The second novel

In a quite quick succession, I read both the first and second book by Miranda Dickinson, Fairytale of New York (her first) and Welcome to my world (her second).
Even though it had its bright points, Welcome to my world, didn't quite live up to Fairytale. Some of it has to do with, after having read the back of the book, I had envisioned another story. To me, the characters didn't seem quite real and I never felt for them as I did for Rosie Duncan and the others in Fairytale. A nice twist though was that Rosie Duncan (from the first book) and Harriet Langton (from the second) are actually cousins.
I am still looking forward to read my signed copy of It started with a kiss and follow along Miranda Dickinson v-log for her fourth book, but It started with a kiss, will have to wait for a little while, at least a bit in to the new year.
Josefine

Title. Welcome to my world Author: Miranda Dickinson ISBN: 978-1-84756-166-4

Merry Christmas and a Hapy New Year

I am off to Sweden for a couple of weeks, suitcase full of books I hope to have time to read.
Josefine

Istanbulite Women

After a slow start, introducing the characters of the story with great precision, The Bastard of Istanbul turns out to be quite unexpected from what I first thought.
It is a family saga of women, where we travel in time as well as in space. We get to read about the modern city of Istanbul of today, Turkey in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, the desert of Arizona and the moist San Francisco Bay.
It is a great story in learning about the conflict between Turkey and Armenia, but also about race and nationality in general. They share a common past, but at the same time their memories of that past is as different as different stories.
The author, Elif Shafak is a brave woman, writing about things that is still quite taboo in Turkey. She was put on trial for “denigrating Turkishness” as she put it herself in the acknowledgements at the back of her book. However, the charges were eventually dropped.
I am really looking forward to read her other books.
Josefine

Title: The Bastard of Istanbul Author: Elif Shafak ISBN: 978-0-670-91720-4

Don't cry for me Argentina

Tomás Eloy Martínez book about Santa Evita is a far cry from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical on the same subject. Martínez book is focusing on the time after Evita's death and the controversy surrounding the embalment of her body, the many copies made of the body and the burial sites.
He is also trying to find the fleeting image of a person that doesn't seem to exist or at least doesn't want to show herself to be written about.
I usually like Martinez books because there is a bit of magic in them, they are works of fiction but also real in a sense. However, even if Santa Evita is an interesting story, it fails to capture me as much as for example The Tango Singer did.
Josefine

Title: Santa Evita Author: Tomás Eloy Martínez ISBN: 978-1-86230-002-x

Sari and Society

The Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa starts slow and descriptive. You can really feel you're in the market in Armitsar walking into the Sari Shop, seeing the beautiful fabrics in neat piles and bundles, watching the men as they work laying out the colourful and intricate cloths to the female customers.
Then as winter moves into a hot and sticky summer, so does the temperature rise in the story as well and we get more and more involved with the main character Ramachand.
As the monsoon draws closer, so does the end of the story, but it is done in a way that keeps the reader just out of reach of the ending.
When it finally happens, with a crash and boom, just like the monsoon, I can't decide if I am satisfied with the ending or not.
Josefine

Title: The Sari Shop Author: Rupa Bajwa ISBN: 978-0-670-91472-x

Fairytale Début

I know it has been a lot Miranda Dickinson lately, but that is since I found out I would attend her book launch I have been quite giddy about the whole thing and promptly got to the library to borrow her previous books.
I finished Fairytale of New York, her first novel and I must say it was a nice début. It had some flaws that I think will be ironed out in her next books. I am impressed by her extensive knowledge of flowers and how she made the arrangements and bouquets come to life on the pages, you could really see those flowers as the recipients saw them.
However, my favourite part of the book was probably when Rosie Duncan spends Christmas alone, Dickinson managed to get the feeling just right. It wasn't the Bridget Jones “all by myself” alone feeling or a defiant “Î will spend Christmas alone because I am an independant woman and I can.” It was just a simple thing of a person spending a day alone, not lonely. Something very important for someone who often feels the same way. You can be alone without being lonely.

I am looking forward to read her other two books as well and of course looking forward to watch the progress of her fourth book, out in the autumn next year.
Josefine

Title: Fairytale of New York Author: Miranda Dickinson ISBN: 978-1-94756-165-7

In real life

Sometimes when you read a book, you recognise things from it that has happened in real life. When I started to read The case of the missing books by Ian Samson I felt as if it is was right here, right now. The first page of the book, met me with the words Library Closed, ironic it is that is what met me a couple of weeks ago, when the council won in court and closed down six of the communites twelve libraries. Fortunately for Israel Armstrong in the book, there was an alternative for him, he became the librarian for the book mobile, all he had to do first was finding the 15 000 missing books. A much more happy ending then what we are experiencing right now.

The case of the missing books has its bright sides and is even funny at times, but I have a difficult time seeing it as a series but apparently the second book is already out. Perhpas the sequel is for some one who appreciated the character of Israel Amrstrong more than I did.
Josefine

Title: The case of the missing books Author: Ian Samson ISBN: 978-0-00-720699-2

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