Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

I read this book last spring and was really inspired. This is a non-fiction book by one of my favorite fiction writers. Barbara Kingsolver and her family decide, in the name of being more environmentally responsible to eat, for a year, only the food they raise or purchase within a 10 mile radius of their home. It is incredible. They opt out of the traditional food chain we all belong to. They eat abundantly and become incredibly self-reliant. I was motivated, to say the least, to try and expand my gardening repetoire and to learn how to can and preserve my food so that I can enjoy my garden year round and be a little more eco-friendly in my eating habits. If nothing else it is a fun read to see how their kitchen is drowning in zucchini and squash and tomatoes around August.

When The Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Hothle

This is a book that mixes Philippine folklore with the amazing tale of some that survived the occupation of Manila by the Japanse. As with any WWII survival tale it is an amazing story of struggle and humanity. A group of neighbors huddle together in a cellar, hiding from the brutal Japanese forces. To pass the time they take turns telling stories. Each of these "short stories" are wonderful and rich. The overall story of these people is also wonderful filled with courage and strength.

A suggestion

Because the labels list seems to be getting way too huge, and will only continue to do so, perhaps we should omit the title from the label and just use the genre and general topics like India etc. What do you all think?

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

From the jacket: "Blue van Meer; a brainy, deadpan, and preternaturally erudite girl who, after traveling from one remote academic outpost to another with her professor father (see"Gareth van Meer"), has head crammed full of literary, philosophical, and scientific knowledge. (She is also a film buff and can recite pi out to sixy-five decimal places.) When she is sixteen, due to certain nuclear events, her previously dull life is forever transformed.
The Flying Demoiselle: an archaic means of hanging someone, populear in the South between 1829-1860. It is also, in all likelihood, how Hannah Schneider died..."
I picked this book up from the library last week because it sounded interesting. I loved it. It is the story of Blue Van Meer, daughter of a nomadic political science professor. Blue can't help but be a precocious intellectual, after all her father is the academic erudite, Gareth van Meer. Anyway, they end up (coincidentally?) in a small town in the South for her senior year of high school. The film teacher at her new, exclusive school, Hannah Schneider, takes her under her wing. Hannah is a compelling, eerie, fascinating, person. Hannah has a little group of prodigies, all interesting characters, called the Bluebloods who also take Blue under their wing. Anyway, why would a teacher be so interested in a bunch of high school students? Why does she seem so familiar to Blue? What is the big secret Hannah seems to be protecting? Why is Hannah's personality so erratic? What is going on? Blue finds out and it is quite a tale. Blue is the wordy (she can't help it) narrator and her tale is a good one.

Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi

The back cover reads:

"Malika Oufkir was born into extreme privilege as the daughter of the king of Morocco's closest aide. But in 1972, her life of luxury came to a crashing halt. Her father was executed for attempting to assassinate the king, and she and her family were imprisoned for two decades. Stolen Lives is the story of their resilience and their resolve to live in freedom." This is a true story and I found it to be very interesting. I was fascinated by the detailed description of the lavish and pampered life of this woman when she lived with the Moroccon royalty. I was then shocked by the deprivation and torture that she and her family experienced when they were imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit. "A heartreading tale of survival and courage, Stolen Lives is an unforgettable memoir by an extraordinary woman."

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid." Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and OF his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends. (from Random House website)

I thought this book was so good I was laughing through most of it. I was also amazed at how different life is now it really has not been that long!

Stephanie Plum Series

Okay, I told my sister about these books and she wanted me to post about them.  Sorry to be a blog hog, here, but hey, the more books the better.  Anyway, these are not high brow literature by any stretch of the imagination, but the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich are good mindless escape literature.  They are about a bounty hunter (yup, told you this wasn't high brow) in New Jersey, complete with big hair,  blue eye shadow, the local neighborhood mobsters, and plenty of lycra.  She gets into trouble, there are explosions, and moms making meatloaf, and crazy Italian neighbors, and a bit of suspense. They are entertaining.  There isn't much more to them than that, but if you want a mindless, funny read, these will do the trick.  Janet Evanovich is a good writer (unlike other low-brow authors I can think of...Nicholas Sparks comes to mind) There is some language and some racy bits, so they aren't for everyone.  I did get tired of them after a while (basically every book follows about the same formula) and haven't finished the series yet, but plan to, next time I am in the mood for quick and easy reading.   So, for light reading try these.

The Book Thief

I borrowed this book from my Mom, a voracious reader/book collector, back in August.  She told me it was wonderful, but I was hesitant to read it because she told me it was the story of a girl in Nazi Germany.  I am always hesitant to read books about Nazi Germany because they are inevitably sad.  So I didn't open this book up and decided this last Sunday to return it to her unread.  As I handed the book back to my Mom, my sister-in-law made me take it back. "That book is amazing, and you can't not read it," she said.  So I grudgingly took it back home with me and read the first chapter on Sunday.  Oh my goodness, this book was AMAZING.  Any yes it was sad.  I cried really hard.  My eyes are still puffy.  What is it about?  Well I guess you could say it is about a girl in Nazi Germany and her little life in Himmel Street, on the outskirts of Munich.  The jacket of the book says, "It's just a small story really, about, among other things:  a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery..." It is a wonderful story about the power of words and books.  One final quote from the book; "How does it feel, anyway?" "How does what feel?" "When you take one of those books?'  At that moment, she chose to keep still.  If he wanted an answer, he'd have to come back, and he did.  "Well?" he asked, but again, it was the boy who replied, before Liesel  could even ope, her mouth.  "It feels good, doesn't it, to steal something back."

This is the story of a girl stealing some words back from Hitler.  It is a wonderful book.

The Big Year

Because of this book's subject matter--birdwatching--I haven't been very successful in getting many people to give it a try (those who have been brave have loved it). But The Big Year is much more about human behavior than avian antics. The author, a journalist, describes an annual competition among the most serious of birdwatchers to see who can identify the most bird species in North America in a single year. He focuses in on three men who are battling to win the title in 1998. The Big Year is filled with quirky, obsessed characters who will do almost anything to edge out their fellow birders. I found this to be one of the most delightful books I've read in recent years. The books is funny, fun, and suspenseful, even if you don't care much for birds or birders.

Interpreter of Maladies

I'm have a serious weakness for short stories and an infatuation with India (or at least Indian cuisine and culture since I've never actually been there....just watch Monsoon Wedding and you'll know where this is coming from), so I couldn't really go wrong with this Pulitzer prize winning collection of short stories by the author of The Namesake. I found the book extremely well writen and lush in detail and setting with very vivid characters and stories. I was sorry to see the end of the book when it came. It was like eating a box of chocolates where each one is different, but equally delightful. The title comes from a character whose job it is to interpret for a doctor living in a village who doesn't speak the language of the villagers. Doesn't that sound interesting already?

p.s. However, didn't really like The Namesake.

The Space Between Us

This is a wonderful book about two women who live in India. One woman is upper middle class, educated, and the other is her servant, illiterate, hard working, and loyal. It is such an interesting book because it explores the vast difference in both women's world, and yet at the same time tells the story of their lives as women, which ends up being similar. It is a story of how they both survive the hands that are dealt them in life. It is a great book for a book club, as there is so much to discuss and think about. It is also very well written. I was sucked into this book and neglected my children as I consumed this fascinating book.

A Grief Observed

"Aren't all these notes senseless writhings of a man who won't accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it? Who still thinks there is some device (if only he could find it) which will make pain not to be pain. It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on."

I’ve always been a fan of C.S. Lewis but this was somewhat different. It was a short read, had several really great points, but was somewhat complex and hard to follow. I think his crisis of faith, rather than his surety of it, made this different from his other works. In the end, it didn’t disappoint.
If you were looking for something that requires a little more attention, but is pretty short, I would recommend this book.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is Probably my Favorite. I love this story so much. I don't know why but I think I like it more the Pride and Prejudice.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This book is almost more extraordinary for the way it was written than the actual writing. I consider it a physical feat much like reaching the summit of Everest. The author, paralyzed by a stroke and left with only the use of his brain and his left eye, "blinked" the alphabet to an assistant to create these short chapters. The amount of imagination and perspective evident in this book is what astounded me. A must-read for anyone in nursing, for anyone that feels frustrated by physical limitations, for anyone who needs to learn the lesson of how to live and love small moments. A warm, sad, extraordinary autobiography full of humor and humanity. At the very least, it'll make you think.

A Tale of Two Cities

One of the best of the best. I loved this book. It is unique for Dickens in that there is not really a primary character - London and Paris are really the main protagonists! But the narrative is so compelling. Give yourself a chapter or two to get into it and get used to the language. You'll love it.

Seed Folks

This book is a series of short vignettes about a vacant lot turned community garden - about hope and direction given to the poor. It is a very quick read - finish in an hour or so. Short, but well done.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The is one of my all time favorite books. Although I read it so long ago that I don't remember many details. I liked the setting, I liked the characters and the fact that the author follows the characters through a few decades of their lives. I would recommend this to anyone - although I think women especially enjoy it because it is about a family of girls.

Atonement

I liked this book for the most part. It was very...wordy, if that makes sense. It is a good story but there is not a lot of conversation. There are a lot of sections where we are reading what the charecters are thinking. Overall it was a good but slow read for me.

Pride and Prejudice

Anyone that loves to read must have at least one novel they have read over and over and couldn't live without. So what is you all time favorite novel and why? I think mine must be Pride and Prejudice becuase I love the story, I love Jane Austen's wit, and of course I love Mr. Darcy. So what about all of you?

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

This is one of my all time favorite novels.  I love it.  It is the story of a somewhat eccentric family, who live in a dilapitated old castle.  The characters are wonderful and so is the plot. It is also the tale of the heroines first experiences with love and life.  It is wonderfully written, entertaining, and doesn't end with "happy ever after," but instead gives you something to think about.  

The Far Pavillions by M.M. Kaye

I first read this book when I was in high school.  I have read it again a couple of times since then.  It is an epic tale of a man living in India during the Raj (Queen Victoria's reign).  Since it is an epic it has it all: drama, adventure, romance, history, etc.  I love it.  It may not be the finest fiction available, but it is a classic, and I love it.    

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Written in 1940, this novel centers around several characters living in a 1930s mill town in Georgia. Specifically it follows a deaf-mute man and how the different characters interact with him. I was fascinated how, because this man could not speak, each character projected on him their own impressions and desires of what his feelings were. I thought this book was interesting - a lot of irony - but also a little dark and depressing. A good read none the less. Come to find out - there was actually a movie made from this novel in 1968 starring Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke (both received Oscar nominations for their performances). I will have check this out!