Sisters of War

 

Sisters of the War: Two Remarkable True Stories of Survival and Hope in Syria by Rania Abouzeid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this. It's an intimate account of two families living through the war in Syria. They live in different communities, with different loyalties and beliefs so it highlights just how devestasting war can be to all involved. There are some harrowing experiences and when you think they are happening to young children, they are devastating. My main critique is that this is as dry as the desert. There are pages explaining all the factions and background, which I found useful, but plodding. But as this is written for middle schoolers, I would doubt any of them would get past that to the stories that help them sympathize with kids their age in Syria. And the documentary style even those stories are presented in make it more clinical than emotional. It is an important story with a good idea, but executed poorly for the audience it's intended for.

View all my reviews

Becoming Mrs. Lewis

 

Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was obviously a well-researched fictionalized biography. I admire Joy Davidman's (Gresham) drive to be a writer. She didn't let anything stop her--her health, her husband, even poor reception of her work. She also seemed to doggedly pursue Lewis. I don't know if its the portrayal or Joy herself, but I didn't particularly like the character. Her spirituality which seemed to draw her and Jack together felt less than authentic, and it was hard to think a woman would leave her kids with a man she doesn't trust and in dire financial circumstances to go and get well writing in Europe. But C.S. did write a lovely book about how much he missed her and loved her after she had passed, so I'm guessing I'm missing some vital part of her personality.

View all my reviews

Sometimes we ache for what is familiar even though there is something better out there for us.

Station Eleven 2

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reread this because of the HBO adaptation. Both the book and the series are lovely in their own way, although their messages, I felt were different. Having read this now in terms of having experienced a world-wide epidemic, I definitely felt the emphasis on living in the moment, of appreciating the wonders of the world we live in, and the feeling of abandonment, loneliness, and residency of those left behind. The television series added several scenes and its themes seem to revolve around the inter-web of human interaction, how we rely and help each other, and how patterns repeat themselves. Although, both mediums had high points, I think the book still edged out the tv show--the show had more of a climax, but also a lot of inconsistencies.

It has a vague title. It has pictures of tents on the front. It is also a National Book Award Finalist and has been on several "best of" lists. But it is about an apocalyptic event, and haven't we all read enough of those? But wait, this one is different-- it is about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and musicians. Yeah, sorry, that's not really going to help your end-of-the-world mailaise. But when the kindle version went on sale, I grabbed it because I have read worse for more. And I loved it. It's not really about the struggle of survival, or about the establishment of new societies, but about how we appreciate what we have. Are we doing what we want to do or are we in a holding pattern waiting for someone or something before we live the life we want? If it were to end tomorrow what would we regret? Or not? What or whom do we take for granted?
The writing was perfect. The characters came alive. The pacing was great. Very little swearing or violence. No sex. Recommend for everyone.

View all my reviews

margarine light

hell is the absence of the people you long for.

What I mean to say is, the more you remember, the more you've lost.

before / after

 before / after

    a point in the line of time 

    so dark it draws the eye

    a shudder of a door slammed 

    so hard the portraits fall

    a slash and burn

    so complete the inferno devours itself

    the edge of a razor

    so sharp it eviscerates whole words

not normal / normal

     unthinkable / thinkable

     intolerable / tolerable

    it creates an alien world that looks

    uncannily familiar

maybe not better / maybe not worse

but definitely, definitively

  different

those two f’s like parallel lines (parallel worlds)

      like two daggers, tips pointed down

    warriors’ hands on hilts

     blades not unsheathed

    but ready

Mexican Gothic

 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For a horror book, this hits all the right notes. The atmosphere is lush and claustrophobic and the time period adds just the right amount of glitz. The repeating symbols and motifs foretell what is to come and the lucid dreams keep the reader questioning reality as much as its characters do. The underlying messages of racism and sexism are blatant but don't detract from the message that bigotry is ultimately as much a prison for the perpetrator as the victims. Of course, it climaxes with spectacular super-natural events.

View all my reviews

Kim Jiyoung: Born 1982

 

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We are introduced to Kim Jiyoung as a young mother who spontaneously channels other women's thoughts. This would be an interesting premise, and one I wish was developed a bit more but most of the book is a life sketch of Jiyoung, with particular emphasis put on all the ways a typical South Korean girl has to struggle for equality with the boys. From school uniforms to getting and keeping jobs there are a hundred little ways that show the culture's preference for men and keep women from developing their full potential. The fact that this book is also popular in the U.S. shows that we, too, can relate all too well to some of these same differences/ prejudices. There are no good answers here--even acknowledgement of these discrepancies may not be enough to change the reality of women as mothers trying to fit into careers that are defined and regulated by men. It won't be until we rethink what makes an employee valuable and redefine what a workday/workweek looks like that women will be able to truly be fulfilled mothers and career women.

View all my reviews

Do laws and institutions change values, or do values drive laws and institutions?

she didn't want to hear people tell her how proud they were of her or how noble she was.  These comments made her feel guilty about being exhausted.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

10 minutes and 38 seconds refers to the amount of time you could conceivably be conscious after you die. Here we are given the account of Leila's last thoughts and memories. She is a sex-worker in Istanbul, and we get a small sketch of her life. The second half of the book is what happens after she dies and her friends come together to replace the family that has cut her off. Istanbul becomes one of the most important characters in this book--a melting pot of cultures full of dizzying sights and sounds. It took me a minute to like this book, another hard life with tragic circumstances--but by the end, I was emotionally invested in her little tribe of friends trying impossibly to honor her in her death, and feeling completely transported to another part of the world.

View all my reviews

Cry and everyone knows you're alive.

"Why are you trying to fight depression?'

"Because that's what I am supposed to do...everyone says."

"My mother--I used to call her Auntie--she often felt the same way, maybe worse.  People always told her to fight depression.  But I have a feeling that as soon as we see something as our enemy we make it stronger.  Like a boomerang.  You hurl it away, it comes back and hits you with equal force.   Maybe what you need is to befriend your depression."

"What a funny thing to say, honey.  How am I to do that?"

"Well, think about it: a friend is someone you can walk with in the dark and learn a lot of things from.  But you also know you are different people--you and your friend.  You are not your depression.  You are much more than what your mood is today or tomorrow."

She had also observed how a hood would be put on these noble raptors to make sure they would not panic.  Seeing was knowing, and knowing was frightening.  every falconer knew that the less it saw the calmer the bird would be.

Things We Lost to the Water

 

Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A refugee story that starts with a boat and ends in a hurricane. It's a beautiful title and accurately depicts the story--all the things that were lost when they had to leave their homeland in Viet Nam--people, places, their idea of what life would be like. On the opposite end, Katrina comes to steal their homes once again, only this time, it washes away the detritus that has built up as resentments, conflicts, and misunderstandings. The bones are good, but I could never quite get my teeth into the story or the characters. Perhaps this is a failing on my part--another good option, all told, in the cannon of refugee stories.

View all my reviews