The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton

The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton (2007)
Read: April 2011

I picked this up when visiting the AUC bookfair a month or so ago. I really enjoyed browsing the publisher and small business stalls, but actually all I ended up buying where a few books from the AUC Press Seconds store where they had a deal (buy 4 books for 100LE). This was one of the first few I picked out - set in Kenya rather than Egypt, but Africa no less, but also about trying to make a difference in peoples lives, but this time using books and a mobile library.

The bookmobile is a caravan of camels that have been loaded up with boxes of donated books. This travels from the capital to different rural tribes and visits every two weeks for people to borrow books. Great idea - bring literacy to rural areas, not just the city.

But when thinking about it I was starting to really question it, as the books in the bookmobile had been donated from charitable types in the west and so were all in English. So this wasn't just about bringing literacy, but about bringing English to rural areas. I wasn't so behind this policy, even though there were good intentions surely we should be helping people with their own language and heritage first before putting ours onto them.

Anyway the protagonist was passionate about this project and it was interesting to see her perspective as someone totally unprepared for living in such a harsh environment and dealing with different cultural ways. Some parts of it reminded me of us moving out here. It was only though towards the end of the book that it dawns on her that there might be other cultural perspectives to her own about the bookmobile.

The narrative doesn't just stay with the American, but shifts to other characters. Part of the story is about the way the village decides to outcast people or not and lost loves there. To me though the important aspect of the story was the Americans final realisation that the precious bookmobile isn't the answer to anything. I think it was a high price for the village to pay for her to learn this lesson - the books seems to be more about her journey than theirs.

As you can tell although I enjoyed this book and found it interesting I really found that I didn't agree with the beliefs (is that the right word) behind it. It seemed that the author came round too to the fact that book libraries of western books wasn't neccessarily what was needed - or maybe that is my interpretation of the ending. It turns out that the bookmobile is a realconcept and visiting their website it is full of stats about how illiterate africa is....well books in english aren't going to help this! OK I'm being skeptical, but I do think there are better ways to help others.

Atlantis of the Sands by Ranulph Finnes

Atlantis of the Sands: The search for the lost city of Ubar by Ranulph Fiennes (1992)
Read: April 2011

Read almost entirely on the journies to and from Siwa over the easter break. Jane sent us this book via the P's who were coming out just before the break and I decided to have it as a bus read because I knew we'd be going through miles upon miles of desert.


The book was well chosen, as it too was miles upon miles of desert. Unidentifiable desert. Sand and sand. Tracks and tracks. Stories and guides. Retracing steps and imaginging new routes.

The books starts with Fiennes posted in Oman with the army and here he starts his interest in finding the lost city mainly through a passion and interest in the local people and the desert. As the book progresses Fiennes becomes arrogant about his achievements and need for sponsorship to basically have a jolly -  it feels and the only redeeming feature is that his initial passion does lie with the people of the desert and a desire to explore and survive exploring the desert. It was good to read this book whilst we were doing our own desert travels; seeing how they would prepare for an expedition, who would they talk to to find the right track, what landmarks would they use etc. and it was interesting to read more about Oman, but didn't endear me to Fiennes himself so I doubt I'll seek out any of his other books.

A Girl Made of Dust by Naalie Abi Ezzi

A Girl Made of Dust by Naalie Abi Ezzi (2008)
Read: April 2011

Found at the AUC Press outlet store where there are shelves upoon shelves of books that are only loosely sorted into categories (fiction, non-fiction, AUC press and other are the categories I think....oh, and 'oversized'). There were just so many that I had to throw out the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover' and scan the spines and make a few pics. Choices were based on arabic-sounding author names or titles or something that looked like it was about travel or Egypt / MENA. I thought I had to have a rule, as otherwise book buying would just get silly! I did break this rule with one book; Johnny Cash - Walk The Line as we loved the film and it's a great story so I thought the book would be an acceptable buy!

This was a really lovely find. Ruba is a young girl who lives in Lebanon. She is Christian, but her closest friend is a muslim boy. Her father though is the mystery as he is quiet and doesn't leave the house. Israeli troops invade and the world is turned upside down. The mystery of the father extends further when his brother arrives and lightens the household, but his quick exit leaves more questions than answers. The grandmother knows all though and is trying to hold the family together.

A really lovely read with nice characters created and story told with emotion and feeling for the situation as a family, as a people and as a young girl.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
Read: April 2011

An interesting start to the book as you try and work out how long after the first one this is set. Is it immediate? A year maybe? More or less? I found the narratives difficult to follow at first as the story kept swapping between characters and everyone was unconnected.

About a quarter of the way in though the connections start and you see what game Lisbeth is playing and the game that Kalle is playing too. After all that happened in the last book, Lisbeth and Kalle don't actually cross paths until the book is almost over. This is very fresh and means they develop individually rather than merging together - although it's quite funny to see Kalle pining after her.

I think I figured out the connections about a chapter before they were revealed, but I did still have to have them explained for me to really get it all. A good read though - yes, learning more about the enigmatic Lisbeth was interesting, but also that she was allowed to develop individually, rather than being shaped by Kalle. I also appreciated the fact that the experts were questioned - their opinion and conclusions about her mental health had been taken as fact, but this book finally (in the closing chapters) started to show the weaknesses in the mental health system and society.

Lost Oasis by Robert Twigger

Lost Oasis - Adventures in and out of the Egyptian Desert by Robert Twigger (2007)
Read: March - April 2011

This book was lent to us by some friends, the Primes, who actually know Twigger and are friends with him and his wife. He lives in Maadi and the book is set over a year-long period as he packs up his home in the UK, moves to Egypt and becomes mildly obsessed with the desert. It's a signed copy and the Primes said that the next time Twigger and his wife are over at theirs we'll be invited round for a drink. Now I liked the book, but it's not because we're celeb spotters that it would be cool to meet this man - it just sounds like he does some interesting stuff.
Scotty got on to the book first - probably about a month or so after we were first lent it. I was on to it a few months after he'd finished it, so it's about time to go back to its owners. No problem, as I finish it in about a week and a half as I'm reading it on the bus to/from work. It's been wuite a while since I've had two books on the go at once, but with the other book being the Millenium Trilogy there isn't much opportunity for me to become confused!
This is a great book written in such an easy to read and engaging style. In that way it reminds me of Gordan's motorcycle book (btw surely his Manchester to Cairo must be ready soon?). This isn't always written in a chronological style though and sometimes can jump between time in the desert and time preparing for trips or packing up home in England ready for the move. It isn't confusing, but engaging and you keep reading to see where the next adventure is.
The irony is of course that every move in Egypt is an adventure. The desert doesn't have to be a factor and Twigger finds that going to the Club, finding a car to buy, getting a cart made and having his container shipped are all challenges in their own way. These are nice and reassuring to read that even someone with Egyptian family struggles in the same way that us mortals do. He lives in Maadi in the book and frequents many of the same haunts (including mention of our local pub and the owner!).
The trips in to the desert are good reads; a combination of real explorers, under the watchful and controlled eye of an expert, but with all participants trying to flout the rules in the own way (sneaking booze on the trip and finds off it). Lessons learnt? Drink enough water, but actually try and drink less (by not having any exersion in the middle of the day and getting dressed in long covering clothes in the morning when it is cool to trap the heat in), and always look for shadows that suggest a cave might be found!

The Pharoah's Shadow by Anthony Sattin

The Pharoah's Shadow - Travles in ancient and modern Egypt by Anthony Sattin (2000)
Read: March 2011

I can't even remembered where I picked this book up - it's definitly second hand and has some water damage that makes it look older than the 10 years that it is. I think it probably came in to my hands via the "free books" shelf at work, where people abandone books as they leave Cairo.

The book has an interesting premise - connecting the ancient to the modern in terms of beliefs, pasttimes and practices. It has been inspired by a book by Winifred Blackman who lived in Egypt and travelled its roads in the 1920's. She wrote copious notes and reflections on what she saw then as a resurrection (or continuation) of ancient Egypt and a fraction of these were published at the time. Her published book though made repeated references to future books she intended to write on various topics her expereinces had inspired, but sadly these, and the rest of her notes, did not materialise.
Sattin though uses her book as a starting point to seek out the ancient in the modern and seeks to reaffirm her findings as well as come across new ones. It takes him on many a journey with trusty friends and not so trusty drivers. The best journeys are those that are on numerous pieces of public transport and involve him avoiding the police until the last minute (he does much of his research after the 1999 terror attacks that invovled touristic sites and as such the movement of non-Egyptians should be restricted....except he manages to get round a lot of this through claiming ignorance and the "I've got here, so you may as well let me visit X temple").

I did find this book interesting; reading about his travels and the people he meets and the connections drawn between then and now. On the whole though I found the connections either rather obvious and general, or vague and therefore unnotable. Things happening in 7's for example is not exclusive to ancient Egypt, or modern Egypt. Belief in curing powers of individuals or of certain locations too does not seem such a significant discovery as many cultures have this belief and so it could be traced to ancient times in the same country or even links drawn between cultures...

UPDATE
M&D both read this when they visited at Easter and we went travelling in the Delta on a tour and to Siwa for a few days. I suggested it to them as when we were in the delta dad was asking a lot about the temples and relating it to life now. They both really liked the book and found it fascinating and very good. It was actually better for me to talk to them about it after they'd read it and I realised that maybe I enjoyed it and found it more interesting than I first thought. This expereince did make me think that maybe I should try to find a book club - so that I can discuss books with other people, rather than my own ramblings! But on the other hand if there were a book club, how would I get them to read the books I wanted to!

The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw

The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw (2009)
Read: March 2011

Another charity shop special here - found and picked up by Scotty because of the Atlantis connection and thinking about the new Indie film that may or may not ever materialise.

A bit hard to work out at first as the story jumps between characters and settings, but after a while I saw the connections and it was easier to follow the adventure. The story manages to cross most of Europe as the two leads meet up and try to piece the evidence together to find Atlantis, whilst in Spain the church has their find and are trying to cover it up whilst chasing and trying to get rid of the (now) couple. At times this reminds me of The Historian which I really enjoyed. It all gets a little too much at the end, but still not a bad read.