Comments on: Weekend open thread

By: justforfun

justforfun — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:05:56 +0000

Don – Short History of Tractors in Ukranian saw it in 2nd hand bookshop on Tuesday – I thought – that title looks familiar – reading it now.

- I’d recommend this book – “Staziland” by Anna Funder – For those who want to get a feel of police state, or for GB’s advisors and left wing think tanks who might be trawling this site for ideas.

Desi – visa issues? – are the Nepalese now incorruptable. Glad they are making progress

Rumbold – I too was rooting for the Germans, but from the beginning – always a good bet.

justforfun

By: J

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:29:53 +0000

The Reluctant Fundamentalist M Hamid, very good book, short so good for a train journey. Interesting the way the author takes you through his life from Pakistan to America and back whilst having a chat with a stranger through an evening. The way he sees things is thought provoking. Read it and let’s discuss it.

By: Rumbold

Rumbold — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:55:03 +0000

I was rooting for the Germans.

Actually, I was rooting for the Turks, but they got knocked out.

Send in book reviews whenever you want.

By: Desi Italiana

Desi Italiana — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:53:29 +0000

“Talking about Euro2008, I did watch the final with Portuguese friends of mine, and they were all rooting for Spain.”

Historical Portuguese/Spaniard contentions, so yes, surprising, but then again, who the hell was rooting for Germany? No one except the Germans.

By: Desi Italiana

Desi Italiana — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:48:39 +0000

Rumbold:

“People can write positive or negative book reviews.”

Great. By when can we turn these things in?

“But no films.”

No yaar, I don’t mean films and book reviews all together. I mean posting a collection of movie reviews like how you are for book reviews. But as I mentioned, this would be a critical take on the movies. It’ll be fun.

Movies that are just begging to be dissected have the following themes:

1. India and Pakistan
2. “inter-cultural/religious/ethnic” unions
3. Marriage (which basically means all Bollywood movies, but you know, look at how the institution is portrayed, gender roles, familial roles, money, class and socio-economic status)
4. Kashmir (ie ‘Mission Kashmir’)

and so on…

By: halima

halima — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:51:20 +0000

Hi Ravi

Here you go, try this link:

http://italiandesi.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/desi-movies-galore/#more-499

By: Anas

Anas — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:41:22 +0000

Check it out, I interview Rev Spook on my blog:

http://anask.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/boddhisattva-pimp/

By: Ravi Naik

Ravi Naik — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:27:08 +0000

I would love to read what Desi has to say about Bollywood movies…

By: Rumbold

Rumbold — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:32:53 +0000

People can write positive or negative book reviews. But no films.

By: Desi Italiana

Desi Italiana — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:59:22 +0000

Hey— can we do a collection of critical reviews of Bollywood movies? I know that it sounds superficial, but I always watch them for the messages they transmit, and trust me, they transmit A LOT of messages that shouldn’t be discounted since large swathes of the globe tune into them.

I offer myself for this noble venture…

By: Desi Italiana

Desi Italiana — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:57:29 +0000

I LOVED “A Fine Balance”, it is the namesake of my blog. I also loved Mistry’s other book, Family Matters. He is such a sharp writer who is able to capture the social, historical, caste, and gender without actually spelling out these themes (in contrast to the other writers). Mistry is my role model.

I just finished a book on the reach of the American military complex by Nick Turse; currently reading David Sedaris’ new book, a humourist whom I love.

Last week, I finished reading Kiran Desai’s Inheritance of Loss. I’ll totally write a review on this book, as it speaks of Nepalis, the Gorkha movement in Darjeeling, and the hill folks….

Rumbold, can I write a review on a book that I DIDN’T like?

Also, Picklers, I am sad to announce that my visa issues forced me to leave Nepal and return to the US. So I am back in So Cal…

By: persephone

persephone — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:37:11 +0000

This is not a new book but I read The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks – not for the sqeamish but riveting. Plot: a boy whose father is conducting (unknown to the boy) a social experiment on him and the effects on the boy. The father has not registered the boy with the authorities so he does not officialy exist and he has carte blanche on his (unusual) upbringing…

By: Ala

Ala — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:35:39 +0000

Again, I missed the weekend thread because I was too busy being in the agonising maelstrom of parental dispute. Maybe next time.

By: Leon

Leon — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:37:13 +0000

two cool videos of two great tunes

Chibo Mato – Sugar Water

So What – Miles Davis & John Coltrane

I prefer the Metallica cover So What…:D

By: Don

Don — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:13:21 +0000

Beyond Black, by Hilary Mantel surprised me. I wasn’t familiar with her name, but hell of a good book. About a medium who connects with an after-life banal, squalid and vindictive.

I’m sightly embarrassed at how tall my ‘to-read’ pile is getting. A friend in Cornwall sent me The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I’ve got Short History of Tractors in Ukranian, Trout Fishing in Yemen, The Last Mughal, Book of Dave (got half way through that), Infidel, currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything (which is excellent.) So, miles behind the rest of the world.

By: Sid

Sid — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:42:58 +0000

two cool videos of two great tunes Chibo Mato - Sugar Water So What - Miles Davis & John Coltrane

By: Ravi Naik

Ravi Naik — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:35:12 +0000

“I have a Spanish bredâ€™rin who, much to my amusement, speaks of Portobello Road as if it were the mythological epicentre of Spanish London. A Spic Brixton or Southall, as it were. I know it used to be, but these days it is more Portuguese right

I’ve always assumed Portobello Rd to be a Portuguese enclave, not Spaniard. Talking about Euro2008, I did watch the final with Portuguese friends of mine, and they were all rooting for Spain. I was somewhat surprised.

By: J

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:25:50 +0000

I read A Fine Balance a few years ago, it is still one of my favourite books. I am reading Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer at the moment, it’s a bit old but thoroughly enjoyable would definetly recommend it, great plot.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:49:34 +0000

I loved A Very Fine Balance…!

even short book reviews are good! And maybe we could also incorp film reviews…

By: El Cid

El Cid — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:33:50 +0000

There was some talk on last weekend’s thread about Portobello Road. Being from another side of town, maybe someone here could resolve a dispute.
I have a Spanish bred’rin who, much to my amusement, speaks of Portobello Road as if it were the mythological epicentre of Spanish London. A Spic Brixton or Southall, as it were. I know it used to be, but these days it is more Portuguese right? A bit like Harringay now being Kurdish rather than Greek Cypriot and Brick Lane being Bengali rather than Jewish. That’s the nature of this great dynamic ever-changing city.
Juan insisted we watched the Spain Euro2008 games in Portobello Road, but I had a vison of me and him hanging outside some deli with our Spain shirts on and no telly, like two gimps. So we went to a new Spanish place we knew in King’s Cross instead, nearer home.
So how Spanish, if at all, is Portobello Road these days?