I’ve been reading like a machine lately. Too bad I can’t play jeopardy like a machine. I might be able to turn it into a side gig. The latest books to add to the 2011 list:
The Delta by Tony Park. This is a suspense military drama set in south western Africa. It starts with a failed assassination attempt in Zimbabwe that bleeds into drama on the Okavango Delta of Botswana and into Namibia. It was an easy, fun read that I particularly enjoyed because of the setting. Also, one of the main characters is American while the other is African. Their view points and conversations — down to word choice — so often mimic the gaps between my Arizonan English vs. that of Matt’s Malawi. Calling me a “nugget” may be a term of endearment in Africa, but in the suburbs of Tempe it sounds a bit angry.
Other examples — a woman’s chassis is not located solely on her car. The greeting “happening” means “how is it going?” Coincidentally, “Howzit” also means “how is it going.”
It is a fun read, especially for anyone who is interested in Africa. Three out of five stars absoloodle.
The second book was a bit harder to muddle through, although it has received rave reviews. On Love by Alain de Botton is a creative approach at a fictional tale of a couple falling into and out of love. It is the full, sweet, insightful, and painful cycle of a relationship. Some of de Botton’s writing caught my breath — it was simply so spot on:
“To be loved by someone is to realize how much they share the same needs that lie at the heart of our own attraction to them. Albert Camus suggested that we fall in love with people because, from the outside, they look so whole, physically whole and emotionally “together,” when subjectively we feel dispersed and confused. We would not love itf there were no lack within us, but we are offended by the discovery of a similar lack in the other. Expecting to find the answer, we find only the duplicate of our own problem.”
Absoloodle. Three out of five stars.
Next up: Kavalier and Clay.
~K