about . blog . photoblog . reviews . desktops . lists

March 2007

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri   «absolutely necessary»

A great book, which really opened my eyes to a small part of the Bengali culture of India and the problems facing the first generation of Bengali-Americans. Very well written and engaging.
Finished: March 23, 2007
Summary: Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even really a first name at all. He is given the name by his father who, before he came to America to study at MIT, was almost killed in a train wreck in India. Rescuers caught sight of the volume of Nikolai Gogol's short stories that he held, and hauled him from the train. Ashoke gives his American-born son the name as a kind of placeholder, and the awkward thing sticks... (from amazon.com)
Quotes: "But she has gathered that Americans, in spite of their public declarations of affection, in spite of their miniskirts and bikinis, in spite of their hand-holding on the street and lying on top of each other on the Cambridge Common refer their privacy." (p 3)
"On the left shoe she had noticed that one of the crisscrossing laces had missed a hole, and this oversight set her at ease." (p 8)
"He looks up at her, and behind her, at the sky, which holds more stars than he ever has seen at one time, crowded together, a mess of dust and gems." (p 154)

«absolutely necessary»   Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

This book is equal parts disgusting and intriguing. I can honestly say I've never read a novel as graphic as Haunted. Definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
Finished: March 5, 2007
Summary: Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three horrifying, hilarious, and stomach-churning stories. They're told by people who have answered an ad for a writer's retreat and unwittingly joined a "Survivor"-like scenario where the host withholds heat, power, and food. As the storytellers grow more desperate, their tales become more extreme, and they ruthlessly plot to make themselves the hero of the reality show that will surely be made from their plight. This is one of the most disturbing and outrageous books you'll ever read, one that could only come from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk. (from amazon.com)
Quotes: "The film: a show of a reflection of an image of an illusion." (p 47)
"This is what people want. The same reason we go to racetracks to watch the cars crash. Why the Germans say, 'Die reinste Freude ist die Schadenfreude.' Our purest joy comes when people we envy get hurt. That most genuine form of joy. The joy you feel when a limousine turns the wrong way down a one-way street." (p 94)
"With the kids in school, and God at his office, the angels have all day to kill." (p 111)
"You can spend your whole life building a wall of facts between you and anything real." (p 338)