One of my blogging friends, Mae, reminded me of this book when I was reading a new book for adults with the same title. I found a copy at my public liOne of my blogging friends, Mae, reminded me of this book when I was reading a new book for adults with the same title. I found a copy at my public library and I read it yesterday. I remember reading it and loving it when I was a child.
Ben & Me tells the story of the life of Benjamin Franklin as told by his mouse Amos. According to Amos, most everything Franklin is known for was sparked by Amos. Amos, though, seems somewhat oblivious to the unfortunate consequences of his meddling in Franklin's work, and that makes for a humorous book.
I especially loved the wonderful illustrations by the author. It was those illustrations that helped me get through the challenging text, I think. I wonder why more chapter books for children (except for the very popular graphic novels) don't have illustrations these days....more
North Woods is the story of a house, a forest surrounding the house, the acreage around the house, in New England, and the people who occupy it over aNorth Woods is the story of a house, a forest surrounding the house, the acreage around the house, in New England, and the people who occupy it over a time span of hundreds of years. The book is a diverse scrapbook of articles from the past, composed of old photos, a psychiatrist's notes, an article in a true crime magazine, a speech prepared for a historical society, and more, and the characters are a similar hodgepodge of wildly different types, including a clairvoyent, an apple farmer, a set of twins, an enslaved woman, a Puritan couple, a schizophrenic man, and, of course more. The book is a delightful jumble of jigsaw pieces in which it's fun to find that even two or three actually fit together, and where little glimpses of the past are startling and offer a venue for reflection on meaning and purpose....more
Nick is searching for a baby he last saw sixty years ago. Jenny is trying to figure out the next steps of her life after she unexpectedly found herselNick is searching for a baby he last saw sixty years ago. Jenny is trying to figure out the next steps of her life after she unexpectedly found herself dropping out of college. There's a literary guy who bailed on his check at IHOP. And a Museum of Tears in Italy.
Ann Hood lays all these pieces of the puzzle on the table and slowly and carefully puts the puzzle together, with fascinating characters and intriguing stories, set in France and Italy over many years....more
Willie is an eleven-year-old boy living in Nova Scotia in the early 1900s. His father and older brother both work in the coal mines. Willie knows he wWillie is an eleven-year-old boy living in Nova Scotia in the early 1900s. His father and older brother both work in the coal mines. Willie knows he will have to work in the mines when he gets a little older, but he longs to work with what he loves, horses.
This book for me was an eye-opening experience into the lives of people of the past. Accidents in the mine, explosions, dust, poisonous gases, wearying work, consumption---all these were a routine part of life working in the mines....more
Friedrich is the story of the teen years of a Jewish boy in Germany in the 1930s. As the years pass, persecution of Friedrich and his family become moFriedrich is the story of the teen years of a Jewish boy in Germany in the 1930s. As the years pass, persecution of Friedrich and his family become more and more pronounced.
It's an ominous story of how a group can be singled out and persecuted. It begins small and grows. Fear in onlookers that they will be similarly treated can be a powerful deterrent in taking action against the persecutors.
Patricia C. McKissack describes what it was like for her as a young black girl to travel around the city of Nashville during the 1950s in which Jim CrPatricia C. McKissack describes what it was like for her as a young black girl to travel around the city of Nashville during the 1950s in which Jim Crow laws mandated separate schools and bathrooms and restaurants and even benches for black people. Happily, young 'Tricia Ann is on her way to "someplace special," a place where these laws are not in place---the public library.
I was way behind in my BOTM Club orders, and I ended up ordering five books right after Christmas. I researched what I wanted to order a bit, and thisI was way behind in my BOTM Club orders, and I ended up ordering five books right after Christmas. I researched what I wanted to order a bit, and this book was high on others' lists of favorites. I was prepared to be disappointed. But I was not.
Lady Tan's Circle of Women took me right into the life of a woman in fifteenth-century China. Tan Yunxian is our main character, and the story carries us through all the stages in a woman's life in that time---Milk Days, Hair-Pinning Days, Rice-and-Salt Days, and Sitting Quietly. Yunxian suffers all the agonies of girls and women despite being born into a family of high rank, and her story, along with the side stories of all the other women in her life, is deeply compelling.
A few quotes:
“Friendship is a contract between two hearts. With hearts united, women can laugh and cry, live and die together."
“It takes a lifetime to make a friend, but you can lose one in an hour,” she recites. “Life without a friend is life without sun. Life without a friend is death.”
“I wish I were a giant gingko tree hundreds of years old, with the deep roots it takes to stand strong against mighty winds. Instead, I feel like a sapling in a typhoon, desperately trying to hang on.”
“After all, having a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law in the same room is like tying a weasel and a rat together in a sock. The weasel and rat are enemies by nature. The weasel may be larger and have sharper teeth, but the rat is smarter and faster.”
"What surprising pleasure I get from imparting words alongside my mother-in-law. 'Always respect your mother-in-law,' I say. 'Always obey.' Lady Kuo hears this, folds her hands together, and adds in a sweet---mocking?---tone, 'Listen to your mother-in-law, but follow your mother's example: Obey, obey, obey, then do what you want.'"
“But happiness is transient. Yin and yang always struggle for balance, with the darkness of yin sometimes winning and the brightness of yang striving to bring things back into balance.”
“All the sorrows of the world arise from parting, whether in life or by death.”...more
Funny story. I requested this book from the library in preparation for our upcoming book group meeting. It arrived and I read a bit. What? It's Rae's Funny story. I requested this book from the library in preparation for our upcoming book group meeting. It arrived and I read a bit. What? It's Rae's choice, I remembered. Rae is a thoughtful reader. Why would she have chosen this book?
I thought about this, and I thought about this, and days passed, and soon it was just a day or two before the meeting. I had an unexpected afternoon free, and off I went.
Then I got to swimming class, and one of the members of our book club was talking about how carefully she had to read the book. Carefully? The book was published by Harlequin, I thought. Finally, I spoke up, and told her I'd read the book in a couple of hours. Our book club book? she asked. Yes, I said, Radar Girls. Nope, she said as she shook her head. Radio Girls.
I thought Beautiful Ruins was another one of those predictable historical fiction books, with a thwarted romance, set in troubI wasn't expecting this.
I thought Beautiful Ruins was another one of those predictable historical fiction books, with a thwarted romance, set in troubled times, concluding with a happy ending.
No, that's not this story.
There's a man who is reluctantly running his father's hotel in a little-known village in Italy. There's a young actress who shows up in the village, dying. There's a Hollywood producer sent to Italy to save a movie that's running wildly over cost. There's a writer who can't seem to put more down on paper than the first chapter. There's Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. And that's all in the past.
There's a young man, lost to drugs and his efforts to find fame. There's a scriptwriter who is pitching a movie about the Donner expedition. There's a young woman who is tired of the reality of her dream job. And that's all in the present.
All of these storylines come together in a beautifully written novel, a novel of regret and yet also a novel of hope.
Here are a few of my favorite lines:
"And if he wasn’t entirely happy, he wasn’t unhappy, either. Rather, he found himself inhabiting the vast, empty plateau where most people live, between boredom and contentment."
"This is a love story, Michael Deane says. But, really, what isn’t? Doesn’t the detective love the mystery, or the chase, or the nosy female reporter, who is even now being held against her wishes at an empty warehouse on the waterfront? Surely the serial murderer loves his victims, and the spy loves his gadgets or his country or the exotic counterspy. The ice trucker is torn between his love for ice and truck, and the competing chefs go crazy for scallops, and the pawnshop guys adore their junk, just as the Housewives live for catching glimpses of their own Botoxed brows in gilded hall mirrors, and the rocked-out dude on ’roids totally wants to shred the ass of the tramp-tatted girl on Hookbook, and because this is reality, they are all in love—madly, truly—with the body mic clipped to their back buckle, and the producer casually suggesting just one more angle, one more Jell-O shot. And the robot loves his master, alien loves his saucer, Superman loves Lois, Lex, and Lana, Luke loves Leia (till he finds out she’s his sister), and the exorcist loves the demon even as he leaps out the window with it, in full soulful embrace, as Leo loves Kate and they both love the sinking ship, and the shark—God, the shark loves to eat, which is what the mafioso loves, too—eating and money and Paulie and omertà—the way the cowboy loves his horse, loves the corseted girl behind the piano bar, and sometimes loves the other cowboy, as the vampire loves night and neck, and the zombie—don’t even start with the zombie, sentimental fool; has anyone ever been more lovesick than a zombie, that pale, dull metaphor for love, all animal craving and lurching, outstretched arms, his very existence a sonnet about how much he wants those brains? This, too, is a love story."
The Covenant of Water is a big novel, set in Kerala along India's Malabar Coast. It's the story of a family of people who suffer from a curious probleThe Covenant of Water is a big novel, set in Kerala along India's Malabar Coast. It's the story of a family of people who suffer from a curious problem: many people in the family unexpectedly drown.
The story opens with the marriage of a twelve-year-old girl in that family, a girl who comes to be known as Big Ammachi. We learn about Big Ammachi's life and the lives of her new extended family and friends over three generations.
It's a compelling story with many wonderful happy moments and many terribly sad moments.
I knew that I wanted to read this book the moment I heard author Abraham Verghese speak about this novel at Inprint in Houston this year. And, despite my high expectations, I was quite satisfied with the story....more
I first read Chancy and the Grand Rascal when it was published in 1966, and it knocked my socks off. I read it once and then I read it again, and thenI first read Chancy and the Grand Rascal when it was published in 1966, and it knocked my socks off. I read it once and then I read it again, and then I went to the library to check out everything Mr. Sid Fleischman had written.
Chancy is the story of a boy who heads down the Mississippi to look for his little sisters and brother. He's saved for four years so he has enough money to buy a steamboat ticket. And then he runs into Colonel Plugg, a scoundrel who takes all his money and leaves him with a batch of stale eggs. Chancy is determined to find Plugg and get his money back, so off he goes, on foot, trying to sell wood to steamboats. And then he meets the grand rascal...
Everything kids could want in a story, including fast-talking con artists and cowboys and tall-tale-tellers and rafting over a waterfall and...well, just trust me, it's a fun story from start to finish. There are a group of wild Indians, but perhaps, like most of the characters in this book, they aren't what they seem either....more
Isabel King is ordinary. Isabel is an ordinary girl who is forced to become the caregiver in the family when she is only a child. Isabel is an ordinarIsabel King is ordinary. Isabel is an ordinary girl who is forced to become the caregiver in the family when she is only a child. Isabel is an ordinary woman who is forced to make difficult decisions when those she cares about are gone or have let her down. As Isabel faces these hard challenges, Isabel grows in her strength and her character.
She's ordinary, yes, but she is also extraordinary.
The Mountains Under Her Feet is a beautifully written, emotionally moving story of a courageous girl who develops into a courageous woman. The story is set in the last century in rural America, a time and a spot in the world where women had no place at the table, a time and place where people of Cherokee heritage had no place at the table. Isabel has both of these strikes against her, and yet she finds a way to push back against these obstacles and create a new path in life for herself in the day when doing such things was almost unheard of.
I loved following Isabel's life and I'd love to see where she goes next....more
It is Elizabethan England. A young boy, Peter, gets involved with a group that is trying to stop a lord from putting up a wall on common lands, and heIt is Elizabethan England. A young boy, Peter, gets involved with a group that is trying to stop a lord from putting up a wall on common lands, and he ends up in trouble and on the run. He joins a theatrical group that puts on plays as they travel through small communities. And then he learns of a plot against Queen Elizabeth's life and he must act before the queen is killed.
This is one of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, and I'd say, yes, you should read it....more
Lucrezia has always been a difficult child. When she is asked to marry the ruler of Ferrara in the stead of her dead sister, she begs her father to alLucrezia has always been a difficult child. When she is asked to marry the ruler of Ferrara in the stead of her dead sister, she begs her father to allow her to remain with her family in Florence. But the wedding takes place anyway, and off the young girl goes to a land of intrigue and dissent, a land for which she is poorly prepared. Her husband, too, is perplexing, kind one day and cruel the next. It is immediately clear that her husband is desperate for an heir to resolve some of his kingdom's issues, but it doesn't seem at all certain that Lucrezia will be able to provide one.
A rich novel, with strong and complex characters, set in a time when even bold girls like Lucrezia had few choices....more
It's 1914 in America, and it's not easy to be a child whose parents are divorced, or a person of Native American heritage, and Norvia is both of theseIt's 1914 in America, and it's not easy to be a child whose parents are divorced, or a person of Native American heritage, and Norvia is both of these. And now her mother is remarrying, and Norvia doesn't know whether her new stepfather will let her continue on to high school or even whether her new family will be able to get along.
I did not expect to love this book so much, but I was fascinated with the way Norvia used the behavior of the characters in the books she read to help her figure out the problems in her life, and I was delighted with Norvia's stepfather and his approach to parenting.
I can think of ten people who I'd love to have read this book. It was not only a good story with interesting characters but the people spoke as I might expect to hear characters talk during those times. I also felt like I took away a lot of life wisdom from the book....more
I've always been curious about what life was like for people living behind what we used to call the Iron Curtain. Who better to take me there than masI've always been curious about what life was like for people living behind what we used to call the Iron Curtain. Who better to take me there than master historical fiction author Ruta Sepetys? Romania in 1989? It's a place I'd never want to go. Power outages. Food shortages. Waiting in lines for basic necessities. Lies from the government. And---probably the most disturbing---being watched constantly by those around you for any violations of government rules (and there were many).
Reading this book makes me appreciate the simple pleasures of my life---a canned drink, a snack---as well as the things we take for granted---consistent electricity, freedom to come and go as I like.
Ruta Sepetys is a thorough researcher who has the ability to put me into a setting vastly different from my own....more
A coup takes place, and the president of Mexico, the hope of the country, is executed. Petra Luna's father is conscripted into the Mexican military, tA coup takes place, and the president of Mexico, the hope of the country, is executed. Petra Luna's father is conscripted into the Mexican military, the federales, shortly after Petra's mother dies in childbirth. Petra makes a promise to her father that she would take care of her younger brother and sister and her grandmother, and this is a promise she intends to keep. Then the federales sweep into her village and destroy her town, and Petra must lead her family to safety.
This book, based on the true story of the author's great-grandmother, is a story of danger and courage, of adventure and terror, and I kept reading along, and reading along, curious and fearful to find out what happens next.
I'm looking forward to the sequel to the story, The Other Side of the River, set to be published in September....more
Odile Souchet gets a job she loves at the American Library in Paris and she soon acquires a boyfriend and a best friend, all of this taking place justOdile Souchet gets a job she loves at the American Library in Paris and she soon acquires a boyfriend and a best friend, all of this taking place just as Germany begins its takeover of France. Everything changes once France is occupied by the Germans---Odile's brother goes to fight for France, libraries are taken over by the Germans, and people Odile loves are forced to do things they do not want to do in order to survive.
There is a second timeline in this book in which Odile is an old woman living in Montana. Odile is befriended by a young neighbor, Lily, who faces problems Odile herself faced during her early years.
I liked the book, though there were lots of things that bothered me about the story. But the dual settings of two of my favorite places on earth, plus libraries, plus lots of bibliophiles who relished talking books gained this thin story bonus points with me....more
It's 1950 and the war has been over for five years in London, but the people working in this London bookstore are still struggling. Vivian still misseIt's 1950 and the war has been over for five years in London, but the people working in this London bookstore are still struggling. Vivian still misses her fiance, killed in the war. Grace's husband suffered a breakdown and Grace is trying to support the family and care for her children. Evie was one of the first women to be admitted to Cambridge, but the job she'd hoped for was given to a man instead. All three women face the discrimination against women that was endemic during this time.
I enjoyed this story of strong women working in a London bookstore, with all the bookish celebrities of the day popping into the narrative.
I would note (because I didn't realize this) that this book is a sequel to The Jane Austen Society....more
Deb (Readerbuzz)
>
Books:
historical-fiction
(75)
Loading...
