I was so excited to read this book...but I think I'll have to give it a mixed review.
I enjoyed the imagery in this book and the overall storyline...two love stories that entwined with a shared history. In light of all that is happening in the Middle East currently, I found it fascinating to read of Egypt's history. And I always enjoy reading books about other cultures and those set in times and places that I haven't read much about. I also really liked the parts showing the roots and connections of the Arabic words - something I know nothing about but find interesting. I also liked how the book was divided into sections: A Beginning, An End of a Beginning, A Beginning of an End, An End - very clever.
However, I got really bogged down in the middle of this book. I considered not finishing it, but I have such a hard time doing that and I am glad I stuck it out. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if there had been a bit less political and historical information and more development of the characters. The back of the book makes it sound like it is about the characters' love stories while it seemed to be more about the political situations. And I suppose given the nature of the tale, the characters' stories were incomplete without a description of the times they lived in. The other thing that frustrated me - I didn't discover until I finished it that there was a glossary of terms in the back that would have really helped me.
Overall, it was an interesting book, but not one I'll ever feel the need to read again.
Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Book Club Review: The Weird Sisters
I loved so much about this book. I loved that the characters always had their nose in a book. I loved that it was told from the first person using "we" instead of "I". I loved the father who would always quote Shakespeare and leave his family to search out the meaning. I loved the stories of sisters. And, I loved how real and flawed the characters were.
Bean flees for home after a disastrous stint in New York where she stole money from her employer to buy clothes. Cordy, the baby, flees for home after she finds out she is having a baby. And, steadfast Rose, is home thinking she is the glue that holds it all together.
I enjoyed reading about how they navigated each other and plodded their way through their messes. Eventually they each let go of their expectations of how things were "supposed" to be.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Book Review: Freedom
It's been a couple of months since I read Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. This book has gotten quite a lot of buzz. So much buzz in fact, that I was preparing myself to be blown away by some life-altering social commentary.
The story focuses on the Berglunds, supposedly a typical midwestern family. The story weaves seemlessly with different family members holding the narrative. I absolutely loathed some of these characters. It was hard to read through parts. But what I found so fascinating, was the way Franzen was able to describe such deep emotional and psychological tendancies of these characters. It was raw, gritty, and real.
I don't know if I was blown away by this book, but it was definitely a page-turner. I appreciated the extremely smart and witty writing. I appreciated the story, but I don't know if I was persuaded.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February Book: Incendiary
JT picked this month's book. I haven't started it yet. However, I did blow right through Little Bee.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Book Club Review: The Book Thief
This was a fast and fun read. Although, I guess "fun" isn't the exact word I'm looking for here. The book takes place in Nazi Germany and there really isn't a lot of fun about it. But, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to keep reading it even though I knew what was going to happen.
I knew what was coming because of history. And, because the narrator is Death. Doesn't take a lot to figure out.
We follow young Liesel as she grows through the war years. Her father is either dead or disappeared because he is a partisan (communist) and her mother is running for her life. We meet the main character as she is riding a train to her new foster home. And, watches her brother die. As they are burying her brother, the gravedigger drops a book in the snow and Liesel stealthily snatches it up. "The Gravedigger's Handbook". A book thief is born.
She goes on to live with her foster parents. I was ready for them to be horrible, but they are taking in a partisan child during a war. They get a small amount of money, yet not enough for that to be the reason for taking Liesel in. She creates a very tight bond with her accordion playing foster father, Hans. And, we learn to love the well meaning cussing and gruff from the foster mother, Rosa.
Liesel struggles to learn to read and falls in love with books. Her second stolen book was from the ashes of one of Nazi Germany's book bonfires. And, a very unexpected person witnesses the theft, the mayor's wife. The mayor's wife has a large library and leaves the window open for Liesel to steal more books. These are the books she reads to the town when they are all in a bomb shelter during air raids.
Liesel has two amazing friends in this story, not counting the mayor's wife who really saves her life, Rudy and Max. Rudy wants to be Jesse Owens when he grows up. He and Liesel get into all sorts of mischief together. One of my favorite passages is when the scrape up enough money to buy candy but they can only afford one piece. They take turns sucking on it.
Max is the Jew who lives in her basement. Max and Liesel become good friends and due to a kindness done by Hans, Max has to leave. Liesel searches for him constantly.
This book is about the horrors of war. The overwhelming despair that comes with loss. And, the overwhelming goodness that humans are capable of.
One of the reviews on the back of the book says that the author, "doesn't sugarcoat anything, but he make his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable."
Of the book club books we have read, this one is my favorite.
I knew what was coming because of history. And, because the narrator is Death. Doesn't take a lot to figure out.
We follow young Liesel as she grows through the war years. Her father is either dead or disappeared because he is a partisan (communist) and her mother is running for her life. We meet the main character as she is riding a train to her new foster home. And, watches her brother die. As they are burying her brother, the gravedigger drops a book in the snow and Liesel stealthily snatches it up. "The Gravedigger's Handbook". A book thief is born.
She goes on to live with her foster parents. I was ready for them to be horrible, but they are taking in a partisan child during a war. They get a small amount of money, yet not enough for that to be the reason for taking Liesel in. She creates a very tight bond with her accordion playing foster father, Hans. And, we learn to love the well meaning cussing and gruff from the foster mother, Rosa.
Liesel struggles to learn to read and falls in love with books. Her second stolen book was from the ashes of one of Nazi Germany's book bonfires. And, a very unexpected person witnesses the theft, the mayor's wife. The mayor's wife has a large library and leaves the window open for Liesel to steal more books. These are the books she reads to the town when they are all in a bomb shelter during air raids.
Liesel has two amazing friends in this story, not counting the mayor's wife who really saves her life, Rudy and Max. Rudy wants to be Jesse Owens when he grows up. He and Liesel get into all sorts of mischief together. One of my favorite passages is when the scrape up enough money to buy candy but they can only afford one piece. They take turns sucking on it.
Max is the Jew who lives in her basement. Max and Liesel become good friends and due to a kindness done by Hans, Max has to leave. Liesel searches for him constantly.
This book is about the horrors of war. The overwhelming despair that comes with loss. And, the overwhelming goodness that humans are capable of.
One of the reviews on the back of the book says that the author, "doesn't sugarcoat anything, but he make his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable."
Of the book club books we have read, this one is my favorite.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Book Club Review: The Lacuna
Wow. There were some definite similarities between The Book of Salt and The Lacuna. Cooks in the homes of intellectuals. Heros of communism. Diaries and art.
Harrison grows up in Mexico with his Mexican mother. At a young age he learns to cook through the patience of his mother's beau's cook. He uses that knowledge to secure a job mixing plaster with famous Mexican muralist and communist, Diego Rivera. And, that leads to him cooking in the Rivera household. Thus enters one of the great characters of the book, Frida Kahlo (Kingsolver in the back of the book says, "I didn't initially plan to write about Frida Kahlo, as I considered her too private and self-involved to add much to my story. But she grew on me. I began to understand her not as a martyred icon but as a roguish, complicated person. She began stealing scenes.").
The ousted Soviet communist leader Leon Trotsky comes to Mexico and moves into the Rivera household. Harrison then becomes somewhat of a personal secretary to Trotsky. After Trotsky's assassination, Harrison moves to Asheville, North Carolina and begins his career as a writer. He sets his stories in ancient Mexico and uses adventure to push forth his social commentary.
The structure of the book is unique and reads quickly. Harrison has always been a writer and has kept diaries since his childhood. The book is structured around his personal diaries, letters, news clippings, and the commentary of his longtime stenographer, Violet Brown.
While the story makes a lot of commentary about art and politics and especially the strict separation of art and politics in the United States, I found the most scathing commentary to be on news reporters. At one point Harrison writes, "It is more important to speak than to think." He also writes about the radio news shows, because there cannot be silence there are a lot of half formed opinions to fill the silence. No well formed thoughts. I wonder what he would say now with Twitter, Facebook, TV talk shows...blogs. Literally no silence.
I really enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to a few people.
Harrison grows up in Mexico with his Mexican mother. At a young age he learns to cook through the patience of his mother's beau's cook. He uses that knowledge to secure a job mixing plaster with famous Mexican muralist and communist, Diego Rivera. And, that leads to him cooking in the Rivera household. Thus enters one of the great characters of the book, Frida Kahlo (Kingsolver in the back of the book says, "I didn't initially plan to write about Frida Kahlo, as I considered her too private and self-involved to add much to my story. But she grew on me. I began to understand her not as a martyred icon but as a roguish, complicated person. She began stealing scenes.").
The ousted Soviet communist leader Leon Trotsky comes to Mexico and moves into the Rivera household. Harrison then becomes somewhat of a personal secretary to Trotsky. After Trotsky's assassination, Harrison moves to Asheville, North Carolina and begins his career as a writer. He sets his stories in ancient Mexico and uses adventure to push forth his social commentary.
The structure of the book is unique and reads quickly. Harrison has always been a writer and has kept diaries since his childhood. The book is structured around his personal diaries, letters, news clippings, and the commentary of his longtime stenographer, Violet Brown.
While the story makes a lot of commentary about art and politics and especially the strict separation of art and politics in the United States, I found the most scathing commentary to be on news reporters. At one point Harrison writes, "It is more important to speak than to think." He also writes about the radio news shows, because there cannot be silence there are a lot of half formed opinions to fill the silence. No well formed thoughts. I wonder what he would say now with Twitter, Facebook, TV talk shows...blogs. Literally no silence.
I really enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to a few people.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November Pick
This month we'll be reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It's been on my list for a while, and I'm not sure where I even got the recommendation. While it's listed as a teen and adult book, all of the reviews were adamant in the fact that this book is in no way juvenile. Happy Reading!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
12 Months of Reading
Last night I met with my real-in-the-flesh book club. We go to a coffee shop once a month and last night was our book selection night. We each brought two books (or summaries of our two choices) and people voted and picked one.
Here is the list of what we will be reading the next twevle months:
NOVEMBER - Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah
DECEMBER - Little Bee by Chris Cleave
JANUARY - Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
FEBRUARY - Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini
MARCH - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
APRIL - Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
MAY - Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall
JUNE - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
JULY - Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
AUGUST - Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck
SEPTEMBER - Color of Water by James McBride
OCTOBER - Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews
This looks like a great list! I'm surprised because I haven't read a single one. Anyone read any of these?
Here is the list of what we will be reading the next twevle months:
NOVEMBER - Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah
DECEMBER - Little Bee by Chris Cleave
JANUARY - Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
FEBRUARY - Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini
MARCH - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
APRIL - Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
MAY - Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall
JUNE - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
JULY - Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
AUGUST - Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck
SEPTEMBER - Color of Water by James McBride
OCTOBER - Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews
This looks like a great list! I'm surprised because I haven't read a single one. Anyone read any of these?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Book Club Review: The Book Of Salt
I kept reading The Book of Salt for its intoxicating language not its gripping story. While the actual story has a lot of merit and could be very intriguing, I found it was the language that kept bringing me back, not an intense desire to know how the story would end. Because there was no other way it could end. The book travels back and forth through time in a very dreamy manner, from Bin's childhood in his mother's kitchen, to his time on the seas, to his time at 27 rue de Fleurus.
Bin, a Vietnamese cook, comes to Paris after disgrace, hardship, and heartbreak and finds employment with Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas. Life certainly doesn't get any easier for Bin who constantly hears the derision of his father, The Old Man, in every step he takes.
I was constantly searching for the meaning of the title, "The Book of Salt". Which made me pay particular attention to every reference to salt. There were the obvious references to salt in cooking, and the less obvious references to salt in tears and in the sea. And, maybe I'm reading too much into to it, but a lot of salt in Bin's wounds.
"Intriguing," however, always calls for a second look, an irresistible glance back, a heightened desire to know and to have. Intrigue cannot be added at the very end. A sprinkling of sequins, a glazing of glass beads, a handful of store bought fringes, all suggest a lack of forethought, like salting a roast after it has cooked as opposed to before. My Madame knows that intrigue, like salt, is best if it is there from the beginning."
"A pinch of salt, according to my Madame, should not be a primitive reflex, a nervous twitch on the part of any cook, especially one working at 27 rue de Fleurus. Salt is an ingredient to be considered and carefully weighed like all others. The true taste of salt--the whole of the sea on the tip of the tongue, sorrow's sting, labor's smack--has been lost, according to my Madame, to centuries of culinary imprudence. It is a taste that Miss Toklas insists is sometimes unnecessary, as in the gazpacho of Malaga, and other times, as in the gazpacho of Segovia, it is the hinge that allows the flavors of the other ingredients to swing wide open. 'In m kitchen, I will tell you when salt is necessary,' my Madame said, concluding the real lesson for that day."
I found that reading about life at 27 rue de Fleurus was endlessly fascinating. I loved reading about Miss Toklas rearranging Gertrude Stein's impressive art collection to make room for new pieces. I loved reading about all the visitors who would worship at the feet of the woman credited with coining the phrase, "The Lost Generation". And, it broke my heart to read about Bin and his lover, Sweet Sunday Man.
One part of the book that made me feel incredibly ignorant was the cameo by Ho Chi Minh. Even when Bin revealed the man on the bridge's name, Nguyen Ai Quoc, I still didn't realize it was supposed to Ho Chi Minh until I read the back of the book and some other reviews.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book.
Bin, a Vietnamese cook, comes to Paris after disgrace, hardship, and heartbreak and finds employment with Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas. Life certainly doesn't get any easier for Bin who constantly hears the derision of his father, The Old Man, in every step he takes.
I was constantly searching for the meaning of the title, "The Book of Salt". Which made me pay particular attention to every reference to salt. There were the obvious references to salt in cooking, and the less obvious references to salt in tears and in the sea. And, maybe I'm reading too much into to it, but a lot of salt in Bin's wounds.
"Intriguing," however, always calls for a second look, an irresistible glance back, a heightened desire to know and to have. Intrigue cannot be added at the very end. A sprinkling of sequins, a glazing of glass beads, a handful of store bought fringes, all suggest a lack of forethought, like salting a roast after it has cooked as opposed to before. My Madame knows that intrigue, like salt, is best if it is there from the beginning."
"A pinch of salt, according to my Madame, should not be a primitive reflex, a nervous twitch on the part of any cook, especially one working at 27 rue de Fleurus. Salt is an ingredient to be considered and carefully weighed like all others. The true taste of salt--the whole of the sea on the tip of the tongue, sorrow's sting, labor's smack--has been lost, according to my Madame, to centuries of culinary imprudence. It is a taste that Miss Toklas insists is sometimes unnecessary, as in the gazpacho of Malaga, and other times, as in the gazpacho of Segovia, it is the hinge that allows the flavors of the other ingredients to swing wide open. 'In m kitchen, I will tell you when salt is necessary,' my Madame said, concluding the real lesson for that day."
I found that reading about life at 27 rue de Fleurus was endlessly fascinating. I loved reading about Miss Toklas rearranging Gertrude Stein's impressive art collection to make room for new pieces. I loved reading about all the visitors who would worship at the feet of the woman credited with coining the phrase, "The Lost Generation". And, it broke my heart to read about Bin and his lover, Sweet Sunday Man.
One part of the book that made me feel incredibly ignorant was the cameo by Ho Chi Minh. Even when Bin revealed the man on the bridge's name, Nguyen Ai Quoc, I still didn't realize it was supposed to Ho Chi Minh until I read the back of the book and some other reviews.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
October Pick
I am over the moon for this new blog! I have tried and tried again to start book clubs, but people move away...or I'm the only one who reads the book. And, to be honest, some were books that I wish I hadn't wasted time reading. Just not my thing. But, I didn't want to be the one to not read the books.
And, maybe part of that is that we all like to read different things. Books and articles related to our jobs, to our kids, to our interests. That is where the inspiration for this little blog came from.
We can post reviews on anything we come across that we find interesting. That way we each get to read exactly what we want. In addition, we take turns picking a "book club" book each month that we can discuss together. Fun!
I have to thank my mom for this month's book pick. She is always giving me great books and recommending great books.
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I have read a couple of Kingsolver books, including The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer. And, I thought both of them were great.
From the back cover: "In this powerfully imagined, provocative novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is the poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as well as an unforgettable portrait of the artist--and art itself."
So, please join us in reading this month's book and come back for the discussion at the end of October.
Happy Reading!
And, maybe part of that is that we all like to read different things. Books and articles related to our jobs, to our kids, to our interests. That is where the inspiration for this little blog came from.
We can post reviews on anything we come across that we find interesting. That way we each get to read exactly what we want. In addition, we take turns picking a "book club" book each month that we can discuss together. Fun!
I have to thank my mom for this month's book pick. She is always giving me great books and recommending great books.
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I have read a couple of Kingsolver books, including The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer. And, I thought both of them were great.
From the back cover: "In this powerfully imagined, provocative novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is the poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as well as an unforgettable portrait of the artist--and art itself."
So, please join us in reading this month's book and come back for the discussion at the end of October.
Happy Reading!
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