Books on Books and a late Friday Shuffle

I seem to be reading a lot of books about books this year, from Anne Fadiman's Ex-Libris (thanks Nutmeg) to Maureen Corrigan's Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading to Sara Nelson's So Many Books, So Little Time to Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree and Housekeeping vs. the Dirt. I've even just ordered The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop (isn't that a great title?) by Lewis Buzbee and bought The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad. I think this qualifies as an obsession and I need to back off the books about books for awhile. Even some of my fiction choices, such as The Thirteenth Tale, Shadow of the Wind, and The Book of Air and Shadows, have books as a major plot point.

A review of a book that's not about books:

Kabul Beauty School: Deborah Rodriguez: The story of Rodriguez's move to Afghanistan to help establish a school to train hairdressers is compelling. Once you get into it, it reads almost as easily as a novel. I was, however, troubled by her attitude toward the Afghan people. She says she loves them, but it seems as if she holds herself a little bit above the Afghans. They all call her "Miss Debbie," while she calls them all by their first names. She is often very unaware of Afghan culture -- wanting to dance in celebration with some of the women in front of men. She often refers to her students as "kids" even though it's clear they are not children. While I enjoyed the book, this attitude was a distraction for me. Rodriguez's decision to marry an Afghan man is presented in an almost off-handed manner. Although it may not be true, her book leaves the impression that she married this man, whose language she could not even speak nor could he speak English, on a whim -- without thought -- or as a way to stay in Afghanistan without incurring problems. Recently an NPR story reported that this book has actually put Rodriguez's students and their families in danger, making moot any sense that Deborah Rodriguez might have done some good in Afghanistan.

Friday Shuffle

1. Portions for Foxes: Rilo Kiley from More Adventurous
2. Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon from Excitable Boy
3. In California: Neko Case from Live From Austin, Tx
4. Orphan Girl: Emmylou Harris with Daryl Johnson from Heartaches and Highways
5. That Teenage Feeling: Neko Case from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
6. Your Memory, Me, and The Blues: Delbert McClinton from Cost of Living
7. Child is Father of the Man: Brian Wilson from Smile
8. When My Love Crosses Over: John Hiatt from Master of Disaster
9. Everyday is Like Sunday: Morrissey from Viva Hate
10. Lose Control: Evanescence from The Open Door