Amman Tales

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 centre. 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:

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)