Booklist

Instead of leaving things to chance I have taken things into my hand this time. Er.. it just means that I put a bunch of books I had wanted to read, on hold at the Library. Once I got the e-mail notification all I had to do was just pick them up. Surprisingly enough I finished all 4 books plus 1 in two weeks! Things must be slow or I am just preparing for the onslaught of projects gearing up soon. May not get much time later. In between we even managed to attend Hcousin's wedding in the East. Kids had a blast and for me it was a relaxing few days. Bride and groom are the very best kind of people and it was great to be there for this day with all the family around. Now that my son is in 8th grade he is busy shadowing at different High Schools and preparing for his Entrance Exams. A preview to the senior year in four years when he will be busy looking for college! Years are flying by I say. Zeus is flourishing after missing us dearly when we left him for a few days for the wedding. We were happy to be re-united with him. Here he is getting ready to read the books with me:-) He is using the glasses borrowed from my girl's doll. She likes dressing him up and sweet that he is, he lets her.

So here are the books in no particular order.

Thrity Umrigar's 'The Space Between Us'
Very perceptive book about two women whose lives are oddly bound together despite being from two different classes of the Indian society. Umrigar shows uncanny perception in portraying the lives of Sera and Bhima for the reader. It is this same perception that makes us want to stick to the book and read all of it even if the melodramatic turn of events at the end are a bit too common. I also loved all the Parsi names that sounded strange yet very Indian! Bhima is a grandmother who lives in a slum and works for Sera who lives in a bungalow. Despite the differences they are able to empathize with each other in their own ways. Definitely a good read.

I also read Umrigar's 'The World We Found'. It fell a little short of my expectation but still was a decent read.

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghvi
I heard about this book from soulsearchingdays and was happy to see it in the library offerings.  Thanks SS! In what can be described as the Indian equivalent of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Ashwin Sanghvi has made a decent effort. I wished he didn't try to create a literal parallel to Brown's book though. This is a limitation. The vast possibility of history, mythology and realities of the Indian pantheon gets diluted a bit as he tries to put it all into one book. It really came alive for me at the Taj Mahal segment. The equivalent to The Louvre in Brown's book. He talks about trying to be careful in picking Krishna as a subject for the book in a country like India with its multifaceted population. It is clearly a work of fiction and should be treated as such.

The Shadow of The Wind By Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This is one of those books that has winding subplots that will keep you gripped till the end. It is sort of a mystery and also good literature. The overall feeling was very similar to Orhan Pamuk's The New Life but taking place in Marquez's Macondo! It starts by describing how the young protagonist gets hold of this unlikely book the very first time his father took him to a used book store. The rest of the story revolves around his search to find more about the mysterious Julian Carax who wrote the book. There is also this odd stranger who goes around looking for any remaining books written by Carax, only to burn them! Though Carax is not a big time author, his books are still loved by those who choose to read them. Any lover of books worth their salt will find it difficult to put this book down. A wholesome book satisfying the reader in you on many levels. I am like that boy now, looking out for books written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon:-) Seriously, just get going guys. Isn't the name itself intriguing?

I think the last book deserves a space of its own. So I will blog on that in another post.

The Springs Of Namje By Rajeev Goyal

Rajeev Goyals's easy command of the language reels you in at first. Then the real life story with its cast of characters gets through.  Rajeev Goyal, born to wealthy, immigrant, Indian parents in America is embarking on his first stint as a Peace Corps volunteer to Nepal. The first quarter of the book gives us a glimpse of the political turmoil in Nepal around 2001with the eventual abolishment of its Monarchy. Rajeev's first assignment was to teach English at the remote village of Baitadi. There he eye-witnessed the caste system in action. He was an astute observer of the general life of villagers. Goyal's stay in Baitadi was made unfeasible by the ongoing political unrest and before he had time to wonder about his role there he was pulled into another little village and its school. The village of Namje. The second quarter of the book is all about Rajeev's life in Namje and what he did immediately after getting back to the U.S. from there. He is humble about his role in Namje's water supply project and attributes all credit to the villagers. For him it is all about the valuable life lessons he was able to learn while living with them. Lessons he was able to apply to his efforts back in Capitol Hill that lead to a $60  million increase in funding for Peace Corps. The largest of its kind in the history of the organization! The third quarter is all about his efforts in this regard and the fourth quarter brings him back to Namje on a project to build a road to Namje. This time around he witnessed how progress can change a way of life and not all for the right reasons. He thinks aloud about the need to bring progress in a sustainable way that is friendly to the basic spirit of wherever it is being implemented. Rajeev had spent so much time among the people of Namje that he ends up identifying himself more as a Namje guy than anyone else. The pragmatic Tanka Sir and other cast of characters from the village comes alive in Rajeev's inspiring book.

Namje's water project is much reminiscent of the movie Swades. However according to wikipedia, this story is not one of the many inspirations for the movie. I was heartened to see that many such activities are going on this way. Very remarkable! I am hoping my son will go for a stint in the Peace Corps as he grows older. In the end Rajeev harks back on the relevance of Peace Corps in todays' world and the importance of keeping it strictly apolitical. Rajeev's ambivalence in what the development meant for the community is to be noted. It was not all roses and petals after the parched village got a steady supply of water. He surmises that instead of filling an obvious need blindly, it is better to study and offer one that is more beneficial in the long term. Sustainable and eco-friendly seems to be the keywords.

Zeus has developed an eclectic palate. He is into flowers now as you can see - barely- in the picture below! Not sure if he had a chance to look at Goyal's book in the process:-)

The Aviator's Wife By Melanie Benjamin

Almost all of us have heard of Charles Lindbergh, the fearless American pilot who crossed the Atlantic without the aide of much of the technology available for such feats today. No wonder even Neil Armstrong felt compelled to say to him when they met : "Sir we are only following in your footsteps". Well, just look at me going on about him when the whole purpose of this book was to show off the woman who was on his side through it all!

 Anne Morrow Lindbergh was the author of the best selling book 'Gift From The Sea' which is still widely popular. How many of you knew she was the first woman to earn a glider pilot license and that she partnered fully with Charles Lindbergh in his many famed explorations in the air? I hadn't even give this woman a second thought despite CL's family being in the limelight when his baby was kidnapped. Turns out she was the recipient of two top literary prizes of her graduating class from Smith College. While it is difficult to ignore the larger than life presence of the Aviator, the book has done justice to Mrs. Lindbergh. Melanie Benjamin has achieved what she has set out to do. It holds your interest despite the characters and their lives being public knowledge. Good book to turn to whenever you need a read fix. Satisfying on many levels.

Side Note:

Zeus is truly the 5th member of our family. It is a pleasure to know that he waits for us when we come home in the evenings. The kids fight amongst themselves as to who will get to hold him first. 'Chooba' (my nick name for him) enjoys being adored and gives a contented swish of his tail and perk up his little ears to show his pleasure:-) We give him a bath every week which he seems to be tolerating so far. Apparently Maine Coons are like the dog of the cat family! He seems intelligent. We have purchased a harness and leash for him and put him on it when we all sit on the patio. He loves being outside and is at the door in a minute if anyone so much as slide the patio door a little. He is learning to show what he needs through actions which are truly fun to watch! He will be 6 months at the end of this month. 

The War of the Rosens & The Virgin Cure

The War of The Rosens by Janice Eidus

I didn't expect the book to be this good! Janice Eidus writes with control and I found her prose to be very stimulating. The Rosens are a Jewish couple with two daughters. The dad is a wannabe intellectual who loves his family but can sometimes be cruel and impolite in contrast to what he expects from them. Mom is supposedly a weakling because she does what she needs to do without complaining but a woman of integrity in her fidelity to the family. The older kid May is consumed with jealousy of the younger, more beautiful Emma. It doesn't help that the younger one writes poems and happens to be the father's pet. Indeed it is the 10 year old Emma Rosen that captures our imagination too whenever she comes on to tell the story. Each character in the family is given a voice infused with the clarity and strength of a very real person. We see their individual worlds, their differing views on faith, daily routines, family celebrations, and their pain when one of them is struck down with illness. Through it all little Emma keeps us as curious as she is. So much like my own little girl! There is certain relief to be had at the end with a window into the future. Janice Eidus was probably trying to give closure for us and herself with that last chapter but the book would have been fine without it too. Eidus drew from her own life as a Jewish person living in the Bronx which shows in her characters and the vivid  life around them.

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

Ami Mckay catapults us into her story through a novel way of writing. The entire book is written in a style that could be aligned to the period of her story. 1870's New York. Ingenious idea! The story again revolves around a little girl called Moth growing up in a world quite different from little Emma Rosen's although there are many parallels if you look for it. Both tells their stories when they can, both wonder about the adults in their lives and both live in New York around the same time period. But the choices Moth had to face are eons away from what Emma had to face. Moth lived in a slum with her Mom who had no qualms selling her for money ostensibly to do housework but that can be meant for anything the new employer cooked up. Moth escapes from her employer only to see that her Mom had left their little shack without telling her. Back on the streets the only decent option available to her 12-year old self
was to be set up in a high-end brothel in return good food and fancy clothes. Young virgins where in high demand in those days as men believed mingling with a virgin can cure them of sexually transmitted diseases. I was aghast when I clued on to this part because the author wrote this loosely based on her great-great-grandmother's life and so it is based on historical facts. I'd read similar stories happening in third world countries many times over but never in the New World that is the US! Loved how the author stumbled upon this story. She used to sit and look at a painting of her great-great-grandmother Dr. Sarah Fonda Mackintosh for hours on end in their house. As she grew older she found out that Dr.S was in the first graduating class of the medical school founded by the Blackwell sisters who were the first women doctors in the US. This prodded her curiosity more and she landed on Dr.S's graduating thesis on the diseases suffered by the patients at the Blackwell's infirmary for women and children. McKay decided to give the story a single human voice fused from the voices of the many girls and women who lived and suffered in those times. The only solace Moth had in her difficult life was Dr. Sadie who worked at the infirmary and looked in on brothel girls as part of her work. This Dr.S - probably like the original Dr.S -encouraged Moth to leave the life at the brothel and join a rescue home for girls. The rescue home also was not secure against the viles of determined people and so she hesitated. Eventually she joined Dr.S after learning things the hard way. Moth did not disappoint in carrying Ami McKay's voice far and wide. The novel is widely acclaimed and Mckay received many accolades, all well deserved. I am sure Dr. S is smiling upon her from the heavens!

The Master's Muse by Varley O'Conner

I simply cannot turn away from a classic. This time I come to you with a book written around ballet. It is the story of the beautiful and vivacious Tanaquil leClerq who was the principal ballerina of the New York City Ballet in the 1950s. I had to remind me that this is not a memoir because the voice of Tanaquil that speaks to us in the book feels like it is the real deal. Apparently Tanaquil was very reserved during her lifetime and some who knew her even felt that the book should not have been written, to respect the wishes of the reticent ballerina. But I am very happy to have read about this quite unique personality.

So if Tanaquil was the Muse, who was the Master? It is George Balanchine, the master choreographer who gave us 'The Nutcracker'  and the american ballet in its current form. Having studied under soviet master's and having performed for the Czar, he emigrated to the US and changed the world of ballet altogether by modernizing it while preserving its old world charm. He had the likes of Igor Stravinsky composing for him and the incomparable Jerome Robbins working with him and the support of many patrons who loved the art. The New York State Theater was designed to Balanchine's specifications. Tanaquil was his fifth and final wife counting the one common-law wife whom he never married. Each of his previous wives were prima ballerina's at the time and all marriages ended in friendly terms. I assume mostly because they all loved dancing and revered Balanchine's skills as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. He wrote ballets for each of them in their time. Tanaquil is considered the ultimate Balanchine ballerina with the perfect physique and dancing skills to translate Balanchine's visions onto the stage. At the height of her career she was struck down by polio and was bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She loved Balanchine despite his many dalliances and through their divorce. He loved her in his own way too it seems even after she had polio. He had taken a year off to take care of Tnaquil and continued to be solicitous till he died despite being extremely busy choreographing, producing and performing ballets across the world.

Sometimes it felt to me like the real Tanaquil is hiding behind her abiding love for George Balanchine. But regardless of the wheelchair I could see a strong personality in her own right who had affected the people around her with her charisma and willpower maybe as much as Balanchine. Reminded me a lot of Scarlett O'Hara of 'The Gone with The Wind'. Tanaquil was named after a Roman Empress and was the product of a French father and an American Mother. Loved the name too! Didn't like the title that much. Tanaquil leClerq can stand on her own without the master.

Zeus Lawrence Makes Five!!

Meet Zeus Lawrence! Our new bundle of joy. I still can't believe he is here! But he is and the kids are in heaven. They are having personal sessions with him in his room. He is almost 10 weeks old and has some white streaks which will be more apparent as he grows. He is a Maine Coon mix we adopted from the rescue shelter. If he is not the cutest kitten in the world then I don't know who is! He was born on February 28, 2013 and came home with us on May 11, 2013.

My little girl loves cats. Come to think of it she is a little kitty-cat herself. My son surprised me with his love and adoration for the cute bundle the moment he set his eyes on him. He was the one who said with clarity,  "Mom, let us get him, I like him".  Must have been love at first sight. He didn't like any other kittens. In fact we had gone to see an orange tabby and met with this one only because the tabby was already rescued.  I don't know if you can tell but I am in love. I am generally indifferent to cats. We had many cats in the attic of my childhood home. I remember going up the steps to the attic in search of the new kittens and finally being able to take a peek braving the fury of the mommy cat! Cats were always shooed off to the attic especially when they came down the steps looking out for fresh chicken and fish being prepared in the kitchen. They kept the attic rat population in check as we had our granary for rice and other crops up there. Part of the attic served as a pantry for dried foods and yet another part stored old furniture and other knickknacks. When the book shelves began to overflow in the house, we had a few moved up there too! As kids we loved playing hide and seek among the many dark nooks and crannies. Before I discovered the beauty of the outside world that existed in our land, I used to go up to the attic with a book and some snacks in hand and sit right under the randomly placed transparent tiles that gave away plenty of light to read. It was plain awesome to sit in the attic and watch the water trickle down the tiles when it rained and to feel sheltered yet so close when storm winds raged outside. Of course you will find me snug under the covers next to mom once thunder and lightning descended in full crescendo:-)

So.... as I was sayin' the lively kitten has taken over the house in just two days. He was sitting next to me just now with doleful eyes begging to be petted. So I had to stop a few times to do that till he fell into a nap. Earlier in the evening when H and my boy left for karate, Zeus played with me and my girl for a while and then all of us separated to do our own things. Then he jumped up onto my computer (my brand new apple macbook pro, mind you), walked on it and around it, climbed onto me, put two little paws and his head on my shoulder and looked up at me. I wasn't sure what to do so I looked at him too and stroked him gently and he just closed his eyes purring all the time! Like Emperor Akbar tells Birbal after a mystery is solved, "you have opened my eyes little kitten, I never knew that a cat could be this lovey dovey." As for his name, the kids loved the name Zeus unanimously and Lawrence was the name his foster mom used till we got him and so he is Zeus Lawrence. Ingenious, Eh? I actually liked how it all fell into place. So we are five now and hopefully will stay there.

Now Reading:
Elizabeth Strout's new novel,  The Burgess Boys. I have just started, but only a few pages into and it is already looking promising. Ms. Strout's got my back as a reader. I look forward to curling up on the sofa tonight with the book and Zeus for a relaxing read.

Couple More...

Remnants of the India trip are still with us in the form of memories. The silly song that my littlest nephew had acted out keeps invading my kids’ heads, the bunny that her cousin gave my girl and of course the phone calls home that revives requests for a visit in summer. It was great to see the littlest nephew for the first time. On other news, my Mom now is a great-grandma 6th time over. Wish I could have seen the new little one too before I left but babies are not born according to our schedule. On the book front, here are a couple that caught my fancy.

The Violinist’s Thumb by Sam Kean

The book is all about DNAs laid out in layman’s terms. It unravels the magic of the DNA and the scientific studies that led to its unraveling in a fun and down to earth style. This author has successfully carried off similar daunting subjects before. I am thinking of buying his Disappearing Spoon for my Periodic Table lover of a son. We do have to take some of the things in the book as his personal opinions but that gets the book going in a personal narrative form for an entertaining read. Wonderful book. Got me excited about DNA!  I believe Sam Kean, son of Gene Kean and Jean Kean, can entertain us about any subject that interests him.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Cavalier

I watched ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ quite by accident while flipping channels late one night. Having no reference point I started watching it reluctantly but stayed glued on all through to the end. Having had that appreciative sigh one gets after watching something satisfying the movie had stayed in my mind for a long time. Scarlett Johansson played the lead but I wasn’t familiar with her name at that time. When I saw this book ‘The Last Runaway’ as written by the author of ‘Girl With the Pearl Earring’, two things hit me. One, this book’s got to be good; two how could I not know that movie was based on a book! The book proved to be all that and more. Tracy Cavalier surpassed herself! You will enjoy it even more if you have read ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ and aware of the Underground Railroad and the Quakers who helped the slaves fleeing from their bondage. Told from the point of view of a Quaker woman Honor Bright who came over from England, the story is woven gently through the settler/immigrant’s life in America amidst the strong undercurrent of slavery. I found myself looking for each of the characters in 'Uncle Tom’s Cabin' in the faces of the many runaways that Honor helped. It was a totally rewarding experience and I did not put down the book until I finished! Considering the grave subject and the general thread of the story this was surprising. Such is the prowess of Cavalier’s story telling. 

A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama

A Hundred Flowers is yet another gently written story on a powerful subject and time in history. The time when China’s Mao Tse Tung declared a new openness with “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many feared this to be a trick but slowly were attracted enough to be open about their ideas and eventually fell right into the trap set for them. Tao is a young boy in China who enjoys life and brings much joy to his family. His life turns upside down when his Dad was arrested for writing an open letter critical of the existing regime. While looking out for his Dad’s return from a tall kapok tree he fell and broke his leg. The story revolves around this event and Tao’s Grandpa’s role in his dad’s fate mingled with his Mom’s struggles. Gail Tsukiyama's deft handling of this deeply affecting story shines throughout the book.