The Little Prince

Continuing with my theme of books that are supposed to have a deep meaning, I picked up The Little Prince. It was OK, but having read it right after The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane I have to admit I didn't love it. I may be unfairly comparing the two.  Maybe, also, I shouldn't have read the two so close together, but Edward Tulane's story was so much more compelling for me.  I know The Little Prince is considered a classic and I always hate when I don't immediately fall in love with a classic. It makes me feel like I don't "get it". In this case, however, I get it and the moral of the story is very lovely and somewhat spiritual. It just didn't hit me with the same force as the Edward Tulane story.

If you haven't already read it, The Little Prince is about a little prince who travels the universe and comes across a man on Earth who has crashed his plane in the Sahara desert. The two learn a lot from each other about love, compassion and what's important in life (hint: it's the things you see with your heart, not your eyes). It was sweet and definitely a quick read since it was originally written for children.  Is is one of my favorites? Not really. Is it worth a read? Sure.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Oddly enough, I came to this book via one of my more recent guilty pleasures - KDramas.  I started watching Korean Dramas last year. One of them, called My Love From Another Star, has a main character who reads this book frequently. That piqued my interest so I picked it up from the library.  I loved it. I love the message in it and I love the story as a whole. It's written in such a beautiful, simple way that there's no way you could hate it.  Although it seems to be for children since it's illustrated and extremely easy to read, it's really for all ages because the moral is applicable to everyone. Open your heart to love and be hopeful of the journey. I won't get into the details because I just want you to go and read it for yourself.

This is now one of my personal favorites and I will be purchasing a copy from the bookstore.

Side note: 

The Korean drama that led me to this book is also about a journey to love. If you're interested you can catch all 21 episodes of it here.

Paris Letters

The minute I started reading this book I had the thought that it may change my life. I know that seems dramatic, but I related to everything the author was saying and I was familiar with many of the emotions she felt. It's a true story about one woman who is unsatisfied with her job and decides to start writing in her journal on a daily basis in order to discover what she wants out of life. Turns out she wants to quit her job and live in Paris. She does this and her life greatly improves because it's the life she wants to live on her own terms. It almost sounds cliché but she finds love, happiness and peace. 

Since I am the first to admit that most of us are leading lives of quiet desperation (myself included!) this story resonated with me.  Who doesn't dream of quitting it all and living the life you want to live instead of the life dictated by bill due dates and dogma? Or I could just be delusional and maybe it really is just me who feels this way. Either way, I was deeply inspired to really discover what it is I want out of life and how to go about getting it. It doesn't hurt that Paris is where this author chose to travel. Since it's one of my favorite cities, I was already a bit biased towards this story. 

I really loved this book. I loved what it represented as an idea. It made me really want to make a concerted effort to be happy and live the life I'm meant to live and not a life society says I should live. This was a very enjoyable, light, quick read and I think it's a perfect outdoor book.  Now that the spring weather has arrived, pick it up and enjoy at your local park or outdoor space. 

The Best of Times

If you have diabetes, skip this book because the syrupy sweetness will surely put you into a diabetic coma.  This book is the Game of Thrones of chick-lit.  I say that because there are easily twenty characters. Their stories are all intertwined because of a fateful car crash on a highway in England.  At times I felt like I was reading an extended version of the movie Love Actually.  I can't even get into the multitude of characters and their back stories.  Just know there are a lot relationships started, broken, patched up, broken again, and then finally ending in either marriage or some other suitable resolution, like engagement or co-habitation.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for what it was, but it was just entirely too long.  I think it was fine for the crash to be the catalyst for the story.  It was a good way to introduce the characters. Once they were established, and the cause of the crash was resolved, we are still subjected to the entire inquest as well as the planning for a charity fundraiser for the hospital where victims were treated. Those bits were not too interesting to me. This would have been a perfect book for summer reading on vacation.  It's also a good choice for a snowstorm weekend. Please just know what you're getting into when you pick it up.

The Sweet Life in Paris

Of course I had to read one more book about Paris before the end of the year. This one was another true story about someone in the culinary field moving to Paris to live out some dreams. The author is a pastry chef who moves from San Francisco. In each chapter he talks about the differences between living in the United States and Paris and discusses his experiences with food in the City of Lights. He also includes a recipe or two at the end of each chapter.  If you are a budding chef or a foodie, you can definitely get some good ideas from here. A lot of the recipes sound pretty mouth-watering.

I think I'm getting used to the American-in-Paris books because I'm starting to notice the pattern in them. The book is a quick read and although it wasn't my favorite book about living in Paris, it was fairly enjoyable.

Lexicon

I don't post about every book I read.  Occasionally I read one that is so bad, it's not even worth taking the time to make a post about it.  So I was on the fence about posting this book.  It commits the cardinal sin of staring out interesting and then falling flat in a terrible way.  It wasn't horrible, but because it started out so promising and became so disappointing I was unreasonably angry towards the end. It is a good airport book, which is where I started reading it. I was in three airports within a 24-hour period and this book allows for easy reading and frequent interruptions. So as an airport book, it's fine because you are paying light attention and the story works for light attention.  However, once I got to my destination and finished the book, I was keenly aware of all the plot holes and it made me mad.  I also realized that none of the characters were fully developed and I didn't care about any of them.

The book follows Emily Ruff who is a teenage runaway. She gets vetted by a 'special school' that teaches mind control with the use of words.  She becomes impatient and rebellious and instead of learning things as they are taught to her, she seeks out advanced knowledge.  Of course she gets all this advanced knowledge but has no clue what to do with it because she didn't take the time to learn the basics. She ends up killing another student through misuse of 'the words' and gets kicked out of the academy and banished to some dust town in Australia called Broken Hill for several years.  Throughout these years, she somehow becomes this promiscuous young woman.  A group of other women jump her one night and beat her senseless. She then falls in love with the paramedic who takes her to the hospital.  Literally this all happens in the span of about 5-10 pages.  This is around the time when I started really rolling my eyes and cursing every male author who ever tried to write a three-dimensional female character and failed.  Anyway, to make a long story short, it turns out this paramedic guy is immune to the mind control, and when the whole town is destroyed by words he is the only one who doesn't die.  He somehow gets to the United States and lives free of any memory of Australia because Emily wipes his memory.  Because of this special ability to be resistant to mind control, the academy wants him for research, but Emily wants him for love. So the academy is trying to find both Emily and her little paramedic guy. Blah blah blah....yawn.

The book is not told in a chronological order and there are several stories going on at one time. In between the chapters there are also fictionalized examples of how the media uses words to control the minds of the masses.  I found the fictionalized examples of media mind control a more fascinating story than Emily Ruff trying to seek out and save the guy she somehow developed a lifelong passion for in the span of a few pages.  The story just wasn't cohesive enough. You will find weak, poorly developed characters. The only thing the book does develop is apathy in the reader.  I will just say read at your own discretion.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

This book was interesting because it's told from the point of view of a 15-year-old autistic boy.  Having worked with autistic children in my "day job" I think the author presents an accurate portrayal of how the autistic mind sometimes works. The story was decent and you could probably finish the book in one day.

Christopher, our protagonist, initially starts off trying to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbor's dog.  That mystery is solved fairly early in the book and a larger problem is revealed.  The latter half of the book deals with this larger problem and left me feeling bland.  While it was interesting to see how this young man attempts to function in the "real world", it becomes wearisome after a while and you just feel kind of sad for him because he just does not function well socially and you fear he never will.  He's brilliant with math and science and tends to describe a lot of math and science in the book, but my eyes glazed over during those parts.

The silver lining is that he does test his limits and challenge himself when push comes to shove. Best of all, he rises to his challenges in the "real world", albeit quite messily.  So I guess if the point of the book was to open people's eyes to the world of autism, it does a very solid job.  I think this is a good introductory way of being exposed to autism in an accessible way. However, don't let the title fool you into thinking the entire book will be about solving a dog's murder. It has very little to do with dogs at all. The dog's murder is a red herring (if you read the book, you'll get my reference).

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I really love the fact that it's a novel for adults but it reaches back to childhood and the reason why so many of us love to read stories.  We like to escape and imagine worlds that are full of adventure, excitement, and danger.  At approximately 180pages, this book is a quick read that will take you on a fantastic ride.  The boy in the story, who remains unnamed, is a shy bookworm with no friends.  One day a boarder at his family's home steals the father's car and kills himself at the end of the lane. When the boy and his father go to the end of the lane, they meet the Hempstock women.  They boy is seven years old and he meets Lettie Hempstock who is eleven years old. The two become quick friends and end up having an adventure that could mean life or death for one or both of them. I'm just going to leave it at that because this is a book that has to be enjoyed, not explained.

When we sometimes think of magical books or fantasy books, we think of Harry Potter or something similar.  This is a different kind of magic.  It's the kind that doesn't have answers and is closely intertwined with the real world in plain sight. That was one of the reasons I enjoyed it. You may never look at a full moon or the night sky in the same way after reading this book.  Is what we see on a daily basis real? Is your reality a mirage? Memory is a tricky thing.  When you remember something from your childhood, how sure are you of its veracity?

You can easily read this book in one day.  I suggest a nice quiet spot with your preferred warm beverage (coffee, tea, cider, cocoa) and a baked good.  If you can, get the physical book. Stay off social media, turn your phone/laptop/tablet off and enjoy!

Inferno

When I read The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons years ago, I remember not being able to put them down. The chapters were short and always ended with a mild cliffhanger so you just had to keep reading, and you wanted to keep reading.  Everything was a clue to something big.  I remember being absorbed by those books.  They kept me up at night turning the page.

Now comes Inferno.  I was going to the bookstore to read it with the hopes that eventually I would move up on the library waiting list.  I think I was around number 300 or so. I know, call me an optimist.  Anyway, since the list was moving at a snail's pace, and I wanted to kick my feet up on my couch to read it, I finally broke down and downloaded it to my eReader.  What can I say now that I've finished it?  Well, I kind of wished I'd waited for the library.

The book is definitely engaging. It's the same Dan Brown style we've known all along. Short, quick chapters. The protagonist racing through the streets of a European city trying to save the world one Art History clue at a time.  This time around he is mostly in Florence, Italy following clues related to Dante's Inferno.  He's trying to stop a virus from being released into the general population.  The creator of the virus has a problem with the rapid population growth on Earth and has a mind to do something about it.  Well not if Robert Langdon and the World Health Organization have anything to say about it. The whole book you think that if the virus is released people will die, but there is a little twist to that.  If you know for a fact that you won't read the book, highlight my spoiler starting here ---> The virus actually will make one-third of the population STERILE so they won't produce any more kids, therefore putting the population in check without actually killing anyone. <---

My first degree is in Art History so I love the idea of Robert Langdon.  This is why I loved The DaVinci Code. However, I just wasn't into this book as much as I thought I would be and I know exactly why.  The writing is not good.  I was reading it and that same thought kept coming to my mind. It took away from the story for me.  There were chunks of the story that were repetitive. There were also a lot of catch phrases and clichés.  I kept thinking about Stephen King's book about writing and shaking my head because I think Dan Brown might not have read it.  If he did, he certainly didn't heed any of the advice in it. 

Overall, it's a perfectly good book for vacation and a lazy weekend.  It's a quick read and might give you some food for thought regarding population control, but don't fool yourself into thinking it's a classic.  

**Edit:  A friend of mine just reminded me that I also read The Lost Symbol a few years ago.  I forgot I ever read that book. I guess that speaks volumes.**

  

Inside-Out Simplicity

Yes, I'm on a bit of a "peace and love" reading frenzy.  It comes in peaks and valleys.  It's a process to simplify your life.  I've been working at it for about three years now and still have far to go. This book touches on almost every aspect of life and how you can make small changes to start simplifying. There are a lot of common sense ideas, but also some unique ideas that may be useful.

As with any book that promotes change, this is a book you have to be ready to read. If you are not in a place in your life where you are ready to implement some kind of change, you probably won't enjoy it.  However, if you are thinking about simplifying your life or you've looked around you lately and thought to yourself "I'm tired of this clutter and turmoil" then you might glean some tips from this book.  The author divides the book into sections dealing with our relationships to our world. There are segments regarding our relationship with ourselves, others, possessions, money, and so on.  He discusses how, by simplifying our lives, our lives become more meaningful.

It's only about $3 for the e-book.  I think that's a good deal.  Even if you end up hating it or certain sections don't apply to you (i.e. the section about your relationship with kids or spouses isn't applicable to all), you will be happy you didn't have to break the bank for it.

All That I Need

I just found out recently that Francis Ray died.  When I heard that, I impulsively bought one of her books for my Kindle.  I rarely buy romance books. I usually pick one up at the library when I need a break from the "serious" books.  Anyway, I recently took a trip to Los Angeles and this worked as a quick plane book.  One that could be completed in two round trip flights lasting approximately 5 hours each.

I think I may have read this book too soon after this one. I really can only read a book like this on average about once per year.  Or, if I read more than one per year, the first one has to be in January and the second one around November/December.  It's only been four months.  Not enough time has passed for me to appreciate the cheesy romance this time around. It was the same predictable story.  I outlined the formula  plot for you in my previous review of Francis Ray's work, but it never hurts to go over it once more.

Boy meets girl; girl is reluctant; girl isn't reluctant beyond page 60; nobody wants to admit they are in love; big argument or misunderstanding; something potentially tragic or dangerous happens; then everyone admits they actually ARE in love...the end!

There you have it again, in a nutshell. This book ended kind of abruptly too because it is part of a series.  The next book in the series is called All That I Desire and the events of that book are foreshadowed towards the end of this one.  I felt kind of "meh" about this installment.  I think I just went for the guilty pleasure book too soon without reading enough heavy/non-fiction/cerebral material prior to picking it up.  However, if you are in the market for a book like this for your summer enjoyment, go for it.

Heads in Beds

I love staying in a good hotel. I like the anonymity of it and, frankly, I like the fact that I don't have to clean the bathroom for a few days. The author of this book was on NPR a little while ago discussing the book and the secrets of the hospitality industry.  More specifically, the secrets of hotels.  I will definitely have a new outlook when I take my next trip and stay overnight at a hotel.  I'll also have a few new tricks to try in order to get upgraded.

I liked the book for two reasons.  First, the author is very candid and doesn't try to make the industry seem fabulous.  It's like he wants you to know that even though you are entering what appears to be the lap of luxury, the people behind the scenes are everyday folks trying to make ends meet. Second, it's funny.  After hearing his interview on NPR, I didn't expect it to be as funny as it was.  The cast of characters and co-workers lends itself to some funny anecdotes. Some stories were so outrageous you just know they have to be true.

If you've ever worked in a service industry where you get to see the underbelly of humanity on a daily basis, you'll enjoy this book. It's also a quick read so I'd recommend it for the summer.  Read it before you go on vacation so you can employ some of the suggested tricks to improve your hotel stay.

Insurgent

Well you know once I love a book in a series I have to jump on it the series.  So I got the second book in the series yesterday at the library and finished it today (teen book = quick read).  Now on to the review.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I love it as much as Divergent? Not so much.  It is the same with most "second books" in a trilogy.  You get a little bit of new information in order to move the story along, but nothing too crazy happens because all of the heavy stuff should happen in the final book.  The protagonist has some angst about some of the things she saw and did in the first book so she's pretty much depressed throughout the book and is now unable to perform at her best.  You know I hate that sh*t.  Excuse the profanity, but nothing gets me more riled up than a girl who weakens under pressure and starts making bad decisions instead of standing strong in the face of adversity and giving it the finger.  Anyway, she snaps out of it a little bit so I'll give her a small pass.  However, she better be about her life in Book 3.

The redeeming quality of this book was the big reveal at the end.  It is reminiscent of one of M. Night Shyamalan's movies.  I'll let you figure out which one if you read the book.  If you don't think you'll ever read this series and are curious, though, you can highlight below for the spoiler.

Spoiler starts here---> The factions discover that they are enclosed by the fence to protect them from the outside world where apparently there is a lot of murder, madness, and mayhem going on. That's the part that sounds like The Village by M. Night Shyamalan.  The kicker is that the founder of all this faction madness is one of the main character's family members. The instructions from the founder are that the fence should be opened wide when the number of Divergent has grown exponentially (which it now has). <---Spoiler ends here

And there you have it. Insurgent was not as exciting for me as Divergent.  It also was not without its flaws, but it did what it was supposed to do, which was reveal some major new information to propel the story forward. I still plan on reading Allegiant (Book 3) when it comes out in a few months because I want to see where the author takes these characters.  I will see it through to the end!

Divergent

My whole review should really consist of the following sentence:

I stayed up until 1:30am to finish this book.

That tells you everything you need to know.  I loved this book.  It kept me engaged.  I even went to a few fansites to peruse different information about different factions to see which faction I would call home (Amity!).  I have not been this into a "young adult" novel since Harry Potter (where, incidentally, I'm completely positive I would be in Ravenclaw). I have a weird relationship with books for the youth because on the one hand you have to accept that there will be childish behavior from some of the characters because, well, they are children.  On the other hand, when done right, it is refreshing to see something with a little bit of innocence attached.  Fresh eyes.

Having said that, I seem to make poor choices for these series.  I hated Twilight and will never get those hours of my life back. The Hunger Games was a disappointing series for me because the protagonist slowly became catatonic and less empowered when she should have been going from district to district raising a rebel army.  I'm still an optimist though. So when I heard about Divergent, I thought I would give it a try because the premise sounded decent and these books are usually quick, light reads.

In Divergent, we have all the requisite elements:
1) Protagonist teenage girl: 16 years old (just old enough to kiss, but not *quite* old enough for sex)
2) Brooding love interest
3) Dystopian future
4) Sidekicks
5) Mean adult antagonist
6) Similarly mean teenage antagonist
7) Conflict between good and evil

Now you can apply these elements to a story and it can flop because one element or another is weak.  But, elemental formulas don't always mean it will flop (see: Jodi Picoult). The author uses the formula well here.

Brief description:  Main character, Tris, finds out that she is different from the other teens who test into different factions of society.  She is Divergent, which is something powerful, but she doesn't understand how powerful it is and what it all means.  She is warned to never tell anyone she's Divergent, but instead to just pick a faction she thinks she can function in and press on.  She picks a faction and begins to learn what it really means to be Divergent and why she is a threat to others.  After this first book, I'm going all in for Book 2. If that one doesn't disappoint, I'll be ready for Book 3 when it is released in October.  I really, really, really want this series to rise to the occasion. I don't want the main character to become a puddle of weak female teenage emotions at the end.  That's all I ask.  I want to believe again!

If You Were My Man

Since I basically wanted to stab my eyes out with the last four books I read, it was time for a good old cheesy romance full of scandal and lust.  Since I couldn't get a hold of the latest Jackie Collins (who is my usual go-to author for these guilty breaks) I picked up this book by Francis Ray.  I'm not even ashamed to say I enjoyed this book.  It was just nice to have a book that kept me turning the pages instead of snoring.  There is a lot to be said for simple writing that gets to the point.  Questionable dialogue and my own personal eye rolling aside, I had FUN with this book.  At times, I was talking to it like I was at the opening of a Tyler Perry movie.

Me to the main female character:  "Girl just tell him the TRUTH!"
Me to the main male character: "You KNOW you love her!! Stop playin'!"

It was a welcome break from my faux-intellectualism. You already know the plot. Boy meets girl; girl is reluctant;  girl isn't reluctant beyond page 60; nobody wants to admit they are in love; big argument or misunderstanding; something potentially tragic or dangerous happens; then everyone admits they actually ARE in love...the end!  Oh and you know you have adverbs like warm, moist, hot, hard, and wet floating around in every chapter. However, I submit today that knowing the formula for a book like this adds to the enjoyment because you already know the couple will be victorious no matter the circumstances.  So you really can just pop some popcorn, kick your feet up, and jump into the story.  I couldn't read these books over and over again, but a few times a year I just have to take it back to basics.

It Worked for Me

This is a pretty quick read because a lot of points are repetitive.  I've always been a bit ambivalent about Colin Powell.  Military men work on a different spectrum than most of us, for better or for worse, so I don't judge what I don't completely understand.  This particular book is not so much about policy as it is about common sense ideas that you should implement in your life if you want to be successful.  Ideas such as working hard, don't complain about a problem but come up with solutions instead, be honest, be open, be upfront about challenges, take personal responsibility, and so on.  The first half of the book was actually pretty good.  As the book went on, though, some of the advice was recycled from the beginning but worded differently. Therefore, I thought it could have been pared down. 

Near the end of the book Powell discusses his infamous "WMD" UN speech in 2003 and how it will eternally be a "blot" on his record. He openly contemplates where things went wrong and he turns a number of rhetorical questions over to the reader.  However, in an earlier part of the book he says that you must know when you've had a good run and when it's time to get off the train.  So I found myself thinking that it's ironic he wrote that little piece of advice, yet failed to take it.  It seems to me that he had a good run with Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr. If he got off the train then and stayed off perhaps he wouldn't have been in this predicament with Bush Jr.  Powell doesn't allude to that.  It is merely an observation of mine after reading this.  Maybe this advice of his was 20/20 hindsight.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

First let me start by saying the hardcover dust jacket glows in the dark.  While some may say "so what?" I thought it was an awesome feature. When I was reading at night, I would put the book on my nightstand and turn off the light so I could go to sleep and there it was beckoning me to keep reading. The story was great because it does three things that you want a story to do.  First, it draws you in, then it keeps you interested and, finally, it gives your mind something to chew on long after it's over.  The premise of the story is that a young man works at an odd bookstore with odd patrons.  Curiosity soon gets the better of him and he dives into the mystery of Codex Vitae.  Along the way there is always this undercurrent of technology vs. old-school learning.  We depend so much on technology now that one has to wonder if we are actually losing knowledge that is right in front of our eyes by chasing the next new thing instead.  I know it's only the fifth day of the new year, but I think this is going down as one of my favorites.

What in God's Name

This is a quick, funny book.  I literally finished it in about 5 hours (give or take an hour or two).  Once again, if you are easily offended by an author taking a different perspective on religion, stay away.  If you are open-minded and enjoy the idea that maybe there is a little humor to be found in everything, then you may enjoy this.  Basically, God is done with us humans and decides that it's time to wipe us out.  Two angels intervene and strike a deal with God to stop the planned destruction if they can get two socially awkward people to hook up.  The plot somehow works and there are some pretty funny lines in the book as well.  It is definitely meant to be light. Of course the pseudo-intellectual in me did get a bit introspective. I started to think about all the times I thought something was a "coincidence".  I will never look at a gust of wind or a sneeze the same way.  So I guess there is an opening for deep discussion if you want to take it there. Enjoy!

 

The Postcard Killers

Finally!  Of course my old standby, James Patterson, would get me out of this summer slump of books that go on and on when brevity would suffice.  He is notorious for his short chapters that keep you reading because they always end with some quasi-cliffhanger. In high school, James Patterson and Jackie Collins were my guilty pleasure go-to authors.  Who am I kidding; they are still my go-to authors for thrills (Patterson) and trashy lifestyles (Collins).

So naturally when I was in the Denver airport and saw a James Patterson paperback with the Eiffel Tower on the cover, I gladly slapped my ten dollars on the counter.  We know I love all things travel and The Postcard Killers did not disappoint.  A couple is traveling all over Europe killing other couples.  An NYPD detective whose daughter was one of the victims is on the case along with a Swedish journalist.  I started reading it on the plane, but when I got back to Philly I set it aside to read Gone Girl and The Art of Fielding (both of which were borrowed so I had to finish and return them). Finally today was the day I could get back to my thriller!  I finished it in about 7 hours (broken up of course by food, bathroom, internet, and phone breaks).  This is the perfect definition of summer reading.  Action packed, fast paced, and to the point.  No superfluous writing.  If Patterson can use one word, he uses one word. If the sky is blue, it's blue. Blue....one word we all understand.  After my run of books that say too much, this book said just enough.

Blankets

So this book is not on my 2012 list, but I saw a beautifully bound book entitled Habibi and had to stop myself from impulse-buying it. I would not normally place myself in a category of "avid graphic novel reader" (I've only read Persepolis), but if a story is good I will read it, no matter the form.  So instead of buying Habibi, I went home and did some research on the author.  I saw that Blankets was an earlier work by him and it was available at the library. I thought I should probably give him a try before spending $35.  The illustrations are beautiful and emotive. The story has moments of joy, pain, sorrow, laughter, and wonder.  It's an autobiographical account of the author's childhood and it is full of difficult situations that kids/teens face. Divorce, strict parents, first loves, sibling rivalry, bullies, spiritual crises, existentialism, family dynamics, child abuse, and more.  The story is easy to follow and has many insightful observations.  A warning though....if you are not a religious person, this book may not be for you. Many of the author's observations and conversations in the book are in relation to Jesus and Christianity. I know the topic of religion is not for everyone so that's why I mention it. There is also a small amount of adult content/nudity if you're wary of that. I fully enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading Habibi in the near future.