Saturday, June 28, 2008

Required reading for wanna-be's like me


The Yacoubian Building by: Alaa Al Aswany

I am deep into this book (which I have been hoping they would translate after I read about it when they were making the movie in Egypt) and I stumbled onto it in Target the other day. It is WONDERFUL. I am enjoying the modern history mixed in with culture and a cast of characters that manages to embody the idiosyncrasies of Egypt herself. DH has decided that after reading this I am TRUELY ready to get my Egyptian citizenship!LOL

So here is your homework... Go read it!!! Say you need diapers, or milk, or some other urgent thing and run out and get it. Then brew a pot of black tea with a sprig of mint and find a comfortable chair to sit and read in. Really, it's that good. And maybe I'll be giving a pop quiz... I was schooled as a literature teacher after all.

****WARNING**** This book does have sexual content, but you should read it anyway... 'Cause like it's necessary sexual content.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wa alaikum assalam,

One of my favorite books as well!!! I just saw the movie and was a bit disappointed...but watch it anyway :-) My all-time favorite is still the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz, I must have read it a thousand times. Any other good reads?

Salaam

L_Oman said...

Well, thanks for the heads up on this one! I'll call Borders over here and see if it's available!

Molly said...

I totally found this book like 5 days before I left for egypt and read it. So funny that we found it at the same time. Its one of the few books I brought with me overseas. when are you coming to egypt?

Anonymous said...

Salam,

I saw the series here in Egypt a few months ago and I didn't know what they were saying :P (I'm still learning Arabic) but it gave me a good insight to what the Egyptian culture is all about.

Do you/anyone know where I can get a copy of it in Egypt? (I'm in Kafr El Sheikh but will be going back to Perth, Australia next month). If not, would it be available on Amazon? Something like that? Jazakallah/

UmmLayla said...

Nur,
Yes, it is on Amazon... Follow the link below the picture in my original post. Well worth the money to have it shipped.