Qualities

Dear Reader,

As I sat on my prayer mat today, after praying Zuhr (the midday prayer), my thoughts lead me to an examination of my own qualities. And I realised I have many, many flaws. For example: 

• as my rather perceptive mum would tell you, I'm far too loud at inappropriate times, 

• somewhat selfish when it comes to sweets/fruits/foods I like (Saag-paneer!! All mine muhuha haha haa), 

• I spend far too much money on books and particular clothes I take a fancy to, 

• writing a blog-post when I have a assignment deadline tomorrow and final exams in 3 days time shows I have obvious issues with procrastination,

• I get easily distracted when I'm not reading or writing - facebook can be my arch nemesis at times! (the struggle between us sometimes turns ugly)    

• I can be rather impatient at times, especially in things concerning my brothers,

• unfortunately, I take a bit too much pride in my appearance

• I can't sit absolutely still for more than 5 mins - either my fingers are perpetually fiddling with something or my feet are swinging/tapping (pen-tapping haters beware)

• and the list goes on...

Image from:  http://rosekate.me/2011/03/12/introspection/  

But there is one quality that I rather like about myself: ever since I was a child, I've not been very judgemental or prejudiced, especially when it comes to physical appearance, race, religion, culture, wealth, gender, sexuality, social status etc... (Aside: of course if some strange man was lairing at me at, lets say, a tube station, then I would probably pre-judge him and avoid him like the plague. But that's actually the difference between judging a situation and actually being judgemental.) Anyway, I truly and heartily believe the Islamic teaching that everyone is created equal, that we are all equal in the eyes of God. Being completely omniscient as He is, only He has a right to judge between us; only God knows what's really in our heart of hearts and how humble and pious we actually are. Besides, I think that physical appearances, race, gender, wealth, social status etc... are very shallow and superficial criterion on which to judge a person's worth. 

However, there's a flip side to this coin. While meditating on the prayer mat, I realised that the prejudices that I do hold (because no one is completely without them) stem from two things that are rather inter-linked. The first, and foremost, is arrogance. I hate it, cannot stand it and will not abide by it. Especially within myself. And the vast amounts of arrogance I perceive, is probably the cause of my abhorrence towards the "hip-pop" culture. Also, if I'm meeting a person for the first time and I detect true arrogance, then I can't help but take an instant dislike to them. Unfortunately, this has happened to me often enough, the most prominent case in my life being the brother of one of my beloved, old friend, whom I've known now for almost 17 years now. 

The second thing is disrespectfulness. It annoys me without end, whether it be towards older people, children, other religions/cultures, racism, being disrespectful in jest/mockery or disrespectful language used in films, songs and even books. As hard as it is to believe, there are actually books that I can't read. Those are the book that have a lot of swear words in them. I've tried reading a few that are well known "bestsellers" but I never seem to get past the first chapter. *Sigh.* I think that disrespectfulness in itself is caused by three things: 1) a very bad-temper 2) a disregard of other people's feelings and 3) thinking of yourself superior or better than someone else i.e. arrogance. Most of the time it's a vile combination of all three.      

...

Few! I'm glad I got that off my chest. But I should be getting back to my work now, before my mind finds more ways to procrastinate...

Nida

Quick List

Dear Reader,

My winter reading list is now three weeks overdue. :-( I had planned to write a review to go along with this reading list, as is usually the case, but I'm afraid that I have many other commitments pressing in on my time. (Aside: I've noticed that my posts of late seem to beginning on this very same melancholy, apologetic tone. I'm going to have to do something about this, sooner rather than later.) 

On a more positive note, I have quite a few intriguing posts planned for the near future, so that is something for you, dear patient reader, to look forward to. I also thought I might as well get the tedious matter of my winter reading list out of the way first, so I won't have to worry about it later one. Some of the following books actually form the last part of my 2011 Reading Challenge and it would by unfair if I bid adieu to the year 2011 without some mention of them. So without further preamble: 

1. Strait is the Gate by Andre Gide
2. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
3. Pretty Persuasion by Olivia Kingsley
4. Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
5. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
6. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Confession: This very tempting book has been waiting on my bed-side shelf for well over a month now. I haven't touched it yet because I'm waiting for the holidays to begin before I become completely consumed by it, as will inevitably happen as soon as I touch it.) 
7. Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
8. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
9. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
10. The Once and Future King by T.H. White   

Now I must go fetch myself an essential cup of tea. Being British, and knowing very well about all the stereotypes, I truly believe there is no problem that I can't solve without having a cup-o-tea first. So a merry winter to all, and to all a good-night. 

Nida

Perspective, Passion & Purpose

Dear Reader,

Though I only have nine days left before the deadline of an assignment and two exams, I thought I'd take some time out to share this video with you. Mashallah, I was really blown away by the confidence and talent of this sister. I hope she impresses you too and inspires you, as she has inspired me, to change and be the change towards a greater cause. Enjoy:

   

I'd love to read your thoughts on this. Leave them in the comments section below.
Nida

a Succession of Three

Dear Reader,

This past week (or two) I read three young-adult fiction novels - in rather quick succession. This in itself is not surprising or note-worthy. What is unexpected and worthy of  its own post, however, is that all three have taken up place among my "favourite" novels. As far as I can recall, I've read about 400 novels of which less than a quarter can boast the praise of being a favourite. (Aside: I'm currently using Shelfari.com to help me keep track of such things.) 

Gandalf the White from The Two Towers

I'm actually rather picky when it comes to choosing favourites. That's why I believe this is the first time three unlinked books that I've read one after another, back-to-back, have so captured my imagination (and heart at times too).  I think the last time something like this happened was when I read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the first three books of The Inheritance Cycle - each time I happen to enjoy all three books in equal amounts. But this time it's completely different: these three new favourites are not even by the same author. *Gasp!* 

So for you, my book-loving reader, since I haven't done anything like a review in a long time now, I've decided to post here three mini-reviews for this succession of three favourites, in chronological order:

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Elizabeth Rew is a lover of fairy tales. She even seems to be living in one, complete with two 'ugly' stepsisters and a domineering stepmother. She is also quite lonely in her new school. When her social studies teacher offers her the opportunity to work part time, as a page, in the New York Circulating Material Repository, she is excited by the prospect of making new friends. Elizabeth finds the Repository to be a wondrous place that house all manner of objects: from the ordinary, e.g. light bulbs and buttons, to the obscure, like the wig in which Marie Antoinette was beheaded. Her new job entails cataloguing, strange tests, dealing with requests from even stranger patrons and taking care of truly magical objects collected by the Brothers Grimm themselves; objects, like the magic mirror, thought to have inspired the classic fairytales.

She also finds great friends in her fellow pages: the beautiful Anjali, athletic Marc and the omnious Aaron. But not all is well at the Repository. There are rumours abound of theft, missing pages and faulty  and even disappearing magical items. Elizabeth soon finds herself thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that would require her to go to great lengths to rescue her new found friends...  

The Grimm Legacy has a fast-paced and engaging plot with beautifully imaginative writing. Yet there seems to be a lack of character development, with the entire cast being rather two-dimensional. However, I think this might have been intentional because, after all, all the characters in the Grimm fairytales are either just good guys or bad guys.

Though this book is targeted towards early teens, it is actually fun to read for anyone who enjoyed reading/listening to any of the Brothers Grimm's fairytales as a child or wished that they could be the hero/heroine of their own fantasy/sci-fi story. And I must confess, not even I could remember all of those items from all those stories (e.g. The Golden Key), and I had thought I knew the Grimm fairytales quite well. Polly Shulman did do her research well.   

***

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Ansel and Gretchen have been thrown out of their house by their stepmother, and now they are one the road with little cash heading as far away as possible from their old life. Because both Gretchen and Ansel are haunted by the memories of a little girl. Twelve years ago, Gretchen's twin sisters vanished, stolen by the witch in the woods behind their home.

Now, somewhere in North Carolina, their car breaks down. Without any way of repairing the car, Ansel and Gretchen walk to the nearest town, Live Oak. Its very small, hostile and on the verge of becoming a ghost-town. But with very few options, Ansel takes up a job making repairs to the Chocolatier owned by the radiant Sophia Kelly, who takes both of them into her home and life with open arms. But something isn't right at Live Oak. Eight young women seemed to have vanished into thin air just after Sophia Kelly's infamous annual Chocolate Festival. And Gretchen instinctively knows that the witch from her past has returned and lurks ever-present in the woods surrounding Live Oak. But this time it's different. She is different and determined to not let her fear of the witch prevent her from saving the rest of the girls of Live Oak, including Sophia. Together with the handsome and sarcastic Samuel Reynolds and armed with a rifle, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery surrounding the witch and the Chocolate Festival, only to find that love came be as deadly as it is sweet.     

Sweetly is a riveting modern retelling of the story of Hansel and Gretel. It's also a companion novel to the amazing Sisters Red, with some surprising links. Jackson Pearce seems to have found the perfect balance between plot-pace and characters development. I absolutely loved it. There's not much more I can say.

***

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

As bad as it sounds, and though this is definitely not my usual practice, I initially bought this book because it has just the most exquisite cover that I have seen in years. The picture to the left, can't compare to the actual real thing. Hats-off to Jonathan Barkat and April Ward, the people responsible for the jacket design.

However, after reading this book, I have to say I made a really good choice and this time, despite the popular saying, my judgement of the book's cover coincides with my judgement of the novel itself. But before I go into all of that, I think I should tell you, dear reader, what this book is all about:

Every family has their secrets. And for Gwen's family, it's her cousin Charlotte. Gwen has lived most of her life in Charlotte's shadow. She is just one day older than Gwen but she is also beautiful, graceful, intelligent, gets special treatment by their grandmother, Lady Arista, and every Wednesday, Charlotte attends mysterious meetings and classes. All this fuss is because Charlotte carries the gene that will allow her to travel back in time. But someone, maybe deliberately, has made a mistake. Gwen becomes aware of this mistake when she suddenly finds herself on Oxford Street, in the early 1900's.

From then on, Gwen's world is turned on it's head and shaken vigorously. Her uncontrolled leaps into the past are an unwanted surprise and she is completely unprepared for the secret society known as the 'Guardians' that are run by the de Villiers, a family like her own who also passes on the time travelling gene. Despite her mother's warning and protection, Gwen is coerced by the Guardians into a carrying out a mission with her male counter-part Gideon de Villiers. But it doesn't take her long to find out that the past, and her mission, is fraught with mind-games, danger, intrigue and, most surprisingly of all, love...      

I think this is the first "time travel" book that I've ever read. And I just can't get enough of it. Especially the twist at the end. It has been plaguing my mind these past three days and has even resulted in restless nights, since my brain refuses to desist from imagining what the next book, Sapphire Blue, might bring with it. Another thing that I like about Ruby Red, is the way that Gwen and her best friend Lesley are two very realistic teenage girls (with all the faults and symptoms of an average teen) plunged into particularly unrealistic world. There is also a very nice blend of history and all-things-modern. But in spite of the engaging narrative, the action and the mysterious clues dotted at the beginning of each chapter, Ruby Red still feels like only an introduction to this world that Kerstin Gier has created, with the main storyline yet to come. It's just such a shame that I have to wait almost an entire year before I can read Sapphire Blue. *Sigh*   

By the way, these three books still count towards my on-going charitable 2011 Reading Challenge. Check it out and please make a donation to my cause, if you like what you read. And with the year coming almost to and end, I really don't want to fail now. I could use all the help and support I can get.

But now I must go and prepare for today's lectures. Ssshhhh, don't tell anyone I've left it to last minute ;-)

Nida

Life: a work in Progress

Dear Reader,

I apologise if you feel neglected. I have been spending the majority of my time in lectures for my MSc that began last week, and all of my non-academic-work-time working on my online novella. I have written the prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 and am trudging through the beginning of chapter 3. I've been doing a lot more research to write this than I had first intended, but I suppose it's all for the better of the novella. *Sigh*

Image courtesy of proficientwriter.com

When I say research, one would generally think about looking into history books, geographical maps, other novels, going to the library, searching online  etc. (Aside: wikipedia is always a good starting point) All of this I have been doing. But I've also been doing some research into my own personal history, delving into my past to find stories and anecdotes from my childhood. I had no idea how much my own personal life had influenced this plot/story until I actually started writing it. Not that this novella is autobiographical, quite far from that actually. 

But still, this introspective and retrospective search has made me think about all the ways that I have changed over the years, and the ways that I have stayed the same. I've also come to realise that the main driver of change is experience. The circumstances life deals out to us, the people we meet, the decisions we make, they are all an intertwined  into that one word "experience". And I believe, as the writer, it is vital for me (if not the reader) to understand my characters' experiences in order to plot out the decisions they would make when put in the middle of a tight spot or dilemma.  

And I suppose this is also true for real people as well, not just fictional ones. To truly appreciate a person and know why they do what they do, necessitates an understanding of who the person is and what makes them tick. You know, dear reader, how they say "you need to know where you're coming from, to see where you're going" or something along those lines. If you know who said that, let me know in the comment section below.

A short post this time, but I must be getting back to a lavish South Kensington drawing room in 1838. So to conclude, all I want to say is that life itself is a work in progress - as I write out the lives of my characters, I'm also in the process of writing out my own.     

Nida

a New Project

Dear Reader,

I have been encouraged/inspired/challenged/forced-at-gunpoint by some of my friends to start a new project. That is to say, they want me to write one of my more simpler novels online. That way they can read it immediately without having to wait for years for me to get published and to showcase case my "talent" to the world at large. Their words not mine. 

So I've set up a new blog/website were I'll be writing chapters for this "novella" whenever I get the chance. It's one of my historical stories, set in the 1800's, but also it's neither of the stories I have mentioned previously on this blog as I just came up with the concept and plot a few weeks ago. I have named it "Honour & Honesty" in due respect to Jane Austen, whose novels (Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility) have partly inspired it. This is the URL address for the story:

http://honourandhonesty.wordpress.com/ 

Despite appearances, this is actually the first time I’m writing a story online, and given all my other obligations, I’m not exactly sure how long it will take me to complete this novella. However, I do have a fully-planned, detailed outline of the plot and so each post will be a new chapter of the novella.

And as you might know by now, I hold firm with the idea: “never judge a book by its cover” (or rather “a blog by its template” in this case) I would not expect you, dear reader, to begin reading this without some sort of indication as to what it is all about. So if I were to write a blurb for this novella, it would go something like this:

When the alluring Amelia Russell returns to London after a long absence, all of Adrian Campbell’s ideas, plans and theories on marriage are turned upside down and shaken vigorously. He becomes stuck between a rock and a hard place, with his priced honour most at stake.

But on the other side of the world, in the murky docks of Hong Kong, Lieutenant Warren Lloyd receives an urgent but mysterious message requiring his immediate return to England.

As the varied lives of four young people cross, the value of Honour and Honesty will play a great role in love, heartbreak, family ties and scandal.

What do you thing? ;-) I hope you, dear reader, enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. If this is not your usual cup of tea then that’s fine, I won’t hold it against you. But if you have an ideas, opinions or constructive criticism then I’d definitely love to read it, so leave a comment in the section below. But now I have to go and type up the Prologue. Take care. 

Nida

P.S: make sure you check out the "Acknowledgement" and other pages on the blog. 

Awesome Autumn

Dear Reader,

I realise that this post is about a month late :-S. I'd like to claim that this is because I've been really busy (a viable excuse since my mother is off on holiday to Pakistan and left me in charge of the house and my brothers) but the truth is my mood has not been at its perkiest of late and I did not want to "rant" on my blog or write a heart-breaking sob-story. I don't usually wallow away in self-pity and I'm sure that you, dear reader, would not want to hear about my small dive into it either.   

So now, on to the main topic of this blog: autumn is my most favourite time of the year. I usually don't go into in-depth accolades to abstract things or seasons. But right now, as I gaze out of my window into the garden, or as I was down the streets or through a park, I can't help but contemplate and be in awe of nature during this time of year. 

What I like most about autumn are the colours: the greens of summer transitioning into browns, orange, red and gold. And this transition seems to be everywhere I look, and not just in leaves. Say, if a year was a day; then night will be winter, spring will be during the sunrise and morning, summer would be symbolised in the noon-day sun and, of course, autumn would be a sunset. 

And a sunset during autumn itself is something that captures the imagination. As the sun makes contact with the horizon, it sets the sky ablaze in oranges, reds and pinks. And when this light filters through the semi-transparent autumn trees, the whole place is awash with warmth. SubhanAllah. To me, everything about autumn is warm: the colours, the clothing, the temperature - which is neither the heat of summer that requires us to squint our eyes and hide indoors with the AC nor does it have the chill of winter. Even the rain, as it falls from the sky, often holds are warm quality. I like warm.     

There is a really well known poem by John Keats, that I think captures the transition and slight sadness of Autumn quite well:

         
                          To Autumn


                                   1.
    Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
    To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
            To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
    With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
        And still more, later flowers for the bees,
        Until they think warm days will never cease,
            For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

                                  2.
    Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
        Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
    Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
        Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
    Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
        Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
            Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
    And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
        Steady thy laden head across a brook;
        Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
            Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

                                  3.
    Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
        Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
    While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
        And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
    Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
        Among the river sallows, borne aloft
            Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
    And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
        Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
        The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
             And gathering swallows twitter in the skies. 

And I think that I'll leave you, dear reader, with the most recent additions to my Autumn reading list, well that is with the exception of Sweetly (which is due to be released in the UK some time in October): 

1. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
2. The Female Brain by Luann Brizendine
3. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
5. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
6. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
7. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
8. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
9. Idylls of the King by Lord Alfred Tennyson (LAT)

Nida

ETA - I've tried but I'm not sure how to fix the highlighting of the poem and other bits. If you know how, then please let me know in the comments section below. Thanks.

a Potter present

Dear Reader,

A little while ago, I received a very delayed birthday present through the post. (Aside: my birthday is in the middle of July, and it arrived some-time during August.) It wasn't some small card with money in it from my Aunt in Pakistan or anything like that. No. It was HUGE. I wish I had taken a picture of the actual box to show you. It came up to my waste. Within the cardboard box was another slightly smaller box. In the style of a Russian Nesting doll I kept opening, and smaller boxes kept emerging. Until finally, after seven layers of cardboard, packing and bubble-wrap (yey bubble-wrap!!!!), I came out with this:

Yes! it's a Harry Potter Box Set delivered by Owl Post.
Its a shame the photo doesn't do full justice to the beautiful details on the box.  

...in which was this...

Cool right!

The present was from my friend Codename: Pixie. You see, we've had this very long standing argument. She absolutely adores all the Harry Potter Books. Where as me ... well, when I was about 10 or 11, I attempted to read the first two books, didn't like them much at the time and gave up 1/2 way. Then of course, the movies began coming out and everyone went Potter-crazy. And, being the sort of person who hates following popular trends, I thought to myself that there was no way I was going to read the Potter books now.   

However, being my one of my oldest friends, and sharing my obsession with books, Pixie also knew that I cannot resist the seductive lure of a shiny, brand-new just-off-press/just-off-a-shop-shelf book. And so, by giving me this beautiful Harry Potter Box Set for my birthday, she had guaranteed that I would finally come around to reading those books.

I tried. Believe me. I tried to resist the smell of those crease-less books, the glittering gold on those perfectly flat covers, the fresh black ink on those thousands of unread pages. It was incredibly hard but I succeed, some-what. Long-story short, it's suffice to say that within a week of the end of Ramadan, I had finished the entire series.    

And now, I must admit that I have fallen in love with The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. J.K. Rowling really is an amazing writer, which was something I didn't really appreciate when I was 10 years old. But, anything I might say now about her writing style or the characters or plots has probably been said and written a hundred, maybe a thousand, times overs already. So I won't won't bore you with repetition. ;-)     

Having newly immersed myself into the world of wizards and muggles, I would love to hear from you, dear reader, if you have read the Harry Potter books or even if you've only watched the movies, which one(s) your favourite(s) are, and what you like the most. Leave your intriguing and fascinating opinions in the comment section below. :-)

But now I must go and thoroughly enjoy my salad-filled SUBWAY sandwich.
Nida

a Conversation in Rhyme

Dear Reader,

My friend Codename: Pixie and I just had an eerily interesting conversation through text messages. Actually it's a conversation that's been going on for days now, switching from phone calls to text messages and back again. But when this conversation  became poetry, I know not. But there is a piece that I particularly like, that I have named Smile (©2011). The reasons and inspiration behind these poems is too long and complex to go into now. However, I have decided that I would like to share them with you, lucky Reader:

I started out like this... 

"Where is your smile, dear?

Has the sadness become too much to bear?

Has the burden of the last seven years,

Destroyed your youth in these final tears?

Where is your smile, dear?

The light in your eyes seems to disappear

Torn up your innocence it has, I fear

And left your soul in this horrid disrepair

Where is your smile, dear?

A bright sun has risen, the day is fair

There's hope for the future, don't despair

Will your smile ever come back, my dear?"

...and so Pixie's reply was her version of the poem...

  

"One day, your smile shall return, my friend.

Life is resilient, with ups and downs till it's end. 

One thing is certain,

For me your God's send

With whom I shall argue and laugh and pretend.

I will chase away all your unwanted fiends.

One day, for sure, your upside down smile will mend."

...to which my response was...

"You bring a smile to my face,

A giggle into my voice.

Tears leave their trace,

But I still have a choice.

I will love and laugh and enjoy my life,

And not dwell on past struggles and strife.

I know that there will always be things that I rue,

But there are just not enough hours in a day.

So as long as I have a friend like you,

A smile will never be too far away."

I hope you enjoyed that. I would love to write more and share more, however I need to go and do some emergency grocery shopping. 

Nida


ETA - I forgot to Thank Pixie for giving me the permission to post her poetry on my blog. So Thank you Pixie dearest.

Girls of Riyadh vs. Nine Parts of Desire

Dear Reader,

A belated Ramadan Kareem to all my brothers and sisters in Islam. I was told recently that I use Islamic-transliterated words and abbreviations in some of my posts that often don't mean anything to some readers. For that I sincerely apologise. To remedy this, I've set up a page for you, dear reader, if you come across a word/phrase/abbreviation that you are unfamiliar with. Link is also in the side bar --->

Now, given that it is a holy month for us Muslims, I thought I'd write something Islam related. But the question is "what do I write?" I am no expert on the religion and still have much to learn, Inshallah. So, as always I decided to stick to what I know. And what I know is a lot about books, Alhumdulillah. That is why this post is a comparative review of two somewhat-controversial books that I read recently, both of which are centred around Middle-eastern women:

The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanae:

This is a fictional novel, based mainly in Saudi Arabia and written as a series of e-mail by the narrator, "seerehwenfadha'et", who is revealing the sensational/scandalous stories of her four friends: Sadeem, Gamrah, Lamees and Michelle (a.k.a Mishaal), these are, of course,  not their "real names". At first, this books reminded me strongly of Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, you know what with the four close friends going their separate ways in life but still managing to keep in contact with each other. Story wise, it was gripping and emotional, but no way near as scandalous as I thought it would be. (Aside: maybe Julia Quinn's icky-romances have changed my ideas of "scandalous", who knows!)

But I soon realised that it was far far more than just that. It was a commentary on Saudi Society in general, with all it's cold and distant fathers, the ruling tribal traditions and selfish (and sometimes hypocritical) young men. I realised that this novel, however fictional,  represents a very real, very non-fictional Society in which few outsiders can find a niche into. This also made me incredibly angry!

You see, the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) worked so hard throughout his life to break down the barriers of tribal traditions and prejudices and racism within the Arab community at the time. This was also the reason behind some of his marriages. He set the example for Muslims that is was okay to marry someone from a different tribe or one of the Bedouins, or someone from a different social status, whether it was higher or lower. He, salallahu alaihi wasalam, even married a woman who was originally Jewish. It was permitted and encouraged to marry someone of different race, in order to increase cultural and international awareness and to promote equality and peace. There is even verses in the Qur'an to this effect. For example, in Surat Al-Hujarat it state:

"O mankind! indeed We have created you from male and female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in sight of Allah is that who is most righteous." [49:13]   

You see, the thing that distinguishes true status is not race or tribe or cast or family or wealth or gender or age but righteousness, i.e. how good a person is. And it upsets me, truly pains me, to read about how now, more than 1400 years later, in an age that is supposedly "more advanced", that the people of Saudi Arabia still hold tight to the demeaning tribal traditions of inequality, values that were prominent in the the Age of Ignorance; especially when it comes to marriage, and a woman's say - her Islamic rights - when it comes to picking a spouse.   

Nine Parts of Desire: the Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks

Written by Pultizer Prize winning Australian author and journalist, this is a non-fictional autobiography about the time Brooks spent travelling and reporting in the Middle-East. This books is really good in the way that it allows you to, as the title suggests, glimpse into the worlds of Muslim women from all walks of life: from those in war-strewn Palestine, an Eritrean doctor in the back-caves of Ethiopia, to women soldiers in the UAE army and Queen Noor of Jordan. It also gives you a brief/basic overview of what Islam is about and about the five pillars. It is interesting reading about these things from the perspective of someone who is not Muslim. Her views are rather fair-minded and she does not condemn Islam to be a religion of terrorism.        

However, there were certain passages in this books that make our Prophet (pbuh) sound like a tactful opportunist, or a player/womaniser, not something I particularly agree with. Also, there was subtle hints of bias against Aisha (RA), Muhammed's (pbuh) most beloved wife. This probably can be accounted for by the fact that Geraldine Brooks spent most of her time among the Iranian Shiite community. But, for some reason I cannot fathom, she also seems to have formed very strong opinions against Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), the 2nd Kalipha after Muhammed sallahu-alaihi-wasalaam, often calling him a "cruel misogynist" or "Muhammed's misogynistic lieutenant"!!!! (*written while shrugging uncomprehendingly*)

But, if Brooks has taught me anything, its that it's not just good enough to justify our religion and show people that it does not condone violence etc. We have to stand up and take action against, or better yet, fix the wrongs that are being done in the name of Islam. And this should begin now, today in this holy month of Ramadaan. 

I don't have an exact solution to all the numerous problems that are effecting Muslim communities around the world. But I do know that a single person can only do so much. To accomplish real change, we need to stand united with solidarity, as one Ummah. We need to be willing to help each other out of any problem, whether it is the big global issues like oppression of women, political oppression and dictatorships, lawlessness and violence (domestic or other wise) or smaller but just as important issues, like female genital mutilation and forced marriages.

If you, dear reader, like this post and want to read more, then you might be interested in reading a similar post I wrote a few months ago about International Women's Day. If not then I'm sorry that this post is so serious, and some-what preachy, but I promise that next one will be a lot lighter and bubblier, Inshallah.


Nida

Life: as I see it - my Space (Revised) edition

Dear Reader,

Confession: I've been feeling rather nostalgic lately, for obvious reasons, and so you'll just have to bare with me for this post. So, since it has now been a year (+2 weeks) since I posted Life: as I see it - my Space edition (one of my most popular posts) I thought it was time I showed you, my dear reader, how my bookshelves have changed and how they haven't.

I can't wait to add Maggie Steifvater's Forever to this, which is now finally out. It is something that can't be help it, I'm a compulsive completionist.    

Other favourite writers on this shelf are Na'ima B. Robert and Jamilah Kolocotronis.     

This shelf is directly underneath the one above. You'll  find here Kristin Cashore as well as Kate Mosse, with some Robin McKinley being cut off at the bottom of the picture. 

This use to be my "Classics" shelf, but is now mainly Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, followed by the DVD of my Favourite BBC adaptations of Classics, including: North & South, Cranford, Middlemarch and Little Dorrit.      

This is my, much more serious, non-fiction shelf of mostly medical books, with the exception of Green Deen and  How I Killed Pluto, and Why it Had it Coming.

Aaahhh, Poetry... These huge collections are three of my favourites (minus LAT - see the comment on the link): Thomas Hardy, William Wordsworth and John Keats.  

And peeping in from the top are some of Rudyard Kipling's best works. 

The One and Only, Original bookshelf. Once upon a time, when I was a very little girl, this was the only bookshelf in my bedroom. Hence it still contains the likes of the Chronicles of Narnia and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I have to admit, I haven't much grown out of these books in all these years.  

I'd also like to mention Philip Pulman's Sally Lockhart books, the under-appreciated Garth Nix, and Frank Beddor for obvious reasons. 

Here we have a small neat section reserved for historical fiction and my favourite autobiographies. I think the titles/authors in this picture are clear enough to read, except the orange Dairy of a Young Girl. Anne Frank, may you rest in peace. 

This is where the rest of the Classics from the "ex-Classics shelf" have ended up, including Charles Dickens (in green), Victor Hugo (in the stripped blue)  and my copy of the Selected  Poems of Lord Alfred Tennyson. 

This is the spot where my beloved Inkworld Trilogy use to reside, but it was burrowed by an old friend and never returned. :'(

So to fill that gap in my heart...I mean shelf, I have filled this spot with the not as much beloved Books of Pallinor. Sorry Alison Croggon, that is just the honest truth.      

   

The Twilight Saga has been transferred, to the top of my big wardrobe to have a teeth and claw battle with...

... Christopher Paolini's dragons. Who will win this epic dual of fantasy vs. horror in the Young Adult Fiction genre? 

Let me know what you think in the Comments section below. 

Aside: Vampires come into the 'horror' category, don't they? Or am I thoroughly deceived? 

To lend his support to the Fantasy genre, is my collection of Tolkein's work, 

(also found at the top of another wardrobe).    

And finally the most important shelf in my bedroom, which resides in the top right-hand corner of my desk, hold my religious books. Most things Islamic, can be found in this shelf with The Noble Qur'an at the heart of it all. If you have been following my blog for long enough, you'll remember that much-used little blue book at the top is my pocket-size version of The Sealed Nectar, a biography of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).   

By the way, if you look to the far left, you'll see two unnamed books. They're mine. The grey one is choked-full of my poetry and the floral-pattern-one being my first note book entirely concerned with my novel-in-the-making Life in Conversations.    

I hope, dear Reader, that you have been awed and inspired by my vast array of books. I was going to continue on to a little piece about the gardening I've been doing recently with my mum, and the efforts we have put into salvaging and saving the lives of about 16 small and starved geranium plants we found on sale at B&Q. But I've realised that this post is already far too long and that tales of my epic weeding might bore you, dear Reader, to death. And that is something I don't want on my concious. 

Anyway, making this post longer is now no-longer an option as I must go and make some greek-style pasta for my ravenous brothers. 

Nida