A Fine Balance

I am evil. Sorry I didn't post in months--I have actually been reading (not at a very fast rate, but making my way through my list nonetheless). It's been crazy with college applications, schoolwork, karate, holidays, life. But I'll try to come back now!

I'm going to start with A Fine Balance. It's actually kind of amazing that I didn't start my review of this right away, because I am telling you--this book was utterly incredible. I cannot sing its praises enough. If you recall how much I loved The Last Brother, this one is a close second.
So evocative of its India setting, this novel put you in the story and environment in a way that none of the other books I've read for this challenge have. I cannot even begin to describe how beautifully real and complex and just plain eccentric (yet believably so) the characters were. Please read this book. With non-preachy life lessons scattered throughout the pages, characters who become friends, and a story that is so smooth you hardly feel you are reading at all, A Fine Balance is a work like no other.
As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, I was just going about my regular everyday business, and suddenly, without even consciously thinking about it, I said to myself, "I miss them." I honestly was just all of a sudden caught literally missing these characters; they were that real. It sounds crazy, I know. And maybe I'm just insane. But I really miss them. I feel the need to go back and read this book again, live again with Dina and Ishvar and Omprakash and Maneck in their suicidal house. I want to keep playing chess with them. I want to keep sewing clothes with them. I want to keep doing all those normal, but beautiful, things that they did that so managed to captivate me, not because they were incredible things, but because they were incredible people. Really, I miss them.

The Last Brother

Wow, it's been awhile. I finished The Last Brother, by Nathacha Appanah, and it was easily the best book I've read all year. This is my second-favorite book, only beaten by The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. The Last Brother was set in Mauritius (which is right here, for those of you who didn't know [like me!]: 
This book was an absolutely beautiful, stunning story of a young Mauritian boy who befriended a Jewish boy kept in a concentration camp on the island. A book which depends on its characters more than on a plot, it nevertheless kept me intrigued every time I picked it up.
Please, if you only read one more book before you die, make it this one. This story was so tragic, haunting, bitter, beautiful, immediate, real- you won't forgot it. You will read it over and over again. You will wonder how you even managed to live without having read it. The kind of book that makes you want to weep simply for the sake of weeping, The Last Brother is a masterpiece like none other.

The Ten Thousand Things

I finished The Ten Thousand Things, by Maria Dermout, today. Only 244 pages, this book was a quick, easy, and utterly unforgettable read. "The ten thousand things" refers to the ten thousand things that make up each person's life. This was a story of the main character's (Felicia's) ten thousand things. This was a story of pearls, magic, waves, friends, murder, protection, trees, selling, buying, stealing, knives, houses, chairs, docks, grass, love, children, eyes, boats, fish, color, night, sky, sun, nightlights, lamps, clothes, locks, and ten thousand other things.
It was the kind of book that is one of a kind. Even if I could find another book just like this one, I would not want to read it; I wouldn't want to ruin the beautiful mystique of this little book. I highly recommend this book, because I have never read anything just like it, and I don't think that I ever will again.

Child of Dandelions

Finished up Uganda's book, Child of Dandelions, by Shenaaz Nanji. While the actual writing was not all that good, the story itself was intriguing. If you are interested in the forced expulsion of Indians from Uganda, this book could be interesting; otherwise, I would try to find a different book, as this one's writing made it a little hard to follow, keep track of who was who, and really immerse yourself in it. However, it was a pretty good, quick read.
I'm trying to get back on track now; finishing this would be an amazing feat for me! Wish me luck!

Summer!!

School is out as of last Friday, so the summer now stretches ahead of me as an opportunity to catch up!!! Except for the fact that I'm writing 2 novels (campnanowrimo.org), finishing one from November (nanowrimo.org), completing geometry and chemistry, getting through trigonometry, keeping up with Spanish, going to the beach, having company, working part-time, taking karate, finding another job, drawing (100sketches.proboards.com), and doing who knows what else, I'm pretty open this summer! :D
I started A Fine Balance, and it is very good and easy to read. But 603 pages. So, we shall see how quickly I can complete it!

The Glassblower of Murano

I finished Italy- The Glassblower of Murano, by Marina Fiorato. This was a fine book, but the writing seemed a little elementary to me. As compared to some of the others, where I knew I was in the hands of a master, this one was just mediocre. But, I did learn something about Venice and the intriguing art of blowing glass. And a little interesting connection: in The Lady and the Unicorn (Belgium), there was a guild for the weavers- making sure women didn't do the weaving, keeping all the work set to a certain standard- and in The Glassblower of Murano, there was The Ten, an equivalent organization, keeping Venice's glass secrets from leaving the city, etc. So that was an interesting little note. I'm glad I read this book, even though it wasn't my favorite: a little history, a little modern love story, a lot of the magic of Venice- a decent little read.

Behind

So I'm very behind. 52 books in year is one book a week. It's been 20 weeks, and I've read 7 books. I should have read 14 more!!
This summer is not promising a lot of free time for me to catch up either- I have a college-level writing course beginning Monday, nannying up to 3 days a week, completing trigonometry over the summer, finding colleges and scholarships, training my karate, working part-time, writing a novel each in June and August... What will I do??
So I'm posting here. Any tips? How to read faster? Whether to catch up in a crazy-busy short period of time or to just slowly get back on track? If I should just bail?
Thanks for your ideas- I need 'em!