Reading...Exit West

 In Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid, we meet Saeed and Nadia two young people living and working in an unspecified Middle Eastern city in a time somewhat close to now. They meet in a night class and begin a romance just as their city begins to fall apart around them, plagued by the violent struggle between the government and militants. As avenues out of the city close off and the fighting begins to become less of an occasional occurrence and begins to affect their own every day lives, they hear rumors about special doors. Doors that lead to places around the world. People are reported to be able to walk through a door in a bar in Mexico and walk out of a door in a random house in Australia. As the militants work to secure all of the doors in the city, smugglers help people escape the violence as long as they can. Saeed and Nadia decide to leave when they get the chance, leaving behind all they've ever known. They walk through their first door and find themselves in a migrant camp in Greece, what becomes merely one stop in their journey as they become part of a global time of upheaval and change.

In many ways, Exit West feels like a quiet, contemplative story. We see things through the eyes of two people and their relationship. What draws two people together? What makes them stay with each other? How does a relationship change in times of stress? In other ways, Exit West is a big story, exploring themes of migration and societal upheaval. Why do some people stay in hard or dangerous places and circumstances? Why do some people go? Why do some people see new circumstances as a chance to change and grow while others cling to pieces of their past or identity? What happens in a world where people can travel from one place to another almost instantly? How do ideas of community and country and identity change? What happens when the world starts shifting in a way and at a pace that causes some to see impending apocalypse while others see salvation?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters, the story, and the quiet yet thoughtful and contemplative storytelling. I enjoyed the touch of magical realism and the juxtaposition between ordinary, everyday lives and big themes and questions. 

A Monday list

1. I'm procrastinating on a chapter I need to finish on my novel. Which, seriously, I know I've been saying since the spring is almost done...but it's really almost done. I think now I need to do a little organizing work, which may be distracting me from finishing this chapter and one other that I know for sure I need to write. But I also need to see where there are gaps in the story. What I thought I told, but didn't. I need to wrap up the ending -- put a bow on it and all that. I really hate writing endings though. And by hate, I mean...I'm not good at it. Even ending blog posts is often a struggle.

2. I joined a knit-a-long on Instagram this month. It's a gorgeous lacy shawl pattern and wool-silk blend yarn by Treasure Goddess (the knit-a-long is sponsored by her and The Sexy Knitter). A lace shawl is something I've never done before, but something I think suits the climate of Houston a little better than some other knitting projects. Plus, the group knit aspect of a knit-a-long makes it more fun and gives me a good place to ask questions if/when I run into a tricky part.

3. The kids and I went to the Tomball Farmer's Market on Saturday, and had a great time. It was a little hotter and more humid than I would have preferred (not abnormally so for September, sadly), but we got some yummy looking produce, grass-fed beef, popsicles, and locally roasted coffee beans that I haven't tried yet but am really looking forward to. We also ended up stopping at a little splash pad on the way back to the car, which was probably the highlight for the kids.

4. I keep obsessively checking the weather waiting for another break in the heat and humidity. It's better than it was a month ago, but we had such a nice week or two earlier in the month (right after the hurricane) that I'm anxious for a return of those cooler and dryer mornings. Oh well! I'll survive.

5. I just started a new book today (I finished one this weekend, but I'm planning on writing a review of it later so I won't say much about it here). It's fantasy, and one that I'm reading for review. So far I'm only in the prologue, but my first impression is....I hope they tone down the overwriting a little. I'm also trying to decide if I want to dive into an audio book this week since listening to an audio book is a lot of fun to do while knitting -- which I'm doing more of, per number 1. A couple of people have also recently recommended tv shows that sound really good. I know I don't actually have to pick one or the other, but sometimes it's nice when watching/reading time is limited to not feel quite so pulled in too many directions.

Happy Monday!

When 1 + 1 does not equal 2

Information is everywhere, and you can access information in almost any way you can imagine. As a librarian, I'm predisposed to think this is a great thing. As a librarian, my mind also jumps to all the complications of a seemingly endless and easily accessible well of information. How do you know what's reliable? How do you get what you need easily and quickly? What's the best format for a particular piece of information? How do you preserve it, organize it, make it available? How do you decide what's worth keeping (and organizing for that matter)?

When I became a parent, the one thing I knew was that I didn't know anything. I was eager to learn and eager for information. Pregnancy, giving birth, taking care of a baby, raising a human being. I knew next to nothing, and my first instinct was to want to know as much as possible. And anyone parenting in this age of information will tell you that there is just so. much. advice. out there. You could go broke buying baby books and child rearing books, and all of them are going to contradict each other. Add to that blogs and web sites and parenting articles published in nearly any online publication imaginable. Add to that the way parents used to get advice: friends, neighbors, parents.

It's a lot. And sooner than I expected, I stopped my never-ending quest to have the perfect amount and blend of parenting knowledge. For one thing, it's overwhelming. But what I've begun to realize is that the overabundance of parenting advice and information can lead to the assumption that there is one right way to do things. One perfect formula that will give you the results you want. Only one problem with that:

Kids are people too.

Crazy concept, I know, but when I can remember that my kids are little human beings, it helps me to keep a little perspective. Perspective when the kids are tantruming...or fighting...or reaching milestones at their own pace....or taking their time with potty training....or not sleeping the way I think they should sleep. Kids are people too, and those little personalities (or big personalities) and preferences and thoughts and desires result in a lot of variables. Is seeking advice a good thing? Sure. But I've realized I'm a whole lot happier if I spend less time reading about what everyone else is doing, less time looking for "expert" formulas and more time loving on my kids, praying for them, and just getting to know them and finding out what makes them tick.

A Wednesday list

1. I finished Buried Heart, by Kate Elliott this week. It's the third in her Court of Fives trilogy (I wrote a review of the first one here). I very much enjoyed Buried Heart, both as a story in its own right, but also as the conclusion of the trilogy. I was a little worried at one point that Jessamy (the main character) was about to do some things completely out of character, but in the end she was true to herself and the ending was very satisfying. Overall, I thought Elliott did a fantastic job of creating a rich and vibrant world for this trilogy, characters that were compelling enough that I cared what happened to them even if I wanted to smack them upside the head more than a few times, and a plot that never dragged or felt forced.

2. Kiddos start Mother's Day Out this week (we're calling it pre-school because it's easier to say and close enough). Should be a fun adventure!

3. We had cool front move through today and it feels FANTASTIC outside! We played at the park this morning and couldn't have asked for better weather. Probably should have taken advantage of the good weather for a run...but there's always tomorrow!

4. I'm reading a ghost-busting middle grade novel right now -- it's for a review web site that I'm going to start contracting with on occasion. $15 to write a short paragraph review and post it on Amazon and Goodreads. It's my first one, and part of me feels a little weird. There can be a stigma that paid consumer reviews (those posted on sites like Goodreads and Amazon) aren't "real," because there's a temptation to be falsely positive, but I've been instructed to be honest, and as long as that's the case I can't think of anything unethical about it. Plus, it'll be good experience to be able to add to my freelance writing resume.

5. Once I finish the paid-for review I've got a couple of library books to dig into -- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman, a sequel that I keep forgetting I haven't read yet. We'll see if I can read them before they disappear!