Where I Go When the World Is Too Much

A couple of days ago something not very nice happened to me, I received some bad news. I won’t tell you what news, that’s not relevant at the moment. I will just say that rejection hurts and I will stop here. I am more disappointed than hurt, to be honest, but it will pass, eventually.

This time, instead of feeling sorry for myself and swimming in the sea of self-pity, I went shopping on the world wide web and bought myself some books. And afterwards, I started reading India Holton’s The League of Gentlewomen Witches and I laughed so much and so hard I snorted my tea.

So yes, maybe I live sometimes in an imaginary world populated by enchanted libraries, wizards, flying castles and lady pirates, but it is my way of coping with reality.

I remember one summer when there wasn’t too much to do. I wasn’t that young as to be sent outside to play with friends so I was bored and lonely. And then I discovered a cabinet whose lower part was crammed full with books. I don’t know why or who had put them there. What I remember is that I sat down in front of the cabinet, I took a book and I began reading. And during that summer, I read all the books inside that piece of furniture. And just like that, the long, dull summer became something magical. It was the first time I discovered that a book could open a door and take me somewhere else.

And so it went on.

Because most of the time nobody really paid attention to what I was doing, I continued reading.  I decided I wanted to spend my life surrounded with these enchanted things. The books in our home, the books at the school library and the ones at the city library, too. I devoured them. I was unstoppable.

And I have been living with them, inside them ever since. Filling myself with other people’s words and sentiments until I couldn’t feel my own.

You know what Heaven looks like to me? A huge library. If I close my eyes I can see it so clearly in my mind. Endless shelves. Quiet corners. Big windows with comfortable window seats. Armchairs, chairs, whatever I fancy. Rooms with books for different moods: classical, a dark gothic wing for Dracula and Frankenstein and Anne Rice. Shelves upon shelves of cozy fantasy, another room for beautiful deluxe editions. And of course, an enchanted cat wandering between them. What a dream! To be able to read whenever I wanted, for as long as I wanted. No chores, no hospital visits, no long nights of anxiety, no bad thoughts.

Books helped me my entire life. I have read myself safe and sane so many times.

When life would be too much, I would disappear in a book for a while.

So, a few days ago I got upset because of some news I received.  I sat down and wrote about it. And then I read a book. And then reality was manageable again. 

Good Bye, Mr. Steimatzky!

Image via Wikipedia If you've been reading my blog, you already know that I am addicted to books...I don't have a lot going on in my life, you see. Between being a new immigrant and a staying at home mother, it gets very lonely sometimes. Did I mention that my husband works long hours? So I find comfort and solace in books...Since I am not able to read in Hebrew (well, more that Maya's board books, I mean) I read in English...It was a time I used to buy my books from Amazon.com but I find the shipping fees enourmously high...I have a very good friend, British and I buy from her British chick lit. I also have a Kindle, but we're still in the early stages of our relationship.
As a former journalist I found the smell of paper and ink very appealing. I love books, as you can see...And book stores as well.
Until lately, I had a good friend working at the Steimatzky store close to my house. Because my frequent visits to the store we developed a good client- shop assistant relationship. She helped me find books, ordered the ones that she new I liked , recommended books for Maya...In short, I was a very happy customer...But, the crisis struck the Israeli ecomony and they fired her!!! I was speechless when she told me... Who is going to help me now? I asked myself. And it seems I was right, because after aproximately two weeks after they fired her I went to the shop to see if they had something new...well, they didn't...Nodody cares about the English books department anymore...The staff that works there is nice and all, but they hardly can type in English and when I asked one of them to find me a book I wanted to order she just didn't get it right...in the end, she told me they don't have it...
Come on, people! I know there are not a lot of English-reading persons in Ashdod, but, what the heck! You sell English book so why to let go the only person that had an excellent grasp of the language and knew about what was going on on the book market...
I know can oder on-line from Steimatzky's web site, but it just lacks the human touch...I went to the store to socialize and to talk about books, one of my favourite subjects...It was a time when I used to go to Tel Aviv once a month or so to buy second-hand books and to peruse the Steimatzky book shop on Dizengoff street. I enjoyed it and I think I'll do it again. It is also an opportunity for some me time, as well.
You know, maybe I need to organize a book club...but I am not sure I could find here, in Ashdod, anybody who would be interested....Hmmm...maybe not, maybe yes. This could be a project of mine, instead of just sitting here, feeling sorry for myself...

So, anyone for a book club?

Me? I'll Just Go To Burry My Head in the Sand...

Image by kwerfeldein via Flickr

I didn't plan to write a post today, but I felt this....urge to share my latest thoughts...so here I am. First of all, I have to say a few words about a book I finished. It is called "Things Your Mother Never Told You", and its by Olivia Lichtenstein. And as I am crap at reviewing books I'll just paste here what "Goodreads" says about the book. If I am not mistaken, it is the book's blurb.

"'I hate you. When I'm a mother, I'm never going to be like you...' These words come back to haunt Ros, years later. As her marriage of twenty years collapses and her beloved twin sons prepare to flee the nest, Ros's world is tilting on its axis.It doesn't help that her dead mother seems to have taken up residence in her head, reminding her of things she once said.
As Ros tries to adapt to sharing custody of the family dog and life without her husband and boys in the house, she embarks on a new regime to stay sane: yoga, herbal remedies,internet dating. But as Ros is trying to find herself, the arrival of a memoir her mother wrote begins to reveal a woman she never knew, taking her on a journey into her mother's past that will change forever her idea of who she is. A sharp, funny and touching novel about the secrets mothers and daughters keep from each other. "

I just want to add, the book is fantastic! The heroine is in her forties and it was easy to relate to a lot of her trials and tribulations. I cried a lot while reading and when I finished the book I felt sad, like saying good bye to a good friend. I think this book will go into my "to be re-read" pile. Also, I know the author published another book (before "Things..." ) intitled "Mrs Zhivago of Queen’s Park" and if I'll find it on bookdepository I'm going to buy it, even though I know my husband won't aprove it, as we're were short of money at the moment... Anyhow, after finishing the book, I went to check Olivia L. on the internet and so I came cross her web side and her biography. Oh my God...I was ashamed of myself...wow...the lady is something...OK, so in the beginning I said to myself I'll write more about this mother/daughter thing but now I don't want to do it anymore. Go and read Olivia Lichtenstein's book. She did a better job than I'll ever do, anyway... I'll just go to burry my head in the sand.We have plenty of that here...
I just want to add that I hope that between me and my daughter will never be any unspoken words and, no matter what one would say, I hope I'll do a better job raising her than my own mother did with me...

A Book that Will Leave You Breathless

Cover via Amazon

I am always on the lookout for good books, for books that will amaze me, leave me craving for more. It happened with Harry Potter and the Twilight saga and Lord of The Rings and lately with Ilona Andrews. But today I finished reading "Push" by Sapphire (they made a movie, "Precious") and I was...I don't know...the book left me speechless and nauseous. I mean, it absolutely hits you right in the chest, leaving your breathless...I don't write book reviews but I'll have to say that this book will teach you a lesson or two. And the most important one is, in my opinion, be yourself. Accept yourself the way your are, and only after you did that you'll be able to move forward and heal.
It hurts to read a book like "Push" because it is so brutally honest and so unfair and so painful. But there is also hope, yes, Precious, the 16 year old black girl, with two children ( her father's children, also, can you imagine that?) illiterate, HIV positive, learns to read and write and even if she doesn't know if she'll be alive in ten years she dreams about becoming a writer maybe, and discovers who she really is, seeing herself in the eyes of her son.
If you didn't read the book, I strongly recommend it. It will show you thinks hard to imagine and it will shock you and fill you with rage, but it will show you that kindness and humanity are precious gems hidden underneath filth and their power will always shine through...

The Joy of Discovering New Authors

Image by Ben Templesmith via Flickr

I love books, I really do. My house is full of them, to my husband's chagrin as I try to snatch here and there a few moments of reading between house, Maya and other stuff. I even read on the toilet, forget my saying...I am beyond being a bookworm, I am more of a book zombie, because as they crave for flesh I crave the next book like my life depends on it.
I go through a lot of books monthly and I am always thrilled when I discover new authors. This past couple of weeks I discovered two new (for me) authors that write vampire novels. I am a huge fan of the urban fantasy genre and I've liked vamp fiction way before the Twilight craze. I was born in Transilvania, remember? We studied Vlad Tzepesh in school, for crying out loud...About the authors: one of them is known to have written YA thrillers waaaaaaay before you know who - I'm talking about Christopher Pike and his The Last Vampire Series (well, he wrote a whole lot of books, but I've started with the aforementioned series) and Alex Duval with Vampire Beach (I read only the first four novels, there are six in total). I absolutely loved the books! I am no biggie in book reviews, I am the one reading them, I don't like writing about them but I would recommend them for the vampire fiction fans out there. The authors' styles are different, the novels' universes are totally different but the public is the same, as they are aimed at the young adult audience.
I enjoyed them and now I am looking for the next author. Any suggestions?

Did I Tell You About the Books?

Image by Yuliya Libkina via Flickr

I've been reading like crazy this days. Everything that falls under my hands, no matter of genre. And I must say I had a hell of a reading experience! I fell in love all over again with authors I knew, I discovered new ones, I had a lot of fun...
About the books now...
The one that kept me giggling at night until my husband asked me to leave the bedroom because he couldn't sleep was Sophie Kinsella's "Twenties Girl". I love Kinsella, I read all her books but this one, it is such a fun and light read and simply enjoyed it imensely so I recommend it to anyone that likes the chick lit genre.
An interesting author and an even more interesting book is Connie Willis's "Doomsday Book". Willis is a new author for me and after reading "Doomsday Book" I am willing to read more of her books. Here is the book's blurb, although the book is way more than that:
For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin -- barely of age herself -- finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.
I am currently reading "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley and I can already say I love it. I love books written from the perspective of young girls (this book reminded me a bit of "The Secret Life of Bees" because of the authors' "voices" are similar somehow).
After I'll finish "The Swettness..." I intend to read Muriel Barbery's "The Elegance of the Hedgehog".
Oh, and I almost forgot. I read Michael Grant's "Gone", YA literature, nice but not very original - teenagers that have to face a world without grown-ups, as misteriously, one day, all the people that are above the age of 15 dissapear.
Meanwhile, Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher's Dresden Files) is still the man of my dreams...I know I owe my fellow book-lover and blogger Simcha - http://blog.42scifi-fantasy.com/- an explanation - "Why Harry Dresden?" and I promise I'll write about my love story with Jim Butcher's character in a few days time...
And now I'm off...reading , of course!

I'm Back!...With Snow White and Some Vampires

Image by Brandon Christopher Warren via Flickr

I am not feeling better...in fact, today I felt worse...This bug or whatever it is, it gives me a hell of a time. But I couldn't stay away from my computer anymore. I started having withdrawal symptoms, like "writing" stuff in my head...
I didn't have time to think about me being sick, as Maya didn't go to the kindergarten this week, she was coughing like possesed, we didn't sleep for three nights in the beginning of the week because she kept coughing and waking up and throwing up...But thank God, she is feeling better now, after a lot of medicine and syrups and stuff. She is such a good girl, she took everything I gave her, no matter how bitter and didn't complain, not even once.
So, I had her at home this week and that meant no time to do anything else, just taking care of her. I managed to keep her quiet from time to time, she started enjoying tales, and now I have to read to her, each and every night, the same story - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Now and then she agrees to the "Little Red Ridding Hood" also.
And me? In between tales and playing the nurse I managed to read a few books. Oh, and I didn't tell you that I won a book at a book give-away. It was here http://www.42scifi-fantasy.com/index.html
that there was a contest, and I won! I got the chance to pick a book of my choice and I am now in the possesion of a copy of "The Tel Aviv Dossier", a book written by Nir Yaniv and Levi Tidhar. You can read an excellent review here http://blog.42scifi-fantasy.com/.
Apart from this book, I've read Jeaniene Frost's "Night Huntress" series and I must say I loved the books. And Bones, the vampire, OMG, forget Edward Cullen, he's a pussy in comparison with Bones, he's a real badass and an exquisite lover. If you didn't read the books, go grab them, you won't be dissapointed. There are four of them right now and the authors plan on another series, with characters from the Night Huntress. As I entered a new vampire-oriented phase in my reading, I am reading now Colleen Gleason's "The Gardella Vampire Chronicles". I am not very keen on historical, and in this series the plot takes place in the 19th century London, it is like Buffy the vampire slayer with her stake hidden in her coiffure, but, why not?
It is strange, all this me loving vampire literature...and no, it didn't start with Stephenie Meyers. As I said before, I was born in Transylvania (Romania) and we studied about Vlad Tzepesh in our history classes. Everybody knew he was a ruthless ruler and well known for his cruelty. Strangely enough, he was the good guy for us. The Romanian leaders had had the reputation of corrupt bastards since...since before the Romans conquered Dacia, and Tzepes had a very "personal" way of dealing with corrupt boyars. It is said that during his rule there weren't any locked doors in Walachia, because there weren't any thieves either...There is even a saying, when things go wrong with a politician or another, the Romanian just lifts his gaze to the sky and says:"Oh, where are you, Tzepesh, my Lord..."When later, all this Dracula stuff came out, it was hilarious, but hey, whatever it took to keep Vlad Tzepesh's memory alive...Speaking of which, I liked the way Mrs. Frost introduced the guy in her books, and I think it is the first time when I am not angry of the way a writer uses and links the vampire myth to the Wallachian ruler.
As you can see, I missed writing in my blog...so, no matter how I feel, I'll try to come and write some more...And I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Now, off to bed, my back is killing me...

Back On Track (Hopefully)

Finally, I have some good news to share...Maya is felling better and today she went to the kindergarten (after she stayed at home for more than a week, poor chick!). She is still on antibiotics, as her ear infection didn't clear up completely, but she hasn't had a fever for two days now, and I thought it'd be better for her to have some routine back into her life...I was miserable all this time mainly because she wasn't this sick until now, so many days with fever and terrible earaches...She is now thin as a stick as she didn't eat properly, but I believe in the kids' power to get back on track easier than we adults can.

One good thing came out from this period of darkness and worries. I read a lot of books! It was the only thing that distracted me from my thoughts (oh, my own head wasn't a nice place to be) and I discovered a buch of new authors (well, new for me). I started with L. J. Smith and I read her "Dark Visions" and "Vampire Diaries" (young adult fiction, very likeable). Then, I moved to P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast with their seres "House of Night" (another young adult series, loved it even more that L.J. Smith's books, the main character, Zoey Redbird is a hoot and also a special fledgling, oh, just read the books, will you ?). I managed to read the 4th book of the "Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead. Another great author that I've "met" is Lisa Lutz, she wrote two books, "The Spellman Files" and "Curse of the Spellmans", very funny, about a private investigator and her crazy family. I started a new series, urban fantasy, by Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels (Magic Bites, Magic Burns and Magic Stikes). Actually, I started reading it yesterday night and I am really looking forward to it. Before Ilona Andrews I started Angie Sage's "Septimus Heap" series but, I don't know, we didn't click, the book and I. I just put it aside and try it again later. I always give a second chance to a new writer. I almost forgot about Jennifer Weiner's latest book: "Best Friends Forever". Loved it. I was a bit worried for Mrs. Weiner because the book before this one, called "Certain Girls" was ... simply bleah...and I love Jennifer Weiner, I've read all her books and loved them.

So, I lot of books, huh? I have to thank here again Thalia, my friend from the Steimatzky book store in Ashdod, as she is the one "feeding" my addiction, she finds for me books and always puts aside the ones that have some vampire stuff in them.

And what next? For now I have "The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Oh, I love this woman!) and I want to read Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" (urban fantasy series)...Fingers crossed everything will be fine with my baby and my family, as they are the ones driving me crazy...

One more thing: as you can see from the pictures, Maya is into books also, just like her mama...

Blogger's Block

Image by Pensiero via Flickr

For some days now I've been experiencing a sort of blogger's block combined with a reader 's block...I cannot write but I am not able to read either... I have literally thousands of books waiting to be read, dead tree ones as well as e-books and I just look at them, unable to touch one, open it and start...It happens to me sometimes, after I read a book that really speaks to me I have to wait for a while to be able to connect with another book, another writing style, another universe. I loved so much the reality created by Lukyanenko in his Night Watch tetralogy that I am not able to leave it. So I don't think I have a chance, but to re-read it right away. And maybe this will cure my other block, as well. For me, reading and writing go together, I have no idea why.

Oh, and we're now anxiously waiting for the 1st of September, when Maya starts kindergarten. I am so nervous, I've got a stomach ache just thinking about it...

And my sister leaves in two days. It was nice to have them here, but it was also incredibly tiresome. I had to look after them, to cook, to clean and also to play the referee between Maya and his cousin, as he found her overwhelming and didn't want to play with her. Of course, Maya is the friendly type, so she suffered a lot and I tried to entertain her, making her forget her frustration. So, I played a lot lately...Again...

I think I am just waiting now for my life to enter some sort of track after Maya, hopefully, will get settled into her new life outside our home, and I also want to start a few "daring" projects - I am going to tell you about them some other time.
Now I'll just finish this post - started it a few hours ago and got sidetracked by Maya - and go find something useful to do. Like sleeping, for example...
Night - night whoever you are.

Cosmic Sadness...

Image by G a r r y via Flickr

Yesterday night I finished Sergei Lukyanenko's "The Last Watch"...After I finish a book or series that I love, I am usually overwhelmed by a huge sadness. What I am going to do know without my favourite characters, Anton, Svetlana, Olga, Geser, even the infamous Zabulon...I hate when a book ends...I feel it like an almost real break-up, like some very good friends deserted me. We spent together a lot of time. Every night, until late, they told me about themselves, their lives, thoughts, feelings, we had fantastic adventures together, and now they left me!
Of course I have a lot of books waiting to be read. But I have no idea what to read next, what would feel "right" after Lukyanenko. I thought about some other urban fantasy writer, but I don't know who to start with. So meanwhile, until I'll make up my mind, I'm reading Ellen Schreiber's "Dance with a Vampire" (a "Vampire Kisses" novel), young adult literature, sweet and nice...

I went to Wikipedia - one of my favourite places on the net and I found there a comprehensive list with authors that write urban fantasy - my favourite literary genre. So I think I'll just start "digging" for books...

If you have some suggestions for me, I'll be happy to hear them.

About Books and Sleep Deprivation

Cover of Day Watch (Unrated)

I am sooooo tired! I've been reading like crazy this past days and I am sleep deprived, seriously sleep deprived...Of course, no matter how tired I am, I cannot take even a tiny nap during the day, as I have to take care of Maya. She doesn't nap because she sleeps 12 hours per night, so she's perfectly rested during the day. As for myself...God, I am so tired. And it is only 3.40 in the afternoon. I still have to cook dinner (broccoli and cauliflower bake) and to give Maya her snack (brb) -done, give her a bath and a million other small chores around the house.

As I said, I am tired because I read a lot these days, and I can read only at night, after Maya goes to sleep and I finish my chores (clean the mess in the house, take out the garbage and the dog). But it was worth it, it was worth every second of my lost sleep.

And I am going to tell you all about the books I've been reading and you'll decide if you'll want to read them, too. But later. Now Maya plays with the broom and started knocking down things from the shelves...

Well, Maya is asleep now and here I am, bleary eyes, writing about the great books I've been reading. I won't tell you again about Sergei Lukyanenko because I've already written a lot about him. I just want to say that I finished "The Night Watch" and I am now "in" "The Day Watch". Brilliant.
I also read Alice Kuipers' "Life on the Refrigerator Door". It is a book that can be read in one or two hours, it is written as notes left by a mother and her daughter on their refrigerator , but, as the book's blurb says, "you'll remember it long afterwards". I think you should give it a try. Especially if you are a mother. After I finished the book , last night sometime, I just couldn't fall asleep. I cried until I've gotten myself a headache and afterwards I ....forget it. Read the book.Or take a peep here:
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/08/author-interv-1.html

To continue on a merrier note, I read also "Confessions of a Demented Housewife - The Celebrity Year", by Niamh Greene. Absolutely hilarious!!! Very easy read, and so funny. Especially after Alice Kuipers'. Although very different, loved them both.
If you want to visit Niamh Greene's site, here it is:
http://www.niamhgreene.com/

Now, non-fiction. I read very rarely non-fiction. It has to be something special, I don't even remember when was the last time I read such a book. I think it was "What to Expect, The Toddler Years", the book that helped me with raising Maya or some other book about raising kids...So, the book "Abundace and the Secret Law of Attraction" by David Lowell...nah, not for me...That's what I thought in the beginning. After I started to read it, I just couldn't have enough. I don't know, the book spoke directly to me, it was such a nice read and it had such a clear line of thought, easy to follow. You can see the book and the reviews here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CC67HY/sr=8-1/qid=1245333834/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1245333834&sr=8-1&seller

What I am planning to read next? Well, I have "Day Watch" to carry on with. Some nice chick lit by Sarah May is waiting for me - "The Rise and Fall of a Domestic Diva" (sounds good) and I also would like to read the last two books in the "Vampire Kisses" series (by Ellen Schreiber). Nice series, for teens, but I love YA literature very much, especially fantasy (and vampires, of course). I've read the first three books and loved them.

Enough for today...I keep saying I am dead tired, so I'll have to do something about it...like, go to sleep, maybe?

Night-night whoever you are! Are read a book, for Heaven's sake!

Just Another Day

Like mother, like daughter...

As you can see, Maya took out her favourite books and demanded:

"Take a picture of me, mummy".

Of course, I complied, and here she is, reading, on top of her books and Bob the Builder tools kit.

Today, until now, it was a normal Sunday, if anything can be called normal in our household...

At least we try to keep up appearances...

I've already finished one of the books that I've bought from Tel Aviv. It is called "Witch Way to Murder" and it is written by Shirley Damsgaard. A nice cosy mystery where the main characters are Abby and Ophelia, grandmother and grand-daughter, two witches (well, Ophelia still has issues concerning her "witchiness, but will overcome them in the end) on their way to solve a nasty row of crimes. Don't expect some mind -shattering, wow-factored book. It is a nice read, a good book to take with you on the beach. I checked on Amazon, and it seems there is now a series of books by Mrs. Damsgaard, based on these two characters.

O.K. Next book!

I have to finish now...Maya keeps pestering me and doing all kind of things to catch my attention, like smearing one of my favourite body lotions on one of her Bratz posters...

Today we are going to the local library. The library doesn't have a great selection of books in English, but you can take two books per month for free. So, even if the books are not the latest bestselleres, it is something to read. Last time I found some nice books by Barbara Delinsky and Sheila O'Flanagan. Maybe I'll be lucky this time also.

The library is pretty far from our apartment, so we have to go by bus, something that Maya likes a lot. It is like a little adventure for her.

So, for now, this is what we had planned for today.

(in the first picture you can have a glimpse at my book shelves)

Oh, and don't forget to take a look at "Chick lit is nor dead" blog- you can find it among the blogs that I follow. They feature Jennifer Weiner today, one of my favorite writers. Here is the link anyway:

http://chicklitisnotdead.com/2009/06/25-things-liz-lisa-want-to-know-about-jennifer-weiner/

I have to go now. Didn't even brush my teeth this morning. Yuck! See you later...

So many books, so little time

Maya is reading to our dog, Dubi...

Image by FriskoDude via Flickr

I am definitely a book worm. I love books, I love to read...I cannot imagine a world without books for myself. Books keep me sane, they help me escape this reality and enter so many different and fascinating worlds. When I don't read, I listen to audio books, so that no precious second goes wasted. I love classical literature, I like to return to "old" favorites from time to time (Dickens, Austen, Bronte). I am pretty ecclectic in what I read, I like different genres: I love chick lit, also a good mystery, I am a huge fan of the new urban fantasy genre, I like fantasy (not everything, though), I love good poetry. I don't read science fiction or romance (well, maybe from time to time, when I need a good cry out). I love latin-american writers (Mario Vargas Llosa is my favourite), Romanian writers (I read them in Romanian, of course) will always strike a deep chord in my soul. But, above all, I LOVE indian writers. It doesn't matter if they were born and raised in India, emigrated, born and bred in the UK, born somewhere else in the world...The indian writer has something so special that, for me, at least, it is impossible to explain. They write differently, but they have something in common, a certain way with the words that make me re-read them avidely.

Examples?

Rohinton Mistry - absolutely the best - for me, at least; Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ("The Mistress of Spices" ,mmmmm, when I read this book, I can always smell the spices in her shop); Zadie Smith ("On Beauty", marvelous), Hanif Kureishi, Arundhati Roy (mind blowind) and the list can go on.

I discovered a writer that I didn't hear of, his name is Ali Sethi, I bought his book "The Wish Maker" and he's actually from Pakistan. Cannot wait to read it!

So, if you've heard of a good indian writer, please let me now!

And if you think Maya is not with me in this books business, you're wrong...and I have the photo to prove it...(as you can see in the begining of the post).And after I'll manage how to post photos where I want them, I'll post more.

P.S.

I am truly pleased with myself. The second season of "True Blood" has started an I have the first two episodes.Good bye Edward Cullen, Hello Bill Compton!