Further Adventures of Library A to Z

SAFFRON DREAMS by Shaila Abdullah is the first book I've read by this author. I almost didn't read it, but decided to when I found out it was about a Muslim woman who loses her husband in the tragedy of 9/11. Her experience was every bit as tragic as any other person who lost a loved one there except it was made worse by the feelings expressed by those who saw her and equated her with those responsible. It's a lovely book and hope it will be read by many people who want to find out more about the hearts and minds of Muslim men and women.

A to Z, more of...:-)

Just read another book by Jeff Abbott. This one is PANIC. The two books I've read, "Collision" and "Panic," are both intense page-turners. "Panic" starts off with sheer terror and doesn't stop. I almost stopped reading because Abbott gets a little graphic with the violence and people get killed left and right. But the story line keeps a reader going. One has to find out what happens at the end! I do like Jeff Abbott's intriguing story lines, but I'm finding a trend here. He seems to follow a single outline for each one so far. The Russians seem to get involved a lot and there is a story line that I found to be the same as "Collision." I do recommend Jeff Abbott's novels for the sheer, intense fun of living another life vicariously.

Library A to Z cont. still in the 'A's

Just finished reading THE TRANSLATOR  by Leila Aboulela. This writer was born in Khartoum, Sudan and is a winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. The Translator is her first novel. I brought home two other books written by her and I'm looking forward to reading them. In this book Aboulela gives an insight into the life of a devout Muslim who lives in a place foreign to her religion. It's a lovely love story and beautifully written.

Library A to Z cont.

I've got four books here: A GIRL MADE OF DUST by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, DIE A LITTLE by Megan Abbott, THE FUTURE OF LOVE by Shirley Abbott and CONSCIENCE POINT by Erica Abeel.

A Girl Made of Dust is the story of a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon during wartime. Her father is has become uncommunicative and depressed. He has abandoned working in his store so that they are struggling with money. It's a lovely story and frightening from the girl's point of view. She struggles to find out why her father sits and does nothing.

Oh, my, Die a Little by Megan Abbott is supposedly a "modern noir" with a terribly salacious cover that almost made me put it back. The story is of a young woman and her brother and his wife. She grew up being protected by her brother and in turn she finds she wants to protect her brother from his wife. Her sister-in-law has two sides that she wants to find out about and in the process bites off a little more than she should.

The Future of Love by Shirley Abbott is thoroughly enjoyable except for the fact one has to relive 9/11 all over again. It has humor and sadness and a love affair between a couple of old folks. Sex and all! Oh, yes, I think Shirley Abbott hits all the bases in this one, she includes a commitment ceremony between a pair of women including the white wedding gowns they wear. Funny.

Conscience Point by Erica Abeel I didn't finish. Couldn't read it. Didn't like the writer's style. I think it was rather self-conscious.

Next......?

Barbecue Rub!!

James and I are starting to get our barbecue rubs together for their eventual introduction to the public. Stay tuned for when we will be doing a blog with another name to announce it. I'll let you all know beforehand. Ha! Ha! Did I say all? All three of you. Oh well, the end of this year has been very satisfying in many ways after enduring a lot of trauma so we are looking forward to a new year.

more of the Library from A to Z

Finished reading THE LAST INNOCENT HOUR by Margot Abbott. It's a pre- and post- WW2 story involving a young woman who returns to Berlin after the war as a photograph investigator trying to help capture and prosecute Nazis. Her story becomes complicated when it's revealed that she had been married to an SS officer before the war. Most of the book is about this time in her life and explains why she is doing this job. It is a totally heart-rending and gut-wrenching story. I have read so many books lately that have dealt with war, power struggles involved in war and the aftermath of it all. One of these days somebody is going to say enough! When will that happen? Being humans I don't think there ever will be an end. I think there are a few evil people out there who just can't help themselves and thank goodness there are more good people to compensate. But the good ones are usually the ones who pay the price of the small amount of evil out there. I do recommend the book. There is a part that is extremely brutal that brought me to tears, but the final outcome was good.

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

Finally finished it. What an exciting book! Lots and lots of adventure and skullduggery that are a recipe for disaster. The four characters in this book are great fun and are intent on destroying everything that might conceivably have anything to do with Industry and destroying the purity of the great Southwest. They do a pretty good job of it, but miss their final goal. This book was the idea behind Earth First! It does give some pretty good details about how to make a bomb and what to do to disrupt further road-building and bridge-building, etc.  It's a bit of a rant against the federal government and its policies concerning the environment. Glad I read it and I recommend it to all.