Back in 2012 I read The Book Thief and loved it. When Zusak's newest book Bridge of Clay came out I bought it but haven't read it yet and I found and grabbed this one because it was on the infamous Buy 2 Get 1 table at Barnes & Noble. I finally got around to reading it and well it was nothing like Thief. But that's ok. It had something in common, the heart.
When Ed and his friends are in a bank when it is being robbed and he thwarts the robber, in the clumsiest way possible, since Ed isn't brave and isn't a go get em' kind of guy. Ed is a 19 year old pretending to be 20 so he can drive a cab. He has a smelly dog named Doorman and three best friends, Ritchie, Marv, and Audrey. And he happens to be hopelessly in love with Audrey. And until he becomes a "hero" the most interesting thing about him is his blunt honest and his smelly dog. Then he meets an old lady, a couple of rowdy boys, a brute of a man, a priest, a single mom, a young runner with no shoes, and his life changes....
After the robbery he gets a card in the mail, a playing card, the Ace of Diamonds, with addresses written on it. And so begins a life altering road he is set upon. He has to do something, what depends on what is happening where the cards send him. There is a lot of heart, some really good laughs, a goodly dose of snark, and even some tears in Ed's story.
In the end, while it was a totally different beast than Book Thief I really enjoyed I Am The Messenger.
(Finished May 15, 2019)
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Friday, May 10, 2019
If You Come Softly (If You Come Softly #1) by Jacqueline Woodson
I was putting my TBR piles into neater piles so I could take pictures for my friend who challenged people to post their pictures. And it took 4 pictures to get mine, not counting the stacks I have tucked away in my closet. And I found this in the pile so I started it this morning...and I finished it after work this evening. And I am completely gutted!!!
It was a sweet love story between Ellie and Miah. They are two students at a private high school in NYC who meet when they bump into each other, literally, and can't stop thinking about each other. There's a catch though, Ellie is white and Miah is black.
This book is from 1998 and while walking around together and spending time together they notice the looks they get and the comments people make. And Miah thinks about how his dad taught him to never run in a white neighborhood (I wish things were better 20 years later but we all know that not only hasn't it gotten better but has actually gotten worse). Yet they fall in love. And it is sweet. And it is innocent. And you get the feeling it is the real deal.
Ellie meets and really likes Miah's mom. Ellie has real fear about bringing Miah home to meet her family after she mentioned meeting him to her sister and her sister had a really unfortunate reaction. She loves him and wants to protect their love from any harsh words or actions her parents might have.
But then she is ready to tell them. And she is so happy, and so is Miah...
Read this. I can't say more. Just trust me.
(Finished May 10, 2019)
It was a sweet love story between Ellie and Miah. They are two students at a private high school in NYC who meet when they bump into each other, literally, and can't stop thinking about each other. There's a catch though, Ellie is white and Miah is black.
This book is from 1998 and while walking around together and spending time together they notice the looks they get and the comments people make. And Miah thinks about how his dad taught him to never run in a white neighborhood (I wish things were better 20 years later but we all know that not only hasn't it gotten better but has actually gotten worse). Yet they fall in love. And it is sweet. And it is innocent. And you get the feeling it is the real deal.
Ellie meets and really likes Miah's mom. Ellie has real fear about bringing Miah home to meet her family after she mentioned meeting him to her sister and her sister had a really unfortunate reaction. She loves him and wants to protect their love from any harsh words or actions her parents might have.
But then she is ready to tell them. And she is so happy, and so is Miah...
Read this. I can't say more. Just trust me.
(Finished May 10, 2019)
Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet #1) by Roshani Chokshi
After the emotional load of must read that was Internment I needed a good story (as I always hope to be reading with each book I start) that would allow my brain and heart a little respite. While at work I was helping a customer who was shopping for her granddaughter. The granddaughter had requested this book. Rachel my friend and the children's department lead told us that this book was sooooo good. She had read it and loved it and told us some stuff about it. I bought a copy that day for the very purpose of the above mentioned respite. I am so glad I did!!!
Aru lies. Aru is sad. Aru is lonely. And Aru is a heroine.
When Aru tries to impress her schoolmates when they show up at the museum she lives in she starts the end of time. After this colossal mistake Aru has to fix it or else..well or else who knows, but it is apocalyptic, and so off she goes on a quest to save the world with just a pigeon and another 12 year old girl who has a ways she doesn't want to die list that includes death by halitosis on it to help her. Along the way Aru learns about her family history, her inner strength, and the value of friendship and it is a great ride.
Don't let the fact that this is a book from the children's young reader section stop you. It is smart, filled with amazing Indian mythology, fun, adventurous, and worth your time. I would have finished this in a day had I not had parental and work commitments but I was anxious to spend time with Aru and Mini and Boo when I had to put the book down and do other things.
I will visit them again as their series progresses and space them between other reads when I need respite again. I am so glad to have discovered this book and to tell you about it!
(Finished May 10, 2019)
Aru lies. Aru is sad. Aru is lonely. And Aru is a heroine.
When Aru tries to impress her schoolmates when they show up at the museum she lives in she starts the end of time. After this colossal mistake Aru has to fix it or else..well or else who knows, but it is apocalyptic, and so off she goes on a quest to save the world with just a pigeon and another 12 year old girl who has a ways she doesn't want to die list that includes death by halitosis on it to help her. Along the way Aru learns about her family history, her inner strength, and the value of friendship and it is a great ride.
Don't let the fact that this is a book from the children's young reader section stop you. It is smart, filled with amazing Indian mythology, fun, adventurous, and worth your time. I would have finished this in a day had I not had parental and work commitments but I was anxious to spend time with Aru and Mini and Boo when I had to put the book down and do other things.
I will visit them again as their series progresses and space them between other reads when I need respite again. I am so glad to have discovered this book and to tell you about it!
(Finished May 10, 2019)
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Internment by Samira Ahmed
Internment is the second book by the author of the incredible Love, Hate & Other Filters.
This is quite possibly the scariest book I have ever read. It is also without a doubt one of the most important.
What makes it so scary? The fact that it is all too real and possible.
Imagine a world with a President of the United States that supports Nazis, praises white supremacy, makes it ok to hate people who are black and brown and Muslim and Jewish and LGBTQ and incites violence when speaking to crowds.....Oh wait, we live in that world.
But now take it a step further. Imagine that all of his threats and promises are followed through with, Muslims are banned and laws of exclusion are put into place (think Jewish Exclusion Laws in Germany in the 1930's). Imagine that "in the interest of national security" Muslims are forced from their homes into "camps" (sound familiar?).
Would you have the courage to speak out from your place of privilege if you are not part of a marginalized group? Would you have the courage to fight back from within?
Layla is what we should all aspire to be. Strong and brave even as she is terrified.
I have to be honest, I cried a lot reading this but never as hard as I did when reading the Author's Note.
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!! THEN PLEASE TELL OTHERS TO READ IT!!!
(Finished May 5, 2019)
This is quite possibly the scariest book I have ever read. It is also without a doubt one of the most important.
What makes it so scary? The fact that it is all too real and possible.
Imagine a world with a President of the United States that supports Nazis, praises white supremacy, makes it ok to hate people who are black and brown and Muslim and Jewish and LGBTQ and incites violence when speaking to crowds.....Oh wait, we live in that world.
But now take it a step further. Imagine that all of his threats and promises are followed through with, Muslims are banned and laws of exclusion are put into place (think Jewish Exclusion Laws in Germany in the 1930's). Imagine that "in the interest of national security" Muslims are forced from their homes into "camps" (sound familiar?).
Would you have the courage to speak out from your place of privilege if you are not part of a marginalized group? Would you have the courage to fight back from within?
Layla is what we should all aspire to be. Strong and brave even as she is terrified.
I have to be honest, I cried a lot reading this but never as hard as I did when reading the Author's Note.
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!! THEN PLEASE TELL OTHERS TO READ IT!!!
(Finished May 5, 2019)
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Lost Roses (Lilac Girls #2) by Martha Hall Kelly
This is the May Barnes & Noble Bookclub selection and I am leading the discussion next week.
This story is part of a trilogy of books, book 3 being in the works now. In Lilac Girls readers meet Caroline Ferriday during WWII. In Lost Roses readers get the story of her mother Eliza during WWI.
Eliza, her friend Sofya (a wealthy Russian), Sofya's sister Luba, a young poor woman named Varinka, they are our main points of view of what is happening in Russia, Paris, and the US during the Russian revolution that saw the over throwing of Tzar Nicolas (and birthed the fairytale stories about Anastasia).
It was brutal and heart wrenching. In the beginning it is striking at how willing the wealthy are to wear blinders to the suffering of those around them and to hold on to the image of Nicolas as beneficent and loving. So it isn't really all that surprising when the peasant class rises up and tries to take what they have been kept from having, food, medicine, shelter....but as happens in chaos and with no clear guidance or plan, in many places it becomes a bloodbath and doesn't better anyone. In small villages the villagers rise up and overtake the estates and often kill the estate holders, wreck the home and belongings and are left without food again before long. It is a brutal cycle. And in this background is the story of our main characters. Strong women all in their own ways.
Eliza was a real women who really opened her homes in NYC and Southampton to women who fled Russia and made it to the US. She also founded a relief society and tried to make life better for the women and children harmed by the war and revolution.
Lost Roses was an interesting and at times brutal and tense story. It brought the war and the choices people make in unusual times and the consequences of those choices into vivid pictures.
(Finished April 30, 2019)
This story is part of a trilogy of books, book 3 being in the works now. In Lilac Girls readers meet Caroline Ferriday during WWII. In Lost Roses readers get the story of her mother Eliza during WWI.
Eliza, her friend Sofya (a wealthy Russian), Sofya's sister Luba, a young poor woman named Varinka, they are our main points of view of what is happening in Russia, Paris, and the US during the Russian revolution that saw the over throwing of Tzar Nicolas (and birthed the fairytale stories about Anastasia).
It was brutal and heart wrenching. In the beginning it is striking at how willing the wealthy are to wear blinders to the suffering of those around them and to hold on to the image of Nicolas as beneficent and loving. So it isn't really all that surprising when the peasant class rises up and tries to take what they have been kept from having, food, medicine, shelter....but as happens in chaos and with no clear guidance or plan, in many places it becomes a bloodbath and doesn't better anyone. In small villages the villagers rise up and overtake the estates and often kill the estate holders, wreck the home and belongings and are left without food again before long. It is a brutal cycle. And in this background is the story of our main characters. Strong women all in their own ways.
Eliza was a real women who really opened her homes in NYC and Southampton to women who fled Russia and made it to the US. She also founded a relief society and tried to make life better for the women and children harmed by the war and revolution.
Lost Roses was an interesting and at times brutal and tense story. It brought the war and the choices people make in unusual times and the consequences of those choices into vivid pictures.
(Finished April 30, 2019)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab
An interesting start to a series. The world building was mind bending...Three different Londons, Grey where there is no magic, Red where magic thrives, and White where magic has been mostly drained away in a war...and there used to be Black London...what happened there isn't fully fleshed out in this book but what ever happened there was catastrophic....
Lila is a want to be pirate looking to find a better and more adventurous life...
Kell is from Red London and is one of the last full on magic folk who can travel between worlds...
Add in a set-up, a pair of royal siblings wanting to spread their rule beyond their world, a stone with some strange kind of power, and you have the beginnings of an adventure.
I am not sure where this is going, but it was a good ride and I will defiantly be back to see what happens to Lila, I quite liked her.
I hope to get to know her and Kell more because there wasn't a lot of background detail yet. That isn't a criticism, this wasn't an overly long book, clocking in at just under 400 pages so there wasn't a lot of room to go very deep yet. The last series I read was the Throne of Glass series and those were close to a 1000 pages each so there was more in each book and so this was a different type of journey is all I am getting at. I do want more because the pieces of their stories I have so far as left me wanting to learn more about them and figure out who they really are. And I want to know what the heck happened in Black London!!
(Finished March 27, 2019)
Lila is a want to be pirate looking to find a better and more adventurous life...
Kell is from Red London and is one of the last full on magic folk who can travel between worlds...
Add in a set-up, a pair of royal siblings wanting to spread their rule beyond their world, a stone with some strange kind of power, and you have the beginnings of an adventure.
I am not sure where this is going, but it was a good ride and I will defiantly be back to see what happens to Lila, I quite liked her.
I hope to get to know her and Kell more because there wasn't a lot of background detail yet. That isn't a criticism, this wasn't an overly long book, clocking in at just under 400 pages so there wasn't a lot of room to go very deep yet. The last series I read was the Throne of Glass series and those were close to a 1000 pages each so there was more in each book and so this was a different type of journey is all I am getting at. I do want more because the pieces of their stories I have so far as left me wanting to learn more about them and figure out who they really are. And I want to know what the heck happened in Black London!!
(Finished March 27, 2019)
Friday, March 22, 2019
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
I stumbled across this little yet powerful book while shelving one morning last week at work. I didn't realize before that that it was a book. I knew it was a late 90's movie with Kirsten Dunst. The timing was opportune, with Passover coming and my son and I delving into and embracing and learning more about our Jewishness. So I bought it.
Now when I was called it a little book I was being literal, it is small, 166 pages, and a little larger square than a deck of cards, it is small sized. But inside it is huge. The emotion, the fear, the vivid reminder about the importance of remembering and not letting others forget. To paraphrase Eli Wiesel when the witnesses die it is on those that were witness to the telling of the story of those who lived it to keep the memory going, to be witnesses for the witnesses. That is what Hannah learns in such an incredible and powerful way. And she has a mystical trip into the past that last weeks but yet only moments to see for herself. Memory is a powerful thing and if the memory of events like the Holocaust is allowed to slip from memory, from history lessons, we will have allowed 6 million Jews and many, many others, defenders of the Jews, Gays, just about anyone who at the time the Nazi party felt didn't meet their ideas of white, Aryan perfection, to die in vain. We honor their lives and deaths by not letting them be forgotten.
Yolen's method of telling this story, through the eyes of a 13 year old girl who isn't seeing the value of remembering, who doesn't feel connected to her heritage, and placing her in the thick of the camps, it is so very powerful.
(Finished March 21, 2019)
Now when I was called it a little book I was being literal, it is small, 166 pages, and a little larger square than a deck of cards, it is small sized. But inside it is huge. The emotion, the fear, the vivid reminder about the importance of remembering and not letting others forget. To paraphrase Eli Wiesel when the witnesses die it is on those that were witness to the telling of the story of those who lived it to keep the memory going, to be witnesses for the witnesses. That is what Hannah learns in such an incredible and powerful way. And she has a mystical trip into the past that last weeks but yet only moments to see for herself. Memory is a powerful thing and if the memory of events like the Holocaust is allowed to slip from memory, from history lessons, we will have allowed 6 million Jews and many, many others, defenders of the Jews, Gays, just about anyone who at the time the Nazi party felt didn't meet their ideas of white, Aryan perfection, to die in vain. We honor their lives and deaths by not letting them be forgotten.
Yolen's method of telling this story, through the eyes of a 13 year old girl who isn't seeing the value of remembering, who doesn't feel connected to her heritage, and placing her in the thick of the camps, it is so very powerful.
(Finished March 21, 2019)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)