Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

We are midway through September and it has me feeling pretty good even though some things in my world are stressing me out. I just feel better once fall hits. I start to think about the holidays and special meals and everything that goes with that part of the year.

Right Now:

My Sundays are pretty set. Not much different this morning except that I went bowling last night and my body hurts all over. Yes, bowling does that to me since I do it so infrequently but volleyball had a fundraiser so all four of us went.

This Week:

The Girl is still benched but she has been cleared to begin the phased protocol that takes place before her return to play. She won’t be able to play games this week but I still have to work the snack bar for one of those games.

I have life group on Tuesday. Flu shot clinic on Saturday.

I didn’t mention it last weekend but I was invited by Kaiser to join a pilot nutrition program called Omada. We are placed in teams of 16, we track our food with photos (interesting), weigh-in daily and have a personal coach. Every time I weigh-in, this smart scale sends it right to my coach. No way to fib. I committed to four months. I want to lose at least twenty pounds. We’ll see.

Reading:

I am about to finish The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses): A Novel.

For my next read, I want something really good. Any suggestions?

Watching:

Still watching Fear the Walking Dead but once again it’s petering out and a lot of nothing is going on.

American Horror Story started up again this past Wednesday and I really don’t know what to think.

Making:

With this new program I am on, meals have been pretty simple. I’m still craving seafood. I just cannot get enough of it. Salmon and sushi have been faves. I don’t make the sushi but you get the idea. I am probably lacking some vital nutrient for me to be craving so much seafood.

Grateful for:

I’m happy that fall is coming. I love all of it. The football, the holidays, everything.

Tell me something about your week? Anything you are looking forward to?

Exit West
By Moshin Hamid
Riverhead Books, 9780735212206, February 2018, 256pp.

The Short of It:

Not at all what I was expecting.

The Rest of It:

When my book club selected this book several months ago at our yearly selection meeting, I was eager to read it because of all the reviews I had read but I skimmed those reviews because I didn’t want to know too much about it.

Well, I have to tell you that the story is very unique. In an unnamed, war-torn country, two people meet. Nadia is more head-strong and determined and Saeed is more soft-spoken and sincere but the two marry and find themselves transported to other countries as they try to escape the current war zone they are in. They move from country to country by going through doors, sometimes guarded, sometimes not.

It took me a little while to realize that they were actually going from country to country by these doors. Yes, it’s very “Narnia” and to be honest, I didn’t love this fantastical element. However, after discussing it with the group, I do understand the author’s choice to use it as a means to convey their immediate situation. It would be difficult to enter into a country and not know the language or to be hated, instantly, upon your arrival. Open the door, step through and immediately find yourselves in an uncomfortable situation.

Given the current state of the country I live in, I feel that the author did a good job of raising our awareness without shoving it down our throats. It hit all of us while discussing the book that the immigration issue is only going to get worse as people flee their countries out of desperation.

In the end, this was not a “fun” or entertaining read but it’s not a dark or depressing read either. The author keeps it somewhat light but it’s definitely a story that stays with you.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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