Another Wonderful One

Yesterday I finished reading A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Ernest J. Gaines (1993). Although this book was selected for Oprah's Book Club, at that time I was living in a small town with next-to-no television reception, did not watch Oprah's program, and therefore didn't ever hear of this book. I borrowed it from a family member and was completely captivated by it. The story is about a young black man in the South who is wrongly convicted of a murder that occurred while he was present. He was sentenced to die in the electric chair, but suffered such complete humiliation during the trial that he couldn't accept any of the love and comfort offered by his family. His godmother insisted that the local school teacher (who was connected to the family) visit the prison regularly and attempt to raise the condemned man's self-esteem so that he could die with at least a semblance of dignity. When you have a reluctant teacher and an even more-reluctant student, the way is not easy. Mr. Gaines has done a beautiful job in telling this story

Egad! It's Science

On the recommendation of my son, I ordered DEATH BY BLACK HOLE by Neil deGrasse Tyson (2007) but would have been unable to retain any interest if the book had presented information about the universe in the ordinary dry scientific manner. Mr. Tyson doesn't do that. His funny comments actually had me laughing out loud. Because of that, I stayed with the book and now understand black holes (kind of). It's a great book that enables the reader to laugh while learning.

Heartbreaking, but Beautiful

I just finished The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman (2011). This is a beautiful story. It begins with the end of the story (which allows you to know that neither party died) but soon takes you back to the beginning. It tells of a newly-married couple who have the opportunity to leave Europe just before the Gestapo begins rounding up Jews to be sent to "work camps". The husband is committed to going with his family, but the bride elects to stay with her own family until they too can leave. Having lost each other, both Lenka and Josef go on living, but their love never dies. An interesting part of the presentation is that most of Lenka's story is told by her as a young woman, while most of Josef's is as the memories of an old man. I would recommend this to anyone.

I lucked out again

One of my dearest friends had a career in nursing. She had spent a part of her childhood in Chicago, and eventually had a four-year training course in three years at the Cook County School of Nursing which is affiliated with the Cook County Hospital. All this is prelude to telling you that she loaned a book to me that I never would have encountered otherwise. The book is COOKED by Carol Karels (rhymes with Charles), published in 2005. It is a memoir, but much less about her than the training of these nurses. It's an excellent book and worthy of much wider distribution.

Go on a Journey with some Great Gals

Women! We can be pains, but we're frequently magnificent. The five main characters in this book (well, actually more, if you count the deceased) are wonderful. I would be honored to call any of them "friend". The book is Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish (2006). Prior to her death, Annie left instructions and requests to be passed to her close friends to meet -- for the first time --, travel together and leave part of Annie's ashes in places that were dear to her. And they do -- and then some.
The book is both funny and profound. Find it and enjoy.

Serious but not Sad

 I just finished The Forgetting --Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic. What an excellent book! Written by David Shenk (2001), the book documents and explains the progress of Alzheimer's disease from the early to the final stages. It leaves the reader not only comforted but also almost appreciative of this manner of death. Mr. Shenk has done a great service in making this information available. If you're concerned about the possibility of Alzheimer's in someone you care about, I strongly urge you to read this book.

So down-to-earth and so good

I've been busy working on my own book and haven't mentioned any of the ones I've read recently. At last my own book is finished and I'll self-publish on Amazon. Now I have time to tell you about what I've read. I really, really enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (2009). It tells a fictional story of people living on the isle of Guernsey during WWII and immediately thereafter. This is not grim; it's great. It is done so well that even though there are many characters, the reader has no problem in remembering who's who. Just locate your copy before the beginning of fall because this book should be read by a fireplace with a pot of tea.

The Final Word

I read the other books completing THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Their separate titles are CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY. All three were written by Suzanne Collins. I truly enjoyed that first one and while the second one was certainly good, to me it was somewhat less enjoyable than the first. Possibly I was just getting tired of it all, but I didn't care for the last one. In tying it all together, the author made it a bit confusing, and I only kept reading to find out how it all turned out. Anyway, I'm sure the author has made a ton of money from it, and I'm delighted for her.

A Simple Tale

After getting a strong recommendation from two friends, I bought a used copy of A DOG'S PURPOSE by W. Bruce Cameron (2010). At first I thought the writing was somewhat juvenile, but it finally registered (duh) that the story was being told in the simple thoughts of a young dog, and could not be otherwise. This is actually the reincarnation story of a dog who lives and dies several times, but retains the memory of previous lives and masters. I enjoyed it, and am lending it to all my dog-lover friends so they can cry their eyes out.

I can understand the hoopla...

I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While some of my friends were made uncomfortable by the killing of both animals and people, I was not. Instead, I was fascinated by the strength and knowledge of the heroine, Katniss. The author has told a riveting tale of courage, survival and love. Not necessarily romantic love. So this is all in the first book -- and there are three. Whoopee!

And the Sequel

I was just a little disappointed in this one. Not because of the book but because of my own expectations. In the previous book, Eighteen Acres, the author introduced a character that sounded much like Sarah Palin -- and to me, that's nothing good. The woman had been picked as an "out-of-nowhere" running-mate for the presidential candidate and was extremely self-directed and unwilling to comply with normal candidate behavior. Since the author had been a campaign adviser for John McCain and Sarah Palin, I was looking for outrageous behavior after the book character became our vice president. Didn't happen.
Instead, in this new book It's Classified by Nicolle Wallace (2011), the V.P. has mental/emotional problems, and the reader ends up feeling quite sympathetic. Hmmm, mental/emotional problems does sound like Sarah, doesn't it? Anyway, it's a good book. Give it a try.

Ah yes, politics....

I love political novels, well, for that matter, I enjoy politics too. The new book I just finished,  Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace (2010) has three major characters: The American President, the White house Chief of Staff, and an important television reporter. Surprise, surprise! They're all women, The President and Chief are close friends, and are serious, well-intentioned women. The reporter is more self-oriented, but is still an all right person. Because it's time to run for a second term and the president needs to boost her polling numbers, she decides to create what is called a "unity ticket" by inviting a woman from the opposite political party to serve as her vice-president. Oh,oh. It's a very well-written book and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

A Great Book

I just finished GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok (2010) and I loved every word of it. Kimberly and her mother are recently arrived from China, do not speak English, and have no money. The mother's sister arranges for them to live in an abandoned building which she has access to, and for the mother to work for her in a garment making factory. Kimberly is on her own making her way through the New York City school system. Jean Kwok tells this story so well that you feel like you're living it along with the characters. What an inspiring story!

I Love Brave Women

I just finished a book that I really enjoyed. It had been recommended by a friend a long time ago, but I didn't make the effort to find it. Just recently, another friend gave me a brand-new copy, and I'm so glad that she did. The book is ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN  by Jim Fergus, 1998. Although it is fictitious, it seems so real that you have to keep reminding yourself that it didn't really happen. In it, Fergus starts with the truth that in 1854, a Cheyenne chieftain requested that the whites send 1,000 women to live with their tribes as a way of joining the races and the eventual end of war between the two peoples. The offer was considered outrageous and was instantly refused. In this book, the offer was quietly accepted and the first installment of women was sent on its way. These women had been collected from insane asylums, jails, and other places where they would be unlikely to be missed. The story is told in the journals of May Dodd, one of the first (and only) group. It's a wonderful story and shouldn't be missed.

Fascinating!

Amazon.com sent a recommendation for SATI by Christopher Pike (1990). I had to think about it a while, as this author usually writes teen or young adult books and I'm rather far from that age group.What I had read about the book sounded as though this might be a regular adult novel, so I decided to take a chance. And it worked! This is a remarkable book that I enjoyed cover-to-cover. If I may quote just the first line: "I once knew this girl who thought she was God." How's that for an attention-getter? I'll not tell you how it all turned out, but encourage you to read the book. I hope you'll love it. I sure did.

A Learning Experience

A new friend sent a book which was a quick, easy, enjoyable read. Indian Creek Chronicles by Peter Fromm (1993) is well worth your time. As a young college student, the author became enchanted with the "romance" of the mountain men of the past century.. Circumstances led him to accept a Fish and Game job living in a remote canyon in Idaho where his job was to keep watch over the two and a half million salmon eggs which had been planted in one of the streams that eventually connected to the Pacific ocean. The strong appeal was because he'd be living by himself for seven months during the winter season, He envisioned himself as a modern-day mountain man, until he was faced with the reality of complete isolation. Then it was an "Oh my God" situation. He made a lot of dumb mistakes and endured some less-than-wonderful experiences. But he learned -- and that's the beauty of the story.

A Disappointing Bestseller

There is nothing wrong with this book.It won the National Book Award,and had many enthusiastic reviews.It was only disappointing to me, and that's because of my own circumstances. The book is The Year of Magical Thinkingby Joan Didion (2006). In it, she tells the story of the death of her husband and her gradual recovery from the shock of it. She went on "automatic pilot" and she coped well, but internally, she was anticipating his return. That's the extent of the "Magical Thinking". My circumstances are that my own husband died less than two years ago and because of that, my thinking has changed a great deal. I bought the book hoping to read that someone else had experiences similar to mine. I'm in the process of writing my own book which will have a lot more of what some would call "magic", but I don't. I call it "contacts". Ms Didion is an excellent writer and award winner. I'm not.