Book Picks Of The Week #1

Dear Me,

I have been wandering around the blogosphere for books. I came across some great book blogs and discovered a couple of interesting reads.

1. The Chopin Manuscript
   
   This is actually an audiobook wherein fifteen (15) international thriller writers rendered their creative part per chapter of the book. These are:
   
   Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline and P. J. Parrish
   Former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure out of his past: the man known only as Faust.
   
   This is totally my kind of book. I read for suspense, thrill and adventure!
   
   
   
2. Things I've Been Silent About: Memories
   
   Authored by the same person who penned the international bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi relates her personal tale of experiences, memories of growing up in Iran.
   
   Nafisi's intelligent and complicated mother, disappointed in her dreams of leading an important and romantic life, created mesmerizing fictions about herself, her family, and her past. But her daughter soon learned that these narratives of triumph hid as much as they revealed. Nafisi's father escaped into narratives of another kind, enchanting his children with the classic tales like the Shahnamah, the Persian Book of Kings. When her father started seeing other women, young Azar began to keep his secrets from her mother. Nafisi's complicity in these childhood dramas ultimately led her to resist remaining silent about other personal, as well as political, cultural, and social, injustices.
   
   
   
3. I'm Too Sexy For My Volvo: A Mom's Guide to Staying Fabulous!
   
   When I gave birth to little Miguel, I started to shop hoard for mommy-related books which are truly hip and refreshing to read. I think this is one those books. :)
   
   First time author Betty Londergan teases and laughs her way through the first nine months and the years beyond. This fun, flip approach to pregnancy and parenting pays equal attention to minute details (clothes and mani-pedis) and larger ideas (single motherhood). Organized chronologically from conception to college, each chapter includes rules (e.g. "Rule #26: Wear anything that fits"), guest writers, funny stories and tons of hip tips. ("If your hospital is anything like mine, you are in for a boatload of freebies.") Chapters conclude with "bonus pointers" that are tantamount to survival school for mommies. ("When you don't work outside the home, it's easy for working moms...to assume that you're available for free childcare," or "make some gay friends.")
   
   
   
4. Running Well
   
   Getting pregnant, giving birth, raising a child has totally scrapped out my favored outdoor activity, which is, mountaineering. My boy will be turning two soon and I thought that it would be the right time to getting back in shape. I considered running as my soon-to-be sport.
   
   Sam Murphy is a leading fitness expert in the UK and a training consultant for the London Marathon, Nike, and Adidas. Sarah Connors is a physical therapist who specializes in running injuries.
   
   Nothing beats the pleasure of running. Unfortunately, many runners are slowed down by injuries that could be avoided through changes in training or technique. Based on the latest scientific principles, this accessible guide shows you these techniques:
   
   * How to minimize the risk of injury and stay healthy
   * The differences between training and straining
   * How to strengthen and maintain the primary running muscles
   * Ways of assessing and improving technique
   * How to recognize injuries early on and avoid more serious setbacks
   
   
   
5. Lolita
   
   This book was written by Vladimir Nabokov. I have read somewhere that this book has achieved a classic status despite its wanton reputation. Can anyone confirm that?
   
   Humbert Humbert is a European intellectual adrift in America, haunted by memories of a lost adolescent love. When he meets his ideal nymphet in the shape of 12-year-old Dolores Haze, he constructs an elaborate plot to seduce her, but first he must get rid of her mother. In spite of his diabolical wit, reality proves to be more slippery than Humbert's feverish fantasies, and Lolita refuses to conform to his image of the perfect lover.

Without a doubt, I will be hunting the book shops for such titles and if ever, my mountain of TBR will forever kiss the sky. Hmm.

I wonder if others have discovered some engaging reads lately.