JoV's Book Pyramid
Immigration
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Before I started this blog, I read all of Jhumpa Lahiri’s book and is a fan of Jhumpa Lahiri. I have read all of her books, the short stories and a novel “The Namesake”. I thought Lahiri is superb in short stories but I wasn’t sure if her novel would live up to my expectations. … Continue reading
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Every time I read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels, I savour and wanted it not to end. There is something about how she writes. She writes honestly, blatantly, without frills, without fear. With enough satire to keep me on my toes. I have read everything Adichie’s has written, except The Purple Hibiscus. Yes, I am biased. I … Continue reading
Pao by Kerry Young
This book Pao was left in my shelf for a long time. I vacillate between returning without reading or keeping it. The only reason I read it was because I haven’t read a book set in Jamaica before, moreover about a Chinese man in Jamaica, how unique is that? Kingston, 1938. Fourteen-year-old Yang Pao steps … Continue reading
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
I had about 3 books going in one go and none of it was going as fast as it should. One nonfiction book about Google employee’s experience working for Google in its early days, another non-fiction about the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and another non-fiction book on Micro-credit ‘Banker to the Poor’. So I decided … Continue reading
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
It is very uncharacteristic of me to read a book and drag on for months before deciding whether to abandon or finishing it. This year I have done it for this book and 2666. Before the year ends in 2 days, I’m planning to finish reading 2666. The Thing around your neck doesn’t falls in … Continue reading
When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant
I first came across this book at Vishy’s Blog and when I saw Granta 2011 edition of the book sitting on the featured library shelf, I borrowed it without second thought. Set in Israel April 1946 – then British-controlled Palestine – just after the Second World War, the novel follows a young Englishwoman Evelyn Sert, … Continue reading
Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
“At the age of 13, I knew I was destined to marry John Travolta. One day he would arrive on my North London doorstep, fall madly in love with me and ask me to marry him. Then he would convert to Islam and become a devoted Muslim”. Torn between the Buxom Aunties, romantic comedies and … Continue reading
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
In search of the second book for Global Reading Challenge Australia read, I found myself wanting to read Kate Grenville’s work. The Secret River received many accolades and I found it to be most deserving of high praise. Warning: Contain minor spoiler. Thornhill’s story begins in 1777 London, where he has been born into extreme … Continue reading
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
I love short stories, but I have my qualm about short stories. I don’t always get the ending. Sometimes I feel like I’m left with a cliff hanger and with so many questions on my head that it bothers me for weeks. More often I come out of it feeling like “That’s it?” Jhumpa Lahiri … Continue reading
Lovers in the age of indifference
Lovers in the Age of Indifference is a collection of Short stories and random thoughts from Guo’s journey around the globe. It is supposed to talk about, as the title suggested, the irony and the indifference of contemporary view about love and romance, but really it’s just snippets and satire of every-day people experiencing the … Continue reading
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Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
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