Recently Read, Vol. 2 - J.K. Rowling 4 Prez!

With so much 'free' time on my hands these days, I've read everything that has come through my hands. I've devoured 6 books in the last 6 weeks. While I am including reviews of all the books, plus a recommendation from Andrea, this edition is dedicated to Harry Potter's latest adventures. After having waited nearly two years for this latest book, it was all I could do to make is last a full week... I ate it.

The little images link to reviews of the books that are more complete (and probably more well written too).

Recently Read, Vol. 2

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
For those of you (obviously not TRUE fans) who haven't yet read this book, this is not a spoiler. I give nothing away. Rowling has finally released her sixth book in the Harry Potter series and it is a humdinger. Given to me as a birthday gift by Katja, Rowlings latest book is more mature in delivery and subject matter than the previous five books. 'Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince' takes our hero and his friends into new adventures where every main character has a critical stake in the outcome of events. Rowling herself has touted this book as her 'best and favorite book since writing 'Prisoner of Azkaban.' She answers a few questions we've had for a long time while at the same time enticing us into breathless anticipation of the seventh and final chapter by weaving new questions and concerns into the ever more complex tale of Harry and the Wizarding World. The true nature of several characters are revealed for all to see, and the mettle of Harry and a few former DA members is tested once again. I think my favorite part of reading these books outside of the stories themselves is walking around seeing kids engrosseed in the HP story everywhere; in parks, on the bus, and in the S-Bahn, sitting next to adults who have their noses buried in Harry's latest struggles. Having finished every last english book I could lay my hands on, and only having 11 days left here, I just started it again.

Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
Having run through the two books I brought with me from the states within the first couple of weeks, I found myself digging through the small, but diverse English section of our local bookstore. As Gladwell describes in his introduction, for some reason the cover, title and 'look' of this book grabbed me. I read the first page of the intro and bought it right away. As psychology survey books go, it is light on the clinical evidence and heavy on the practical application of said findings. Gladwell (a staff-writer for New Yorker magazine) fluidly writes about how we as humans make, essentially, two kinds of decisions. There are the choices that we consciously make (and 'think over,' sometimes incessantly/obsessively), and then there are the decisions that our subconscious makes for us. He describes the rapid decision-making process using real world stories and interviews coupled with clinical (and sometimes unorthodox) research findings in a way that illustrates just how complex our subconscious, instantaneous analysis of people and situations is. Even before I finished this book I found myself becoming more aware of when I was 'thin slicing.' It is well written and the subject matter is frankly fascinating.

The Book of Salt, Monique Truong
Set in the 1930s, this is the story of Binh, a Vietnamese cook who grew up in Indochine during the height of French colonialism. The story follows him from his days of training and tryst in the kitchen of the governor General of French Indochina to his years of service as the chef in the Paris home of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Binh's search for a way to transcend his ethnicity in the eyes of the men he meets and find love is set on a Parisian stage similar in flavor to that found in Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London.' Along the way we experience his affection/tolerance of Stein and Toklas, as well as his impressions of a young Ho Chi Minh, whom he meets on a bridge one night in Paris. This is Monique Truong's first novel.

A Cook's Tour, Anthony Bourdain
Recommended to me by Scott, I 'ate' this book and it was delicious. Bourdain takes us for a ride of a different kind this time around. We follow him as he searches the planet for the 'perfect' meal. In contrast to the crass but entertaining tone of the writing in 'Kitchen Confidential,' Bourdain delivers a mature, well-written account of some of the most exotic destinations for cuisine (and just about everything else) I've ever imagined. Not to disappoint lovers of his first book, this one is filled with passages that are distinctly Bourdain-ian: " Suddenly and without warning, one of the men stepped around and, with the beast's nether regions regrettably all to apparent, plunged his bare hand up to the elbow in the pig's rectum, them removed it, holding a fistful of steaming pig shit - which he flung, unceremoniously, to the ground with a loud splat - just before repeating the process." Despite such passages, this book will leave you hungry, and willing to try foods you might previously have vehemently avoided.

The Devil that Danced on the Water, Aminatta Forna
I just finished this and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Aminatta Forna, daughter of Mohammed Forna, the former minister of finance in Sierra Leone, has written this account of the events of her family's life through the upheaval that has encased Sierra Leone. In 1974 Mohammed Forna was found guilty of treason, for attemped assassination of the president of Sierra Leone, and subsequently hanged. The history of this event, and those leading up to it, as the 'world-at-large' understands it would seem to be far different than the truth of what happened. Forna pulls no punches in her description of the ruthless inhumanity which rolls through her country of birth, leaving death, destruction, and corruption in it's wake. I admit I do not know much about the history of many of the African nations, nor can I claim to understand the complexity of this history and the effects it has had on today's African population, but this book goes far to give a visceral and accurate account of some of the things that have gone on and continue to happen in Sierra Leone.

Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
I have wanted to read this for awhile now, and the bookstore in Neuruppin just happened to have a copy. A quick read, this book left me thinking about loved ones whom I haven't seen in awhile, and contemplating my own passage of time and mortality. To quote the cover: "An old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson."


Recommended by Andrea

Peace Like a River, Leif Enger
I loved The Kite Runner, and Bel Canto.... you should also read Peace Like a River... the quote on the cover from the SF Chron says "This book reminds us of why we read fiction." the best book i've read in years, and i didn't even know that the author is from two towns over from Alexandria MN until after i'd read it (Osakis, home the famous Trixie's).... here is what i shamelessly stole off of amazon.com.