The Rug Merchant

Finished February 23
The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins

Ushman Khan is a rug merchant in New York City. He came to the United States from Iran three years, leaving his wife and invalid mother back home. His wife arranged his emigration, defeated after five miscarriages. She chooses the rugs and ships them to him and he sells them, support his family back home, waiting for the day when his wife will join him.
But one day, he is told that this will never happen, that his wife has found another man, is having a baby, and is leaving him forever. Ushman is devastated and finds himself wandering, trying to get past his loneliness, trying to find a way forward. When he encounters Stella, a young college student, with her own sadness, there is a connection and the unlikely couple find themselves comforting each other, and beginning to care about each other. The story also involves one of Ushman's best clients, Mrs. Roberts, a woman who has bought many carpets from him, and seems to always want more than he can give her. As Mrs. Roberts reveals her own sadness, Ushman finds himself offering her comfort as well.
This is an interesting book about connecting with others, about the essential humanity in all of us, about the fact that while we will all encounter sadness, we will also all encounter joy.

On Being Born and Other Difficulties

Finished September 14
On Being Born and Other Difficulties by F. González-Crussi
Not sure how this got on my list (too long ago), but I finally got around to reading it and am glad I did.
It is an interesting book composed of a series of reflections on birth, sexuality and related body-focused topics. The author (at the time the book was written, 2004) was Professor Emeritus of Pathology at Northwestern University Medical School. His writing is surprisingly literary for the topic, and the accompanying black and white medical illustrations add to his text nicely.
He mentions a variety of sources in his writing from the science fields to the literary and philosophical. This shows the broad base of education that used to be so much more common than it is today. Writing with insight, humour, and knowledge, this book will cause the reader to reflect as well.
A very interesting book

Natural History

Finished May 2
The Well-Dressed Ape: A Natural History of Myself by Hannah Holmes
There is a lot of information packed into this book. Holmes treats herself (and humans as a species) as a biological study. She starts each chapter with a textbook description of humans and spends the chapter discussing each topic in more detail, including how we compare to other animals.
The topics covered here are: physical description, the brain, perception, range, territoriality, diet, reproduction, behavior, communication, predators, and ecosystem impacts.
She uses humour throughout to keep the information from getting too heavy, but she doesn't skimp on the details. Citing scientific studies and personal observations, she takes a good hard look at humans and how we relate to the rest of the world.
I found it both immensely entertaining and educational.

Vacation Reading

I've just come back from a week away, so here is what I've been reading.


Finished August 23
Borderlands by Brian McGilloway
I've been carrying this one around for a while in my purse for waiting in lineups and at offices. It is the first in a new series featuring Inspector Devlin of the Garda in Ireland.
Local teen Angela Cashell's body is found on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. There is a ring on her finger, and a photo placed with her body.
As Devlin and his team work the case, they are led back to a disappearance of a woman 25 years before and clues that link to many men, on both sides of the law.
The personal life of Devlin and his fellow police officers is also brought into the book. His wife Debbie is no pushover and she often gives him useful advice.
I liked this book and will look for more as the series progresses.


Finished August 27
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
The subtitle of this book is "a sheep detective story," and that is definitely what this is. George the shepherd is found dead, a spade through his body. The sheep find him first and after the initial shock try to work out what happened. George read to his sheep regularly and on many subjects including sheep diseases and romance novels (what the sheep call "Pamela stories"). The sheep are led in their detective work by Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in Glennkill. Also taking on significant roles are Mopple the Whale, the memory sheep; Othello, a black Hebridean four-horned ram, and Zora, a brave black-faced sheep. The characters of the sheep are well-developed and show individuality. There is much humour here and great fun. This is a good summer read, and I left it with my mother to be passed around among her needleworker friends.


Finished August 28
The Postcard by Tony Abbott
This book is for 8-12 year-olds and I found it to have a unique story. Jason Huff is sent off to Florida after his grandmother's death to assist his father in packing up her belongings. His grandmother, Agnes Monroe Huff was the daughter of a wealthy man, who owned a hotel among other holdings. Jason receives a strange phone call that leads him to the discovery of a postcard among his grandmother's things. The postcard shows the Hotel DeSoto, the hotel owned by Jason's great-grandfather. He also finds a magazine, Bizarre Mysteries, with a story that seems to be about his grandmother. At the funeral, Jason notices many strange characters. As Jason follows the clues left to him, and is joined by Dia, a young friend of his grandmother, he finds himself more and more interested in his grandmother and her life.
Jason is an interesting boy, respectful of adults, yet not a goody-goody. The story developed in interesting ways and was theatrical in plot.
I've left this book with my eight-year-old niece to read.


Finished August 29
Like Eating a Stone: Surviving the Past in Bosnia by Wojciech Tochman, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
This book was a finalist for the Nike Polish Literary Prize and for the Prix Temoin du Monde. First published in 2002, this is the first English translation. The book begins with a quote from Tadeusz Mazowiecki about the Bosnia War: "Humanity unites us in misfortune, in experiencing it. If only people understood that." Tochman does his best to help us do that.
The stories cover the Serb Republic (not Serbia) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
His stories of survivors searching for family members as well as their remains are poignant. Over 100,000 people died in the wars, and it was years before the mass graves began to be exhumed. The book includes a picture to begin each chapter. One chapter talks about the displays of victims clothing, and the codes that indicate how much of the victim's body was found. Another talks about life in the refugee camps. There is mention of the abandoned towns and villages and some attempts to repopulate these. One key figure in the stories is Dr. Ewa Klonowski, born in Poland and now living in Iceland. She spends all her time trying to identify bodies, and it has become her life. She talks about how the bones speak to her.
While this is a short book, it is a book that touches the reader.

Finished August 31
Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn D.Wall
This mystery is set in Kentucky in 1938. Olivia has run Harker's Grocery since her father died and she recovered from a car crash. Her mentally unbalanced mother Ida lives in a tarpaper shack out back. With Olivia lives her grandson William who she has raised. This year someone is hunting the silver wolves that live on Olivia's land and as she tries to find out why, she also finds out that she and William are also under threat.
The reappearance of William's mother begins the revelation of terrible secrets among the community and about Olivia's family. As Olivia searches desperately to save herself and her friends, she must confront the evil that has bound her community for years.
This story is riveting and intense and Olivia is a genuine rebel who has friends in both the white and the black people in her community. She has raised William to be strong as well and he fights for what he feels is right alongside her. This story takes the reader to a specific region and time period and brings it alive. I found it engrossing.

A classic read (or better yet, listen)

Finished December 17
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, performed by Sissy Spacek
Somehow I missed having to read this classic novel during my school years, and thus listened to it for the first time this past week during my commute. It is wonderful and I see why it has become a classic. The issues are still relevant today and this book deals with them wonderfully. The characters come to life and I truly enjoyed Spacek's performance.
I have now borrowed the DVD and am looking forward to watching it.

Historical Fiction audiobook

Finished November 21
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney, read by Sally Armstrong and Adam Sims
This tale is set in northern Ontario in the winter, and several trails converge to the final scenes. In the small town of Dove River, on the north side of Georgian Bay, a man is found murdered and a 17-year-old boy disappears. Members of the Hudson's Bay Company track after the boy, unsure if he was involved in the death, while another man seen at the cabin of the victim is arrested. The boy's mother feels that he is being blamed for the murder and sets out to find him with the assistance of another man. As the various trails lead to a Norwegian community and to a remote Hudson's Bay post, people's lives and stories converge. The travelling in the winter wilderness takes up a lot of plot in the book, giving nature and its brutality a compelling role. The characters learn about themselves, about the people who are close to them, and that makes the book more interesting as well.

Short story collection

Finished November 21
Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor
Trevor has long been a favourite of mine, and this collection does not disappoint. His characters all have their own idiosyncrasies and the interaction between characters along with the resulting inner response is what really make his stories interesting. From the stories of couples, siblings and old friends, his stories always have a touch of sadness as well as human candor. His curiousity about human nature comes through, as ever.

Short stories by a master of the human condition

Finished October 24
We Are Not in Pakistan by Shauna Singh Baldwin
I've liked this author for awhile (and not just because we have the same first name, albeit spelled differently). She can really describe such a variety of human feelings and viewpoints that I find myself moved by every story. Her main characters in the story are all a little out of their element. This includes immigrants (to both the US and Canada), people and animals displaced by death, marriage or divorce, and those just looking for their place in the world. I liked each and every one in this collection, and felt their uncertainty and vulnerability. The stories surprised and gripped me, and I couldn't leave one unfinished before taking a break. She is definitely one of our star fiction writers.

A Variety of Fiction

Finished April 9
Everyman by Philip Roth
I can't believe I've never read a Philip Roth book before. This book is wonderfully written and just flowed. The main character tells the story of his lifelong battle with mortality. From his hernia operation at the age of nine, through to his multiple arterial surgeries, he has had issues with his health. He discusses his life from the beaches of his childhood, through his three marriages and sexual affairs. He talks about his relationship with his older brother, Howie, who was his first hero, an athelete and successful businessman. He talks of his childhood helping out in his father's jewelry store. He has an unhappy relationship with his two sons from his first marriage, and a very good one with his daughter from his second marriage. He looks back at what he had in life that he did not value until it was too late and the loneliness he deals with now. This is a moving book.

Finished April 6
A Good Death by Gil Courtemanche, translated by Wayne Grady
The story begins on Christmas Eve, with the gathering of a large family. The father, who has always been a tyrant to his children, is 86 and is ill with Parkinson's. He has difficulty talking and takes comfort in food. The narrator, Andre, is the oldest child and while he has always had issues with his father, finds himself able to take a step back and look at his father's decline and his mother's situation and to think about their deaths. Various family members try to either control their father's diet, in the interests of his long-term health, or let him do what he likes in the interests of his short-term happiness. But how do their decisions affect their mother? Andre finds himself aligned with one of his nephews, teenage William, also known as Sam, in helping his father find a good death.
This is an amazing book and I could barely put it down. I highly recommend it, especially to those with a loved one who is dying.

Finished April 5
Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg
This is chicklit set in the publishing world. The main character, Angel Robinson, loves to read books. The bookstore she works in is closing and her boyfriend, a writer, urges her to find work in the office of a literary agent. He has his own agenda in wanting her to get them to accept his work. Angel gets a job with the famous agent Lucy Fiamma, and finds Lucy to be a difficult boss. She also has issues with the other employees, who are not especially helpful to her. Kelly, whom everyone calls Nora against her wishes, is unhappy and ignores Angel for the most part. Anna appears helpful at times and undermines Angel at other times.
Angel finds she has a talent for spotting winning writing and Lucy acknowledges this skill while further undermining her relationship with others in the office. There is also a mystery character who is sending Angel chapters by email that correspond uncannily to what is happening in her life. Is someone stalking her?

Finished April 4
You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem
I listened to the audio version of this which was read by the author. Lucinda Hoekke has quit her job in a coffee shop to work in a performance art gallery answering a complaint line for an old boyfriend. Lucinda has also broken up, again, with her boyfriend Matthew. They remain good friends, and still play together in a band. Matthew is the singer and Lucinda plays bass. The real genius of the band is Bedwin who plays guitar and writes the songs.
Matthew works at the zoo, where is has a special relationship with one of the kangaroos.
Lucinda grows interested in one of the callers to the complaint line, who she refers to as The Complainer. His musings interest her and when the band gets invited to perform an actual gig, and needs more songs, she suggests some of The Complainer's words as lyrics. Bedwin is inspired and writes several more brilliant songs using the words as inspiration for lyrics.
The band is a hit and gets several offers including a spot on a live radio show. When The Complainer finds out, he insists that he should be part of the band since his words have been used, and the disaster begins.
I don't know whether this book would have held my interest as well in text form. I definitely got a bit tired of Lucinda and her lack of direction in life.

Finished April 3
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
This psychological thriller features Camille Preaker, a reporter for a newspaper in Chicago. Her editor asks her to investigate a case back in her home town of Windy Gap, Missouri, where two young girls have gone missing. The body of one has been found, and there is much worry over the other. Camille has to gear herself up to return to Windy Gap, as she has bad memories of her childhood there. She does not get along well with her mother, and has practically no interaction with her stepfather. The last time she saw her stepsister, Amma, who is 13, Amma was just a baby. She also has difficult memories of her other stepsister, Marion, who died at the age of 9, when Camille was just 13.
As we move through the book, we discover Camille's way of dealing with her mother, and the lack of maternal attention she received. She forms a relationship with a special investigator from Kansas City partly as an attempt to discover more information for her story. This is a dark story with lots of heartbreak.

Three works of fiction

Finished March 28
Death Comes For the Fat Man by Reginald Hill
The latest in the Dalziel and Pascoe series brings in the element of terrorism. When a police officer thinks he's seen a gun in a video shop, assistance is called in. Dalziel is on duty and Pascoe is called from home in case it is a hostage situation where his negotiation skills might be needed. When the shop explodes, Dalziel is hit badly, but Pascoe has less severe injuries. With Dalziel in a coma, Pascoe is determined to find out what was behind it, but sees intrigue and suspects everywhere. The existence of an anti-Arab group called The Templars that may have support in high places adds more danger to his search for answers. This is a real pageturner.

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
Read by Simon Pebble, 10 CDs
I've been listening to this one on my commute. The first in Fforde's Nursery Crime series, this book introduces Jack Spratt and Mary Mary in their first adventure, searching for the cause of Humpty Dumpty's death. Fforde's imagination inspires so many twists and nursery elements and characters that the listener is spellbound. I love his sense of humour and both his outrageous and subtle uses of allusion and farce. From Prometheus to Willie Winkie, this book will keep you guessing and laughing right until the end.

David Golder by Irene Nemirovsky
Translated by Sandra Smith
This 1929 second novel by Nemirovsky was lauded at the time of its initial publication. The author based the work partly on her own experiences and knowledge of the financial world. The main character is a Jewish financier, disregarded by his wife and valued only for his gifts of money by his daughter. He does not have any remorse for those in need and refuses to help his partner when he comes to him for help. As he fights for his business to survive in a difficult economic time, he also finds that the strain has undermined his health. He has to decide how he really feels about those closest to him and what this means for him in terms of actions.