tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68120459099630107432023-12-16T13:46:15.705-05:00Readers' OasisLeila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-83709401756440937862015-05-07T12:48:00.002-04:002015-05-07T12:48:42.241-04:00Review of The Bookseller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MKV8njmKJLM276UNVliro0bdX3cJF47Le513KiZVAUOkMY_ZrwtDdnmwXaYWyShbnG5mpIf2ITYP4KF425AFReeanh0rcCrx4AgX3pcZPwMMXGSmQwx5en9SBo4C85De5E8QAxvT_N6k/s1600/The-Bookseller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MKV8njmKJLM276UNVliro0bdX3cJF47Le513KiZVAUOkMY_ZrwtDdnmwXaYWyShbnG5mpIf2ITYP4KF425AFReeanh0rcCrx4AgX3pcZPwMMXGSmQwx5en9SBo4C85De5E8QAxvT_N6k/s400/The-Bookseller.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><b><i>The Bookseller</i></b> by Cynthia Swanson
<br><b>Publisher:</b> HarperCollins
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> March 2015
<br><b>Length:</b> 352 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> <a href="http://www.tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>
<p><b>Synopsis from Publisher:</b> <i>A mesmerizingly powerful debut novel about the ways in which past choices can irrevocably define the present—and the bittersweet confrontation of what might have been.</i> </p>
<p><i>1962: It may be the Swinging Sixties in New York, but in Denver it’s different: being a single gal over thirty in this city is almost bohemian. Still, thirty-eight-year-old Kitty Miller has come to terms with her unconventional single life. She was involved, once—with a doctor named Kevin—but when things didn’t work out the way she had hoped, she decided to chart her own path. Now she dedicates herself to the bookstore she runs with her best friend, Frieda, returning home each evening to her cozy apartment. Without a husband expecting dinner, she can enjoy last-minute drinks after work with her friends; without children who need to get ready for school, she can stay up all night reading with her beloved cat, Aslan, by her side.</i> </p>
<p><i>Then the dreams begin.</i> </p>
<p><i>1963: Katharyn Andersson is married to Lars, the love of her life. They live in a picture-perfect home in a suburban area of Denver, close to their circle of friends. It’s the ideal place in which to raise their children. Katharyn’s world is exactly what Kitty once believed she wanted . . . but it exists only when she sleeps.</i> </p>
<p><i>At first, Kitty enjoys her nighttime forays into this alternate world. Even though there is no Frieda, no bookstore, no other familiar face, Kitty becomes increasingly reluctant to open her eyes and abandon Katharyn’s alluring life.
But with each visit to her dreamworld, it grows more real. As the lines between the two worlds begin to blur, Kitty faces an uncertain future. What price must she pay to stay? What is the cost of letting go?</i> </p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> In <i><b>The Bookseller</b></i>, a debut novel from Cynthia Swanson, a cat-owning spinster bookstore owner named Kitty Miller begins to have odd dreams that hint at an alternative life. </p>
<p>Kitty seems to have an enviable, although quiet, life in early 1960s Denver. She owns a small bookstore with her best friend. Though the bookstore is struggling and may need to relocate, Kitty seems satisfied with her life as a single and independent woman. Then she begins to have tantalizingly strange dreams . . . dreams in which she lives in an entirely different house, with an attractive and loving husband and adorable children. Everything in Kitty's dreams seems wonderful and trouble-free; do the dreams represent what Kitty's life might have been if she had pursued a different path? Soon Kitty finds herself seeking out the dream life, almost as a refuge from her real-life problems. But is the dream life as perfect as it appears? Which life is better . . . and which life is more real? </p>
<p><i><b>The Bookseller</b></i> is an engaging, sometimes haunting read. I polished it off quickly, wanting to know what Kitty's strange dreams would ultimately reveal. Although I began to guess at the ending before the completion of the book, I still found the novel's resolution to be satisfying. </p>
<p>The "what if" scenario Swanson uses is interesting, although as other reviewers have pointed out, it has appeared in other novels, as well as movies, before. There is certainly a parallel to be found in the 1998 movie Sliding Doors. I was reminded, as well, of the novel <i><b>The Post-Birthday World</b></i> by Lionel Shriver, which presents two alternate outcomes for the life of the main character. Nevertheless, if <i><b>The Bookseller</b></i>'s structure is not wholly original, I think most readers can relate to the question of how their life might have turned out differently if they had made other choices. </p>
<p>I'd offer a few other criticisms of <i><b>The Bookseller</b></i>. Although the novel hangs on Kitty and her growing realization of what is important in her life, I felt her character was underwritten and would have benefitted from further development. In addition, I could perhaps have used less detail about furniture and housing developments; there is not much historical context other than those sorts of details, which for me, didn't add much to the story. </p>
<p>Bottom line, <i><b>The Bookseller</b></i> is a quick and highly readable novel. Although I may not rank it as one of my favorite books of the year, it could prompt a great book club discussion about choices, the nature of reality, and how we perceive our own lives. </p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Harper Collins through <a href="http://www.tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for this book. You can visit the other stops on the tour at the official tour site <a href="http://http://tlcbooktours.com/2015/02/cynthia-swanson-author-of-the-bookseller-on-tour-april-2015/">here</a>. </P>
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<p><b>About Cynthia Swanson:</b> Cynthia Swanson is a writer and a designer of the midcentury modern style. She has published short fiction in 13th Moon, Kalliope, Sojourner, and other periodicals; her story in 13th Moon was a Pushcart Prize nominee. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and three children. <i><b>The Bookseller</b></i> is her first novel.
Find out more about Cynthia at her <a href="http://www.integritymodern.com/thebookseller/">website</a> and connect with her on Facebook.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZpZWH2PxkPdmcFqW8r5kEWTJuADWm2ZJ80SDsHzvlRQX1W9dkBBgAu4YfQWUXiqfSN1fiL0FoJd8KpnI2orCjsWSd7HwQ6mpmGXEWx-Ssz2z4x9Yv8J1tyqfciknqgMIUYyRqqqzY6Bl/s1600/tlc-logo-resized.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZpZWH2PxkPdmcFqW8r5kEWTJuADWm2ZJ80SDsHzvlRQX1W9dkBBgAu4YfQWUXiqfSN1fiL0FoJd8KpnI2orCjsWSd7HwQ6mpmGXEWx-Ssz2z4x9Yv8J1tyqfciknqgMIUYyRqqqzY6Bl/s400/tlc-logo-resized.png" /></a></div>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-24510433504553232282015-04-27T10:11:00.001-04:002015-04-27T10:11:16.547-04:00It's Monday, April 27--What Are You Reading?<p>Good morning, fellow readers. </p>
<p>I just finished this book, and . . . wow. </P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nu6YQHtnqY0YJ3br2rG8UgnsXyCXtVTDeCJw-X2wej-GiKLclj3nBhb_UTu7hhnD9QjYK-8IWa0uTimWZSZR6FTxbbF705QV4K2I1dZ4rPkNUOWVx519kgFAKoCFu1iL5HNpoPqsjYum/s1600/The+Shore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nu6YQHtnqY0YJ3br2rG8UgnsXyCXtVTDeCJw-X2wej-GiKLclj3nBhb_UTu7hhnD9QjYK-8IWa0uTimWZSZR6FTxbbF705QV4K2I1dZ4rPkNUOWVx519kgFAKoCFu1iL5HNpoPqsjYum/s320/The+Shore.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Sara Taylor's debut novel, <b>The Shore</b>, is a quite a read . . . I'll post a review closer to the publication date (May 26). I'll just say for now that if this book is not on your radar yet, consider yourself notified! </p>
<p>I'm currently reading this book . . . </p>
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<p>Tania James' novel, <b>The Tusk That Did the Damage</b>, released in March of this year, considers the moral complexities of the ivory trade in South India. James tells the story through the eyes of a poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and and an elephant known as the Gravedigger. </p>
<p>My most recent blog post was a discussion of <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2015/04/spring-new-releases-i-cant-wait-to-read.html">Spring Releases I Can't Wait to Read</a>. Let me know if any of these are on your list for the next few weeks, and what other spring releases have caught your attention! </p>
<p>I am recently returning to my blog after taking a few months off. I had a bit of an existential crisis as a book blogger--you know, what I am doing with this blog and why?! I think a lot of other book bloggers have experienced something similar. I became rather bored of posting only book reviews, which seem to generate very limited interest or conversation among other readers. But at the same time, I confess that I don't have the time or the creativity to generate much other book-related content. </p>
<p>So I took some time off . . . and I found that I really missed the conversation with other bloggers and book lovers. Therefore I'm back, for now, but this experience has led me to think that perhaps I should focus less on traditional-style book reviews and more on posting reaction pieces, mini reviews, or reading-related discussion topics (when I can think of them!). <b>Have you struggled with similar issues in writing your blog, and if so, how have you handled them?</b> </p>
<p>I wish everyone a happy reading week. </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-41423601753391787572015-04-24T09:09:00.000-04:002015-04-24T09:16:31.196-04:00Spring New Releases I Can't Wait to Read<p>It's spring! The flower trees are blooming, the sun is shining (sometimes), the pollen is making me sneeze . . . and some lovely new novels are on the horizon! <p>
<p>Here are a few which have caught my eye and I can't wait read in the coming weeks . . . </p>
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<p>Sara Taylor's debut novel, <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23128320-the-shore?ref=ru_lihp_up_us_0_mclk-up2310143832">The Shore</a></b>, will be published on May 26, and I think this novel of linked narratives looks intriguing. The stories center on women living on islands off the coast of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay . . . but a light beach read, this is NOT. From the publisher's synopsis: "These women struggle against domestic violence, savage wilderness, and the corrosive effects of poverty and addiction to secure a sense of well-being for themselves and for those they love." I read the first chapter last night, and it blew me away! </p>
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<p>If you read Kate Atkinson's compelling 2013 novel <b>Life After Life</b>, you probably know that <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3722183-a-god-in-ruins?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b&search_version=service">A God in Ruins</a></b> is a sequel of sorts. This novel, to be published on May 5, is the story of Ursula's brother Teddy, the RAF pilot. Well, while I didn't absolutely LOVE <b>Life After Life</b>, I was certainly fascinated and challenged by it . . . and so, of course, <b>A God in Ruins</b> is one of the spring releases I am most anticipating.
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<p><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23602474-early-warning?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b&search_version=service">Early Warning</a></b> is the second installment of Jane Smiley's planned trilogy about the Langdon family. I love Jane Smiley, and I truly enjoyed <b>Some Luck</b>, her first novel about the Langdons (you can see my review of <b>Some Luck</b> <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-some-luck-by-jane-smiley.html">here</a>). <b>Early Warning</b>, which will be published on April 28, begins in 1953, as the family grieves the death of Walter. I look forward to finding out how the five Langdon children experience the turbulence and passion of America in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. </p>
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<p>If you like historical fiction, a new release for spring that might interest you is Sarah McCoy's <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490777-the-mapmaker-s-children?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_a&search_version=service">The Mapmaker's Children</a></b>, set for release on May 5. McCoy tells the stories of Sarah Brown, the daughter of abolitionist John Brown and a woman active in the Underground Railroad, and Eden, a modern woman anxious to conceive a child. The two women are linked by a house in West Virginia with secrets in the root cellar. (Confession--I read this one already! Review to come soon) </p>
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<p><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23899174-in-the-unlikely-event?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b&search_version=service">In the Unlikely Event</a></b> is a new novel by Judy Blume . . . yes, THE Judy Blume! That's all you need to know--just buy it on June 2 and start reading! Seriously, though, that is pretty cool--a new novel for adults from 77-year-old Blume. It takes place in New Jersey in 1951-1952, as a series of passenger airlines crash in the same area within a three month period. I will certainly not miss this novel, but I will probably wait until July to read it (our family vacation in June involves airplane travel. Does this book sound like good airplane reading to you? Um, I'll wait a few weeks).
<p>Do any of these new releases strike your fancy? What books are you looking forward to this spring?</p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-40241780863310344972015-04-22T11:20:00.001-04:002015-04-22T11:20:38.677-04:00Some Thoughts on the Best Book I've Read So Far This Year . . . A Little Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIZZaMQAOSL-6LjCuYaj5IQvpEHDGwsKcxX4jlgRaogJ9Wj3OSupvQ32LhuIZlmsRo3OdVd3OjsUK1mjRLz2Y6f3hJJtbxhd13Un1Ia0rWS1G-t6F7CTxwQoxaEZGlY8kM6yLg-_cvvbM/s1600/+A+Little+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIZZaMQAOSL-6LjCuYaj5IQvpEHDGwsKcxX4jlgRaogJ9Wj3OSupvQ32LhuIZlmsRo3OdVd3OjsUK1mjRLz2Y6f3hJJtbxhd13Un1Ia0rWS1G-t6F7CTxwQoxaEZGlY8kM6yLg-_cvvbM/s400/+A+Little+Life.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>The best novel I've read so far in 2015 is--hands-down, no questions asked--Hanya Yanagihara's flawed but absolutely compelling, astonishing, challenging novel, <b>A little Life</b>.
<p>This isn't so much a review as a reaction piece. Somehow, I don't really feel like I can offer a full review of the novel. For one thing, I don't want to inadvertently include any spoilers. In some ways, I feel as though readers are better off going into this novel without many pre-conceived notions about the characters or the plot. It's better to just experience it with a fresh, open mind. </p>
<p>For another thing . . . my God, I'm not even sure how to think about adequately reviewing it in a traditional sense. If you've read the novel, you may know what I mean. </p>
<p>So, here is what I posted on Goodreads about <b>A Little Life</b> just after finishing the novel last month:
<i>Whoa... This book will wring your heart out. You don't READ <b>A Little Life</b> so much as experience it on a primal level. The novel includes some disturbing, emotionally harrowing material, and in that sense, it can be difficult to read. So why is it racking up 5 star reviews from many literary fiction fans? I think because Yanagihara makes readers feel so deeply connected to the characters, so positively immersed in their lives ... she has a way of creating a bond between the reader and her fictional characters that is nothing short of astonishing. Therefore, add me to the growing collection of people singing the praises of <b>A Little Life</b>--even though I do think the novel has a few flaws. Ultimately, it's a truly thought-provoking book that raises questions about the nature of love and friendship, how people can overcome trauma, and how far any of us is prepared to go to help a friend or loved one experiencing pain. </i><p>
<p>Back to me in the present.... So yup, this is quite a powerful book. I devoured it--it's over 700 pages, but I flew through it in a couple of days. Yanagihara grabs ahold of you with her complex, rich characters and will NOT LET GO. I think I have a completely fresh definition now for a book that you "can't put down." </p>
<p>I do think there are a few things that aren't perfect here. To start, Yanagihara really hits Jude hard, over and over again ... It's relentless. Was it necessary for this character to experience so much pain and heartache? I think Yanagihara clearly exaggerates his pain for a reason--to force us think about the nature of physical and emotional trauma, about our responsibility for others, about the limits of love and friendship, etc. But .... is it too much? <p>
<p>Secondly .... women? Women characters are almost completely absent in this novel. I know--there's Julia, a social worker, a few female friends, but they are cardboard cut-outs compared to the men. I have to say I noticed this and wondered why. Interestingly, Yanagihara's previous novel, <b>The People in the Trees</b>, also lacks any deeply developed female characters. So, two novels, with only men as fully-realized characters . . . I'd love to know if that was a conscious decision on Yanagihara's part. </p>
<p>I think, in the end, everyone should just experience the novel for themselves. It's a powerful and thought-provoking book, and it would be fabulous for a book club. This is a book that cries out to be discussed over a few glasses of wine. I'll be eagerly anticipating the discussion on <a href="http://www.socraticsalon.com">The Socratic Salon</a>! <p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher, Doubleday Books, through NetGalley, for review consideration. <p>
<p>What do you think . . . Have you read <b>A Little Life</b>? If not, do you plan to? </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-67649417639444810672015-04-21T11:41:00.000-04:002015-04-22T15:30:46.292-04:00Congratulations to Anthony Doerr, Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot-Ckh5Rkxl64wuYAAI-dF7fHZC2wQfF8BuGT-Vb0crE1yHKfXVudrxr_-n6KjFv4o0qqZIIeCBNOmPzSVGX6aRvEOj94RsCXw12cmQZF4KhyphenhyphenEq3iZiHTREKM-GHXcThRJyERvPW536r1/s1600/all+the+light+we+cannot+see.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot-Ckh5Rkxl64wuYAAI-dF7fHZC2wQfF8BuGT-Vb0crE1yHKfXVudrxr_-n6KjFv4o0qqZIIeCBNOmPzSVGX6aRvEOj94RsCXw12cmQZF4KhyphenhyphenEq3iZiHTREKM-GHXcThRJyERvPW536r1/s400/all+the+light+we+cannot+see.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Yesterday, the Pulitzer Prize Board announced the winners of its literary and journalistic prizes for 2015. And the recipient of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is Anthony Doerr, for his novel <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b>. I'd like to congratulate Doerr for this honor . . . and recommend that you read the novel if you have not! </p>
<p><b>All the Light We Cannot See</b> was one of my two favorite novels from 2014. I never wrote a review of it (as a book blogger, I experienced a bit of an existential crisis starting in December of last year and stopped posting . . . more on that later!). But my failure to review the novel in no way reflects my opinion of its worth. Doerr's novel is beautifully written, deeply engrossing, and emotionally engaging. It's a terrific example of what I like to call literary historical fiction--those books that tell a story from the past but bear the hallmarks of excellent writing and strong character development that are present in literary fiction. As you might be able to tell if you've read my blog, literary historical fiction is my very favorite kind of book. </p>
<p>I am always interested in which novels win the big literary prizes. Some of the winners of the prizes last year gave me some pause, I have to admit. (In fact, last fall I wrote a blog post about this: <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/discussion-topic-do-literary-prizes.html">Do Literary Prizes Influence Your Reading Choices?</a>) Especially after the awarding of the Baileys Prize to Eimear McBride for <b>A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing</b> and the Man Booker Prize to Richard Flanagan for <b>The Narrow Road to the Deep North</b> . . . Both choices struck me as not very accessible for most readers (just my own opinion, of course--I'm sure some would disagree). That prompted me to wonder if there has been a disconnect between prizewinning novels of late and what most readers actually want to read. I certainly don't want to imply that I think literary prizes should necessarily go to commercially successful fiction; sometimes that just isn't possible. <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b> strikes me as great example of a novel that is literary enough to earn the approval of judges and, at the same time, accessible and enjoyable for much of the fiction-reading public. </p>
<p>I've recommended <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b> to many friends and fellow book-lovers as a satisfying and thought-provoking read. Interestingly, both of my two local book clubs have chosen it as their selection for the month of April. The novel is an excellent choice for this year's Pulitzer Prize. I hope that even more readers will discover the pleasures of <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b> as a result of the prize. </p>
<p>Have you read <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b>? If not, is it on your list of books to-be-read? </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-46192601472217186252015-04-17T15:16:00.000-04:002015-04-17T15:25:25.583-04:00Review of A Reunion of Ghosts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jAiqhyfryW5V0Y_0Gh85rEBuzUYx1Iq3xqlSqFoq7k3G2yWtEkTsD4R36MBgdr5MbQtIvhqStrDsMSs6RYGxlrk8pk0cnXbLdTW7u4zrJ_DR6sLdHOqx_r1vBIVlLMaRRjwOPkksDo5I/s1600/reunion+of+ghosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jAiqhyfryW5V0Y_0Gh85rEBuzUYx1Iq3xqlSqFoq7k3G2yWtEkTsD4R36MBgdr5MbQtIvhqStrDsMSs6RYGxlrk8pk0cnXbLdTW7u4zrJ_DR6sLdHOqx_r1vBIVlLMaRRjwOPkksDo5I/s320/reunion+of+ghosts.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><b><i>A Reunion of Ghosts</i></b> by Judith Claire Mitchell
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Harper Collins
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> March 24, 2015
<br><b>Length: </b> 400 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> Publisher, through <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>
<p><b>Synopsis from Publisher:</b> <i>Three wickedly funny sisters.</i> <p>
<p><i>One family’s extraordinary legacy.</i><p>
<p><i>A single suicide note that spans a century … </i><p>
<p><i>Meet the Alter sisters: Lady, Vee, and Delph. These three mordantly witty, complex women share their family’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. They love each other fiercely, but being an Alter isn’t easy. Bad luck is in their genes, passed down through the generations. Yet no matter what curves life throws at these siblings—and it’s hurled plenty—they always have a wisecrack, and one another.</i><p>
<p><i>In the waning days of 1999, the trio decides it’s time to close the circle of the Alter curse. But first, as the world counts down to the dawn of a new millennium, Lady, Vee, and Delph must write the final chapter of a saga lifetimes in the making—one that is inexorably intertwined with that of the twentieth century itself. Unspooling threads of history, personal memory, and family lore, they weave a mesmerizing account of their lives that stretches back decades to their great-grandfather, a brilliant scientist whose professional triumph became the sinister legacy that defines them.</i><p>
<p><i>Funny, heartbreaking, and utterly original, <b>A Reunion of Ghosts</b> is a magnificent novel about three unforgettable women bound to each other, and to their remarkable family, through the blessings and the burdens bestowed by blood.</i> <p>
<p><i>“What if the man who invented chemical weapons was also a grandfather, and what if his great-grandchildren grew up to be three hilarious, introverted, deeply-haunted sisters? And what if those sisters co-wrote a fascinating, funny, and deeply sad 350-page suicide note? Then you’d have <b>A Reunion of Ghosts</b>. This is a triumphant, beautiful, and devastating novel about coincidences, family, and the sins of our fathers.”
— Anthony Doerr, New York Times bestselling author of <b>All The Light We Cannot See</b></i><p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> I thoroughly enjoyed Judith Claire Mitchell's intriguing and startlingly original novel <i><b>A Reunion of Ghosts</b></i>. Both literary and humorous, this was a novel I absolutely devoured; I truly did not want to put it down. Mitchell has crafted a story that entertains as well as prompts the reader ponder the nature of memory, family ties, sin, and mental illness. <p>
<p>Mitchell deftly alternates between the lives of Lady, Vee, and Delph Alter, a trio of sisters living in Manhattan, and the lives of their great-grandparents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The witty and complicated Alter sisters struggle under the weight of a unique family history. Their great-grandfather, Jewish scientist Lenz Alter, invented chlorine gas... the very stuff which resulted in the development of chemical warfare in World War I and Zyklon B (the gas used in Nazi concentration camps to kill Jews and other prisoners). Talk about a troubling family legacy. <p>
<p>The terrible invention of Lenz Alter reverberates through the generations in the Alter family. Young Lady, Vee, and Delph are taught by their mother from an early age that "the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generations." The Alter sisters believe that their family has been cursed, in a fashion, like the famous Kennedys. While this curse at times seems a bit overly fantastical (does anyone truly believe they must pay with their lives for the sins of their forefathers?), the saga of the Alter family provides a good means for contemplating the most dark and troubled parts of the history of the twentieth century. <p>
<p>Mitchell's well-written novel is emotionally engaging throughout, and filled with much more warmth and humor than you might expect in a novel about a family prone to suicide. I felt myself more deeply connected, at times, to the characters of Lenz and Iris Alter, as well as their friends Albert and Mileva Einstein, than to the modern-day Alter sisters. But overall, I found <b><i>A Reunion of Ghosts</i></b> to be a fascinating and worthwhile read. It would be a good choice for book groups; the mix of weighty themes and dark humor will please a range of readers and provide plenty of topics for discussion.<p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Harper Collins through <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for this book. You can visit the other stops on the tour at the official tour site <a href="http://http://tlcbooktours.com/2015/02/judith-claire-mitchell-author-of-a-reunion-of-ghosts-on-tour-marchapril-2015/">here</a>. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B8Bzwfc4jR8ahdPK9gfK95ZGhwnyFpCVAOwUmErUe7kjrXonyiBrWimAX8NedWkcwzQnOyhc2DkyoiaxLdifs8ulqDX86S0vhToZpZqbzHMFr-zW4QPeGWuccCFWQ1cAx61mgi8UuwQZ/s1600/Judith-Claire-Mitchell-300x228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B8Bzwfc4jR8ahdPK9gfK95ZGhwnyFpCVAOwUmErUe7kjrXonyiBrWimAX8NedWkcwzQnOyhc2DkyoiaxLdifs8ulqDX86S0vhToZpZqbzHMFr-zW4QPeGWuccCFWQ1cAx61mgi8UuwQZ/s200/Judith-Claire-Mitchell-300x228.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><b>About Judith Claire Mitchell: </b> Judith Claire Mitchell, author of the novel <b><i>The Last Day of the War</i></b>, is an English professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she directs the MFA program in creative writing. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Judy has received fellowships from the James A. Michener/Copernicus Society, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the Wisconsin Arts Board, and elsewhere. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, the artist Don Friedlich. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u4QVQ6j6du_BVHxR8e1AKtwS9Br3W6hIjgIOehIBeAwUVXrPeQRj7VrY2TpX-0n2xfLB_YcEDrBq6D4hzzyTiSp5AKPyXPsW38DDZ9Ol35BGGEk5IacVZz3beMH6UjL48u7QM7vF2D_Z/s1600/tlc-logo-resized.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u4QVQ6j6du_BVHxR8e1AKtwS9Br3W6hIjgIOehIBeAwUVXrPeQRj7VrY2TpX-0n2xfLB_YcEDrBq6D4hzzyTiSp5AKPyXPsW38DDZ9Ol35BGGEk5IacVZz3beMH6UjL48u7QM7vF2D_Z/s400/tlc-logo-resized.png" /></a></div>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-44751918506827182282014-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:002014-12-02T00:01:00.074-05:00Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ0hP_8BzIl2DnDCN-_QYAqgrYRPEHvwe9XtjU0rBi4tk0tN2N_lizTgo1Ev0tPO4Qu7lLIPZqjAPhkzuiJeU7cPy7qawLaxoDb32C3dNZINAIZL_JBXawAUfCZhWi1JicOHyy-OYYXug/s1600/toptentuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ0hP_8BzIl2DnDCN-_QYAqgrYRPEHvwe9XtjU0rBi4tk0tN2N_lizTgo1Ev0tPO4Qu7lLIPZqjAPhkzuiJeU7cPy7qawLaxoDb32C3dNZINAIZL_JBXawAUfCZhWi1JicOHyy-OYYXug/s320/toptentuesday.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>This week's Top Ten Tuesday list, sponsored by <a href="http://brokeandthebookish.com">the Broke and the Bookish</a>, is the Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015. I'm quite sure that I'll be learning about lots more new releases in the coming weeks (and hopefully today from some of my fellow bloggers!), but here are ten titles that I'm anticipating so far: </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22522296-west-of-sunset?from_search=true"><b>West of Sunset: A Novel</b></a> by Stewart O'Nan. I haven't read O'Nan in a while, but the premise of his latest caught my attention: the last, difficult year of F. Scott Fitzgerald's life, when he lived in Hollywood and tried to make it as a screenwriter. Sounds interesting! The publication date is January 13, 2015, and I'm happy to have an ARC--so this will probably be one of the first novels of 2015 that I read. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21941921-hausfrau?from_search=true"><b>Hausfrau</b></a> by Jill Alexander Essbaum. Here's the publisher's mini synopsis: "For readers of Claire Messud and Mary Gaitskill comes a striking debut novel of marriage, fidelity, sex, and morality, featuring a fascinating heroine who struggles to live a life with meaning." This debut novel, with an expected publication date of March 24, 2015, tells the story of an American woman married to a Swiss banker who begins to have affairs and finds her comfortable life in Zurich falling apart at the seams. I don't have an ARC, but I'd love to get my hands on one; something tells me this might be a very promising debut. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20382027-a-small-indiscretion?from_search=true"><b>A Small Indiscretion</b></a> by Jan Ellison. Another debut novel, Ellison's book also promises an interesting story about a woman who has made mistakes. From the publisher: "<b>A Small Indiscretion</b> is a gripping and ultimately redemptive noel of love and its dangers, marriage and its secrets, youth and its treacherous mistakes." This novel, to be published January 27, 2015, has received some pretty impressive blurbs from the likes of Emma Donoghue and Ann Packer. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609396-the-children-s-crusade?from_search=true"><b>The Children's Crusade: A Novel</b></a> by Ann Packer. I loved Ann Packer's 2003 novel <b>The Dive From Clausen's Pier</b>, which was a fantastic book (although a terrible TV movie!). I haven't read any of her other novels, which seem to have suffered some mixed reviews. <b>The Children's Crusade</b>, to be published in April of 2015, looks to be a sweeping, multi-generational saga that covers five decades in the lives of a California family. Well, I'm always up for a good family saga, so I have high hopes! </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22551730-dead-wake?from_search=true"><b>Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania</b></a> by Erik Larson. Oh dear, time for me to admit I have never read an Erik Larson book! I have certainly paged through his previous books at the bookstore, but for some reason never read one. Maybe this year I will start with his newest offering, which will be published on March 10, 2015. Well, I said I wanted to incorporate more nonfiction choices into my reading throughout the year (not just during Nonfiction November!). Any other great nonfiction titles you see on the horizon for the first half of 2015? </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22367526-my-sunshine-away?from_search=true"><b>My Sunshine Away</b></a> by M.O. Walsh. I've heard buzz aplenty about this debut novel set in Baton Rouge in the summer of 1989. It sounds like a combination of a coming-of-age story and a thriller, with a touch of Southern gothic. Okay, I'm intrigued. I look forward to reading some reviews in the early part of the year--I'm sure some of you out there have ARCs of this one! <b>My Sunshine Away</b> is set for publication on February 10, 2015. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2asI-a9ei3VSdiZlF3Z3SkwJpXXNqya_1G3NClve9RW1Gf1J0cD3D6MsIZTk6oyGr15zRkEJ6SAoEo6hLwzpIrkfTglwMx1vg0jMfNc7ItkrIFfwgFm-dwSw2TaHaASPcK834cebLtGw/s1600/the+world+before+us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2asI-a9ei3VSdiZlF3Z3SkwJpXXNqya_1G3NClve9RW1Gf1J0cD3D6MsIZTk6oyGr15zRkEJ6SAoEo6hLwzpIrkfTglwMx1vg0jMfNc7ItkrIFfwgFm-dwSw2TaHaASPcK834cebLtGw/s200/the+world+before+us.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22716411-the-world-before-us?from_search=true"><b>The World Before Us</b></a> by Aislinn Hunter. This novel, Aislinn Hunter's second, begins with a 15 year-old girl who loses the small child she was babysitting. The child, lost in the woods, is never found. The teenager grows up and becomes a museum archivist, who is searching for information related to another missing person--a woman who disappeared from a Victorian asylum. The novel moves back and forth between the archivist's search in contemporary London, the Victorian asylum, and a delapidated country house which may connect the missing people. I'm not sure why, but this captured my interest. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqIWkFJMGJYcJCCLpPInqR3Thw0o6u9JZS9hBtpLpMDB3Gy7o_t80yW0ekYB-W7tAhi7AtFUqt_y29jk4IspIN4QXIzmv83GmXq_STiW-lrattqHsZBEpafGlqkDmzo_ZV3mZdM52y9Mr/s1600/the+tusk+that+did+the+damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqIWkFJMGJYcJCCLpPInqR3Thw0o6u9JZS9hBtpLpMDB3Gy7o_t80yW0ekYB-W7tAhi7AtFUqt_y29jk4IspIN4QXIzmv83GmXq_STiW-lrattqHsZBEpafGlqkDmzo_ZV3mZdM52y9Mr/s200/the+tusk+that+did+the+damage.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22318387-the-tusk-that-did-the-damage?from_search=true"><b>The Tusk That Did the Damage</b></a> by Tania James. This novel, to be published in March 2015, considers the moral complexities of the ivory trade in South India. James tells the story through the eyes of a poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and most interestingly, an elephant known as the Gravedigger. This sounds quite original to me, and I can't resist seeing how the author offers the point of view of an elephant. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn_3etskK10h8xXfxnJwDwrcHvMyeZSeNjoGmFjByLDnNeeHT7PH7CZ-xW0y2szssdGGakahzwVXkR6pDSB9EUEru10zTNP1Yw7MRraUkv55ecUpKW7HgVz7nqx8UzcivwGa0oLfQq0ni/s1600/the+bookseller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn_3etskK10h8xXfxnJwDwrcHvMyeZSeNjoGmFjByLDnNeeHT7PH7CZ-xW0y2szssdGGakahzwVXkR6pDSB9EUEru10zTNP1Yw7MRraUkv55ecUpKW7HgVz7nqx8UzcivwGa0oLfQq0ni/s200/the+bookseller.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22635858-the-bookseller?from_search=true"><b>The Bookseller</b></a> by Cynthia Swanson. From the publisher's description: "A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, <b>The Bookseller</b> follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizingly alternate world of her dreams. Nothing is as permanent as it seems . . ." Well, this one caught my eye, and I'll be participating in a blog tour for it in the spring. The release date is March 3, 2015. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXVF8r7dv4iKBVcJLRoKfVS-v2Jn7rbyMFYB0fGb8_d9CNAQS4gPeTD7T_cJ7ARRDJWhu_zlJNgpXZZDpp0G1kVf2J_LippBFoKp31RZJlOk9K1aZ5Hru6DnTK-AgS2qjy59Y_tsHDhOS/s1600/the+mapmaker's%2Bchildren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXVF8r7dv4iKBVcJLRoKfVS-v2Jn7rbyMFYB0fGb8_d9CNAQS4gPeTD7T_cJ7ARRDJWhu_zlJNgpXZZDpp0G1kVf2J_LippBFoKp31RZJlOk9K1aZ5Hru6DnTK-AgS2qjy59Y_tsHDhOS/s200/the+mapmaker's%2Bchildren.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490777-the-mapmaker-s-children?from_search=true"><b>The Mapmaker's Children</b></a> by Sarah McCoy. This novel, to be published in May of 2015, moves back and forth in time between Sarah Brown, the daughter of the abolitionist John Brown, and a contemporary woman who finds hints about Sarah and the Underground Railroad in the root cellar of an old house. I wasn't a big fan of <b>The Invention of Wings</b>, Sue Monk Kidd's novel about the abolitionist Sarah Grimke. I hope McCoy's book will be a better read. </p>
<p><b>What 2015 new releases are you most anticipating?</b> Would you read any of the above books? I look forward to reading everyone's lists! </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-88574794567050660112014-12-01T00:01:00.000-05:002014-12-01T00:01:00.092-05:00It's Monday, December 1st--What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbPWI2GnkrleM2LrQBSZbD0m6CsPgFL-rq0hEcxThKaASxARoDFt0-T2M80gZN_rQ47dtYSkcVSxC89G8tTsPVpEflL1-2mzg71sjz6ZyyrErtOR_hqjtlcGxgiDCA74hKzB8RacsePMi/s1600/It's%2BMonday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbPWI2GnkrleM2LrQBSZbD0m6CsPgFL-rq0hEcxThKaASxARoDFt0-T2M80gZN_rQ47dtYSkcVSxC89G8tTsPVpEflL1-2mzg71sjz6ZyyrErtOR_hqjtlcGxgiDCA74hKzB8RacsePMi/s320/It's%2BMonday.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Good morning, fellow book lovers! I'm posting again on this weekly update meme hosted by Sheila at <a href="http://bookjourney.net">BookJourney</a>. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and a pleasant long weekend with plenty of time for reading a good book. </p>
<p>Here's the book I'm reading right now . . . </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVpyxlDJHLfWz36MTm88xENzzJDFURCpqXzW6yJ-E7EqWdcXLA_kT2EJbJFMoEmREz3Yjb1jjiOlWHMRYQ3NepTpu85p45xl6qnJhAmr5A55cuCgMcJzlH3hRuuNM4H0zEhhr8HkOgLIy/s1600/fourth+of+july+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVpyxlDJHLfWz36MTm88xENzzJDFURCpqXzW6yJ-E7EqWdcXLA_kT2EJbJFMoEmREz3Yjb1jjiOlWHMRYQ3NepTpu85p45xl6qnJhAmr5A55cuCgMcJzlH3hRuuNM4H0zEhhr8HkOgLIy/s320/fourth+of+july+creek.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><b>Fourth of July Creek</b>, the debut novel from Smith Henderson, is absorbing and beautifully written. The plot concerns a social worker living in rural Montana in the early 1980s. He becomes involved in the lives of a family of survivalists, while his own personal life starts to come apart. This is one of those "glowingly reviewed" literary fiction releases from 2014 that I wanted to read, but somehow overlooked or simply did not yet get a chance to tackle. I have been trying to read a few of those books in these last weeks of 2014. </p>
</p>As part of that effort, here are three other stand-out fiction titles from 2014 that I have read in the past week and a half: </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQXb6kg750_zONHJ52x5d8r_hobeV8s4s0C_5P7D1v8PK5VMwhgujDaBKPQJ9ExVkwg4lOxPFqrmlkxtKaHTGvTBmc7-_P3DIITu0mTkWydbuHGKQxSK3NC7bTssH1pfDHnCY1XaobRqZ/s1600/everything+I+never+told+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQXb6kg750_zONHJ52x5d8r_hobeV8s4s0C_5P7D1v8PK5VMwhgujDaBKPQJ9ExVkwg4lOxPFqrmlkxtKaHTGvTBmc7-_P3DIITu0mTkWydbuHGKQxSK3NC7bTssH1pfDHnCY1XaobRqZ/s200/everything+I+never+told+you.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECTy4pQijKUyEXMoiHmT7GG4WA02RDfLZvI1cSw2lJisRBEQhN_3aQfyXpaDzPmE5ybAbu0-vrU7Pf1lCPgdlwHxCSFviaoWeDw6Ht4A1_yLGn6L9abEitQoUEXYD2mnjFJeb2Ve4kGcf/s1600/all+the+light+we+cannot+see.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECTy4pQijKUyEXMoiHmT7GG4WA02RDfLZvI1cSw2lJisRBEQhN_3aQfyXpaDzPmE5ybAbu0-vrU7Pf1lCPgdlwHxCSFviaoWeDw6Ht4A1_yLGn6L9abEitQoUEXYD2mnjFJeb2Ve4kGcf/s200/all+the+light+we+cannot+see.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3XXWW1KyZG5LSPCm7YanbnIkgVxDiAQeH-97bjVLcskyLurs3jHToq9H93c1wc6vMDaqnA_j0fvulFbwE73ri2UTCgJEUgDdJtiW7HRusODc2sAtBCL6ZkW0wDxehDHeo7CnmMTk0-QM/s1600/florence+gordon.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3XXWW1KyZG5LSPCm7YanbnIkgVxDiAQeH-97bjVLcskyLurs3jHToq9H93c1wc6vMDaqnA_j0fvulFbwE73ri2UTCgJEUgDdJtiW7HRusODc2sAtBCL6ZkW0wDxehDHeo7CnmMTk0-QM/s200/florence+gordon.jpg" /></a>
<p>All three of these were very good reads, but I was especially taken with Anthony Doerr's <b>All the Light We Cannot See</b>--now that is a wonderful novel! I will post some more detailed thoughts on these soon, and some of them may make it onto my Best of 2014 list. </P>
<p>I didn't post a lot on my blog last week, given the busy hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving in my household. But you can find these new posts from me: </p>
<p>My <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/november-2014-reading-wrap-up.html">November 2014 Reading Wrap-Up</a> </p>
<p>My review of <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-clever-mill-horse-by-jodi-lew.html">The Clever Mill Horse</a> by Jodi Lew-Smith </p>
<p><b>What's on your reading agenda for this week?</b></p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-5077848685223715922014-11-29T00:01:00.000-05:002014-11-29T00:01:00.519-05:00November 2014 Reading Wrap-Up<p>November is almost history, and I'm happy to report that it was another good reading month for me! Here are the books I read in the past month: </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwgXn98Eu9tXq3gzJ3tnNeq1R0DdMf7tdwz9CQ3mEjalgeWbwhjlA1OZrGaQpOaEfkRM9kvbDH-D6L2PkN0t1Vnu8PWnlUFmh5H095p-VpXQWLG1VgavOFethrnGuAsDrJkYBtdAOno9c/s1600/us.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwgXn98Eu9tXq3gzJ3tnNeq1R0DdMf7tdwz9CQ3mEjalgeWbwhjlA1OZrGaQpOaEfkRM9kvbDH-D6L2PkN0t1Vnu8PWnlUFmh5H095p-VpXQWLG1VgavOFethrnGuAsDrJkYBtdAOno9c/s200/us.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qcsBIH3H-rL-K-B_9nlAy1-sDcayaNbKsHEfrEa9zHigl90n2xPc4Z8tHSTDRdFc7oMYj2zGtRhLw943_e1UyBCZTejrQmKpNkm1tW4M-SHwl-FDplhNnPux7MnaJkACORa1_0j-Q7G3/s1600/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qcsBIH3H-rL-K-B_9nlAy1-sDcayaNbKsHEfrEa9zHigl90n2xPc4Z8tHSTDRdFc7oMYj2zGtRhLw943_e1UyBCZTejrQmKpNkm1tW4M-SHwl-FDplhNnPux7MnaJkACORa1_0j-Q7G3/s200/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5tCYbq3HCXKL73MTY42yELaOiIgJBk3ml9FNqyPlARhbxswZoaEiWvqiHdQ8Ryr3hWvIuYHfd_yjdaMjlkbrvflmD173_zvbNQV6EaAT6Lm5FxD9smtgATz0h9BMNaPyn7oLgCI9Ita/s1600/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5tCYbq3HCXKL73MTY42yELaOiIgJBk3ml9FNqyPlARhbxswZoaEiWvqiHdQ8Ryr3hWvIuYHfd_yjdaMjlkbrvflmD173_zvbNQV6EaAT6Lm5FxD9smtgATz0h9BMNaPyn7oLgCI9Ita/s200/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnInHARC4ak1XlRb3J8F61bXPcboJ_lOEuqVeXJJYOU4372Ib5iOQ4Pj0uhscs0-VVfnsF9Kz0So_VO7ra2zX5DifJiKs4C6GKhQXeugr-r3BhVNBkgHI_3QtkzZoYtgwfn7ooKG9GOwIB/s1600/on+immunity.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnInHARC4ak1XlRb3J8F61bXPcboJ_lOEuqVeXJJYOU4372Ib5iOQ4Pj0uhscs0-VVfnsF9Kz0So_VO7ra2zX5DifJiKs4C6GKhQXeugr-r3BhVNBkgHI_3QtkzZoYtgwfn7ooKG9GOwIB/s200/on+immunity.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlbDXrQDcJB8IhrBrp8EJhVUUO1l8C3C75KeC0fDYVEltJQh7Gd3ha1AmXXgRrgOgVKbKu7dYjwuyJqlCgqW7EjxvfwO2EqfJm3QHLitDO2Q3vfMY9be-Yo5D5d3HkDL2uPOxQD54vyqT/s1600/savage+harvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlbDXrQDcJB8IhrBrp8EJhVUUO1l8C3C75KeC0fDYVEltJQh7Gd3ha1AmXXgRrgOgVKbKu7dYjwuyJqlCgqW7EjxvfwO2EqfJm3QHLitDO2Q3vfMY9be-Yo5D5d3HkDL2uPOxQD54vyqT/s200/savage+harvest.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKHh4P5E7KY5R9sPdy_pXhbRyXrS5Agreo4B1you3H2Z23EaDU-vrofiQqNPBRIqLjoEXn9t4JycS0Q24fGX6N83HIH2xxYyp0kPwflVVppWOfVaJ8HwUJnl-RBg6sFIZro8oiPqZ_N_d/s1600/clever+mill+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKHh4P5E7KY5R9sPdy_pXhbRyXrS5Agreo4B1you3H2Z23EaDU-vrofiQqNPBRIqLjoEXn9t4JycS0Q24fGX6N83HIH2xxYyp0kPwflVVppWOfVaJ8HwUJnl-RBg6sFIZro8oiPqZ_N_d/s200/clever+mill+horse.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5pM0DheVSD1gCphAEgLn5dpDkaBmKeyBb5BfTT93lcfRx-Kx4JohmQRmVbJwSxz5Hj7szFie6tWvakKRlNgGeunlRDV5h8uq7KvpGAsue_ROizEHBCc7G4nlriqnbeiDQJeAeqPKNZuz/s1600/cleopatra.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5pM0DheVSD1gCphAEgLn5dpDkaBmKeyBb5BfTT93lcfRx-Kx4JohmQRmVbJwSxz5Hj7szFie6tWvakKRlNgGeunlRDV5h8uq7KvpGAsue_ROizEHBCc7G4nlriqnbeiDQJeAeqPKNZuz/s200/cleopatra.jpg" /></a>
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<p>Ten books, so one less than my personal record of eleven last month. Hmm, I may have done pretty well in my reading, but I didn't post many reviews this month! Oops. I was going gangbusters earlier in the month, and then life got crazy. C'est la vie. I do hope to post some additional reviews (or at least mini reviews) in early December. Of my November reads, here are the reviews/discussions of books that I did post: </p>
<p><a href="http://http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-lost-book-of-mormon-by-avi.html">The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Kansas City, Missouri</a> by Avi Steinberg </p>
<p><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-underground-girls-of-kabul-by.html">The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan</a> by Jenny Nordberg </p>
<p><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-clever-mill-horse-by-jodi-lew.html">The Clever Mill Horse</a> by Jodi Lew-Smith </p>
<p><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/nonfiction-november-readalong.html">Cleopatra: A Life</a> by Stacy Schiff </p>
<p>I tremendously enjoyed participating in <a href="http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com/2014/10/nonfiction-november-is-coming-back/">Nonfiction November</a> for the first time this year. I realized at the start of the month that I had read very few nonfiction titles this year. Fortunately, I didn't have many specific review commitments or blog tours, etc, planned for the month, and so I was able to turn my attention to some free-range reading in nonfiction. It was a delight to read five fascinating nonfiction titles this month, and the experience has reminded me that I want to weave more nonfiction books into my reading throughout the year. On my list as my next nonfiction title: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20897517-in-the-kingdom-of-ice?from_search=true">In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette</a> by Hampton Sides. I was delighted to receive this book in the mail from Katie at <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com">Doing Dewey</a>, as part of the Nonfiction Book Swap hosted by <a href="http://anarmchairbythesea.blogspot.com">An Armchair by the Sea</a>. I am looking forward to reading it by a nice warm fire! I am NOT a fan of cold weather, but great books and warm cider by the fire get me through the season! </p>
<p>In the past week and a half, I've started to focus my attention on some of the most glowingly reviewed novels of 2014 that I have not yet read. I am hoping to read a few more of this year's stand-out fiction releases before I start to think about preparing my Best of 2014 list. Are there any 2014 releases that you want to read before the year is out? </p>
<p>I am looking forward to more free-range reading in December. What will you be reading during the final month of 2014? </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-22416385429668962132014-11-28T00:01:00.000-05:002014-11-28T00:01:00.629-05:00Review of The Clever Mill Horse by Jodi Lew-Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjkL3DfY9vqFr6OV7R1Ypm3pnC1aQmo8hoJKG0pxftupGtLyh4P5LxghXAzDRkTB6y29MqRCPooT-pByi8CivTN6FuzHpSE7LofpYpc0f_Cu91pJp0uOryeVQ5hTZCjw4KD42fhtaVioK/s1600/clever+mill+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjkL3DfY9vqFr6OV7R1Ypm3pnC1aQmo8hoJKG0pxftupGtLyh4P5LxghXAzDRkTB6y29MqRCPooT-pByi8CivTN6FuzHpSE7LofpYpc0f_Cu91pJp0uOryeVQ5hTZCjw4KD42fhtaVioK/s400/clever+mill+horse.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><i><b>The Clever Mill Horse</b></i> by Jodi Lew-Smith
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Caspian Press
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> August 15, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 424 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> <a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com">Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours</a>
<p><b>Synopsis from the Publisher: </b><i> A young woman’s gift could weave together the fabric of a nation . . </i>.</p>
<p><i>1810, upstate New York. 21-year-old Ella Kenyon is happiest gliding through the thick woods around her small frontier town, knife in hand, her sharp eyes tracking game. A gift for engineering is in her blood, but she would gladly trade it for more time in the forest. If only her grandfather’s dying wish hadn’t trapped her into a fight she never wanted.</i> </p>
<p><i>Six years ago, Ella’s grandfather made her vow to finish his life’s work: a flax-milling machine that has the potential to rescue her mother, brother, and sister from the brutality of life with her drunkard father. The copious linen it yields could save her struggling town, subjugate the growing grip of southern cotton. Or it could be Ella’s downfall. If she’s not quick enough, not clever enough to succeed, more than her own life rests in the balance . . . </i></p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> Jodi Lew-Smith's historical novel <i><b>The Clever Mill Horse</b></i> piqued my interest when I first read the synopsis. A young heroine who is equally comfortable throwing a knife and inventing machines? Well, ok, that got my attention. I love strong female characters, and a novel centered on a young woman's invention in the early nineteenth century sounded unusual enough for me to give it a try. </p>
<p>And I enjoyed the book overall. <i><b>The Clever Mill Horse</b></i> read, in my opinion, like a Young Adult novel, although it doesn't seem to have been marketed that way. But I think many teens and other YA readers would find it appealing, with its adventurous plot, hint of romance, and intelligent, headstrong, Katniss Everdeen-style heroine. I'm a former American history teacher, and I'm always on the lookout for books that can entice young readers into learning more about periods in the past which may seem . . well, a tad <i>dry</i> (gasp!) in the classroom. </p>
<p><i><b>The Clever Mill Horse</b></i>, fortunately, is anything but dry. Lew-Smith packs a lot of plot into her story of Ella Kenyon's flax-milling machine: kidnapping, horse-theft, fire, blackmail, and a drunk and violent father, for starters. And that's not even including the forbidden love between a Native American man and white woman, a dark and long-suppressed secret about Ella's parentage, and the lesbian who can never share the truth about herself and her desires. </p>
<p>At times, all of that added up to perhaps a little <i>too</i> much action and adventure for me, when I might have wished for deeper character development or more about the flax machine itself and how it could have changed early American society. But YA readers who appreciate a plot-driven novel will find much here to keep them turning the pages and, I hope, might encourage them to read more about the early years of the new American republic. </p>
<p>I enjoyed participating in the blog tour for <i><b>The Clever Mill Horse</b></i>. You can check out the rest of the tour stops <a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theclevermillhorseblogtour/">here</a>. In particular, you may enjoy an interesting guest post Lew-Smith wrote on <a href="http://www.justonemorechapter.com/2014/11/guestpost-author-jodi-lew-smith-clever.html">Just One More Chapter</a> about why Americans stopped using flax for linen. I received a complimentary copy of this book from <a href="http://hfvirtualbooktours.com">Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours</a>. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63nZOyVlp7FsOzcwPQzrUbUmPkvxjvs_yYOKC0P7JuUTPV3cdObiCRGT8OrNLmGENxHGiqXveDy2QJYejKfTYVPkCB_nVuo5gke-DgxIGX_k54uzpG-QK9rjoNxR-yB9LGIV20hnpG8zX/s1600/Jodi+Lew+smith+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63nZOyVlp7FsOzcwPQzrUbUmPkvxjvs_yYOKC0P7JuUTPV3cdObiCRGT8OrNLmGENxHGiqXveDy2QJYejKfTYVPkCB_nVuo5gke-DgxIGX_k54uzpG-QK9rjoNxR-yB9LGIV20hnpG8zX/s320/Jodi+Lew+smith+photo.jpg" /></a></div><p><b>About the Author: </b> Jodi Lew-Smith lives on a farm in northern Vermont with her patient husband, three wonderfully impatient children, a bevy of pets and farm animals, and 250 exceedingly patient apple trees which, if they could talk, would suggest that she stop writing and start pruning. Luckily they’re pretty quiet. </p>
</p>With a doctorate in plant genetics, she also lives a double life as a vegetable breeder at High Mowing Seeds. She is grateful for the chance to do so many things in one lifetime, and only wishes she could do them all better. Maybe in the next life she’ll be able to make up her mind. </p>
<p>For more about Jodi and about the lives and world of the characters in the novel, visit her <a href="http://jodilewsmith.com">website</a> or <a href="http://joyreads2.blogspot.com">blog</a>. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads. </p>
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Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-23362469731205345082014-11-19T10:42:00.000-05:002014-11-19T10:42:54.554-05:00Nonfiction November: Readalong Discussion for Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Schiff<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYHTnvR2PRf3C61wPr4lJRUauaBhD3Z9UapNCQHxcKcx-jnqLsdv2lU0WB9oU_XrdmkqJIxwo98DjOe5-Rl387sxDlUtHM1zyecxD5-ss8abiUmjpAZeTyYIxuQMspQuDYp8H79Y8Vf5q/s1600/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYHTnvR2PRf3C61wPr4lJRUauaBhD3Z9UapNCQHxcKcx-jnqLsdv2lU0WB9oU_XrdmkqJIxwo98DjOe5-Rl387sxDlUtHM1zyecxD5-ss8abiUmjpAZeTyYIxuQMspQuDYp8H79Y8Vf5q/s320/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" /></a>
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<p>Today is Readalong Day for Nonfiction November! Becca at <a href="http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com">I'm Lost in Books</a> is hosting the readalong discussion today of Stacey Schiff's 2010 book <i><b>Cleopatra: A Life</b></i>. This morning she posted a terrific conversation about the book with Katie from <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com">Doing Dewey</a>. You can see that discussion post right <a href="http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/nonfiction-november-readalong.html">here</a>. Becca and Katie, I loved reading your conversation! It felt like listening to two friends at a book club meeting. </p>
<p>Ok, Becca and Katie posted a few discussion questions about <i><b>Cleopatra</b></i> . . . I'm going to answer a few of these with my thoughts about the book. </p>
<p><b>What did you think of the book overall?</b></p>
<p>Overall, I enjoyed reading it. Truthfully, I usually steer away from biographies, so reading this book was a little out of the box for me. </P>
<p>And I liked it, for the most part. But I did think, as Becca said, that it was very dense. At times I felt overloaded with information--and not always information about Cleopatra herself. Schiff includes a great deal about Roman politics here. And I realize, it's critical to understand Egypt's precarious position with respect to Rome in order to fully understand the central issues of Cleopatra's life. But . . . well, sometimes I felt that Schiff included too much information about events, people, politics, etc, that didn't really shed much light on Cleopatra herself. </P>
<p>And that kind of leads me to the issue of sources . . . there is so LITTLE known about Cleopatra herself, and pretty much NONE of it comes from Cleopatra herself or her close contemporaries. Schiff--or anyone writing about Cleopatra--is stuck with a few Roman sources written much after her death. It just made me wonder if there was really enough material about <i>Cleopatra herself</i> for Schiff to craft a full and convincing biography. That's why, I think, the book seemed often to me to be less a biography than a political history of Egypt's fall to Rome. </p>
<p><b>Cleopatra, despite her many achievements, is mainly remembered as a manipulative seductress while Caesar is remembered historically as a strategic ruler. What do you think about this distinction?</b> </p>
<p>Well, that I'm not surprised. Men throughout history have been afraid of powerful women, and have painted them as manipulative and overly sexual. Schiff makes clear that Cleopatra was no more "wicked" than any of the male rulers from her time period. Sure, she had her siblings murdered, but apparently that was normal for the monarchs of her dynasty! </p>
<p>And of course it's ridiculous that Cleopatra is seen as the seductress, when, Schiff argues, she was likely a virgin when she first met Julius Caesar. Caesar was a fully grown man with a well-known reputation as a ladies' man, and yet the young virgin is the seductress? Cleopatra is blamed for driving Marc Antony crazy with her sexual wiles, as well, as if Antony (a handsome guy who'd long been considered a playboy in Rome) couldn't defend himself against her. Antony and Cleopatra had a relationship of over a decade and had three children together; they weren't officially wed, that we know of, but that sounds more like a marriage than a wanton seduction to me. </p>
<p>So it's odd that Cleopatra would be known throughout history as the manipulative seductress . . . but unfortunately not surprising, given that her history was written by Roman men. As Schiff demonstrates, it suited the purposes of Octavian Caesar to encourage a tabloid version of Cleopatra after her death, to depict her as "insatiable, treacherous, bloodthirsty, power-crazed." This enhanced Octavian's glory in defeating her and his brother-in-law Marc Antony, and ensured that their reputations were completely besmirched so that no one would challenge him in their name. This propaganda version of Cleopatra as evil and sexually promiscuous became the storyline that was passed down through the centuries. History, as they say, is written by the victors. </P>
<p><b>Were you surprised by anything in the book? Anything you didn't know that jumped out at you?</b> </p>
<p>I had not realized that women had so many rights in ancient Egypt. Egyptian women had far more rights than Roman women, in fact. Egyptian women could own property and control their own marriages and divorces. Schiff writes, "Romans marveled that in Egypt female children were not left to die; a Roman was obligated to raise only his first-born daughter." Yikes! At the end of the book, Schiff argues that Roman fascination with Cleopatra caused a golden age for women in Rome. After Cleopatra's death, Schiff says, well-born Roman women--mainly the wives and sisters of Roman leaders--enjoyed a new role in public life that they had not before. I can't really assess whether this is true or not, as Schiff doesn't provide a lot of detail on this point, but I do think it is interesting and worth reading more about. </p>
<p>I've enjoyed participating in this readalong and in Nonfiction November all month long! I look forward to reading other perspectives on <i><b>Cleopatra</b></i>. <p>
<p>Thanks so much to Becca and Katie for hosting the discussion!</p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-12148139904015944922014-11-19T08:59:00.002-05:002014-11-19T08:59:36.107-05:00Mid-Week Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLQ_BARL4Kx-yr-QnS3uRaNSf56wMX4piNgpDDK_PKrO93fyrn71x50AM_nQs20Aslo2xc8_u-zJKaB-C_665UHpl0AtUv-i69w8CvU0irAoSG7jp7kq9ypXKtk0tka5Z6c2ZL8-ibOr_/s1600/www_wednesdays4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLQ_BARL4Kx-yr-QnS3uRaNSf56wMX4piNgpDDK_PKrO93fyrn71x50AM_nQs20Aslo2xc8_u-zJKaB-C_665UHpl0AtUv-i69w8CvU0irAoSG7jp7kq9ypXKtk0tka5Z6c2ZL8-ibOr_/s320/www_wednesdays4.png" /></a></div>
<p>Good morning, readers! This mid-week update meme is hosted by Miz B at <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com">Should be Reading</a>. I haven't posted on my blog for a few days; this has been one of THOSE weeks, and the days have really gotten away from me. I HAVE been reading, though, so I thought I'd share what I've been up to . . . </p>
<p><b>What are you currently reading?</b></p>
<p>I have just picked up this book from the library, and started the first few pages . . .</p>
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<p>Celeste Ng's novel <i><b>Everything I Never Told You</b></i> has received some stellar reviews. I realized it was one of those new releases in literary fiction that I <i>should</i> have read but didn't . . . well, there is time to rectify that before the end of the year! Are there any 2014 releases that you want to make sure to read before the end of the year? </P>
</p><b>What did you recently finish reading?</b> </p>
<p>I have been participating in Nonfiction November, so I've been cruising through a number of great nonfiction titles this month. I haven't been able to post a nonfiction review or discussion piece yet this week. But here are the two nonfiction books I most recently finished: </P>
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<p>Carl Hoffman's <i><b>Savage Harvest</b></i> offers a fascinating look at the still-unsolved 1961 disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in Papua New Guinea. I read Stacy Schiff's biography, <i><b>Cleopatra: A Life</b></i>, in order to participate in the Nonfiction November read-a-long, to be hosted today by Becca at <a href="http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com">I'm Lost in Books</a>. </p>
<b>What do you think you’ll read next?</b>
<p>That's a good question! I certainly have a list of great nonfiction titles from Nonfiction November, and I have a few of those books on hold at the library. But it might be time for me to return to fiction . . . there are several 2014 novels that I would like to read. So . . . what to read, when there are so many wonderful choices? I'm not sure, but it's a good problem to have. </p>
<p> How is your week in reading going? I hope it has been a good one! </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-74321844464135312892014-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:002014-11-14T00:01:00.174-05:00Nonfiction Reads and Bookish Outings for Book Clubs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcnTK9jVteSopKb7JGvnqbHSKAjecIKsGF_Ssfp0IRNdaZb_I2DrCYEfX3JChp-1fs_645g8CPZa6QjnHGuD73LoaxgLUCmb_a7ta2PhefW7SjwndRkAXHYoMeezzu8vZjUqJyFM0BwAv/s1600/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcnTK9jVteSopKb7JGvnqbHSKAjecIKsGF_Ssfp0IRNdaZb_I2DrCYEfX3JChp-1fs_645g8CPZa6QjnHGuD73LoaxgLUCmb_a7ta2PhefW7SjwndRkAXHYoMeezzu8vZjUqJyFM0BwAv/s320/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>As part of my involvement in Nonfiction November this month, I am encouraging one of my book clubs to consider a nonfiction book as our next reading selection. The members of this particular book club greatly enjoy planning some kind of activity, guest speaker, or outing to go along with the book that we read. We have had guest speakers such as a local author attend our meetings, for example. When we read <b>The Aviator's Wife</b> by Melanie Benjamin, we attended a panel of speakers about the Lindbergh trial, and a few of us even toured the Lindbergh estate (you can see a blog post I wrote about that <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/04/visit-to-lindbergh-home.ht">here</a>). </p>
<p>So I decided to do a little thinking about what nonfiction books my club might read that would lend themselves easily to some kind of outing. We are fortunate enough to live within driving distance of both Philadelphia and New York City; the combination of those great cities gives us a lot of options, if we are willing to take an all-day trip on the weekend. I thought I would share some of my ideas with you, and ask if you had any other suggestions. Although you may not live anywhere near me, you might be able to plan a similar kind of trip in your area to go along with these same books. </p>
<p>Here, then, are a couple ideas for nonfiction books and activities/outings to go with them: </p>
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<p><i><b>The Boys in the Boat</b></i> by Daniel James Brown. This book tells the story of the 1936 American rowing team that competed in the Berlin Olympics, the games controlled by the Nazis. <b>OUTING:</b> Rowing! There are several local dragonboat teams and other rowing groups in our area, including all female teams, who row on the river near our home. Perhaps we will contact one of those teams and give rowing a try! Of course, this outing would be better suited for spring or summer. As an alternative, we could take a walk around beautiful Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, where there are historic clubhouses belonging to rowing teams that have been participating in the sport for over a century. </p>
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<p><i><b>Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art</b></i> by Carl Hoffman. This book considers the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, the 23-year-old son of the Governor of NY and one of THE Rockefellers, back in 1961 in Papua New Guinea. The case was never solved, and the author seeks to determine if there is truth to the rumors that native tribesmen found him and... well, ate him. I am reading it now, and it's fascinating! <b>OUTING: </b> The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC has all the native art that Michael Rockefeller found before he died. I've been to the Met a number of times, but I don't think I've ever seen the exhibit of Asmat art. Now that I'm reading the book, of course, I am very anxious to see it! </p>
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<p><i><b>Lives in Ruins: Archeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble</b></i> by Marilyn Johnson. This new book, just released this week to very good reviews, is all about archeologists ("the real life avatars of Indiana Jones") and what they do. <b>OUTING:</b> We could take a field trip to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology. The Penn Museum, as it is commonly called, has one of the finest collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world, and collections of archaeological finds from all over the globe. As an alternative, we could invite a real-life archeologist to talk to us, and hear his or her perspective on the book and whether or not it accurately reflects their field. </p>
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<p><i><b>Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune</b></i> by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr. This book offers the tale of a reclusive and eccentric heiress, the daughter of one of the Gilded Age industrialists, and the mysterious way she spent all of her fortune before she died. One of her many homes--the "empty mansions" which had sat unused for decades--made the news this summer when it was sold for $14 million in Connecticut (far under the value of what it is probably worth). <b>OUTING:</b> Perhaps we could take a field trip to 5th Avenue, where Huguette Clark once owned a lavish home, for lunch and shopping, just to pretend we are heiresses. Closer to home, Duke Farms, the estate of Doris Duke (another insanely wealthy heiress from the early 20th Century) is now open to the public as a park and gardens. </p>
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<p><b><i>Dr. Mutter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine</b></i> by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. This newly published book is a biography of Dr. Thomas Mutter from Philadelphia, who helped to revolutionize surgery in America, back when the doctors used to perform it without anesthesia and without even washing their hands. <b>OUTING:</b> A visit to the Mutter Museum of Medical Oddities in Philadelphia, which houses the real Dr Mutter's specimens and collections. I have been there before, and it's very interesting, although not, I warn, for the squeamish!</p>
<p>I don't know if my book club will select any of these titles; it is still under discussion. But it certainly is fun to make "field trip planning" a part of book selection. And I can tell you that I WILL be making a pilgrimage to the Rockefeller wing of the Met soon! </p>
<b>Does your book club ever plan special activities or outings to go along with the books you read? If so, what kinds of activities and outings have you planned? What kind would you love to participate in?</b>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-81105805550123463542014-11-13T12:11:00.001-05:002014-11-13T12:51:20.258-05:00Review of Reunion by Hannah Pittard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRaagI79XseOI0UHADqwUcePatp409yHbQvAXT_pR30O_gv4jPUnCDUqux8IBTyaf4874qx0iGvKOpSNNH95W_oT7-o_NbkMGELTSduwAYNX0iLXHfgupBU_GDHPZGsC-olsPZDE4idZP/s1600/Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRaagI79XseOI0UHADqwUcePatp409yHbQvAXT_pR30O_gv4jPUnCDUqux8IBTyaf4874qx0iGvKOpSNNH95W_oT7-o_NbkMGELTSduwAYNX0iLXHfgupBU_GDHPZGsC-olsPZDE4idZP/s400/Reunion.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><i><b>Reunion: A Novel</b></i> by Hannah Pittard
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Grand Central Publishing
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> October 7, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 288 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> Publisher, through NetGalley
<p><b>From the Publisher's Synopsis:</b> <i>Heartbreak and hilarity come together in this story of a far-flung family reunited for one weekend by their father's death, by the author of the highly acclaimed <i><b>The Fates Will Find Their Way</b></i>.
<p>Five minutes before her flight is set to take off, Kate Pulaski, failed screenwriter and newly-failed wife, learns that her estranged father killed himself. More shocked than saddened by the news, she reluctantly gives in to her older siblings' request that she join them--and her many half-siblings, and most of her father's five former wives--in Atlanta, their birthplace, for a final farewell.</p>
<p>Written with huge heart and bracing wit, <b>Reunion</b> takes place over the following four days, as family secrets are revealed, personal deceits are uncovered, and Kate--an inveterate liar looking for a way to come clean--slowly begins to acknowledge the overwhelming similarities between herself and the man she never thought she'd claim as an influence, much less a father.</i> </p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> Hannah Pittard's second novel, <i><b>Reunion</b></i>, is a quick read and a pleasant book. It centers on the reunion of a dysfunctional family, from the perspective of a troubled thirty-something woman whose life is starting to fall apart. Complicated family dynamics are always a good bet as a topic in fiction. There is such drama present in all of the tangled aspects of how we grow up, and then, in many cases, how we grow apart from those we love. A good novel about a dysfunctional family allows a writer to probe deeply into the characters' inner lives, emotions, secrets and relationships. </p>
<p>And <i><b>Reunion</b></i> does delve into the inner lives, emotions, secrets, and relationships of Kate Pulaski and her siblings .. . but never, I thought, quite <i>enough</i>. </p>
<p>While I enjoyed reading the book, I often felt like there was something essential missing from the story. Pittard doesn't fully explore the elements of what makes this family complicated and dysfunctional. I wanted more backstory on the Pulaski siblings' childhoods. Given the centrality of theme (the return to the hometown, confronting the ghosts of the past, etc) Pittard offers very few details on what Kate's childhood was actually like, and how it affects her in the present. Why did Kate think her father was such a terrible parent? Her father is a mysterious and unknowable presence in the book, and therefore I couldn't connect with Kate's strong emotions about him. Without understanding Kate's relationship to her father, it was hard to comprehend or care about Kate's epiphany that she is more like her father than she had realized. </p>
<p>I felt the same about Kate's relationships with her siblings Elliot and Nell. Pittard tells us they have a very strong bond, and this seems to be a key element to the story, but she doesn't provide a very deep or nuanced portrayal of their relationships. I wanted to know more, and felt frustrated with the surface-level characters of Kate's siblings. They seemed flat to me. I never felt Pittard provided enough to immerse myself in the family's dynamics or feel emotionally connected to the characters. </p>
<p>Pittard, however, does a good job with the character of Kate, a woman who is facing the breakup of her marriage and her own responsibility for it, and struggling to find a way through her own years of deception. Kate is a complex and often unlikeable character, and yet Pittard makes the reader feel empathy toward her, and hope that she will find the path to a better future. </p>
<p>It's interesting that Kate is a screenwriter; as I read this book, I wondered several times if the story might have worked better as a movie than as a novel. </p>
<p>Pittard's prose style is fluid and readable, and sometimes absolutely beautiful. I do think Pittard is a talented young writer to watch; I will certainly be willing to read her next novel. Many other bloggers and book lovers have had a more positive reaction to <i><b>Reunion</b></i>, so don't take my opinion as the final word. </p>
<p><b>My Rating:</b> 3 out of 5 stars</p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this novel for review consideration from Grand Central Publishing, through NetGalley. </p>
Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-8706782085350667772014-11-12T10:45:00.000-05:002014-11-12T10:45:18.266-05:00Review of The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNQCc2yFCBknjqwBphXMdfO6gvPcF1GF8PJMT3JAfW5fbttMFyCH_c1-ILbkHRl0zCnpVncHr2Lc4VACfJ9mXY6EFVFKeORqoN_iw_3ISw1t5ok9D854WJ8KcsgvQG6_wvplKfVQhYDYH/s1600/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNQCc2yFCBknjqwBphXMdfO6gvPcF1GF8PJMT3JAfW5fbttMFyCH_c1-ILbkHRl0zCnpVncHr2Lc4VACfJ9mXY6EFVFKeORqoN_iw_3ISw1t5ok9D854WJ8KcsgvQG6_wvplKfVQhYDYH/s400/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><i><b>The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance In Afghanistan</b></i> by Jenny Nordberg
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Crown
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> September 14, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 368 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> My own copy
<p><b>From the Publisher's Synopsis:</b> <i>An investigative journalist uncovers a hidden custom that will transform your understanding of what it means to grow up as a girl.</i></p>
<p><i>In Afghanistan, a culture ruled almost entirely by men, the birth of a son is cause for celebration and the arrival of a daughter is often mourned as misfortune. A <i>bacha posh</i> (literally translated from Dari as "dressed up like a boy") is a third kind of child--a girl temporarily raised as a boy and presented as such to the outside world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke the story of this phenomenon for the New York Times, constructs a powerful and moving account of those secretly living on the other side of a deeply segregated society where women have almost no rights and little freedom.</i> </p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> Swedish investigative journalist Jenny Nordberg's book <i><b>The Underground Girls of Kabul</b></i> is magnificent. Have I used that word in a review this year? I don't think so, but trust me, it applies. I'm somewhat embarrassed to sound so gushing here, but I can't help myself. What I really want to say in this post is, "Read this book--it kicks ass!" But, uh . . . let's see if I can come up with something a little more cogent and well-considered to persuade you to read the book. </p>
<p><i><b>The Underground Girls of Kabul</b></i> is revealing, complex, and utterly fascinating through-out. Nordberg conducted many interviews with women who have dressed as boys--and some who still present themselves as men even as adults--and these stories are enormously compelling. Nordberg's research into Afghan history and culture is impressive and extensive, and Nordberg presents her findings in a direct, readable way. Nordberg's absorbing book sheds new light on what it is like to be female in Afghanistan, a country that has been called the worst place in the world to be born a girl. </p>
<p>I was completely enthralled by the story of Azita, the central character in Nordberg's book. When Nordberg meets her, Azita is a member of the Afghan Parliament, representing a rural district--an impressive feat for a woman in male-dominated Afghanistan. Azita herself had been fortunate enough to receive an education as a girl, although her father married her off to an illiterate farmer at the age of nineteen. She and her husband have four children, all girls; this is a problem for Azita both personally and politically. In Afghan culture, the lack of sons indicates a lack of strength, and is seen as a serious failure on the part of the mother. </p>
<p>Azita decides to transform her youngest daughter into a <i>bacha posh</i>; the girl born as Mahnoush is now presented as a boy named Mehran. Mehran can now play outside and experience other freedoms unavailable to his sisters; he receives favored status inside his own family, even though everyone knows he is really a girl . . . and will be expected to live as a girl once again by the onset of puberty. Azita has many reasons to transform her daughter into a temporary boy, including her own complicated personal history, and Nordberg made me care deeply about this woman and her family. </p>
<p>In addition to Azita and her family, Nordberg presents other case studies of <i>bacha posh</i>, including Zahra, who at age 16 has no interest in transforming herself back into a girl and losing the freedoms she has discovered while living as a boy, and Nader, a woman in her thirties who managed to avoid marriage and still lives as a man. Nordberg uses these women's stories as the basis for a nuanced exploration of the meaning of gender, the oppression of women, and life in contemporary Afghanistan more than a decade after the defeat of the Taliban.</p>
<p>I highly recommend <i><b>The Underground Girls of Kabul</b></i> to all readers interested in gender, women's rights, Afghanistan, and life and culture in other countries. </p>
<p>Ok, why don't I just end with what I wanted to say in the first place? <b>Read this book--it kicks ass!</b> </p>
<p><b>My Rating:</b> 5 out of 5 stars </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-17415726221450055572014-11-11T12:56:00.000-05:002014-11-11T12:56:19.456-05:00Nonfiction November: Memoirs by Iranian and Iranian-American Women<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT8eaNnhyXckZh-r_3TkFTN9t4_1_WuZSzs_hi0EKLyEzga-97abdCDfiV66eOu3L_KxZA0gZlvduPq2oE404MIMdkMiWq9PaSijsPPxkiPhyphenhyphenMCeEzFo0o1GCwMVk54Vg4p9yzv36JYbH/s1600/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT8eaNnhyXckZh-r_3TkFTN9t4_1_WuZSzs_hi0EKLyEzga-97abdCDfiV66eOu3L_KxZA0gZlvduPq2oE404MIMdkMiWq9PaSijsPPxkiPhyphenhyphenMCeEzFo0o1GCwMVk54Vg4p9yzv36JYbH/s320/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>The topic of Week 2 of Nonfiction November is <b>Be/Become/Ask the Expert</b>, hosted by Leslie at <a href="http://regularrumination.com">Regular Rumination</a>. For this topic, participants are invited to share a list of titles that they have read on a particular topic, create a wish list of titles that they'd like to read on a particular topic, or ask fellow Nonfiction November participants for suggestions on a particular topic. </p>
<p>The topic I've chosen to tackle is <b>Memoirs<i></i> by Iranian and Iranian-American Women--Beyond <i>Persepolis</i></b>. First of all, let me note that I would never call myself an "expert" in this topic. I became interested in reading more nonfiction and memoirs by Iranian women after I read Marjane Satrapi's phenomenal graphic memoir, <i><b>The Complete Persepolis</b></i>. When I finished Satrapi's book, I wanted more . . . and so I read additional titles by women from Iran. There are still more that I would like to read. An expert, I most certainly am not--but I'd like to share a few words about these titles with you. </p>
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<p>The place to start with memoirs by Iranian or Iranian-American women, in my opinion, is <i><b>The Complete Persepolis</b></i> by Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi's unique memoir-in-comic strips was first published in France in two volumes in 2000 and 2001, originally as <i><b>Persepolis I</b></i> and <i><b>Persepolis II</b></i>. Now you can buy them in one combined volume, and believe me, you won't want to read part I without going on to part II. Satrapi's clever, edgy, and sometimes hilarious memoir details her experiences growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. The daughter of well-educated and progressive parents, Satrapi was only ten years old at the time of the fundamentalist revolution, and of course it turned her world upside-down. It's no exaggeration to say I couldn't put this book down; as I read it, the story inhabited my dreams. </p>
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<p>Nahid Rachlin's <i><b>Persian Girls: A Memoir</b></i>, published in 2006, is another story of coming of age in Iran, but quite different than Satrapi's. Rachlin and her sister Pari, growing up during the reign of the last Shah, hoped to leave the repressive, male-domininated society of their birth behind and live out their dreams of becoming a writer and an actress in the West. Only Rachlin managed to escape the weight of family expectations, however; she compares her own story with that of Pari, who is forced by their father to marry a cruel and wealthy man in Iran. As you might expect, Rachlin's fate contrasts sharply with that of her sister. <i><b>Persian Girls</b></i> is a poignant and compelling memoir. Rachlin has also published several novels, including <i><b>Jumping Over Fire</b></i> and <i><b>The Heart's Desire</b></i>. </p>
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<p><b><i>Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran</i></b> is Azadeh Moaveni's interesting account of her identity and experiences as an Iranian-American. Moaveni grew up in California, the daughter of Iranian exiles. Although she appeared to be a typical California girl on the outside, inside she felt the pull of the country of her parents' birth. After college, Moaveni moved to Iran to work as a journalist. In this book, published in 2005, Moaveni searches for her own identity, as a citizen of two very different societies. She also reports on the rebellious younger generation of Iranians, who chafe against the restrictions of the Islamic Republic. I enjoyed reading <i><b>Lipstick Jihad</b></i>, but I often felt that, in this book, Moaveni was torn between writing a personal memoir and a journalistic account. The book is a bit of both, and they don't always mesh together seamlessly. Moaveni has also written <i><b>Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran</b></i> about her marriage to an Iranian man. </p>
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<p><i><b>Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America</b></i> by Firoozeh Dumas, published in 2003, is a collection of short essays describing the author's childhood as an Iranian immigrant in California. This is a sweet, quick read, with an emphasis on the cultural confusion of recent immigrants and the absurd lack of knowledge of Iran or Persian culture by most Americans. I was especially amused by the author's struggles with her hard-to-pronounce (for Americans) Persian first name, and how she learned to answer to "anything beginning with F." I can relate--my first name is also Persian, and I've often said that I have to answer to anything beginning with L! I found this book to be a very pleasant read, although at times I wished Dumas had left humor behind and explored some of her themes more deeply. For example, she provides fascinating hints of what it was like to be an Iranian immigrant in America DURING the hostage crisis, when anti-Iranian prejudice in America was at a high point, and I felt this issue could have been developed further. Dumas is also the author of <i><b>Laughing Without An Accent: Adventures of an Iranian-American, at Home and Abroad</i></b>, which I would like to read. </p>
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<p><i><b>Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books</b></i> is Azar Nafisi's account of teaching seven bright female students in her Tehran home in the 1990s. Nafisi, a former professor at the University of Tehran, met weekly with this group for two years to discuss forbidden classics by Western authors such as Nabokov, Fitzgerald, and Austen. I must confess that I have not yet read this book. I am including it in my list because it is probably one of the most well-known (in America, in any case) nonfiction books by an Iranian woman. I am interested in the perspective of any of you who have read the book. I know that reactions among some of my book-loving friends have been mixed, but I suspect it is a must-read for me as someone interested in women's experiences in Iran. Nafisi has also written a memoir of her childhood and family in Iran called <i><b>Things I've Been Silent About: Memories</b></i>, which sounds like a book that I'd like to explore. Nafisi's most recent book, <i><b>The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books</b></i>, an exploration of three classic works of American fiction, was released last month.
<p>The above books are some important nonfiction titles written by Iranian or Iranian-American women, but I don't want to imply that I am the absolute expert on this topic. I'd love to hear other suggestions, and I welcome your comments. I look forward to reading other posts this week from participants in Nonfiction November. </p>
<p><b>Do you enjoy reading memoirs or other nonfiction titles about life in other countries? What country would like to read more about?</b> </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-40357534517378854772014-11-09T15:39:00.000-05:002014-11-09T15:39:54.655-05:00Sunday Salon -- November 9
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<p>Greetings, Fellow Book Lovers! I'm posting for the first time under the banner Sunday Salon. I love the idea of a "salon" as a weekly update and book discussion forum. I'm going to link this up to It's Monday, What Are You Reading on <a href="http://bookjourney.net">Book Journey</a> and The Sunday Post on <a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com">The Caffeinated Book Reviewer</a>. </p>
<p>This week I've become absolutely immersed in <a href="http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com/2014/10/nonfiction-november-is-coming-back/">Nonfiction November</a>! It's my first time participating, and at first I didn't intend to officially participate. I thought I would check out a few blog entries, maybe peak in to the group read-a-long. Instead, I am fully engaged and having so much fun with it! Nonfiction has completely taken over my reading life in the past week, which is not at all something I expected. You can read my Week I post (My Year in Nonfiction) <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/nonfiction-november-my-year-in.html">here</a>. Because of Nonfiction November, I've read these books in the past week: </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdwNI24Vc8bLSa0LaqS4O0oj0LC8M-17vAA2sCXw1F0Un3lZl_FpVe5Iyxj1xR-VKTx_4JGzVwZpzASEATuLE1lo6FekZKeE8FcLn7h_ZDGpB_V31iDFml6LvYmUoPjPx2V-T0Ntfl8oA/s1600/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdwNI24Vc8bLSa0LaqS4O0oj0LC8M-17vAA2sCXw1F0Un3lZl_FpVe5Iyxj1xR-VKTx_4JGzVwZpzASEATuLE1lo6FekZKeE8FcLn7h_ZDGpB_V31iDFml6LvYmUoPjPx2V-T0Ntfl8oA/s200/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzG9We99CUhr_4E23Wvk9DIVGCoXMWdtZdvmxiYzrE4RjFsDCTYdZBehfU0Vmh0glN7rEZNgYmMgkFnShdumvtK_z-ugMi5FBnEtBNp3qBykrPnTnr8bstWjD-8sN81-7Z7tWq7nqUh4N/s1600/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzG9We99CUhr_4E23Wvk9DIVGCoXMWdtZdvmxiYzrE4RjFsDCTYdZBehfU0Vmh0glN7rEZNgYmMgkFnShdumvtK_z-ugMi5FBnEtBNp3qBykrPnTnr8bstWjD-8sN81-7Z7tWq7nqUh4N/s200/underground+girls+of+kabul.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-VqY54uvYioZoffkzjpKYyAOCzPzdsJA4bnBopc13mQOgpwVP1CFkmQLhEG0Xl4xtravxByIVhWw3gktbAQio2t-q1l2Hi52VOVJDpWzwklu7PndoNREC59l834rLm-psXxSC1KiOCRu/s1600/on+immunity.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-VqY54uvYioZoffkzjpKYyAOCzPzdsJA4bnBopc13mQOgpwVP1CFkmQLhEG0Xl4xtravxByIVhWw3gktbAQio2t-q1l2Hi52VOVJDpWzwklu7PndoNREC59l834rLm-psXxSC1KiOCRu/s200/on+immunity.jpg" /></a>
<p>Here are two reviews of nonfiction books that I posted on my blog last week:</p>
<p><a href="http://http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-lost-book-of-mormon-by-avi.html">The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, & Kansas City, Missouri</a> by Avi Steinberg. Steinberg's book is a quirky memoir/travelogue style book, in which he makes a case for considering the Book of Mormon as an important piece of American literature. It's interesting and at times even hilarious, but also deviates into a few too many maddening digressions. </p>
<p><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-without-you-there-is-no-us-by.html">Without You, There is No Us: My time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite</a> by Suki Kim. I really enjoyed reading this memoir of journalist Kim's year teaching at an all-male college in North Korea. Kim's insights into the deep brainwashing of North Korean youth is, as you would expect, unsettling and disturbing. </p>
<p>So now I need to decide what I am going to read next for Nonfiction November! Here is what I'm thinking of . . .</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4anurO3UkoYNgbIrWWKtBy9mTFqtMm-KalO97IE9YwWd4vTZXuy78lsWeKGJmjsPZo5Wf9lnJ9KZ8ZJofABWaQWXGIGISDvWNe51YZFd8PkL9__zg4QYYYu6k4GgwoFf9N_ntHM8FfAIV/s1600/lives+in+ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4anurO3UkoYNgbIrWWKtBy9mTFqtMm-KalO97IE9YwWd4vTZXuy78lsWeKGJmjsPZo5Wf9lnJ9KZ8ZJofABWaQWXGIGISDvWNe51YZFd8PkL9__zg4QYYYu6k4GgwoFf9N_ntHM8FfAIV/s200/lives+in+ruins.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI_q_uR4e2f7-GwyM9Xfp9CivLI_XG7anRPwFDTk-XtzUSFMmF5-E-pAYZ24k_FKZNgLqaI3YthB61XgDefji5Mk67sGeXD3yt7tSp77E9jIzzzyuO86bE_8K75zb5PFMv1YAdT-umrT_/s1600/savage+harvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI_q_uR4e2f7-GwyM9Xfp9CivLI_XG7anRPwFDTk-XtzUSFMmF5-E-pAYZ24k_FKZNgLqaI3YthB61XgDefji5Mk67sGeXD3yt7tSp77E9jIzzzyuO86bE_8K75zb5PFMv1YAdT-umrT_/s200/savage+harvest.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rPFQcfvRKkfGpyLDCgINHykiTSes8HLdIrRJLlcGo5zHhNmTKxn7GUpnp7rgoH5qosACz613Zc-Cuhsch2o2uxTDGO1B-BeN3FuqX3Hmv_cYYrvemlO1EayuDqqVQHFr8-shw0PncSss/s1600/cleopatra.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rPFQcfvRKkfGpyLDCgINHykiTSes8HLdIrRJLlcGo5zHhNmTKxn7GUpnp7rgoH5qosACz613Zc-Cuhsch2o2uxTDGO1B-BeN3FuqX3Hmv_cYYrvemlO1EayuDqqVQHFr8-shw0PncSss/s200/cleopatra.jpg" /></a>
<P>And of course, I'm hoping to hear about lots of other great nonfiction titles from other bloggers this week. Nonfiction November is causing me to add to my list of library holds each day! </p>
<P><b>How about you . . . are you reading any nonfiction titles this month? How often do you read nonfiction during the year, and what kind of nonfiction do you like to read?</b> </p>
Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-34956953818890643682014-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:002014-11-08T00:25:44.924-05:00Review of The Lost Book of Mormon by Avi Steinberg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs27VM2U9AMPNPuT7O24uPkEGp2V6VrFGhjz8cLpgM52q_nV2E-s9qjLgd4yw9-xoyYtkbClTeMATVQH0YmBFunE87KhXhKWVmmdeE6L_Q6Vw6CzsRszPbM3r0RuodMl5qvoQwrXpJkOl/s1600/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs27VM2U9AMPNPuT7O24uPkEGp2V6VrFGhjz8cLpgM52q_nV2E-s9qjLgd4yw9-xoyYtkbClTeMATVQH0YmBFunE87KhXhKWVmmdeE6L_Q6Vw6CzsRszPbM3r0RuodMl5qvoQwrXpJkOl/s400/the+lost+book+of+mormon.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><b><i>The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, & Kansas City, Missouri</i></b> by Avi Steinberg
<br><b>Publisher: </b> Nan A. Talese
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> October 21, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 288 pages
<br><b>Source: </b> Publisher, through NetGalley
<p>Avi Steinberg’s <i><b>The Lost Book of Mormon</b></i> is a tough book to characterize, a hybrid of memoir, travelogue, literary and cultural criticism, and humor. Steinberg, a non-Mormon, sets out on a journey, both literal and figurative, to explore some of the landscapes important in the Book of Mormon. Along the way, he considers the meaning of scripture as a kind of uber-fiction, and makes a case for treating the Book of Mormon as an important work of 19th century American literature. Steinberg’s book is thought-provoking, interesting, and even hilarious in parts, but contains perhaps a few too many distracting tangents.</p>
<p><b>The Story:</b> In 1823, Joseph Smith, the son of a backwoods farmer, swore that a visiting angel told him to dig in a hill near his family’s farm in upstate New York. Smith dug, and allegedly found the hidden history of America engraved on a series of gold plates. Smith “translated” these gold plates from an ancient hieroglyphic language into English, and published this as the Book of Mormon in 1830. The book became instantly popular with an American public deeply fascinated by both Indian lore and treasure-hunting. </p>
<p>Steinberg, who grew up in both Israel and Cleveland, Ohio, describes himself as a lapsed Orthodox Jew and professes to a fascination with religious texts in general, and the Book of Mormon in particular. In <i><b>The Lost Book of Mormon</b></i>, Steinberg travels the path of the characters in Joseph’s Smith’s text, from Jerusalem to the ruined Mayan cities in Guatemala and southern Mexico, and Hill Cumorah in upstate New York. </p>
<p>At every location along his journey, Steinberg offers an analysis of Smith not as a religious prophet but as a writer, a “regular Joe” as Steinberg calls him, who wrote a story and then had the tremendous audacity to publish it not just as a work of fiction or nonfiction, but as a <b><i>bible</i></b>. To Steinberg, Smith should be considered as one of 19th century America’s literary giants along with Melville, Hawthorne, and Twain. His Book of Mormon, Steinberg argues, is a quintessential American literary epic with a picaresque hero, Nephi, who predates Melville’s Ishmael and Twain’s Huck Finn; perhaps it’s even the Great American Novel. And yet few literary and cultural critics have given serious consideration to Smith’s work. </p>
<p><b>My Thoughts:</b> I confess to a strong fascination with Mormonism as a cultural phenomenon, although I’m not a Mormon myself. It’s hard not to be fascinated with a religion less than 200 years old, whose origins seem like something out of a science fiction tale. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to read a copy of this book for <a href="http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com/2014/10/nonfiction-november-is-coming-back/">Nonfiction November</a>.</p>
<p>And I did find <i><b>The Lost Book of Mormon</b></i> truly interesting. Steinberg writes movingly of his interest in Smith as a writer and of the process of writing itself, that amazing act of creation that brings to life the stories that become so important to us. Steinberg can be enormously funny, as well. The middle of the book is a long set piece about a bus tour of Mayan archeological sites, with Steinberg as the only non-believer among two large clans of Mormons; it had me laughing out loud and quoting lines to my somewhat bemused family.</p>
<p>The book, however, is a tad heavy on personal anecdotes. Steinberg deviates frequently into lengthy, sometimes meandering digressions that don’t add much to his argument about Smith’s place in American literature. The book is, sometimes, a bit of a glorious mess. Maybe it’s best to go into <i><b>The Lost Book of Mormon</b></i> without expecting too much of it as a work of literary or cultural criticism . . . Just let Steinberg take you on a strange and amusing journey, and enjoy the ride. </p>
<p>In the end, Steinberg is not very interested in whether the stories in the Book of Mormon—and by extension, ALL stories--are literally “true” or not. Instead, he’s concerned with what those stories tell us about ourselves, and how the tellers of those tales find their inspiration and bring the stories to life. “The world is full of buried books,” Steinberg tells us, and writers, like Joseph Smith with his gold plates, must unearth them and tell the tales for their readers. “They’re there. That’s no bullshit. Other people don’t need to believe in that, but if you want to be a writer, you do. You must have faith. The gold plates are real: every book is a translation of them.” As readers, let's hope that writers keep finding those gold plates of inspiration and telling us their wonderful tales. </p
<p><b>My Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5 stars. </p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration from the publisher, Nan A. Talese, through NetGalley. </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-6456828073343848822014-11-05T11:04:00.000-05:002014-11-05T11:04:53.627-05:00Nonfiction November: My Year in Nonfiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfp0-vZ25BZk7koXBvgD-dea2Z6W47hyphenhyphenLs4ml6RmAetYBuBwqSp3EC9OxJjhYhV3j62DM2Uf9eSloBaLOQxnZv75YxmJgD5MaDnQqnjeO8v7nRpEHhmSEeJBjoKOTkmTr0Ll-aB6BL7Dt/s1600/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfp0-vZ25BZk7koXBvgD-dea2Z6W47hyphenhyphenLs4ml6RmAetYBuBwqSp3EC9OxJjhYhV3j62DM2Uf9eSloBaLOQxnZv75YxmJgD5MaDnQqnjeO8v7nRpEHhmSEeJBjoKOTkmTr0Ll-aB6BL7Dt/s320/my+year+in+nonfiction.jpg" /></a></div>
<p> It's the first week of <a href="http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com/2014/10/nonfiction-november-is-coming-back/">Nonfiction November</a>! This is a project to celebrate great nonfiction books and to encourage book lovers to read nonfiction during the month of November, co-hosted by Kim at <a href="http://www.sophisticateddorkiness.com">Sophisticated Dorkiness</a>, Katie at <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com">Doing Dewey</a>, and Becca at <a href="http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com">I'm Lost in Books</a>. I hemmed and hawed about participating, but you know what . . . I've already been commenting on other blogs about this, so I'm kinda involved. I might as well officially participate and link something to the Week 1 topic. Ok, so here goes . . . </p>
<p><b>What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?</b></p>
<p>I have been commenting all over the blogosphere that I only read ONE single, solitary nonfiction book this year . . . but looking back over my Goodreads account (good thing for that), I did read a few others. Um, whew. It turns out I read a whopping FOUR nonfiction books so far this year. I know, I know--you are blown away!! I will pause and let you recover. </p>
<p>Alright, so my favorite nonfiction read of this year, out of that overwhelming and impressive number, is the one I have just completed .... </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvm5pp7zghNlXBlxhWhV2z52I3FIQfsN7e9Cwn0j3Gw_uSpOHhl4vRI1YX6-Z_GA_gOyCaHAf1CBCV6SxZdkElaK-bRqXTBfWoRglOXu_PAhI1ar1DThaJfh47x7X8JyxC1i8Pr-vrbBh/s1600/without+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvm5pp7zghNlXBlxhWhV2z52I3FIQfsN7e9Cwn0j3Gw_uSpOHhl4vRI1YX6-Z_GA_gOyCaHAf1CBCV6SxZdkElaK-bRqXTBfWoRglOXu_PAhI1ar1DThaJfh47x7X8JyxC1i8Pr-vrbBh/s320/without+you.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>And that would be Suki Kim's memoir of her year teaching in North Korea, <i><b>Without You, There Is No Us</b></i>. I just posted my review of this book yesterday, which you can find right <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-of-without-you-there-is-no-us-by.html">here</a>.
<p><b>What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?</b></p>
<p>The nonfiction book I've recommended most over the past few years is probably Laura Hillenbrand's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8664353-unbroken?from_search=true"><i><b>Unbroken</b></i></a>--although I think everyone in the entire world has read it now, so I can stop recommending it! Hooray, my work is done. </p>
<p><b>What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven't read enough of yet? </b></p>
<p>I'd like to read more nonfiction about topics I don't know as much about--science, for example. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks?from_search=true"><i><b>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</b></i></a> by Rebecca Skloot is a great example of a nonfiction book about science that allowed me, as a non-scientist, to learn something new and push me out of my comfort zone as a reader. I'd love to hear some recommendations for other science books that I might try. I've heard many great things about <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613511-on-immunity?from_search=true"><i><b>On Immunity: An Inoculation</b></i></a> by Eula Biss, so that ought to go on my list. </p>
<p><b>What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? </b></p>
<p>Well, primarily, <i>to read a few more nonfiction books</i>! Although I mostly read novels now, for pleasure and entertainment, I used to read plenty of academic history books. My degrees are in history, and long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I taught American history at the college level. I still enjoy reading history, but sometimes I have issues with history books written for popular audiences that aren't adequately researched or sourced, or that include too much speculation or conjecture (it's hard to let go of that professional training! No joke--it's like a curse).
<p>Right now, I am reading Avi Steinberg's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20707958-the-lost-book-of-mormon"><i><b>The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Kansas City, Missouri</b></i></a>. Steinberg, a non-Mormon, traveled to the landscapes associated with the Book of Mormon, searching for clues about the Mormon holy books, and makes an argument for considering the Book of Mormon as an influential work of American literature. It's about as quirky as it sounds, and so far I'm enjoying it. </P>
<p>Two other nonfiction books I'd like to read soon are Jenny Nordberg's <a href="http://https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077802-the-underground-girls-of-kabul?from_search=true"><i><b>The Underground Girls of Kabul</b></i></a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20873711-lives-in-ruins?from_search=true"><i><b>Lives in Ruins: Archeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble</b></a></i> by Marilyn Johnson. I'm in the queue at my library for these, so we'll see when I can get my hands on them, but they both sound terrific. </p>
<p>Thanks to Kim, Katie, and Becca for organizing Nonfiction November! I will look forward to reading many interesting posts over the next few weeks, and adding to my Toppling Tower of TBR. </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-60279500152412114682014-11-05T00:01:00.000-05:002014-11-05T00:01:00.073-05:00Review of Certainty by Victor Bevine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVEoKfmKAzjeSjZTZ2ctDSsmqzq6HcmI8t8EUpvVQUsy2Z3TNwG3lA0_fW6PLMzulvvQv_AoELTmfAfb8bs3miXuvnhsqngl6H6vQlOELp0r2cwsD0gcEjespkRX_iHWZ0-uAKyhfdZDm/s1600/certainty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVEoKfmKAzjeSjZTZ2ctDSsmqzq6HcmI8t8EUpvVQUsy2Z3TNwG3lA0_fW6PLMzulvvQv_AoELTmfAfb8bs3miXuvnhsqngl6H6vQlOELp0r2cwsD0gcEjespkRX_iHWZ0-uAKyhfdZDm/s400/certainty.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><i><b>Certainty</b></i> by Victor Bevine
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Lake Union Publishing
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> October 21, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 358 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> Publisher, through <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>
<p><b>Synopsis from Publisher: </b><i>When you’re fighting an injustice, can it be wrong to do what’s right? Inspired by the scandalous true story that shocked a nation at the close of WWI. </p>
<p>With America’s entry into World War I, the population of Newport, Rhode Island seems to double overnight as twenty-five thousand rowdy recruits descend on the Naval Training Station. Drinking, prostitution, and other depravities follow the sailors, transforming the upscale town into what many residents—including young lawyer William Bartlett, whose genteel family has lived in Newport for generations—consider to be a moral cesspool. </p>
<p>When sailors accuse a beloved local clergyman of sexual impropriety, William feels compelled to fight back. He agrees to defend the minister against the shocking allegations, in the face of dire personal and professional consequences. But when the trial grows increasingly sensational, and when outrageous revelations echo all the way from Newport to the federal government, William must confront more than just the truth—he must confront the very nature of good and evil. Based on real-life events, <b>Certainty</b> recalls a war-torn era when the line between right and wrong became dangerously blurred.</i> </p>
<p><b>My Thoughts: </b> In Victor Bevine’s novel <i><b>Certainty</b></i>, a civilian minister and a group of sailors are accused of sodomy by a special unit of Naval Intelligence in Newport, Rhode Island just after the end of World War I. The homophobia of that time comes as no great surprise, of course. What makes this book interesting is Bevine’s exploration of why these events occurred and how they played out in court in what came to be known as the Newport Navy Vice Scandal. </p>
<p>While I thought the case itself was fascinating, <i><b>Certainty</b></i> didn’t completely succeed for me as a novel. Many of the characters felt flat and undeveloped to me. Bevine portrayed the minister, Rev. Kent, as a man too good to be true; I would have found him to be a much more interesting character if he had a few believable flaws. William Bartlett, the young lawyer defending Rev. Kent, did not come alive for me as a character, either. The motivations of Chief Petty Officer Arnold, the homophobic leader of the unit pursuing the “fairies” (to use the term popular at the time), are murky, so he comes across as nothing more than a cardboard villain.</p>
<p>The most complex character in the novel is Charlie, one of the sailors who testifies in court against Rev. Kent. Bevine presents him as a young man on the make, an opportunist who always puts himself first, in his career in the Navy and in his relationship with Dottie, a local prostitute. Only Charlie really comes off the page as a fully developed, multi-dimensional character. I would have loved to read more about Charlie; to me, the sections of <i><b>Certainty</b></i> that focus on Charlie are the strongest and most nuanced parts of the novel.</p>
<p>Bevine indicates in his Author’s Note at the end of this novel that he first wrote about the Newport Navy Vice Scandal as a screenplay. I don’t know if there are plans in the works to produce Bevine's screenplay, but I think <i><b>Certainty</b></i> would work much better as a movie or TV mini-series than as a novel. As I read the book, I kept thinking to myself that I could see each chapter enfolding as a scene in a movie; the narrative structure really felt more like a screenplay than a novel. I would love to see a well-produced movie based on the events detailed in <i><b>Certainty</b></i>. </p>
<p>I would rate <i><b>Certainty</b></i> a 3 out of 5 stars. Despite my criticisms of the novel, I do think the topic is interesting and worthwhile, and many readers would enjoy the story. </p>
<p>I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Lake Union Publishing through <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for this book. You can visit the other stops on the <i><b>Certainty</b></i> tour at the official tour site <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/07/victor-bevine-author-of-certainty-on-tour-octobernovember-2014/">here</a>. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XVZs0FK_ATIVE7YoYXUk8k4G_F8lKmMjuARvNYc0CfSK1DUmWrsyGvJYBSsBzVLfK_4l4-ryCLOvOF5VjvXfhyl5Q0IbQeilcy1-5HWXU4qnjEhoRtPUhhlzcNEav8Zx-F1ZGv0f6vCJ/s1600/Bevine+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XVZs0FK_ATIVE7YoYXUk8k4G_F8lKmMjuARvNYc0CfSK1DUmWrsyGvJYBSsBzVLfK_4l4-ryCLOvOF5VjvXfhyl5Q0IbQeilcy1-5HWXU4qnjEhoRtPUhhlzcNEav8Zx-F1ZGv0f6vCJ/s320/Bevine+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<p><b>About Victor Bevine:</b> For over thirty years, Victor Bevine has worked as an actor, screenwriter, audio book narrator, director, and more. A graduate of Yale University, his acting credits include many prestigious roles onstage as well as roles in the film version of <b>A Separate Peace</b> and countless television shows. He has read over one hundred and eighty titles as an audiobook narrator; in 2010, he received an Audiophone Award for his narration of the Pulitzer Prize–winning book <b>The Beak of the Finch</b>. He has written several screenplays, including Certainty, which was chosen for two prestigious writers’ conferences and which served as the basis for his first novel. His thirty-minute short film Desert Cross, which he wrote and directed, won accolades at the Athens International Film Festival. Currently, he serves as CEO of the World Freerunning Parkour Federation (WFPF), of which he is co-founder. He resides in New York City.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3HA55lhQgb4E57uZ7WHEw8SDjKjtvCSI82jMwUAUmAZPddmYZta0Z9pFpJc61WjbaFwpunVVTOkur0f-NEulUQKwv-QeHqAVsBTUEFTG8OOf6-8pIm6lTt8oppPiL3BQ0hluRDszS3hR/s1600/tlc-logo-resized.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3HA55lhQgb4E57uZ7WHEw8SDjKjtvCSI82jMwUAUmAZPddmYZta0Z9pFpJc61WjbaFwpunVVTOkur0f-NEulUQKwv-QeHqAVsBTUEFTG8OOf6-8pIm6lTt8oppPiL3BQ0hluRDszS3hR/s400/tlc-logo-resized.png" /></a></div>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-7574256525641373332014-11-04T06:55:00.000-05:002014-11-04T07:25:56.024-05:00Review of Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXMg7cct1u3irC3Dn_9nkh7vKVYvA6tIWg3T9vhXiA-4XksHDffKnSXbKdIy_MOOX5R5SqaphbEJXWgVB2QnfHSAKfOXhXO90HO6NtYOvjR9FxhJV0TQdKumCZnDnxeWXZTCsNtbyJhyphenhyphenb/s1600/without+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXMg7cct1u3irC3Dn_9nkh7vKVYvA6tIWg3T9vhXiA-4XksHDffKnSXbKdIy_MOOX5R5SqaphbEJXWgVB2QnfHSAKfOXhXO90HO6NtYOvjR9FxhJV0TQdKumCZnDnxeWXZTCsNtbyJhyphenhyphenb/s320/without+you.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><i><b>Without You, There is No Us</b></i> by Suki Kim
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Crown Publishers
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> October 14, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 285 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> My own copy
<p><i><b>Without You, There Is No Us</b></i> is journalist/novelist Suki Kim’s interesting memoir about the year she spent teaching at a college in North Korea. North Korea, of course, is one of the most closed societies of modern times, and Kim’s book sheds light on the strangeness of that world under dictator Kim Jong-il. <b><i>Without You . . .</b></i> is a fascinating and intensely personal account of life in an intimidating and repressive regime.</p>
<p>Kim, who was born in South Korea but moved to the US as a young teen, posed as a Christian missionary in order to get a job teaching at the all-male Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST). During most of the year 2011, Kim taught English to the privileged sons of the North Korean upper class—young men likely to become the future leaders of the country. </p>
<p>As a teacher at PUST, Kim had the deeply disorienting experience of giving up her own personal freedoms. She was kept a virtual prisoner on the university grounds, with her movement on and off campus tightly controlled, for example. Kim had to provide each lesson plan for review, and felt under constant surveillance by the “minders” provided by the regime. At the same time, Kim kept up the charade that she was an evangelical Christian, because PUST is funded, in large part, by Korean-American Christian churches. Kim operated, in a sense, like a spy, secretly taking notes for this book and hoping that no one—either the North Koreans or the missionaries at PUST—would unmask her true identity as a journalist. </p>
<p>Kim found her young North Korean students to be bright and enthusiastic, and yet oddly uninterested in learning about life outside of their own country. The students had been brainwashed all of their young lives into believing that North Korea was the best and most powerful nation in the world. At a university for science and technology, these students were unaware of the Internet—and Kim, frustratingly, was not allowed to tell them. It is sobering, indeed, to think of these young men as the future of North Korea. They seem quite unlikely to question the regime or stage protests for democracy, as young people have done in other regions of the world.</p>
<p>Kim’s book will no doubt anger the regime of Kim Jong Un, the son of Kim Jong-il and the current leader of North Korea, as well as the leadership of PUST. Kim changed the names of PUST staff and students so that they would not suffer reprisals from the regime. She notes that, although her book will cause waves in North Korea, she felt obligated “to tell the stark truth” about what she witnessed, “in the hopes that the lives of average North Koreans, including my beloved students, will one day improve.” </p>
<p>I thoroughly enjoyed reading <i><b>Without You, There Is No Us</b></i>. As a reader very interested in the topic, I would have appreciated a bit more background on PUST itself and its funders, as well as, perhaps, a chapter at the end of the book with Kim’s thoughts on the new leader of the North Korea, Kim Jong Un. Nevertheless, this is an unsettling and powerful account of life in a frightening and restrictive world, and I do recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about North Korea. </p>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-82544545825898374522014-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:002014-11-03T00:01:01.359-05:00It's Monday, November 3 . . . What Are You Reading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6nquVygGDD4pFWfKs-IBDQGw5z5oSz23WAW6NHmPCRgPMN-v2vmLsdMVvWasIYK05K7VDuNYchC0ptXCoJeIp97PuLp-arjUI7EHyMN1pyGAJSe9OI3wtFmzvRkG8fTmzApl_RaC93Pe/s1600/2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6nquVygGDD4pFWfKs-IBDQGw5z5oSz23WAW6NHmPCRgPMN-v2vmLsdMVvWasIYK05K7VDuNYchC0ptXCoJeIp97PuLp-arjUI7EHyMN1pyGAJSe9OI3wtFmzvRkG8fTmzApl_RaC93Pe/s320/2a.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Good morning, readers. Hope everyone had a great Halloween! I'm posting again on this weekly bookish meme hosted by Sheila at <a href="http://bookjourney.net">Bookjourney</a>. </P>
<p>Last week I posted reviews of these books: </P>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3TBLsrQuI2JPe8xQlkqUBDyxERY02UbtK62IB_h2L0ybTfpQ5njW7vyMHfkVuGGlRkJ4yp8nCxP_i_rm6KyDSmJiwkCsZ65BxATBW5JYi6creO5HM8mrQXMFxRmeDH_5GqnVbKkJszwQ/s1600/the+book+of+strange+new+things.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3TBLsrQuI2JPe8xQlkqUBDyxERY02UbtK62IB_h2L0ybTfpQ5njW7vyMHfkVuGGlRkJ4yp8nCxP_i_rm6KyDSmJiwkCsZ65BxATBW5JYi6creO5HM8mrQXMFxRmeDH_5GqnVbKkJszwQ/s320/the+book+of+strange+new+things.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm9YLZvhIIE8QDvDQzWm1wg8zTi8RjR5oyRMtEt5NBolWhlxjYys6qvp5dqfIi7H_ftQkzpyBFU8bKTgvlpIA6p7WTA9yeyjI8HlIlpQKiTl25K5a317_sdaCjTdaDTFSugg2ezQGn5Q_/s1600/stone+mattress.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm9YLZvhIIE8QDvDQzWm1wg8zTi8RjR5oyRMtEt5NBolWhlxjYys6qvp5dqfIi7H_ftQkzpyBFU8bKTgvlpIA6p7WTA9yeyjI8HlIlpQKiTl25K5a317_sdaCjTdaDTFSugg2ezQGn5Q_/s320/stone+mattress.jpg" /></a>
<p><i><b>The Book of Strange New Things</b></i> is Michel Faber's new novel, just released last week. It's a really interesting, genre-bending mashup of literary and science fiction. You can see my review <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-book-of-strange-new-things-by.html">here</a>. And <b><i>Stone Mattress: Nine Tales</i></b> is Margaret Atwood's new collection of short stories, published earlier this fall. Check out my review <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-stone-mattress-by-margaret.html">here</a>. </p>
<p>Also last week, I posted my <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-2014-reading-wrap-up.html">October 2014 Reading Wrap-Up</a>. And I also posted some discussion questions on the novel <b><i>Ghost Horse</i></b> by Thomas H. McNeely, which I recently reviewed on this blog; you can read those discussion questions <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/some-discussion-questions-on-ghost.html">here</a>. </p>
<p>Currently, I am reading this book . . . </p>
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<p>I'm enjoying David Nicholls' new novel <i><b>Us</b></i>, the story of a man trying to keep his family together as they embark on a Grand Tour of Europe the summer after his son graduates from high school. It's very interesting, and somewhat different from what I expected . . . the jury's still out, but I'm glad I selected this as my next read. </p>
<P>Over the weekend, I started playing around with <a href="http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com">Edelweiss</a>. I've been a bit intimidated by this site, but I knew that it was time for me to start using it, so I finally bit the bullet and registered. I've been learning how to browse the catalogues, tag books I'm interested in, and request review copies. I got help, thank goodness, from tutorials posted by Shannon at <a href="http://rivercityreading.com/2014/10/wade-nonfiction-edelweiss.html">River City Reading</a> and Monika at <a href="http://www.lovelybookshelf.com/2013/06/requesting-arcs-and-connecting-with.html">A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall</a>. I'm still learning the ropes, but I can see what a great resource Edelweiss can be for learning about upcoming titles. So, I'm just curious--are you registered on Edelweiss, and if so, do you find it helpful? Do you use it for information or requesting digital ARCs, or both? </P>
<p>Well, here is something kinda funny . . . I realized that I have passed a couple of milestones as a blogger: <b>my 100th post</b> and <b>6 months of blogging</b>. I was so busy reading and blogging that I didn't really notice those milestones go by; I think I was supposed to celebrate them! Well, um . . . Hooray! I am still learning as I go, and I know that I have so much I can still improve upon . . . but it's been a lot of fun, and I'll keep plugging away. I love the community of fellow book lovers I've discovered, and I'm becoming aware of so many wonderful books through blogging (more, now, than I can possibly read!). I really appreciate all the support I've received from others in the blogging community. As always, thanks so much for reading this blog and for your comments!</P>
<p>What's on your reading agenda for this week?</P>Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-63889832484342696482014-10-31T06:53:00.000-04:002014-10-31T06:53:47.683-04:00October 2014 Reading Wrap-Up<p>October was an excellent reading month for me, I'm happy to say! After experiencing a hellacious Reading Slump earlier in the year, I don't take a good reading month for granted anymore. Nope--instead now I know to be very grateful to the Reading Gods! Here are the books I read in the past month: </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgk2mZ66c40uM8hh_P1oW0Kt37-AqoZ0WYnBbcOGSqOBH11kyRJfuu0U9lLXsWaOQM2izB90d08nfZV7Bbce9xD1KyTLXYJ-s_yaXHGDDOpAMZzztGjOqLB2vTAVjnTuMVU-UOWQZ_TRD/s1600/rainey+royal.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgk2mZ66c40uM8hh_P1oW0Kt37-AqoZ0WYnBbcOGSqOBH11kyRJfuu0U9lLXsWaOQM2izB90d08nfZV7Bbce9xD1KyTLXYJ-s_yaXHGDDOpAMZzztGjOqLB2vTAVjnTuMVU-UOWQZ_TRD/s200/rainey+royal.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffOqQhQydKOF897FZBSqJtKIHhOTZF4uXTkTUua2gXAfi63S68hv_eSLgfXsYtLw5-WQ163_0PhhuIJ5l4-cYMl-EsBuxspvH-hqxGV_i9VITZc3kSCdyhOgUCCVGNN5deb55pnGajIZx/s1600/how+to+build+a+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffOqQhQydKOF897FZBSqJtKIHhOTZF4uXTkTUua2gXAfi63S68hv_eSLgfXsYtLw5-WQ163_0PhhuIJ5l4-cYMl-EsBuxspvH-hqxGV_i9VITZc3kSCdyhOgUCCVGNN5deb55pnGajIZx/s200/how+to+build+a+girl.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWj_4GjJAFB_eYDNKbKkd3BYfyFqFej-Hiu4WWKDPoeP10EoHBrUmGmw0cXI04QKc_uQiengeQ7jP_FqXeuQsQZidpAM479dF91JpiU92ZbEN7tliUpZNFaTqmOvtrks4nxD_yq4v03HQD/s1600/some+luck.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWj_4GjJAFB_eYDNKbKkd3BYfyFqFej-Hiu4WWKDPoeP10EoHBrUmGmw0cXI04QKc_uQiengeQ7jP_FqXeuQsQZidpAM479dF91JpiU92ZbEN7tliUpZNFaTqmOvtrks4nxD_yq4v03HQD/s200/some+luck.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG4zgmLOxz63EpnQIACrRtpjRf3rGFUK9uWZanLk-TnM2z9EuZDFnRqKCj2vcMNq3hGR_aRLPSkAcYZtDmt1vLoW5HxVw5OqXt6FHr2paFg4oL5ca2RPvDfGjj5ySWrZ5POsK62HkSVdV/s1600/station+eleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG4zgmLOxz63EpnQIACrRtpjRf3rGFUK9uWZanLk-TnM2z9EuZDFnRqKCj2vcMNq3hGR_aRLPSkAcYZtDmt1vLoW5HxVw5OqXt6FHr2paFg4oL5ca2RPvDfGjj5ySWrZ5POsK62HkSVdV/s200/station+eleven.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oTzC7frbJGf9uoPu6GOkzTQygTT7Ko1k2G0MXq4ou05n1HhPwt-QW4_fbiZ5G0QvWArPhlY5ZIy4gcrTnqJ64Tep983cYxgmhYI8KA7sd17pUTOAGXRFkcBMbUU4eGfdNHvbg5NuHKxT/s1600/the+book+of+strange+new+things.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oTzC7frbJGf9uoPu6GOkzTQygTT7Ko1k2G0MXq4ou05n1HhPwt-QW4_fbiZ5G0QvWArPhlY5ZIy4gcrTnqJ64Tep983cYxgmhYI8KA7sd17pUTOAGXRFkcBMbUU4eGfdNHvbg5NuHKxT/s200/the+book+of+strange+new+things.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbsr-Dy2p9_WH7tqWzvgCR8bjcniiYmOr_QLooXckgaMrHHHqvSP1vjNvpB2fFB0mgTfEIjLe4BEo61EjJboEnFQ6esm0kJ-k17waHX_cWHoLWFCDLGwx-e9M4G3-EqMFbkOvhyRNsq-g/s1600/without+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbsr-Dy2p9_WH7tqWzvgCR8bjcniiYmOr_QLooXckgaMrHHHqvSP1vjNvpB2fFB0mgTfEIjLe4BEo61EjJboEnFQ6esm0kJ-k17waHX_cWHoLWFCDLGwx-e9M4G3-EqMFbkOvhyRNsq-g/s200/without+you.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU94iJArHQle_cu3eo3eipJLXFB7X4xgcyBH75mLnpJ9PyK83WGyZvwPUgy1o2tdodkpxTDpXFSwc2E7jRJMEiTfU2hh-B13MYz-7-8_VVoItAFTwKKbazIfnY5cHqkHrMzgqqkzgFMZNc/s1600/ship+of+brides.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU94iJArHQle_cu3eo3eipJLXFB7X4xgcyBH75mLnpJ9PyK83WGyZvwPUgy1o2tdodkpxTDpXFSwc2E7jRJMEiTfU2hh-B13MYz-7-8_VVoItAFTwKKbazIfnY5cHqkHrMzgqqkzgFMZNc/s200/ship+of+brides.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NPGu9Juwp785Waha7jk4cLFY-WxKOVZOvv05V_k1yM43piWr7ejuavL6zw7Dnvp6xLXjnI96pgeBxp-hgigVTe9Uhyphenhyphen_6OyLUabVoWZVe2rE5px2F87pL4Y0RZM-Xhxt0YfgUlhedGU7U/s1600/lila.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NPGu9Juwp785Waha7jk4cLFY-WxKOVZOvv05V_k1yM43piWr7ejuavL6zw7Dnvp6xLXjnI96pgeBxp-hgigVTe9Uhyphenhyphen_6OyLUabVoWZVe2rE5px2F87pL4Y0RZM-Xhxt0YfgUlhedGU7U/s200/lila.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOVH44gncYXHTF-7ga7uO7WSdE6S3h9N5Xsd25ezk3jvIMkB8lxRVnWgW-rNtn4Z9Ye019-qPvHTXGnKIcmFyAEXOhfq1NlZDavYVjFvZXFQKrlm5v4gH5fFqAtlwhKPlVGIZVsQzEC9m/s1600/certainty.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOVH44gncYXHTF-7ga7uO7WSdE6S3h9N5Xsd25ezk3jvIMkB8lxRVnWgW-rNtn4Z9Ye019-qPvHTXGnKIcmFyAEXOhfq1NlZDavYVjFvZXFQKrlm5v4gH5fFqAtlwhKPlVGIZVsQzEC9m/s200/certainty.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUqdMNMQOPkXoINQPrDcr6fnkh6_FqgjGQKJqwPBQsL66m-aD3BGnFjZ0l_LNCUtFTkUDs1GHybyOJEf5H-OIUz_eg1ZE5u3jo6gJyenLZHcVVfU9usuNs7vF5YyD2XiAYgUfAM7Asxzp/s1600/stone+mattress.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUqdMNMQOPkXoINQPrDcr6fnkh6_FqgjGQKJqwPBQsL66m-aD3BGnFjZ0l_LNCUtFTkUDs1GHybyOJEf5H-OIUz_eg1ZE5u3jo6gJyenLZHcVVfU9usuNs7vF5YyD2XiAYgUfAM7Asxzp/s200/stone+mattress.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpzgJqO7X3gZWTbERM2rNaSZVFZ5d0vjIUoZ7s_edtgrmcODezboyCL1cXCopj06QHwCYMiYvOSRVJfXi0HK5BeSRJe4ajDg4fOfLC_mjHvRxUZIUjLq1j7AUy9AfCuSAA5XkEzK-BRr7/s1600/Reunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpzgJqO7X3gZWTbERM2rNaSZVFZ5d0vjIUoZ7s_edtgrmcODezboyCL1cXCopj06QHwCYMiYvOSRVJfXi0HK5BeSRJe4ajDg4fOfLC_mjHvRxUZIUjLq1j7AUy9AfCuSAA5XkEzK-BRr7/s200/Reunion.jpg" /></a>
<p>Here are the titles, with links to my reviews if I've posted them yet:</p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-rainey-royal-by-dylan-landis.html">Rainey Royal</a></b> by Dylan Landis </p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/mini-reviews-of-fall-reads.html">How to Build a Girl</a></b> by Caitlin Moran <p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-some-luck-by-jane-smiley.html">Some Luck</a></b> by Jane Smiley </p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/mini-reviews-of-fall-reads.html">Station Eleven</a></b> by Emily St. John Mandel </P>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-book-of-strange-new-things-by.html">The Book of Strange New Things</a></b> by Michel Faber </p>
<p><b>Without You, There is No Us</b> by Suki Kim </p>
<p><b>Ship of Brides</b> by Jojo Moyes </p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-lila-by-marilynne-robinson.html">Lila</a></b> by Marilynne Robinson </p>
<p><b>Certainty</b> by Victor Bevine (review to come on Nov. 5 as part of a blog tour for <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>) </p>
<p><b><a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-stone-mattress-by-margaret.html">Stone Mattress: Nine Tales</a></b> by Margaret Atwood </P>
<p><b>Reunion</b> by Hannah Pittard </P>
<p>Eleven books in one month . . . I couldn't get the twelfth in?! Seriously, this may be some kind of a personal record for me (well, that is, if I don't include college and graduate school. Eleven books read strictly for <i>pleasure</i> and not because they were assigned--that would be the record). I'm certainly reading at a faster pace since I started blogging. I don't know if that's because I feel like I should read more to add content to the blog, or if it's simply because through blogging I have become aware of-- and have access to--so many great books! </p>
<p>And my favorite book for the month of October? These were all good reads, so that is a tough question. But I'm going to say <b>Some Luck</b> by Jane Smiley, which I found to be a very satisfying and engrossing family saga. </P>
<p>I hope October was a great reading month for you as well. Onward to November, intrepid readers! </P>
Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-7809254852173838052014-10-30T13:46:00.000-04:002014-10-30T13:46:08.080-04:00Some Discussion Questions on Ghost Horse by Thomas H. McNeely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS18XwI90FZdEoOL8xyC4Y609_-nw2M7ESYx2yrNkOHnWpgvJjXLxbsb6MLvOaR_0SpmsG-6At2Q0eFPbxlibpf2dSUjEtE3HXEvf9tN4FWR7MiF49O3WLlzlsf7etaynuVRHwapisPLGK/s1600/ghost+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS18XwI90FZdEoOL8xyC4Y609_-nw2M7ESYx2yrNkOHnWpgvJjXLxbsb6MLvOaR_0SpmsG-6At2Q0eFPbxlibpf2dSUjEtE3HXEvf9tN4FWR7MiF49O3WLlzlsf7etaynuVRHwapisPLGK/s320/ghost+horse.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Last week I posted a review of the novel <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i>, by Thomas H. McNeely. Published this fall by a small, indie publishing house called Gival Press, <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i> is a gripping and intense book about a young boy coming of age in 1970s Houston as his family falls apart. It is a compelling story that unsettled me at times, but I suspect will stay with me--and I recommended it for readers who love literary fiction and complex family stories. You can read my review <a href="http://leilarice.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-of-ghost-horse-by-thomas-mcneely.html">here</a>. I had the opportunity to read this novel through a blog tour at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com">TLC Book Tours</a>. </p>
<p>The author of <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i>, Tom McNeely, was kind enough to stop by my blog and comment on my review. He left some discussion questions for readers of the novel, and I thought I would highlight them here. I do think that <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i> would provide plenty of conversation topics for book clubs or reading groups, and I know from my own experience with book clubs that some thoughtful, guided questions can help generate deeper discussion among the group members. Here, then, are Tom's suggested questions: </P>
<p><i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i> <i>concerns a family in the 1970s which is breaking up in a divorce. How do you think divorce affects children in families? How do you think attitudes toward divorce have changed since the seventies? Do you think it is easier or harder for children of divorce now?</i></P>
<p><i>In</i> <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i><i>, three boys vie with each other to control a home-made movie that takes many shapes. How do you see children today using media to connect, and sometimes to harm each other, as in various cyber-bullying cases? Do you think children see themselves and their relationships differently because of their exposure to media today?</i></P>
<p><i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i> <i>explores the effects of class and racial tension in Houston, Texas, in the 1970s. How do you think attitudes toward race and class have changed in America since that time? Do you see a greater or lesser distance between races and classes now or then? </i></p>
<p>Thought-provoking questions, indeed, for a thought-provoking novel. </P>
<p>I'd like to add a few discussion questions of my own for readers of <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i>. Here they are: </p>
<p><i>Children, of course, are greatly affected by their parents' attitudes towards other family members. They can overhear conversations they aren't meant to overhear, and misunderstand adult situations. As a parent, have you struggled with this? Have your children ever overheard a fight between you and your spouse, or a fight among other adult family members? Have you tried to temper your attitude toward other family members for the sake of your children?</i> </p>
<p><i>On this same theme, children often mimic the actions of their parents. In <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i>, do you think that both Buddy and Simon re-enact some of the actions of their fathers? How so? </i></P>
<p><i>What do you think Buddy will be like as an adult? How do you think the experiences related in the book will affect him as a father, if he chooses to have children? How can parents who have endured difficult childhoods leave those experiences behind in their own relationships with their children? </i> </p>
<p>Please feel free to leave any comments, whether you've read <i><b>Ghost Horse</b></i> or not. And if you have read the novel, feel free to suggest additional discussion questions. Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812045909963010743.post-49039835402156298322014-10-29T08:00:00.000-04:002014-10-29T08:00:14.317-04:00Review of Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9rXE8Rw2Wng5wwcmbHrxfCxzgVrmJi2Nqfh6psEqnW8OGM0GQn5tdzT7hXi8b6ON7GCmBnTU69CcWURXAfn309mNbOi-MgIm-ycx4vYBJF4s6dH4Tdk1Kv3u5DC34xWJtDoKwNPSbknt/s1600/stone+mattress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9rXE8Rw2Wng5wwcmbHrxfCxzgVrmJi2Nqfh6psEqnW8OGM0GQn5tdzT7hXi8b6ON7GCmBnTU69CcWURXAfn309mNbOi-MgIm-ycx4vYBJF4s6dH4Tdk1Kv3u5DC34xWJtDoKwNPSbknt/s320/stone+mattress.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><b>Stone Mattress: Nine Tales</b> by Margaret Atwood
<br><b>Publisher:</b> Nan A. Talese/Doubleday
<br><b>Publication Date:</b> September 16, 2014
<br><b>Length:</b> 268 pages
<br><b>Source:</b> Library
<p>Margaret Atwood’s new collection of short stories is sharp, imaginative, juicy, and strange—quintessential Atwood, in other words! The nine tales of <i><b>Stone Mattress</b></i> all deal, in some way, with the theme of growing older, but Atwood also considers relationships, marriage, identity and art. Atwood is both darkly humorous and deadly serious in these stories. For Atwood fans, this collection is an absolute must-read. And for those who have never read Atwood before (and, oh my goodness, why is <i>that</i>?), her latest short fiction may provide the perfect entry to her work.</p>
<p><b>The Stories: </b> Every one of these nine stories is well worth the read, but I will just highlight a few of my favorites. In the title story, “Stone Mattress,” Verna, while on a cruise of the Arctic, meets up with a man who had humiliated her high school five decades ago. She plots her revenge in the icy landscape of 1.9 billion-year-old stromatolites. In the strange and highly affecting “Lusus Naturae,” a girl born with genetic abnormalities is believed by her family and village to be a vampire. Atwood revisits the memorable characters from her 1993 novel <i><b>The Robber Bride</b></i> (one of my favorite Atwood novels) in the story “I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth;” Atwood brings Tony, Roz, Charis, and even Zenia (!) back to life perfectly, and creates a highly satisfying epilogue to the original story. In the powerful final story, “Torching the Dusties,” Atwood follows an older man and woman trapped inside a retirement community while a violent, anti-elderly protest rages outside the gates.</p>
<p><b>My Thoughts: </b> I don’t read short fiction very often. Like many readers who love novels, I sometimes find short stories overly abrupt. I fear getting emotionally involved with characters and then having my ties to them cut too quickly. But lately I’m finding that short fiction can be a welcome alternative to a novel. I read this collection just after Dewey’s 24-Hour-Readathon, and I only tackled one or two stories per night. It proved to be the perfect way to ease myself back into books after the post-readathon reading hangover. Short stories, I’m learning, can also help you sneak in a little fiction reading at times when you feel too stressed or busy to commit to a novel. </p>
<p>In any case, I loved this collection—maybe because I’m developing more of an appreciation for short fiction, or perhaps I was just so darn happy to read something new from Atwood. To me, these stories represent a return to the vintage Atwood of the 1990s, the era of <i><b>Alias Grace</b></i> and <i><b>The Robber Bride</b></i>—meaning a return to fiction that is psychologically insightful and emotionally gripping, but not overly fantastical. I highly recommend <i><b>Stone Mattress</b></i> for readers of literary fiction.</p>
Leila @ Readers' Oasishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04919583102046763801noreply@blogger.com14