I’m back in Ecuador. My visit home was amazing. My mother’s surgery went really well and it looks like the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes. I am so grateful for that. She recovered relatively rapidly. A couple bumps in the hospital—the patient care was less than stellar. But once we got her home she was up and moving about in a few days. I’m so glad that I was able to be there for my mother. She has done so much for me (beginning with the whole giving me life thing), and although I’ll never be able to come close to repaying her, it felt good to take care of her a little bit.
My brother was also able to come home for the weekend. This summer he is a site director for ASP in Kentucky. At first it didn’t look like he was able to come home, but a friend of the family pulled some strings and got him a few days off. So we had the whole family together again for the first time in over a year. Although the reason behind this happy reunion was less than ideal, we were greatful for the opportunity to be together again.
Returning to Ecuaodr was not fun. I booed all the way to the airport. Leaving my parents was extremely difficult. It did get easier, however, once I was about halfway between Miami and Guayaquil. It is like I have two completely separate realities: my Peace Corp reality and my US reality. Crossing between the two is difficult. It was not easy going to the US either. But once I complete the transition, I’m ok. That probably didn’t make any sense… but that is how I feel.
Since the kids were on vacation this week, I took the week off two adjust to being in Ecuador again. I spent most of the past few days reading. I’ve gotten into the bad habit of not finishing books once I start them. Upon my return to Ecuador I was in the middle of about 8 books. My goal is to not start any more books until I have finished at least 5. So far I have completed 3 of those books.
One great thing about Peace Corps is that we have plenty of time for reading. Here is a list of all the books that I have read (and completed) so far… or at least the ones that I remember.
- Friday Night Knitting Club: Oh my God! So good. Like Steel Magnolias, but set in New York. Made me want to learn how to knit.
- Lipstick Jihad: Just finished this book today. It is a memoir about an Iranian woman who grew up in the United States after her family was exiled by the coup in 1971. She later went back to Iran to be a reporter for Time magazine. It is very good and full of interesting insights and vivid depictions of the repression still going on in Iran. My only complaint was that the conclusion is way to drawn out. Other than that, good book!
- You Belong to Me: An easy read. It is a mystery book that a friend of my mother’s sent me. The ending surprised my, but then again, I’m not very good at figuring out the twists and subtle clues. Entertaining, and exactly the kind of book I needed at the time.
- Prisoner of Birth: Another easy read. This book was a modern day retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, a book I read years ago and really enjoyed. I loved Monte Cristo, and similarly liked this book.
- Santiago’s Children: I finished this book yesterday. Actually, this book was the first one that I read straight through without moving on to another one in a while. VERY GOOD. It is a memoir of a guy who went to live and work in an orphanage in Chile in the early 1980s. For those of you who don’t know your Latin American history, the dictator Pinochet was in power during this period and there was a lot of political repression. Reading this book was very interesting for me because a lot of the author’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions are very familiar to mine; others, not at all. This book made me question a lot about what I am doing in Ecuador, and what it all means. I HIGHLY recommend this book!
- The Constant Princess: I am a big fan of historical fiction. This book, as well as the next two on my list, are written by my favorite historical fiction author Phillipa Gregory. This particular book is about Catherine of Aragon. Although not as entertaining as the next two, this book was pretty good. I like it!
- The Other Boleyn Girl: I really liked this book. This one is about Mary and Anne Boleyn. It is actually very different than the movie. Tons more scandalous!!
- The Boleyn Inheritance: This is the first book I read by Phillipa Gregory and my favorite. It is about two more of Henry VIII's wives: Anne of Guise and Katherine Howard. Every chapter is written from the point of view of Anne, Katherine, or Jane Boleyn. Very good and lots of juicy scandal.
- Mademoiselle Boleyn: This historical fiction book is written from Anne Boleyn’s point of view during her time growing up in the French court. Since there isn't a lot known about her childhood, most of it is obviously fiction. It was strange to read at times because quite a bit of what happens in this book conflicts with The Other Boleyn Girl, which is written by a different author. This book is good in that it is very sympathetic towards Anne, who is usually portrayed as a scheming, power-hungry, shrew. I liked it.
- The King's Daughter: This book is about Henry VIII’s mother, Elizabeth of York. It is alright, but not as good as the Tudor books written by Phillipa Gregory. I didn’t like some of the imaginative turns that the author took. Still, a decent book.
- The Russian Concubine: I really liked this book about a spunky Russian girl growing up in China. My only complaint was that the heroine never bothered to learn Chinese, despite having lived in that country for most of her life. She only hung out with English speakers and hence, only spoke that language. Near the end of the book, however, she began to learn Russian and that redeemed her in my eyes. Anyway, very good and I can’t wait till I get my hands on the sequel!
- P.S. I Love You: I read this book after seeing the movie. I loved the movie. I sobbed during it! Sobbed! I haven’t sobbed from a movie in years. This book is very different than the movie, but just as deliciously heartbreaking!
- Angela’s Ashes: I loved this book! So funny, and yet poignantly heartbreaking. It was interesting reading about the extreme poverty while working as a PCV. I highly recommend this book.
- Tis: Not as good as the first, but still really good. I liked how the author didn’t portray himself as perfect, but as human. Many of his mistakes were hugely apparent—like a marriage that we all knew was doomed from the beginning or his drinking problem, yet he never shied away from it. Even his most embarrassing moments. I can’t wait to get my hands on his third book.
- Bergdorf Blonds: Dumb, dumb, DUMB! I wanted something light and easy. This book was too much of that. So weird reading about rich people complaining about having to fly commercial when my biggest complaint is my constant lack of runnin water.
- 2001 A Space Odyssey: Bad, bad, weird, strange, bad. I read this book looking for interesting insights and allegories. After all, it is supposed to be pretty famous. I was wrong. It is just weird. Ok, at first it is interesting science fiction. But near the end it just descends into the most bizarre thing I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favor, never read this book.
- The Bookseller of Kabul: SO GOOD!!! During the recent War in Afghanistan, the author was sent to the country--I believe--to report. One day in Kabul, she ended up meeting this bookseller whom she quickly became fascinated with. The bookseller eventually invited her into his home so that she could observe him and his family for several months in order to write a book about them. This book, with slight alterations, is the result. It is extremely fascinating to read about these complex characters and the struggles and poverty they have had to overcome. READ IT!
- Sushi for Beginners: Eh. Not too great. But I needed something light and fluffy at the time, and this book filled that requirement. Don’t read this book unless it is a last resort.
- The Map of Love: I don’t really recommend this book. It was alright, but it dragged at many parts. This story is set in Egypt and jumps back and forth between modern day (being the 1990s) and the beginning of the 20th century as it recounts two parallel stories. I liked the historical tidbits and the occasional Arabic thrown in, but only one of the two stories was interesting and I had to pull myself through the boring parallel story.
- The Crystal Cave: This fantasy book is the first in a series of four that my mother recommended to me. All are written from the point of view of Merlin. The first one is about his childhood and continues until the conception of the future King Arthur. It is pretty good, but it takes a lot of concentration. Not a light, easy read.
- The Hollow Hills: The second book in the series. In this book, Merlin recounts Arthur’s childhood. It ends with Arthur sleeping with his half sister and then his horror when he learns what he did.
- The Forever King: One of my volunteer friends lent me this book, telling me that it was originally an assigned reading book in high school but she liked it so much that she’s repeatedly read it since then. It is a fantasy book about reincarnation, the Holy Grail, and King Arthur and his crew reborn in modern times. It was alright. An easy read.
- Beneath a Marble Sky: This is the first book that I read in Peace Corps. I loved it and lent it to a bunch of volunteers who all loved it. I no longer have any idea where this book is :(. Oh well. Anyway, this book is a love story that takes place around the building of the Taj Mahal. It definitely solidified my desire to travel to India.
- Beautiful Boy: This book is written by a well known author about his son’s addiction with meth. It is a good book and very poignant, but drags near the end. The author does not know when to wrap up, summarize, and say good-bye. His son’s in rehab, out of rehab, disappeared, found, in rehab, out of, disappeared, found, etc. And each time the cycle repeats, the author reintroduces his conflicted emotions. I’d say that it is good until the last 100 pages, which are mostly superfluous.
