoved and cold – a rare state for me.

And the biggest of all – the heroine Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy

Tolstoy must have really had it for his leading lady. To be honest, she is quite an annoying character throughout the book, but when she commits suicide for no reason, with no explanation, be it external or internal, I felt betrayed. People don’t jump in front of trains just because. This is no light matter, and should have been treated in a more intelligent manner.

What are your feelings regarding these heroes and heroines?

Therefore ,when I come across books that tell the stories of Latin immigrants, their family life and adjustment to their new surroundings, I am greatly moved. Here are two recommendations of books I recently read that tell such stories:

The Island of Eternal Love (La isla de los amores infinitos) by Daína Chaviano

Let’s face it: I am a big sucker for historical sagas, especially ones that portray the legacy of generations of women.

This book is not as very complex one, but it has everything you can ask for in a book of its kind: exotic scenery, moving love stories, a little magic and Cuban music. All in all – a very nice read. What I liked about it in particular is how it relates the story of the three largest ethnic groups in Cuba – Spaniards, Blacks and Chinese, how they arrived in Cuba and how they later arrive to  the United States.

I had no knowledge of the existence of a Chinese minority in Cuba, let alone of their involvement in the Cuban struggle for independence, and I enjoyed learning a little about the subject.

My second recommendation is still a fun book to read, but a little less lightweight:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao By Junot Díaz

This is a truly moving and at times breath-taking book telling the story of Oscar’s family, and specifically the women in his family. The author might be offended and he has my deepest apologies in advance, but I found the female characters to be far more interesting than the main character, Oscar (more about the reasons for that in my next post,  Unaccounted for Weird Behaviors by Lead Characters).

For me, a book that has entire paragraphs in Spanish is irresistible, and so are the sharp-tongued, beautiful, tough women portrayed by the author. I recommend this book with all my heart.

Disfruten!