They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng and Benjamin Ajak

Book club pick for October

This is a non-fiction book about the Lost Boys of Sudan. In the late 80s, the Arabs invaded southern Sudan for religious reasons and for natural resources. The boys had to flee across Sudan into Ethiopia and eventually made their way to Kenya. This is 3 boys stories of their long journey.

We watched the movie "God Grew Tired of Us" to accompany our book club evening. This topic was so sad, but through it all these boys have remained hopeful and cheerful. Many have come to the US as refugees and are trying to build a life for themselves here.

Highly recommended.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Great book! I really liked this book. It's fairly long (over 500 pages) so it took me a few weeks to read it, but once I got going I was fully immersed in this tale of Harrison Shepherd. Shepherd was born in America in 1916 to a Mexican mother. His mother decides to go back to Mexico when he is 13 and takes him with her.

Shepherd ends up working for Diego Rivera the famous Mexican muralist. His life becomes intertwined with Diego and Frida Kahlo, Diego's wife. It was interesting to read a fictionalized version of Diego and Frida, but from the biography that I read about Frida I think Kingsolver was very accurate in her portrayal.

Shepherd also becomes acquainted with Lev Trotsky and is ultimately put on trial for his affiliation with the Trotsky. He's accused of being a communist just by association. It's rather appalling that this actually happened in the US in the late 40s and 50s.

I love Kingsolver's writing style. I enjoyed this book much more than "The Poisonwood Bible" which is touted as one of her best. I think "The Lacuna" trumps PB by a landslide.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

These are two books that feature 11 year old Briton, Flavia de Luce. Chemist, investigator, instigator and precocious girl that gets herself mixed up in solving two murders (one in each of the above-referenced books). You fall in love with her and can't really even believe she's only 11 since she knows so much about chemistry. She has 2 older sisters: Daphne and Ophelia of Fili for short. The stories take place in 1950 England. Fun, Fun, Fun!

I enjoyed listening to these in the car on my daily commute. I highly recommend the version that Jayne Entwistle narrates as she's very entertaining and gets each character's voice just right.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Very interesting and spiritual book that had my book club talking about our faith journeys. In a lot of ways we connected on a deeper level because of this book. Santiago is a boy who is on his journey to find his treasure and along the way meets people that push him forward. It's beautifully written and spiritually uplifting.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

SO GOOD!
The book is about a senator's wife who finds out that her husband has cheated on her through the media. This book is written from the wife, Sylvie and their two adult daughters' (Diana and Lizzie) perspective. Weiner is quite knowledgeable on this topic as she mentioned at her book signing that we are seeing these men in the news cheating on their wives and having press conferences with the wife present! (ie. Elliott Spitzer) It's a quick easy read, but fun and engaging. I recommend picking this up when you get a chance.

Jennifer Weiner booksigning

I have to share with you that I went to the Tattered Cover (awesome independent bookstore with three locations in the Denver metro area) to see Jennifer Weiner last week. I was so excited to meet her. She spoke for about 45 minutes and then read a short excerpt from her new book "Fly Away Home". She then took the time to sign her books and take pictures with the people that were in attendance. It was such a fun night as she is hilarious in person!!! She had some funny stories to share about her mother meeing Rosie O'Donnell for the first time. She was a hoot and I really enjoyed the evening with my friend Arin. Here is a picture of us with Jennifer:

A lot of catching up on my blogging!!!

I didn't realize I haven't updated my blog in quite some time. I am going to be lazy and use a star system to show you my favs of my summer reads this year. 5 stars is a must-read, outstanding book and 1 is don't even bother looking it up to see what it is because it's a waste of time. :) I'll also bold my favorites for you.

SUMMER READING:

The Jane Austen Book Club**** by Karen Joy Fowler
Scout, Atticus and Boo: A Celebration of 50 years of To Kill A Mockingbird*** by Mary McDonagh Murphy
Dead as a Doornail*** by Charlaine Harris (audio)
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner*** by Stephanie Meyer
Grave Surprise*** by Charlaine Harris (audio)
Heart of the Matter**** by Emily Giffin
To Kill a Mockingbird***** by Harper Lee (second time reading--last read in HS)
Caught*** by Harlan Coben (audio)
Grave Sight*** by Charlaine Harris (audio)
A Reliable Wife** by Robert Goolrick
The Art of Racing in the Rain** by Garth Stein (audio)
The Help***** by Katheryn Stockett
13 1/2*** by Nevada Barr (audio)

Emma by Jane Austen

This is the last Jane Austen book that I had to read. I loved this book. I loved Emma as a character. She has depth= a sense of humor, confidence, humility, kindness. At the end of the day she realizes what her faults are and feels bad about some of the stupid things she has done to people.

Emma is the consummate matchmaker although her matches never seem to work out. She is devoted to her father and is attentive to the other people who live in the neighborhood, in particular she regularly visits with Mrs. Bates and her daughter Miss Bates. Knightley lives next door (well not really next door since this is England in the 1800s but you get the picture). His brother is married to Emma's sister. He's kind of like the guy who is always hanging around Emma's house and helps her to care for her father... There are a whole host of other characters that make this novel so interesting.

On another note, I recommend seeing the BBC/PBS Masterpiece Theatre version of Emma. This mini-series was excellent and follows the book closely.

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

This was the May book club book. It is very light and not tons to talk about. Three women in their late 20s/early 30s are living in NYC. I liked "The Devil Wears Prada" better than this book, however it was a quick, fun read. The characters aren't totally believable and I always wonder how these women support themselves in Manhattan etc. In any event, it is a happy ending and all three end up getting what they want and deserve in life--to be happy. :)

La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith

I listened to this one on CD during my commute. It is a tale of a woman whose husband leaves her not long after they are married. World War II begins and she starts an orchestra. It was ok--didn't love it, didn't hate it, but it was entertaining. I liked the descriptions of how it was living during WWII in England.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

I had really high expectations for this book. Unfortunately my expectations weren't completely met. I say that, because I did enjoy this book, but I think it could have been a better story.

It's about two young men in the 1970s in China that have been highly educated. They are sent to the country for their re-education (to learn how to farm and lead a simple life). Luo meets a pretty girl (the little seamstress). Luo gets her pregnant. The other main guy whose name I'm forgetting now helps the little seamstress with her problem.

The two main characters find that their friend has a suitcase of forbidden books which leads them on an escapade to steal the books. This part was pretty funny and entertaining. The boys yearn for Western literature because it's all been banned by Mao's regime. There are, of course, other side characters and side stories, but this thread stuck with me.

It's always interesting to me to read about Chinese culture--this book had some of it, but not as much as Lisa See's or Amy Tan's books. This author is French and it has been translated into English. Interesting that a French author has written such a poetic book about China!

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

Ok, cheesy and squishy, fast and corny, fun and romantic. In typical Nicholas Sparks fashion, we have a 17 year old girl who doesn't get along with dad because he left them 3 years earlier. Ronnie (short for Veronica) is spending the summer with her dad along with her little brother. She is resentful and rebellious. She meets a boy (of course) and falls in love. It's very sweet, but the boy comes from a well-to-do family and his mother does not care for Ronnie.

Throughout the summer she begins to let her guard down and comes around finally towards her dad. Ronnie finds out her dad is terminally ill. She decides to stay. And that's all I'll say about the plot...

I enjoy Sparks' books. They are about real people, with real problems. And though it can be squishy, cheesy, corny etc. they make you feel good.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

"The Girl Who Played With Fire" is the second in the series after "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". This book follows Mikael Blomkvist into the heart of two murders of which Lisbeth Salander is now a suspect. Mikael is performing his own investigation of the murders to try to prove Salander's innocence.

This book could stand on it's own, but I would recommend reading the first one because you'll get a better understanding of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth.

The third book in the series (to be released in the States in May--I borrowed this British copy from a co-worker) is "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". Aptly titled, Lisbeth ends up in the hospital with three gunshot wounds one of which is in her head. The most fascinating part about this book was the interaction of Lisbeth with Mikael where Lisbeth has hacked into Mikael's computer with a PDA. Very cool how it's done even though I don't understand it all.

This book wasn't as fast-paced as the first two in the series, but definitely held my interest. It brings the series to a close, as sadly, Larsson passed away. Maybe another author will continue the series, but for now we have three really entertaining books that has overtaken a lot of people's lives (esp. in my office!).

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

I listened to this book and to be honest I was not that impressed with the narrator especially her botching up the French language. Now I have never learned French, but I have heard quite a bit of it and I know that it is not pronounced like this narrator has done so. (Think southern accent with each letter pronounced. Oy) So I suggest reading this book as opposed to listening to the version that Dean Robertson narrated.

And the reason there is a lot of French--it takes place the 1960s in the Belgian Congo where French is one of the main languages. I love the descriptions of the jungle and Africa--you really felt like you were there. The story is about a missionary family from Georgia who goes to the Congo to bring the villagers to Jesus. Lots of good characters in this and it's told from the 4 daughters and mother's perspectives so you get 5 different points of view.

I liked the book, however it wasn't my favorite Kingsolver book. I liked "The Prodigal Summer" and "The Bean Trees" better.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson

This book is a major bestseller in the US and it's apparent why so many people like it. This Swedish author passed away in 2005 shortly after delivering the manuscripts for this book, The Girl Who Played With Fire (currently reading) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Next. It's sad because this would have made for a great ongoing series such as Patterson's Alex Cross books and Kathy Reichs' Bones series.

The premise: A journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, is hired by a wealthy patriarch to find out what happened to his niece 40 years earlier. Blomkvist hires a scrappy, punky young woman to help him investigate the case. Together Blomkvist and the girl, Lisbeth Salander dig deeper in the family secrets and get to know one another.

I couldn't put it down for the last 200 pages, it was that engrossing. The translation to English is pretty good and the writing style is easy to follow. The amount of characters can get confusing sometimes due to the foreign names, but the author gives you little reminders to help remember who each person is. Highly recommended again!

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

If you haven't read any of Jhumpa Lahiri's books, I highly recommend that you get on your local library's website and reserve them all. They are so engrossing and you learn so much about Indian culture by reading her books. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner of fiction for "The Interpreter of Maladies" a work of short stories like "Unaccustomed Earth."

Even though this book was filled with short stories there are three that have the same characters so it's more like a mini-novella. Each one is engaging and I wish she could write a book about each. She manages to develop the characters in each short story in a short time-frame while taking you on a mini-journey. I loved it.

I must admit I've been reading and listening to some great books so far in 2010. I have yet to be disappointed by one yet.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

This is my pick for book club on Saturday night. I'm not going to put my thoughts down right now about this one just in case my pals from book club decide to check out my blog (do you girls read this??? anyone? Bueller?).

I promise to write more because there is a lot to say about this one! :)

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Ok so if you are familiar with Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code (which if you aren't, what's taken you so long to hop on the wagon?), you'll recognize the typical Dan Brownism formula at work here. That said, it was a really entertaining story and I loved the fact that it was on our home soil in our great capitol of Washington, D.C. I think the Robert Langdon character is loveable and believable. Of course then you have the token girl which didn't really go where I thought it would, but oh well. It's fun to have a girl to have along-side you if you're trying to solve a mystery in a limited amount of time!

If you have a long commute I recommend listening to this on CD as the narrator is really good! I believe his name is Paul Michael. He also did the first two so if you need to catch up you'll then become very familiar with his voice too.

Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick

This was so fun to read through. Lizzie Skurnick is a blogger/journalist who compiled a list of books that many girls should read as they come of age. Some of the entries included were: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? (and many more by Judy Blume), Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews, titles by Lois Duncan that I'm forgetting now since I've already returned this one to the library. It was a walk down memory lane. I read it basically in one sitting, but it would be a great bathroom book where you can skim through a few entries at a time.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This book was amazing. It is a mystery, romance, thriller, horror all in one. Zafon is a Spanish author and this translation by Lucia Graves is wonderful. His descriptions make you feel as if you are walking down the street in Barcelona in the late 1940s. Very easy to read.

The story is about a boy who picks a book out in the Cemetery of Forgotten books (this huge library of books that is in this underground cellar). He wants to read more books by the author but lo and behold he cannot find any books by the author anywhere! A strange man finds out that he is looking for the books. The strange man wants to burn them all, but we just don't know why. Thus begins an engrossing tale that intertwines many characters lives.

Highly Recommended!!!

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Oh thank God for Nicholas Sparks! He was put here to melt your heart and remind us what the feeling of a first love is like! This book is being made into a movie (I believe his 4th book to be made into a movie after Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember and The Notebook) so of course I had to read the book before I see it.

Savannah is a young co-ed who meets John after he rescues her bag when it falls off the pier into the ocean. What could be more romantic? (OK are you saying "gag me with a spoon" yet? jk) It is a fast-paced love story about John who is in the army and Savannah. The unbearable-ness (is that a word?) of being apart, writing old-fashioned letters back and forth and young love. Savannah gets John to see his dad for who he really is (the relationship between father in son is ok, just seems strained). Unfortunately there is a bit of heartache on both parts. I won't spoil it for you all. It was a nice love story in which I remembered what it was like to fall in love for the first time and get so caught up in those emotions--so powerful! If you're a fan of N. Sparks, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Happy New Year!

Over the holidays I read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. This will be discussed by my book club on Jan 30th however one of my NY Resolutions is to be a better blogger.

One of the most striking thing about this book is that the heroine is very different from the others in Jane Austen's novels. Fanny Price is timid, meek and sometimes utterly annoying! She doesn't have the spark that Lizzie Bennett has or the wisdom that Ann Elliott has. That said, she does her job in moving the plot of the book along. She has a suitor whom she can't stand and is in love with her first cousin (gasp--that still takes some getting used to when it's still taboo today).

Austen has very developed characters in this novel. In some of her earlier novels this wasn't the case (Northanger Abbey is the book that comes to mind). Mrs. Norris meddles around in everyone's business. Mary Crawford is Fanny's "friend", the brother of her suitor. She seemed to have a lot of ulterior motives but you find out more about that at the very end so I won't ruin it for anyone.

I would think that maybe this is Austen's least popular book, but I did enjoy it. It is different than the others which is why I liked it. What fun would it be to re-tell P&P over and over again? ;)