Finished March 11
Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell
This Wexford mystery has two bodies. One is discovered in a shallow grave by a truffle hunter and his dog. Then, nearby, another body is discovered in the cellar of a boarded up cottage. As the police look through their missing person files, searching for possible identification of the two bodies, they also try to find out if the two bodies are related to each other in any way.
Wexford's one daughter is to be appearing in a new movie based on the book of a local author, and his other daughter is working as a social worker with the Somali community, and both have an interest in ending the practice of female circumcision. These activities also end up involving Wexford in ways he didn't anticipate. This is another great story from Rendell involving social issues as well as crime and intrigue.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Sunday, 9 March 2008
For Older Teens
Finished March 8
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Tessa is sixteen years old and dying of leukemia. But there are so many things she hasn't experienced and together with her friend, Zoey, she aims to do some of them while she can.
Tessa lives with her Dad, and her little brother, Cal, with her mother living in an apartment nearby. She feels frustrated and angry with her situation and sometimes takes out those feelings on her family who struggle to understand.
Tessa starts with a list of ten things she wants to do before she dies, the first of which is sex. Zoey helps her achieve some of these experiences, and for others she turns to her family and the young man next door who has his own issues, and learns that sometimes getting what you want isn't as good as you thought it might be. She also finds out that some things are more important than she thought. As we travel with Tessa down her final few months of life, we are touched by her strength, her frailty, and her too short life.
I was weeping by the end of this one.
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Tessa is sixteen years old and dying of leukemia. But there are so many things she hasn't experienced and together with her friend, Zoey, she aims to do some of them while she can.
Tessa lives with her Dad, and her little brother, Cal, with her mother living in an apartment nearby. She feels frustrated and angry with her situation and sometimes takes out those feelings on her family who struggle to understand.
Tessa starts with a list of ten things she wants to do before she dies, the first of which is sex. Zoey helps her achieve some of these experiences, and for others she turns to her family and the young man next door who has his own issues, and learns that sometimes getting what you want isn't as good as you thought it might be. She also finds out that some things are more important than she thought. As we travel with Tessa down her final few months of life, we are touched by her strength, her frailty, and her too short life.
I was weeping by the end of this one.
Novellas
Finished March 8
Le Bal / Snow in Autumn by Irene Nemirovsky, translated by Sandra Smith
These two novellas are strong stories,with most of the story within the protagonist's head. In Le Bal, a nouveau riche couple plan to hold their first ball, but don't include their young teen daughter in the invitations. As we look at things from young Antoinette's point of view as she exercises revenge for her mother's dismissive attitude, we see the desparation for acceptance of Madame Kampf, the relationship between the Kampf's and their social situation.
In the second story, we look at things from the point of view of a devoted servant, who has served the Russian aristocratic family for years, and emigrates with them to Paris. Tatiana has been with the family since the current master was a baby and she finds that changed finances of the family difficult as well as being homesick for the Russian winters.
These are both strong stories, very character driven, and one cannot help but wonder if they would have evolved into novels had Nemirovsky lived.
Le Bal / Snow in Autumn by Irene Nemirovsky, translated by Sandra Smith
These two novellas are strong stories,with most of the story within the protagonist's head. In Le Bal, a nouveau riche couple plan to hold their first ball, but don't include their young teen daughter in the invitations. As we look at things from young Antoinette's point of view as she exercises revenge for her mother's dismissive attitude, we see the desparation for acceptance of Madame Kampf, the relationship between the Kampf's and their social situation.
In the second story, we look at things from the point of view of a devoted servant, who has served the Russian aristocratic family for years, and emigrates with them to Paris. Tatiana has been with the family since the current master was a baby and she finds that changed finances of the family difficult as well as being homesick for the Russian winters.
These are both strong stories, very character driven, and one cannot help but wonder if they would have evolved into novels had Nemirovsky lived.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
More teen fiction
Finished March 8
Exodus by Julie Bertagna
This teen novel was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award back in 2002 when it was first published in the U.K. and now is finally making a stir here in North America.
Mara lives on Wing, an island in the North Atlantic at the end of the 21st century. But as has been happening for many years, her island is disappearing. Her people have moved to higher and higher ground as the world warms and the waters rise, but they are running out of places to go. Mara uses the old technology of the Weave (similar to the web of today) to show them that New Worlds, manmade cities that are built high above the water, do exist and that they offer hope for the future. As Mara leads her people to a new land, she must suffer personal loss and physical challenges, but she also finds help in others that know compassion.
The story is engaging and definitely "of our time" and the characters interesting.
I hope for more about Mara and her friends.
Exodus by Julie Bertagna
This teen novel was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award back in 2002 when it was first published in the U.K. and now is finally making a stir here in North America.
Mara lives on Wing, an island in the North Atlantic at the end of the 21st century. But as has been happening for many years, her island is disappearing. Her people have moved to higher and higher ground as the world warms and the waters rise, but they are running out of places to go. Mara uses the old technology of the Weave (similar to the web of today) to show them that New Worlds, manmade cities that are built high above the water, do exist and that they offer hope for the future. As Mara leads her people to a new land, she must suffer personal loss and physical challenges, but she also finds help in others that know compassion.
The story is engaging and definitely "of our time" and the characters interesting.
I hope for more about Mara and her friends.
Poetry in the business world
Finished March 7
Leading from within: poetry that sustains the courage to lead edited by Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner
Poetry has always played a role in my life: inspiring, consoling, and offering broader understanding. This was something I got from both my parents, who also consider poetry a part of their lives. This book takes a variety of leaders: business, non-profit, education, and government and gives their voices to the poems that inspire them. Each of the 93 poems given here is introduced by a leader, who tells the reader the context in which the poem either first came to him/her, or in which they use it. The leaders show an aspect of themselves that one doesn't always see and encourage the use of poetry, both publicly and privately, to give strength and purpose to all of us. I found not only the poetry interesting but also the stories behind the choices.
Leading from within: poetry that sustains the courage to lead edited by Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner
Poetry has always played a role in my life: inspiring, consoling, and offering broader understanding. This was something I got from both my parents, who also consider poetry a part of their lives. This book takes a variety of leaders: business, non-profit, education, and government and gives their voices to the poems that inspire them. Each of the 93 poems given here is introduced by a leader, who tells the reader the context in which the poem either first came to him/her, or in which they use it. The leaders show an aspect of themselves that one doesn't always see and encourage the use of poetry, both publicly and privately, to give strength and purpose to all of us. I found not only the poetry interesting but also the stories behind the choices.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Book Covers
Finished March 6
Seven Hundred Penguins
This wonderful collection of covers of selected Penguin (including Pelicans and Peregrines as well) from 1935 to 2000 is engrossing. The execution is good, done on lovely paper with great detail. But it is the covers themselves that this is all about. Each page contains an image of the cover. A section in the back gives the title, year, and very basic information about the artist. I found myself studying the covers in more detail than I would normally give to a book cover, and indeed one of the aims of the books is to have readers (viewers?) take a look at their own Penguin books with new eyes. The range of types of art is wide and choices include some of the traditional three panel covers as well as more diverse choices. There are choices in French and Spanish as well as English and some covers show age. I was just fascinated by this book and gave in and bought myself a copy to keep.
Seven Hundred Penguins
This wonderful collection of covers of selected Penguin (including Pelicans and Peregrines as well) from 1935 to 2000 is engrossing. The execution is good, done on lovely paper with great detail. But it is the covers themselves that this is all about. Each page contains an image of the cover. A section in the back gives the title, year, and very basic information about the artist. I found myself studying the covers in more detail than I would normally give to a book cover, and indeed one of the aims of the books is to have readers (viewers?) take a look at their own Penguin books with new eyes. The range of types of art is wide and choices include some of the traditional three panel covers as well as more diverse choices. There are choices in French and Spanish as well as English and some covers show age. I was just fascinated by this book and gave in and bought myself a copy to keep.
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Canadian Fiction
Finished March 3
Wind Tails by Anne DeGrace
This is one of the ten finalists for the Evergreen award this year, and a great read.
The story is set at a cafe on a mountain pass highway in B.C. As the various characters pass through the cafe, we learn their back stories and how they came to be where they are. As you can guess from the title, the book is inspired by the wind and each chapter has a wind theme to it, from Tailwind to Wayward Wind to Wind Shift the action in the chapter matches the heading. All of the story takes place in the late '70s. Local characters range from the owner of the cafe herself, Cass, to the truck driver Archie who drops the occasional waif on her doorstep, to the local police officer, Bob. Passing through are Jo, a young teen out of Calgary; Pink, a young man from the U.S. travelling with the wind; and many others with shorter appearances on the road for their own reasons. I loved the characters and how their stories led into each others' experiences, as well as the location, where the author allows you to picture the scene in your mind. I found it very engaging and thought-provoking. While the time setting may be different, it speaks to the world today as well.
Wind Tails by Anne DeGrace
This is one of the ten finalists for the Evergreen award this year, and a great read.
The story is set at a cafe on a mountain pass highway in B.C. As the various characters pass through the cafe, we learn their back stories and how they came to be where they are. As you can guess from the title, the book is inspired by the wind and each chapter has a wind theme to it, from Tailwind to Wayward Wind to Wind Shift the action in the chapter matches the heading. All of the story takes place in the late '70s. Local characters range from the owner of the cafe herself, Cass, to the truck driver Archie who drops the occasional waif on her doorstep, to the local police officer, Bob. Passing through are Jo, a young teen out of Calgary; Pink, a young man from the U.S. travelling with the wind; and many others with shorter appearances on the road for their own reasons. I loved the characters and how their stories led into each others' experiences, as well as the location, where the author allows you to picture the scene in your mind. I found it very engaging and thought-provoking. While the time setting may be different, it speaks to the world today as well.
Monday, 3 March 2008
Wonderful Audiobook
Finished March 1
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, performed by Edwina Wren
This is a wonderful story following a famous manuscript through time. In 1996, Hanna Heath a young Australian conservator is asked to conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique Jewish religious book that, unlike most Jewish books, is illuminated. The illustrations are wonderful, portraying the story behind the Jewish seder. Most recently, the book was rescued from the museum in Sarajevo by the librarian. As Hanna carefully conserves the manuscript and notes the special aspects of it, she finds a small insect wing, a hair, some stains on the pages, and other things that might give some hints to where the manuscript has been over time. The book takes us back in time to where the manuscript was when it gained these items. The stories behind the history of the manuscript, its makers, and its various rescues is very engaging and takes us from Spain, to Italy, to Germany and to Sarajevo. The people involved in its history have engrossing stories of their own and as the stories emerge, we also learn Hanna's story and how she came to be who she is, and who she becomes as a result of her work on this manuscript.
This is an utterly engrossing book, that I had to listen to so avidly that instead of listening only in the car as I normally do, I had to bring it into the house and put it on the stereo and just sit and absorb it.
This will be a favourite for the year, I am sure already.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, performed by Edwina Wren
This is a wonderful story following a famous manuscript through time. In 1996, Hanna Heath a young Australian conservator is asked to conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique Jewish religious book that, unlike most Jewish books, is illuminated. The illustrations are wonderful, portraying the story behind the Jewish seder. Most recently, the book was rescued from the museum in Sarajevo by the librarian. As Hanna carefully conserves the manuscript and notes the special aspects of it, she finds a small insect wing, a hair, some stains on the pages, and other things that might give some hints to where the manuscript has been over time. The book takes us back in time to where the manuscript was when it gained these items. The stories behind the history of the manuscript, its makers, and its various rescues is very engaging and takes us from Spain, to Italy, to Germany and to Sarajevo. The people involved in its history have engrossing stories of their own and as the stories emerge, we also learn Hanna's story and how she came to be who she is, and who she becomes as a result of her work on this manuscript.
This is an utterly engrossing book, that I had to listen to so avidly that instead of listening only in the car as I normally do, I had to bring it into the house and put it on the stereo and just sit and absorb it.
This will be a favourite for the year, I am sure already.
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Fun Fiction
Finished March 1
Solos by Kitty Burns Florey
This is a fun story set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn (zip code 11211) featuring the word-loving woman, Emily Lime. As you may have noticed, Emily's name is a palindrome and more of these and other word play instances abound. That is part of what makes it all fun. Emily has a dog, Otto, and a bird, Izzy. As we learn about Emily's life, her professions (gardening assistant and photographer), her friends in the neighborhood, and how she came to be where she is in her life, we also come to see the neighborhood itself. Emily just scrapes by financially, but has a rich life with friends, animals and her interest in the world she lives in.
One of Emily's friends is Marcus Mead, dog-walker and fellow word afficiando. Marcus's father is Emily's ex-husband and Marcus is aware of this, but doesn't think Emily is. When Marcus's father, Hart, offers Marcus money to kill Emily, Marcus must puzzle out what this is all about.
Wonderful characters, a neighborhood come alive, and personable pets. A great, entertaining read.
Solos by Kitty Burns Florey
This is a fun story set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn (zip code 11211) featuring the word-loving woman, Emily Lime. As you may have noticed, Emily's name is a palindrome and more of these and other word play instances abound. That is part of what makes it all fun. Emily has a dog, Otto, and a bird, Izzy. As we learn about Emily's life, her professions (gardening assistant and photographer), her friends in the neighborhood, and how she came to be where she is in her life, we also come to see the neighborhood itself. Emily just scrapes by financially, but has a rich life with friends, animals and her interest in the world she lives in.
One of Emily's friends is Marcus Mead, dog-walker and fellow word afficiando. Marcus's father is Emily's ex-husband and Marcus is aware of this, but doesn't think Emily is. When Marcus's father, Hart, offers Marcus money to kill Emily, Marcus must puzzle out what this is all about.
Wonderful characters, a neighborhood come alive, and personable pets. A great, entertaining read.
Older Fiction
Finished February 28
One Hundred Million Hearts by Kerri Sakamoto
I've been meaning to read this one for a while and finally got around to it. This story is told from the point of view of Miyo Mori a Japanese Canadian, living in Toronto. Miyo was born with physical disabilities that include a weak leg and chest. Her mother died when she was just a child and her father looked after her, even driving her to and from her work. She lived a very insular life until she encounters a man who assists her on the subway one day when her father wasn't able to drive her. As she begins a relationship she begins to resent her father, until she is faced with his death. As she learns of a half-sister who lives in Japan and the other things that she did not know about her father, she engages in a search to find her sister and her father's past. Her search leads her to discoveries about herself as well and gives in new insight to her father's treatment of her.
It was interesting to see the development of Miyo as she ventures into a new environment with the supports she was used to. She grows as she learns.
One Hundred Million Hearts by Kerri Sakamoto
I've been meaning to read this one for a while and finally got around to it. This story is told from the point of view of Miyo Mori a Japanese Canadian, living in Toronto. Miyo was born with physical disabilities that include a weak leg and chest. Her mother died when she was just a child and her father looked after her, even driving her to and from her work. She lived a very insular life until she encounters a man who assists her on the subway one day when her father wasn't able to drive her. As she begins a relationship she begins to resent her father, until she is faced with his death. As she learns of a half-sister who lives in Japan and the other things that she did not know about her father, she engages in a search to find her sister and her father's past. Her search leads her to discoveries about herself as well and gives in new insight to her father's treatment of her.
It was interesting to see the development of Miyo as she ventures into a new environment with the supports she was used to. She grows as she learns.
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