Two Book Reviews

Finished Chopra's "Muhammed" and was a little disappointed in the ending.  All the information that was in the afterward yet barely touched on in the book kind of annoyed me.  Hate to be too hard on Chopra since he did write a fiction book not a biography but I didn't like that information just being dumped out at the end and not explained at all within the book itself.  I went to the library in search of a Muhammed biography and realized there was none.  Then I remembered it was one of the cons Chopra listed in the book that you can't actually write about the prophet.  I'm still interested in the muslim religion just have to keep an ear out for another book suggestion.

No Muhammed biography plus antsy four year old equals pick anything and fast.  In keeping with my interest of the moment, the middle east, I picked "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" by Paul Torday.  Its really a fictional British story set partly in the Yemen but like I said antsy four year old.  I really liked the book.  The story was great.  I especially felt the theme was completely inspiring.  Dream the impossible and then make it possible.  First you have to have faith, then comes hope and finally love.  Words to live by.  I felt like it gave me a different perspective of how people in the middle east can live with so little.   Living in the desert with the absence of so much, even in the landscape, perhaps facilitates your thoughts, actions, being into keeping yourself open to God.

I was talking to my mother-in-law about "Salmon Fishing..." and she loves the movie.  Said it was one of her favorites even.  I have to see the movie now.  Upon further discussion we realized the book and movie have completely different endings.  Another reason to see it.  Which will I like more?   I think the movie ending has everyone ending up happily ever after whereas the book has this great surprise ending where the characters make some realizations about themselves but are not necessarily happy ever after.

A few weeks ago I went out to dinner with family and my cousin mentions he's writing a screenplay.  Well, it really set something off in me.  I kept thinking about his story.  But what really keeps bothering me is how difficult it is to come up with anything truly original.  Makes me admire the "Salmon Fishing" story even more because its definitely unique.  Wondering if my next project should be to write a fictional story (novel?)...