THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL

I have been fascinated with Turkey for as long as I can remember.This book was always there on my TBR list and I finished reading it a couple of days ago.However ,this week has been crazy,its just been one of those weeks when you are super annoyed and everything and anything serves to aggravate you further so I thought of escaping it all and writing my thoughts about this book over the weekend.

The Bastard of Istanbul tells the stories of two girls,Asya Kazanci and Armanoush Tchakhmakhchian and their respective families,one Turkish and the other Aremenian and how they are connected through the history of the Armenian genocide.Asya is the 'bastard' daughter of Zeliha,raised by an eccentric group of aunts and grandmothers in Istanbul.She knows very little about her past and has no interest in it.

In Arizona,Armanoush is trying to grapple with her past and find her true identity.She is the daughter of Rose and a Turkish step-father,Mustafa.She shuttles between Arizona and San Francisco where she spends some time of the year with her father Barsham's large Aremenian family.Struggling to understand herself and her Armenian roots,she decides to journey to Turkey and stay with her step-father's family,the Kazanci's.

When Asya and Armanoush meet,they begin to find a lot of common factors binding them together and this journey sets the ball in motion ultimately revealing a lot of closely guarded family secrets.

My Views:

This book had me hooked,with a very good opening chapter and I was hoping it would be a fantastic read.However as I progressed,I found that too many characters were being introduced too fast.Their names being Turkish and Armenian were a little difficult to get used to and I found myself failing to see any connection between their lives.It kept me wondering where the story was headed because it felt like reading disconnected scenes.

One really has to be attentive to all the details in this book and if you are distracted or are compelled to read it haphazardly due to time constraints,there is a good possibility that you might not really enjoy it.I would suggest you read it at a stretch, if possible over a weekend.I read about a hundred pages every night and still had to struggle with some parts.The characters failed to evoke any empathy in me.

There were a lot of unnecessary details thrown in which distracted me and even though I enjoyed reading about the elaborate Turkish and Armenian cuisine,I felt that it took away from the main story.The inclusion of a recipe came as an unwanted surprise.

The magical realism was unexpected and a bit strange.

However I did enjoy reading about the motley cast of characters in Cafe Kundera.

I hadnt read much about Turkish history and was shocked to know about the ruthless mass massacre of people and the Armenian genocide.It was interesting to read about how the Turkish-Armenian history is viewed through so many perspectives.
It was a bit disturbing to read the end because honestly it came as a surprise.I hadnt expected it to end that way.Zeliha's character was portrayed as being so strong-willed that it was surprising to see how she handled the situations in her life.But of course this is what I think.

I liked Asya and Armanoush ,they were independent women with a mind of their own. I thought it was a perfect portrayal of the need to erase the past sometimes and also the desire to examine it.
I liked the fact that everything fits perfectly in the end like a jig-saw puzzle.You realise that everyone was there for a reason and every scene which felt disconnected at the beginning,starts to finally make sense.
I was a bit disturbed after reading this book but I did like it in parts.

I rate it a 3 out of 5

BLUE

Danielle Steel always brings forth a fresh wave of nostalgia.I admit not having read her books since many years now but things were very different way back in junior college.One summer back then,I went on a Danielle Steel reading spree.I remember going to the local library and getting only her books throughout that summer.Not a good idea but I was young and foolish.By the end of the summer I was ready to move on forever from her books because the plot lines seemed very similar and I couldnt tell the stories apart.So things changed,I found new authors and her books were relegated to a remote corner on my shelf.

However there was something about this book that got me interested.Maybe I was trying to recreate the magic of that wonderful summer long past gone or maybe I wanted to see how I would react to her books after all this time or maybe I decided to pick it up for old times sake.But pick it up,I did and I just finished reading it yesterday.

Onto the story:

Ginny Carter is a young widow who led a once glamorous life as a tv anchor along with her husband and three year old son.She is now the sole survivor of a car accident that took the life of her husband and son.Wracked with survivors guilt,she gives up on life and tries to be of help to others by taking dangerous trips to countries where there are women and children who need help.On the anniversary of her family's death she comes back to New York.It is Christmas Eve and very depressing if you are alone in New York City and she is contemplating about killing herself when she encounters a homeless teenager,Blue,who has been living on the streets,abandoned by his family,directionless and utterly alone.

Ginny extends a hand to help and an unsual bond develops between the two of them.This relationship helps both of them to learn to trust and find a family's love again.However Blue has a dark secret buried deep inside his soul.Does Ginny succeed in reaching out to him or are some wounds too deep to heal.Is it really so simple to lead a whole life again after suffering so much is what this story is all about.

My Views:

When I began reading this book,I found that there was nothing terribly different about the story.The same old predictable plot.I knew what was coming next and nothing was surprising.Though it was fairly simple to read and didnt demand too much from the reader,it was narrated in a kind of a detached manner.I didnt find myself getting involved with the lives of the characters.

Of course my heart went out to Ginny and Blue.But I guess,I am a bit too skeptical,I find it hard to believe that goodness like this exists in the world and its beginning to get a bit difficult to accept that in fiction as well.It just seemed too good to be true.Besides Blue was lucky to come out of a situation like that without trauma or baggage of any kind.That didnt go down well with me either.What are the odds of two people (who are complete strangers and who happen to meet by chance ) being just perfect human beings and well suited to each other?!Honestly I think thats hardly ever possible.The chances of things going drastically wrong are very high in scenarios like these.Anyway let me not dwell too much on the negatives.It is a story where everything has to fall in place in the end so I guess the plot calls for stuff like this.

The story was about
trust,friendship,family,guilt and mostly about finding a reason for living.Everything Ginny does was straight from the heart and I thought that as really commendable.

However as I neared the end,something changed.Sometimes,unexpectedly a book speaks to us.It could be a book you havent connected with for the most part but there is this one line somewhere which tells you exactly what you need at that moment and you stop to think about it.It might be something you already know,but its different when its staring you in the face.So there was something in there which did manage to touch me.

It also said that 'Everybody has something they can beat themselves up for.Its just not worth the energy to do it'.I liked that.

It didnt recreate the magic of that summer for me.I guess Ive come too far ahead to ever go back.

I rate it a 3 out of 5.

AN INTERVIEW WITH KATARINA BIVALD,AUTHOR OF 'THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND'

I had been travelling and couldnt post this earlier.My apologies.

I had reviewed 'THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND' some time back when I got the chance to read an advance copy of the book.I had really enjoyed the story and can fondly recall it even today.It is the perfect book to perk up your spirits and one which can be enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate.

I was curious about Katarina Bivald,the author and was thrilled when I got the chance to ask her a few questions.


Katarina Bivald grew up working part-time in a bookshop. Today she lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden, with her sister and as many bookshelves she can get by her. She’s currently trying to persuade her sister that
having a shelf for winter jackets and shoes is completely unneccessary. There should be enough space for a book shelf or two instead.Limited success so far.Apparently,her sister is also stubbornly refusing to even discuss using the bath room to store books.Katarina Bivald sometimes claims that she still hasn’t decided whether she prefers books or people but, as we all know, people are a non-starter. Even if you do like them, they’re better in books. Only possible problem: reading a great book and having noone to recommend it to.

On to the interview:

1. I loved your book, ‘The Readers Of Broken Wheel Recommend’ and I am curious about why you chose to set the story in Broken Wheel, Iowa?

I love books about quirky small American towns, and in the end, I just created a town where I could live for the years it took me to write it.

2. What was the most challenging part about writing this book?

To keep at it, I think, and keep editing it. What separates a publishable book from an unpublishable one is not the idea, nor the plot or the theme or the characters, but the stubbornness of the author.

3. There are various characters in the book, each with their own quirks. What inspired these characters?

I love quirky characters and books about them. When I set out to write my own book, it sort of came naturally to me.

4. Would you describe in brief your journey as an author?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, but somehow I never really gave it any focused effort. As if I was so sure of my dream that I didn’t really think I had to actually work on it. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to subject my dreams to reality?

And then, when I was 25, I said to myself: pick any idea, write any book; it doesn’t have to be good, it will probably never be published, but finish something. From Chapter 1 to The End.

It was published, eventually, but it took years of re-writing and a lot of rejection letters. In fact, I don’t think there’s a publisher in Sweden, large or small, who hasn’t at one time or another rejected my novel. Even my own publisher has rejected an earlier draft of it. But it was necessary: the story needed it.

The rest has been a dizzying and strangely everyday experience: it turns out that being sold to some 25 countries, seeing dream after dream after dream come true, doesn’t really alter the fact that life is basically an everyday experience. As it should be.

5. Who are your favorite authors?

It’s almost impossible to answer; I have so many. Terry Pratchett, Lee Child, Jane Austen, Sherman Alexie, Fannie Flagg… the list just goes on and on.

6. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

Other people’s conversations: I eavesdrop a lot.

7. Which book besides yours would you readily recommend to readers?


Every time I read a new book that I love I try to force all my friends to read it. Just last week I tried to convince a friend of mine that what he was really looking for was some light reading on loss and grief; I had just finished C.S. Lewis A Grief Observed. He promised to read it but then somehow managed to “forget” the book at my place. Fortunately I have since bought him his own copy. Although I did the same thing with a great book about the plague, and I have this suspicion that he hasn’t read it yet.

8. Which book are you currently reading?


C.S. Lewis Surprised by Joy.

9. What advice do you have for new authors?


Eavesdrop. Talk to everyone you meet that’s older than you. Life has a way of being stranger than fiction.

10. Do you really like books more than people?


Oh, I like people too. It’s just that they’re better in books.



Links and other relevant details:

ISBN-10: 149262344X

ISBN-13: 978-1492623441

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Landmark (January 19, 2016)

TWITTER HANDLE:@katarinabivald

FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/katarina.bivald

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE 
LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7205478.Katarina_Bivald

AMAZON LINK:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/149262344X?keywords=katarina%20bivald%27s%20the%20readers%20of%20broken%20wheel%20recommend&qid=1454687482&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1&sr=8-1

Thank you Katarina for your time and answers.

READERS, RECOMMEND YOUR BOOKSTORE!
Sourcebooks Launches Reader Voting Campaign to Grant Money to Community Bookstores

NAPERVILLE IL (January 5, 2016) — Independent publisher Sourcebooks announces the “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore” campaign, which will give grant money to three nominated bookstores. The “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Campaign” is inspired by the phenomenal support booksellers have given The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, which was selected as the #1 Indie Next Great Read for January 2016. 

Katarina Bivald’s international bestselling debut novel, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, is a charming, big-hearted story about the joy of books and the transformative power of community bookstores. 

“Bookstores are the heart and soul of their community and have enormous impact on readers’ lives,” said Dominique Raccah, founder and CEO of Sourcebooks. “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend inspired us to create a campaign that will not only give back to a few deserving bookstores, but hopefully highlight all the many wonderful bookstores that service communities across the country.”

Anyone can nominate their favorite bookstore at http://books.sourcebooks.com/readers-recommend-your-bookstore-sweepstakes/. Sourcebooks will award the winning bookstore with a $3,000 prize; two additional bookstores will each receive a $637 prize (the population of Bivald’s fictional Broken Wheel, Iowa). In addition to bookstores receiving prizes, weekly giveaways for those who nominate will be held throughout the campaign. Voting began January 4, and runs until February 19, when the winning bookstores will be announced.

THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS

I had this book with me ever since its publication last year and when I saw it trending for several weeks in a row on the NYT bestseller list,I knew it was time to pick it up.
The King of horror is on a roll in this book.He gives us not one or two but twenty creepy stories which get weirder by the minute.However there are only three previously unpublished stories in this one-Bad Little Kid,Mister Yummy and Obits.The rest have been previously published at some time or other.Each story begins with a small note by him explaining just what led him to write it.I love his irreverance when it comes to writing.How everything about it just shocks you and Im talking about much more than the plot here.I find his stories always toe the line between the impossible-but-could-happen-sometime to completely bizarre-but-maybe-could-happen-sometime.And of course theres no time like the night to read the books when you are free to internalize those screams.

So lets get started!I will try and not reveal what the plot lines are and just say what I felt after I read them.

Mile 81:Did I mention that he writes weird stuff.This story is about a station wagon which is not a station wagon at all.Stephen King fans will probably know what Im hinting at but the rest of us will have to read this story.I waited for a bit after reading this one and found myself thinking that something like this could happen.

Premium Harmony :  So all the stories need not be macabre and bloody to evoke the feelings of horror.This one disturbed me and made me rethink what marriage can really turn into sometime.

Batman and Robin Have an Altercation: I liked it.Life continues to throw surprises and we just have to deal with them.

The Dune: Loved it!I didnt see it coming so was appropriately shocked.Should have guessed.But I am not usually at my alert best on weekends.

Bad Little Kid: Loved it!Downright Eerie.Sometimes you are so sure about things that you do not entertain any other possibility.What was he thinking?What was I thinking?We definitely werent thinking the same thing.This one kind of creeped me out.

A Death: Awesome!Totally unexpected yet expected,if you know what I mean.Classic King.Continues to shock.

The Bone Church: Didnt work for me.

Morality: Was weird but makes you just sit still and think.

Afterlife: Totally loved it.I had so many questions after this.And some things just made so much sense.The only time I ever wished Stephen King was a friend.

Ur: Strictly OK.Kindle users ,Beware!

Herman Wouk is still Alive: Sad.Just random stuff happening to everyone around.Thats another thing I like about his books.The randomness in them mimics life sometimes.Predictable but not entirely.

Under The Weather: Figured it out as soon as I started reading this.Not a novel plot at all.Old wine in new bottle.

Blockade Billy: Good.But not in the same league as the ones I really liked.

Mister Yummy: Stranger things are known to happen and when its Mr King we expect nothing less.

Tommy: Didnt work for me.

The Little Green God Of Agony: This one was stretching it a bit too far.Totally over the top.Lots of eyerolls from me while reading this one but nicely written.

That Bus is Another World: Bizarre!Could really happen sometime,somewhere.Or maybe it already has.

Obits: Whoa!What a mean little story.Feel horrible to even think about it.But what if.....

Drunken Fireworks:Enjoyed this one!What a story!

Summer Thunder: Scary to contemplate.The end of the world ,Stephen King style!

You need to read this book to see what Im really talking about.Its surely worth a shot.Read it when you are missing a nightmare.

I rate it a 4 out of 5.

MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS

My first book for the year!and I am absolutely thrilled to have chosen it.I berated myself for not having read it earlier.

This one was top priority in my TBR pile and was waiting to be read.And what better time than now to pick it up.I read it through the weekend and have just finished reading it today.

This is a true account of the Durrell family narrated by naturalist Gerald Durrell telling us of a part of his childhood spent on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939.The Durrell family consisting of the mother and her three sons,Larry,Leslie, Gerry and a daughter Margo are all eccentric and unconventional in a totally endearing way ,when they can no longer endure the damp cold English climate,they sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu.The island is wonderfully rich in flora and fauna.This is a delightful account of Gerrys uninhibited interest in all living thing be it puppies,toads,geckoes,scorpions,snakes,ladybugs,gloworms,octopuses,bats,magpies,gulls,pigs and calmly getting them home

My Views:

This book had my undivided attention ever since I started reading it.It is a delightful account of Gerry Durrell and his family during their stay in Corfu.This is a non-fiction novel and memoir and honestly I had not expected non-fiction to be so much fun.Gerald Durrell has impeccable comic timing.His life and time there is so vividly described that I was transported to Corfu along with his family.

I loved his fearlessness and uninhibited nature,the ability to keep an open mind while trying new things and just being so nature and animal friendly.His wit just shines through.The descriptions had me totally enraptured.This account was full of vivid descriptions about the island,the animals he caught and about his family.

Its such a mad family,the battle of wits amongst the brothers,especially Larry had me in splits.There is a cast of very interesting local characters and friends who are completely eccentric as well.

The moonlight picnic which eventually turns into a moonless midnight swim,with the flickering fireflies,the porpoises shimmering in the phosphorescence and the starlit sky was so incredibly beautiful,I read it twice and enjoyed it immensely.

Who wouldnt love a faithful companion like his dog Roger!He comes up with names for all his pets,so the pigeon is Quasimodo,the gecko is Geronimo ,the Owl named Ulysses and Widdle and Puke are the names of the puppies for obvious reasons.

And if thats not enough theres Spiro the local who is their guardian for the duration of their stay and who speaks the most outrageous English and his tutors Theodore and Kralefsky who have their strange ways as well.Im so glad he included the part about Kralefskys mother.I thoroughly enjoyed that bit too.

What do I say about this book!Im still basking in its afterglow having just finished reading it.I cannot find a single thing I did not like about it.It will be so hard to find another one as good now.I feel doomed.This is one of those books that will go at the very top on my shelf and someday when I am old and wrinkled,hopefully I will read it again and remember this day and all that I am feeling right now.I feel happy.I havent laughed like this in ages.I laughed out loud so many times unexpectedly even to myself that I had to stifle it when there were people around lest they thought im mental.

This book is simply awesome.

Of course I rate it a 5 out of 5.

THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP

I had been very curious about this book ever since I got to know about it.The 'title' caught my eye and kept beckoning me to it.I thought it was impossible to go wrong with 'Paris' and 'Bookshop'and I was so sure this would be the perfect book to end this year with.So I thought it only appropriate to pick it up now.I do pick up books on a whim sometimes,without reading the blurb.I find myself falling in love with the cover or the title even before I know what the story is about.These sometimes end in utter and complete disasters and sometimes lead to an unexpected surprise.But the surprises are worth my time.They make me happy,put me in a better mood.But let me get to the point.This was one of 'those' books.

This is the story of a middle-aged bookseller,Jean Perdu who has a book barge moored on the River Seine.He calls it the 'Literary Apothecary' because he doesn't just sell books but prescribes them to his customers like a physician would dispense medication for various illnesses after an exact diagnoses of the persons state of mind.But he is unable to treat his own depression caused by the sudden disappearance of his great love twenty years ago.Her name is 'Manon',she comes from Provence and believes in living life in the moment.

Perdu lives in an apartment complex shared by an eclectic group of people.What triggers Perdu to re-examine his life and choices so far is prompted by the arrival of  Catherine ,a woman who is abandoned by her husband for a younger woman.When she moves in a flat opposite Perdus,he offers to give her a table as a kind neighbourly gesture because she is in need of furniture for her apartment.Perdu has kept the table in a room locked since Manon's disappearance along with his memories of their time together and opening that room brings back a deluge of memories.Moreover Catherine finds an unopened letter from Manon in the
drawer of the table and hands it over to Perdu.The letter and its contents sets everything in motion as Perdu grapples with guilt,loss and past memories.

He decides to unmoor his book barge and go and find Manon's village and put the past to rest.He is accompanied on this journey by an author facing a writers block after an unexpected first novel success.He is dealing with his own memories of a dysfuctional childhood.They in turn pick up two more passengers along the way,a Neapolitan cook who whips up the most delectable meals and an eccentric bookseller.

What happens on this journey?Is it possible to correct the past after decades?Is redemption even possible?

My Views:

I was hit harder by the year-end blues this time around and was in a particularly grouchy mood when I picked up this book. I under-estimated it a bit.I thought it would be similar to 'The storied life of A J Fikry',another book I had read at the beginning of the year and which spoke about a bookseller and books but the similarities ended there.This one turned out to be very emotionally demanding and took me longer than most books to read.What I didnt like about it was that it got too sentimental after a point,cloyingly so in parts and began to seem too fiction like and unreal.I couldnt connect too much with the characters,I had conflicting opinions regarding certain things but of course you can put that down to bias and I struggled a bit with the story.The emotional quotient was so high that I wanted to get it done with after a point.Now maybe that had something to do with the frame of mind I was in at the time but I find myself unable to deal with too much mush or sentimentality after a point.I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

Now lets come to the good part.I loved the lyrical prose and the language.It was sheer poetry in parts,I loved the book barge and the fact that Perdu could do a literary psychoanalysis and dispense books like medication.Read 200 pages of this book every night for the next three nights and you'll be cured.How cool is that!I loved it when he said that books are the only fixed point in an otherwise unpredictable world.In life,in love,after death.Books keep stupidity at bay!and of course I totally agreed with him when he said that 'Its well known that reading makes people impudent and tomorrows world is going to need some people who arent shy to speak their minds'.

I could empathize with him when he struggled to let go.I could understand the feeling that washes over you when you recognise that you havent got your whole life left to find out where you belong.What better time than the end of the year to mull over such thoughts!It pushed me a bit further down the abyss.But it also got me thinking.Dont we all have the sudden overwhelming inner thirst to seize life with both hands before time speeds past even faster.The futility of lost time.Of things we should have done because ultimately we really only regret the things that we didnt do.Did I tell you that this book is not as simple as it seems.It has the capacity to unsettle and overwhelm you.After all the talk about time passing us by these were some words which offered succour:

'All of us preserve time.We preserve the old versions of the people who have left us.And under our skin,under the layer of wrinkles and experience and laughter,we too are old versions of ourselves.Directly below the surface,we are our own former selves,the former child,the former lover,the former daughter'.

If you can get past the emotional aspect,this story is for those who believe in undying romance,second chances and who arent too shocked to discover that love doesnt need to be restricted to one person to be true.And of course the fact that everybody has an inner room where demons lurk.Only when we open it and face up to it are we truly free.

Read it if you are emotionally equipped to read it.


I rate it a 3 and a half out of 5.

and even though Ive started reading my next book,I think this one is the last for 2015 :)

THE BIBLIOPHILE'S CORNER IS TWO YEARS OLD!

It feels good to come back here and it has been two years since I created this space.Considering that I hardly ever persist with anything and give up too easily,this is indeed a feat!I never cease to amaze myself.
I know this blog is a bit unconventional and it doesnt really follow a standard format for the reviews.But thats the whole point of it.I write what I feel,how I feel,after Ive finished reading a book and I write almost immediately after having finished reading it ,so that nothing is ever an afterthought.

I was supposed to write another one today but im just half way through.Im going through something akin to a book slump,I have been reading but not as much as I would have liked to,but its December,its forgivable.

I have no idea if this blog has managed to connect to anyone out there but im hoping it has.I still havent found fellow bibliophiles along this journey but im sure ,someday I will.But largely this blog was about my journey with books and it will continue to be so.Did you know Bram Stoker dreamed up his Dracula all because of some crab salad?!Apparently he had eaten some rotten crab and contracted food poisoning.Between bouts of sickness he had his first dreams about the lord of the vampires and that marked the end of his creative slump.Is there some remedy for a reading slump?

Thats alright,I guess,I just have to wait.Everyone cant be like Bram Stoker!Getting rid of slumps just like that over food poisoning and dreaming up bestsellers!The rest of us do the best with what we have.

Its Christmas and even Im not feeling grouchy!Wasnt that a positive way to look at things?!

Im signing off with Hopes and Dreams of being a better person,doing better,reading more.
And wishing this coming year is even more fabulous for all of us.Merry Christmas!!

The Bibliophile