Beastmomma

From goodreads:

The titular Oscar is a 300-pound-plus "lovesick ghetto nerd" with zero game (except for Dungeons & Dragons) who cranks out pages of fantasy fiction with the hopes of becoming a Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. The book is also the story of a multi-generational family curse that courses through the book, leaving troubles and tragedy in its wake.

Pages: 335 (paperback)

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is an incredible book! It was the December selection for the Partners of Professor book club.  Even though I had not finished the book in time for our meeting, I was excited to keep reading.  I learned a lot about the political history of the Dominican Republican.  During our discussion, we commented on how the romantic relationships were twisted.  To every character, except Oscar, sex was a conquest and being in a monogamous relationship was something for losers.  

I loved the relationship between Oscar and Lola.  They were siblings who were tied together through family ties.  I also loved how kind Lola was to Oscar and tried to look out for him.

Another thing which ties the characters together is the quest to find meaning and answers.  In particular Oscar searches for love and the reason behind his family's curse.  One of my favorite quotes is related to Lola's daughter. 

"One day she will stop being afraid and start looking for answers."

Each character has a point where he/she starts looking for answers.  The process and consequences of the search are what drives the story.   The only thing I had a hard time with was the Spanish and the cultural references.  I did not get all of them and having more footnotes may have helped.

I am counting the book toward the  Orbis Terrarum challenge.  The author was born in the Dominican Republic.

From goodreads:

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding--an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair--she begins to unlock the book's mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation.

In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city's rising antisemitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah's extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna's investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.

Pages: 372 (Hardcover)

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

I finished the book almost 27 days ago (according to goodreads) and I am still enthralled with it.  This was one of the best books I read this year and I am giving it as a gift to quite a few people during the holiday season.  In addition to having interesting and multi-dimensional characters, I learned a lot of history.   The book starts in 1996 with Hanna doing a book autopsy to learn more about the journey of the book.  As she works to figure out each piece, we go back to a point in history where we learn how that mark or object got into the book.

The characters in the book all experience loss and their relationship with the book symbolizes a bit of connection and a chance at restoration.  As a lover of books, I appreciated the high status and sacredness books were given.  I also loved that saving the book became a metaphor for saving lives.  The book is a Higgadah which is a Jewish holy book; however, Christians and Muslims also risked their lives to save the book. 

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was the December selection for book club.  One of the members of the group HATED the book and I found myself upset.  One positive thing about the experience was that I talked much more than I had at any other meeting.  In a way, the book helped me find my voice.  I was impressed with all of the details.  As I wrote in my Sunday Salon post, I had to reread paragraphs a few times because I wanted to make sure that I got everything.

In addition to heavy topics such as religious persecution and relationships, one of the character spends time in Boston. I feel that she captured the flavor of the people here, particularly on the road, very well:

 "I took the T from Logan airport to Harvard Square. I hate driving in Boston. It's the traffic that drives me spare, and the absolutely terrible manners of the motorists. Other New Englanders refer to Massachusetts drivers as "Massholes."

The terrible manners of the motorists is such a delicate way of saying that people on the roads of MA are rude!! I brought the quote up in book club and was happy to realize that other people who had lived here much longer than me felt the same way.

In book group a couple of people did not like the story of line of Hanna. She is the rare-book expert whose story centralizes what we learn about the book and its path.  I enjoyed reading about her crisis with her relationship with her mother, her challenge with her career choice, and trying to regain her confidence with her career.  She also struggles with having healthy intimate relationships.  From a structural standpoint, all of those themes are reflected in other people's stories and journies in the book.  I liked Hanna because she was struggling with things that many people, particularly women do: how to balance life and work.  How to make people understand what is it about your work that gives you passion.  How to be both independent and connected to a family.

I am counting the book towards two challenges:

Women Unbound: There are several strong female characters who are struggling to find their place in a field and world dominated by men.  Even though I did not discuss it above, several female characters struggle with their sexuality being used as a means of oppression.

 Orbis Terrarum:  The author was born in Australia.

As a former women's studies major and a current feminist, I was excited and proud to join the Women Unbound Reading Challenge.   The challenge runs from November 2009-November 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish! Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ Participants are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ The definition according to Merriam-Webster

the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender.

There are three levels you can choose as a reader:

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

Deep in my heart, I would join at the Suffragette level, but in my reality I need to start of slow and work my way up if time permits.  Therefore, I am joining at the Philogynist level and we will see where the year will take me.

My selections:

• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (fiction): You can find my review here.
• Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (fiction): You can find my review here.
• Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston (fiction): You can find my review here.
• Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (fiction): You can find my review here.
• Chocolat by Joanne Harris (fiction): You can find my review here.
• The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham (fiction): You can find my review here.
• I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway by Terry McMillan (non-fiction): You can find my review here.
• The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan (fiction): You can find my review here.
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett (fiction): You can find my review here.
  
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (fiction): You can find my review here.
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (fiction): You can find my review here.
• This Child Will be Great:Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President written by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (non-fiction): You can find my review here.

I am very slow with completing books as I adjusted to married life in the New England area. I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

Purse Book

I finished both of my internships this week and during the commute I spent a lot of time contemplating, daydreaming, people watching, and napping.  One other thing which made the week challenging was the weather.  Temperatures dipped into the twenties and I could not seem to get warm.  In between all of that excitement, I read more of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.   The book club meeting for which I started the book took place almost two weeks ago; I have been slow with finishing the book because I want to take the time to fully understand the passages.  For the most part the chapters are short, but they are jam packed with plot information and culture references which are easy to miss if you read too fast.   Of all the relationships which have developed so far, my favorite is the one between the brother and sister.  I am looking forward to (hopefully) finishing the book before the end of the year.

Nightstand Book

My brain needed a bit of a break, so I have the latest issue of Real Simple magazine on my nightstand.  It has been nice to do some *light reading* after the stress of transition out of internships.  Plus, I am excited and incredibly nervous about starting my bar exam preparation.  Therefore, my ability to concentrate on books has decreased.

Other Book Related Happenings

I finally started to catch up on my reviews! Since my last Sunday Salon post, I wrote three reviews.  Two for books I really adored and one for a book that I barely tolerated.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Bel Canto were fabulous! That Old Cape Magic was just okay. Before my exam prep class begins, I hope to be finished with reviews for the year!

From Goodreads:

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

Pages: 226 (paperback)

Rating: 9 out of 10

I had this book on my night stand for a few months and read a few pages before I went to bed.  Sometimes, I would even read a few pages before getting out of bed in the morning.  The short chapters made this book easily digestible in small chunks.  In spite of the short chapter and paragraph length, I had to re-read sections to make sure I understood.  I loved Christopher's voice and perspective.  Being able to have insight into an autistic teenager was a gift. One of the major themes of the book was being brave.  Even though I finished reading the book over a month ago, I am still struck by the idea of overcoming fear in an effort to try to be happy or safe.  Christopher had a lot of things with which he was coping; what started out as a simple quest to figure out how killed his neighbor's dog turned into something much grander.

Because of the book's location in my house, I wrote about reading the book for three Sunday Salons.  In the first post, I discussed Christopher's power of observation.  As I have been trying to get accustomed to a new place, I am trying to be more observant and hoping to transform that into some type of super power that will somehow make it easier to adjust to new surroundings.  In my second post, I discussed my admiration and respect for Christopher's efforts to talk with strangers.  I felt inspired to try to be more outgoing and speak to strangers.  Meeting new people in a city where folks avoid eye contact is tough.  I feel like I have to summon all my courage to smile and say good morning to people.  In the book Christopher's bravery is what helps him solve mysteries and accomplish some of his goals.  In my last post, I described a little bit about a relationship between transformed by the solving of a mystery. In his quest to discover the truth, Christopher learns some unsavory things about people who are important to him.

Even though it took me a long time to finish Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, I loved it!! My favorite part was the last sentence and without giving away too much, it reiterates how he was brave and why that means people will be proud of him.  The only thing I had trouble with was the math formulas which were a bit distracting.  I would certainly recommend this book to a friend or anyone that wants to get a deeper understanding of autistic teenage boys.

I am using this book to complete part of two challenges:

What's in a Name Two: It is fulfilling the time of day category

Orbis Terrarum:  The author is British and lives in England.