Book Beginnings on Friday (9)

Book Beginnings on Friday is a new meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you'd like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

Note: I am currently reading more than one book. I have been slowly making my way through a nonfiction book and alternating it with fiction. I do not enjoy nonfiction usually and even nonfiction books that I find interesting take me much longer to read because I have to be in the mood for it.

Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka

By Adele Barker

An Italian named Marignolli was the first European tourist to be robbed in Ceylon.

I don't really care for the first sentence even though it is attention grabbing. I suppose it does reflect the title. Marignolli arrived in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in the 1300s and he was robbed by a Saracen, not an island local. He really liked the island however and compared it to Paradise.
 
In Not Quite Paradise, American Adele Barker writes about her experiences living and teaching in war torn Sri Lanka for a year and her return trip there after the devastating tsunami. I have very personal reasons for wanting to read this book as I am a Sri Lankan American. I haven't been there since my parents took me to meet my grandparents as a one year old and I know very little about the history of the country and not enough about the recently ended conflict. So far I find the book to be very interesting and even somewhat entertaining at times, particularly Adele's attempts to make peace with the various creatures sharing her home (ants, geckos, etc.). I also have enjoyed learning more about Sri Lankan culture and customs. I am only on page 24 but I hope to learn a lot from this book.