Sunday, September 19, 2010

Mailbox Monday on Sunday - Sept 19th


Mailbox Monday is a fun meme that was created by Marcia of The Printed Page and is now on tour – the host for this month is Bermudaonion.  Here's what arrive this past week:


  1. Moonlight Mile; Dennis LeHane (William Morrow)
  2. Chosen; Chandra Hoffman (Harper Collins)
  3. Interrupting Chicken; David Ezra Stein (Random House)
  4. The False Friend; Myla Goldberg (Shelf Awareness)
  5. Natural to Super Natural Health; David Herzog (giveaway win)
  6. Running the Books: Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian; Avi Steinberg (Random House)
  7. The Wake of Forgiveness; Bruce Machart (Houghton Mifflin)
  8. Burmese Lessons: a true Love Story; Karen Connelly (paperback swap)
Interrupting Chicken looks so darn cute! I liked Myla Goldberg's previous books so looking forward to this one as well, and Dennis LeHane is a can't miss author for me. Avi Steinberg's memoir - can you imagine being a prison librarian? Wake of Forgiveness is getting great reviews.

Hope you mail box was packed with books as well.
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Saturday, September 18, 2010

120 - The Bells; Richard Harvell






















From the minute I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. The Bells, tells the story of Moses Froben, who was born in a belfry to a deaf-mute, in a small, extremely poor village in the Swiss Alps in the 1700's. The villagers thought his mother was crazy, because she was skittish, dirty, and hid from the village people in caves or the belfry. She cared about nothing except her son, and her ringing of the bells every day. Moses as a young child, was allowed to live in the belfry with his mother because it was believed that since he did not speak, he was as deaf and mad as his mother. However, this was not the case. Since Moses had been exposed to the daily ringing of these loud bells from the time he was in his mother’s womb,instead of deafness, he was born with an extraordinary acute sense of hearing.

When Father Carl Victor learns that Moses can speak, the priest fears that Moses will be able to expose what he has for so long kept hidden. He tells Moses , “If God will not make you deaf, then I will do it”, and to keep his secret he tries to drown Moses in a river. When two monks, Nicholai and Remus, rescue the frightened boy, Nicholai names him Moses, “a fine enough name for a boy swimming in the river”. Nicholai promises to care of Moses. When they bring the young boy back to the monastery, the abbot tells them they must take Moses to the orphanage in Rorschach or they will be forced to leave as well.

From this point on Moses preternatural hearing causes him both pleasure and pain. Later he is  later taken to a new cathedral, the Abbey of St. Gall, and it seems that his life will improve. His performance in the choir makes him its prized singer. His keen sense of hearing and his love of music blossom, and he prepares for his first opera, but all this comes at a price.

Without revealing significant plot elements, I’d just like to say that this is truly a remarkable, unforgettable, historical debut novel. It is rare for me to read a story and be brought to tears, but this story had that effect on me. Told in the first person narrative, the sometimes touching, sometimes horrifying details of young Moses growing up, shall stay with me for a long while I am sure. The innocence of Moses as a child is so pitch perfect. The title of this novel was simplistic, but perfect, as The Bells, and sound, were key elements throughout this story. In summary, I just can’t imagine any book moving me the way this one did. I will be a Richard Harvell advocate, as this is a book that should be read by anyone who enjoys a story of substance, one that evokes emotion, and one that you will talk about again and again -- an awesome choice for book clubs everywhere.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5/5 STARS  
(review copy)
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Unlikely Best Friends - Saturday Pet Blogger Hop

 I decided to participate in the Saturday Pet Hop I discovered through Brian's Blog.  Feel free to join in -- the more the merrier.

 
While I can't take credit for these awesome photos, I did have to share them with the many animal lovers who follow my blog. Thanks goes to Sharon, Jill and Kris from my book group who often post awesome photos, for us to enjoy. Thanks ladies



Now this is one mellow deer!
Best Friends!
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Friday, September 17, 2010

119 - Girl in Translation; Jean Kwok

 
 Kimberly Chang is only eleven year's old when she and her widowed mother left Hong Kong for the prospect of a better life in America. Her mother's older sister, Aunt Paula, is their sponsor. Aunt Paula gives Mrs. Chang a job in a  Chinatown clothing factory (sweat shop), so that she can pay off her debt to her.  Aunt Paula also finds Kimberly and her ma an apartment in Brooklyn. The building is in terrible condition, and the living conditions are just atrocious -- no heat, and rodents and cockroaches run rampant in the building.  In winter they must sleep on a mattress in front of the kitchen stove with their heavy coats on, to try and keep warm. 

Kimberly was an excellent student in Hong Kong, however, in the US since she does not speak English, she is placed in a class with a group of underachievers.  She works hard to learn the language, and to try to earn the respect of her teachers and classmates.  Her math and science skills are superior and she was advanced two levels because of her intelligence.  She also gains admittance to a private school after her teachers see how smart she is.  Unfortunately, Kimberly faces a whole new series of issues at her new school, as she attends classes with students from extremely wealthy families. 

For Kim and her ma, life is rough, but the two of them, never lose their drive and desire to succeed. The two of them stay in the horrible apartment for seven years, trying to make a life for themselves. Ma works hard to pay off their debt to Aunt Paula, and Kimberly helps out at the factory after school to help meet daily deadlines. Aunt Paula takes advantage of the fact that ma and Kimberly are fast workers, so she cuts her piece-work rate. To put into perspective just how terrible wages were, when Kimberly spent $1.99 to buy her friend a Christmas present, she described it as the amount they earned for completing 133 skirts at the factory (1980s).

I don't want to spoil the story by telling you how it ends - 20 years later. I'll just say that Girl in Translation was a poignant, coming of age story about the immigrant experience in America. As I first read, and listened to the audio book, the story sounded more like a YA novel than an adult novel, but I think that was because the novel starts out with eleven year old Kimberly telling their story. I truly enjoyed the first person narration by Kimberly as she tries to master the English language, excel in school, and help her mother at the factory, deal with first love, and assert herself for that which she believe in. She was truly an inspiration and testament to hard work and determination. While in many ways Kimberly achieves the American Dream of immigrants in this country, the road getting there was anything but easy.

The audio book was excellent, read by Grayce Wey. It was great to see how Kimberly mastered the English language, improving each year that she was in school. The novel in some ways is reflective of the author's own childhood.  Jean Kwok's biography can be read HERE.  RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5 stars

(Review Copy and Library audio book)

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells....Holiday Books for 2010 are Here!



Are you a seasonal reader like me?

What I mean is, I know some book lovers are seasonal readers:  summer themed books - get read only in summer; spooky ghost stories only in fall and of course Christmas type books only around the holidays. 

Well I think it is a bit early, but not to early to place your orders or library reserves on some new 2010 holiday books.  Here are a few I came across - I'm not sure if I'll read too many, but at least one holiday mystery for sure.


How about some Christmas Books for the Little Ones ?
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