"My Mother's Secret"

   My friend Terri, who was born in Poland told me about this book. What an amazing little book!  And it is little- only180 pages with very little print on each page.  And so powerful!
   It is based on a true story of a mother and daughter, Franciszka and Helena Halamajowa who harboured Jews during the Holocaust. Those who risked their lives in this way are called "the Righteous among the nations".  I had not heard that title, but these people certainly need to be remembered in a very special way.

   The woman and daughter in this novel lived in Sokal, Poland in 1942 in a two room house, but they were able to hide a Jewish family of three in a loft above the pigsty, a Jewish doctor and his wife and son in a crudely dug-out cellar, and a defecting German soldier in a 3-foot-high attic. 
   The novel tells the story of the mother and daughter who owned the house, as well as each of those who lived because of their kindness.
  This novel reminded me of the very powerful "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl- a non-fiction account of the holocaust. Click here for my blog on this book.

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” ― Viktor E. Frankl 

March reading

It's March and I'm delighted!  The pile of books waiting for me looks so inviting!

1.) "The Illegal" by Lawrence Hill is the last of the Canada Reads for me to read and discuss with friends before the actual 'battle of the books' begins.  I trust this author who delighted me with "The Book of Negros".

2.)"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman.  Two of my friends have already blogged about it, I had better get busy.  This author fascinates me because he is a 34-year-old Swede who studied comparative religion but dropped out to be a truck driver.

In 2012, he had two books debut on the same day- this book and a non-fiction book called "Things My Son Needs to Know About the World".  The next year another novel was released called "My Grandmother Sent Me to Tell You She's Sorry".  

3.) "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt is almost 800 pages of very small print.  I need a deserted island to get this book finished.  But two very smart friends have strongly recommended it. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014.  I'm sure it will be a literary delight, but I have a feeling that I will leave this one for last.

4.) "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is our next book club selection and I am committed to lead the discussion this month. I have been researching all the press around this story and can't wait to get started on this controversial novel.

5.) "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier is another book club selection for a different book club. Du Maurier lived in Cornwall and when I was in England, we stopped at "The Jamaica Inn" - the title of one of her books.  I bought some of her books there, but only read one at the time.  I wasn't overly impressed, but this is supposed to be her best.  She wrote 37 books, many of which were made into movies or T.V. series. One of her short stories was made into the movie "The Birds" - yes, by Alfred Hitchcock.

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Read it again

   This month I was re-reading two books in order to lead the book club discussions.  They were both my recommendations and I try not to recommend books unless I have read them.  Since I go to a number of book clubs, that means that I re-read quite a few books.  Last year, there were eleven books on that re-read list.
   The second reading is not always the same as the first reading.  Sometimes I like it better, sometimes not.

"Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok

   The first time I read this book was for a new book club just started in one of the library branches and I wanted to go to support and encourage that group. 
It gave me a new understanding of the immigrant experience.  Although all immigrants do not experience the same circumstances, this story was powerful.  The girls in the book club last week, really latched onto the dilemma in the novel and were e-mailing about if for days.
Click here to read my original blog on this novel.

Isn't it interesting that both of these covers show the back of a woman's head?  Actually, I like the first one, but the cover for "A Young Wife" does not fit the book in any way.

"A Young Wife" by Pam Lewis

   I don't recall where I discovered this novel but I know that it was a story that I couldn't forget.
  My favourite stories are about women and the challenges they face.
   This novel takes place in 1912 in The Netherlands.  Minke was only 15 when she married but I loved her spirit and the way she handled the difficulties that life brought to her. I enjoyed the characters - some to love, some to hate, and the settings were well-described. Most of the readers in the book club enjoyed the book- especially those with ancestors from this part of the world.  There were two women who did not like the book- one adamantly so.  But I believe it was a good book club choice as it stimulated great discussion.
   Re-reading a good book is always fun.  The protagonists in these books are like friends and I was happy to re-visit them!

"Sitting Practice" by Caroline Adderson

Yes, this is the cover for this book that was on the long list for Canada Reads this year.
Ross and Iliana Alexander, married for three weeks, were on their way home from playing tennis.  The tennis ball rolled under the pedal, and Iliana took off her seat belt to retrieve the ball.  In the confusion, Ross took his eye off the road and hit a truck.  Ross was unhurt but Iliana suffered a spinal cord injury.
   I was interested to see how this immense challenge would be handled.
   Although I did read to the end, I was disappointed in this novel. Perhaps the cover should have told me what to expect- way too much detail of sex, in fact the book is saturated with sexual overtones. 
   The title may refer to the fact that Iliana had to learn to sit straight in the wheelchair - find her centre.  It may also refer to Ross turning to Buddhism and learning to meditate at a weekend retreat. But in neither case, was the sitting practice done in the nude.
   Perhaps I would have liked this cover better.
There are interesting themes in this novel that weren't really developed well- faith, fidelity, family and food.
1.) Faith- Iliana married Ross to rebel against her strict fundamentalist parents who cut her off when she married.  Ross had also been damaged in childhood and tried to find a spiritual path through Buddhism.
2.) Fidelity- Ross had never been faithful to the women in his past, but really loved Iliana and was determined in his commitment to her.  However, after Iliana's rehabilitation, she was determined to be independent and Ross was unable to reconnect.  So Iliana instigated an affair with a shiftless 'character' in town.
3.) Family- Ross had a messed-up twin sister who had an adorable son.  Ross was always trying to help his sister and became very attached to the boy.
4.) Food- The novel begins in Vancouver where Ross had a catering service.  After the accident, they moved to Vancouver Island and opened a cafe, where Iliana, from her wheelchair, was an active partner. There is a lot of description of food and food preparation.
  I was grossed out by the couple joking about cannibalism on their first date.  There were other crude and gross comments throughout the novel.  In the end, Ross and Iliana do reunite over a pork dinner (Ross was a vegetarian).
Other covers:
This author has won awards for her writing and is considered to be one of Canada's most promising emerging writers by Margaret Atwood.
I will pass on her future writing and wish that I had not wasted time on this book.  Thankfully it was not chosen for Canada Reads and I would not recommend it.

Trivial thought: The author used the word "discombobulation" three times!  Love that word!

"Second Sight" by Sharon Neill

While I am occupied with Canada Reads, I like to have something lighter to turn to.
Autobiographies always interest me and I don't remember who recommended this book to me.

   Sharon Neill was born prematurely with many health problems.  Too much oxygen in the incubator caused permanent blindness.  She accepted her blindness because that is all that she knew. 
  She was born in Northern Ireland in 1969 and also accepted the rioting and bombing as just a part of her world, but when she went to college in England, she was perceived as a terrorist because she was from Northern Ireland, and she was surprised to be ostracized.
  When Sharon was five, she heard voices that seemed scrambled and confusing.  It upset her greatly and it was many years later that she was able to get in tune with those voices and recognize them as her 'spirit guides'.   At first, she fought against the strange experiences that she had and thought that she must be  crazy.  But she grew into her psychic abilities gradually. 

Sharon was very sheltered as a child and had great difficulty breaking out on her own in her twenties.  She was ripped off by many people, before she was able to get a settled life and know whom she could trust.
The ability to predict the future is not something that psychics are able to do for themselves.  The gift is intended to benefit others.
Sharon is  a spiritualist and a medium and follows the Buddhist tradition.  She believes that there is no judgement after death, but a reaping of the consequences of our behaviour in this life by a journey through different levels of spiritual evolution in the next life.

She tells how psychic abilities play havoc with the psychic's emotions because the senses are heightened and you take on all the emotions and moods of those around you.
She also told how some psychics go into a trance so that a deceased person can use that body to communicate with the living.
After a documentary was made about her psychic abilities, the police began asking for help in murder cases.  Once again, she experiences everything as she tunes in to the situation and says that she knows how it feels to be strangled, stabbed, shot and raped. However, those feelings are short-lived and she feels it is worthwhile when the case is solved.
I was surprised that, even though she is always in communication with spirits, she warns against people without psychic experience, using Ouija boards  She says that it opens communication to spirits who may seek to cause mischief with the living.

I really didn't understand everything concerning psychic abilities but I accept this as Sharon's story and I really was more interested in her blindness.
As with many autobiographies, the writing was not good, but I could see this story being fictionalized and made really fascinating.

blogs

I have been blogging for three years.  It began with a need to find something creative to keep my life in balance when our son was so ill.

I love the way blogging keeps my mind actively reflecting on books.  Instead of going to a sad place, I try to contemplate the book that I am reading and think about blogging.

And so, blogging has been in some ways a new birth for me- a new birth of activity and ideas, a new opportunity to enjoy and appreciate books on another level.
I am delighted that I was able to get permission to post this adorable picture from a fellow blogger. Check out her blog: Avid Reader's Musings.

Photo by Laurel Hasner Photography

Melissa is the mother of this beautiful baby and she is the blogger at Avid Readers's Musings.  The word avid does not adequately describe Melissa.  She is WAY beyond avid.  I have never heard of anyone with her reading history.  I enjoy reading end of year statistics and her list really shocked me!  Take a look!

Number of Books You Read: 164 

Number of Pages You Read: 53,043 

Number of Re-Reads: 17 

Genre You Read The Most From: Literary Fiction  

Percentage of Female Authors: 56% 

Percentage of Library Books: 50% 

Percentage of New to Me Authors: 50% 

Percentage of Nonfiction: 28%

But there is more!  Melissa joined "The Shakespeare Project". 
 Here is what she says:
"For years I've slowly been working my way through the complete works of William Shakespeare.  In addition to reading his plays, my goal is to see a live performance and a film version (when available) of each one. " 

This is not the only project that Melissa is involved in. She also is part of "Back To The Classics Challenge".  And I discovered that we do have one thing in common-
 we both love Thomas Hardy!
 Since I have explored every state, 
I would love to do the "Reading the States" challenge.
Melissa lives in the midwest of the U.S.A. and has information on her blog about this challenge.

Isn't she fascinating!  Melissa is taking a break from blogging to enjoy her baby girl.
How lucky is that baby to have "Avid Reader" for her mother!

romance

  Nicholas Sparks is one of John's favourite romance authors.
  Sparks may best be remembered for "The Notebook" which is being made into a T.V. series.
  Nicholas Sparks has sold 100 million copies of his books.  Wow!  He has written 12 novels and "The Choice" is the 11th book to be made into a film.
   Well, it was Valentine's Day and guess where I was taken for my valentine's special?  "The Choice" was showing at a local theatre and we nearly had a 'private showing' - only one other person in the theatre.
  I must say that I do enjoy some of Sparks' books but find that they go over the edge on romance for me on occasion- and this was the occasion!
  One critic wrote: Cloying and formulaic, "The Choice" is another Nicholas Sparks story of love with a twist of sadness.
   Cloying means excess and, like I said, it was over the edge for me.
 The critic also said that although romance novels thrive on an element of fantasy, this novel pushes the limits of believability too far at times, especially at the end.  Oh, yeah!
  However, that wasn't my only valentine's treat.  John also arranged for a barbershop quartet to come to our house and serenade me.  And I loved, loved that!
  We always enjoy the barbershop choir and attend all performances.  So I was delighted when a quartet arrived at our house!  I love the fact that much of the choir is older men and they have fabulous energy and spirit.  This quartet provided great entertainment- more than the movie.  Real men with real stories and great enthusiasm!

And I got carried away when they gave me a rose!

Who needs Nicholas Sparks?  

We have our own love story that started 60 years ago this month.

"Century Trilogy" by Ken Follett

Ken Follett

Who would want to tackle this series?  All the events of the last century in 3000 pages or less (not much less).  Look at this lovely face.  Does he look like a man who would write books that are 1000 pages long?  And what a grasp he has on all the events of the twentieth century.
Fall Of Giants c2010
Winter Of  The World c2012
Edge Of Eternity c2014

My husband loves this series! He is so impressed with Ken Follett's ability to evoke every human emotion- from absolute ecstasy to absolute hatred.
There is a full portrayal of lovers- young and old.  But it also swings to complete and utter hatred.

John loves to read history and romance, so this is his 'perfect read'.
The historic content is superb.  You are able to experience all the emotions of the events of the last century.  
Although the size of each book is daunting, he highly recommends this series.
And it appears that others agree with him.  Ken's books have sold 150 million copies and many have been made into movies.
Cheers to a great author, Ken Follett!

"The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs

This was the January choice for our library book club.  
Such a cozy, inviting cover.  
I had expected that it would be similar to Maeve Binchy's "A Week in Winter". That novel is about an inn, with people coming and going.  Everyone has a story and Maeve Binchy writes so well that I really enjoyed all the characters as well as the ambience of the inn.  It was a great winter read!
This novel had the same promise- an array of interesting characters and a cozy setting.
Georgia Walker, the single mother of Dakota, aged 12, operates a wool shop in New York City.  There was good description of the shop and you felt as though you were there with the customers, among the many colours and textures of wool.
Some of the customers bring in their knitting and a group develops, meeting on Friday nights.  As you become involved with each character, her story evolves.  And there is great variety in the characters- Anita is a 72-year-old widow, Darwin is a Chinese university student working on her thesis, Lucie is a single freelance writer who wants a baby, K. C. is an old friend of Georgia.  And then Kat arrives.  Kat had been Georgia's best friend in high school and they had promised to go to the same university.  When Georgia was offered a place in one of the better universities, she turned it down so that she could be with her friend.  But then the position was offered to Kat and she grabbed it, making Georgia bitter and angry.
In fact, Georgia was bitter about other things, such as James, the father of her daughter.  
This situation caused much discussion between my husband and myself.  
Here's the setting in the book:  Georgia had seen James in a bar, liked his looks and took him home.  Their relationship  was purely sexual.  When she got pregnant, James left.  He sent money but didn't see his daughter until she was 12.  Georgia had spent those twelve years bitter about having to raise a child by herself, concentrating on all the things she missed, whining, whining, whining.  She was so bitter that she wouldn't open the letters that James sent.
My husband, John, who also read this book, was sympathetic to Georgia's cause.  I was not.  I believe that a woman has to look after herself.   If she has sex with someone that she doesn't know, good luck!  James never signed up for a permanent relationship or a child.   And when he did realize that he wanted a relationship with his daughter, Georgia made it very tough for him- lots of sarcasm and cold shoulder.
The book had a lot of promise, but the writing just wasn't up to my expectations.  It was the author's first book and it sold well, so she followed with two more: "Knit Two" and "Comfort Food".
Here is another cover for this book.

The book club really did not like this book!  They thought it was boring and flat, more than likely meant for a T.V. movie.  Everyone felt disappointed and the book rated very low- 4 out of 10 stars was the average!  Wow!

Twelve Books of Christmas

We have just returned from our 'winter getaway' at Fern Lodge with Drayton Entertainment Travel Club.

We enjoyed the cabarets featuring these talented entertainers.

There were great conversations around the table and sometimes the subject was books- my favourite!

Curtis, one of the entertainers, turned out to be a reader, and shared his thoughts on several books. 

 Then he told me a story that I found fascinating.

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Every year, he buys his wife, Chaz, twelve books.  Those are not the only books she reads.  She also has her own list of books that she reads and posts on Facebook so that her friends can add to their own list of future reads, or make comments.

But the "Twelve Books of Christmas" tradition really interested me- perhaps because it meant that Curtis researched and put a lot of thought into his choices.  He checked award winners and read reviews.

I wrote Chaz a note and she sent me these great photos of her "Twelve Books of Christmas".

Great idea! What a tradition! Thanks, Chaz and Curtis!

"Our Souls at Night" by Kent Haruf

Kent Haruf

Kent Haruf is the author of "Benediction", "Eventide", "Plainsong", "The Tie That Binds". and "Where You Once Belonged".
I had never read his books, but this book was recommended to me.
It is a delightful little book. Only 179 pages and such a fascinating premise.
Addie Moore had been a widow for many years.  One day, she walked down the street and knocked on Louis' door.  Louis was a widower and Addie had known his wife. Louis invited her in, and Addie said that she wanted to suggest something.
  Hold on... Here it is.... Get ready...
Addie: "I wonder if you would consider coming to my house sometimes to sleep with me".  (Only for comfort, nothing else!)
She needs companionship.  So does he!  The arrangement works out very well.  
It really is delightful the way they lay in bed, chatting about everything.  Mostly they talk about their lives, trying to put things into perspective- their successes and failures, their dreams and disappointments.
Then Addie's young grandson moves in.   When he has nightmares, he climbs in bed with Addie and Louis.  Whoops!
The next day Louis buys a dog for the grandson.
And then, this short, light novel ends with a dilemma.
Lovely short novel that deals with many issues that seniors face- loneliness, family disfunction.



Unfortunately, Kent died before this book was published.  He lived in Colorado and his books take place there.
I will certainly be checking out more of Kent Haruf's books.
No quotation marks, but I am going to have to get over fussing about that.
Lovely little book.

"Annabel" by Kathleen Winter

What an interesting choice for the Amnesty International Book Club!
I had already read this book twice but decided to re-read it for this book discussion.  Every discussion is different, and the amnesty group gets more into social action and I wondered where that might lead.  This book is fiction.
Here's the plot:
Wayne Blake is a hermaphrodite-with male and female organs.  His Labrador, trapper father decides to raise him as a boy, with many pills containing male hormones.  But when he moves out on his own, he decides to throw away the pills and let nature take its course.  Some local boys find out about his situation and rape him. It is a horrendous scene and very disturbing.  But, I could understand that there could be young boys who would look at Wayne as a freak show and think it was great sport to torture him. The book ends with Wayne's father planning to drown the rapist. Actually, that was very touching because it showed how much the father cared for his child even though he had had great trouble understanding him.  But the father was willing to sacrifice his own life for retribution for the boy.

There were so many beautiful aspects of this book.  The writing was great.  There was a theme of bridges, when Thomasina, a woman who was present at his birth, sends postcards to Wayne and he takes an interest in structures.  Both Wayne and his friend Wally Michelin have a dream.  Wayne wants to build bridges.  Wally wants to be a singer and loves the music "Cantique de Jean Racine", but she has an accident and damages her vocal chords.
So it is a book of struggles, and the one that was addressed at this meeting was the treatment of hermaphrodites, and other sexual issues outside 'the norm'.
And so, it dealt with Bill C-279, that deals with gender identity. Amnesty wants to protect all LGBTI rights.  How can we do this? It brings up many issues, particularly in schools.  Certainly this topic needs much public education.
I had thought that sexual identity at birth could be solved by checking chromosomes.  I knew that XX was a female and XY was a male.  But, I have learned that it is not that simple. There are many variations.
In fact, one in 2,000 children is born with genitals that are 'confusing'.  There is a trend to wait and let the child decide on gender. That sounds better than all the surgeries that were performed in the past, but it will take some changes in thinking and organizing, such as a new category on official forms.

"Hamlet" by Shakespeare

many versions of Hamlet

It is not certain when "Hamlet" was written, but it was around 1600 - a long time ago!  And still, these plays are enjoyed and discussed.
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, desired to avenge his father's death at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. This uncle, after killing the king, then married the king's wife. Hamlet wanted revenge.

This book group tackled Hamlet and most of us needed a version of the book with explanatory notes.
It's always interesting to see phrases or words that are still used e.g. "The lady doth protest too much methinks", "What a piece of work is a man! " "To be or not to be, that is the question".  Bob is new to our group and led an interesting discussion.  There was a beautiful fire in the lovely home where we meet and it turned out to be a great way to spend a winter evening.

Eclectic reading

This week I find that I have three books on the go.  And what diverse choices!
Shakespeare; a novel about a hermaphrodite; and another novel about two old people deciding to sleep together.

I like to get Shakespeare out of the way, so I read a few pages of "Hamlet" early in the morning. I am not a great fan of Shakepeare but certainly realize his importance in the field of literature.  So I push myself on that one.

When I have time in the afternoon, I fit in a few chapters about the hermaphrodite.  "Annabel" is a book that I have already read, but when I saw that it was being discussed at the Amnesty Book Club, I decided to read it again and join the discussion.  I found the book really interesting on the first reading, and I can't miss a good discussion.  On second reading, I often find the book is way better than I realized or, perhaps not so good.  This book seems to be about the same as when I read it previously.  Quite good!

 Then I read about those old folks in bed, at night when I am also in bed.
The first two books are for books clubs, but "Our Souls at Night" was recommended to me by a friend. 

I will be writing in detail about each of them as I finish.
Actually, I am enjoying the variety.  Usually I do not have as many on the go, but I do like a variety in my reading- some biography, some inspiration, a classic, what's new on the shelves.

I have to be careful in book stores.  My latest trip was challenging.  New books look so appealing!  And I do love covers!  And I am persuaded easily!  But I know that I will likely only read the book once and it is not worth the price- especially if it is a disappointment. Or, worse yet, if I can't find time to read it and it joins my bin of unread books.  Oh, no!  Happy Reading!

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

This is my all-time favourite book because it has all the ingredients that I require for a great novel-
1.) fascinating characters- some to love, some to hate
2.) captivating plot
3.) great language
4.) interesting setting
But it has so much more!  I think this is my fourth reading.  
This time, I decided to listen to the audio version.  I am not a fan of audio books, but I think this experience made me look at the book in a new way.  I saw a broader picture and feel that I saw through to the core of the story.

Religion and politics are two topics that you try to avoid in conversation, but these are the topics that Barbara Kingsolver feels strongly about. 
Although she moved to the Congo with her parents when she was seven, it was actually a book that she read that gave her the inspiration for this story. "Endless Enemies" is about the American government backing tyrants in the Third World.
Kingsolver waited thirty years to have the wisdom and maturity to write this book.  She talks about her parents- "They brought me to a place of wonders, taught me to pay attention, and set me early on a path of exploring the great, shifting terrain between righteousness and what's right". Kingsolver's family has nothing in common with the Price family except that they lived in the Congo.
There have been people who feel that the novel puts Christian missionaries  in a bad light.  But this is a cautionary tale- Christian missionaries should not be treating people the way Nathan Price did.  He was there to save souls and didn't care about anything else, including the destruction of his own family. The discussion between Nathan Price and his predecessor Brother Fowles shows the great difference between a liberal and a tyrant.  What a vast area between these two opposites.  Perhaps that is where most missionaries operate.  In fact, I have heard that there is a mission board that suggests anyone going into missions should read this book.
I do not find this novel demeaning to Christian mission or Christianity. It is fiction, but it shows the result of self-interest whether in religion or politics.  

Title:
Nathan didn't pay attention to the different meanings of words.  That was, in large part, his downfall.  His arrogance did not allow him to listen to anyone.
He often said, "Tata Jesus is bangala".  The word bangala can mean most precious, but it also means most insufferable and also poisonwood, depending on inflection.
Adah: "I am born of a man who believed he could tell nothing but the truth, while he set down for all time the Poisonwood Bible".

Two new thoughts came to me on my fourth reading:
1.) Since I have been reading about the brain, I realize that trauma to the head can cause brain injuries and, thus, change behaviour.  Nathan had a head injury from the war and possibly that damage  contributed to his unruly behaviour.  I know it is fiction, and the author wanted to show the arrogance of 'some missionaries', but I am giving Nathan Price the benefit of the doubt.
2.) I think Kingsolver did go on too long about the history of Africa and the way that other countries have taken advantage and treated African countries poorly.  She did a great deal of research and I'm sure that her facts are right and she does certainly make a point.  But the last hundred pages are more lecture than novel.

A brilliant book and it will remain my favourite of all-time!

Happy New Year

2016

Nancy Pearl in her book "Book Lust" writes this:
"Reading has always brought me pure joy.  I read to encounter new worlds and new ways of looking at our own world.  I read to enlarge my horizons, to gain wisdom, to experience beauty, to understand myself better, and for the pure wonderment of it all.  I read and marvel over how writers use language in ways I never thought of.  I read for company, and for escape.  Because I am incurably interested in the lives of other people, both friends and strangers, I read to meet myriad folks and enter their lives- for me, a way of vanquishing the "otherness" we all experience". 

Great comment as we enter 2016.

After a busy holiday season, I have had time to look over the titles of books that I read in 2015.  I track my books on a website called 'librarything'.  Since 2002, I have recorded  each book with a description and a rating. There were only three books this past year that I considered five star books:
"Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
"Falling Upward: a Spirituality for the two halves of life" by Richard Rohr
"Indian Horse" by Richard Wagamese
This pretty well sums up my eclectic reading habits- one classic, one spiritual, and one contemporary novel.

In 2002, when I began keeping records, I read 80 books.  Every year since then, I have fluctuated from 45 to 80.  This year I read 62 books.  I have recorded 926 books in total, so my goal this year is to reach 1000 books.

While reading another blog that I follow, "Giraffe Dreams", I realized that her favourite books for 2015 included my all-time favourites.  And I remembered how much I had enjoyed those books.  So I determined to re-read them this year.
That is how I am beginning the new year.
Happy New Year!

When Books Went to War

"When Books Went to War: the stories that helped us win World War II" by Molly Guptill Manning


   I am very opposed to war and disappointed that, at this stage in the evolution of life on earth, we have not found a way to get along.  However, war continues and this non-fiction book touched my heart.
   Librarians started the ball rolling when they discovered that the existing army libraries had deteriorated after World War One.  They asked the public for donations.

But these books were not portable and, eventually, in 1943, a new form of book was published, called the Armed Services Edition paperbacks. (A.S.E.)  From 10 to 30 titles were printed each month from September of 1943 until June of 1947.
They had a very special design.  They came in two sizes- one to fit in a uniform's shirt pocket, the other to fit in the pants.  They were stapled, not glued, because of the lack of rubber and the fact that tropical insects found glue edible.  They were printed horizontally, not vertically, so that each page was shaped like a postcard and contained two narrow columns of print.  This seemed easier to read with less wasted paper.
One hundred and twenty million copies with 1200 different titles were printed.

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith was one of the favourites and many servicemen wrote letters of appreciation to this author.  Most of the young men were completely unprepared for what they experienced in the war and became cynical and hardened.  And so, a simple story like this one, of a young girl growing up in New York, reminded them of home and softened their hearts so that they were better able to fit back into civilian life.
Betty Smith received fifteen hundred letters a year from servicemen and answered most of them.
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"Tens of thousands of men found in books the strength they needed to endure the physical wounds inflicted on the battlefield, and the power to heal their emotional and psychological scars as well."

The Girl on the Train

This book has haunted me for months.  It is prominently placed in every bookstore, drugstore and, even, the grocery store.  Seldom does a book get such promotion.  Why?
I decided to find out.
I must begin by saying that I am not a fan of mysteries, so cannot evaluate it on that level.
Also, it has been called a psychological thriller.  I have read a few of those.

Let's look at the book. A good introduction is important to me.  I love to get a sense of the time, place and characters before the 'plot thickens'.  This book had none.  You are dropped into the story, and you have to try to figure things out on the fly.
There are three storylines that alternate and each chapter is a different time frame.  So, it is important to check the date at the beginning of each chapter. It certainly is a puzzle to begin and it took about a third of the book before I was 'hooked'.  It is a mystery and I did get to the point where I was trying to figure out the 'mystery'.  And so, I read for two days, eventually wading through dysfunction and abuse until I got to the appalling ending.  "What a waste of time!"
I should have known that a book with mass appeal would not interest me, but I had to know.  It now joins the other books that wasted my time- "The Hunger Games" (children killing children), "Fifty Shades of Grey (sadomasochism) and now "The Girl on the Train " (abuse and alcoholism).
 I really need to stay away from these books because I spend days despairing on the state of the world.  Why do we want to spend our time on these issues?
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Author, Paula Hawkins, was born in Rhodesia, but lives in London, England.  She wrote freelance for a few years, then in 2009, she wrote four novels under the name "Amy Silver".  They were romantic comedies and they did not sell.  She was in financial trouble, so she decided to write a darker, more serious story.  This is it!  Domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse.  It took 6 months to write and VOILA!
The public loves it!
On amazon, 45% of readers gave the book a rating of five stars, the highest rating.  Who knew that this is what the public wants??? 

Canada Reads

I love Canada Reads and always look forward to the list of books to be discussed.  It is the best book club ever! The theme this year is: Starting Over.

I am excited about several books on this list and can't wait until the final announcement on January 20, of the 5 books and 5 celebrities prepared to discuss these books.  The discussion will take place from March 21-24, 2016.

Canada Reads 2016 longlist:

"All the Broken Things" by K. Kuitenbrouwer

"Birdie" by Tracey Lindberg 

"Bone and Bread" by Saleema Nawaz 

"Buying on Time" by Antanas Sileika

"Landing Gear" by Kate Pullinger

"Minister Without Portfolio" by Michael Winter 

"Niko" by Dimitri Nasrallah

"Sitting Practice" by Caroline Adderson 

"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel 

"Swamp Angel" by Ethel Wilson

"Sweetland" by Michael Crummey 

"The Amazing Absorbing Boy" by R. Maharaj 

"The Hero’s Walk" by Anita Rau Badami 

"The Illegal" by Lawrence Hill

"The Outside Circle" by P. LaBoucane-Benson 

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My wishes: "Sweetland", "The Amazing Absorbing Boy", "The Illegal", "Landing Gear", "Swamp Angel".

Please no to "The Outside Circle" (graphic novel about abuse and addition), "Station Eleven" (dystopian novel)

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