The first book read in July was the third novel in Naguib Mahfouz' The Cairo Trilogy . As I've mentioned before, I was so impressed with the Egyptian writer (who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature) that after reading his trilogy, I went on to read what some consider 3 of his best novels. I was a bit disappointed with Children of the Alley , but otherwise Naguib Mahfouz remains a favorite.
From Mahfouz I went on to read the only finished novel by a writer who might have gone on to follow in the older writer's footsteps; Waguih Ghali. Sadly, the writer of Beer in the Snooker Club died on 5 January 1969, after a fatal overdose of sleeping pills taken 10 days before.
The next two books on my list were written by Thubten Chodron, an American Buddhist nun trained in the Tibetan tradition. I recommend her books to anyone interested in Buddhism.
I have blog posts on the final two books of the month of July - Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers and Hiroshima by John Hersey. I mentioned in the post on Hersey's book that I had planned to read a few books on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August (the anniversary month of both bombings). I was a little early with Hiroshima but I'm on track reading a book on Nagasaki, to be followed by a book on the Manhattan Project.
So, now the reading list for July. With the exception of one book already mentioned, I can recommend all the books on this list.
Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz
Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz
Beer in the Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali
Don't Believe Everything You Think by Thubten Chodron
Open Heart, Clear Mind by Thubten Chodron
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Hiroshima by John Hersey
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