Feb 20, 2011 Posted by Joelle

Investigating “The Shaking Woman”

I first learned of Siri Hustvedt when a friend of mine told me she was reading her fourth novel, “The Sorrows of an American“, in which the author explores family connectedness, loss, grief and art, through the eyes and voice of a New York psychoanalyst. To entertain my ever-growing fascination with psychology, my friend ended up gifting me the book, foregoing her initial hesitation due to... read more

Jan 22, 2011 Posted by Joelle

A Meeting With Rabih Alameddine

In May 2010, I attended “A Meeting with Rabih Alameddine”, organized by the Anis Makdisi Program in Literature and ASSABIL, Friends of Public Libraries, which also coincided with the publication of his latest book, “The Hakawat”. At the time, I was reading his novel “I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters”, after one of my closest friends introduced me to his writings by way of gifting me... read more

Aug 23, 2010 Posted by Joelle

By The River Ibrahim I Sat Down And Read…

By the River Ibrahim I Sat Down and Read… “Death at Intervals” by Jose Saramago “Death at Intervals” is set in an unnamed country where on the first day of the new year, people stop dying. Death is on strike. The residents are jubilant at first, but soon enough they being to suffer. Death does return eventually, but with a new courteous approach – delivering violent warning letters to... read more

Mar 3, 2010 Posted by Joelle

Favorite Quotes: The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society

A very good friend of mine gifted me this book on my 29th birthday. Don’t be put off by the long and odd title. The book is a gem and one of my all-time favorite books. The story goes like this: It’s 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can’t think of what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey – by chance he’s acquired a book that once... read more