books

As of this morning, I've sold 38 books on amazon.com. Not bad, right? That's more than one book-box when moving! Not that I have any immediate plans to move though... It just feels good to have room in my bookshelf. And a little extra cash coming in here and there. I'm not ordering nearly as many books these days, self-control is kicking in and I'm using the, hush, drum-roll please, pause for dramatic effect,... LIBRARY. Checking out books not just for school, but to, gasp, READ. This is so weird. Who does that anymore?

I recently finished two books: So Many Enemies, So Little Time, a book which held enormous promise for me because it is the autobiographical tale of a female Fulbright winner who goes to teach in Kyrgyzstan in late August of 2001, for ten months. Unfortunately by the end I thought she was a nosy, arrogant, and annoying traveller with too much money to spare. On the other hand, she revealed quite interesting views into Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq in late 2001, and early 2002, as she travelled to all those countries during her tenure.

I also finished Shadow of the Pomegranate Tree, an extremely polemical and one-sided (Muslim) account of the ultimate fall of Granada and expulsion of Muslims from Spain in the late 1400s. It was nice at times, but I mostly found it tedious and difficult to pick back up again. Good for me for finishing it!

Now I'm starting Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues  by Paul Farmer, a renowned author and scholar/physician in medicine and health inequalities, as well as human rights. It basically deals with the role of anthropology in confronting poverty and disease, and comes highly recommended. Lets hope!

That is all.