With No One As Witness [8] February 24, 2009

I am currently reading more than a few books right now which really seems to slow down my reading. I will have to work on knocking a few of them off before I start my new stash of Baldacci’s (YAY!). This latest , With No One As Witness by Elizabeth George, was another crime/drama, mystery, serial killer novel. She is a British author and lets you know that from the first page. The book was full of British vocabulary and slang (bloody this and that buggering off together to have a nosh). I was not prepared for this since I have not really read much British writing after the 19th century. It really bothered me for the first 150 or so pages, but then I started to become indifferent to it and the story took over. It was quite interesting bringing in racial politics of England, profiling, psychology of a killer, but then it brought in child pornography towards the end and became a little disturbing.

Something else I did not realize when I started the book is that it features a team of detectives, Havers and Lynley, that have quite a long history together. This is actually the 12th book in the series of 14 so far. It is kind of like starting to watch 24 in the 4th season. There were so many characters from previous seasons who made appearances but you may not care as much about them. While the main story of  the novel was stand alone, there were many smaller story lines that were not as meaningful to me. Even when tragedy strikes “at home” for one of the main characters it did not affect me as much as perhaps a loyal reader. I was far more interested in the parts about finding the killer and wanted to skip the rest. I am not in a hurry to go back and read the previous books but maybe someday. I only recommend if you have read the rest of the series first.

In other news I got my bookmark from my Ravelry swap partner today(thanks again drie80!). It is absolutely gorgeous (photo below). It was my first swap and I loved it.  I am doing an Envelope swap this month as well (fill it in under $5). With Ravelry and Postcrossing I am getting a ton of mail these days from all over the world. I also received my wedding invitation from Sarah . I can not believe how soon my trip will be coming. It is so exciting! I wish it were longer, but duty calls at work. Murat is getting everything ready for his visa so I will keep you all posted on how that turns out. Well off to do my Turkish homework so I will be prepared for lessons tomorrow.

Bookmarks I made (photo by MissJulie)

My bookmark by drie80

Oh Happy Day! February 16, 2009

I am finally healthy again!  My prayers have been answered! No more cough, headaches, flu, cold, sinusitis, aches, or pains. They are all gone! So now what? I want more than anything to stay healthy. I dress appropriately for cold weather (including long-johns, cap, and scarf), keep my feet warm at home (since according to the Turks this is the cause of everything from a stomach ache to infertility), get enough sleep, eat healthy (lots of veggies and fruit), and have good hygiene. I do not exercise, but I am not overweight by any definition (5′4″ and 125 lbs). Other than the fact that “S” happens, I really should not get sick. If anyone out there in ‘cyber-land’  has any tips I would love to hear them. Please, do comment ….

In other news (better late than never), I had a wonderful time with my mom when she visited. I was still ill, and she was coming down with the same, but we had fun relaxing and doing little things around the city. We visited the Koç Museum of Transportation, bought head scarves in Eyüp, walked down Istiklal Caddesi, visited our favorite little painter in Ortaköy, and shopped for yarn at the Kurkcu Han. The rest of the time was spent in my neighborhood eating fabulous food, reading, and relaxing. Here are few pics from the trip (with my new camera!)…

Yeni Camii/New Mosque

The square in front of the mosque

Sun shining through…

Ortaköy Mosque

Me and my mom :)

The Voices of Marrakesh [7] February 2, 2009

“I came into contact with camels on three occasions, and each occasion ended tragically.” When this is the opening line of a very short travel narrative, how can you not be intrigued? The Voices of Marrakesh was written by Elias Canetti, the 1981 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I am thinking I would like to read one of his novels now since I really enjoyed his writing style. His words seemed expertly chosen and his writing was so honest. The book was only 103 pages but he packed many stories and fascinating characters into it. There were the camels, the beggar children, and the “holy man” who sucked on the coins given to him to tell the denomination. I especially enjoyed his description the the souks. He may as well have been writing about the bazaars in Istanbul. I felt so at home there.  His words just rang true. It was a very quick, pleasant, and interesting read (2386 pages to date). Some times it is the smaller reads like this, and Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place about Antigua, that give you the best picture of a time and place.

Split Second [6] February 2, 2009

After having no luck finding a copy of Split Second in Istanbul, I asked my mom to bring it when she came to visit. I was so happy to finally read about how Sean King and Michelle Maxwell met. They have such great chemistry as friends, partners, and sometime soon *crossing my fingers* as more than all that . The book helped explain the few references made to the past in both the Hour Game and Simple Genius. Also, an important character that showed up in the first book made reappearances in the latest novel. I would definitely recommend reading the books in order now that I have read them all. According to the web, Baldacci’s fourth book in the series First Family will come out this year. I can honestly hardly wait!

I have now read 2283 pages and February has officially started. I am one book ahead of schedule but we will see if I can keep up the reading pace. Being on vacation has been great for reading, but once school/work starts again I think it will be more difficult.