Two Books I've Read

Thursday Thirteen

Yesterday I finished the second of two books I'd read since I last blogged and thought I'd do my Thursday Thirteen about them.

Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anixiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes

1. This is a non-fiction book written by Therese J. Borchard.

2. It's partly a memoir, which I found especially helpful. Ms. Borchard suffers from depression, anxiety and a mood disorder--just like me. I really connected with this book because of similar experiences.

3. It's also a self-help guide, educating the reader better about what these illnesses are, how to treat them, and how to live with them.

4. The book gave me a lot of hope. I do feel better and so I'm glad I've got a "cocktail" that works. At the same time, there's a lot of helpful information so that I can stay on top of my own illnesses and work to remain stable!

Those Who Save Us

5. This is a work of fiction, written by Jenna Blum. I believe it's the first book she's published.

6. I had trouble sticking with the book because I found the two main characters, Anna and Trudy, both so unlikeable.

7. The book is set in two different places and times: Weimar, Germany during the Nazi regime of World War II and mid-1990s Minnesota.

8. Anna, the elder character, was a single mother. Only she and a friend knew the identity of her baby, Trudy's, father. In order to protect her child and to survive, Anna finds herself forced to do things she never wanted to do.

9. She never talked about her past, remaining coldly silent all Trudy's growing and maturing years. Even as adults, she and Trudy don't communicate.

10. Trudy's a professor and her "special class" is a seminar on German women during Nazi Germany. She has an undue fascination with the period and the topic, probably because she knows so little about her mother's relationship with an SS officer in a picture kept hidden for decades.

11. Trudy is cold and undemonstrative toward her mother too, choosing to put her in a nursing home after the death of her stepfather Jack.

12. After a crisis at the nursing home, Anna has to move in with Trudy. Anna learns about Trudy's seminar and about a special project she's doing, interviewing German (non Jewish) citizens about their memories of World War II.

13. Trudy eventually will learn her mother's secrets but ... there was no satisfactory conclusion. Not for me, anyway.

Beyond Blue fits into these reading challenges:







Those Who Save Us fits into these reading challenges:











Now I've finished the New Authors' Challenge. I read fifteen books by authors I'd never read before. Another challenge down, four to go!

Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig

I hemmed and hawed about reading this one. It wasn't on any of my challenge lists originally although I'm going to switch things around so that it is and fits. I haven't been thrilled with the idea of Gone With The Wind sequels and wasn't sure I'd like this one. My daughter was clearing out her room and Rhett Butler's People was in her give-away box so I plucked it out, checked Amazon.com for reviews and decided to give it a try.

I could have passed. It wasn't a terrible book. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

First, I couldn't figure out who the book was supposed to be about. I thought Rhett Butler and, very early on, it was. I totally enjoyed the beginning, learning about Rhett's roots and why he became the person he did. It wasn't long, though, before Rhett disappeared and the focus went from him to the points of view of other characters and I went huh?. I kept reading, though, because the title was Rhett Butler's People so I supposed that meant all these extraneous people. Still, I thought the author could have kept to Rhett's point of view.

The book began to break down for me when Rhett met Scarlett again in Alanta. Either a scene was repeated, glossed over or left out. I wanted to know more about what was going on in Rhett's mind and heart at this time but I just don't feel I got that. Reconstruction and Rhett's marriage to Scarlett was especially shallow I thought. Through it, the point of view kept shifting around and I didn't like that either.

I think the end could have been exciting but by then, to be honest, I didn't care anymore and just wanted to get through it so I could say I'd read the darn thing ... and I did.

The book fits these challenges:

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

I saw a high school's production of the play Les Misérables and decided I wanted to read it as one of my classics in the 2010 Mixology challenge. My son happened to have an abridged copy and I began reading it in the beginning of the month. It is truly a big book.

One problem (or not) that I had with this particular edited version is that several sections of Les Misérables was left out. The editor had notes which described certain portions of the text that had been deleted and in other places, merely stated that such-and-such part or chapter had been left out. At times I didn't understand exactly what was going on and wondered if everything would have been explained by the missing material. On the other hand, I tend to get bored with preachy or dry facts and will skip over it or not absorb it anyway.

Les Miserables is not just one character's story as I originally believed. It's the stories of several. The main one revolves around Jean Valjean, though, a very tragic sort of guy. As a young man, he steals a loaf of bread to feed his widowed sister's children, is caught and sent to prison for years. He makes two attempts at escape and has more years tacked on. After he's released, he eventually changes and becomes a "good" man but just can't escape that past.

There's a dedicated fanatical police inspector, Javert, who will never give up the hunt and is like one of those crazy dogs that attaches itself to someone's ankle and would rather die than let go.

There's little Cosette rescued from human-demons who were fostering her by Jean Valjean, at the age of 8.

There's her very tragic mother, Fantine.

The first half of the book was great! I thought it was one of the best books I'd ever read.

In the second half, though, the focus of the story shifted to a love story between Cosette and Marius.

I thought I might like Marius at first, a poor young lawyer who'd defied his rich grandfather and gone out into the world on his own. Marius began to develop as an independently thinking human being. One day he's going for his usual walk when he sees and falls in love with the beautiful Cosette, also on a walk with her own father. Cosette also notices Marius and falls right back in love with him.

One night, though, he becomes involved in trying to rescue Jean-Valjean from the demon foster parents. It turns out demon foster father "rescued" Marius' father at the Battle of Waterloo. Actually, the father was being robbed but didn't realize it. Anyway, he's so grateful to the thief that at his death he charges Marius with doing anything possible to help this loser. When Marius realizes who this loser actually is, he freezes and I became thoroughly disgusted with him.

I'm leaving out the next important chunk of the story but that's only because I'm too lazy to go into it all and because I was so disgusted with Marius I just didn't enjoy the mini-revolution by a small band of martyrs.

This is one of the greatest stories ever written though. Seriously.

I'm also fitting this book into the "New Authors" challenge because I've never read anything by Victor Hugo before.

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant

I finished reading The Last Days of Dogtown last week sometime but was having trouble thinking about what I wanted to say about it. I was that impressed.

I might have liked it a little better if it hadn't seemed like a bunch of short stories strung together and passed off as a novel. In fact, if it was presented that way in the first place, I probably would have skipped it. I'm not a fan of short stories.

It was about ... um ... okay, it was about the death of a town. It used to be a nice place to live and then nearly everyone left. I found the back jacket description to be very appealing: "Set on the high ground at the heart of Cape Ann, the village of Dogtown is peopled by widows, orphans, spinsters, scoundrels, whores, free Africans, and 'witches'". It takes place after the War of 1812 and spans, I don't know, twenty years.

The stories were sort of related but not enough to make me happy. Some of them were set years apart. It just didn't have a smooth transitional feel -- not for me, anyway.

Ruth Diamant wrote The Red Tent which I know many people loved. If I'd liked this one more, I would have gone on to read that one but I think I'll pass.

The Last Days of Dogtown is in these challenges:

Cane River by Lalita Tademy

Thursday Thirteen

I just finished Cane River by Lalita Tademy this morning, just in time for Thursday Thirteen. I didn't have a theme idea for today so this really comes in handy!

Thirteen Thoughts about Cane River

1. Based on her family history, Lalita Tademy wrote the book as fiction.

2. Writing the book that way was a great idea so that she could fill in details and conversations without spoiling the integrity of real-to-life history.

3. Cane River spans a period of over 100 years, beginning in 1834 and ending around 1936.

4. The book focuses on four incredibly strong women in the family: Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene and Emily.

5. Each of the women was born into slavery.

6. The lives of slaves were pretty harsh and brutal--especially the fact that they were human beings and had no say over their lives. A white master could take a female slave and she would not be able to stop it.

7. Set in and around the Cane River in Louisiana, I learned that there were gens de coleur libre. They were well-to-do people of color who owned small farms, plantations and ... yes, slaves! They looked down their noses at the slaves. It boggles my mind that not only white people did this but so did this group!

8. There was a "bleaching" of the family line that went on almost during the entire span of the book. That meant the women bore children by white men.

9. Each mother hoped her children would be better off but it didn't work out that way.

10. The Jim Crow laws are/were sickening. Children could be robbed of their inheritance and birth rights and they could do nothing about it.

11. I learned people in the area spoke Creole French almost all the time, not English.

12. Night Riders (the Klan) could be brutal to other white people as well as black people.

13. This was an engrossing book. You learn a lot without being stifled with dry facts.

Cane River is in these challenges:

1916 by Morgan Llewellyn

Morgan Llewellyn wrote a series about members of the Halloran family, focusing on key events in modern Irish history. This book is the first of the series. Although it's called 1916, it begins in 1912. Young Ned Halloran is travelling to the U.S. with his parents to attend his sister's wedding. They're booked on ... the Titanic! This part of the book was very moving as are other passages that describe events such as Bloody Sunday. If you read and enjoyed the Kent Family Chronicles, you'll enjoy this book and perhaps want to go on and read the others in the series: 1921, 1949, 1972 and 1999.

I love historical fiction and so I really wanted to enjoy the book. I didn't for a couple of reasons:

Llewellyn tried to tell too many stories at once. Instead of focusing on just the one who was supposed to be the main character (Ned Halloran), the story moved back and forth between Ned and his sister in America, Kathleen. I really didn't care about Kathleen, her controlling husband or the Catholic priest, Father Paul. I often wondered why we were "going there". That story could have made its own little book and made Ned's story more interesting.

I mentioned the Kent Family Chronicles. Members of that family interacted with real historical people too but not on an intimate level (or so it seemed to me). Ned becomes too involved too quickly with historical characters for me to believe. I don't want to give away too many of the details except to say this--if you're plotting a coup or a revolution, leaders have to be absolutely sure the people they talk to are totally trust worthy. I was surprised at how much information Ned was given so quickly.

Other than those things (which bothered me greatly unfortunately), it was a good book.

1916 was in these challenges:

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning

I wasn't sure if I'd like The Widow's War by Sally Gunning so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked on it so quickly. I'd never written anything by Gunning before. She's done an awesome amount of research and it shows in setting, background information and even in the way the characters speak to each other.

Lyddie Berry is a whaler's wife in 1761 Cape Cod. Life has never been easy for her. She's left alone for months at a time while her husband goes to sea. Still, she's very happy with her life and with her husband. They loved each other very much.

One risk all whaler's wives face, of course, is losing their husbands to the sea and that's exactly what happens one January day. Life goes from being hard to nearly unbearable. Women in those times had little to no rights. For widows, it's even worse. In Lyddie's case, she goes from having some control of her life to none. According to law, she inherits only 1/3 of her husband's estate. The bulk of it goes to the next living male adult--in this case, it's Lyddie's controlling and thoroughly dislikeable son-in-law.

At first Lyddie tries to adjust to her new life but she is miserable. When she's encouraged to think and to make a few decisions on her own, though, she begins to break free of the repressive household she lives in. Her life becomes even more harsh and bitter but ... it's her life and circumstances now.

I was completely hooked early on as I mentioned and carried forward on a page-turning momentum to find out what happens to Lyddie. About halfway into the book, though, there were some circumstances that made me wonder if the whole point of the story had become blurred. I wasn't sure I liked the newest complications but I kept on going with the story to the end. Frankly, I think the story was much better without them but what are you going to do? Nothing's perfect.

All in all, it was a very satisfying read and I liked the ending very much. I learned a great deal in the best way possible--by enjoying a mostly well written story!

The Widow's War fit these challenges:

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (spoilers)

Beware! For here there be spoilers...

I bought The Given Day by Dennis Lehane with a gift card because I have such respect for him. I thought Mystic was one of the very best books I'd ever read. One of the reviews for this book said that The Given Day "may be Lehane's finest work." Another compared it to John Dos Passos's U.S.A. That might be accurate but to be honest, I thought Mystic was and still the finest of Lehane's books.

It's set in Boston, circa 1918-19. The central focus is supposed to be on two characters, one black and one white. In the beginning, the chapters alternate between the two. When they finally meet, there isn't as clear a distinction and then new characters begin to have the limelight. The latter half of the book started to fall apart for me a little at that point, to be honest. Part of the time, I'd think: why are we reading about you? In one way, I could understand because these characters played a part in what happened later but ... maybe it would have been better to focus on them more from the beginning?

Anyway...

Luther Laurence is black and hails from the midwest. He and his long time sweetheart are expecting a baby and he's laid off. They have to move to her relatives' to make a new start and they marry. Unfortunately, Luther falls in with some shady characters and eventually has to make a run for his life. He goes from Oklahoma to Boston, Massachusetts.

Danny Coughlin is a dedicated young cop. His father's a police captain and his brother is an assistant district attorney. He was involved with Nora, who holds a sort of mysterious role in the family--not quite servant, not quite family. In the beginning, he is all about being a public servant and has no interest whatsoever in unions or other forms of "Bolshevism".

Luther and Danny meet and become friends because Luther ends up working for the Coughlin family.

I really liked Luther's character. He is basically a decent, hard working young man who just wants to do right for himself and his family. He's constantly battered by racial bigotry and a couple of really evil, ugly characters. The first one he encounters in Oklahoma. The second, a police lieutenant, is by far a particularly nasty villain. I shudder just thinking about the guy.

On the other hand, I didn't care much for Danny. I suppose he's just a reflection of his times but I found him to be something of a hypocrite and weakling at first. He is moony over Nora--but the reason they're not together is because of her "sordid" past. He wants a "respectable" woman. Nora was sold to her husband "in the old sod" at the age of thirteen. She abandoned him to run to America. It turns out later she also abandoned a stepson. Well ... so? But the way Danny (and later, the whole family) carries on about this "sordidness" made me sick.

The other issue I had with Danny was his feelings about the police union. He was such a "company" man his father and godfather trusted him to infiltrate "Bolsheviki" groups and report back to his superiors with information. Along the way, though, Danny learns that all protestors are not terrorists. He becomes active in the labor movement for policemen. All that in less than a year. Really? Amazing.

All of these characters and events are moving toward one big cataclysm. There are some very powerful scenes there.

Throughout all of this, there is a thread: Babe Ruth. Actually, it's pretty cool the way Lehane adds in snippets from Babe Ruth's story and his rise to fame.

All in all, a very good book that I would recommend highly to anyone who likes to read, especially historical fiction!

The Given Day fits into these reading challenges I signed up for:

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

Once in a while, I’m gripped by the facts of a story so much I have to read it to the end even if I don’t like the style in which it’s told. Such is the case with Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally. Oskar Schindler was an industrialist and speculator in Cracow, Poland during the Nazi occupation. He liked to drink and was an unashamed womanizer. He seemed an unlikely candidate for one to try and save as many of the Jewish population as possible and yet he did. He put his own life in harm’s way many times, sometimes very recklessly. Yet he did and the author couldn’t say for sure why. I say, thank God for Oskar Schindler.

At first, the Jewish people of Cracow were forced into a ghetto within the city. About a year later, the ghetto was violently shut down and the citizens rounded up and put into a nearby concentration camp run by the sadistic Amon Goeth. That guy was a monster. When he wasn’t beating or terrorizing his servants, he was out playing random shooter of prisoners. He’d go out with his gun, take aim at a prisoner (who knows why) and kill that person. Or he’d get angry over nothing and shoot a prisoner. Schindler stepped in and finagled his employees out of that horrible camp by building one of his very own behind his factory. He rescued the employees of a fellow industrialist by housing those employees in the same camp. At Schindler’s camp, the SS was not allowed to roam around beating or terrorizing inmates at will. Schindler paid and paid with bribe after bribe.

Eventually, the local concentration camp was ordered to close and every inmate was to be shipped to notorious camps like Auschwitz. Again, Schindler saved over a thousand people by relocating his factory and bribing officials to allow him to bring 1,100 of the inmates with him.

When the war was over, Schindler lost everything—all his money, property and jewelry. He and his wife had to run for their lives—accompanied by 8 of the inmates. All of the former Jewish people in the camp wanted to protect the Schindlers and wrote letters praising him for what he’d done. After the war was over, they supported him when he needed financial help and had him live with them in their homes (mostly in Israel) for several months out of the year. When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem and was mourned by people around the world.

I’d never heard of him before! I’d heard of the movie, of course, but hadn’t had a chance to see it. When I saw the book at a library sale, I picked it up and I am ever so glad I did.

The biggest challenge I had was getting through some of it because of the wording. I don’t want to use the adjective “ponderous” and I’m too lazy to find a milder word that means almost the same thing. Some really amazing stories, fables and fact came to light (for me) and so I was able to wade through the prose which just seemed really heavy. Oh well. I’m glad I read it anyway.

The book fits these challenges:

Five Reading Challenges

I may be crazy but I decided to participate in five reading challenges this year. I'd probably let myself get carried away and do more but I figure I better put the brakes on now. Luckily, the lists can overlap. I wasn't going to choose my books this year but I'm thinking now I ought to at least try to. Otherwise, I'll get completely discombulated!

The first one is going to be a real challenge: read 100 books between Jan 1 and December 31, 2010! It will be a miracle if I can do that, considering the rate I'm reading now. Still, I'll give it the college try. Here's the first 25 I picked:

Miss American Pie Margaret Sartor
Schindler's List Thomas Keneally
The Given Day Dennis Lehane
Brooklyn Com Tolbin
Symptoms of Withdrawal Christopher Lawford
Nightmare House Douglas Clegg
Circus Fire Stewart Nann
Widow's War Sarah Gunning
Last Days of Dogtown Anita Diament
Blind Faith Joe McGinniss
1916 Morgan Llewellyn
Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas
The Jungle Upton Sinclair
On The Beach Neil Shute
Invisible Man Ralph Ellison
Imperial Woman Pearl S. Buck
Those Who Save Us Jenna Blom
A Fractured Mind Robert B. Oxnam
Made in the USA Billie Letts
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Dee Brown
Everything She Ever Wanted Ann Rule
Welcome to the World Baby Girl Fannie Flagg
Lies My Teacher Told Me James Loewen
Hood Stephen Lawhead
Always Looking Up Michael J. Fox

I'll add more in later but I figure this would be a good start.

Wish I'd Read Challenge: The very same list!

The books above that fit into the historical challenge are:

Schindler's List
The Given Day
Brooklyn
Circus Fire
Widow's War
Last Days of Dogtown
1916
Three Musketeers
The Jungle
Imperial Woman
Those Who Save Us
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Hood

Memorable Memoirs:
Miss American Pie
Symptoms of Withdrawal
A Fractured Mind
Always Looking Up

New Authors (ones I've never read before):
Miss American Pie
Schindler's List
Brooklyn
Nightmare House
Widow's War
Last Days of Dogtown
On The Beach
Invisible Man
Those Who Save Us
A Fractured Mind
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Welcome to the World Baby Girl
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Always Looking Up


Mixology: I decided to read 30 books. Here's the breakdown:

New (10/15):

Schindler's List
Brooklyn
Symptoms of Withdrawal
Nightmare House
Widow's War
Last Days of Dogtown
On The Beach
Invisible Man
Those Who Save Us
A Fractured Mind

Classic Literature(4/5):
The Jungle
The Three Musketeers
On The Beach
Invisible Man


Women Authors (5/5):

Imperial Woman
Made in the USA
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Miss American Pie

Non-Fiction (5/5):

Symptoms of Withdrawal
Blind Faith
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Always Looking Up
Everything She Always Wanted