This was a pretty good month. I’m almost getting back into the swing of things. Lots of travel stories, some book club choices, and the final instalment of Harry Potter.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
I wasn’t sure about this book at first. I wasn’t sure I could keep the characters straight. I thought at first it was going to be stuffy and over-rated. But by the end I was completely won over, even to the point where Guernsey Island, an occupied island during WWII, seems like a place everyone should visit at some point. When I was finished I wanted to start it over again because I’m sure there is stuff I missed in the beginning before I figured out who was who. Read for the Bookleaves bookclub.
Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for Women Who Are Changing the World
I really enjoyed this book, although it was clear it was written to try to fund the Adventure Diva enterprise, which is a multi-media mother-daughter team who travel the world looking to interview women who are true “adventure divas.” They have an interesting website, including (pricey) tours that you can go on with them.
Expat: Women’s True Tales of Life Abroad
A wonderful little collection of really well thought out essays on what it means to live in a country other than your home. One thing I really liked about it is that it was essays by women I’ve never heard of. Sometimes reading essay collections from authors who you already love can get tedious (as I often find the pieces seem like they are throw-aways that didn’t get published elsewhere, but by shear force of the author’s name can still make money).
In the Name of Honor: A Memoir by Mukhtar Mai
A great video depicting the area and Mukhtar’s life, embedding was disabled, but you can view it here.
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise
I had never even heard of Ruth Reichl and didn’t know that she is an extremely famous food writer, restaurant critic, and editor of Gourmet magazine. This book was fantastic, funny, interesting, and intrigued me on a subject I’ve never been the least bit interested in. This book in particular deals with her need to create disguises so that she could go into a restaurant and be treated like a regular customer and not as herself. The two experiences proved to be vastly different dining, and gave her chance to see how much of New York is really just for the show.
Burnt Shadows: A Novel
Talking about this book at the Seoul Women’s Bookclub brought teary eyes around the table. I had to remind myself several times that the characters in this book are not real. They almost all could have been people that we’ve met on our travels.
I just found this picture on SquidLit blog. I was having a hard time imagining what the “tattooed” burns looked like, when women in the blast were wearing white kimono that had a dark pattern on it, that got inlayed in their skin.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
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Ruby Ramblings 
Thanks for linking that video. I love listening to her talk.
Comment by Talya October 1, 2009 @ 5:04 amYeah, I watched it three times in a row. I love the old pics they put in too.
Comment by therubycanary October 1, 2009 @ 3:53 pmSounds like a good reading month. I’m intrigued by ‘Burnt Shadows’ and ‘Garlic and Sapphires’ in particular.
Comment by karen (morsecode on Ravelry) October 1, 2009 @ 3:57 pmIf you liked “Garlic and Sapphires” you’ll probably enjoy Reichl’s two earlier memoirs and as I understand it, she has a fourth one coming out soon (if not already).
A lot of these books you’ve read in September are on my radar right now, and I hope to read some of them eventually!
Comment by Valerie October 2, 2009 @ 6:01 pmHi Ruby….great reads. I’m interested in Adventure Divas and Expat. Just wanted to let you know that I mentioned your blog in my latest post!
Comment by Kathy October 5, 2009 @ 7:09 am[…] February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, […]
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