Finished February 1
When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster
Autumn is a wise woman and a member of the Jaen, a sisterhood dedicated to helping others. She lives on Avening, an island off the BC coast. Avening is a different community, where it is hard not to believe in magic. Autumn has come to the point that she must move on, and to do so she must select her own replacement. She takes the next year to look at the list of candidates that the Jaen have given her as well as some she has noticed on her own.
This is a tale that speaks to the magic that is present everyday, that is tied to the earth and the elements that make up our world. As Autumn looks at the women and girls in her community, she finds powers that she hadn't realized were there. The women and girls haven't been always aware of the nature and strength of their gifts either and we see them gain knowledge.
I enjoy this side of the spiritual and have had some personal experiences that speak to it as well. There is more out there than we know. This is a great story and a captivating read. Enjoy.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Finished 2010 Chunkster Challenge
I completed the aimed level for the Chunkster Reading Challenge (Do These Books Make My Butt Look Big) back in July and decided to continue aiming for a higher level, Mor-Bookly Obese.
This higher level meant going for 6 books over 450 pages, which I have now done.
1. Burmese Lessons - 463 pages
2. Crow Road - 501 pages
3. The Passage - 766 pages
4. A Fierce Radiance - 527 pages
5. The Forgotten Garden - 549 pages
6. The Ship of Brides - 482 pages
I also thoroughly enjoyed them all, but surprised myself with how long it took to get the last two.
This higher level meant going for 6 books over 450 pages, which I have now done.
1. Burmese Lessons - 463 pages
2. Crow Road - 501 pages
3. The Passage - 766 pages
4. A Fierce Radiance - 527 pages
5. The Forgotten Garden - 549 pages
6. The Ship of Brides - 482 pages
I also thoroughly enjoyed them all, but surprised myself with how long it took to get the last two.
The Ship of Brides
Finished January 29
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes
This novel follows four young women on their trip as Australian war brides, traveling from Australia to England in 1946. This trip really occurred, with the war brides traveling on an aircraft carrier that had been partially converted to create cabin space for them.
The history was interesting. The girls we follow include a farm girl well along in her pregnancy, a society girl, a nurse, and a very young bride of sixteen. Margaret, the farm girl is very down to earth and direct. She is friendly and comfortable with men. Avice, the society girl, has planned out her future, from picking her husband, moving the marriage up, and getting herself onto the ship. But she can't control everything as well as she thinks. Frances, the nurse, is a quiet and practical young woman, who has seen the worst of war in her nursing of POWs. She also has a sad past that she is escaping, but it keeps following her. Jean, the young wife, has also had a hard life, and has taken to marriage as her first chance for love. Her inexperience and longing for love may also be her undoing. The captain of the ship has issues as well: guilt, resentment, and discomfort. He gains more from this voyage than he anticipated.
With happiness, sadness, and a great story, this novel has a lot going for it.
Lots of good history, with the occasional lapse of fact that doesn't detract from the storyline.
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes
This novel follows four young women on their trip as Australian war brides, traveling from Australia to England in 1946. This trip really occurred, with the war brides traveling on an aircraft carrier that had been partially converted to create cabin space for them.
The history was interesting. The girls we follow include a farm girl well along in her pregnancy, a society girl, a nurse, and a very young bride of sixteen. Margaret, the farm girl is very down to earth and direct. She is friendly and comfortable with men. Avice, the society girl, has planned out her future, from picking her husband, moving the marriage up, and getting herself onto the ship. But she can't control everything as well as she thinks. Frances, the nurse, is a quiet and practical young woman, who has seen the worst of war in her nursing of POWs. She also has a sad past that she is escaping, but it keeps following her. Jean, the young wife, has also had a hard life, and has taken to marriage as her first chance for love. Her inexperience and longing for love may also be her undoing. The captain of the ship has issues as well: guilt, resentment, and discomfort. He gains more from this voyage than he anticipated.
With happiness, sadness, and a great story, this novel has a lot going for it.
Lots of good history, with the occasional lapse of fact that doesn't detract from the storyline.
It's a Book
Finished January 27
It's a Book by Lane Smith
This picture book is a hoot. Monkey has a book, and his friends, mouse and jackass, have lots of questions about the book, like "how do you scroll?" and "can it blog?" but he manages to convince them that it has its own value. Cute, and funny. The drawings are simple and effective.
It's a Book by Lane Smith
This picture book is a hoot. Monkey has a book, and his friends, mouse and jackass, have lots of questions about the book, like "how do you scroll?" and "can it blog?" but he manages to convince them that it has its own value. Cute, and funny. The drawings are simple and effective.
Far to Go
Finished January 23
Far to Go by Alison Pick
This novel is set in Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Second World War, when the Germans took over first Sudetenland and then the rest of the country. We look at things from the point of view of the young nanny for a well-off Jewish family. There is also a voice from the early twentieth century that we don't find out the identity of until the end of the book.
The story is a different voice and follows not only the arc of the German's in Czechoslovakia, but also the variety of responses to the German's presence. The nanny, Marta, has her own issues that influence her actions here. The small boy, Pepik, is put on the list for Kindertransport and manages to escape, but never sees his family or nanny again. His experience is something we hear about later in the book.
This is a sad book, but not in a manipulative way. We see a story that is based on real stories and real history and it is a learning experience as well as a rewarding tale.
Well told and researched.
Far to Go by Alison Pick
This novel is set in Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Second World War, when the Germans took over first Sudetenland and then the rest of the country. We look at things from the point of view of the young nanny for a well-off Jewish family. There is also a voice from the early twentieth century that we don't find out the identity of until the end of the book.
The story is a different voice and follows not only the arc of the German's in Czechoslovakia, but also the variety of responses to the German's presence. The nanny, Marta, has her own issues that influence her actions here. The small boy, Pepik, is put on the list for Kindertransport and manages to escape, but never sees his family or nanny again. His experience is something we hear about later in the book.
This is a sad book, but not in a manipulative way. We see a story that is based on real stories and real history and it is a learning experience as well as a rewarding tale.
Well told and researched.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
My Reading Life
Finished January 20
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy, read by the author
This is a gem of a book. Conroy reflects on his life, showing how reading became a part of it, talking about those important in the development of his reading, and detailing his experiences. He takes particular time over some books that were key in his development, but mentions many many more. I knew before I finished the first CD of this book that I needed to get myself a paper copy to keep. There are so many passages that spoke to me, and bits I'd like to quote that I know I need my own book.
Conroy is open, reflective, and honest in his reflections. Reading has been the key to opening the world to him. It is what determined his career as a writer, and his development of friends. There were so many interesting anecdotes, particularly those involving other writers, that gave me new perspectives on well known people.
This book is not to be missed.
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy, read by the author
This is a gem of a book. Conroy reflects on his life, showing how reading became a part of it, talking about those important in the development of his reading, and detailing his experiences. He takes particular time over some books that were key in his development, but mentions many many more. I knew before I finished the first CD of this book that I needed to get myself a paper copy to keep. There are so many passages that spoke to me, and bits I'd like to quote that I know I need my own book.
Conroy is open, reflective, and honest in his reflections. Reading has been the key to opening the world to him. It is what determined his career as a writer, and his development of friends. There were so many interesting anecdotes, particularly those involving other writers, that gave me new perspectives on well known people.
This book is not to be missed.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Mistress of Nothing
Finished January 16
Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger
This novel won the GG for fiction in 2009 and I'd been meaning to read it for a while. It takes place in Victorian England and Egypt and is in the voice of Sally Naldrett, a lady's maid to Lady Duff Gordon. Pullinger was inspired by reading the letters of Lady Duff Gordon and wondering what happened to Sally afterward.
Sally really did work for Lady Duff Gordon and accompanied her abroad on more than one occasion, including her trip to Egypt. Sally had been loyal to "her lady", assisting in treating her illness and doing whatever needed to be done to make her life easier and minimize the awareness of illness by others. In Egypt, Sally was surprised by her own feelings and wouldn't likely have acted as she did if her feelings were not reciprocated.
Pullinger makes Sally come alive here, and I found the voice compelling. Egypt and its social life of the time come alive, as do the local people. Sally shows her development as she comes to realize her lack of real power over her life due to her social situation. As the title indicates, she is really mistress of nothing.
This is a moving and evocative book of a past time.
Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger
This novel won the GG for fiction in 2009 and I'd been meaning to read it for a while. It takes place in Victorian England and Egypt and is in the voice of Sally Naldrett, a lady's maid to Lady Duff Gordon. Pullinger was inspired by reading the letters of Lady Duff Gordon and wondering what happened to Sally afterward.
Sally really did work for Lady Duff Gordon and accompanied her abroad on more than one occasion, including her trip to Egypt. Sally had been loyal to "her lady", assisting in treating her illness and doing whatever needed to be done to make her life easier and minimize the awareness of illness by others. In Egypt, Sally was surprised by her own feelings and wouldn't likely have acted as she did if her feelings were not reciprocated.
Pullinger makes Sally come alive here, and I found the voice compelling. Egypt and its social life of the time come alive, as do the local people. Sally shows her development as she comes to realize her lack of real power over her life due to her social situation. As the title indicates, she is really mistress of nothing.
This is a moving and evocative book of a past time.
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