Friday, May 2, 2014

120 Books


55 down, 65 to go!


Last year I decided to read 100 books to try to make a dent in my reeeediculously large amazon.com wishlist.  Since I essentially read 10 books per month from May 2013-November 2013, I decided I should probably continue the effort to read 10 books a month.
The books listed below are sitting in patient stacks in my living room.  Can't hardly wait!

COMPLETED:
1.  Lipstick Jihad:  A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Azadeh Moaveni (Recommend- great exploration of being bi-cultural, not quite fitting in anywhere, and all the issues that plague Iran.)
6.   The Hiding Place by Elizabeth & John Sherrill (highly recommend)
8.  Sweden- Culture Smart! by Charlotte DeWitt
9.  The Swedish Secret: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden's Story by Earl Gustafson
10.  Culture Shock! Sweden by Charlotte Svensson
11.  Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric by Veronica Buckley (good info, but painfully slow-moving.  First 50 pages were not easy to push through, but it picks up now and again the further along I read.)
12.  What Happened to Sweden?  While American Became the Only Superpower by Ulf Nilson (highly recommend.  honest commentary, great voice- really a pleasant read in terms of a history book.  short, sweet, and informative).
13.  Swedish Lessons:  A Memoir of Sects, Love, and Indentured Servitude. Sort of.  by Natalie Burg (a bit crass, but a funny story)
14.  In Honor of Fadime: Murder and Shame by Unni Wikan (HIGHLY recommend.  Very nice compliment to this book).
15.  Of Swedish Ways by Lily Lorenzen (includes some folk songs and proverbs- nice)
16.  Drinking Camel's Milk in the Yurt: Expat Stories from Kazakhstan by Monica Neboli
17.  Kids of Kabul by Deborah Ellis  (I didn't like this compilation of stories as much as the volume she did for Iraqi children, but still worth reading).
18.  Untold:  A History of the Wives of the Prophet Mohammed by Tamam Kahn (interesting, but a little annoying- includes poetry the author wrote in addition to the biographies of the women)
19.  Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy by Susan Ray Schmidt
27.  The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major (Thanks Susan & Bri)
28.  Culture Shock!  Belgium by Mark Elliott
29.  Stories from the Silk Road by Cherry Gilcrest (really lovely illustrations, recommend for children)
30.  I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish (highly recommend for all people)
31.  Quran and Woman: Rereading the Scared Text from a Woman's Perspective by  Amina Wadud (highly recommend for all Mulisms)
32.  Religions of the Silk Road by Richard Foltz (HIGHLY recommend for those interested in the ebb and flow of various religious traditions- Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity)
34.  Strong was her Faith! Women of the New Testament by J. E. Kalas (recommend)
35.  Women in Islam by Nicholas Awade (highly recommend- nicely organized by topic)
38.  The Road From Morocco by Wafa Faith Hallam
39.  Stolen Lives: 20 Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir (recommend)
40.  Journey to Freedom: Moroccan Stories by Sascha von Bornhiem (do not recommend)
41.  Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East by Isobel Coleman (Thanks Amy!- HIGHLY recommend, very informative and compelling)
42.  Culture Shock!  Morocco by Orin Hargraves
48.  A Year in Marrakesh by Peter Mayne
50.  In Arabian Nights:  A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams by Tahir Shah (recommend- i love both of his books they include pen-sketches he does.  great story teller and amazing life- survived torture in a Pakistani prison and bought/renovated a villa in Morocco.)
51.  Culture Smart! Morocco: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture by Jillian York
55.  American Sniper by Chris Kyle (recommend)
56.  The Couscous Genie: 3 Tunisian Stories by Mohamed Bacha (interesting folk tales, but poorly translated)
57.  Four Fantastic Tales from Tunisia by Mohamed Bacha (similar to his other book, including some errors-it is a shame, these would make lovely children's books).
59.  Dreaming of a Mail-Order Husband by Ericka Johnson (recommend- compelling perspectives)
71.  Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets, & Songs by David Borgenicht (thanks Mom!)
76.  The Six Great Ideas by Mortimer Adler (layman's philosophy)
77. Night Draws Near:  Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War by Anthony Shadid (recommend- valuable insight into the Iraqi experience of the war)
79.  Culture Shock! Greece by Clive L. Rawlins
80.  Bones Washed in Water and Wine by Sydney 
Marangou-White (recommend, short read)
83.  I Was a Child Spy by constantine bouboulis
84.  Culture Smart!  Greece by Constantine Buhayer
85.  After the Rosy-Fingered Dawn: A Memoir of Greece by John Walters (A bit chatty)
91.  Culture Smart! UAE by John Walsh
97.  Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas (highly recommend- funny and fun)
102.   The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists by  Gregory Curtis (highly recommend.  Very pleasant and engaging presentation, builds anticipation of seeing the caves).  
103.  Xenophobe's Guide to the French by Nick Yapp & Michel Syrett



CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:
3.   A-Z Guide to the Hadith by Mokhtar Stork (informative, but so hard to stay awake!)
23.  Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures by Marvin Harris (feels a bit preachy- some interesting ideas but feels very much like an agenda and not so much an honest discussion)
26.  The Old Testament - KJV
36.  The Alevis in Turkey by David Shankland (academic reading,  information dense)
49.  An Introduction to Moroccan Arabic & Culture by Abdellah Chekayri
52.  Moroccan Arabic by Aaron Sakulich
by Amira Karmakni
90.  Things of the Hidden God by Christopher Merrill
86.  Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd



UP NEXT:
2.   The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin
4.   The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett (fiction)
5.   The Things They Cannot Say by Kevin Sites (Thanks Paul)
7.   The Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski (Thanks Mom)
21.  Kazakhstan: Surprises and Stereotypes 20 Years After Independence by Jonathan Aitken
22.  100 Letters Home: My Two Years in Kyrgystan by Emily Ross
24.  The Crisis of Zionism by Peter Beinart  (Thanks Yvonne!)
25.  Polish Customs, Traditions, & Folklore by Knab (Thanks Paul!)
44.  Hussein & The Nomad by Rahal Eks
53.  Nobel Laureates in Search of Identity & Integrity by Hallengren
54.  Five Chimneys: The Story of Auschwitz by Olga Lengyel
58.  Silencing the Past:  The Arab Spring , Israel, & the Tunisian Jews by Rob Boublil
60.  The Light Between Oceans: A Novel by M. L. Stedman (thanks mom!)
61.  Cairo: Memoir of a City Transformed by Ahdaf Soueif
62.  State of Failure by Jonathan Schanzer
63.  Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism by Karima Bennoune
64.  A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story by Qaid Akbar Omar
66.  Bush Wives and Girl Soldiers by Chris Coulter
67.  The Darkest Corner of the World by Urve Tamberg
68.  Shame by Jasvinder Sanghera
69. Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About  the Jewish Religion, its People, and its History by Telushkin (Thanks Donna!)
72.  Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis (thanks mom!)
73.  Hindu Wisdom for All God's Children by Francis X. Clooney, S.J.  (thanks Donna!)
94.   Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict by Janie L. Leatherman
100.  Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russel Hochschild
104. Dubai Dreams: Inside the Kingdom of Bling by Raymond Barrett
105.   Sheikhs, Lies, & Real Estate: The Untold Story of Dubai by Roth
106.  Sectarian Gulf by Toby Matthiesen
107.  Burqalicious: The Dubai Dairies, A True Story of Sun, Sand, Sex, and Secrecy by Becky Wicks
108.  A Diamond in the Desert: Behind the Scenes in Abu Dhabi, the World's Richest City by Jo Tatchell
109.  Gridlock: Labor, Immigration, and Human Trafficking in Dubai by Pardis Mahdavi
110.  Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea
111.  Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek & Roman Worlds by Deacy & Pierce
112.  The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy by Auxier & Seng
113.  Church of Lies by Flora Jessop
114.  


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