I am reading this



Synopsis
Lakshmi's childhood in Ceylon is idyllic: her mother adores her and the child runs free among the coconuts and mangoes of her native land. But the family is poor, so Lakshmi is married off, at the age of fourteen, to a man who promises her a life of wealth and ease in Malaysia. Far away from her family, Lakshmi discovers that Ayah has lied about his circumstances and in fact lives in poverty. Undaunted, she works ceaselessly to provide a good life for her children - she has five by the time she is nineteen. A woman of formidable energy and intelligence, Lakshmi has indeed provided security, if not luxury, for her family, though at a considerable emotional cost - they are all aware they cannot live up to her firece ambitions for them. Then the Japanese army invades during WWII. On the eve of peace, her beloved eldest daughter, Mohini, is raped and killed by the occupying army - a tragedy that affects all the family, particularly Mohini's twin, Lakshmnann, who feels responsible for his sister's capture. For this second generation, and for Lakshmi's grandchildren, increased prosperity does not bring happiness - it is as if the family is cursed by betrayal and secrets, and the addictions of drink, drugs and gambling. But in Nisha, Lakshmi's great-granddaughter, it is as if Fate has come full circle and the novel ends on a note of reconciliation and hope. Lyrically told through the voices of succeeding generations, The Rice Mother is a compelling glimpse into a captivatingly exotic world of myth and magic, where gods and ghosts walk hand in hand.

www.whsmith.co.uk

I'm reading the 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction - The Known World. So far, it's very good.

Set in Manchester County, Virginia, 20 years before the Civil War began, Edward P. Jones's debut novel, The Known World, is a masterpiece of overlapping plot lines, time shifts, and heartbreaking details of life under slavery. Caldonia Townsend is an educated black slaveowner, the widow of a well-loved young farmer named Henry, whose parents had bought their own freedom, and then freed their son, only to watch him buy himself a slave as soon as he had saved enough money. Although a fair and gentle master by the standards of the day, Henry Townsend had learned from former master about the proper distance to keep from one's property. After his death, his slaves wonder if Caldonia will free them. When she fails to do so, but instead breaches the code that keeps them separate from her, a little piece of Manchester County begins to unravel. Impossible to rush through, The Known World is a complex, beautifully written novel with a large cast of characters, rewarding the patient reader with unexpected connections, some reaching into the present day.

it's actually a much more pleasant book than you'd think. very well written, with lots of history lessons about new york city and all kinds of seemingly unrelated topics. if you're looking for a weird random book that has everything but the kitchen sink (and i think there are a few kitchen sink stories in here as well), i totally recommend this book.

Revenge of the Sith.

'A Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. About tenth time

The Devil Wears Prada

BabyCakes said:

OMG I have read that

Her boss is such a bitch! But its a funny book.

REDFEATHERS said:

Her boss and her relationship with her boss sounds like my boss a bit.. Not sooo extreem but at times, they could be twins!

BabyCakes said:

I know how you feel..

again.

IstenSzek said:

I have a library in my house.

It has such romantic titles as:
C++ Primer, J2EE Inside and Out, System Development LIfeCycle implementation, and Effective Time Management.

the anne frank diary.

donk said:

that's hot.

one of my favorite books ever, for the 3rd time (i think). it calms me down when i'm all stressed out.

evenstar3 said:

Ummm... you're supposed to be reading Ishmael!

Procrastinator!

I'm reading this:

THE GUERMANTES WAY

Volume III

of

In Search of Lost Time

by

Marcel Proust

Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub.


I'm not too far into it...but it's interesting so far. Involves a child-molesting dismembering serial murderer.


I just finished "Roughing It" by Mark Twain. HILARIOUS. That is one funny MoFo.

I intend to jump on the bandwagon and read that Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe" Book. After I finish Black House

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nightime

It's cute as hell but other things have been on my mind so I've not been able to concetrate on finishing it.

2the9s said:

i finished it last night! i read really fast

JDINTERACTIVE said:

OMG thats a really good book..

REDBABY said:

It's so fantastic!

ReturnOfDOOK said:

what a coincidence! as you might have seen in my previous post on this thread, i'm reading a book about conservatives right now!

JDINTERACTIVE said:

So simple but clever, sympathetic, yet funny too.

REDBABY said:

Isnt it sweet the way Christopher and his parents express their love for each other.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

Yes..

Shall we lend it to our Mums again?

REDBABY said:

Yeah, they'll have to expand their fingers and touch hands.

I'm between books, going to start one tommorow!

( again )