"Mambo in Chinatown" by Jean Kwok

   When I enjoy a novel, I often search out other books by that author.  And I think that I expect the experience to be repeated.  Alas, it is not!
   It seems to me that first novels are often the best.  Perhaps the ideas for the novel have been percolating for years when that book finally gets written.  But then does the publisher give advances and deadlines?  Maybe the author only has the 'makings' of one good book- like Harper Lee ( I am reading that new controversial book next!)
   Because I loved "Girl in Translation",  I wanted to read Jean Kwok's new book.  There were some themes that were  similar to the first book, but I did not enjoy this book as much.
   Once again, it was about a family that had immigrated to the U.S. from China.  This time, the mother had died and the father was raising two daughters. Charlie, 22, had a lucky break when she got a job in a dance studio.  It was discovered that she had talent for dancing and she became  a dancing teacher and also entered a competition.  Most of the book described in detail the techniques of ballroom dancing.  It became tedious and lacking in plot.
  I still appreciated the conflict that Chinese immigrants feel, when they are in a new culture.  The older generation wants to continue Eastern traditions, but their children want to adapt to the American ways.  Because the younger sister, Lisa, 11, had severe physical problems, this book also includes a lot of Eastern medicine that was quite unusual.   Western medicine was feared and impossibly expensive.
  In some ways it was a Cinderella story.
  Not great, but still enjoyable.

"Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok

   Wow!  I loved this book!  A great summer read!
   Kimberley Chang and her mother immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn and lived in a very run-down building with no heat, but lots of bugs and rats.   Kim worked hard to learn the language but her mother was never able to conquer it.
   Kim tried to keep up her school work while helping her mother complete her quota of work in the garment factory.  What a struggle!
   Quote: "There's a Chinese saying that the fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time.  Those who are strong-willed may fight the storm and possibly choose their own road, while the weak must go where they are blown."
   Well, Kim certainly was not going to be blown by the winds of fate.  She fought the storm, but found herself in a big dilemma as a teenager.  She was in love with a 'factory boy' whose ambition was to raise a family in Chinatown.  Kim had been accepted to Yale University and had a great vision for her life.  And, there was a socially- acceptable young man just waiting for Kim to marry him.  Who will she choose?
   Close to the end of the novel, you are left with her dilemma.  I actually was anxious about finishing the book.  I didn't know what she would choose.  The last 10 pages pick up her life 12 years later, and there is a surprise- and a lot of emotion!
   I had a little concern over the language.  The author interspersed bits of the Brooklyn accent, trying to show how difficult it was for Kim to not only learn English, but to also understand the Brooklyn accent. A little awkward.  But..
Great characters!  Great plot!  Great setting!  Great cover!  Loved it!
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Jean Kwok is the author and I discovered that much of the story is autobiographical.  She immigrated at 5 and experienced the poor housing and the horrible conditions of the garment factory.
She became a teacher and an author, living now in the Netherlands.
She has written another book: "Mambo in Chinatown".

Family Camping

Nana and Papa with 10 grandchildren

   We have just returned from our annual family pow-wow.  It is the eighteenth year, and we are posed here with our grandchildren.  Some of them were not born when we began this yearly endeavour.
   Whenever I see the grandchildren, they want to tell me about what they are reading- or do I force that on them???

Matthew

Matthew, 13, is the youngest and is always reading.  He has finished one of the two books that are required summer reading- "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck.  This is one of my favourite books, and I was so excited to discuss it with him.  Alas, it was not to his taste.  Perhaps the age difference?  You think?  He loved "The Hunger Games".

David

David is 20, and has always been interested in philosophy.  Last year, he was reading Carl Sagan.  This year he is reading "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius (180 A.D.)  This quote is suitable for our family gathering: "Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart".

Keshia is reading "Revealed".  It is the 11th and final book in the House of Night series, written by a mother and daughter: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
It is a very popular vampire series and Keshia has loved following the series.  She enjoys relaxing with these books when she comes home from her office job.

Ellen is 16 and always has her reading list available for the next school year.  Going into grade 12, the compulsory book is "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity" written by 2 journalists, with stories of the developing world and developing the potential of all women.  Well, Ellen has lots of potential and will find that book interesting.
She is considering Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" for the optional book.  

Hunter has just finished his first year of engineering at the University of British Columbia.  He belongs to an engineering design team working on electric cars.
He is fascinated with the biography of the founder of Tesla Motors- Elon Musk. Hunter is passionate about what he is reading, but, alas, I barely understood anything he said.  His interests in green technology and space travel surpass my understanding, but I love his passion.

Erika has also finished her first year of university, but has the travel bug.  She will be spending 3 weeks in Denmark this summer.  She has read about Hans Christian Andersen and brushed up on his fairy tales.  Now she is reading general information about the country. 

And then there is Alden.  He enjoys reading, but is constantly writing.  He has a great imagination and a passion for writing. He is presently working on a dystopian novel. He sends me installments and asks for my opinion.  He is going into grade twelve and has been writing for at least five years.  He wants to complete a novel this summer.

The other young 'uns were busy playing soccer- no time to talk about books.

author-Jeff Shaara

    My husband, John, has a great interest in the Civil War and he has discovered the world of "Jeff Shaara". 

    John had read all the books that he could find in the library.  Then, last week, he discovered that a new book had just been published.    So you can imagine his surprise when, early one morning, a parcel arrived for him from Jeff Shaara.  It contained the last four books about the Civil War- including the recently published copy!  And they were autographed and inscribed!

  If you believe in re-incarnation, you might believe that John was there and witnessed (or planned?) the whole war.  He knows each leader by name and has read many books on this subject.  We have also visited many of the sites.
   Although John had already read three of the four books in the package, he will no doubt be reading them many more times.  And that is why the large print will probably be needed.

These wonderful books are taking up residence right beside John's all-time favourite author, Tolkien.  You will notice that one of the Tolkien books is missing.  John has loaned it to a grandson.

The books were a 55th anniversary present.

"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

   This is the first choice of book for a new book club starting in a branch of our library system.  I am anxious to support the new group and I was interested in what Rowling is writing for adults.  So I jumped into this long book.

   The Casual Vacancy takes place in Pagford, England, where a parish councilman Barry Fairbrother dies of an aneurysm, leaving an opening on the council, at a  time when the council is trying to get rid of "The Fields", a neighbourhood of undesirables. The whole town is involved in great controversy about filling Barry's place on the council.
   After I finished reading this book, I read many reviews online to see what other readers thought.  It seems that there is a great variety of opinions.  Here is one:  "This book is a spot-on, scathing evisceration of smalltown politics, social goings-on, and society in general."
   There are many people who loved this book and thought it was great literature, but I was not one of them.  As the heading on my blog says, I always have an opinion and it isn't always the popular opinion.  So these were the problems that I had with the book.

1.) There were too many characters.  And not one of those characters was likeable. I enjoy a variety of characters- the good and the bad, but there was not one person whose motives were good.  And the language, oh, the language!
2.) The topics of this book are domestic violence, rape, drug use, mental illness, infidelity, teenage sex.  Not only were the teenagers out of control, but nearly all the parents were self-centered, abusive and cruel.
3.) There were long sections that were in parenthesis- sometimes a few pages. At times, this happened in the middle of a conversation and it was confusing.
4.) The main plot, to fill a vacancy on the council, seemed very boring.
5.) This novel seems to be the antithesis of the Harry Potter series. It paints a world without magic, without a hero, without hope.
  I am aware that this type of book depresses me- complete dysfunction! There are books like this that focus on teenagers, such as "Catcher in the Rye".  But this book I would compare to "The Slap", because there are many adults in this book who hate everyone and live to irritate them.  It is one l-o-n-g Jerry Springer show!

And soon I will attend the book club and try to open my mind to what others saw in the novel.
    

Amnesty International Book Club

   I attended the first meeting of the Amnesty International Book club.  I was not sure what to expect, but I was familiar with the first book selection. "Indian Horse" may be the best book that I have ever read.  It is not the book that I enjoyed the most, because there is great pain in the novel, but the writing is superb!

What is Amnesty International?

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people in over 150 countries and territories who campaign to end abuses of human rights.
"We campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all".

Amnesty International choses the books and provides a discussion guide.  Then there is a suggested action that targets the type of situation that the book addresses.

Author Nino Ricci introduces the Amnesty International Book Club  here.   Check the video.

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How did I feel about the book club?
I am delighted to see a variety of book clubs.
This book club is led by an employee of the library and she is an excellent leader!
I find the subjects of these books to be very emotional and I won't be able to join every meeting. For instance, the next meeting is about 'torture'.  I will skip that book and that meeting.  But I have a list of the books they are planning to read and I will join them when I feel it will not be overwhelmingly emotional.
Thank you "Ideas Unlimited" for the variety of book clubs!

Book Clubs

  Book clubs are my delight!   Since my retirement, I have been involved in three or four book clubs a month. I have felt strongly that every branch of the library should sponsor at least one book club.
  Until 2 years ago, there were none in our library system.  I had spoken to everyone who would listen from the C.E.O. of the library to regular employees.  Perhaps that finally had an affect, perhaps it was the new C.E.O., perhaps it was the new focus of "Ideas Unlimited", but there are now 6 book clubs.  And the library is showing its creativity in the variety of styles for those groups.

Preston Library book club

  Two years ago, we started this book club to run in a traditional way.  Each month we all read the same book and discuss all aspects of the book using the questions posed by the leader.  It is a great group that attracts new people.  Another branch of the library system is planning its first meeting in July, with the book "The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowlings.  I expect it will follow the same method and I will be at the first meeting to cheer them on!

  Two years ago, the main branch started an un-book club.  This group rotates among local restaurants and pubs where they discuss books in general as well as films or any other topic of interest.  This group is doing well and attracting younger people.

  Two more book clubs are in the planning stage- one on a food theme and the other will be B.Y.O.B.-

that's right- bring your own baby!  I love this idea and hope that it will attract many young mothers who can share their love of reading without worrying about a babysitter.
   The 6th book club has already started and I have attended the first meeting.  I will write about it in my next blog.
   Happy reading!

Public libraries

What is the role of public libraries in 2015?

That is the question!

   It is very apparent that our local public library system has redefined its role in the community.  The role of public libraries in the past was very clear- to encourage the love of reading and provide resources for research.

Andrew Carnegie

Melville Dewey

   When I think of the early days of libraries, I think of Andrew Carnegie and Melville Dewey.

   Carnegie (1835-1919) was an avid reader, who made his money in steel.  At 65, he sold his businesses and became a philanthropist.  He supported many interests but he is remembered for donating 5 million dollars to the New York Public Library.  His money has opened more that 2,800 libraries.
   Dewey (1851-1931) was a librarian who was immensely influential in organizing libraries, by establishing the Dewey Decimal System.  This system of organizing books has really opened up the field of research and made it so easy to narrow in on your area of interest and find the information you need. 

   Well, times have changed!  We have e-readers, and Google.  What more do we need in order to read and research?  So the libraries are changing their focus.  In fact, our library has changed its name.  It is now "Ideas Unlimited". 
   This month, there is gardening, knitting, gaming, rock band instruments, and a painting competition, to name a few activities.  There certainly are 'ideas unlimited'.  And there have been very creative ways to attract the youth.  The building seems to be taking on the role of a community centre.  Sometimes it seems to be a free internet cafe- or just a place to hang out. 
   The library has purchased another large building downtown, where I am told, the focus will be on technology.  The 'big thing' will be 3D printers.

  Will reading and learning still take place in "Ideas Unlimited"?  Well, the face of learning has changed.  It has certainly expanded. Those of us who remember the influences of Carnegie and Dewey would still like to see a focus on reading and learning.
   For this reason, for the past ten years, I have been promoting the idea of a book club in every branch of the library.  Three years ago, I was delighted to be involved in starting a book club at my local branch.  And this year, I am ecstatic to see that there are now five book clubs in our library system.  
  "Ideas Unlimited" has certainly attempted to keep up with the times.  Let's not forget the focus of the past and keep the emphasis on reading and learning!

       I am interested in other thoughts on the role of the public library in 2015.

book to movie

   "Far From the Madding Crowd" is my favourite classic novel.  I have read it several times.  I love the language, I love the plot and I love the setting!
I did not love the movie.
  When you have read the book, you have a very clear picture of the characters. And that was one of my problems.  Right at the beginning, I said, "That is not Gabriel Oak!"   Gabriel Oak is one of my favourite fictional characters and this actor did not seem right for the part.  Nor did I like the casting for Bathsheba.
  But my greatest disappointment was the photography. I was looking forward to beautiful sweeping vistas of the English countryside, and there were a few.  But much of the movie was dark, with way too many closeups- the side of a face, the hands.  Even though I knew the story, I was often wondering what was happening.  There was little dialogue- lots of emoting.
  A big disappointment.
  I discovered that "Far From the Madding Crowd" had been made into a movie in 1967 with Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates, and Terence Stamp.  It was a longer movie- 3 hours.  I think I would like Julie Christie playing the role of Bathsheba.
  The basis of the story is that Bathsheba Everdene, a very willful woman, inherits a farm and is romantically pursued by three very different men.  Tragically, she falls for the one who is arrogant, showy and conniving.
  Gabriel Oak, the patient, virtuous man, doesn't allow her to fall into his waiting arms, when her life falls apart.  He is the man that she really had desired- a man who would stand up to her.  And that he does. Such a great love story.  But not a good movie.

"Mercy Train"

   "Mercy Train" was originally written under the title "Mothers and Daughters".  It is another book that sheds light on the orphan trains.
  There are three generations of women, three storylines.  I was most interested in the story of the grandmother because she experienced the orphan train.
   The distribution of the orphans shocked me.  At one stop, the orphans were taken to the opera house:  "When the curtains swept apart, all Violet could see were eyes shining back at her, reflecting the electric lights of the windowless opera house.  The floor had been cleared of chairs, and curious sightseers and potential applicants milled about, gawking at the children, waving, smiling.  Some of the little ones waved back.  Violet didn't know what to do with her hands or where to look, if she should seek out a friendly face or if she should wait to be noticed."
  Violet was not chosen at that stop and, at the next stop, she got into trouble.  The children stood in the centre of the room, while viewers circled around them.  Violet was approached by a man who asked her to open her mouth.  He said that he wanted to make sure that she wasn't 'sickly', because he had a farm to run.  She ignored him and, when he put his finger in her mouth, she clamped down on it with her teeth.  She didn't get picked up at that stop either.

   There was also some description of the children living on the streets of New York and a mention of the poor house, or almshouse, where parents were put, but their children could not go with them.  So not all children living on the streets were 'orphans'.
 These stories are fiction but certainly there are many heart-breaking true stories.

  The title "Mothers and Daughters" does seem suitable for the book because there are some interesting thoughts on motherhood:
"Motherhood was its own universe with its own nonlinear time line, its own indefinable pain and reward."
"She wondered if on some level all mothers were ciphers to their children.  She wondered if having children was a way to try and understand one's own mother, to bridge the unknowability."
  My favourite quote was from Samantha, the granddaughter in this story, when she gave birth to her first child: "Samantha felt in her euphoria, that she had stepped into the continuous stream of history and humanity from which she hadn't even known she'd been excluded".

  Although I enjoyed some of the language in this book and was, once again, fascinated by the orphan train story, I wasn't thrilled with the book as a whole.  The chapters alternated the three stories and the title of each chapter told who you were reading about.  However, within each chapter, the author moved around in time from one paragraph to another.  It was difficult to put together each story because it was told in bits and pieces.

I think I am finished with orphan stories for now.  On to something different...

Orphans Today

   I have really enjoyed reading about the orphan trains in the U.S. and the home children in Canada.  There are certainly less orphans today because of health care for mothers and a better economy.  Also the Children's Aid is in place to care for orphans that live in North America.

   But there definitely still are orphans in other parts of the world.  Africa has many orphans because of HIV/AIDS.  The government estimates there are 70,000 new orphans a year in Africa. You can read about it here.

 Many organizations are attempting to provide support for these orphans.  I am familiar with one. 

  Faith's Orphans is a very successful, faith-based organization.  They minister to over 3900 children throughout Zambia.  This model empowers existing villages to provide housing for the children.   So the children live with grandparents, other relatives, or neighbours, while  Faith's Orphans provides education, clothing, spiritual training, horticulture. 

  From ages 18-20, the students live in a residence where they learn skills  such as carpentry, computer skills, business skills, tailoring and horticulture, so that they can return to their villages and set up a business.

Faith

   Faith trained as a nurse at Mukinge Hospital in Zambia, graduating in 1991.  She was concerned about the number of orphans she saw in her work.  She trained to be a midwife and, when Jukumbo Liyena asked her to marry him, she told him about her concern for orphans.  He said that he would help her with the orphans, and they married.

   In 1993, the Faith Orphanage Foundation was registered with the government as a non-governmental, non-profit, and non- denominational Christian organization seeking to furnish the orphaned children of rural Zambia with the basic needs of children.

   Dorraine Ross, a retired missionary from Zambia has devoted her retirement to spreading the word in Canada, encouraging and organizing  donations of clothing and support money.  There is a board of directors in Zambia and in Canada.  Faith is presently on a tour of churches in Canada to explain her work with orphans.

Home Children

   After reading "The Orphan Train", I searched for more books on the subject.  I was reminded that Jean Little wrote a youth fiction book about the orphans in Canada.  They were called the Home Children.
   Jean is a delightful woman who lives just a few miles from here (in Guelph).  Years ago, I invited her to speak to the children in my school.  She is blind and is accompanied by a seeing eye dog.  She writes fascinating stories for children and I am pleased to know that, at 84, she is still writing, using her talking computer.
more info about Jean:
- she was born in Taiwan and her family moved to Guelph when she was 7

- she was legally blind from birth, but went to regular classes in schools in Guelph
- she has a BA in English Language and Literature
- she began her career teaching disabled children
- her first novel "Mine for Keeps" was published in 1962, about a child with cerebral palsy
- she has published 45 books- novels, picture books, poetry, short stories and biographies
- she has taught children's literature at the University of Guelph
- she has 6 honorary degrees and is a Member of the Order of Canada

               "Orphan at my Door" by Jean Little
   I loved this book.  It is not told from the Home Child's perspective but is powerful nonetheless.
   It is the diary of Victoria,11, the daughter of a doctor.  Victoria's mother was expecting a fourth child and was not well, so Victoria's father took her to the train station to pick up a "home girl" to help to run the home.  The only girl available was Marianna, who happened to be only one year older than Victoria.
  The girls became good friends and Victoria discovered that Marianna has been separated from her brother and baby sister. In fact, her brother, Jasper, 8, was living nearby and was being beaten and starved. 
  The novel is fiction and shows the good and the bad of the 'home children' program.  It points out how prejudiced some people were to these children.  Even if they were sent to school, other children and even teachers treated them badly.
   This book is part of a series: Dear Canada.
   The 'home children' are part of the history of Canada and some school curriculums teach their story.
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   Doctor Thomas Barnardo was the organizer of the Home Children program.  Around the same time as Charles Loring Brace was organizing the orphan trains in the U.S., Barnardo began establishing 'receiving homes' for orphans in U.K., Canada and Australia.  His goal was to find homes for the thousands of destitute children in Britain.
   From 1868 - 1930, 350,000 destitute children were placed in homes- 100,000 of these children found homes in Canada and were called "Home Children".
   In 2001,the records were opened for these children and thousands of requests began flooding in.  There was a BBC documentary and the offices of the Bernardo organization needed to be expanded to keep up with the requests.

A fascinating article about the Barnardo Boys can be read here from the
Winnipeg Free Press.

"Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

   The idea of the orphan trains really caught my interest.  I was slightly familiar with this part of history, having read about orphan trains in Europe, United States and Canada. It seemed to be a solution to finding homes for children who were living on the street.  In the early 1900's it is estimated that there were over 10,000 children living on the streets of New York City at any given time.  The idea was to send them west to find homes.

    From 1854 to 1919, the orphan trains ran regularly from the east coast to the midwest of the U.S.  Charles Loring Brace is the man who funded this operation and he is known as the father of the Children's Aid.

    It is believed that more than 200,000 children were transported in this manner.  Hopefully, some of them found good homes, but mostly people were looking for 'free labour' and I am fascinated by the fact that every one of those children had a story that was unique.  That aspect interested me in this book.

   Vivian Daly is a 91- year-old widow when we meet her, living on the coast of Maine.  Molly Ayer, 17, comes to her house to work off her community service hours.  Supposedly, she is helping Vivian to clean out the boxes in her attic.  But in reality, not much cleaning is accomplished,  but these two people bond as they realize the similarity of their stories.  Molly is a Penobscot Indian who has had many bad experiences in the foster care system.  Vivian was on an orphan train in 1929.

  I was fascinated with the concept of this book, but the structure could have been better.  The two personal stories could have melded more easily.  I will not be looking for more books by this author, but I have already picked up more novels with orphan train stories.

   Everyone has a story and these orphans experienced more than I can imagine. I love to read their stories!

I chose this book because of the cover and the title.

"A Tale for The Time Being" by Ruth Ozeki

    I met Ruth Ozeki in 2011 at the Kootenay Book Weekend in Nelson, British Columbia.  Ruth is a novelist, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest.  She was born in the U.S. but now lives on Cortes Island, British Columbia, also spending time in New York City.
  We read her first two books for this book experience: "My Year of Meats" and "All Over Creation".  Her books are easy to read, but much more difficult to understand.
  I found her to be gentle and fascinating.  She began one morning with a meditation.  It was beautiful!

   This novel is about a diary washed up on an island off British Columbia.  Ruth, a writer, finds the diary and tries to piece together the life of Nao, a 16-year-old girl in Japan.  Ruth presumes that the diary was swept away by the tsunami of 2011 and she searches the internet to find any information on this young girl.
   The story is simple BUT..... 
There are many references to Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time".
Japanese words are used and explained in footnotes at the bottom of the page (sometimes half a page of footnotes).
There is great use of the words and philosophy of Zen Master Eihei Gogen.
   The reading is easy, the concepts are complex-e.g. "Think not-thinking.  How do you think not-thinking? Nonthinking.  This is the essential art of zazen". (Zen master Dogen)

"Both life and death manifest in every moment of existence.  Our human body appears and disappears moment by moment, without cease, and this ceaseless arising and passing away is what we experience as time and being.  They are not separate.  They are one thing, and in even a fraction of a second, we have the opportunity to choose, and to turn the course of our action either toward the attainment of truth or away from it.  Each instant is utterly critical to the whole world."

  Glenda Martin, an editor of Bookwomen, is expert at leading book groups.  She recently had seven groups discussing this book in Arizona.  She said, "In my almost 30 years of facilitating book groups, there has never been such depth of reaction to a book".
  Her groups read aloud together the words of both Dogen and Proust.
Oh, and I forgot to add that there are many references to quantum physics in this novel.
  Glenda has read this book three times.  I think I will just accept that it is over my head and go on to other authors.  Love Glenda, love Ruth Ozeki, but I'm not in their league.

And The Mountains Echoed

  This is Khaled Hosseini's third novel.  It was published in 2013 and has a very different writing style than his other books.
 There is a sibling relationship at the beginning of the novel, that is poignant and beautiful. In fact, the first two chapters are perfect in my opinion. The writing is spell-binding and I was drawn into the story of this family. And then the author veered off into other stories.  He said that he wanted to include stories that he heard while visiting Afghanistan recently. 

 He compares this writing process to a tree- branching out and getting bigger and bigger.  These interconnected stories involve a large number of characters that are not directly related to each other. Some readers complained that they needed both a scorecard for the characters and a map for the locations.

   In addition, each chapter had a different narrator and it is necessary to read a few paragraphs or pages at the beginning of each chapter to understand who is doing the narrating.

   No one can write about family relationships better than Khaled Hosseini.  He pulls you right in to the most basic human emotions with his beautiful prose. The beginning of the story was heart-breaking and, as I struggled through the myriad stories, I desperately hoped there would be a satisfying ending back with the original family.  Well, there was an attempt to return to the original family, but it was much too depressing for an ending.  It left me disappointed and sad.

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Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, where his father was a diplomat for the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught high school.  In 1976, his family was granted political asylum in the U.S., where Hosseini was educated and began practicing medicine.  He was an internist from 1996-2004, during which time he began writing.  

  His first novel, "The Kite Runner", was fabulous in my opinion.  Apparently many other people agreed, as it sold 7 million copies in the U.S. alone. It has been sold in 70 countries. There were parts of the plot that were controversial in Afghanistan.

   I loved the book because the characters were fascinating and the relationships were stunning.  But the themes made this book outstanding for me.  Mostly the theme of guilt and redemption.  And there is an episode of retribution that will always be remembered.

  This book has been made into a movie, stage play and graphic novel.

  Khaled is now writing full time as well as developing The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

I hope that Hosseini goes back to writing novels with strong themes and  a distinct storyline.

The Next Chapter

   There have never been as many visitors to my blog as when I posted about "Station 11" - the One Book One Community book.  Nobody left a response, but I'm sure they were disappointed with my reaction to the book.
  My daughter told me about Shelagh Rogers interviewing the author on the CBC.  It is a radio show called "The Next Chapter" with Shelagh Rogers.  You can get it by googling "The Next Chapter".
   And this is the quote from the author:



  I certainly didn't see this novel as 'a love letter'.  The author recognizes that we take so much for granted and wondered what it would be like without the 'modern trappings'.  What would you miss?
  At the end of the book, they set up a museum of things that cannot be used any more- cell phones, credit cards, etc.  Interesting.
  Another topic of interest is wondering what would you want to survive. What is best about the world?   The author's answer is: Shakespearean plays and classical music.
  Well, now I have some ideas for the discussion in September.  I have mentioned that most dystopian novels are cautionary tales.  This novel seems to want to bring your attention to the joy of living in this age of electricity, computers and other technology.  What would you miss?  Shouldn't you appreciate it more?

And that brings me to a quote that my friend, Terri, brings to my attention:

No two persons ever read the same book. -Edmund Wilson, critic (8 May 1895-1972) 

"The Longest Ride" by Nicholas Sparks

   My husband is a romantic and loves reading books by Nicholas Sparks.  
  The movie version of "The Longest Ride" was playing at our local cinema and so we went to see it.
  Two love stories were entwined in a very effective way.
  The roles of the young couple were played by Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood (the son of Clint Eastwood).  I felt that these actors were over-acting but perhaps it was just highly-romantic.
  Luke was a bull-rider and Sophia was interested in art.  The collision of these two worlds forms the basis for this story.  The young couple discovered a car accident and pulled out the driver - a widowed 91-year-old, Ira, played by Alan Alda.   

Alan Alda

I really enjoyed this storyline and felt that it was presented in a fascinating way.  A box of letters was saved from the car and they represented the basis of Ira's beautiful love story that had many challenges but lasted 70 years. Sophia visited Ira in the hospital and read these letters to him since he was no longer able to read them. Flashbacks added a realistic aspect to the story.

Nicholas Sparks

  Nicholas Sparks was born in Nebraska and was interested in writing from the age of 19.  He wrote a couple of books that were never published.  After trying several jobs, he moved to Washington and began selling pharmaceuticals.
  He married and raised a family in North Carolina.  During this time, he found a publisher and he became very successful.  He has written 18 books and 11 of them have already been made into movies.
   The movie version of "The Longest Ride" is definitely worth seeing.

One Book One Community

I love the concept of this program.
One book for the whole community to read and discuss.
For this reason, our library book club will be discussing this year's selection in September.  And I am scheduled to lead that discussion.
So...I decided to read the book now to get a preview.
Well, I am not thrilled with this choice.  It is a dystopian novel.  I tried very hard to ignore my dislike for this genre.  It is not the most dismal that I have read, but I still didn't find anything of interest in the novel.  I realize that dystopian novels are often cautionary tales, warning us of a possible outcome if we do not pay more attention to the serious issues in the world.
I have time to mull over the themes in the book and hopefully come up with an interesting discussion in September.
A great feature of O.B.O.C. is the opportunity to hear the author.
2015 Author Events

Tuesday, September 22 – Cambridge

Wednesday, September 23 – Baden (day)

Wednesday, September 23 – Kitchener (evening)

Thursday, September 24 – Waterloo

Click here for my blog entry on One Book One Community 2014.

Book Club Reject

   I attend a book club that I value because we read a classic every other month.  I have been with this group for 16 years, reading 6 classics a year.  Obviously, we have read some difficult and challenging books in that list of 96 classics.
  This is the choice for this month: "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac.
  I understand that Jack Kerouac is the most famous of the Beat Generation, born in 1922.  So I tried to figure out why he was interesting enough to speak for a 'generation'.  There was a movie made in 2012, so he must still be popular.
  I tried to begin by watching the movie.  Waste of time. So I moved to the book on tape.  I got to the 7th chapter and realized that it was also wasting my time.
  I will not, at this stage of my life, be able to understand this restless, dissatisfied 'generation'.  I guess I learned the same thing from a past book choice- "Catcher in the Rye".  I also have read "Generation X"- different time frame but the same sense of alienation and dissatisfaction. Perhaps I have wasted enough time trying to connect with these 'lost generations'.
  Do these books have a purpose?  Probably.  There must be a reason that Time Magazine included "On The Road" in the list of the best 100 English language novels from 1923-2005.  In the past, I have often struggled my way through a book, thinking that there must be something here of interest.
   Perhaps there is some personal development in Kerouac as he travels back and forth across the U.S.A.  with stories of bus rides and hitchhiking.  But I have decided that there is nothing that will make this an interesting 'read' for me.
   I will just accept that there are always dissastified people in the world and they have the right to express their perspective.