We Were Strangers Once by Betsy Carter

I found this book in a list of books to read now in the January issue of Oprah Magazine.  I wasn't expecting much, but didn't have any fiction to read, so I ordered a copy from the library and was instantly drawn in.  I loved the characters and the story.  I liked the way the author created very interesting characters and placed them in a historical setting and made it come alive. 

The story begins in Germany after WWI with a Jewish family.  We follow along as the family struggles with the changes in their country and as the son, emigrates to America.  It shows us what German, Jewish, and Irish immigrants had to deal with and how hard it was to start over in a new country.  A good lesson now when a lot of political talk seems to be exclusionary.  The title says it all "We were Strangers Once."

A well-written, very interesting story with a good reminder that most all of us are descended from people like the main characters in this book.  A good lesson to keep in mind today!

January 2018 Reads!

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

I found this book at Target sometime this fall (no shopping trip there is complete until I thoroughly scour the book section!).  It sounded like a cute, light read, which I like to intersperse between my heavier reads. I loved the book!  The story was interesting, cute, and romantic.  I loved reading about all the food the Lou is cooking and all the places Lou and Al went to.  A well, written, fun read! A bonus was that it is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!  I love Milwaukee!  I lived there when I was in 5th and 6th grades and go back to visit from time to time.  It is a great city and was so much fun to read about.

My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry by Fredrik Backman

I picked up this book mostly because I has read A Man Called Ove and really enjoyed that story.  It was full of quirky, interesting characters and Ove himself was a bit different. This book was also full of really interesting characters that were a joy to read about.  The little girl that is the main character was, like Ove, a bit different and kind of set apart from the main stream.  The girl's grandmother was wacky and full of life.  The relationship between the girl and her grandmother was very close; the grandmother would watch out for the girl and help cheer her up in the most interesting ways when she had a bad day.  The building where she lived was full of characters that were revealed over the course of the book.  Like a Man Called Ove, Backman  revealed details about the story, bit by bit, but was able to hold our attention because of the strength of the characters and the interesting, quirky girl.

I didn't like the fairytales that were a large part of the book, I struggled to pay attention to the details as I was reading them and only later discovered that I should have been paying attention because they revealed important details about the story.

Overall, a great story and a fun read.  I love reading Backman's characters because they are "different" in the most, fun interesting ways.  Since a lot of people struggle with being "different" or out of the main stream, It is nice to read such great stories featuring people that are "different."

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova

I've seen the movie and the stage production of the book several times and have read other Dickens' books, but had never read A Christmas Carol, so this year I decided it was time to rectify that.  If I was going to read it, I wanted a beautiful, illustrated version to read, so I scoured the internet and found this one by illustrator Yelena Bryksenkova and it is perfect.  Beautiful Illustrations, nice thick paper, good binding, and a ribbon place marker all at a pretty reasonable price!  It was a joy to hold and read.

I'm not going to say a lot about the book--everyone pretty much knows the story!  I enjoyed the book and was glad I took the time to read the book instead of just watching the movie.  It is a great story to remind us to be kind to other people, to think of others, and to help those who need help.  A good thing to keep in mind, especially at Christmas time. 

October Reads - The Gunslinger; The Dark Tower I by Stephen King

So, the kids and I watched The Dark Tower movie this summer and we were left with more questions than answers.  I realized that I would have to read the book if I wanted to know what the heck was going on in the movie, so I ordered a copy of the book from the library and after reading the book, I can now see that the movie reflected the books.  I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON!

     I have read, I think, 2 other Stephen King books and enjoyed them, but wasn't crazy about them and this was no different.  I just can't fall into a Stephen King book and be completely submersed, which makes it, at times, difficult to get through. I can see now that he is setting up for a long story.  The main character, Roland, keeps flashing back to his childhood and we get little bits and pieces of the story as the book goes along. 

     In the end, it was an interesting book.  I don't really have any answers to the questions the movie posed.  I'm unsure if I will pick up the next book.  The book is a bit dark, which to me makes it depressing and I typically like a more uplifting read.   

A Dance with Dragons, A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5 by George R.R. Martin

I finally finished this one all 959 pages!  I actually started it a year or more ago and stopped about half way through.  What's the hurry I thought, it's not like George R.R. Martin is going to release the next book anytime soon?  I originally wanted to read the book before I watched the show it was based on, but that didn't happen, finally I decided that I was going to finish it during summer break. A problem I had reading this is that it is just so HUGE!  I had trouble holding it upright while reading in bed and it was too heavy to bring to appointments and on trips, so it sat at home unread.

I love this series!  I love George R.R. Martin and his complex, detailed wonderful world!  I do wish there was a bit less misogyny, but I do understand that it is a medieval world and like our own medieval history, women were treated that way.  It doesn't make it any more pleasant to read about however.

Anyone who enjoys the show should read the books, they are so much better.  There is so much in the books that they just couldn't put on screen.  Well worth the time spent reading it.  This book represents, for me, why I read.  It takes us away to a different, time and place and immerses us in a detailed, interesting story.  I spend a lot of time just thinking about the story--a true sign of a good book!

August Read! The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown

I bought this as my backup vacation book (it wouldn't be much of a vacation if I ran out of things to read).  My parents took me to Paris when I was in my 20's, so the book intrigued me enough I picked it up, plus I read the author's other book The Weird Sisters and enjoyed it.

I liked the book okay.  It switched back and forth from the 1920's to 1999 timeline.  That didn't bother me (which it often does).  I enjoyed both timeline's stories and characters and the descriptions of Paris were great and fun to read.  What I didn't like was the constant, endless, and very repetitive self-doubt and self-criticism of both main characters.  ENOUGH ALREADY!

The author has an anthology of short stories about Paris and a Paris travel book coming out, but I couldn't find anything about a follow-up book.  I think there is another book that could be told about Madeleine's trip to Paris and her self-discovery.

June Reads! A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I devoured this book!  It really touched me, I laughed out loud, I identified with Ove at times, and I was sad at times.  It did all the things a book should do.  I can't praise it enough!

My mom recommended this book it wasn't the type of book I normally read, but it sounded interesting.  Right after that I saw that the book club I attend, when I am able, to is reading it, so I decided it was fate and requested it from the online library for my Kindle app. Unfortunately, it took months to come in and I missed the book club meeting. Well, it finally came in and I happily started reading and pretty much didn't put it down until it was finished.

Ove intrigued me right away with his organized, persnickety ways.  The things that annoyed him seemed both funny and fairly reasonable, if not a bit over the top.   The story of Ove's life unfolded slowly a bit at a time through going back and forth between the present and flash backs of the past. Normally this would annoy me, but in this book I wanted to learn more about Ove, so the flashbacks were interesting to me as well.  To me, Ove seemed like he was on the high-functioning end of the Autism spectrum and I loved the relationship he had with his wife.

The author's style of writing tragic, unhappiness in a way that makes you laugh reminded me a bit of Angela's Ashes.  (Although, that book was a true story and this is fiction.)  I finished the book with a satisfied sigh, a bit sad at the end, but not unbearably so.  A great book about our relationships with other people and how we persevere after tragedy.      

I have heard there is a Swedish language movie of the book out.  I'm off to figure out how to watch it.

Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett

Selection of the United Methodist Women's 2012 Reading Program

Education for Mission Category

Fiction

This book is about four women and one teenager making a life changing mission trip to South Africa.  The women each sign up for the trip for selfish reasons and end up being humbled and moved by the people they meet.  Through their work with others who have so much less than they do, they realize that they need to learn to let go and rely on God and have faith in his plans for us. 

I love Christian fiction, the stories are a way for us to learn how to live as a Christian in an entertaining way.  This books tells a good story; I really wanted to know what happened to the women, but more than that it had a good lesson.  It also told the story of the people of South Africa in a way that allowed us to truly imagine the roughness of life there.  We have all heard the facts, but reading a story about individuals allows us to truly empathize. 

I also LOVE the United Methodist Women's Reading Program.  Look for a separate entry about it.

Beaded Hope is a real organization.  Go to www.beadedhope.com

 

Our Mission

Beaded Hope's mission is to fight HIV/AIDS one person at a time by providing South Africans with the opportunity to earn an income, support their families and nurture their creativity while preserving age-old African beadwork traditions.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

This book started off slow; it took me a while to get into it.  When I finally did, I couldn't put it down.  I really, really liked it.  First, it is about three sisters.  This is great for two reasons, because I have two sisters and because there are so few books about women being friends with women (or in this case their sisters).  Second, it's a book about a family who loves to read.  I love reading about people who read (is that too obsessive?).  The story of how the three women mess up their lives and come together again is believable, interesting, and hopeful.  It's a great book. 

Ape House by Sarah Gruen

A woman, who's life is researching bonobos and language, has her world turned upside down when the lab is bombed.  A reporter with job and wife problems sets out to redeem his career by tracking the story.

I really liked the story.  It is filled with true, interesting details about bonobos and ape cruelty.  I realized it is a transparent animal rights statement, but since I mostly agree with it, I didn't mind.  What I did mind, however, was that the story was going along fine, when the author suddenly ended the book.  It should have been much longer.  She set up this interesting story and then wrapped it up in just a few pages, leaving me feeling like the story shouldn't be finished yet.