Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Completed

I just completed this challenge in the nick of time. The challenge introduced me to two new authors that I really enjoyed (Philippa Gregory and Lisa See). It's been a fun challenge traveling around the world!

Lesley located at A Life in Books is holding The Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge.

The challenge runs from July 1 through December 31, 2007 during which time you must read six books that fall under the ‘armchair traveling’ theme.

• Fiction or non-fiction works are fine, and do not need to be specifically travel related, as long as the location is integral to the book - I’ll leave that to your discretion. Locations must be actual places that you could visit, so no Middle Earths or galaxies far, far away.
  


• Books may be cross-posted to other challenges, but you cannot count any books read prior to July 1st.
  


• To join, make a post outlining your six choices and link to that post below. Because I like to have a little wiggle room, you can opt to switch out books throughout the challenge.
  


• And yes, there will be prizes!

I think this is the last challenge that I will join for a while until I complete some of my other challenges. My books for this challenge are:

Brick Lane by Monica Ali [Finished Dec. 25th,2007]
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert [Finished Oct. 31st,2007]
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory [Finished Sept. 2nd,2007]
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini [Finished Nov. 13th,2007]
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See [Finished July 22nd,2007]
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith [Finished Dec. 7th,2007]

Brick Lane

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Finished December 25th, 2007

Rating: 2/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #6



From the Publisher

Monica Ali's gorgeous first novel is the deeply moving story of one woman, Nazneen, born in a Bangladeshi village and transported to London at age eighteen to enter into an arranged marriage.

Nazneen's inauspicious entry into the world, an apparent stillbirth on the hard mud floor of a village hut, imbues in her a sense of fatalism that she carries across continents when she is married off to Chanu, a man old enough to be her father. Nazneen moves to London and, for years, keeps house, cares for her husband, and bears children, just as a girl from the village is supposed to do. But gradually she is transformed by her experience, and begins to question whether fate controls her or whether she has a hand in her own destiny.

Motherhood is a catalyst -- Nazneen's daughters chafe against their father's traditions and pride -- and to her own amazement, Nazneen falls in love with a young man in the community. She discovers both the complexity that comes with free choice and the depth of her attachment to her husband, her daughters, and her new world.
While Nazneen journeys along her path of self-realization, her sister, Hasina, rushes headlong at her life, first making a "love marriage," then fleeing her violent husband. Woven through the novel, Hasina's letters from Dhaka recount a world of overwhelming adversity. Shaped, yet not bound, by their landscapes and memories, both sisters struggle to dream -- and live -- beyond the rules prescribed for them.


I really disliked this book. I didn't enjoy any of it but couldn't bring myself not to finish it once I started it. I didn't connect with the characters and didn't enjoy the writing. It was a painfully slow read. I would recommend skipping this book.

The Full Cupboard of Life

The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith

Finished December 7th, 2007

Rating: 4/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #5






From the Publisher
In the fifth book in the prodigiously successful series, traditionally built, eminently sensible Mma Precious Ramotswe continues her enterprise at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana, a country that is indeed fortunate.

Still engaged to the estimable Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe understands that she should not put too much pressure on him, as he has other concerns, especially a hair-raising request from the ever persuasive Mma Potokwane, matron of the orphan farm. Besides Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in the lady or just her money? This may be a difficult case, but it's just the kind of problem Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.


This book was a big disappointment as the storyline was very weak in this one. I enjoy the different cases that Mma Ramotswe works on and having her solve them. However in this installment she only had one case and very little time was spent on it. I'm hoping the next book in the series is better.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Finished November 13th, 2007

Rating: 9/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #4


From the Publisher

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.


So let me start off by saying that this was one of the best books I have read yet this year. Although it is an excellent book, it didn't quite touch me the same way The Kite Runner did. The writing is amazing, there was never a moment when I was bored or found my interest waning. I highly recommend this book to others.

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Finished October 31st, 2007

Rating: 6/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #3



From Barnes & Noble
Oddly but aptly titled, Eat, Pray, Love is an experience to be savored: This spiritual memoir brims with humor, grace, and scorching honesty. After a messy divorce and other personal missteps, Elizabeth Gilbert confronts the "twin goons" of depression and loneliness by traveling to three countries that she intuited had something she was seeking. First, in Italy, she seeks to master the art of pleasure by indulging her senses. Then, in an Indian ashram, she learns the rigors and liberation of mind-exalting hours of meditation. Her final destination is Bali, where she achieves a precarious, yet precious equilibrium. Gilbert's original voice and unforced wit lend an unpretentious air to her expansive spiritual journey.


When I first started this book I thought I was really going to like it but then after about 50 pages it started to go downhill for me. I enjoyed reading about Liz's experiences in Italy and Indonesia however I found the India piece boring.

I watched the Oprah show when the author was on and I really liked hearing about Liz's experience firsthand. However, I found the book didn't strike the same chord with me as hearing the story firsthand from Liz.

The Constant Princess

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Finished September 2nd, 2007

Rating: 8/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #2




From the Publisher
Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other's company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.

I was expecting great things from this author as I have read numerous book reviews and all highly recommend her books. It started off a little slow but gradually picked up. I have no real insights to share about this book, just that it was a very enjoyable read.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Finished July 22nd, 2007

Rating: 9/10

Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Book #1



I loved this book. It tells the tale of two girls who grow up in 19th century China. They are bonded together as laotongs which establishes a deep friendship between the two for life, very much like a marriage. There are ups and downs as the girls encounter obstacles as they go through the stages of their lives from marriage to motherhood.

I loved learning about the Chinese culture in this book. The book reminded me so much of Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which is one of my favourite books. I found the book to be sadder then Memoirs of a Geisha as a misunderstanding arises between the women when they are older.

I highly recommend this book especially if you liked Memoirs of a Geisha.

The Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge

Lesley located at A Life in Books is holding The Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge.

The challenge runs from July 1 through December 31, 2007 during which time you must read six books that fall under the ‘armchair traveling’ theme.

• Fiction or non-fiction works are fine, and do not need to be specifically travel related, as long as the location is integral to the book - I’ll leave that to your discretion. Locations must be actual places that you could visit, so no Middle Earths or galaxies far, far away.
  


• Books may be cross-posted to other challenges, but you cannot count any books read prior to July 1st.
  


• To join, make a post outlining your six choices and link to that post below. Because I like to have a little wiggle room, you can opt to switch out books throughout the challenge.
  


• And yes, there will be prizes!

I think this is the last challenge that I will join for a while until I complete some of my other challenges. My books for this challenge are:

Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith