My grade: A

In the beginning of the movie, it is 1938, and Walter and Jettel Redlich and their young daughter Regina have fled Nazi Germany for Kenya. Adjusting [...]]]> aka Nirgendwo in Afrika
Winner, Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film, 2002
in German, Swahili, and English; with English subtitles
based on the autobiographical novel Nowhere in Africa by Stefanie Zweig

My grade: A

In the beginning of the movie, it is 1938, and Walter and Jettel Redlich and their young daughter Regina have fled Nazi Germany for Kenya. Adjusting to their new home is a struggle, particularly for Jettel, who yearns for her comfortable life back in Germany. It is their daughter Regina who thrives in Kenya. Her relationship with the people, especially their cook Owuor, is very special. The family still has problems, though, even in Africa, and the strain is evident in Walter and Jettel’s marriage. Knowing the unthinkable has happened to their loved ones in Germany is especially difficult on both of them.

After the war is over, the family must decide whether to stay in Kenya or return to Germany, or even whether or not to remain a family. The film is a realistic, astounding portrait of Jewish refugees during WWII.

Seeing the film definitely made me want to read Zweig’s book. There is also a sequel, Somewhere in Germany, that I’d like to read as well.

Highly recommended.

I’m not a huge fan of McEwan’s so I had put off reading this book until my sister read it and enjoyed it. I have a commitment to reading all the Booker Prize winners and this was short so that also made it easier to start it.

I was surprised to find [...]]]> Winner, 1998 Man Booker Prize

I’m not a huge fan of McEwan’s so I had put off reading this book until my sister read it and enjoyed it. I have a commitment to reading all the Booker Prize winners and this was short so that also made it easier to start it.

I was surprised to find it much easier to read than Atonement, where I really bogged down in the initial chapters. It’s a darkly comic novel about four men who’ve all been lovers or married to Molly Lane, who is recently deceased. The book starts out with her funeral, the interactions of the four men during it, and their thoughts on how much they all appreciated Molly.

We then go on to their professional lives. Clive is a composer, Vernon a newspaper editor, George (the husband) is on the board of that same paper, and Garmony is the Foreign Secretary. All of these men and their vocations intersect throughout the story. It was hilarious to hear how the men see and think about themselves. McEwan pokes fun of all these men and their professions, and even of fellow writers.

“He had a number of friends who played the genius card when it suited, failing to show up for this or that in the belief that whatever local upset it caused, it could only increase respect for the compelling nature of their high calling. These types–novelists were by far the worst–managed to convince friends and families that not only their working hours but every nap and stroll, every fit of silence, depression, or drunkenness, bore the exculpatory ticket of high intent. A mask for mediocrity, was Clive’s view. He didn’t doubt that the calling was high, but bad behavior was not a part of it. Perhaps every century there was an exception or two to be made. Beethoven, yes; Dylan Thomas, most certainly not.”

I was enjoying the book for the most part when suddenly I saw what was coming at the end, and thought, “It’s not really going to go there, is it?” It did go there. I put off reading the last 50 or so pages because I knew I wouldn’t like the ending. Although, the sequences “in the haze of confusion” were quite funny. As was the modern duel.

I don’t know. I guess I didn’t like how Atonement began but appreciated how it ended, and with Amsterdam it was just the opposite. I liked the beginning and not the ending, though it did have its humor. I didn’t like On Chesil Beach at all. Not sure I’ll read another McEwan novel, but I was happy to check this one off my list.

1998, 193 pp.

“We talked about other things, too. About how the town seemed to have come back to life. All the Remember When stories in the paper had folks talking about the way Manifest used to be. And all the fine memories they had. And how people used to take care of each other.”

Reading this [...]]]> 2011 Newbery Medal

“We talked about other things, too. About how the town seemed to have come back to life. All the Remember When stories in the paper had folks talking about the way Manifest used to be. And all the fine memories they had. And how people used to take care of each other.”

Reading this book made me yearn a bit for my childhood. In the very first chapter, Abilene jumps from the train that is taking her to her new town. She wants to see it ‘before it sees her.’ I’ve never jumped from a train, but back in the old days in the 70′s there were only 4 TV channels and kids were made to play outside and find adventure on their own. I was blessed to have such a childhood, and Abilene’s childhood summer made me remember that.

While Abilene’s story is set in the 1930′s, part of her adventure takes her into the past of 1917 and 1918 as well. Abilene is shipped off by train by her father to the town of Manifest, Kansas to live with Shady, one of the town’s ministers. She attends the last day of school, makes a couple of friends, and discovers some letters and artifacts in her new home. She takes these discoveries to the town diviner, Miss Sadie, who tells her stories of the town’s past, with two boys in particular being the stars.

This started out just to be an average read for me, but I liked it more and more as I read on. With old newspaper clippings from the ‘Reporter About Town’ interspersed throughout the book, and stories of drought,  immigration, World War I, bootlegging, and the Spanish Flu, I could clearly imagine this book being turned into film. I can just see the dusty old town now. Recommended for MG and YA historical fiction fans.

(2010, 342 pp.)

Andrea Levy wrote Small Island as a way to research her Jamaican parents’ immigrant experience. The title, Small Island, is apt as it refers to both Jamaica and Britain. The book takes place both before and after World War II and is [...]]]> Winner, Orange Prize 2004
Winner, Whitbread Book of the Year 2004
Winner, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2005

Andrea Levy wrote Small Island as a way to research her Jamaican parents’ immigrant experience. The title, Small Island, is apt as it refers to both Jamaica and Britain. The book takes place both before and after World War II and is comprised of 4 main characters, with each character speaking in his or her own voice throughout the novel. Gilbert and Hortense are a couple from Jamaica who rent a room from Queenie in England. Queenie is renting rooms out because her husband Bernhard has not yet returned from the war.

The novel covers several issues: war, immigration, prejudice, and class. I love historical fiction because history is so much more interesting when it’s portrayed in the personal experiences of the men and women who lived it. I’ve always wondered why England didn’t have as much of a racial problem as the U.S., but in this book we discover that there were, in fact, prejudices that needed to be overcome. While Gilbert was so proud to be a part of Mother England as a Jamaican citizen, enough so that he went to war for her, his ‘Mother’ not only didn’t appreciate his efforts, she didn’t even recognize him as her child.

Each character in the book is so well defined. I got a kick out of Hortense and her ‘white-gloved,’ prudish ways. I appreciated that Queenie was ahead of her time in terms of racism, and even though Bernhard was quite the opposite, I felt sorry for him. Gilbert was perhaps the star of the novel as just an overall good-hearted person and patriot.

I always enjoy hearing authors speak about their novels, and if you’ve already read the book (because there are spoilers), you might want to hear her interviews here:

Andrea Levy interview for The Guardian Book Club:

http://audio.theguardian.tv/audio/kip/books/series/bookclub/1296476287763/6726/gdn.boo.110131.tm.Andrea-Levy.mp3

Andrea Levy interview with BBC’s World Book Club:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/wbc/wbc_20100206-2006a.mp3

Not only did Small Island win the Orange Prize, it was also voted The Best of the Best out of all the winners by the Orange Prize committee chairs. While my favorite Orange winner so far is probably Half of a Yellow Sun, I do understand why Small Island has a strong following as well.

2004, 439 pp.

Heaven Is for Real is about a small town, Christian, 4 year old boy’s near death experience as told by his father, Todd Burpo. I saw this book on the bestseller list on Amazon and wanted to read it for several reasons. First, I grew up less than 40 miles from [...]]]>

Click for Amazon info

Heaven Is for Real is about a small town, Christian, 4 year old boy’s near death experience as told by his father, Todd Burpo. I saw this book on the bestseller list on Amazon and wanted to read it for several reasons. First, I grew up less than 40 miles from Burpo’s hometown in Imperial, Nebraska, and that town is even mentioned in the book. Second, I have had a close family member who had a NDE and saw himself/herself lying on the operating table. Third, I am a Christian as well so I was interested in this perspective. And, I do believe heaven is very real.

It is an amazing story, but I do have questions about it. That doesn’t really mean I believe or disbelieve the story as I’m not sure how I feel about it and probably never will be sure. I hesitate to express any doubts about the story because I know it has given several Christians hope and a renewed faith. Also, and most importantly, if it is true I wouldn’t want to go against God in any way, shape, or form. However, after thinking about it, I decided to go ahead and write a review of the book detailing my questions.

First, the background. Colton gets very very ill (I don’t want to spoil the reason why) and nearly dies. Several months after his recovery, Colton begins saying things about his time in the hospital that make his family believe that he has, in fact, been in heaven. The details don’t come all at once but over a course of months and even years. Colton not only gives descriptions of heaven, but also of family members he should know nothing about. The tale is inspiring and amazing if true, but the questions I have about the story are these:

1. This is a minor mistake, but in the book Mr. Burpo stated that North Platte was 3 hours from Denver and 8 hours from Omaha. Not true — I’ve driven I-80 and I-76 along this route many many times. It’s more like 3.5 hours from Denver and 4 from Omaha. On the map below, you can clearly see that North Platte is almost directly halfway between the two cities. This mis-statement was the first that raised a tiny red flag in my mind. If he was wrong about this, could he be wrong about other facts?
2. Colton said that in heaven Jesus still had the holes in his hands, feet, and side. I don’t dispute that that may well be the case. However, there is some debate in Christian circles whether the nails were actually in Jesus’ hands or his wrists. I don’t know the correct answer to this, but Colton pointed to his palms when describing them. I’m just saying that some Christians would have a problem with this.
3. Colton said he remembered clearly what Jesus looked like. He would always say that all the pictures he saw of Jesus were wrong, until he saw one painted by Akiane Kramarik, another child who states she has seen visions of heaven. However, the painting is of a ‘Western’ Jesus, where in reality, Jesus was Jewish and should have Jewish/Middle Eastern features. Then, when I went to Akiane’s site and blog, it appears she’s not really Christian in the sense that most Christians consider themselves to be Christian. She talks about goddesses of earth and water and her opinion that we can find heaven on earth now. Both are views that most Christians would surely deny.
4. Also, it bothered me a little bit that actual people’s names (other than the family’s) were used. Maybe they gave their permission, but I know that most people in very small towns wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t, but that’s me.

It’s not for me to determine if the story is true, only God can know that. The story is interesting, and I’m sure it has given a lot of people comfort and hope. It has to be up to every reader to decide.
.

.
Here is the map I talked about:
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Denver, North Platte, and Omaha. Imperial is circled southwest of North Platte.

Larry’s Party is the third novel I’ve read by Carol Shields; it won the Orange Prize in 1998. Having loved the previous two, The Stone Diaries and (especially) Unless, I had high hopes for this one as well. However, it didn’t really live up to my expectations.

Over the course of his life, Larry [...]]]>

Amazon info

Larry’s Party is the third novel I’ve read by Carol Shields; it won the Orange Prize in 1998. Having loved the previous two, The Stone Diaries and (especially) Unless, I had high hopes for this one as well. However, it didn’t really live up to my expectations.

Over the course of his life, Larry Weller goes from flower arranger at a flower store to a master designer of landscape mazes.  I’m not that into botany, so that part was only marginally interesting to me; however, I would definitely like to visit some of the mazes described in the book, particularly in Europe. More interesting to me was the progression in Larry’s thought life and love life over the course of the book. He starts out not knowing much about himself or what he wants in his twenties and of course knowing himself infinitely better by the time he’s in his late forties. Youth is so wasted on the young, right? (Not that there aren’t exceptions to you youngsters out there!) Being in my early forties, I definitely related to that aspect of the book.

“He (Larry) is recovering; in a sense he’s spent his whole life in a state of recovery, but has only begun, at age forty-five, to breathe in the vital foreknowledge of what will become of the sovereign self inside him, that luxurious ornament. He’d like that self to be more musical and better lit, he’d like to possess a more meticulous sense of curiosity, and mostly he’d like someone, some thing to love. He’s getting close. He feels it. He’s halfway awake now, and about to wake up fully.”

Some of the aspects I didn’t like about the book are that it was a little boring in places, i.e. the botany and the fact that Larry is just a regular Joe with not much in the way of personality. I think that was supposed to be the point, though. There is even a chapter dedicated to his name and what the stereotypes of “Larrys” are. Another aspect is that in quite a few places she repeats details that we already know about characters or events. I know that was by design, but I’m not sure I liked it.  Also, it is a bit raunchy in places. There’s a chapter called “Larry’s P#n*s” that goes on and on in very descriptive detail about that specific body part and all the different names for it that people use. Some people would find that extremely funny, I’m sure, but I could have done without the more graphic parts of that chapter.

The last chapter is called “Larry’s Party,” and that chapter and the dinner party itself wrapped up everything in Larry’s life to that point very nicely. I really liked the metaphor that our lives are mazes. Sometimes there’s only one way in and one way out. Sometimes there are four exits. But always, there is the ‘goal’ in the center. Honestly, the last chapter made me lift my rating from 3 1/2 stars to 4. It was very cleverly done. And although this book was my least favorite of Shields’ books so far, I still plan on reading many more if not all of her works. I really do think she was an amazing writer.

The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1970. I am going to be reading stories from this collection all year.

Both “The Maiden” and “A Modest Proposal” were only about 10 pages (small print) long. I didn’t love either of them, but I did find them [...]]]>

Click for Amazon info

The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1970. I am going to be reading stories from this collection all year.

Both “The Maiden” and “A Modest Proposal” were only about 10 pages (small print) long. I didn’t love either of them, but I did find them a bit intriguing. “The Maiden” involves a dinner party in post-WWII Germany where both the Germans and the Americans attending are a bit on edge. The Americans think they have the upper hand until a story about a lawyer, a guillotine, and a marriage proposal is told.

In “A Modest Proposal,” some women are in the Caribbean so they can either divorce their husbands or be divorced by them. Swift’s story of “A Modest Proposal” is involved in this story, and best I could tell, Stafford’s story was meant to be satirical as well, but I never was quite sure.

Both of these stories were well-written and interesting, but they almost deserve a higher critical study, and that’s something I am unable and unwilling to do at this time in my life. So, I will plug on with reading this, but I won’t promise too much intellectual commentary as I do.

Breathing Lessons has been on my tbr list for ages not only because it won the Pulitzer Prize, but also because I’m an Anne Tyler fan. While I enjoyed it, I’m always of the mindset that a prize-winning book should be in the 4 1/2 to 5 star range for me, and [...]]]>

Amazon info

Breathing Lessons has been on my tbr list for ages not only because it won the Pulitzer Prize, but also because I’m an Anne Tyler fan. While I enjoyed it, I’m always of the mindset that a prize-winning book should be in the 4 1/2 to 5 star range for me, and this one was slightly under that with a 4 star rating. An interesting note is that The Accidental Tourist and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant were both finalists for the Pulitzer Prize as well.

The story takes place in a single day and doesn’t have much of a plot, but the characters are so believable that that didn’t really bother me. Maggie and Ira Moran seemed like a very real couple to me. The novel centers on their marriage but also branches out into Maggie’s relationship with her friend Serena and the couple’s relationships with their children and grandchild. In the novel Maggie is portrayed as a flighty woman who just wants everyone to get along and quite frequently tries to encourage reconciliation between injured parties. Ira is somewhat aloof but has a habit of whistling tunes that betray his inner mindset. He can be blunt at times and doesn’t appreciate Maggie’s well-intentioned meddling. However, in the end we are left wondering which of the two has really done the most damage by his or her actions.

I could identify with Maggie’s wish to be more involved in her children’s and granchild’s lives. I also identified with some of Ira’s issues and their issues as a married couple. I think almost everyone would know a couple like Maggie and Ira Moran. Perhaps that is what Tyler does so well, though. She brings those ‘typical’ characters to life in a way that makes us wish we could continue the relationship with them even after the story is finished.

I own all of Anne Tyler’s novels published after Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, although this is only my third book read. The other two were The Amateur Marriage and Saint Maybe, which I also enjoyed.

Do you have a favorite Anne Tyler book?

1988, 324 pp.

After each [...]]]> I really enjoyed this small companion book the the Harry Potter series.  The tales were wonderful, and so were the illustrations, which were also done by J.K. Rowling.  There are five tales:

1. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
2. The Fountain of Fair Fortune
3. The Warlock’s Hairy Heart
4. Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump
5. The Tale of the Three Brothers

After each tale, we are privileged to get Dumbledore’s commentary about the story.  I loved this.  Not only did it bring some extra insight into the stories, but it was great to hear Dumbledore’s voice again. In “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” a son inherits his father’s pot and rethinks how he will act among the villagers.  In the commentary, Dumbledore tells of a woman who tried to sweeten the story up by rewording the ending with the following results:

Mrs. Bloxam’s tale has met the same response from generations of Wizarding children: uncontrollable retching, followed by an immediate demand to have the book taken from them and mashed into pulp.

In “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” three witches seek to “fight their way to the Fountain, bathe in its waters, and receive Fair Fortune forevermore.”  This story was my favorite of the five.  It is also interesting to note that in the commentary, Dumbledore states that Lucius Malfoy’s objection to the book

…marked the beginning of Mr. Malfoy’s long campaign to have me removed from my post as headmaster of Hogwarts, and of mine to have him removed from his position as Lord Voldemort’s Favorite Death Eater.

“The Warlock’s Hairy Heart” is by far the darkest tale.  In this one, a Warlock is determined to never fall in love; “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump” tells the reason why “no witch or wizard was ever persecuted in the kingdom again.”; and in “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” the siblings each meet up with Death and strike up a bargain with him.

I thoroughly enjoyed these tales, and I would love it if there were more at some point.

2007-2008, 107 pp.

The book starts [...]]]> Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith is one of the books of the Canongate Myths.  I’ve only read one other book in the series, The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood, and I truly loved it.  I enjoyed this one as well, which is a retelling of the myth of the Celtic god of dreams and love.

The book starts out with the tales of how Angus came into being and grew up, and then it has separate stories, alternating between modern and ancient times, of Angus and his doings.   One of the stories seemed a bit harsh, but in most of them Angus was a giver of good dreams, enabling people (and sometimes animals) to come to peace with their situations.

I really enjoy Alexander McCall Smith’s writing style and I love myths, so I was very happy to read this book.  Since both of the books I’ve read in this series were very enjoyable, I may branch out into the other installments listed below as well.

2006, 173 pp.

Other books in the series:

• Karen Armstrong
  A Short History of Myth
• Margaret Atwood
  The Penelopiad
• Michel Faber
  The Fire Gospel
• David Grossman
  Lion’s Honey
• Alexander McCall Smith
  Dream Angus
• Klas Ostergren
  The Hurricane Party
• Victor Pelevin
  The Helmet of Horror
• Ali Smith
  Girl Meets Boy
• Su Tong
  Binu and the Great Wall
• Dubravka Ugresic
  Baba Yaga Laid an Egg
• Salley Vickers
  Where Three Roads Meet
• Jeanette Winterson
  Weight

So what did I think?  Well, for the first few pages, I thought, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this… Then [...]]]> I finally read Twilight.  I think I was (almost) the last to do so.  Even my sisters both bragged that they read the whole series before I even got to the first book.

So what did I think?  Well, for the first few pages, I thought, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this… Then I don’t know if the writing got better or I just got sucked (pun intended) into the story, but I did end up liking it quite a bit.  I think Stephenie Meyer knows how to tap into a teenage girl’s mind and the book fits its audience quite well.  As far as this 40+ woman goes, well, I did roll my eyes at some passages, but the overall plot of the book is pretty darn good.

The movie was remarkably faithful to the book for the most part, and l quite enjoyed it when I saw it last year.  In fact, I’ll probably re-watch it soon and then go ahead and read New Moon so when talk comes up about the upcoming movie I won’t have anything spoiled for me.  Then I’ll read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn during Carl’s R.I.P. challenge (if I can wait until September).

2005, 498 pp.

First, the positives.  This story was intelligent and funny and I laughed out loud [...]]]> An Abundance of Katherines by John Green was a Printz Honor Book for 2007. I listened to this on audio and while at first I didn’t like the narrator, by the end of the book I felt he did a fine job.

First, the positives.  This story was intelligent and funny and I laughed out loud several times.  I loved all the math in the book (engineering geek that I am), and I wish I could have seen the equations on the actual pages instead of hearing them read.  In fact, I would have gotten the book from my library for this purpose in addition to the audio, but it was already checked out.  I will still probably do that at some point.  I also liked the characters.  Just like the book itself, they were intelligent and funny.  And lastly, John Green is a good writer.

But….the content. The content, the content, the content.  There is a lot of language.  There are also a lot of substitutions for a certain word with ‘fug’ instead.  An interesting sidenote is that apparently Norman Mailer was the inventor of this word.  I’m no stranger to these substitutions, I thought it was kind of funny in Battlestar Galactica (frakkin Cyclons), but is it really appropriate in a young adult book?  Do I think teenagers not use these words?  No, I know they do.  Did I read books as a teenager that used these words?  Yes, I did.  But, I sneaked them.  Books that had ‘content’ were discouraged in my day, not encouraged.  Now, any and all language and s*x is fine in teen books and even lauded.  There is also a s*x scene described in Green’s book that I found very inappropriate. Do I not know that some teens have s*x? No, of course I do. Did I not read Forever and Wifey in high school?  Yes, of course I did.  But again, it was not encouraged by my parents and librarians.

If you’re still reading this far and have not given up in disgust by my old-fashioned ways, I will say it again: I thought An Abundance of Katherines was intelligent, funny, and well-written.  I just won’t be handing it over to my two teenage sons to read.  If it weren’t for the content, I would be giving this book a 4.5 rating, but as it is, it gets a 3.5 rating instead. (Ducks head anticipating the bashing I will receive.)

2006, 256 pp.

It was suggested he might want to make arrangements concerning his remaining time. — p. 5 of The [...]]]> On or about his fiftieth birthday, Ambrose Zephyr failed his annual medical exam. An illness of inexplicable origin with neither known nor foreseeable cure was discovered. It would kill him within the month. Give or take a day.

It was suggested he might want to make arrangements concerning his remaining time. — p. 5 of The End of the Alphabet

Ambrose Zephryr and Zappora “Zipper’ Ashkenazi are a married couple with very little time remaining. After hearing the news of his impending death, Ambrose decides he wants to travel.  The couple begin their journey with place names starting with the letter ‘A,’ then ‘B,’ and so on.

This very small book (only 119 pages) was meant to be little.  It is indeed indicative of the fleeting amount of time the couple have left to spend together.

I appreciated this novella for its poignancy and tenderness, and its sad portrait of the utter helplessness of its characters.  It is a book that can be read in one sitting and/or re-read again and again.

Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book
2007, 119 pages

Frank and April are young and successful suburbanites with two children. Well, successful to others, but not to themselves. Frank hates his job and finds it excruciatingly [...]]]>

Some have said that Richard Yates’ books is an indictment of marriage, suburbia, or both. Yates himself said in an interview that it is actually more about aborted dreams.

Frank and April are young and successful suburbanites with two children. Well, successful to others, but not to themselves. Frank hates his job and finds it excruciatingly boring. April hates the suburbs and finds her life as a wife and mother excruciatingly boring. When the couple (mostly April) devise a plan to get out of their present circumstances, they seem to relax and enjoy each other again — until a few glitches come their way.

My sisters and I read this together for our bookclub, and I have also seen the movie so it was interesting to compare the two. While the book was mostly from Frank’s and their neighbor Shep’s points of view, the movie had more of April and Mrs. Givings’ perspective.  Also the endings were a bit different.

I found the book to be well-written but depressing.  It’s definitely thought-provoking.

1961, 355 pp.