Friday, June 28, 2013

Inner Beauty Friday Returns! Book Club!

Hello!

Once again I am linking up with Heather from Blonde...Undercover Blonde, for Book Club!




I have read a couple of books lately.  First up Someone Else's Garden by Dipika Rai

Someone Else's Garden: A Novel

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com : "
The eldest of seven children, born low-caste and female in rural India, Mamta is abused and rejected by a father who can see no reason to “water someone else’s garden” until a husband is found for her. Seeking escape in matrimony, Mamta begins her wedded life with hope—but is soon forced to flee her village and the horrors of her arranged marriage to the bustle of a small city. Saved from becoming one of the nameless and faceless millions of rejected humanity by the salvation of sublime love, Mamta struggles to find a precarious state of acceptance and make peace with her past."

My thoughts:  It took me a while to figure out when this book took place, I would have guessed the 1950's but it was the 90's (from political references in the book). The level of poverty and gender inequality these women live in is hard to believe, I don't doubt it, but it is shocking.  It makes for a very eye-opening read.

I also read The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol (and then translated to English):


The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg, #1)

The synopsis from Goodreads.com: "Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can't say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive.
 Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy's are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down".


My thoughts: At first it was a bit hard to keep the characters straight (probably because the cities they are mentioning are unfamiliar so your trying to keep geography straight too - thanks Google maps!).  But from the beginning it grabs you and you want to know what happened - I guess it's the first in a "series" about Nina Borg and her mystery adventures.  I might try another, but I worry it will be like Sue Grafton's "A is for Alibi" series and just get repetitive. 

That's it for this week - any must read suggestions?

Jasmine

10 comments:

  1. I wanted to do posts on Inner Beauty as well and then remembered your posts on inner beuauty Friday. Is there any way I could join in? Of I i use the idea could I credit you or something? If you don't want me to, no hard feelings and I understand. I don't want you to feel pressured, I just would like to know :)

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    1. I sent you an email - maybe we can make it a link up!

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  2. Hi, I love Kristin Hannah. Have you read Winter Garden. If not it is a must read. Your book looks so interesting too. i need to see if my library has a copy. Glad I met you on the book hop. I hop we can attract more readers. :)

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    1. I don't think I have read much Kristin Hannah - I'll have to check it out.

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  3. I LOVE that you do these book posts! I love reading as well! I will def check these out!
    xxx
    daniella
    simplybeautifulelegant.blogspot.com

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    1. I try to do it every Friday, so look for more!

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  4. The Boy in the Suitcase sounds really interesting!!

    http://ilikebigbooksblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/book-review-hourglass-by-myra-mcentire/

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  5. These are both new to me, but both seem really interesting. I'm not quite sure which one I'm drawn to more, but maybe Someone Else's Garden.

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  6. The second book sounds interesting--I am not a fan of mystery series either though, I find they start to sound the same after a while!

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  7. I used to be a really avid reader, then fell off...I'm trying to get back into the groove after letting my books sit on the shelves for a while. The Boy in the Suitcase sounds really good.

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