Amman Tales part 1

Cirque de Glace - Evolution

The Mansaf Dish

Well folks, landed safely in Amman, Jordan after a lovely easy flight. Touched down at 3am local time and by the day's end had sat down to a local dish of Mansaf (an absolute must and totally heavenly food) after which I headed off to watch 'Cirque de Glace- Evolution' at Amman's Al Hussein Youth City (Cultural Palace). 

A dazzling performance by a strong cast of 40 skaters from Russia, all Olympic winners going at such high speed that at times was a bit too frightening especially when one takes into account the size of the stage they were performing on. But the cast done good (despite a few trip-ups here and there) and it was an enjoyable performance that earned the skaters a standing ovation throughout the full-house!

That was yesterday and today I did what I do best which is browse through the aisles of bookshops.  I visited the Reader's Bookshop located on the Ground Floor of Amman's Cozmo shopping center. The staff were very friendly and the layout modern and easy to navigate through. If left to my own devices I could have bought much more than I did, but I still have a week here and more book haunts to visit and so will hold out a bit longer. Here is what I bought:

Anti-clockwise from left to right:

1. A Bride's Gift by Ulla N.G. Khraisat: this is a love story between Anna, Swedish and unmarried, and Ahmad, Jordanian and married. It takes place in Jordan, Amman, Irbid, Umm Qais, and Sweden, Stockholm, between 1989 and 1991, in the shadow of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the following war. For Anna, marriage is not necessary while Ahmad insists on marriage. A divorce is for him immoral. He wants Anna as his second wife. Will Swedish Anna accept to be wife number two? Anna meets Karin, a Swedish woman living in Irbid with her Jordanian husbands Ali. A deep friendship develops between the two women. (synopsis from the cover).

2. Twice Shy by Samar Salfiti: Sara lacks confidence, but finds it very plentiful in her friends, brothers, and parents. She  struggles, however, to find comfort in her older sister, who is always turning her away. When a new friend, Amelia, enters Sara's life, things become complicated. Amelia is a strong character who goes after what she wants, at any expense. The two girls hit it off and Sara cherishes her friend until Amelia's behaviour changes and makes her question how much of a friend she really is. Struggling through the seventh grade, Sara learns about boys, coping with her sister's deviant behaviour, and how to deal with different friends.

3. On Love & Death by Hisham Bustani ( عن الحب و الموت): Short stories in Arabic.

4. Black Suits You Well by Ahlam Mosteghanemi (الاسود يليق بكِ)

Jordan, Book Swaps & St. Valentine!

Petra in Jordan

Well, I'm off to Amman, Jordan tomorrow night and that is where my posts will be dispatching from all of next week. I am really looking forward not only to getting together with family and friends but also to nosing around the capital's bookstores and getting my hands on some of the Arabic written books I have been coveting for a while. Up there on my list is Jordanian writer and author Hisham al-Bustani. I became aware of Hisham's story 'Nightmares of the City'  last year translated into English by translator Thorayya El-Rayiss and have since been really looking forward to reading his prose in Arabic. Will let you know how that gets along but until then you can watch a video of him reading -in English- an excerpt of on of the stories from his latest book "The Perception of Meaning" by clicking HERE.

Of course, due to my trip, I won't be in London this weekend so I will be missing London's Children's Bookswap annual event taking place this Saturday Feb.9 at various locations around London. I was due to go to the one being held at London's Southbank Centre. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, this is a giant book swap where children aged 5-11 bring along their books to swap for other ones. Great for mums and dads looking to have a clear-out as well. The event is free and for more information about this particular venue, click HERE and click HERE for all other participating venues.

Remember folks, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow (this lady is flying all the way to the Rose City for it) and if you're wondering what to give that someone on this special day, I suggest books, books, books.  Think 'The Dark Side of Love' by Rafik Shami, 'Anna Karenina' by Tolstoy, 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang, and my favourite 'Birdsong' by Julian Faulks. And if you'r wondering what to write in that blasted blank but too cute not to get card then this website should help you!

Have a fab day everyone!