The Finest Hotel in Kabul

Finished August 19

The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet

This was an excellent read by BBC journalist Lyse Doucet, who was born in Canada. Covering the late 1960s through the present, this story is about the Intercontinental Hotel, which opened in Kabul in 1969 as part of a global chain of luxury hotels, but owned by the Afghan government. Lyse's experiences with the hotel began in 1988 with her first trip to the country as a journalist with the BBC. She has done significant research including talking to employees of the hotel, previous employees, politicians, former diplomats to the country, other journalist, and guests of the hotel.

She takes us through the changes in leadership, both of the hotel and of the country, the damage done through war and terrorism, the staff who moved through a series of roles at the hotel, staff who moved on to other careers after their time at the hotel, and includes information on both staff and guests who died at the hotel. 

Some long term staff we see several times over the years, while others come for short periods and move on. From the time of the country as a kingdom, through coups, Russian occupation, civil war, Western invasion and occupation, democracy,and two Taliban control periods, we see how the hotel, and the people who knew it, weathered the changes. Parts of the hotel were destroyed and rebuilt, but it remains a place of international relations, celebrations, and a symbol of connection to the larger world.

I enjoyed getting to know the various staff and seeing how they worked. I got a sense of the country and its people. This was an engaging and accessible book that enlightened me. 

Perfume River

Finished November 29

Perfume River by Robert Olen Butler

This novel is, like all Butler novels I've read, beautifully written. The main character here is Robert Quinlan, a seventy-year-old history professor at Florida State University. His wife Darla is also a professor at FSU, she teaches art theory and is working on a paper about Daughters of the Confederacy Monuments. They live in a Craftsman house that they built with an inheritance from Darla's parents years ago.

As the novel opens, they cross paths with a homeless man while eating a buffet dinner, and Robert buys him the meal and has a short conversation. The man, also named Bob, decides that the cold weather warrants a long walk to a shed behind a church, a place he knows is always left open to those who might need it. 

Robert had mistaken Bob for a Vietnam veteran, forgetting just how long ago that war was, and this error takes him back to his own youth, and his time in Vietnam and he considers why he went and what he did, particularly on one particular night. 

Robert has a brother Jimmy that chose a different path. Jimmy went to Canada, and their father William disowned him. Now their father is close to death and choosing to give unasked-for opinions. And their mother Peggy has somehow got hold of Jimmy's phone number and wants Robert to talk to him.

This is a story of family, of fathers and sons, of expectations and resentments, There is also a theme of war that arises. A book that made me sit and think for a while. 

The Iron Flower

Finished June 22

The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest

This is the second book in The Black Witch Chronicles series. Elloren Gardner has come a long way in the short time she's been at the University in Verpacia. As the granddaughter and lookalike of one of her country, Gardenia's, heroines, she has a lot of preconceived ideas about her to overcome, from both friends and enemies. 

After having many of her own prejudices changed, she has found herself working with her new friends to right wrongs as she encounters them. However, now that her country has shown itself to be the current aggressor in their world, she finds herself part of a much larger struggle. As Gardneria and its leaders force other races into slavery, submission, or death, she fights against her use as a pawn in the battle. 

In this second book, she travels to some neighbouring realms, and finds herself tied to one man while trying to suppress her feelings for another. She also fights against the family legacy, and finds her siblings fighting along with her. I found this novel full of action and emotion, as Elloren realizes what is at stake, and grieves those she has known and cared for as she finds herself aligned with new powers. 

A satisfying read. 

The End of October

Finished December 2

The End of October by Lawrence Wright

I started reading this novel in March 2020, but it felt too close to what was happening in the world at that time, so I put it down and moved on to another book. I decided to tackle it again, and it still felt eerily real to me, with so many aspects of the pandemic within its pages relatable to the real-life pandemic. But this time I kept reading, because I truly wanted to know what would happen to Dr. Henry Parsons, his wife Jill and their children Helen and Teddy. 

Henry is a microbiologist working at the CDC and for the WHO. When an outbreak occurs in Indonesia, he travels there on behalf of WHO to investigate. 

The book takes us through scary moments, when Henry first realizes the virulence of the outbreak and then when he realizes that he has lost the moment to contain it. Henry is a dedicated scientist, using his skills to help figure out what he can. Like our pandemic, things are constantly happening that change the situation, and adjustments are constantly being made. 

Also, like our pandemic, authorities don't always give all the information they have, and aren't always clear to the public of the risks and the real numbers affected. 

The side of the book with Henry's family personalizes it more. Jill is a school teacher, worried about her kids in the classroom, but also about her kids at home. With limited access to be able to communicate with Henry, she is forced to make decisions with limited information. She second guesses herself. 

I found the character of Helen the most interesting as she developed. She is in her teens, and is forced to deal with very adult situations. She is scared and very brave. I really liked her.

There are many loose ends here, as there are in real life. We don't know what happens to the Saudi prince that Henry worked so closely with, and the end of the book doesn't tie everything up. But this feels real, and so many of the issues that arise are real: foreign diplomacy, threats of war, suspicion that the virus is manmade, climate change, countries taking advantage of weaknesses to attack other countries, and interruptions to communications and trade. This was still a difficult read, as so many of the issues are real for us now, but it is one that will keep you gripped to the book.  

The Book Collectors

Finished October 16

The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui, translated by Lara Vergnaud

The author, Delphine Minoui, is a journalist who has covered the Middle East, and lives in Istanbul. She also directed a documentary on the same subject as this book. During her work, she heard about a group who had created a library from books they found in the rubble of their town, Daraya. Daraya is a town outside of Damascus which fell under a siege in 2012 and became cut off from the outside world for four years. 

The young men who found the first batch of books and began actively collecting them in one place, where they built shelving and provided studying, reading, and meeting space, had a collection of fifteen thousand books within a month of their start. The collection had range, from poetry to plays, history to science. 

First Minoui tracked down one of the library's founders, Ahmad Muaddamani, twenty-three, who was studying civil engineering before the war. He told her the story of the library, but also the story of this small community, its history of discourse and democracy, the effects of the siege, and the others who supported and used the library. Residents from children through seniors visited and borrowed material, and they even arranged Skype lectures from a variety of speakers. Other men that she spoke to were Omar Abu Anas, a soldier in the Free Syrian Army, who kept a small collection of books protected by sandbags at the front lines; Shadi Matar, who joined the media center of the town and documented the war through photographs; Hussam Ayash, who launched a small local magazine during the siege; Abu Malek Al-Shami, who painted graffiti and murals on the ruins to keep spirits up; Abu el-Ezz, another co-founder of the library; and Ustez, a slightly older man who served as a mentor for the others.

As Monoui tracks the ongoing siege, she also documents the types of attacks they endured, including barrel bombs, sarin gas, and napalm. 

With limited access to internet, most of the communication was through media such as Whats App, with reliance on short messages, and video. 

A book that brings this group of men to life and highlights the situation that they lived in during this difficult time. She also includes a list of the most popular books in the collection and ones mentioned in her conversations with the men. 

Dark at the Crossing

Finished November 20 
Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman, read by Vikas Adam

This story takes place over a short time period.
A young man, Haris Abadi, an Iraqi-American has come to Turkey to cross into Syria to help the rebels. Haris has a lot of baggage from his previous experience working as a translator for American troops in Iraq. His close relationship with one soldier in particular is one that he keeps coming back to in his head. As a translator, he didn't always agree with the methods used by the Americans, and sometimes felt he didn't belong anywhere. He already had his American citizenship before working as a translator and was trying to make a better life for his sister. Once he felt that she had moved on, he was at loose ends, and felt drawn back to this area of the world.
When he is robbed when trusting someone to help him across the border, he is taken in by another young man Amir, a Syrian working as a researcher. Amir is married to Daphne and came to Turkey when Daphne was badly hurt in an explosion in their home. Their marriage is troubled, and Daphne longs to return to look for what she has lost.
As the plans evolve to have Haris accompany Daphne into Syria, he begins to look harder at his own motives and what he wants to accomplish.
This is a difficult book, one where things aren't black and white. But it is thought-provoking.

Dreaming the Bull

Finished August 20
Dreaming the Bull by Manda Scott

This is the second book in a series, but I haven't read the others. It is a story around the Boudica, a woman warrior who led a long war against the Romans who were settling in Britain. She is the Bringer of Victory and her role is now taken by Breaca, a woman of strong resolve. The Boudica is part of the tribe of Eceni, and this book begins in A.D. 47. The main Roman character is a decurion, an officer in the auxiliary cavalry, named Julius Valerius. He was born an Eceni, but an incident in his youth has hardened his heart against his own people. The Romans are trying to disarm their enemy as a measure of defence, and this means destroying weapons that have been handed down through generations. As the man in charge of this action, Julius is hated by the Eceni. The Governor of Britannia is Scapula, and he is also hated by the tribes.
As the book begins, Julius meets the Roman Longinus Sdapeze, and grows close to him.
The Eceni are based on the holy island of Mona. One of the leading warriors is Caradoc, lover of Breaca, and father to the young boy Cunomar, son of Breaca. Caradoc is also the father of Cygfa, a young woman who is taking her first battle as a warrior. Her mother is Cwmfen, another strong female warrior. Breaca is heavily pregnant as the battle begins, and so is unable to join in. She sends her son Cunomar under the protection of Dubornos and her beloved hound Hail.
The Emperor Claudius is nearing the end of his reign, and is highly superstitious. When the battle goes wrong, and some of the leading warriors become prisoners of Rome, it is this superstitious nature, and the intercession of the royal physician Xenophon, that help to keep them alive.
I enjoyed this tale, and am now interested in reading other books in the series.

London Tides

Finished April 19
London Tides by Carla Laureano

This novel is a story of self-acceptance, and love.
Grace Brennan fled London a decade ago to work as a war photographer, leaving her fiance with her ring and a note. She was inspired by her photographer, who died in their home country of Ireland trying to cover the story of unrest there. But while Grace was running towards the work she loved and was driven to share, what was she running from.
She left behind Olympian rower Ian MacDonald, confused and unhappy at her flight. Ian has moved on, running his younger brother's restaurant business, but personally he still hasn't moved forward.
When the two of them reconnect, they will have to face all the things that kept them apart, as well as own up to their own identities.
This story shows how easy it is to do what others expect you to do, instead of being true to that small voice inside of you that knows who you really are and what you really want. It tells the story of PTSD and its effects on one's psyche.
This is a novel that follows the author's earlier book Five Days in Skye, whose characters also have a role here.

Pax

Finished March 24
Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen

This children's novel is aimed at the 10-14 age group. As the book begins, Peter is travelling in the car with his father and his pet fox Pax. Peter found the fox near death when he was a very young kit, and has had him for five years. But things are changing rapidly in Peter's life, with his father going off to war and leaving Peter with his grandfather, and when his father tells him he must release Pax to the wild, he doesn't believe he has a choice. It is an act that he regrets quickly, and that he is determined to make right.
Pax is bewildered by his situation. Why did Peter leave him, when will he return? As darkness falls and he still waits for Peter to return, he feels afraid in the large world that he is in. When hunger also begins to come for him, he doesn't know how to find food. As Pax comes across others of his kind, he must figure out how to act and what he must do to survive.
This book follows Pax and Peter in alternating chapters. The two feel a strong connection to each other and yearn for each other. As Peter moves forward, he meets a woman, Vola, who has her own story of war and its costs. Peter has not had a female figure in his life since his mother died before he found Pax, and Vola has not had anyone in her life for a long time. As the two get to know each other, they also learn the truth about themselves.
Pax is also forced to learn, from the world around him, from the wild foxes he meets who've had bad experiences with humans, from the men he sees working nearby.
This is a story about the costs of war, costs seen in many different guises. The illustrations are wonderful and evocative, a good fit for the story.

War Through the Generations Reading Challenge 2015 Wrap-Up

War Through the Generations Reading Challenge - Completed

This year I can include books about any war. No levels for the year. I read nine involving WWII, two for the US Civil War, and one each for WWI, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the Lebanese Civil War.

1. Sitt Marie Rose by Etel Adnan. Finished February 1. [Lebanese Civil War]

2. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. Finished February 8 [Vietnam War]

3. Remembrance by Alistair MacLeod. Finished February 26 [World War II]

4. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. Finished March 16 [World War I]

5. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Finished March 17 [World War II]

6. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain. Finished April 12 (Iraq War)

7. Red Gold by Alan Furst. Finished April 26 [World War II]

8. Neverhome by Laird Hunt. Finished April 26 [U.S. Civil War]

9. Uncertain Soldier by Karen Bass. Finished August 8 [World War II]

10. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin. Finished August 28 [World War II]

11. The Eye of the Day by Dennison Smith. Finished August 31 [World War II]

12. Yankee in Atlanta by Jocelyn Green. Finished September 4 [U.S. Civil War]

13. Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews. Finished September 24 [World War II]

14. Götz and Meyer by David Albahari. Finished December 26 [World War II]

15. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald. Finished December 31 [World War II]

War Through the Generations 2015 Challenge

I'm back again for this challenge

This year is very straightforward. The challenge is to read books, fiction or nonfiction, about any war.
No levels, just post the reviews on the site.

War Through the Generations 2014 Challenge Wrap-Up Post

2014 War Challenge With a Twist

For 2014 at War Through the Generations, they decided to mix things up a bit.

They focussed on 1 war for 2 months rather than a full or half year.

In other words, read books from any of the listed wars during the entire year, then come back and post your reviews in the linky for the designated month.

Here’s the schedule:

• Jan./Feb.: Gulf Wars (Gulf War/Operation Desert Storm and Iraq War/Operation Iraqi Freedom)
  1. 
• March/April: French and Indian War
• May/June: Korean War
• July/August: WWI (100th Anniversary)
• Sept./Oct.: WWII
• Nov./Dec.: Vietnam War

Level of Participation:

• Dip Your Toes: Read 1 book for any war
  
• Novice: Read 1 book per war throughout the year for a total of 6 books on 6 different wars
• Intermediate: Read 2+ books for 1 war, and 1 book for each of the others for a total of 7 books
• Expert: Read 2+ books for each war for a total of 12 books

I tried for at least the Novice level for the year, but thought I might do more for some of the wars. 
I didn't read any books for the French and Indian War, but got at least one for all the others.

My books:
A Jew Must Die by Jacques Chessex. Finished January 17 (World War II)
Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson. Finished February 2 (World War I)
Kid Soldier by Jennifer Maruno. Finished February 3 (World War II)
Night by Elie Wiesel. Finished March 17 (World War II)
The Wind Is Not a River by Brian Payton. Finished March 25 (World War II)
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit. Finished March 26 (World War II)
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. Finished March 31 (World War I)
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Finished May 4 (Gulf Wars)
The Secret Purposes by David Baddiel. Finished May 18 (World War II)
Tyringham Park by Rosemary McLoughlin. Finished May 19 (World War I and World War II)
Saigon by Anthony Grey. Finished June 8 (World War II and Vietnam War)
Give Me Tomorrow by Patrick O'Donnell (Korean War)

War Through The Generations 2014 Challenge

2014 War Challenge With a Twist

2014 is fast approaching. At War Through the Generations, they decided to mix things up a bit.

They will focus on 1 war for 2 months rather than a full or half year.

Every two months, they’ll post a new linky for a new war so everyone can share their review links.

In other words, read books from any of the listed wars during the entire year, then come back and post your reviews in the linky for the designated month.

Here’s the schedule:

• Jan./Feb.: Gulf Wars (Gulf War/Operation Desert Storm and Iraq War/Operation Iraqi Freedom)
• March/April: French and Indian War
• May/June: Korean War
• July/August: WWI (100th Anniversary)
• Sept./Oct.: WWII
• Nov./Dec.: Vietnam War

Level of Participation:

• Dip Your Toes: Read 1 book for any war
  
• Novice: Read 1 book per war throughout the year for a total of 6 books on 6 different wars
• Intermediate: Read 2+ books for 1 war, and 1 book for each of the others for a total of 7 books
• Expert: Read 2+ books for each war for a total of 12 books

I will be doing at least the Novice level for the year, but may do more for some of the wars. My plan for Jan/Feb will be for the Novice for sure as I will have to go searching for books for this group of wars. 

Don't Go

Finished June 12
Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline, read by Jeremy Davidson

In this novel Scottoline's main character is a man, a bit of a departure for her. Mike Scanlan is a podiatrist that served as an army doctor in Afghanistan. Leaving behind his wife Chloe and newborn daughter Emily, he has committed himself to his task. But when a tragedy happens back home, he finds that his wife didn't handle his absence well, and when he finally returns home, a hero, he has trouble adjusting to his new reality and finds himself struggling between learning the truth about what happened back home and doing what is best for his daughter.
This book tackles the issues of returning vets from PTSD to physical losses, from the differing reactions of those at home to how they feel about what they have been through, from pride in the work they did to guilt over those they left behind. Gripping and suspenseful, this book is another winner.

War Through The Generations Challenge for 2012: World War I

For 2012 the war for the War Through the Generations Challenge was World War I.

I set my goal for the Swim level which is 11 or more books. Here's what I read

The Englishman's Daughter by Ben Macintyre
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpugo
Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke
Shot at Dawn by John Wilson
The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

So, didn`t make the goal despite owning a lot of books that took place around this time period or covered the war in some way. Hopefully will do better in next year`s challenge.

War Through the Generations Challenge for 2013

I will be joining the War Through the Generations Challenge again for 2013.

For 2013 the war is the American Revolution.

Site rules:
Books can take place before, during, or after the war, so long as the conflicts that led to the war or the war itself are important to the story. Books from other challenges count so long as they meet the above criteria.

I'm going for the Wade level, which is
Read 4-10 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.

Not sure what I might have on the shelf for this period, but will take a look.

Malvinas Requiem

Finished May 1
Malvinas Requiem by Rodolfo Fogwill, translated by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson
This book originally came out 25 years ago, and had a huge impact in Argentina, contributing to the defeat of the military junta. Malvinas, aka the Falkland Islands is the setting for the book.
In this novel, in the final days of the war, in June 1982, 24 young Argentinian soldiers banded together and hid underground in the mountains. At night, they venture out and trade for the necessities with both the British and the Argentines. Underground, they stockpile supplies, share stories, and worry about the future. They come from all over Argentina, and none of them wanted to be in the war.
The novel speaks to the futility of war, particularly this one. There is dark humour, pragmatism, and a unique viewpoint by the dillos, as they call themselves.
Finally translated into English, this is a book that lets us see the reality of the Argentinian soldiers lives and how they were treated.

They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children

Finished December 2
They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children by Romeo Dallaire
Stayed up late last night to finish this one as there is a waiting list for it at work. It is a heavy subject, but a very readable book. Dallaire writes in a very conversational style and the book is written like it is speaking to you directly. There are three sections where he has included a fictional child soldier and fictional UN peacekeeper to help show the feelings, and reality of the experiences.
He talks about the situations that create child soldiers, the community repercussions, the international repercussions, and the work of Child Soldier International. The last chapter is what we as individuals can do to make a difference for this issue.
He offers hope by showing the progress that has been made in understanding the problem, and has concrete examples of next moves that can be made. These children that have become child soldiers are not just small humans, but also weapons, used by their commanders as another expendable, easily replenished tool in their arsenal. The wars they fight are often more internal criminal actions with no real end goal, than they are traditional wars. They pit children against their own people, making it hard for them to go back to communities, if those communities even exist any more. He also shows that there are a variety of ways to deal with these soldiers, depending on their unique situation and their gender. Yes, many of these soldiers are girls, and they aren't just doing the chores and acting as "bush wives", but also leading other child soldiers. These girls often have more trouble integrating back into the community than the boys, as they no have no traditional value as a marriage offering, and may even have rebel babies that come back with them. Yet, he offers ways to help these young soldiers as well.
I cried, yes, but I was also left with hope that we can do something about this situation and help not only those who are now or have been child soldiers, but also work to prevent it from happening. This is an important book for policy makers to read, because as we all know, the world is smaller than you think.

Australian Fiction

Finished January 17
After the Fire, a Still Small Voice by Evie Wyld
This extraordinary novel follows a father and son in Australia as they deal with inner turmoil. Frank has run from the city to a small shack on the coast that his grandparents bought, and that his parents took him to on family vacations as a child. He is running from his own anger, and from a failed relationship that he didn't take the time to make work.
Leon, Frank's father, tells of his own teen years, taking on the responsible role in the family after his father returns from the Korean War scarred and unable to take on the responsibilities that he left behind. Leon himself is drafted into the Vietnam War and is also scarred.
Frank hasn't talked to his father in years, and doesn't really want to.
Told in alternating chapters by the two men, we see how the dealt with the life that they were dealt and how they cope with the things that have brought them to the present in their lives.
The story is heartbreaking and yet ultimately hopeful, and very well written.

A Collection of Writings

Finished May 16
Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut
Mark Vonnegut, Kurt's son writes an informative introduction to this collection of not-previously-published works. There is a strong war theme here as well as reference to humanity's moral shortcomings. This collection begins with a letter Vonnegut wrote to his family informing them of his prisoner-of-war status during World War II, and includes both fiction and nonfiction pieces. As usual his work has a dark overtone to it and yet includes his unique sense of humour. Some pieces shock, and some are poignant but all are well-written and thought-provoking. The pieces included here speak not only to Vonnegut's despair of human civilization, but also his hope for it.