The long flight to Los Angeles was made easier with Angela's Ashes. It seems like I have been reading a lot of memoirs lately. I suppose sometimes real life is more interesting than fiction. This book is easy to read and beautifully written. It recounts the author's childhood in an Irish slum and his family's struggle for survival. The narrative reminds a lot of James Joyce, but much much easier to read :)

Here are some books I read recently just in case you are interested.

The Color of Water by James McBride-- This is a memoir by the former Wall Street Journal reporter about his childhood and his mother. The story is really two interwoven accounts of James and his mother. It's about finding his identity, being the child of an African American father and a Jewish mother.

Ignorance by Milan Kundera

An interesting book about displacement of the immigration. I liked it probably because my personal experience dealing with issues of homeland and belonging. It talks about the return of two immigrants who no longer feel the attachment to their home country and their struggle to understand its place in their lives. It's more thought provoking than it is enjoyment.

Blindness by Jos¨¦ Saramago

This has become one of my favorite books!!! While not the easiest to get through especially in the beginning. The book is absolutely incredible. Social commentary aside, it is imaginative, poinant, and eerie. It talks about a plague of blindness that hits a city and its response to such a disaster. It is a look into human nature, both the divine and the ugly. There are some graphic descriptions in the novel but definitely not gratuitus. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in a more serious reading. Jose Saramago is a Nobel Prize winner, and I will probably read the other books he wrote.

Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris

This book was on a reading list I got online. I was surprised by it because I didn't realize it was about bisexuality. The book received great reviews but I didn't find it to be anything special. The writing style is pretty simple and it suits the story. I can't say I would recommend it though.