Ten things I hate about me

I went on a rampage on ebay and bought a load of books that I've had my eye on for awhile now, the first one I finished was this book by Randa Abdel-Fattah and heres what I thought:

I started this book the day I received it in the post, it was shiny and pink and oh something I wouldnt usually read, but for islamic fiction I was willing to give it a shot. Ive read a few islamic fictions in the past, namely the triology by umm Zakiyyah, which I thoroughly enjoyed so I was hoping for something equally as entertaining. Alas, I was to be disappointed :(

I read the intro with an open mind and clear heart
"The novel is the story of Jamie Towfeek, a teenager living in Sydney's western suburbs.
Jamie wants to be the real thing. From the roots of her dyed blonde hair...
There are a lot of things Jamie hates about her life: her dark hair, her dad's Stone Age Charter of Curfew Rights, her real name - Jamilah Towfeek.
For the past three years, Jamie has hidden her Lebanese/Muslim background from everyone at school. It's only with her email friend John that she can really be herself. But now life is getting more complicated. The most popular boy in school is interested in her, but there's no way he would be if he knew the truth. Then there's Timothy the school loner, who for some reason Jamie just can't stop thinking about. As for John, he seems to have a pretty big secret of his own.
To top it all off, Jamie's school formal is coming up. And her band at her Muslim school is performing at the formal. The only way she'll be allowed to attend is by revealing her true identity. But who is she ... Jamie or Jamilah?"

First thing... there just had to be a boy involved :( of course he was a John or a Timothy, he couldnt have been an Abdel (there is one in the book) or an Esa.. but I tried to push that to the back of my mind.. there always needs to be a love interest I suppose and to think that young muslimahs are totally outside the bounds of being attracted to the opposite sex is slightly naive. Maybe the guys convert, maybe they just show her who she really is, maybe they are using her to get their homework done.. theres many reasons they could be involved.

So I went on my way merrily reading the pages, wandering through the life of Jamie/Jamilah and that of her family and peers. I liked how the writer took away the aspect of having to have a mother around to make sure the children did right, although it was later realised that they all werent doing well since that person was taken out of the equation. Of course a replacement had to be written in towards the end of the storyline.
I enjoyed the sense of family within the book, the real life news problems that were incorporated into the book. There were many relatable scenes from all the different characters, from broken homes, racism and peer pressure to deaths, political passion and overprotective parents

Not to give the game away but my disappointment was, however, sealed with a stolen kiss between the main character and 'the love interest' at the school dance after performing with her madrassa band. After this scene there was a point made to tell the interest that the main character couldnt possibly start a relationship after gaining the trust of her father and the confidence to be herself. Not the fact that it was against her religion or anything like that, which I felt should have been made a point of if young girls are going to be reading this book. I would hate to think a young girl who has the trust of her father and self confidence who has little knowledge of her own religion for whatever reason and thinks it would be ok. Allahu Alim

I know that many many people will love this novel, but this is just my opinion and I hope you enjoy reading

Eat, Love, Pray & Duaa: the weapon of the believer

So ive finished 2 books since last night alhamdulillah :) just glad to get them done and finished, now I can start more heehee... I finished eat, pray, love last night which I really enjoyed. I wouldnt say it was an excellant book with some much to learn but it was nice to hear about this ladies experiences with Italy, India and Indonesia masha'allah.. So if you find the book, check it out :) its well worth it just for the peace and hope it gives you, I know Im already awaiting her next one of the series (and yes it is a true story)
I just finished duaa: the weapon of the believer too alhamdulillah.. now that has taken me awhile to read and I think I would have to read it again in the future.. there is so much knowledge about duaa that we dont even realise. I learnt a lot from that book, namely yesterday when I learnt that when I make the qunut duaa in witr I shouldnt blow on my hands and wipe my face... it isnt anywhere in the sunnah to do this while in salah and the gesture is even questioned for outside of duaa (more reseach needed) Its a good book though full of stuff to learn masha'allah.
Just wanted to let you all know :P now what to start next, that is the question
Peace and salams, Ammena

Footsteps

So, I finished Footsteps last night and have to say I was not as impressed as I was with the first 2. Yes I cried a little in places but it didnt hit home as much as the others, maybe because I had grown used to getting to know Tamika rather than her husbands parents.The general overview of this book is that it follows Sarah and her husband Ishmael as he looks into finding himself another wife in the eyes of a late 20s new muslim, masha'allah. It talks alot about the struggles that women go through to understand this and it also has a character that is the second wife of a man who is friends with Sarah. There are a few surprises and Im glad Ive read it but I would definately not add it to the list of my best books :) There are more details I could give out but then that would totally ruin it for you if you wanted to read it.

My fathers notebook

So on Sunday I finished reading my fathers notebook, I had started the book and even though I wouldnt give it a high recommendation I still had to finish it. There have been many books in my favourites list that I have only really appreciated closer to the end so I hate to half read books. My review? heres what it is about:the son on a deaf mute is translating his fathers notebook into his own spoken language. His father had been taught his own cuniform sign language as a boy and thats what the book is written in. It follows his life including the teaching of this new language, his family, military service that he skipped, the sudden death of his first wife, his next marriage, the birth of his four kids and his relationships with them all, to the politic misguidance of his 2 most loved children (his only son and his youngest daughter) In the end it seemed to be more about his son and how his life was entwined with his fathers, being the son of a deaf mute he had become the mouth, eye and mind of his father so he seemed to have issues dividing the two. Although several times he stated that he didnt want to get off topic of his fathers book he still seemed to talk alot about his life in the political underground.On a whole, wouldnt read it again or recommend it but if its something you think you will like, feel free :D Enjoy

A voice by Umm Zakiyyah

masha'allah I just finished this book, started it on friday and have to say it was well worth the money masha'allah. I read the prequel quite a few months ago and wanted to get the second one for quite awhile now, I saw it at the conference for a good price and decided to go for it. Its a lot thicker than the first one, which took me 4 hours to read, so I didnt expect to get through this one as quickly as I did. Bearing in mind I was at my mums for the majority of saturday.I wont go too much into detail about the book but I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes novels but is looking for something away of the romance and desciptions in most of the novels in today society.The general overview of the book is this... it follows Tamika through a year of her life, the year after she converted to Islam. At the end of the book, she has found a husband, a life and is preparing herself for the future with a strained but workable relationship with her family and a year left of college. Masha'allah there are some ups and downs and her husband isnt who you would expect at the beginning but in the end they get there.. through all the tests, and after all the prayers masha'allah. What I wouldnt give to be so straight and submitted to my deen, insha'allah. I cant really tell you more because it would give it away, I dont know whether it was the obvious length of the book that took my longer to get into the story. There were times that I skipped over a few paragraphs when the author went into long and unneeded details.. but all in all, highly recommended to anyone who is a convert or looking to marry.