I’ve totally geeked out here, but if you enjoy AI, please listen to the audio and give your comments on the AI results show! Near the end of the audio, I also give some of my favorite blogs/sites for AI news.
And…. if you have Skype and want to talk American Idol, my id is michelle.3m — so feel free to call until about 11 pm central. But…. I also might record our conversation for my blog so, be prepared for that! Have a great night, everyone!
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I made this an audio so that those who aren’t interested in American Idol can skip it. If you enjoy AI, though, please listen and give me your comments! After tonight’s vote, I might have another audio chat with my thoughts on the elimination, as well as some of my favorite AI sites on the web. So, come back if you enjoy AI!!
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I won! I won! Kevin from Canada held a contest for guessing the Pulitzer winner, and I was the only one to correctly guess Olive Kitteridge. My prize: $75 in the books of my choice!! I read Olive last year, and it reminded me a bit of The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. I knew that it had been awhile that a book featuring a strong female character had won, and I thought Olive had a decent shot. Lucky for me I was right. Now to show off my winnings!
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (2 copies for each of my sisters for our bookclub)
I watched this movie from Netflix instant viewing to wrap up my Jewish Literature Challenge. I also used it for the Orbis Terrarum Film Challenge.
Words cannot describe how much I loved this movie. It’s a film about love, hospitality, and above all, faith. Ushpizin means “holy guests,” and when Moshe and Mali have unexpected guests during the Succoth holiday, their faith is not only tested, but also their love for one another. This is a must see if you are interested at all in the Jewish experience. Highly recommended.
I really loved participating in this challenge again. I enjoyed all my books, especially Petropolis, but the highlight of the challenge was the film Ushpizin. I loved it!
This is a wonderful book for children. Not only was it a Newbery Honor Book, it was also written by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer and illustrated by the wonderful Maurice Sendak. With stories of fools, mixed-up feet, devils, and pet goats, this book can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
My favorite was definitely the title story, “Zlateh the Goat.” Zlateh has been good to Aaron’s family, but it is now Hanukkah and the family needs money for basic necessities. Aaron grudgingly leads her to the butcher, only to be caught in a snowstorm. The snow is so bad that no one can even search for the pair. Will Aaron be reunited with his family in time for Hanukkah? Will he even survive the storm?
Recommended for families with children and adults with a Jewish interest.
“Because who wins if a Jew doesn’t go to synagogue?
I’ll tell you who: Hitler.” — p. 133
This collection of stories by David Bezmozgis is about a Latvian Jewish family who emigrate to Toronto, Canada. It was a NYT Notable Book in 2004.
Mark is the only child of Roman and Bella Berman. All seven stories in the collection feature Mark in his growing up years. First, I’ll give a brief synopsis of each story and then my thoughts on the collection as a whole.
“Tapka” — It’s 1980 and Mark has been in Canada for 3 weeks. He’s in the first grade and hangs out with his cousin Jana. Some elderly neighbors have a dog that they idolize, and they begin to trust Mark and Jana to take care of it.
“Roman Berman, Massage Therapist” – Mark’s father works at a chocolate factory but is also studying to become qualified as a massage therapist. He hopes an important doctor in the neighborhood will be a source for referrals.
“The Second Strongest Man” — Sergei, a very important person from the Bermans’ past, comes to Canada for a wrestling tournament.
“An Animal to the Memory” — Mark begins to have trouble with his classmates and the principal, particularly on Holocaust Day.
“Natasha” — Mark and Natasha, the daughter of his uncle’s wife, become close friends.
“Choynski” — Mark deals with the deaths of two people who are close to him.
“Minyan” — Mark’s grandfather looks for a place to live.
This is one of the best short story collections I’ve read. All seven stories were unique, but they all fit together nicely to explore Mark’s experiences. Although I thought all of the stories were extremely good, I thought “The Second Strongest Man” and “An Animal to the Memory” were the strongest. If an author can make me interested in a story about wrestling, he is very good indeed. I could really feel the menace, the frustration, and the envy of the characters come through the pages. And in “An Animal to the Memory,” the author’s depiction of Mark’s turmoil as he comes to terms with his Jewish heritage was very well done.
Highly recommended, especially for those with an interest in Jewish, Soviet/Russian, or Canadian literature.
From a fearful height, a wandering light,
but does a star glitter like this, crying?
Transparent star, wandering light
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
From a fearful height, earthly dreams are alight,
and a green star is crying.
Oh star, if you are the brother of water and light,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
A monstrous ship, from a fearful height,
is rushing on, spreading its wings, flying.
Green star, in beautiful poverty,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
Transparent spring has broken, above the black Neva’s hiss
the wax of immortality is liquefying.
Oh if you are star – your city, Petropolis,
your brother, Petropolis, is dying.
–Osip Mandelstam
Sasha Goldberg has a hard life in Asbestos 2, a dying town in Siberia. Her father has either disappeared or left his family, her mother is very high-strung and a bit crazy, and her community is almost completely in shambles. After securing a coveted position in a prestigious art school, Sasha, too, leaves it all to become a mail order bride to an American. In America, she learns English, lives in Arizona, Chicago, and New York, and tries to find her father. In doing all this, she is also trying to find herself and come to terms with her past and her homeland.
I could say so much more about the basic plot of the book, but I always hesitate to give away too many spoilers. Sasha was a very unique character, and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing her development from a young girl to a young woman. The imagery in the book was also done very well. The descriptions of the poverty in Asbestos 2 were especially convincing, and there is a scene at the end of the book that I found particularly chilling (but fascinating). In fact, the last few pages of the book impressed me enough to raise my rating from a 4 to a 4.5. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in Russian history and/or the immigrant experience.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next) series
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
No, it was great as usual!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Everything
5. How many books did you read?
I finished up two books I was already reading, Petropolis by Anya Ulinich and In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith. I also started and finished Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis, and I got over 200 pages into Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
Stats: I read for 612 minutes and 601 pages, which is an average of .98 pages per minute
6. What were the names of the books you read?
see above
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
all of them
8. Which did you enjoy least?
N/A see above
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely. This was my fourth read-a-thon, and I don’t quite want to end my 100% participation streak!
I won! I won! 
. My prize: $75 in the books of my choice!! I read Olive last year, and it reminded me a bit of 
by Carol Shields. I knew that it had been awhile that a book featuring a strong female character had won, and I thought Olive had a decent shot. Lucky for me I was right. Now to show off my winnings!
by Margaret Atwood (2 copies for each of my sisters for our bookclub)
by Margaret Atwood
by Lawrence Hill
by Muriel Barbery
by Haruki Murakami
by Lydia Davis
This is a wonderful book for children. Not only was it a Newbery Honor Book, it was also written by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer and illustrated by the wonderful Maurice Sendak. With stories of fools, mixed-up feet, devils, and pet goats, this book can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
