قراءة في كتاب: تسكٌع في أمريكا اللاتينية

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أدب الرحلات لم يكن لمكتبتي حظاً وفيراً منه إلا من خلال بعض القراءات على فترات متباعدة فقد استهوتني نوعيات أخرى من الكتب باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية. ثم و بدون سابق انذار أجدني أقرأ مجدداً في أدب الرحلات للرحالة الكويتي عبد الكريم الشطي من خلال كتابه الجديد “تسكٌع في أمريكا اللاتينية” الذي صدرت طبعته الكلاسيكية في  500 نسخة فقط في صيف 2017 و الذي يعد تجربته الثانية بعد كتابه “تسكٌع على الخريطة”.  يرتحل فيه المؤلف بين صور حيَة يصحبك معه من هنا إلى هناااااك و إلى أبعد .. بدءاً من الأرجنتين إلى فنزويلا فالمكسيك ثم إلى كوبا

التسكع في شوارع و حارات هذا الكتاب ممتع و في نفس الوقت يبعث على الغيرة، لماذا لم يفكر الكثيرون في السفر إلى هذه القارة من قبل بنفس اقبالهم على السفر إلى وجهات أخرى مكررة. فقد لا يعرف البعض عن الأرجنتين أكثر من كرة القدم التي لا احبها شخصياً، و فنزويلا مثلاً مسابقات ملكات الجمال!! بالاضافة إلى بعض المعلومات البسيطة التي قد نتعثرفيها بالصدفة على الانترنت، أو عند حدوث  كوارث طبيعية فيها

لكن هنا ستعرف نوعا آخرمن الجمال… ذاك الاختلاف العميق بين حضارات الشعوب و لغاتهم و اجواء الطبيعة وعناصرها، كيف هي حياتهم .. ما الذي يضحكهم و ما هي همومهم.. ماذا يأكلون .. حتى تصل إلى التعرف على خطوطهم الحمراء. و الأهم هو ردة الفعل و التجاوب مع هذا الاختلاف. ففي الأرجنتين ماهو أبعد و أنأى من كرة القدم … و تطغى خطورة فنزويلا على جميلاتها.. وهكذا تجد بُعداً آخر للحياة يخوضه المؤلف بجرأة تختلط بحمرة الخجل أحياناً، يُسمعك أفكاره الشرقية و يُطعمك مما يحمله معه من تمر بلاده ثم يدعوك إلى مائدته أينما كانت .. في مطعم راقٍ أو فوق جبل ما  ليذيقك عصير التجربة كلها إلى آخر قطرة و بمنتهى الصراحة، فقد كان في مواجهة مع نفسه في العديد من المواقف وكانت من أكثر الأجزاء تشويقاً… حديث النفس

 راقت لي عشوائية ترحاله، تشعر كأنه هارب من شىء أو باحث عن شىء لا نعرف ما هو، يغمره الفضول لاستكشاف هوية الآخر و هوية أرضه معاً. أسلوبه سلس و عباراته قصيرة محددة فلا يغشاك الملل عند ناصية الأحداث. حماسه للسفر-وليس أي سفر- ينعش العقل بقدرته على التصوير و الإيجاز و المقارنة و التعليق الساخر حتى من نفسه أحياناً. كما أعجبتني قدرة المؤلف على وصف المدن بكلمة واحدة فقط اختصر فيها الانطباع الذي تركته المدينة عليه، و ملاحظاته المدهشة عن توأمة الدول العربية مع الدول اللاتينية

 أنهيت هذا الكتاب في وقت قصير، وتقييمي له بأنه نسمة هواء عليلة مفاجئة في وسط حرارة و زخم المؤلفات الأخرى الدسمة والروايات   الطويلة التي قد يتركك بعضها متعباً مثقلاً بالأفكار و الشجن

تسكٌع في أمريكا اللاتينية” أعتبره تعريفاً جيداً لمعنى الحل و الترحال.. و أنصح جداً بقراءته و أتمنى أن يروق لكم أيضاً”

زهرة لوتس

The Alchemist

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Ahhh … The Alchemist, By Paulo Coelho, published in English in 1993. This is the second time for me to read this book. First time was a hard copy as a gift from a friend of mine 3 years ago and it was a life changing for me since then.! Second time was just recently, through an audio book, which I enjoyed a lot and came across new details that I didn’t catch in the first read.

The book is a beauty itself… a true masterpiece. The author had drawn the words and the meanings firmly and smoothly that the dialogues were simply flowing into my heart. It is a short novel that talks about following dreams in pursuit of one’s legend or treasure. It is like a manual of life to teach us how to listen to the voice of our souls. It gives the full instructions to guide us to follow our hearts to find what we are looking for in life.

Fiction in Coelho’s words is something else: “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” …These are words for history.  Reading this book was more of a brain storming, he made me travel with him all the way through the desert. I felt the sand under my feet and the wind blew in my face. I actually imagined if it would be produced as a movie and with a little search, I found out it was produced as a short film in 2010. I watched the trailer and seemed silly and underestimating the original novel. On IMDb website it shows that there is an in-development production for The Alchemist to be released on 2014. I very much look forward to it. Hopefully they make the right casting, and wisely overcome  the potential religious conflicts.

The audio book was narrated by Jeremy Irons who was really amazing. He lived the characters which the story was full of, and gave each of them the right feelings and voice tunes.

Please, if you didn’t read this book yet… read it… at least once in your lifetime. !

ZahretLotus

Gone Girl

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For quite sometime, audio books haven’t really been an attraction to me. I used to enjoy the physical books more and feel the true story in my hands. Until that moment when I randomly selected an audio book from Audible.com to start my membership.  After a struggle, I was excited to start with any book and there it was .. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn.. wasn’t just a book..!

Released on 2012, about a husband and wife who were both writers and both just been laid off.  On the morning of their fifth anniversary, the wife disappeared in mysterious circumstances leaving behind hundreds of questions and a long way of investigation and findings.  It seemed predictable at some points in the beginnings, but after a couple of chapters -sure enough- it was actually the opposite.  The novel is full of interesting quizzes and treasure hunts which was the wife’s obsession, and that of course gave a great impact of excitement.

This novel is an alarm to the ruined marriages going along the years carrying the hot ashes of hidden revenge underneath. It also provoked the idea of how you can be the best version of yourself only when you are accompanied by a unique and  smart partner.

The Author was perfect and professional in her description to the main characters.  She took good care of the details of places as well as persons. The way the story was narrated with flashbacks in parallel with the present was also interesting. Both narrators (Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne) were the real heroes of this novel and grabbed my attention till the surprising end.

I recommend this book for those who like the mystery genre, and also for those who may have a second thought about audio books.

Zahretlotus

Book Review

Books have been always my dear friends, I treat them as if they’re alive, they never cheat or lie, always there for me. I read them.. and surprisingly, they read me.! That’s how you fell in love with certain books and read them again and again. A connection was already established between the book and the reader. The more books I read the more I wonder about how many new ideas are still there waiting to be born and wrapped in a book for us to read and enjoy..?! Endless I guess. So keep reading.. and keep falling in love ..with books.!

Zahret Lotus

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1- Eat Pray Love

uthor: Elizabeth Gilbert

Published: 2006

Eat, Pray, Love:

One woman’s search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia. This what was written on the book’s cover. She didn’t know that this sentence can make her book one of the best sellers in this category. The honesty and reality she put in that book were amazing. It seemed like everybody’s story.. same beat..same tear.. same search. The beauty of this book comes out of the professional presentation of words. She was able to describe feelings, situations, people, places and food.. in a way that seemed very seen and touched to me. Not to mention her own philosophy about love which happened to hit me in the heart and brought some confusion along the reading. Was this story hers or mine!!.  I think many of the book readers must have felt the same. So, dear Liz.. you have captured my mind for long time till the end.  One of the books that you want to read with  special attention ..no interruption, to fill your heart with joy and fly up high with her free soul. !

Zahret Lotus