My idea of heaven is a very large, modern, well-stocked (with physical as well as digital books) library with an adjacent equally large reading space with lots and lots of comfortable chairs for adults as well as children to read. There are some cats and dogs relaxing around together with people in that reading place. There is also a large clean park nearby where there are green trees, a lake and well manicured lawn and people sit on park benches watching others pass by or simply discussing the content of their books while children run around with some cats and dogs. If you get hungry there is also a cafe nearby. OMG I always have such images in my head!
In the 1998 American movie City of Angels, starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan, the angels are depicted as very learned, very cultured and cultivated beings. They are very subdued, humble, gentle and they are very respectful to one another and to human beings as well. They always hang around libraries where they acquired all the knowledge and wisdom for themselves. Of course in the movie, they have the power to absorb everything very very fast. They speak many many languages and are very knowledgeable about a lot of things. I find those qualities as very becoming for higher beings. I wish our clergies would emulate such qualities for themselves. Speak softly, do not say bad things about others, be generous, be forgiving, be respectful of others, be very knowledgeable, do not restrict your knowledge only about religion and show that you view human beings from many different angles before condemning humans as sinners or deciding that something is haram. Drop that holier-than-thou attitude and for heaven's sake, they should cease promoting the 72 virgins or the golden umbrella cliches. I have yet to hear a Muslim man proclaiming that all he ever wanted in the afterlife are his good wife on this earth, his children and other people who are meaningful to him in his lifetime. The point I am trying to make is, it is good to be curious, to ponder and to question a lot about issues. Make reading an essential part of daily life and ensure that there are books to read at home. A home without books is like a person without a soul.
Finished some lovely lovely books recently.
The Girl With No Shadow
This book by Joanne Harris is the sequel to the movie-tie-in Chocolat. I have seen Chocolat countless times but have not read the book. I believe, as usually the case, the movie is less telling than the book itself. Even after watching Chocolat for so many times I was still guessing who Vianne Rocher really is. Whether she is psychic or she is a practitioner of magic. From this book the reader knows Vianne Rocher or Yanne Charbonneau is actually a witch. Well this my first foray into what a modern witch is really like and what kind of power she really has. Well, of course according to what the author thought of that subject matter.
Summary
Living in a tiny chocolaterie in Montmartre, Paris, Vianne and her daughters Anouk and Rosette have forsaken magic and adventure for a stable, if unhappy life. Vianne has now become the widow Yanne Charbonneau, mother of 'Annie'. Hiding her magical nature, she feels she is doing the right thing by her daughters, but she herself is dissatisfied: there is friction with Anouk; money is short; there is pressure from her landlord, Thierry le Tresset, to marry him and she no longer has time to make hand-made, quality chocolate, but is forced to sell the ordinary, factory-made kind. Anouk is equally unhappy. She is bullied at school and made to feel like a freak; her mother seems to have changed beyond recognition and she hates living in Paris. She misses Roux, Rosette's father, with whom Vianne is still in love, but whom she left because of his inability to settle down. The situation seems hopeless and set to deteriorate. And then, on All Hallows' Eve, Zozie de l'Alba blows into their lives, bringing back magic and enchantment. She seems to be exactly what Vianne herself used to be: a benevolent force and a free spirit, helping people wherever she goes. But Zozie is a thief of identities, a con woman, maybe even a collector of souls. She has her eye on Vianne's life, and begins to insinuate herself into the family.
She is soon working at the chocolaterie, helping and understanding everyone as Vianne used to do. She helps Anouk to deal with the bullies who torment her at school. The shop begins to prosper under her guidance, much to Thierry's displeasure. When Roux, Vianne's former lover, re-appears on the scene, Zozie helps Vianne to decide between a stable life with Thierry and a loving relationship with the man she loves.
But as Vianne's life begins to improve little by little under Zozie's influence, it becomes clear that all this must come at a terrible price. Finally, Vianne is forced to confront Zozie on her own ground, to reclaim her magic and her identity and to fight back. Zozie is determined to kick Vianne out of the chocolaterie and starts assuming to be Vianne Rocher herself. Either that or she leaves and take Anouk/Nanou with her, because she knows Anouk is very talented in magic.
The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry
Summary
A.J. Fikry is the cranky owner of Island Books. Cranky with good reason. His wife has died. His store is failing. A treasured book, which doubles as his retirement fund, has gone missing. To make matters worse, a young child has been abandoned in Island Books’ by her mother. So while not technically a mystery, there is a lot to be solved. Who is the child? Who stole Fikry’s valuable edition of Poe poems? How can his store, and his life, be turned around?
Fikry is a great admirer of the short story, and each chapter in the book is named after a story that Fikry himself quickly reviews or summarises. And so we get snippets from Roald Dahl, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor and J.D. Salinger. More than tributes, these brief passages provide Fikry an opportunity to philosophise on how his worldview is similar to or different from the story in question, and they frame each portion of the book very well. I find that very very fascinating.
Yes, it’s about books and the power of stories. But it is not only for people who have spent time in creative writing workshops. Its strength is its very mainstream appeal. It is, at its most basic, a story about love and redemption with people and art. Fikry and his motley group of friends and family are easy to cheer for.
My Heart and Other Black Holes
I like books written for young adults. Young adulthood is a time you are developing your identity as a person. It can be a tumultuous period of one's life with school and examinations to deal with, nagging parents, personal problems, unstable family life etc. etc. In this book all these challenges are compounded further by the fact that Aysel Seran has depression. Depression can have hideous outcome if left untreated. It is indeed very sad that mental illness like depression is still shagged with so much stigma that sufferers tend to hide it from families and friends.
Summary
The story centres on a pair of teenagers, Aysel Seran and Roman Franklin, who meet through an online site matching up suicide partners (these groups actually exist) to help ensure each partner will not back out of their own suicide. In a twist on Romeo and Juliet, they become more and more intimate through the 26-day countdown to their date until one question hangs between them: Will they live or will they die?
Jasmine Warga is a 26-year-old Jordanian American from Cincinnati who wrote the novel after the death of a close friend to give voice to feelings of depression and isolation. “Aysel was a vessel for me to tackle questions about the demon of depression, grief, and the ultimate saving power of love and human connection,” said the first-time writer.
No comments:
Post a Comment