The Bastard of Istanbul is the sixth novel and the second one written directly in English by Elif Shafak. She is loved as much as her co-national Orhan Pamuk, the famous Turkish writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. They have two more things in common: they have been accused of "insulting Turkishness" and both were pardoned with excuses from lack of incriminatory proof. The reason for her being prosecuted is this very book, The Bastard of Istanbul, published in 2006, the … [Read more...]
Books
Writing, writers, books, literature, reviews.
A Fine Balance
I think that Rohinton Mistry's "A Fine Balance" is a book that can't be avoided if you want to read Indian fiction. It is extraordinary well written, it is present in any Top Books list about India, or just Bombay (even if I have recently found one by the British Guardian that listed "Family Matters" on an alleged Top 10 about Bombay, Mistry's 2002 third book). I have my own preferences about books on India, or on Bombay-Mumbai, but I haven't yet read all of the acclaimed books. What can I … [Read more...]
The Art of Big Time Promoting
After a lot of fuss and apparently different marketing methods, The Art of Social Media - Power Tips for Power Users, last book authored by Guy Kawasaki, was launched in December 2014, but until now I couldn't find the time to touch it. It was a very easy read for me, mostly because I am familiar with what they talked in there. "They" meaning Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick, his co-author, or better said, team mate, because the book was written only in Guy Kawasaki's voice. You can find and … [Read more...]
Shantaram, a Magnificent Novel
"Shantaram" is one of the best novels I have ever read, only that there are many novels I read and I liked a lot and considered of high quality. It is huge, but Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy" is huger. They both are so "readable" that you regret every time you put any one of them down. "Shantaram" reminded me of "Papillon", or better said, "Banco", the second in Henry Charriere's series of adventures, but the only resemblance is that the heroes, the authors themselves, were convicts and have … [Read more...]
The Circle by Dave Eggers, a Book About Unity
Dave Eggers is my new hero. I enjoy his writing more than a lot of other things, lately, more than any Dan Brown, for sample. I'm going to speak my mind about Inferno, last Brown's ultra best selling novel, in a future post on this category. Here, I'm gonna praise Mr. Eggers, for his recent The Circle. I have started his 2012 published novel, A Hologram for the King, which determined me to post immediately. Actually I have finished it in the same day, so I have only one word to say about, it: … [Read more...]
James Clavell’s Noble House
I have recently re-read this huge novel, in an edition spread on over fourteen hundred pages and I liked it a little bit less than the first two readings. I found it entertaining but dull and less credible, more like a South American telenovella, where rarely a character is other than black or white, never shady, nor mixed. The good is very good, the bad is bad. [source - imdb] The action takes place in Hong Kong, and flashily evolves during a week, starting with a pair of newly rich … [Read more...]