Episode 2 of Reading Rainbow

hey boys and girls, Lavar Burton is off getting his star trek lenses adjusted, so I will be your host today.

Last I left you was that I was finishing up the second of the Shadowmarch series. The third instalment is not out yet, but we are looking forward to its release. Next up was:

Maximum City, Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta - this book is harsh, intense, and truthful. Suketu is a very intelligent writer and he delves into the grimy and wicked underbelly that is Bombay/Mumbai. There are things and people that this book tell about that let you see the corruptness and true colors of this major Indian city. Every city has a tale to tell, and a scene, if not many that are hidden from the average eye, but in this book you learn of more seediness than one could ever imagine. After being in Bombay, its quite a slap of reality. There were parts of this book where I just did not want to read anymore, due to the abrasive nature of the subject, and parts that I just could not put down. I recommend this book for anyone who is going or has been to Bombay/Mumbai. It will shock, disgust, and give understanding to one of the most hectic cities in the world.

Drop City, by T.C. Boyle - After Maximum City, I needed a break. I needed nonsense. This book gave me all I was looking for. This story is about a bunch of hippy dippy messes living in California in the 70s who eventually move to Alaska with their faulted commune. All the characters are majorly flawed and overall not likable people, but the way that T.C. Boyle strings them together with his wacky, poetic and chaotic writing is fantastic. His writing style is what did it for me in the end. I just loved his "magical dream trip" esque descriptions falling off the pages into my escapist brain. Recommended for anyone who likes the drams and kookiness!

Six Suspects, by Vikas Swarup - Loved. This book was a total fun and page turning mystery. Its a grand scheme of "who done it". The entire book, all I could do was imagine it in vivid scenes that would be perfect for the big screen. The fast pace is smooth and all the characters are quite interesting and very different entities from each other. This book also ties in some of India's horrid corrupt political system, which is once again upsetting, but good to know about. I highly recommend this book for a quick, easy and extremely entertaining read.

Life Of Pi, by Yann Martel - Rather enjoyed. We found this book at one of the many places we have stayed that had a book exchange. Jonathan was skeptical, but I thought I would give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised. Usually books that "everyone" reads aren't my cup of tea, but this one really did have that lil bit of magic. Its a story of fear, religion, compassion, and over all, the will to live. This book is also a super quick and easy read, and I recommend it for a moment of feel goodness.

I, California, by Stacey Grenrock Woods - Borrowed this one from where we are staying now. I was in the mood for something light and fun, as we are tearing through books, every now and then you want a mindless one. This hit the spot. Stacey is a relatively witty and sarcastically funny lady. The story is all different chapters dedicated to her bizarre and selfish Southern Californian life. There were many moments when it made me feel at home, since so much that we have been reading has been based in far and away lands. I have to admit she is kind of bratty, but she did get a good out loud laugh to escape my lips a few times, and who doesn't like an out loud laugh while reading. This was much more of a "girl" book though...so take that as you will. I would not run to the store and buy this book, but if you happen across it, its fun.

You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay - Also from the lending library. This is one of those new age reads. I like to consider myself open to the universe and all its wonder, so I like to indulge in books like this every now and then. Overall, the book was not directed to me, but I still learned from it. It is more the sort of thing that people who feel so stuck in some realm of their lives, weather it be health, finances, body image, the past..and want to change but don't know how. One thing that I did find interesting is that she kept stressing "the power of now"...this book was written in 1984, way before Echart Tolle passed that off as his own. Its a simple notion, but obviously many need to hear it again and again to truly get it. There were things in this book that I agreed 100% with, and stuff that I also deemed rubbish. I would recommend this, once again, if you came across it, but now a days there are so many better, up to date books on this subject to choose from.

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwel - This is a book all about split second decisions/feelings. It is an accumulation of studies that show how intuition plays into what we see and do. It is interesting, but I did not think that the whole book would be testimonials. I am actually still reading this one, and I am not in dyer love, but I will still finish. Recommended if your the type who likes analyzing data.

Till next time...take a look, its in a book...