The Great Escape

Several of you have already sent your love in the form of e books. For this, I thank you very much! You have no idea how happy this makes me and how grateful I am for your support. I have gotten great book recommendations in the comments section and in e-mails, and have had some requests to share mine with you, so I had a thought: why not write a blog post, solely dedicated to what seems to be our (mine and my fellow readers’) mutual passion for books?

So, here is a list of all the books I have read thus far while in Cambodia, with a brief thought or two regarding if the book was worth my time, and/or if I think it will be worth yours:

Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, so anything she’s written comes highly recommended by me.

Harry Potter (1-4, only. Still waiting to download 5-7!)

Culture Shock! Cambodia. Recommend this if you plan on traveling to Cambodia (say, to visit me?), or are interested in getting a “traveler’s overview” of the country.

What is the What? by Dave Eggers. This is a beautifully written book and shows how versatile a writer Eggers is, able to jump into anyone’s story and capture it from the inside out.

I have America Surrounded, John Higgs. Interesting insight about the LSD movement in San Francisco in the 60s.

First comes Love, then comes Malaria. Okay, okay. Yes, this is as cavity-causing as it sounds like it would be, but in my defense I, a) picked it up on a whim in the Peace Corps office and so had no idea what I was getting myself into, and b) a little fluff every once in a while never hurt anybody.

When Broken Glass Floats. Only read about half of this. It didn’t captivate me, but maybe you’ll have more luck. Personally, if you want to know more about the Khmer Rouge, my recommendation is First they Killed my Father, which is coming up…

Brave New World. Needed a refresher since high school.

On the Road, Jack Kerouac.

Down and Out in Paris and London. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning a different side of Orwell- one that’s not science fictiony.

Orientation and Other Stories, Daniel Orozco.

Me Talk Pretty One Day. I love David Sedaris.

Atlas Shrugged. This is by far the most profound book I’ve read yet while in Cambodia. Rand is an incredible writer- lyrical, perceptive, and ethical. I LOVED this book and highly recommend it to anyone who has the time and the inclination to delve into it. It’s over 1000 pages and so a bit of an endeavor, but I promise, it’s worth it.

Hot Water Music. Bukowski is kind of a jerk, and his characters, pretty much without exception, are assholes, but I get sucked in anyway.

Dharma Punx. Not a work of staggering genius, but provides some perspective into a small pocket of people who’ve taken their angsty punk rage and created some kind of spirituality with it. Kind of interesting and a very quick read.

At Home, Bill Bryson.

Let the Great World Spin. Loved this book. Great characters and active scenery.

Naked, Sedaris.

First they Killed My Father. This is a wonderful book if you’d like a glimpse into the Khmer Rouge from the perspective of someone who lived through it.

Ham on Rye. Again, Bukowski is a jerk but somehow I can’t put him down.

Off the Rails in Phnom Penh. Thought this author was a pretentious asshole when I started the book, but it’s actually really informative if you can get beyond that. Good read if you’re interested in learning about the darker side of Cambodia’s capitol: “into the dark heart of guns, girls, and ganja” as the subtitle reads.

Doors of Perception into Heaven and Hell (in progress), Aldous Huxley. Recounts Huxley’s first experience taking Mescaline.

Holidays on Ice, Sedaris.

Middlesex (in progress), Jeffrey Eugenides.

Bilbo le hobbit (in progress), Tolkien. Discovered this by chance in my school's library. Read about three chapters and then promptly forgot about it.

I may just create a new section on my blog so these are easier to access, and keep adding to the list.

So now, to jump briefly to something completely different; as some of you know, Sunday was my birthday! I am now 23, and still considered a “k’mayne k’mayne” (young’n) amongst Cambodians. After having a lovely conversation with my mom (the real one, in America) for over an hour, I set off to start my day of celebration. My Bong S’rei Ohn (my friend from the market who I’ve gotten pretty close to the past few months), told me from the beginning of my service— back in October— after she’d found out when my birthday was that she would make sure I had a noam cake and a party. Birthdays aren’t really a big deal in Cambodia after you’re about one, but S’rei Ohn knows that this isn’t the case in America, and wanted to make sure I wouldn’t feel forgotten about. I was sure she’d forgotten all about this by the time my birthday rolled around, but she didn’t, and I was able to enjoy a real cake (real by Cambodian standards; it was essentially a muffin with cool whip), on my birthday, and we indeed had a party with her family.

That is a can of silly string on the table.

Sparklers, firecrackers… it was really more like the fourth of July than my birthday.

Kramer baby!

As you can see, it was quite the celebration. I was by no means anticipating so much pomp and circumstance, and expected my first birthday in Cambodia would be a much lonelier affair. But due to the love and generosity I’ve discovered in the friends I’ve made, it ended up being a day I won’t soon forget. My birthday also happened to fall on S’rei Ohn’s cousin’s wedding, so to continue the festivities in the afternoon, I tagged along with the rest of the family. The usual eating, drinking, and boppy Khmer music ensued, and, sometime in the early evening, we called it a day.

That’s about all from here, for now! Hope you are all healthy, happy, and well.