2011-01 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Steig Larsson, 743 pages, Maclehose Press, 2009

01 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Steig Larsson, 743 pages, Maclehose Press, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: The third in Larsson's trilogy.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Very Good.

A clear continuation of The Girl Who Played with Fire, this story wraps up that plot in gripping fashion.  Similar to Ayn Rand, Larsson is able to write stories that advocate for his politics through his compelling characters.  Gender equality, immigration, constitutional controls over government and police... all issues that Larsson fought for in Sweden are raised in his works of fiction.  These three books were fantastic, and we are surely at a loss to not have had more from him.

If you want to get lost in a story, I highly recommend this trilogy.

Hassan's Book of 2010

As 2010 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the seventy two books that I have read... through twenty two thousand, seven hundred and sixteen (22,716) pages.  The longest book was Shantaram (936 pages) and the shortest was Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (64 pages).  My most productive month was April (9 books), and my least was May (1 book).

I have encountered three books unworthy of inclusion in my list (that I just could not finish),

Two books that were quite simply “Not Good,”

Nine books that were just “Meh,”

Twenty eight books that I considered as “Good,”

Twenty seven books that were “Very Good,” and

Six books that I would recommend as REQUIRED READING:

·         Born to Run

·         Honeymoon in Purdah

·         Zeitoun

·         Iran Awakening

·         Three Day Road

·         Bel Canto

Born to Run, Iran Awakening, and Zeitoun although great reads are clearly not Hassan’s Book of 2010.  For much of the year, I have reflected upon Honeymoon in Purdah; but now, as I approach the end of the year, I find myself wanting to select a book of fiction.

And so, the Hassan Book of 2010 is Three Day Road.  The combination of exposing us to a history that is often forgotten, coupled with strong characters is what earned the selection.  Please let me know what you think of it.

2010-72 - Five Months in a Leaky Boat, by Ben Kozel, 422 pages, Pan Macmillan, 2003

72 - Five Months in a Leaky Boat, by Ben Kozel, 422 pages, Pan Macmillan, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: Colin Angus was on this journey
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Good.

Five Months in a Leaky Boat tells the tale of two Canadians (Colin Angus and Remy Quinter) and two Aussies (Tim Cope and Ben Kozel) and of their journey from the headwaters of the fifth longest river in the world and their journey to the Arctic.  Having read Colin Angus' perspective a few years ago, I was delighted to see this in a used book store in Sydney and was not disappointed.  These adventurers truly seek to balance an objective (getting to the end of the river) with meeting and engaging with the people they encounter.  From Mongolia, through lower Siberia, and up to the Nenets who live with the reindeer in upper Siberia.

2010-71 - The Glass Palace, by Amitav Ghosh, 470 pages, Random House, 2002

71 - The Glass Palace, by Amitav Ghosh, 470 pages, Random House, 2002
WHY I PICKED IT: It was recommended by my Aunty Fatma
ELAPSED TIME: 6 days.
RATING: Very Good.

Spanning 2 proper generations, and 2 more generations tracing back their family history, this book tells the tale of Rajkumar, a poor Indian boy who goes on to build an empire... interwoven is the story of Dolly, a young woman in the Burmese court who goes on to be his wife... the story of Uma, an Indian woman who is Dolly's friend... and the families that they have.  It's a gripping tale that will suck you in, and expose you to a part of India, Burma, and Malaya that you might otherwise never see.  I will seek out more of Ghosh.

2010-70 - Through Black Spruce, by Joseph Boyden, 407 pages, Penquin Canada, 2008

70 - Through Black Spruce, by Joseph Boyden, 407 pages, Penquin Canada, 2008
WHY I PICKED IT: I really enjoyed Three Day Road, and wanted to read more by Boyden
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days.
RATING: Very Good.

Boyden is well on his way to becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors.  This story, written because Boyden missed his characters from Three Day Road (see Book # 64), tells the story of Xavier Bird’s son and grand neice.  Similar to his first book, this story weaves the uncle and neice’s perspectives into a compelling narrative.  Knowing that he is working on a third book, to complete a trilogy, is exciting for me.

There are two great lines in the book, that I was compelled to write down... I share them with you without comment:

1) Experience is the most difficult of teachers, because it gives the exam first and the lessons second
2) there are no heroes in the world.  Not really.  Just men and women who become old and tired and lose the strength to fight for what they love any longer.

2010-69 - Taft, by Ann Patchett, 246 pages, Harper Collins, 1994

69 - Taft, by Ann Patchett, 246 pages, Harper Collins, 1994
WHY I PICKED IT: I'm working my way through everything by Ann Patchett
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days.
RATING: Very Good

This woman's writing is quite simply very good.  She consistently creates characters whose warmth is palpable.  Who you just want to hug and protect.  Characters who are simple, and yet quite real.  I enjoyed this book - it was unfortunate that work distracted me, so I couldn't get into their skin for a few days.

2010-68 - Truth and Beauty, by Ann Patchett, 257 pages, Harper Collins, 2004

68 - Truth and Beauty, by Ann Patchett, 257 pages, Harper Collins, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: I loved Bel Canto, so I wanted to read more by Ann Patchett
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days.
RATING: Very Good

Ann Patchett has an amazing voice as a writer, and the story of her friendship with Lucy Grealy is warm and engaging... for the first three quarters of the book.  That she calls herself the Ant and Lucy the Grasshopper is interesting - a recognition that Lucy is bright wherein she is the worker... but the friendship works.  The final portion of the book is gut wrenching ... but not altogether unsurprising.  Definitely a worthwhile read.  I'll see out the rest of Ann's books.