The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid was the November book for my (former) book club in Charlotte and I am so glad it was and that I read it. When I read about this book when it was first published, I think I had the impression that it was about something altogether different.

Set at a cafe in Lahore, a nervous American stranger encounters a Pakistani man who tells the story of his life and experience in America, before and after September 11th. But it is about more than being a Pakistani in America after the terrorist attacks, it is about an ambitious, smart young man looking for success and love.

This is a short novel, that flows beautifully along.

Swamplandia!

Karen Russell is the writer-in-residence at Bryn Mawr , so I wanted to read Swamplandia! before her reading/appearance this month.

Swamplandia! is an alligator attraction in Florida owned by the eccentric Bigtree family. Sadly, Hiola Bigtree, mother and main attraction at Swamplandia! dies of cancer and as the book opens we find the family and the park in trouble.

The three Bigtree children - Kiwi, Osceola and Ava - struggle to continue to support their father and the park while mourning the loss of their mother and growing into teenagers on a remote island.

The book comes to a climax as Kiwi and the Chief leave the island (separately) to help the park and Ossie ventures off to marry her ghost boyfriend with Ava following behind through the swamplands with a stranger called the Bird Man to rescue her. Much goes awry and I feared for the young Ava, but Russell keeps you reading through the perfect mixture of worry and great writing.

Powell's Holiday 2011 Catalog

Powell's released their Holiday Guide for 2011 today and they have some good ideas (mostly hardcover).

For anyone shopping for me this holiday, The Tiger Wife and The Cat's Cradle are two of the top books on my list :)

http://www.powells.com/holiday/2011/