A good read

December was a productive month on the book reading front... I managed to finish three very different books, and thoroughly enjoyed each one of them.

"Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami
This book is my selection for our next book club read and it has been sitting on my nightstand for a good 6 months so I decided it was time to read it. It was one of the more imaginative books I've read. It essentially focuses on two characters, Kafka and Nakata. Kafka is a 15yr old boy who runs away from home, and Nakata is an elderly man who lives a simple life on welfare. Ultimately their story is connected, but it's an odd, imaginative journey before the connection is made. I liked that the book kept you guessing and in many ways the book seemed like a very bizarre dream. I'm sure it prompted some strange dreams of my own!

"Sophies' World" by Jostein Gaarder
Gordon recommended this book to me. He read it about 15 years ago. I even found an old Glasgow train ticket lying within the pages. The book centres around the main character, Sophie, who one day starts receiving philosophy teachings in the mail from an aging philosopher. The book takes you through a history of Western Philosophy and I found it very interesting and educational. I also found the character of Sophie to be very mature for a 15 year old, the things she said and the questions she asked seemed a bit beyond what a regular 15 year old would think. There's also a fantastic twist that comes into play around three quarters of the way into the book. It's this twist that turns it into an Alice in Wonderland type fantasty land. I laughed out loud at some of the antics in the book. It was creative but factual and I found it thought provoking and entertaining.

"Almost French" by Sarah Turnbull
My sister Kate recommended this to me and it appeared under the tree on Christmas Day (courtesy of Kate and Tim)! It was a relatively quick, fun, humorous read that at times I could really relate to, even if the author was describing adapting to life in France when I am living in Texas! Although the cultures are wildly different (French vs. American) I could definitely relate to the trials and tribulations of adapting to a new culture. What I connected to most of all was her descriptions of what she missed about living in Australia, her homesickness after returning from a holiday to Australia, and the need to retain her Australian-ness while also having to make some changes in order to adapt to the way of life in her new country. I have to admit to feeling more than a little homesick at the end of the book. While for her, France has ties because her husband is French, I don't have any such ties to the USA (Gordon is Scottish) which sometimes makes me wonder... why are we still here?