Beastmomma

From goodreads:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Pages: 550 (paperback)

Rating:10 out of 10

Source: Purchased from the Regulator book store in Durham, NC

I was excited to be able to pick next selection for the DC area book club I joined when we came to the area.  When  The Book Thief by Mark Zusak came out a few years ago, I read lots of wonderful reviews around the blogosphere.  As I was browsing the Regulator book store in Durham one fine day, I saw the Book Thief had come out in paperback and I made the purchase! I was excited and curious to finally begin this novel to see if it lived up to the buzz.  After reading quite a few "okay books," I was thrilled that the Book Thief stole my heart immediately and kept me wanting more as I turned the pages. As soon as I started, I was drawn into the book.  I found the story of Liesel very compelling.  The book made my commute seem short and when we had long flights and a layover on a recent trip to Jamaica, the story made the time go quickly.

One of the things which made the story so compelling to me is that the story is told from the perspective of death.  Death gives us insight into Nazi Germany, war, and anti-semitism. However, death makes the experience more human and accessible by sharing with us the story of Liesel.  I loved her relationships with her foster parents, her best friend Rudy, and Max, the Jewish person her family hid in the basement.   Another central part of the story is Liesel's relationship to books and how learning to read saves her life.  I found it so poetic and tear inducing that each book theft was connected to a significant event in Liesel's life.  At various points in the book, I found myself crying at the sweetness of interactions between the characters-- Liesel and Rudy, Liesel and her papa, Liesel and her mama, Liesel and Max. 

Another aspect of the novel I really enjoyed is the way in which the complexity of the characters is developed.  The conflict between wanting to fit in with the majority so as to not be harassed and following your conscious comes across in the decision of Liesel's parents to take in a Jewish person. I also loved the stories that Max shared with Liesel and the scene where she steps into the parade of Jewish people marching through her town is heart breaking.  Many points in the book illustrate how even in the worst of times, the best of the human spirit emerges.

I am looking forward to the book club discussion of this book.

I am also counting the book for the following challenges:

• Orbis Terrarum: The author was born in Australia
• 2010 Global Reading Challenge: I am going to count the book for Australia, since the author was born there.
• Chunkster Reading Challenge: The book is 550 pages

From goodreads:

In this stirring memoir, Sirleaf shares the inside story of her rise to power, including her early childhood; her experiences with abuse, imprisonment, and exile; and her fight for democracy and social justice. This compelling tale of survival reveals Sirleaf's determination to succeed in multiple worlds: from her studies in the United States to her work as an international bank executive to her election campaigning in some of Liberia's most desperate and war-torn villages and neighborhoods. It is also the story of an outspoken political and social reformer who, despite danger, fought the oppression of dictators and championed change. By sharing her story, Sirleaf encourages women everywhere to pursue leadership roles at the highest levels of power, and gives us all hope that, with perseverance, we can change the world. In January 2006, after the Republic of Liberia had been racked by fourteen years of brutal civil conflict, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Africa's "Iron Lady" was sworn in as president, an event that marked a tremendous turning point in the history of the West African nation.

Pages:353 (Hardcover)

Rating:6 out of 10

Source: Checked out a copy from the Natick library and then picked up another copy from the Alexandria public library.

I first picked up This Child Will be Great:Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for the World Party Reading Challenge. In the original format, the country for the month of June was Liberia.  I began reading in June, but I did not complete the book until last night.  Part of my slow reading progress is the density of the book and the other is that I had other reading commitments.   Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  It is both President Sirleaf's personal story and the history of Liberia.  I learned a lot about the history of the country.  A few highlights are mentioned below.

I was struck by the positive light in which President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were portrayed.  Because of the work I do and my political standpoint, I am very often critical of the former president.  I enjoyed reading an outsider's perspective on how the former president handled foreign relations.  It was also interesting to read about Persident Sirleaf's interactions with former president Jimmy Carter.  Those sections of the book illustrated how much of a difference there can be in international perception and domestic perception of presidents.  I imagine that there is also a difference in how US leaders are perceived from region to region.

Another part of the book I really enjoyed was President Sirleaf's experience running for office. I have some interest in running for public office myself, so I enjoyed hearing her accounts of how she tried to run for office in a way that would allow her to build a coalition with her opponents.   The ways in which she utilized knowledge and expertise from the international community was also insightful.  The thought of campaigning in the United States is daunting enough for me.  I could not imagine trying to campaign in a country where where the weather determines accessibility of many areas.

Finally, I also enjoyed President Sirleaf's reflection on how being a woman impacted her experience.  I was especially intrigued by how President Sirleaf believed marriage and parenthood influenced her journey.  She got married very young and has been unmarried for the duration of her professional career.  One thing I noticed in the memoir is how few stories there were of her interactions with her children.  In her inauguration speech, I found myself nodding vigorously at her promise to invest in the education of young woman.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

• Orbis Terrarum: The author was born in Liberia.
• Global Reading Challenge: A lot of the book takes place in Liberia which is on the continent of Africa.
• What's in a Name Three: It will fulfill the category of title as the word President is in the name of the book.
• Women Unbound: The subtitle of the book describes very well why the book qualifies for the challenge

From goodreads:

Northampton, Massachusetts, boasts a rich history that dates back to the 17th century. It is home to Mount Holyoke, which has been climbed by Charles Dickens and Henry James (among others), and to Sylvia Plath's alma mater, Smith College. It has always been the quintessential New England town, while becoming in recent years a politically progressive small city, whose population of 30,000 has WASPs rubbing elbows with lesbians, immigrants, students, and the homeless. Driven by a narrative force comparable to that of the best fiction, Home Town is a remarkable evocation of small-town life at the end of the 20th century.

Pages: 349 (Hardback)

Rating: 5 out of 10

Source: Checked out a copy from library in MA and another copy when I moved to VA

When Home Town by Tracy Kidder was nominated as a selection for the August book club meeting of the Professors and Partners book club in MA, I was excited about the prospect. I really enjoyed Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains, so I had high hopes for the selection. Unfortunately, I did not have a similar fondness for Hometown.  At various points, I felt like I was in the middle of a very long episode of Praire Home Companion without the funny commercials and variety of voices.  

Some of the characters were interesting.  I did appreciate the ending of Tommy O'Connor's story; although, by the time I got to the end and cried I wondered if it was from relief of being finished or whether the story was really moving.  I also liked reading about Laura Baumeister who went to Smith College as an older student.  Alan Scheinman's eccentrics and struggle to deal with obsessive compulsive disorder were interesting.  Overall, I did not find any part of the book compelling.  I started the book in August and only finished it yesterday.  I would force myself to read passages and at times that felt painful.  I wanted to finish because I really did love Kidder's other books.  I noticed that this book is written early in his career, so maybe Kidder's later books would be more enjoyable to me.

From goodreads:

On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

Pages: 293 (Hardcover)

Rating: 2 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

When I heard that The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender was picked as the book club selection for November, I was pretty excited. The premise of the book was interesting to me.  I am on a book buying restriction while I am in DC, so I had to wait patiently (or rather obsessively) for my turn on the library wait list.  After I finished the book, I felt so thankful that I could return the book to the library instead of having it take up space on my shelves.  I REALLY wanted to like the book and I felt so excited when I first started the book.

As the story unfolded, I realized a few things which indicated that the book was going to disappoint.  First, a lot of the pages were spent on the character development of Rose's (the narrator) mother and her brother.  With such a cool talent, I thought that she would become a more exciting character.  Second, Rose "deals" with her gift by eating food out of vending machines and feeling thankful when she can eat things that are created by machines.  I am trying to eat better which, for me, includes fewer foods that come from factories.  I was really disappointed that Rose's coping mechanism was so weak; I kept waiting for her to do something cool and interesting with her talent. 

Towards the end of the book, the last twenty pages, Rose began to make some thoughtful choices. I finally cared about what she was doing and how she was utilizing her skill in an interesting manner. During the discussion, someone said that they wished we got to read more of the story that was uncovered at the end.  I agree with that to a certain point. I wish that the book had been organized differently, so that we could spend more time with Rose as an adult navigating the world with her talent instead of Rose as a child trying to figure out what the heck was up with her mom and brother.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

Everything Austen Two: The main character, Rose, reminds me of Emma. She is curious about the world around her and concerned with helping others while not developing much herself. 

What's in a Name Three: The book has lemon in the title which is a tree that is part of the plant family. Therefore, this is my selection for the plant category.

From goodreads:

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Pages: 367 (hardcover)

Rating: 7 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

I needed a story that could sweep me away and I had heard good things about  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  While the book was a good escape from work, I still found myself thinking hard about the role of women in society and the lack of power many women have in their lives.  I found myself wishing for a book set in Afghanistan and/or with Muslim women in which the women are empowered and successful in their challenges of the status quo (such as in The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan).  I enjoyed the relationship between the two female characters. 

To me, Miriam's journey was about trying to create genuine relationships.  I found my heart breaking for her when she realized her father was ashamed of her and that her husband was a jerk.  I wanted to give her resources and ideas for a better life.  When her husband confessed that he was taking a second wife, I felt Miriam's humiliation.  I loved how she managed to create a relationship with Laila and Laila's children. 

I found Laila's story depressing and inspiring. Even though her father wanted her to have an education, his aspirations for her were not realized when she ended up in an abusive marriage.  I think that her relationship with her father and her role in her nuclear family gave her strength and hope that there was more out there than what existed in the space she shared with her abusive husband. Through all the abuse, I was impressed that she still had a good connection with her daughter and son.  I also loved her relationship with Tariq.  Maybe the author intended for their relationship to represent the beginning of a new era, one in which marriages are partnerships.

Finally, I appreciated that Laila carried on the legacy of her family and Miriam by creating something new.  I was touched by a scene at the end when Laila was teaching children at the orphanage. Even after such misery, she returned to her home land to help rebuild.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

• Orbis Terrarum: The author was born in Afghanistan
• Women Unbound: The book is about the relationship between two women.
• Global Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Afghanistan
• World Party Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Afghanistan which was the party destination this month!