1997, 80 pp. Rating:

I only vaguely knew the story of Lizzie Borden, so this little graphic novel was really an engrossing look at this true crime.  Geary’s drawings are great, and he presents cases both for Lizzie Borden’s guilt and for her innocence.  The back of the book also has [...]]]> The Borden Tragedy
by Rick Geary

1997, 80 pp.
Rating:

I only vaguely knew the story of Lizzie Borden, so this little graphic novel was really an engrossing look at this true crime.  Geary’s drawings are great, and he presents cases both for Lizzie Borden’s guilt and for her innocence.  The back of the book also has reproductions of the actual newspaper clippings.  Fascinating story!

This book is part of the Treasury of Victorian Murder series that I will have to look into!

1990, 84 pp. Rating:

In this short memoir chronicling the author’s own bout with depression, Styron gives us a glimpse of the pain and madness of the disease.  Styron not only provides us with details of his own illness, but also expounds on the suicides and/or depression of other authors.  He also gives [...]]]> Darkness Visible
by William Styron

1990, 84 pp.
Rating:

In this short memoir chronicling the author’s own bout with depression, Styron gives us a glimpse of the pain and madness of the disease.  Styron not only provides us with details of his own illness, but also expounds on the suicides and/or depression of other authors.  He also gives guidelines and suggestions for action to those who have a loved one suffering with the disease.

Styron was the author of Sophie’s Choice and the Pulitzer Prize winning The Confessions of Nat Turner. He died in 2006 at the age of 81 from pneumonia.

1990, 89 pp. Rating:

Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is hilariously fun. Winner of the 1990 Governor General’s Award for Drama and written by the author of Fall on Your Knees, this play takes the main character, Constance, and puts her in the middle of Othello and Romeo [...]]]> Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)
by Anne-Marie MacDonald

1990, 89 pp.
Rating:

Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is hilariously fun. Winner of the 1990 Governor General’s Award for Drama and written by the author of Fall on Your Knees, this play takes the main character, Constance, and puts her in the middle of Othello and Romeo and Juliet with very funny results.  Plot lines are changed, lines rearranged, and we get to really know the players as never before.

If you’re familiar with both plays you will be in stitches in parts.  Lines from the original plays are in italics to help the reader know the difference between those lines and MacDonald’s.  Even MacDonald’s are written in iambic pentameter.

Highly recommended — especially for lovers of Shakespeare or those participating in the Canadian Literature Challenge.

Bravo!

This clever children’s book by Mordecai Richler was written for his children and modeled after the same, and [...]]]> Poor Mr. Dinglebat was in a state. He had, he told Jacob Two-Two, recently invested a good deal of money in buying Canadian military secrets, and now he was stuck with them. “No customers,” he said.

This clever children’s book by Mordecai Richler was written for his children and modeled after the same, and it was just simply a delight to read. Featuring not only Jacob Two-Two, but also I.M. Greedyguts, Miss Sour Pickle, and Perfectly Loathsome Leo Louse, this third installment of the Jacob Two-Two series made me laugh out loud at several points. I really, really enjoyed it. (It’s also a good short book for the Canadian Challenge — or if you need a ‘J’ title!)

1995, 144 pp.
Rating:

As I’ve read/listened to all the Harry Potters so far, [...]]]> Another Harry Potter crossed off the list! I enjoyed this on CD as I took a couple of trips last week. I had already listened to about 1/3 of it earlier in the year, but the trip was a perfect time to complete it.

As I’ve read/listened to all the Harry Potters so far, I’m really struck by J.K. Rowling’s naming ability. Quality Quidditch Supplies. The Marauder’s Map. The Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. I love the names she gives things and people. I was really interested in the detail not in the movie about the Marauder’s Map and the Shrieking Shack. Of course, they can’t include everything, so it’s great to know the background of these aspects of the story.

I really love Jim Dale’s narration in the CD’s, but if I have one criticism, it’s this: He makes Hermione way too whiny. I don’t like how he portrays her at all. “Harreeeeeeeeeeeee” Ugh. Otherwise, he’s perfect.

I’m looking forward to the other books.

1999, 435 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Yuko is a poet who loves snow and writes Haiku poetry only about snow. The Poet of the Imperial Court thinks Yuko has great potential but thinks his poetry needs more color. He then sends him on a journey to a blind poetry master named Soseki where Yuko will [...]]]> Yuko Akita had two passions.
Haiku.
And snow.

Yuko is a poet who loves snow and writes Haiku poetry only about snow. The Poet of the Imperial Court thinks Yuko has great potential but thinks his poetry needs more color. He then sends him on a journey to a blind poetry master named Soseki where Yuko will not only learn about poetry, but also about love.

I really loved aspects of this book and the language is lyrical, but parts of it just didn’t sit right with me. It takes only an hour or two to read, though, so I do recommend it as something different from the usual that is not too time-consuming.

1999, 100 pp., translated from the French
Rating:

Nobel laureate Imre Kertesz, survivor of both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, is a brilliant writer. As I was [...]]]> Definition: Mourner’s Kaddish expresses love of God and acceptance of God’s will, even while the mourner is feeling sorrow over the death of a loved one. [See the actual English translation at the end of this review.]

Nobel laureate Imre Kertesz, survivor of both Auschwitz and Buchenwald, is a brilliant writer. As I was reading this short work, I found that I wanted to quote almost the entire book for this review. In the story, a man at a writer’s conference explains to a colleague why he refused his ex-wife a child because he doesn’t want to bring a child into a world where an Auschwitz is allowed to occur. In fact the very first word of the novel is “No,” a reference to a question on whether or not he has children. He then expounds on his reasons for that decision, and on his childhood, his marriage, and his survival experiences.

“No!” something screamed, howled within me, immediately and forthwith, and it was only gradually, after many, many years had quieted it down, that my cramp gave way to a quiet but persistent pain, until slowly and maliciously, like a malignant sickness, a question began to take distinct shape with me: “Were you to be a dark-eyed little girl? With pale spots of scattered freckles around your little nose? Or a stubborn boy? With cheerful, hard eyes like blue-gray pebbbles?” Yes, my existence in the context of your potentiality.

I’ve had family members also question the wisdom of bringing children into the world, and the first time it was put to me, I didn’t understand the reasoning behind this stance at all. Perhaps I was too naive then, though, because I do understand it now. I am a mother; I’m grateful to be a mother; but, unfortunately, there is much evil in this world, and while not my choice, I understand why people would question whether to subject their potential children to it.

1990, [1999 for English trans.], 95 pp.
Rating: 4.5/5

English Translation of the Mourner’s Kaddish
May His illustrious name become increasingly great and holy
In the world that He created according to His will,
and may He establish His kingdom
In your lifetime and in your days
and in the lifetime of all the house of Israel
Speedily and soon. And let us say amen.

May His illustrious name be blessed always and forever.
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled
Honoured, raised up and acclaimed
be the name of the Holy one blessed be He
beyond every blessing hymn, praise and consolation
that is uttered in the world. And let us say amen.
May abundant peace from heaven, and life
Be upon us and upon all Israel.

This first Harry Potter was delightful, and though I won’t be fanatical about it like most people are, I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was a much better book [...]]]> I’m wondering if I am the last one on earth to start this series?! At least I won’t have to worry about spoilers!

This first Harry Potter was delightful, and though I won’t be fanatical about it like most people are, I did enjoy it quite a bit. It was a much better book than I was expecting, and I really liked the fact that I didn’t expect Professor Quirrell at all. I saw the movie a few days after reading it and I thought they got the casting of Harry, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape just right. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

1997, 320 pp
Rating:

Why not do a ‘twin’ review since I read them relatively close together? I had seen both of these movies before I read the books, and I recently re-watched The Hours because it was available for online viewing through Netflix. I’d like to watch Mrs. Dalloway again as well. The [...]]]>

Why not do a ‘twin’ review since I read them relatively close together? I had seen both of these movies before I read the books, and I recently re-watched The Hours because it was available for online viewing through Netflix. I’d like to watch Mrs. Dalloway again as well. The movie of the The Hours follows the book very closely-there are a few minor changes. Nicole Kidman does an outstanding job in this film. I was most interested in the Virginia Woolf storyline, so I was happy she was so well portrayed. It’s funny that Meryl Streep ended up playing Clarissa when she (Meryl Streep) is actually talked about in The Hours (the book). I don’t remember the movie Mrs. Dalloway much at all, hence the reason I wish to re-view it.

Well, on to the books. The Hours won the Pulitzer in 1999. It’s a cleverly told story that intersects the 3 women’s lives very well. However, it does change the story of Mrs. Dalloway into homos*xual relationships. It was interesting to see the twist in the storyline, particularly if you know the real one, but I couldn’t help thinking, “Doesn’t Clarissa (in The Hours) know that her life is too coincidental with the characters’ names from Mrs. Dalloway?” To me, it would have been a better story if Cunningham had left out all the references to the actual book itself. The reader knows that’s what it’s about, so why keep referring to it? It makes The Hours too unbelievable. It’s an interesting book, and I’m glad I read it, but I can’t help having mixed feelings about it.

Mrs. Dalloway. I must be too dense in the literary sense, because I just don’t get this book at all. I had to stop reading it every half hour because it was just too much otherwise. I felt a similar way this year when I read Inheritance of Loss. I just don’t enjoy a book when I have to read it that way. I don’t get into planning parties or the minute details of such. In fact, I avoid that like the plague. I’m not into social scenes, either. In this book, everyone loves Clarissa, but isn’t she the most shallow character in it? I don’t get it. I would like to re-read it again in a few years to see if I feel any differently. At least I feel more enlightened that I have finally read Woolf. I’d actually like to read more about her than by her.

For The Hours:
1998, 226 pp.
Rating: 3.5
Pulitzer, 1999

For Mrs. Dalloway:
1925, 194 pp.
Rating: 3

It all begins when a man answers this ad:

TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.

Who (or what) he finds there and the conversation they have about how to save the world follows. This book is written in a conversational style that reminded me of The Alchemist. It’s an [...]]]>

It all begins when a man answers this ad:

Who (or what) he finds there and the conversation they have about how to save the world follows. This book is written in a conversational style that reminded me of The Alchemist. It’s an easy read about Daniel Quinn’s real-life philosophies having to do with population control and food production. Although I didn’t agree with most of his ideas, he had a few valid points worth considering. Overall, though, I don’t think the world will be accepting his solution.

1992, 263 pp.
Rating: 3.5

Last Monday, I summarized the first half of the book, so look there if you’d like more info on all the stories in this book. This week, we have:

“The Christmas Baramundi” Definitely the most depressing story in the book, and one of the few I really didn’t care for. A [...]]]> Short Story Monday

Last Monday, I summarized the first half of the book, so look there if you’d like more info on all the stories in this book. This week, we have:

“The Christmas Baramundi”
Definitely the most depressing story in the book, and one of the few I really didn’t care for. A woman thinks she meets the perfect man, but then finds out differently.

“This Year It Will Be Different”
This one is also depressing. A woman thinks her family wants to help her with all the Christmas preparations, but do they?

“Season of Fuss”
This time, a woman’s family helps with the preparations, but is that what she really wants?

“A Typical Irish Christmas. . . ”
This one’s nice. A family is reunited.

“Traveling Hopefully”
A man and a woman are stuck on a long plane ride together. Will the relationship continue after the flight?

“What Is Happiness?”
A boy is caught up in his father’s infidelity when the mistress stalks the family.

“The Best Inn in Town”
Two grandmothers fight over their turf in a family that is usually united over the subject.

I would have to say I much preferred the first half of the book to the second half. The second half of the book is much more depressing. While the families depicted in the first half were far from perfect, there was at least a little hope involved. Not so in some of these later stories. However, overall I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for the Christmas season.

1996, 210 pp.
Rating: 4

Mr. Ives seems to have almost the perfect life. He has a successful career and a happy family. He helps with community projects and [...]]]> Mr. Ives’ Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos was a Pulitzer finalist in 1996. Hijuelos had also previously won the Pulitzer in 1990 for The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.

Mr. Ives seems to have almost the perfect life. He has a successful career and a happy family. He helps with community projects and events for his church. He is a man of faith. Then his son is shot and killed on Chrismas Eve coming home from choir practice. The son, Robert, was only 17 and wanted to be a priest. From this tragic event, Edward Ives struggles with his faith and the meaning of existence. He questions his once firm ideals. He grieves. He grieves for a very long time.

I don’t know if ‘enjoyed’ is proper in this case, so I will say I really appreciated this book, but it is not for everyone. It is definitely not a warm and cozy Christmas story, but it is one that seeks answers to the hard questions in life. If you’ve ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen, you might like this book. It really doesn’t even come away at the end with many very solid answers, but it does show one man’s journey through faith, hardship, and loss in a sensitive and thought-provoking manner.

1995, 248 pp.
Rating: 4

Someone in my family is going to shoot me for this (you know who you are), but I really loved this book. Very similar [...]]]> This is my second book by Paulo Coelho, the first being The Alchemist, which I loved. I love Coelho’s writing, and I’ll definitely be reading even more of his works.

Someone in my family is going to shoot me for this (you know who you are), but I really loved this book. Very similar to The Alchemist, it’s about finding out who you are, what you want to do, and then doing it. Veronika is a 24 year-old Slovenian who has decided to commit suicide, but she fails and is sent to a mental institution. While there, along with her fellow “crazies,” she discovers that maybe she isn’t so crazy after all.

Look at me; I was beginning to enjoy the sun again, the mountains, even life’s problems, I was beginning to accept that the meaninglessness of life was no one’s fault but mine. I wanted to see the main square in Ljubljana again, to feel hatred and love, despair and tedium–all those simple, foolish things that make up everyday life, but that give pleasure to your existence. If one day I could get out of here, I would allow myself to be crazy. Everyone is indeed crazy, but the craziest are the ones who don’t know they’re crazy; they just keep repeating what others tell them to.

Apparently Coelho wrote this in part as a reflection upon his own experience in his youth when his parents sent him to a mental institution. All because he wanted to be an artist. Whoa. He does say that later they very much regretted what they had done, and I believe he wrote this book only after they had both died.

Caution: I could have done without the e*plicit *ex situation. I would have rated this a ’5′ otherwise.

1998, 210 pp.
Rating: 4.5

When we meet Bud Caldwell, he is living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan.  Soon, though, we find him “on the lam” and in search of his father whom [...]]]> I listened to this Newbery winner by Christopher Paul Curtis with my son on the road trip to our new home.  We both enjoyed it very much.

When we meet Bud Caldwell, he is living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan.  Soon, though, we find him “on the lam” and in search of his father whom he has never met.  He always carries his few belongings in a suitcase, and in the suitcase are clues his dead mother left behind about his father.  Set during the Great Depression, this book is excellent for its historical value for children.  Recommended.

1999, 245 pp.

Newbery

Rating: 4

1997, 321 pp.

Booker Prize

Rating: 3.5

I finished this book two days ago, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. Loved some of it, hated some of it, and was confused by the ending (particularly the second to last chapter; did they ?). I am reading this [...]]]> The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy

1997, 321 pp.

Booker Prize

Rating: 3.5

I finished this book two days ago, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. Loved some of it, hated some of it, and was confused by the ending (particularly the second to last chapter; did they ?). I am reading this with my Book Awards group in September, and I have many things I’d like to talk about and discuss with them first before I write any kind of formal review.

I guess I will write one later. Lay Ter. (If you’ve read this book, you know what this means!)