Midwives

Oprah, Oprah, Oprah....!

How do you pick these stories? The latest I've read from your Book Club, though its not your latest recommend, of course, is Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. It has all the ingredients of Oprah Book Club fare. A nice homespun yarn set in Nowhere, America.

Oops. I don't mean to be derogatory. At least I know what I am getting with one of your Book Club tales. Though Midwives would, I suspect be a deeply uncomfortable read, for anyone who has not had a baby, and in cultures like mine, I'm sure it would be banned material for unmarried girls. The extended discussions on episiotomies and pushing, are discomfitting at times.

A decent book, but other than invoking Vermont beautifully, I don't see much in it. The relationship between the girl and her boyfriend is too cutesy-sweet - no hint of drama there. The attraction between the mother and the lawyer - which could've added something to the story - nothing there. Ditto for the promised dramatic ending. Several times, it was as though Bohjalian would like to have shocked us with one of these angles, but shied away from doing so at the last moment.

I will still pick up the next Oprah Book Club recommend I come across, though.

2008: Back to reading

The holidays are coming to an end, and its back to my busy routine, with no time for anything at all. Conversly, no late night movies and no partying mean that I will get to read more!

December went by in a whirl of activity. My husband's sister and family spend 10 days with us, and books took a backseat, as we went houseboat-cruising, temple-worshipping and family-visiting. They did make a brief reappearance, when my mother-in-law gifted the two cousins, girls of 11 and 15, Treasure Island and Robin Hood. To my kids, she gave a copy of Oliver Twist, which I set aside for them to read later. I hope my son, Aditya, at least, turns out to be as precocious a reader as I was. Though I think he will perhaps outstrip me. I recall being average in that department till I was about 7, and then suddenly going all out! Aditya, who is 4, is crazy about reading, and tries to read every word he sees, even brand names. Sometimes that bothers me - I don't want him to think that extra, for instance, is spelt 'xtra'.

This year we had a christmas tree for the children. Christmas was spent with my friend Nandini, over a glass of Cabernet Shiraz. I stuck to my one glass, in spite of all thier urging - but she would be happy to know that I had two full glasses at our company do!

But tomorrow its back to school for the kids, and hopefully I'll get around to finishing A.S. Byatt's The Game.

Happy New Year, all!

Peter Hoeg is back

His new novel 'The Quiet Girl' has just been reviewed by salon. See http://www.salon.com/books/review/2007/11/28/hoeg/

The premise sounds a lot like Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow. Good.

The Viking in me

A long time ago, when I was a tennis-watching, fanatic worshipper of a certain blond Swedish serve-and-volleyer, I tripped on all things Viking.

And being a very all-or-nothing type, I wasn't content with merely being a fan. No. I had to read up on Scandinavian history, read books by Swedish, Danish or Norwegian authors, own a road-map of Sweden, an English-to-Swedish dictionary, collect Swedish stamps, listen to Swedish musicians (Europe, Roxette, Abba, Ace of Base, you know...). I dreamt of doing up my home in Swedish glass, blond wood and Ikea furniture.... and my daughter would, of course, be named Annika.


My craze probably peaked with my Norse Mythology project, where I would read up on the subject and take little notes on Thor, Odin, Mjollnir, Ragnarok, Valhalla, Aesir, Vanir, and a lot more besides, that I thought I had forgotten. Part of my fascination (God, what a nerd I must've been) was because, somewhere, at the back of my mind, I planned to write a great epic . A historic, viking-era saga.

That more or less describes what I'm reading now - The Whale Road, by Robert Low. I couldn't be happier with it - I have about a quarter to go. Set in 800 - 900 AD, it is about a group of Vikings in quest of treasure. The author, Robert Low, apparently himself takes part in Viking re-enactments (more on that here at http://www.robert-low.com/about.html) and it shows in its fast pace and action-packed content. The atmosphere he evokes is almost tangible - the smells, the sounds, the emotions of it. The style is manly, yet poetic. Also, though I am no expert, I have read much shoddy historical fiction - there are no anachronisms I can point out here. This is no slim tale masquerading as an epic.

The protagonist, Orm is someone I've been able to empathise with more than any other character in recent times.

And luckily, this seems to be a trilogy - so I can plunder, pillage, and search for treasure to my heart's content.

Weekend with friends

Feels like it, certainly. Finished The man of my dreams' by 'Prep' author, Curtis Sittenfeld. Good, though not as satisfying or personal to me as Prep.

Now reading Maeve Binchy's 'Quentins'.

Also, the hubby was seen toying with my copy of 'The Deathly Hallows' (HP 7 to you non-believers). I resisted the tempation to stand over his head and insist he read the books in some kind of order. Just about. I think he got as far as chapter 2, but I am not optimistic.

Reading update

Finished Oh Play That Thing, Roddy Doyle’s second book from trilogy, The Last Round-up, last week. Eagerly awaiting the last book. I hope it’s not too long a wait. As it is, I read the first book, A Star Called Henry quite a while back, and other than the essentials, I didn’t remember much.

Like all the Roddy Doyle books I’ve read, Oh Play That Thing also gathers steam midway. You can never quite tell where one of his books is leading, or how it will end. I liked the ‘sandwich board’ parts and all the bits with Louis Armstrong (and by extension, his milieu) were fascinating. The ending went off in quite a different – though heart-rending – direction. Wonder what’s coming next. Still, I can’t help but feel that I like Roddy Doyle best when his subject matter is less vast, less epic – like in Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Also finished The Kiterunner by Khalid Hosseini, which is another one of those much talked about works. It was a fast, absorbing work, with a very poetic cadence, which I, with my limited reading of such books, tend to associate with Islamic writing. Very filmy though, the storyline. I wouldn’t think it out of place in a Hindi movie, albeit one of the better ones.

Coincidentally, similar threads – the Middle East, adoption - run through what I’m reading now. Which is Digging To America by my perennial favourite, Anne Tyler. Next on my list is a book I suspect is unabashedly pulp fiction – Lord Of Snow And Shadows by Sarah Ash, (Isnt that such a perfect name for fantasy writer?) which seems to be some sort of historical novel/fantasy/saga. Am I willing to be drawn into another make-believe world, replete with detailed backstories, so soon after Harry Potter?

In the meantime, I’m reading aloud Red Rackham’s Treasure to my kids, who’ve had their fill of fairy tales. It’s also a way to re-live my own Tintin reading days. That goes without saying! I do worry a bit though, will they think it worth the bother to actually read it themselves later, since they already know what the story is all about?

One more for the genre

Where the heart is - Billie Letts

Female Protagonist - check

Small Town America setting - check

Simple homegrown prose - check

Moment(s) of crises - check

Overall feeling of warmth and cosiness - check

Oprah Book Club recommendation - check

If you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, see my earlier post.