Hollydolly Books

Bilawal Bhutto My Prayers Are With This Young Man

2007-12-31T04:52:00.000-08:00

I fold my hands in Prayer to this young man. May he follow well in his Mother's footsteps.

Benizar Bhutto

2007-12-28T04:41:00.001-08:00

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family of this beautiful person, and to the people of Pakistan. Her loss will be felt by people from around the world

Peace and Love

2007-12-10T07:37:00.001-08:00

May the blessings of the Buddha reach out to everyone this holiday season.

Prayer for the Dalai Lama

May all sentient beings be healthy and happy. May His Holiness the Dalai Lama have a long life, and continue his tireless efforts to bring the Dharma to all mankind, and justice to the peoples of Tibet. Om mani padme hum!

Happy Diwali

2007-11-09T08:55:00.001-08:00

I want to wish all my Indian friends a very happy Diwali. May your days ahead be filled with love, peace and happiness.

Sylvia.

Dalai Lama Visit

2007-10-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am still enjoying the magic bubble I am encased in after attending the talk by His Holiness, who I am proud to say, is my spiritual leader. I relished every second spent in his company. It is an enormous privilege to be able to so, when so many of his followers in Tibet are denied this due to the Chinese, an invading force.

His Holiness is such an engaging person, when he speaks its as if he is speaking to you, and to you alone. On Sunday, I think there were close to 8 thousand people in attendance. He had each and everyone spellbound. His talk was very relaxed, at times humor filled.

He said ” the problems which we are facing, including Tibet, ultimately they are here, pointing to his heart, “First inner disarmament, then outer disarmament”. Despite all the atrocities committed by the Chinese upon his people, he is still an advocate of non-violence. He firmly believes that violent confrontation only heightens the violence. To me this makes perfect sense. How can peace prevail when it is forced upon another by violent means?

To me this was the highlight of my year; I cannot explain just how it enriches my life to hear his Holiness speak. I treasure his written word, and to hear him speak in person is just a wonder.

When he travels back to India, he will take with him yet again the love and respect so many Canadians have for him. I am so proud of our Prime Minister, meeting with His Holiness openly despite the insane drivel from Chinese authorities. I hope, under his breath Mr Harper was saying, "China, blow it out your ear".

Tashi Delek

The Dalai Lama Is Coming To Ottawa

2007-10-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

This beautiful, gentle, peace loving man will be here Sunday, (Oct 28)and I will be attending his teaching. This will be the second time I have seen His Holiness and I am so excited.

A Golden Age

2007-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I read "A Golden Age" by Tahmima Anam. The story is set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence. It tells the story of a family, and of a country on the brink of revolution, at a moment when all things seem possible. The opening line of the book caught me"Dear Husband, I lost our children today." From that moment on the book never let me go. It is the moving story of one woman's life during Bangladesh's War of Liberation, and the lengths to which one is willing to go for the people they love.
This is a must read.

Thich Nhat Hanh

2007-10-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

Art of Power, by Thich Nhat Hanh

2007-10-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Together with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh is my favorite, most beloved author. I read and cherish all his teachings. He speaks directly to my heart. No matter how bad a day I might be having, I can just read some of his words, or look at his picture on my altar, and I am immediately calm. A wonderful beautiful man.

This book was a treasure to read. As I devoured each and every page, it was if he was speaking directly to me.

"Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates how our current understanding of power leads us on a never ending search for external markers like job title or salary. This me–first approach to life may have originated in the business world, but the stress, fear and anxiety it causes are being felt by all of us everyday.

The words of this beautiful gentle Monk teaches us that true power comes from within and that what we seek we already have.

Orange Trees of Baghdad

2007-10-09T06:08:00.001-07:00

'The Orange Trees of Baghdad is a stunning book . Leilah Nadir takes us with her in her quest to meet the members of her family whose lives have been uprooted by war."

This is a book that I found absolutely poignant to read. Without ever stepping onto Iraqi soil, Leilah Nadir, has captured the the sounds, sights and smells of Baghdad, she put me there. I could feel the agony her family experienced in seeing the country they love being torn apart by war. I could feel the heartache as her family watched their lives changing and unable to do any thing about it.

"Through her fathers memories, Leilah recounts her family's lost story, from Iraq at the turn of the twentieth century during the British occupation, to the Iraq-Iran War and the Gulf War. Through her cousins still living in Baghdad, she experiences the thunderous explosions of the present-day conflict, and Leilahs friend, award-winning photographer Farah Nosh, brings home news of Leilahs family after her visits to Iraq, as well as stunning photos of civilians and their often tragic stories".

I do urge everyone to read this book. I know I have had lot's of thoughts after putting this book down. My heart aches for the people of Iraq. Yes, times were bad under the rule of Saddam, but to see what is happening now...............I just place my hands together and bow my head in prayer for all those beautiful people of Iraq

Prayers For The Monks, Nuns And Beautiful People Of Burma. Also, The Courageous Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

2007-09-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Let us keep in our thoughts and prayers the beautiful people of Burma. The beautiful Monks and Nuns who are protesting peacefully, armed only with their begging bowls.

My heart goes out to Aung San Suu Kyi.A beautiful lady both on the inside and the out. For the Burmese people, Aung San Suu Kyi, represents their best and perhaps sole hope that one day there will be an end to the country's military repression.
In 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma. Lets hope together with all the other beautiful people of Burma, she will be successful

Solitude of Emperor's by David Davidar

2007-09-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not quite sure what I think of this book.
Vijay is a young man bored with his life in a small town in rural India. Quite by chance, the opportunity presents itself for him to escape when he's offered a job with a magazine. .. When he moves to Mumbai (Bombay) to begin the job he receives a nasty lesson about the violence that plagues India. He is assaulted by Hindu thugs during the riots of 1992. It did not matter to them that he was Hindu; they were taking revenge on anyone or anything that was better off or different than they were.

After he recovers his employer feels it might be good a good move for him to take a vacation away from the city .He is reminded it will be a working vacation He sends him to find out about the threat to a Christian shrine from Hindu fundamentalists in a small town. He also asks him if he would do him the favour of reading over a manuscript that he has written about three figures in Indian history whose ideas and stories he wants people to remember.

It is from this manuscript that the book receives it's name. He is befriended by Noah, a colourful character who lives in the local cemetery and quotes Pessoa, Cavafy, and Rimbaud

The second part of the book I fairly skipped over. I just could not connect......maybe I will try it again later..............

Harry Potter

2007-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute Harry Potter fanatic. Dashed out and got my copy today, so........all other reads are on temporary hold as i have to read the final book......call me crazy, but i love these books. Movies are awesome too..........

Mantaras and Misdemeanours

2007-06-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Vanessa Walker went to the home of the Dalai Lama to explore her religion through the eyes of its people. She wasn't there looking for love, let alone a husband, and she certainly didn't plan on having a relationship with a disrobed Tibetan monk and becoming pregnant.. But karma quite often works in strange ways ...Nestled in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, McLeod Ganj is a place of quiet beauty and surprising violence. It is a place where a government consults an ancient oracle. McLeod Ganj is also a place where monks wear the latest Nike trainers, where the Dalai Lama's brother struggles with his own inner demons.I found this book to be funny, and poignant, Mantras and Misdemeanors is a wonderful book, I enjoyed it so much. I loved the way her relationship with Choying developed and grew into love.It is Vanessa's story of a journey, a journey of the heart, and also into the heart of Buddhism. And for that I say "thoo jaychay"

2007-06-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

"Will Randall thought teaching in an inner London comprehensive was a difficult job. But that was nothing compared to his next assignment: saving a slum school in the Indian city of Poona.

Learning as much as he is teaching, Will finds that his life is transformed by his remarkable class of orphans: Dulabesh, the head-standing joker who lost his parents on a crowded railway platform; Prakash, who learnt self-sufficiency the hard way by scavenging in skips, the nutty yet charming Tanushri, fan of the singer ‘Maradona’. When the slum barons threaten to level the school, Will hits upon the idea of a fund-raising play to save it: the 24,000-verse Indian epic the Ramayana, ever so slightly condensed…"

This was a such a great book, I really enjoyed it. So heartwarming. If only there were more "Will Randall's in this world.......

A Life Less Ordinary

2007-06-05T05:13:00.000-07:00

This book was a gift from my beautiful friend Anjali.

This was a truly amazing book by a first time author. "Baby" was abandoned by her mother at the tender age of four. At 12 her father married her off to an abusive man, she became a mother for the first time at 13. The story tells of her struggle to bring up three children, make ends meet and try to keep out of the way of her husbands fists. He would beat her for any or sometimes no reason at all. Even attending "Puja's" she was not safe from him. He would drag her out by her hair, and brutally beat her. The response from the other ladies would be"she must have done something bad to warrant such a beating."

Finally, at the age of 25, she has left her husband and is trying to make a better life for herself and her children. At first it is hard as she is still working for employers who are very harsh and demanding.

Finally, she lands a job with a retired academic. For the first time she is treated with kindness and respect. He tells her she is like one of the family. One day he discovers her browsing through his books. He discovers her love of books, also writing. He gives her a notebook and pen and encourages her to write "her story"

Please read this book and you will realize just what an amazing story this is. This is one lady who refused to give up.

Magic Bus

2007-05-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this book. I had heard a lot about this author but this is the first of his books that I have read. I just loved it.

“Rudy, a 60-something Englishman with a pierced ear and a bandana, bought his first vehicle in 1966 - a second-hand Barnstable school bus with no suspension and dodgy brakes. It took him as far as Maidstone before the engine caught fire. The recovery mechanic enquired how far he intended to go: Rudy told him Lahore. The mechanic replied he'd be lucky to reach Southend”

Well, that had me hooked. In fact, the bus eventually limped into Istanbul before shuddering to a halt. But having made it so far along the trail, there was no shortage of hippies, dropouts and fellow travelers eager to hitch a ride, even if it meant pushing the bus to Pakistan.

Today, such overland drifting is no longer possible. Iran closed its borders to travelers after the revolution in 1979. Afghanistan became a lawless battleground for the world's superpowers. Where the first wave of hippies might be welcomed into the homes of Kurdish tribesmen as honored guests, Islamic terror groups now identify tourists as a legitimate target. Yet perhaps the biggest blow to the hippy ideal was the realization that there really was no Shangri-La - or at least there wasn't until the Chinese authorities recently designated the anonymous Himalayan town of Zhongdian as an official tourist paradise.

However, none of this deterred Rory, he leads us on a rambling fun filled trip. I could smell the “hash” taste the dust, and feel the thrill of a trip I would love to have made.

Rory, transported me back to the 60’s 70’s a time which to me was “the best” for that I say “Thank you”

Iran Awakening

2007-05-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

I had long wanted to read this book, and I was certainly not dissapointed. This is a very moving memoir of what I believe to be one of the great women of our times. Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. She is well known for her work as a lawyer, on the case of Zara Kazemi, who was raped, tortured and murdered in Iran.

Shirin beacame the first women Judge in Iran. She was forced out after the 1979 revolution. The religious authorities declared women unfit to serve as judges, she was demoted to work as a clerk in the courtroom she had once so proudly presided over. She eventually fought back to become a Human Rights lawyer, defending women and children in political cases that other lawyers refused to take on. It is a very simply told memoir, she describes how she remained in Iran as many members of the so called elite class fled. She describes how she was motivated to struggle for justice and civil rights. One part made me smile, she describes how the Islamic Republic was more concerned with her refusal to wear a headscarf, (which she had never done)than with all her legal reasoning abilities.

This is a wonderful moving yet inspiring memoir, I urge anyone who has not done so to read it. I know it made me realize how very lucky I am to be living in Beautiful Canada.

Thank you Lotus and Sanjay for bringing this book into my life. I will be forever grateful.

The Call of the Sun - Surya Green

2007-03-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Finally finished this book. although it started out to be really enjoyable, I found it to really drag towards the end. The first part which is set in India, I found really enjoyable. The rest which is mostly set in Amsterdam, I found just did not grab me.

"The Transformation takes place for the most part in old Amsterdam, where the writer turns her canal side flat into her personal temple to the Divine, much to the skepticism of her friends, acquaintances and journalistic colleagues. But step by step reborn Surya Green goes through a conscious transition "from secular to spiritual", with all the pleasures and the pains thereof. As if by greater design, there appears in her life the Himalayan spiritual Sun-master Sri Swami Purna. Not coincidentally, Sri Swami Purna comes from the Surya-vansa, the solar race of India. Under his unique guidance there begins for Surya a process of spiritual training during which the meanings of soul, karma, reincarnation and Divine Plan become clear to her"

I'm afraid a lot of this book was not clear to me, it deals in part with Sufi Mysticism, and this has never been really clear, or of interest to me.

However, the book was quite well written, but it will not be one that I will be keeping.

Man, Monk, Mystic - Mayank Chhaya.

2007-03-22T09:51:00.001-07:00

Written with the full cooperation of the Dalai Lama, this fascinating, up-to-date biography at once captures the public persona and enduring mystery behind one of the world’s most important spiritual leaders. I have just received this book and can't wait to start it.

Three Cups of Tea

2007-03-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

I have just finished this amazing book by Greg Mortenson. I must admit that until I read this book I had never heard of this great man. After reading it I know I will never forget him.
Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber. He had recently lost his cherished sister to epilepsy. In 1993, to honor his deceased sister's memory, Mortenson went to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain, in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan. He wanted to place a necklace of hers at the summit.After more than 70 days on the mountain, Greg and 3 other climbers did what would be a life-saving rescue of one of their climbers that took more that 75 hours. After the rescue, he had no more energy to complete the climb so he began his descent of the mountain.He became weak, exhausted and lost. Two local Balti porters found him and took him to their homes in Korphe village to help him recover. Out of gratitude for the villagers’ assistance in providing him care and shelter for seven weeks, Mortenson vowed to build the town’s first school. From this promise grew a great humanitarian project, his non-profit Central Asia Institute. Mortenson ’s dedication to promoting education in remote, often volatile villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan has resulted in the birth of 55 new schools and brought literacy and education to over 20,000 children.

I urge everyone to read this wonderful book. This man should be, in my opinion a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hopefully, it will be not too long for the powers that be recognize this and act. A truly remarkable, remarkable man.

Thich Nhat Hanh

2007-01-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

Vietnamese Flag

"In the upcoming Visiting and Teaching Tour in our homeland in Spring 2007, the International Buddhist Delegation of Plum Village, with the permission of the Prime Minister of Vietnam, will organize three Grand Requiem Masses to send peaceful energy to the deceased, with the intention to help heal the wounds in our people's hearts caused by war."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Currently reading: Old Path White Clouds - Thich Nhat Hanh

Book I Have To Finish Reading

2007-01-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

This beautiful picture is from a Thich Nhat Hahn Poster:-

'I have arrived.
I am Home.
My destination is in each step.'
--Thich Nhat Hanh--

As part of my New Year resolution, these are the books that I have started and not finished. Until they are I am going to try to not start any others.

Following the Equator – Mark Twain

My Camino – Shirley Maclaine

Glass Palace – Amitav Ghosh Re-Read

Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramhansa Yogananda

Dancing Girls of Lahore – Louise Brown (Finished)

Hero’s Walk – Anita Rau Badami (Finished)

Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth

Old Path White Cloud – Thich Nhat Hahn

Path to Freedom – Dalai Lama

Great Railway Bazaar – Paul Theroux. (Finished)

I hope to get these finished by the end of February, White Cloud and Suitable Boy and Following The Equator are really fat books and I have not read too much of either. I am expecting a couple of rings, but they are relatively short so they should not take too long.

Once I have finished these; I will be doing the Classic Challenge.

I am currently reading Hooked – Stephanie Kaza -Finished.

Reading For 2007

2007-01-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I think I will have to change my reading lists, at least for the start of the New Year. I was hoping to do a few challenges, but after going through my books over the weekend, I discovered to my horror, I have at least 7 that I have started and never finished. So I decided that until I have these finished, I will have to put my challenges on hold. If I do not, it will be ages before I get to them. I am going to try to hold to a resolution that I make each year, to finish one book before starting another.I would at least like to participte in the Classics Challenge, but first I must start on these unfinished ones. I will make a list of the titles and post them here, hopefully with them being for all to see, it will keep me on track until they are finished.

Japanland

2007-01-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

This was my last read for 2006. Karin Muller is an author filmmaker who travelled in Japan for a year. Being a student of Judo (blackbelt) she wanted to improve her art.She realized that to do this she would need to have a greater understanding of Japan itself. She embarked on a one year trip around Japan to soak up its art and culture.She met up with so many different people, from a pre Buddhist cult, to a Samurai archery team.She even completed the 1,300 kilometer pilgrimage around Shikoku.
I quite enjoyed this book, but it is not what I would call good book.Nevertheless, quite entertaining if you want to read a light travel book.

New Year Blessings.

2007-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone. May your year be filled with Love, Peace and Happiness.

Can You Hear The Nightbird Call - Anita Rau Badami

2006-12-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

I have just finished this amazingBook: It is the story of three women, who become linked together with love and tragedy. This all takes place over a period of fifty years. It starts with the partition of India and Pakistan, and it ends with the horrific explosion of Air Flight India no 182 in 1985.
Bibi-ji, steals her sisters fiance, and she returns with him to Vancouver. She becomes obsessed with the disapearance of her sister during the violence of partition. Leela is her neighbor, always struggling to do the right thing and to fit in. Nimmo back in India is made an orphan by partition, she is in a life long struggle to rebuild her life in Delhi.
This is a truly moving engrossing story. Rich with warmth and humanity. The characters just step right out of the story, grab you and never let go.
This story is told with such beauty. I was very sorry when it ended.
As I read somewhere, "Badami paints the mundane details of daily life with the rich colours and tantalizing aromas of Indian culture."

Kite Runner

2006-12-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well, after having this book sit for so long on my shelf, I have finally got around to reading it.

Hosseini's first novel -- and the first Afghan novel to be written originally in English -- "The Kite Runner" tells a story of the friendship between Amir,who is the son of a wealthy Afghan businessman, and Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Amir is Sunni; Hassan is Shi'a. One is born to a privileged class; the other to a minority. One to a father of enormous presence; the other to a crippled man. One is a reader; the other illiterate.

Hassan is born with a hare lip.

Yet Amir and Hassan live and play together, not simply as friends, but as brothers who have both suffered the loss of their mother . Their story travels across Afghanistan's history, like a kite under a gathering storm.

This unusual story is also about the relationship of fathers and sons, men and their countries. Loyalty and blood are the ties that bind their stories into one of the most moving and exciting books of this year. I loved it from the start to the finish. At times it made me mad, made me sad, but I loved it.

Song of the Cuckoo Bird

2006-12-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

After reading “Serving Crazy with Curry, by Amulya Malladi I couldn’t wait to get into “Song of the Cuckoo Bird”. Well, I was not disappointed. This is a truly delightful book, which kept me turning page after page, and not wanting to put the book down.

“Song of the Cuckoo Bird” is the story of a group of people who live in an ashram called “Tella Meda” (The House with the White Roof). The people who live there are really poor and they do not have anywhere else to go. One of the main characters who lives there is a girl called Charvi. When she was born her father declared her to be a deity, and she looks upon herself as a deity. From the time she was born people in the village bring her offerings, in turn, her family give people a place to stay, with food and blessings from the goddess.
Another main character and my favorite is Kokila, whose name means "Cuckoo Bird". The story is mostly seen through her eyes. She comes to live at the Ashram, an orphan who is married at the age of 11. She is meant to stay until she has her first period, then she will be sent to her husband. However, she decides she does not want to return to her husband, she wants to stay at “Tella Meda”.
So many people come and go at the Ashram, some return, some never to be seen again. This is a story that will make you smile, and yes, it will make you cry. But is a beautiful story. Friendships are made, love is found, and all are wound up in the life of “Tella Meda”, The House with the White Roof.

Shortcut To Nirvana

2006-12-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

I have just watched this amazing documentary. I came upon it quite by chance at my local library. (Have since purchased my own copy)

Plot Synopsis: (Amazon.com)
Every 12 years over 70 million pilgrims gather at the meeting of India's holiest rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, for a spectacular spiritual festival: the Kumbh Mela. This documentary takes a voyage of discovery through this colorful event through the eyes of several Westerners and an ebullient young Hindu monk, Swami Krishnanand. Featuring encounters with some of India's most respected holy men and exclusive footage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

I just soaked up the beauty of this documentary from the opening credits. I must admit I did not know too much about the Kumbh Mela, I think I had read about it briefly in the book "Holy Cow". It is just wonderful to see people of all castes and religious beliefs coming together.It left me with the feeling that the beauty of "Kumbh Mela" had come right into my home and left the sights and sounds to linger on.

Dalai Lama Peaceful Day

2006-12-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today I was having a bad day. I just meditated for a short while with the picture above of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Just thinking peacful thoughts with the image of this wonderful man is amazing. All the thoughts of a bad day drifted away and thoughts of all the things in my life I have to be grateful for came to the surface.I feel so very humble.

I started practicing Buddhism about two years ago, the changes it has made in my life are amazing. I find I am more compassionate, certainly more mindful of my fellow human beings, and the planet in which we all share. To me I accept Buddhism, not as a religion, but as a way of life. That is what is so beautiful. As the Dalai Lama says:-

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness"

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

2006-12-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Second Book in Winter Challenge.

The time is 1975, in India, in an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a state of emergency. The country is on the edge of chaos.

Four main characters form an unlikely relationship. Two tailors, an uncle and a nephew fleeing the horrifying caste violence from their village, a widow, desperately trying to cling to her fragile independance from her brother and a young student from the northern mountains. The story follows their lives closely, how they come together and form fragile frindships at first. It also vividly captures the very real and disturbing caste violence from this very shocking time in India's history.

However, this book is beautiful written. The people , smells and sounds of India leap out at you from every page. It wonderfully portrays how important friendships are in difficuilt times, and also how very fragile they can be.

It is not what I would call an easy book to read, but the story is uplifting, following individuals who struggle so hard to exist in absolutely appaling conditions but can still laugh, love, and find joy in their lives.

I am so glad I read this book. It remains with me still, long after I turned the last page.

Winter Classics Challenge

2006-12-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

	The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck
	Kim by Rudyard Kipling
	Out Of Africa by Karen Blixen
	The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
	Yoga Sutra by Geshe Michael Roache

Change in List

2006-11-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have decided to change one book on my "Winter Challenge" list.For the longest time I have had the book "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini". I do not know why I have been putting off reading this. Husband read it and said it was one of the best books he had read in a long time. I have also read glowing reports on BC. So to "force" myself to get to it I decided to add it to my "challenge". The problem was then, what do I remove. After much thought I decided on "Railway Bazaar - Paul Theroux"

Lets hope that KR lives up to my expectations.

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

2006-11-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

First Book in Winter Challenge.

I have decided to start with "Inheritance of Loss" as Lotus77,Hindu Mommy and Melissa are also reading this title first. It will be fun to share our thoughts.

Well, I have finished this book and I am so upset that I really did not enjoy it at all. I just could not stay focussed on the storyline at all. I must admit however that the book was very well written but...........the story did not seem to round out for me, I could not feel any real interest in the characters. I am not a lover of storylines with continual flashbacks. I find them too frustrating.

From all the glowing reviews, I wonder if I was reading the same book as everyone else. Maybe I should read it again sometime. But sadly, I have to say, this book was not for me.

Yoga School Dropout by Lucy Edge

2006-11-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have just finished this lovely book. Lucy travels to India on a spiritual quest. She is determined to return home as a "Yoga Goddess"However, things do not turn out quite as Lucy had hoped. She moves from ashram to ashram forever searching.She meets a variety of funny and interesting people along the way. The Guru's she met however did not seem to hold the elusive recipe for which she is searching. I especially liked her views on her interaction with the locals. Especially the "upside downing".
This was a really funny entertaining book to read. I was sorry when it ended.

Fried Eggs With Chopsticks by Polly Evans

2006-11-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this travel book of China. China is a huge country with a very unique culture. I loved the way Polly describes with warmth the people she met and her frustration at times with the language. Her decription of the children, the toilet system, and most of all the embalming of Mao Tse Tung left me smiling for ages. I must admit I shuddered at all the hawking and spitting that she encountered. That would finish me off. All in all it was a good read.

First Post On My New Blog

2006-11-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I did not have any notion of starting a blog. Then I read on Lotus77 blog about the Stacks Winter Challenge. As I have a mountain of books to be read I thought this would be a real incentive to whittle the pile down a bit.

The five books I have chosen are:-

Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai - Finished
Fine Balance- Rohinton Mistry - Finished
Cuckoo Bird - Amulya Malladi- Finished
Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - Finished
Nightbird - Anita Rau Badami- Finished
I do have a couple that I need to finish first, but I think I should be able to manage to get through these. I had wanted to include "Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth, that is a really fat book and I think that would be a bit over the top for me. However, I do hope to get to it in the new year.

I really am looking forward to this challenge and watching how everyone is going. It is going to be fun.
Next post up I will do a mini "Bit about myself"