Two excellent books

I've recently finished two great books of very different kinds. The quality of the books is not just my opinion--I ordered them because they received good reviews.


_The Rabbi's Cat_ by Joann Sfar is a lively graphic novel with a sort of sophisticated-scribbly yet wonderfully detailed art style. The story takes place in 1930s Algeria, where a very opinionated cat lives with a widowed rabbi and his curvaceous young daughter. The cat acquires the power of speech by eating the other family pet, a noisy, annoying parrot. He promptly uses this power of speech to deny he ate the parrot. The cat insists on a bar mitzvah, opening the way for extensive Jewish theological discussion between the cat, the rabbi, and the rabbi's rabbi. The cat's external and internal dialogue reveal him to be intelligent, smart-mouthed, and extremely devoted to his mistress, the rabbi's daughter. There's plenty of humor, food for thought, adventure, and romances of various kinds (the cat himself is strictly is the love 'em and leave 'em type). A side note: Ken, who loves this story, identified the cat as a Russian Blue even before he saw the author photo with "the model for the rabbi's cat." Ken wants a Russian Blue cat the way I want a baby. Except, as he points out, cats are cheaper, even a purebred Russian Blue.

For more information, and sample pages:
http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/rabbiscat.html

Ah, yes, the second book: _Two Lives,_ by Vikram Seth. This is the story of Mr. Seth's uncle, Shanti, who emigrated from India to Germany in the 1930s for dental school, roomed with a German Jewish widow and her daughters, fell in love with one of the daughters, Henny (the second 'life' of the title). They both moved separately to England and eventually married. Vikram Seth clearly adores his uncle and aunt, with whom he stayed as a young student, and built up this story of their separate and intertwined lives. The story covers major world events, personal tragedy, friendships, family relationships, all in a varied but smooth and engrossing narrative. Vikram Seth, I think, includes himself in the story just the right amount. This memoir beautifully illuminates major events of our century, and life in three disparate countries, through the lives of these extraordinary "ordinary" people.

to hear about the book from the author via video:
http://www.meettheauthor.com/bookbites/798.html
for more about Vikram Seth's other books:
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth89

Enjoy either or both if you will...