Fiction Review: The People of the Book

One of the best books I’ve read all year, The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is a fascinating historical fiction based on the true story of a unique Hebrew book that has survived centuries. The Sarajevo Haggadah, as it’s known, resurfaced in 2001 after many assumed it had been lost in the looting and shelling of the recent Bosnian war. This wasn’t the first time this book beat the odds – it also survived the burning of Jewish books by the Nazis during World War II and the Spanish Inquisition, among other violent historical events. Brooks takes the facts of the Sarajevo Haggadah – which are, in and of themselves, a fascinating story – and fills in the missing pieces with a cast of remarkable characters and a bit of imagination. The main character is Hannah Heath, an expert in conserving old books. The story opens when Hannah is asked to work on the Haggadah when it resurfaces after the war. Here, she inspects the book carefully for the first time:

"I slipped the scalpel under the thread, and the codex eased apart into its precious folios. I lifted the first one. A tiny speck of something fluttered from its binding. Carefully, with a sable brush, I moved it onto a slide and passed it under the microscope. Eureka. It was a tiny fragment of insect wing, translucent, veined. We live in a world of arthropods, and maybe the wing came from a common insect and wouldn‘t tell us anything. But maybe it was a rarity, with a limited geographic range. Or maybe it was from a species now extinct. Either would add knowledge to the history of the book. I placed it in a glassine envelope and labeled it with a note of its position."

Hannah’s work is like CSI for book lovers. While she’s painstakingly caring for the book, she’s also using clues like the insect wing to piece together parts of its history. She consults with various experts to analyze those clues; her work is fascinating. In addition, we get to know Hannah as a person – someone with mother issues and friends and a fair amount of loneliness. Interwoven with Hannah’s story in the present day are the stories of various parts of the book’s history – how those clues came to be in the Haggadah. So, throughout the book, we meet the young Jewish woman and Muslim man who saved the book from the Nazis, the Catholic priest who approved the book and saved it from the pope’s Inquisition in the 1600’s, and even the artist who created the book. It’s a unique and imaginative construct that makes a captivating real-life story even more intriguing. Brook’s writing is, as always, beautiful and moving. She makes you care about the characters and the Haggadah. I loved March, her historical novel about the father from Little Women during the Civil War, and People of the Book lived up to my high expectations. This is also a wonderful book for book clubs. In my neighborhood book group, everyone enjoyed the novel, and it inspired some wonderful discussions on a wide variety of topics. 

 

372 pages, Penguin

Penguin Audio

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

 

Or you can order People of the Book from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Happy Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

In celebration of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, here are my answers to today's meme. The idea is to be brief, so here goes:

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Not usually, though I like to have a cup of herbal tea or decaf mint green tea.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
Can't bring myself to write in non-textbooks. Post-It Page Markers do the trick!

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Both.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
Ends of chapters...and then often onto the next chapter - so hard to put a good book down!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I know I should but... Again, Post-It Page Markers are awesome for this!

What are you currently reading?
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs for a book group.

What is the last book you bought?
Trying not to spend money but succumbed today and bought Olive Kitteridge while shopping for birthday gifts.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
Can only read one at a time, but often have an audio book going at the same time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
In bed, before naptime (medically necessary) and bedtime. Also on sick days.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Either.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
My faves: Replay by Ken Grimwood, Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
ha ha ha...that's a good one. We have books stacked all over the house, and all the bookcases are full!

Top Ten Book Group Books

TEN FOR TUESDAY

I currently belong to two book groups and used to go to two others that have now disbanded. The books on this week’s list are ones that were not only enjoyed by most, if not all, group members but that generated great discussions, too. I tried to skip over the obvious choices – everyone knows that The Kite Runner and To Kill A Mockingbird are great for book groups – to include some that you may not have read yet.

Need a good selection for your book group? Try one of these (links to reviews are provided where available):

• March by Geraldine Brooks (civil war novel about the father from Little Women)
• River of Doubt by Candice Millard (NF - Teddy Roosevelt’s journey up the Amazon)
• The Innocent Man by John Grisham (NF – man on death row is innocent)
• Infidel by Aayan Hirsi Ali (memoir by Muslim woman in Africa and Middle East)
• The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar (novel about class differences in India)
• Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Glidner (hilarious memoir about growing up in the 50’s)
• Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (novel about woman in Germany during WWII)
• The Nine by Jeffrey Toomis (NF – about Supreme Court)
• China Run by David Ball (suspenseful novel about a Chinese adoption)
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (fictionalized story of a Hebrew book that survived centuries)

So, I have another book group discussion next week and can use some more good ideas – what books do you recommend for book groups?

P.S. If you like Top Ten lists, check out my son's new list of Top Ten Fantasy Series at Great Books for Kids and Teens.

It's Monday, 9/14! What Are you Reading?

(What are you reading Mondays is sponsored by J. Kaye's Book Blog)

Whew, it's late afternoon already. Crazy-busy Monday morning, getting the kids off to school and myself to New Jersey for a doctor's appointment. The good side of the long drive? Audio books, of course!

This week:

• I finished The Siren Song by Anne Ursu, book two of a wonderful middle-grade series about two modern kids battling real-life Greek gods. I'm just about finished with the final book of the trilogy, The Immortal Fire, and I didn't want to put it down to write this post!
• I'm listening to the audio book The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells, author of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books. Her latest novel is heartwarming and fabulous, set in one of my favorite places on earth, Louisiana, and the narrator is perfect.

I've gotten a bit behind with reviews because I was very sick for the past two weeks, but hopefully this week will be better. Look for reviews both here and at Great Books for Kids and Teens and check out my new feature, Quote It Saturday.

What are YOU reading this week?

Quote It Saturday 9/12

I just read a new feature at The Chick Who Reads - Quote It Saturday, featuring a favorite book quote. I like this idea so much that I decided to adopt it immediately! I keep a journal of favorite book quotes (at least when I remember to write them down!), so this should be pretty easy and lots of fun. My first Saturday quote is one of the first ones in my quote journal, but it's also timely since the movie version of this book was out this summer...

Life sometimes gets so bogged down in the details, you forget you are living it. There is always another appointment to be met, another bill to pay, another symptom presenting, another uneventful day to be notched onto the wooden wall. We have synchronized our watches, studied our calendars, existed in minutes, and completely forgotten to step back and see what we've accomplished.

- Sara, in My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

This quote really hit home with me. I should probably read it once a week to remind myself to see the big picture. It's so easy to get bogged down in the mundane details of every day.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Memoir Review: In My Heart

I chose to read In My Heart by Ursula Hanks because this memoir seemed to mirror some of what my husband and I are going through right now. Hanks writes about taking care of her aging parents, as her mother deteriorates quickly with Alzheimer’s to the point that her 88-year old father can no longer take care of her by himself. They live with Hanks and her husband for awhile until her mother needs to go into a care home.

This story parallels our own to some degree. My husband’s parents are also in their 80’s, and we’ve watched his mom deteriorate with Parkinson’s disease. My father-in-law was taking care of her by himself in their home (we live 2000 miles away) until last year, when she fell and broke her hip and could no longer stand. She’s in a nursing home now.

Hanks perfectly describes the tumultuous feelings associated with all of these changes. She writes about her own dismay at her mother’s downward spiral, her desire to want to take care of her parents, and the difficulty of becoming a caregiver to the people who used to take care of you. She also describes her father’s deep love for her mother and desire to take care of her, as well as his frustration and sadness as she gets worse.

Here, she describes how her mother’s worsening snuck up on them:

Maybe because our family had visited Mom and Dad so frequently, we didn’t really notice the decline in Mom’s ability to do the things she had always done so effortlessly. When she talked about losing something and not being able to remember things, we chalked it up to normal old age symptoms and reassured her that even younger people forget things also. To restore her confidence, I even told Mom the joke that “you don’t have Alzheimer’s until you forget what you forgot.” Later my heart sank when I realized how lightly I had spoken about such a grave subject. I wondered why I had not paid more attention to the signs, especially since I knew that getting older is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, with one in ten individuals over sixty-five and nearly half over eighty-five affected. Reading about statistics and actually experiencing the reality were somehow a million miles apart.

In between recounting recent events with her parents moving in, Hanks also tells about her family’s history: her parents’ youth in Germany before and during World War II, her own childhood first in Germany and then in the U.S., and her first difficult marriage and experiences parenting her children. Her stories are engaging and help to make her family seem like old friends to readers.

The writing isn’t as polished as other memoirs I’ve read, but her story is powerful and honest, told with warmth and love. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with issues of aging parents.

Outskirts Press, 101 pages

It's Monday 8/7! What Are You Reading?

Happy Labor Day! I, for one, am glad to have an extra day added to the weekend; we had a busy weekend and I need the extra day to recover. I had a good reading week, though. I have to admit that after I finished my book group book, I chose my next two books based solely on the size of their spines! My stacks of books to be read and reviewed are so overwhelmingly high that I decided to try to knock out a couple of extras this week by choosing the shortest books in the stack. My strategy paid off - I finished several books and enjoyed them all. So, here's the run-down:

• I finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for my book group. I loved this book - it was the fascinating story of an ancient Hebrew book that survived centuries and was filled with interesting characters. I know several of you are waiting for the review, but I'm going to wait to post it until after our book group meeting on Wednesday so I can include the impressions of the whole group.
• For my first short selection, I read a memoir, In My Heart, by Ursula Hanks. Hanks tells the story of taking care of her declining parents, with flashbacks to their (and her) earlier life. This book really touched me.
• Next, I chose a (short) teen novel, Bounce by Natasha Friend. This was also very good, telling the story of how 13-year old Evyn tries to adjust to her instant new family when her Dad remarries.
• Now I'm reading The Siren Song, the second book in the middle-grade series The Chronus Chronicles by Anne Ursu. My son and I both loved Ursu's first book, The Shadow Thieves, about how two ordinary kids battle with real Greek Gods to try to save the world. When I finish this one, I'll read the final book in the series, The Immortal Fire. I love Ursu's witty, clever writing and suspenseful plots.

Last week, I posted a review of On the Road, the 1950's road trip classic, as well as my own Top Ten List of Books That Taught Me Something. Stop by and tell me about your favorite enlightening books!

With the hectic start of school last week, I got a bit behind on my other book blog, Great Books for Kids and Teens, but look for new reviews this week.

So, what are YOU reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is sponsored by J. Kaye's Book Blog).

Fiction Review: On the Road

My family loves our road trips. Every summer, we take long road trips from the East Coast to Oklahoma or South Dakota to visit family, making stops along the way, seeking out cool roadside diners, and enjoying the freedom of the road. I’d heard that On the Road by Jack Kerouac was the quintessential road trip novel, so I started it during a shorter trip to New York State two weeks ago.

The novel, which was autobiographical, centers on budding writer Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac) and his friend, Dean Moriarty, who take various cross-country trips, exploring America. In between trips, Sal lives a somewhat normal life, writing (and publishing) a novel and living with his aunt in New York City. Dean is a wild younger man who grew up partly in reform school and who strives to live life to its fullest. This exciting philosophy draws Sal in and entices him to follow Dean cross country.

Sal hitchhikes on his first trip from New York to Denver and, later, on to San Francisco. He travels by bus, train, and by catching rides with strangers, traveling through small towns and open countryside. Later, he and Dean travel together in Dean’s car, visiting friends across the U.S., partying hard, and living life. Here, after Dean’s car died, they’ve gotten a ride with some strangers in exchange for gas money, and talk excitedly about their life philosophy from the backseat:

“Oh, man! man! man!” moaned Dean. “And it’s not even the beginning of it – and now here we are at last going east together, we’ve never gone east together, Sal, think of it, we’ll dig Denver together and see what everybody’s doing although that matters little to us, the point being that we know what IT is and we know TIME and we know that everything is really FINE.” Then he whispered, catching my sleeve, sweating, “Now you just dig them in front. They have worries, they’re counting the miles, they’re thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they’ll get there – and all the time they’ll get there anyway, you see. But they need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny, their souls really won’t be at peace unless they can latch onto an established and proven worry and having once found it they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them no end.

As you can see, On the Road features a unique writing style. First published in 1955, the novel has been said to define the beat generation, and, apparently, Dean became something of a cult figure. Kerouac’s writing varies between vivid descriptions of the towns and cities and scenery they travel through and rambling dialogue, like what I’ve quoted above. There are also long descriptions of jazz or “bop” as they refer to it, as they go to all-night jazz clubs in New York and San Francisco.

This was certainly different from any novel I’ve ever read before. The road trips – filled with hitchhiking, partying, and all-night driving – were quite different from the family road trips we take every year, but I still enjoyed the idea of traveling and exploring the country that the novel illustrates. I also enjoyed reading about the time period – set in the late 40’s – ands especially details of the cars, the towns, and the prices. I’m glad I read this classic.

Penguin Classics, 307 pages.

Top Ten Books That Taught Me Something

With school back in session, I have a little more time to write, so I wanted to get back to my Ten for Tuesdays feature, with my Top Ten Books That Taught Me Something.

These are books that educated while they entertained, books that introduced me to new ideas, new people, and new places. These are the books that taught me something about the world, made me think, and changed my outlook in some way. It wasn’t very hard to make this list (though I did have to trim it down to 10) because all of these books left a lasting impression on me in some way. In no particular order, here are those life-changing books with a brief note of their subject (and links to reviews where available):

• The Anatomy of Hope by Dr. Jerome Groopman (hope in the face of chronic illness; this book did literally change my life)
• The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan and muslims)
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan)
• Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter (foster care)
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (school shooting)
• Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (middle east and Africa, muslim women)
• An Innocent Man by John Grisham (death penalty)
• Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire (Cuba’s revolution)
• The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper (Liberia, Africa)
• Jantzen’s Gift by Pam Cope (children in Vietnam, Cambodia, Ghana)

How about you? What books have taught you, inspired you, and changed your perceptions?

It’s Monday 8/31! What Are You Reading?

We had a wonderful last week of summer, packed full of fun and friends. My 11-year old son starts back to school this morning, and his 15-year old brother goes back on Wednesday. And for me, it’s back to work! I hardly got any writing done at all this summer, so it’s time to catch up. Meanwhile, it was another good reading week:

• I finished On the Road by Jack Kerouac and will post a review this week.
• I couldn’t wait any longer and asked my son if he minded if I read The Prophet of Yonwood (book 3 in the Book of Ember) before he did, after we gave it to him for his birthday last week. It turned out to be a prequel to the first book and just as good as the first two. I'll review it this week at Great Books for Kids and Teens.
  
• I started People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for one of my book groups. It’s been on my want-to-read list for awhile, and so far I’m enjoying it very much. I loved her novel, March, also read for the same book group.

Last week, I posted a review of Julie & Julia at this blog and a review of a wonderful middle-grade audio book, Freaky Monday, at Great Books for Kids and Teens.

So, what are YOU reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is sponsored by J. Kaye's Book Blog).

Memoir Review: Julie & Julia

I’ve been fascinated by Julie & Julia ever since I first heard about it (before it also became a hit movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams). After all, this story combines two of my passions – cooking and blogging. In case you’ve been living in a cave this past month and somehow missed the movie ads shown on TV every 10 minutes, Julie & Julia is a memoir by Julie Powell, a self-described “government drone by day, renegade foodie by night.”

Feeling trapped in a dull job and anxious about her quickly approaching 30th birthday, Julie decided to cook her way through Julia Child’s first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking (referred to by Julie as MtAoFC), in a year within the confines of her tiny NY-area kitchen and blog about the experience. Here, the glimmer of this idea begins to form during a visit to her mother’s house:

Oh, God. It really was true, wasn’t it? I really was a secretary.

When I looked up from MtAoFC for the first time, half an hour after I opened it, I realized that deep down, I’d been resigned to being a secretary for months – maybe even years.

That was the bad news. The good news was that the buzzing in my head and queasy but somehow exhilarating squeeze deep in my belly were reminding me that I might still, after all, be something else.

Do you know Mastering the Art of French Cooking? You must, at least, know of it – it’s a cultural landmark, for Pete’s sake. Even if you just think of it as the book by that lady who looks like Dan Aykroyd and bleeds a lot, you know of it. But do you know the book itself? Try to get your hands on one of the early hardback editions – they’re not exactly rare. For awhile there, every American housewife who could boil water had a copy, or so I’ve heard.

I enjoyed Powell’s honest writing style and sense of humor as she examined her life and set out to accomplish her unusual goal. Be warned, though, if you’re easily offended, that she can swear like a sailor and takes pleasure in bashing the Republicans that she works with. I found those passages some of her most amusing but not everyone shares that sense of humor.

I did occasionally find Powell a bit whiney, but I enjoyed her memoir overall. Her cooking escapades were both interesting and amusing, though I can’t say I really identified with her passion for MtAoFC. I love to cook and understood why she set out on this venture but just didn’t get the appeal of making things like cold poached eggs in aspic, sweetbreads, and liver (something Powell is passionate about). To me, this particular cookbook is outdated. But to each her own. I admire what Powell set out to do and was entertained by her tale.

As a fellow blogger, I was also fascinated by the story of the book itself. When Powell embarked on this project, she didn’t even know what a blog was. She started her blog at her husband’s suggestion to keep her family and friends informed about her cooking project, but her blog took on a life of its own, with a rapidly growing and passionate audience. Out of the blue, magazines, newspapers, and TV news started calling her to cover her story, and she eventually got a book deal that turned into a hit movie. It’s an amazing story, and, ultimately, undertaking this project ended up changing Powell’s life dramatically. I was curious enough to look for and read her original Julie/Julia Project blog and found an article about her path from blogger to best-selling writer very interesting. And, if you're interested, you can also follow Powell's current blog, post-best-selling author. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie!

P.S. If you’ve read Julie & Julia, Barney’s Book Blog will be hosting a book discussion of it this Sunday, August 30. Stop by and join in!

It's Monday 8/24! What Are You Reading?

Hello! We took a mini vacation last week, so I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been reading some good books!

• After watching the movie The City of Ember, I was inspired to finally read the middle-grade books my son had been recommending. I loved The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau and quickly devoured book 2, The People of Sparks. In a fit of selfishness disguised as generosity, I bought my son book 3, The Prophet of Yonwood, for his birthday last week! Do I have to wait for him to read it first?
• Since we were heading off on another summer road trip (a short one this time), I decided to read Jack Kerouac's 1955 road trip classic, On the Road. I'm almost finished and have enjoyed it, though it's very different from the contemporary books I normally read.
• In the car, we listened to the start of a wonderful new kids' series, Eric Rex: the Dragon's Eye by Kaza Kingsley. It's about a boy suddenly thrust into a magical world, and we all loved it. Even after arriving home, the kids wanted to start listening to the second book.

In the category of books made into movies...

• We watched the movie version of Inkheart, a favorite family book. The movie was very well-done, and my 15-year old son Jamie says that the next books in the series, Inkspell and Inkdeath are even better! So many good books to read and so little time...
• My husband and I watched The Nanny Diaries, which is also based on a book. I haven't read the book, but the movie was pretty good.

Last week, I posted reviews of Benny & Shrimp, a Swedish love story of opposites attracting, and Building a Home with My Husband, a wonderful memoir by Rachel Simon.

So, what are YOU reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is sponsored by J. Kaye's book blog)

Memoir Review: Building a Home with My Husband

Years ago, I enjoyed reading Rachel Simon’s memoir, Riding the Bus With My Sister, for one of my book groups, so I was glad to hear she had a new book out, Building a Home With My Husband: A Journey Through the Renovation of Love. I wanted to read it but didn’t expect to be able to relate to it very much. After all, it’s about Simon and her husband undertaking major renovations on their city rowhouse – something I’ve had no experience with, living out here in the suburbs in a newer home.

As with her previous book, though, Simon surprised me. I had forgotten about her talent for taking unique events from her own life and finding within them some basic truths about all human existence. That’s what she does in her new memoir; she uses the process of renovation as a metaphor for life and love, and, in the process, makes some very astute observations. Not only could I relate to her account, but by the time I finished the book, it was so full of Post-It flags, I could barely manage to turn the pages. I wanted to remember all of the amazing insights she wrote about and apply them to my own life.

In addition to being insightful, Simon’s writing is clever and eloquent. In one of many of my favorite passages, she talks about her sister’s preparations to visit their ailing mother, with whom they’ve had a difficult past relationship:

When Hal and I return from our walk, I plunge right in and dial my sister Laura. Days away from flying across the country to visit our mother so one of us can see the situation firsthand, Laura has been far more decisive about what clothing she should pack than about what emotions she will need. We know it would be wise if she could wedge patience, kindness, and acceptance into her suitcase, though we’re aware that space will be limited, given the well-worn disappointments and annoyances, and so many still-in-the-package fears.

I happen to be preparing for a visit with my own extended family this week, and these sentences are pure genius – what a perfectly apt metaphor.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Simon and I have a lot in common. She lives in Wilmington, DE, just a few miles from us, she’s a writer, and best of all, she’s very introspective, always analyzing what’s going on in her life and seeking to better herself. I enjoy this kind of reflection, too.

I really loved this memoir. It was both entertaining and thought-provoking, and I look forward to whatever writing project Simon tackles next.

Dutton Adult, 253 pages

Fiction Review: Benny & Shrimp

Benny & Shrimp, by Swedish author Katarina Mazetti, is a sweet and funny love story about two people who are wildly attracted to each other but who have little in common. This novel surprised me, made me laugh, and kept me turning the pages way past bedtime.

Desirée (aka Shrimp) is a well-educated librarian who lives in an all-white apartment in town and enjoys books, opera, and vegetarian food. Benny is a farmer who left high school to take over his parents’ dairy farm and is in desperate need of a farmer’s wife who can cook and clean and help him take care of the farm.

The two first meet at the cemetery, where Desirée’s late husband and Benny’s parents are in adjoining plots. They are each immediately annoyed with the other, but their distaste quickly changes into passion. Their story is told from both of their points of view, in alternating chapters, which adds to the fun as the reader sees first-hand how they each see the same event from completely different perspectives. Here’s Desirée’s first impression of Benny at his parents’ grave:

Next to Örjan’s stone there’s a really tasteless gravestone, an absolute monstrosity. White marble with swirly gold lettering; angels, roses, birds, words on garlands of ribbon, even a salutary little skull and scythe. The grave itself is as crowded with plants as a garden center. On the headstone are a man’s name and a woman’s name with similar dates of birth, so it must be a child honoring his father and mother in an overly lavish way.

A few weeks ago I saw the bereaved by the monstrosity for the first time. He was a man of about my age, in a loud, quilted jacket and a padded cap with earflaps. Its peak went up in the front, American-style, and had a logo saying FOREST OWNER’S ALLIANCE. He was eagerly raking and digging his little plot.

And Benny’s first impression of her:

Going to the grave is my only breathing space, and even then I never feel I can just sit there thinking. I have to rake and plant and weed before I can let myself sit down.

And then she’s there.

Faded, like some old color photo that’s been on display for years. Dried-out blond hair, a pale face, white eyebrows and lashes, wishy-washy pastel clothes, always something vaguely blue or beige. A beige person. The total insolence of her – it would only take a bit of make-up or bright jewelry to let the people around her know that here’s someone who at least cares what you see and what you think of me. All her paleness says is: I don’t give a damn what you think; I don’t so much as notice you.

It might seem odd that they are soon drawn to each other, but who hasn’t experienced a relationship where pure attraction overrode more rational considerations? I really came to care for these two misfits and was rooting for them to somehow work it all out. For me, that’s the mark of a good novel – when the author can make me care about the characters and what happens to them.

I have one minor complaint, a trivial thing that drove me a little crazy. The cover and all the promotional material for this book and many passages within the book describe the two main characters as “middle-aged,” but just a few pages into the novel, I discovered that they’re both about 35! If that’s middle-aged, I must have one foot in the grave at 44! Perhaps they just use the term “middle-aged” differently in Sweden than we do here.

In any case, that is a small thing, and once I adjusted to the fact that the lovers were in their 30’s and not their 50’s, I loved the book. In fact, I think the translation was otherwise excellent because the novel was very well written, and I never felt any cultural rift due to its taking place in Sweden. After all, love is a universal experience.

Penguin, 224 pages.

It's Monday 8/10! What Are You Reading?

(sponsored by J. Kaye's Book Blog)

I had a very enjoyable reading week.

• I finished Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti, a Swedish love story, and enjoyed it very much. I'll post a review of it this week.
• I read Julie & Julia by Julie Powell in honor of its movie release last week. It was an intriguing memoir made even more fascinating by the fact that Julie started a blog a few years ago - much like all of us here! - and is now a best-selling author.
• I started The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau, a middle-grade novel. We watched the movie with the kids over the weekend which inspired me to finally read the book - my older son, Jamie, had told me it was very good (along with its sequel). He was right!

I'll post reviews this week for both Benny & Shrimp and Building a House with My Husband this week, then I'll be off on vacation for a few days - another chance to listen to some great audio books!

What are YOU reading this week?

Fiction Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper

I laughed all the way up the New Jersey Turnpike last week (an unusual occurrence!), thanks to the hilarious audio book, I Love You, Beth Cooper, by Larry Doyle. The book is read by Paul Rust, who also plays the role of the main character in the movie that was released in July.

Most people are already familiar with the basic plot from the endless TV commercials for the movie. Denis Cooverman, valedictorian of his high school class and captain of the debate team, stuns his classmates and their guests when he announces during his valedictorian address that he is in love with the ultra-popular head cheerleader, Beth Cooper. Denis has sat behind Beth in almost every class but has never actually spoken to her (except to lend a pencil once), and Beth is barely even aware of who Denis is.

The book takes place during the rest of graduation day and into the night. Denis and his best friend, Rich Munsch, hope Beth and her friends will stop by for Denis’ graduation party (a sad affair consisting of snacks and just two guests – Denis and Rich), but they don’t count on Beth’s menacing boyfriend, Kevin, who’s on leave from the Army to attend Beth’s graduation. What ensues is, as you might imagine, silly, outrageous, and farcical…and also very, very funny!

Listening to this book brought back memories of all those John Hughes’ high school movies of the 80’s, like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. All the classic stereotypes are there – the geeky guy who lusts after the popular girl, the quirky best friend who’s not sure whether or not he’s gay, the jealous boyfriend whose neck is larger than his IQ. And of course, there’s the huge, out-of-control party at the rich kid’s house whose parents are out of town and a few car chases, just for fun. The book is filled with alcohol, drugs, sex, and cursing, so you might want to skip this one if you’re easily offended.

By now, you’re probably thinking this book sounds silly and a bit trite. Apparently, that’s what most critics thought of the movie version (I haven’t seen it). I don’t usually go for those types of silly comedies, but I found this book absolutely hilarious. Doyle’s writing is clever and sharp (he’s written for The Simpsons), and his liberal use of movie quotes and pop-culture references adds to the fun. My face hurt from smiling so much by the time I’d finished, and I got plenty of strange looks for laughing hysterically all alone in my car. It was a wonderfully entertaining way to while away a tedious drive.

HarperAudio

Listen to a sample of the audio book.

It's Monday 8/3! What Are You Reading?

Lots of audio last week again because I drove up to my mom's house in Connecticut to pick up my kids. Some good paper books, too!

• I finished Building a House with My Husband by Rachel Simon and enjoyed it very much. I'll post a review this week.
• I started Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti, and I like it very much - more than I expected to. It's a novel about finding love, originally written in Sweden.
• In the car, I listened to I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle and laughed out loud all the way to Connecticut! Hilarious novel about high school graduation night - I'm looking forward to seeing the movie now. I'll review this one this week, too.
• The kids and I finished Freaky Monday by Mary Rodgers and Heather Hach. It was excellent, a great follow-up to the original Freaky Friday, with excellent reading by Jennifer Stone (who plays Harper on the Disney Channel hit Wizards of Waverly Place). My boys and I enjoyed it very much, but it will be especially appreciated by tween girls.

What are YOU reading this week?

Memoir Review: Jantsen’s Gift

I received an advanced review copy of the memoir, Jantsen’s Gift by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy, quite a few months back. Every time I went to my bookshelf to choose a new book to read, I passed it up, until I finally felt guilty for neglecting to review it for so long. I’m glad I finally read this inspiring story.

I know why I avoided it for so long. From the back cover, I knew that the memoir begins with the sudden death of Pam’s 15-year old son. My own son turns fifteen in a few weeks, and I just couldn’t face reading about something so unthinkable. It was difficult to read that first section of the book, but it sets the stage for the rest of Pam’s remarkable story. Once I got past my initial dread, I could scarcely put this compelling book down.

Suffering from a deep and crippling depression after her son’s death, Pam was pondering how to best put her son’s memorial fund to use, when she recalled some close friends who were trying to help a group of orphans in Vietnam:

In early November, Randy and I drove to Fayetteville to meet the Harlans for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and to talk about the decision we had made: We wanted to donate Jantsen’s money to them for their work in Vietnam. They were touched by the idea, but before they accepted Carol looked at me over her tacos.

“You know,” she said, “I’m going to Vietnam over Thanksgiving. Why don’t you guys and Crista come along with us and make sure this is the right place for the money? I don’t know if you’re up for something like this, but why not?”

Vietnam? I knew nothing about the place, other than old stories about the war. It seemed so faraway and foreign. It seemed like the farthest place in the world from Neosho, Missouri, and Thanksgiving dinner and birthday celebrations and family expectations…

I accepted immediately.

That impulsive trip to Vietnam changed not only her own life but also the lives of many children around the world. The more Pam learned about the orphans in Vietnam and other suffering children around the world, the more she felt compelled to help them in whatever way she could. She had never been involved in charity work before, but now she felt as if she could make a difference in the world, one child at a time. Along the way, Pam discovered how to fill a void in her life that had been there long before her son died.

It was difficult to read about some of the things that Pam encountered in her quest: abandoned children with disabilities in Vietnam, very young girls forced to become prostitutes to support their families in Cambodia, and children as young as five years old forced into slavery in Ghana, Africa. But this is not a depressing book; on the contrary, the things that Pam is able to do to help these children are inspiring and uplifting. She takes her own suffering and pain and uses it as motivation to give to others with passion and commitment. And in the process of helping these children, the children help Pam, too.

It’s a heartwarming story that opened my eyes to some of the terrible things that children face around the world but also to the remarkable difference a single person can make. Don’t avoid this story as I did because of its sadness; instead, open yourself to its joys and inspiration and maybe let it change your life, too.

Grand Central Publishing, 320 pages.

Blog Awards

I would like to thank two wonderful fellow book bloggers for honoring my blog with two awards recently. I'm a bit behind in acknowledging these, but that's no reflection on my gratitude!

Thanks to Harvee at Book Bird Dog for giving me the Friendship/Let's Be Friends Award:
Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and befriends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

And another big thanks to Laura at I'm Booking It for giving me the Humane Award:
The Humane Award is to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a regular basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.

Both of these blogs feature well-written reviews and lots of extras, so be sure to check them out!

And now it's my turn to bestow these two awards on other deserving bloggers (who I don't think have received it yet). This was a tough choice because I've "met" so many wonderful book bloggers this year.

So, the Friendship/Let's Be Friends Award goes to:

• Jess at Barney's Book Blog
• Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century
• Katie at Katie's Book Blog
• Kim at Page After Page
• Pam at Pam's Perspective

And, the Humane Award (thanks for all those great comments!) goes to:

• Mary at Bookfan-Mary
• Kristen at Bookworm Kristen
• Connie at Constance Reader's Guide to Throwing Books with Great Force

Be sure to check out these fabulous book blogs!

It's Monday, 7/27! What Are You Reading?

I had a good reading week, filled with lots of audio books because we took a couple of short trips in the car:

• The book I'm currently reading is Building a House With My Husband, a memoir by Rachel Simon. I enjoyed her previous book, Riding the Bus With My Sister, and this one is very good so far, too.
• I listened to a teen audio book, Prism, by the mother-daughter team of Faye and Aliza Kellerman. All I can say is WOW! This book was so good that when I returned home, I immediately stuck the CD into our home stereo and kept listening. I don't think I've ever listened to an audio book in such a short time before. I'll post a review later this week at Great Books for Kids and Teens (though adults will enjoy this one, too).
• We drove our kids to Connecticut to spend a week sailing with their grandparents, and on the way, we all enjoyed listening to Freaky Monday by Mary Rodgers and Heather Hach. This is a sequel to the classic Freaky Friday, and so far, it's great.
• On the way home, my husband and I started a thriller, Black Water Rising, by first-time novelist Attica Locke. We got a little confused when I inserted disk 6 instead of disk 2, but once we got that straightened out, it was much easier to follow! So far, it's a very good story, with elements of murder interwoven with a backstory from the Civil Rights movement.

So, we have a lot of listening to do to finish these last two!

What are YOU reading this week?

(What Are You Reading Mondays is sponsored by www.j-kaye-bookblog.blogspot.com)