Category: Books

Books

Can the life that was right for one be ever right for two? 

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“I wondered whether the life that was right for one was ever right for two!”

That’s a quote from My Antonia, which I’ve just finished reading.

Isn’t it true?

It is.

Some people, for example, choose a simple life, feeling happier and more secure in small cities. But, others prefer the busy life in big cities where there are more people, more opportunities, and more entertainment. 

Can these two groups swap places?

Maybe.

But things depend on the urge and the necessity behind the change. In other words, change happens for a reason. You don’t just wake up in the morning and decide to leave your house and move to the mountains… or do you? 

Now imagine how destiny might bring together two people with different life preferences. What do you think their life would be? 

In the story, Antonia’s parents have this acute different preferences, not just about places but about many things. Her father left their homeland, taking his wife and four children to the new land. If it hadn’t been for his nagging wife, he might have never left, would’t have never sold the precious and the worthless to embark on this journey. He couldn’t adapt to prairie life, and his wife never stopped complaining. Then, one day he took his own life. (Oh, the poor man he might have shot himself twice, especially now, when laws are changing.)

But Antonia managed to find a balance, and to help her city -loving husband adapt to prairie life though not quite as much as she did, but enough. And, at least, he never reached the desperate limits her father had.

Now can the life that was right for one ever be right for two? 

Yes.

When there’s love, understanding, and a sense of belonging everything becomes possible. 

By the way My Antonia is just about Antonia. 

With hope and peace,

Nahla 

Books

Have You Read This Book?

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I’ve just finished reading A Passage to India by E.M. Forster. It’s a well-known novel in the history of fiction, regarding orientalism, imperialism, and colonisation. You may have read or heard about it. As for me, I honestly came across it while reading another book.

The book reminded me of Edward Said— have you ever come across this author? I hope you have. I read two or three of Said’s books while studying for my postgraduate degree in Religious Studies. You might wonder how I went from my undergraduate degree in English Language to Religious Studies, but that’s a story for another day.

Now, back to A Passage to India. I am not going to review the story— there are already enough, in case you’re interested. I’d just like to share a thought that struck me while reading it.

True friendship can never exist where pride and prejudice surround it. Such an atmosphere cannot creat and nourish a healthy relationship. Mottos become empty words when superiority and inferiority are hidden behind the nice, smooth facade of so-called communication.

We are created different—in colours, shapes, tongues, and even beliefs. So why does one side decide to change God’s plan, or worse, play God in this temporary life?

So, for example, how can a man travelling by aeroplane be considered more civilized than another by horse? Why is a scientist seen as more civilized than a Bedouin? And why is a millionaire thought to be more civilized than someone earning a modest wage? And, as if that were not enough, this so-called the “civilized” often seek to dominate and humiliate those they call the “less fortunate.”

This is simply what A Passage to India is all about. Friendship that seems possible at first, but cannot last because it grows in a world full of pride and prejudice. That world doesn’t see differences as diversity—but opposition.

Ironically, the author himself tends to present things more as opposites  than as differences—framing them as superior and inferior, or, to put it more nicely, as the fortunate and the less fortunate.

I think Forster merged this duality unintenionally because he belonged to that generation. Even if he struggled with some internal conflict on this issue, he couldn’t overcome it—just like Fielding in the story. Besides, both were atheists, and their views seemed to slip away from the concepts of divine mercy and justice, which might have offered them a different perspective for building a true friendship.


With hope and peace,

Nahla

Books

I think that’s enough!

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Today I made up my mind that I have read enough of Daphne du Maurier’s books. My reading journey with ber books has started last December and continued until last friday. I read about ten of her works, both short stories and novels. I enjoyed reading them all, but one of my reading techniques is to follow my intuition. And today, mine says it’s time to read different books for a different author.

Don’t you agree that changing geners can enhance your imagination, polish your literary talent, and broaden your knowledge? I do agree, but of course, that depends on your literary preferences and style

Now, it seems it’s time to make a fresh start and read a new author. I have a specific one in mind, and I hope I won’t be disappointed. So, this month will be dedicated to non – fiction philosophy and wisdom books.

By the way if you wish to read my reviews on Daphne du Maurier’s books, please check my book review blog.  Here’s the link.

https://nh825.wordpress.com/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Books

Don’t Feed Them

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Three – no four, five, or even more – secret detectives and snipers, take over the four top corners of the building. They  watch, scan, and analyse you, your bag, your hands, and every motion you take in every direction. Oblivious of their plans and intentions, you ignore them, and sometimes laugh at them.

A moment or two later, the highly professional officers spread their strong, white wings and take off. Crying and calling to one another, they start diving through the clear, breezy air, aiming for a specific landing point

You aren’t watching them, not very interested, for you’re busy unwrapping your sandwich. Before you take your first bite, your friend points to the beautiful ship sailing on the sea. You turn with a smile, and before you know it, your sandwich is snatched, shared, and swallowed by the brute intruders.

Seagulls! Have you ever been their victim?

Perhaps, that’s why you might see signs every now and then that says: “Don’t feed them.”

Have you ever thought they might do more than just steal food? The Birds by Daphne du Maurier will make you experience the unbelievable. Here’s the link for my review.

https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/30/the-birds/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Books

The promise

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Have you ever promised someone something?
Of course I have, we all do.

Have you been true to your promise?
Hmm … sometimes, most of the times.

Have you ever broken any?
Well… I can’t remember

Can you trust someone who breaks their promise, who couldn’t stand by their word?
Never … but unless it was inevitable.

Would your answers be any similar?

You might forgive once, but when things happen twice or more, nothing can heal the wound of mistrust. It’s better not to give a promise at all than to give one with any possibility of being unable to keep it. It’s not only unethical to break a promise, but also heartbreaking, disappointing, and deceiving.

However, what if the promise itself is impossible, dangerous, or unethical? Would you blindly, stubbornly fulfill it? Or would you listen to your heart and reason, and break it? 

That’s what the new book I am currently reading is all about. A girl, in her early twenties,  gives her bedridden mother a promise to move and live with her aunt after her death. From the very beginning, starting with the cold letter she receives from her aunt, to the long, miserable journey she makes, to people’s fear and shock about her destination, to the first sight of her aunt and her husband, everything seems to be shouting at her to break her promise and forget about it. If her mother were able to rise from her grave, she would do, so just to tell her daughter to forget about that mistaken promise and flee from her Aunt’s house. But, the girl, full of curiosity and stubbornness, stuck to the promise all the same.

I’ll let you know more when I finish it.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

P.S. The promise is not the title of the book

Books

Obsession

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I wonder if obseission is a psychological, complex problem? In fact, I believe it is.

It is like idolization, you fall for something or someone and make them like air and water in your life. Both are desturctive, but I think obsession is even worse. This is because idolization, sometimes, is out of true love which can be blind or selfish. But, obsession is mainly about possession, fear, and greed.

In both cases, either in idolization or obsession, you can’t see the truth, you can’t listen to reason.

Perhaps, that’s why this quote makes a very good sense: “Truth was something intangible, unseen, which sometimes we stumbled upon and did not recognize, but was found, and held, and understood only by old people near their death, or sometimes by the very pure, the very young.”

Do you agree that only the old, the very young, and the pure can sometimes see the truth? Do you think that might because they are no longer obsessed or have not yet become obessessed?

My Cousin Rachel  by Dephne Du Maurier  can tell you more about obessission. Here’s a link for my review.

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/20/my-cousin-rachel/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Books

A reader’s conflict

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Last week after finishing an interesting book, I decided I wouldn’t write a review about it. But since then, I kept thinking I had to write down my thoughts about it, otherwise my mind wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t stop replaying it in my head.

Can you guess why I had this conflict?

Actualy, this conflict was what inspired me to write my  “Villians” post, a few days ago. In that post, I was reflecting on my own conflict on how to feel about the book. I enjoyed it, but mainly because it was full of suspense and adventure, but I couldn’t sympathise with the characters. Perhaps that’s what the author wanted from the reader, to not sympathise with the characters.That’s what exactly I meant when I wondered whether you, as a reader, would enjoy the adventure for its own sake, or the story that touches your heart with a moral message.

If you want to know a bit more about the book, have a look at my review. Here’s the link:

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/17/the-frenchmans-creek/

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Books

The riddle

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“What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in day time, and three legs in the evening?”

Can you solve this riddle? Please don’t search it up, perhaps your answer will make sense as well, and of course you don’t have to share it. I knew about it while reading The Solitaire Mystery.

But, maybe, I can give you a tiny hint about it. Tick off inanimate objects. Ignore the numbers. And, mainly, think of Time. What is Time?

By the way, did you know that the one made the riddle could never be the one who solved it.

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/28/the-solitaire-mystery/

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Books, Just writing

Playing cards

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Before the smart phone games, app games, and all the massive screen based entertainment, some parents used to play cards with their children during holidays and school breaks. I did, still do, though rarely nowadays.

Those moments engraved wonderful memories in our minds. We laughed, shouted, and jumped as we sat in a circle on the carpeted floor to play cards. We played for fun with one rule: the first loser is out, but had to keep sitting and watching until the last round. It was something like “The Weakest Link.”  What made those moments even more enjoyable was how my husband and I called the cards names in the Egyptian Arabic. Our children wouldn’t mind,  wouldn’t even try to use the english ones. They liked it this way.

I wonder, and you might also wonder, why I thought about all that today? That’s becuase of the book I have just finished reading: The Solitaire Mystery. Have ypu read it? I really recommend it. It’s a good book,. But to be honest, I was a bit confused with the English cards names version. I even don’t know what the Solitaire game is? We play basic cards games. Bit by bit, I came to understand things, and that’s when I started enjoying the book more.

Herewith the link for my book review. Have a look and let me know what do you think about the book?

https://nh825.wordpress.com/2024/12/28/the-solitaire-mystery/

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Books, Just writing

Idolization

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Just look at how people follow a special player, or jump on stage to hug that famous singer, or run after a remarkable actor to take a selfie. And look at those who bow, kneel, and even kiss the ground that this leader or that walks on. This idolization has been the same throughout the ages, it’s obviously disgusting these days because of the social media madness.

Have you ever thought how those idols throughout the ages take but, never give? They don’t know you, won’t care about you. Whether in the form af a celebrity, a leader, or a political party, they want you, as a number, as a voice. They stand high and long, here and there, just like statues. Their strength and durability depend on the expertise of their craftsmenship. But, they never live becuase statues are soulless, vague, and empty. And, one day, they would be dumped, forgotten, and replaced by other statues.

I remember one day while watching a documentary about a famous Egyptian singer from the seventies, there were women throwing themselves out of the top windows of high buildings. Were they really happy following him into the grave? I wondered, thinking how those people will one day answer to God for commiting suicide. This is completely blind idolization, which I believe is so destructive, so humiliated, so pathetic.

On another occasion, when I first came to live in the UK, I met different people. My first friend and neighbour was following the Shia Mathhab. By the way, we didn’t introduce ourselves as Shia and Sunni. These differences just seemed to be obvious. Well, as my friend and I used to visit each other quite a lot, I noticed that there are certain things that she was celebrating and practising which I wasn’t. I asked her about that and she simply replied, ‘I swear I don’t  care about this Imama or that, I just do what my mother does.’ We burst out laughing. How simple and funny our life would be, if we don’t idolize our differences!

Children, of course, might idolize their parents, or students idolise their noble mentors but that’s out of pure love and ultimate reverence, because they deserve it. These people in our lives are the ones who really care and love us.They can not be replaced, can not purchased.

By the way I have just finished The Stationary Shop Of Tehran. It’s a good book, I enjoyed it, enjoyed more reading about Persian Culture and traditions which are a bit different from my Arabic ones. Herewith is my book review, hope you will like it.

The Stationary Shop of Tehran

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

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