The Spiral Staircase

That's our next book, a memoir by Karen Armstrong. I am looking forward to reading it. My sister recommended it highly and I was glad when someone put it on our book circle's list. The staircase metaphor is a good one with the spiral adjective descriptive of the vagaries of life. An inventive title. There are some reader reviews here.

not -sob-even honorable mention-sob

Well, my story didn't win. I didn't really expect it too but you know I did hope I might get a mention. Well, at least now I can go ahead, work it up a bit and send it elsewhere. I do think it has potential and so do my writing buddies, well some of them anyway. If you want to take a peek at the winning stories at writersweekly.com they are here.

I thought the winning story was a bit inane and the 2rd place story a trifle predictable, although well written....a will! Of course I had thought of that one first off! They put such an emphasis on good endings and I thought the ending on that one fell a bit flat. So he found the will ( and some money!) but what was IN the will? and wasn't he duty bound to show the will to the others? Too many questions unanswered. The 3rd place story was inventive at least but a perhaps a trifle forced? Am I biased? Probably, but I would appreciate your comments, especially those who have heard my story.

In-between world

What can I say about The In-between World of Vikram Lall? It was a rich book, like an Indian tapestry, with many colours and patterns. I liked the way the protaganist eked out his story in a slow memoir, a confession, which was his legacy in the end. In hearing his personal story the reader learns much about the history and politics of Kenya. In the book Lall's cool, secure haven in Canada is contrasted with the dangerous "hotbed" of his homeland- which in its turn was only his grandfather's adopted homeland. As several pointed out at our book circle, the title was very well chosen; Lall was always in-between ... in colour, in race, in politics, in citizenship. He never felt he truly belonged -or wasn't allowed to belong. He had done much wrong which he felt sorry for but tried to explain in his memoir. Eventually he HAD to go back and in so doing at least saved Joseph even if he could not save himself. I think I would like to read more books by MGVassanji

Better Hurry

I haven't finished Vassanji's book yet! And the Lit Wits meet tomorrow. It isn't because it isn't interesting. I have been away and I didn't get the same time to read. AND I got sidetracked by other things to read one of them being The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. A must read book and a good companian to Blink which he wrote after. These two books explain a lot of things to me about how people - in general- work. I think that a lot of people who read them will think, this way of acting, reacting, does not apply to ME ( I feel that way for example), but I bet my boots it does indeed apply, just when we are least aware of it!