Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins

Never Know What I'm Getting!!!

Once in a while, I go shopping in an Asian supermarket, where I can't read the signs and hardly know what I'm looking at! The produce are totally different from what I'm used to seeing in my local grocery store, so it's a real adventure. On rare occasion, when I'm feeling daring, I'll pick up "mystery" package of food, and try to eat it without having the faintest idea what I'm consuming. (Thank god
I haven't stumbled into eating mothballs just yet!)

 Cover that Caught My Eye

Anyhow...Last Tuesday, I spent an good half hour at my local library simply browsing the stacks, and I came across a novel with that intrigued me. First thing, the title caught my eye: Novel About My Wife. Not "A Novel", but simply Novel. I found it a big jarring. That was followed by the fact that the authors name was clearly Emily Perkins, not Emile or Edward. I picked it off the shelf and gave it a quick peak. Cool cover: a gaunt looking redhead standing ascu wearing a simple cotton slip.

I had to open it and see what it was about. The first sentence is probably one of the best first lines I have ever read: "If I could build her again using words, I would: starting at her long, painted feet and working up, shading in every cell and gap and space for breath until her pulse couldn't help but kick back into life." Very clever writing. I could only wish to write a line as beautiful as that!

Well, I was sold. I had judged a book by its cover, and I decided that I would give this one a try. I laughed to myself, because it was like a package of Chinese dried goods...I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

Here's a quick summary courtesy of Goodreads.com:

"From one of Britain’s most exciting young writers comes the story of a couple’s emotional and complicated relationship … from the husband’s perspective. Novel About My Wife is narrated by Tom Stone as he searches through the mysteries his wife has left him with. The reader is left to discover what dark thing has come between him and his beloved partner.  

Tom Stone is, as well as being cheerfully neurotic, madly in love with his wife Ann, an Australian in self-imposed exile in London. Pushing forty and newly pregnant, they buy their first house in Hackney. It seems they are moving into a settled future, despite spiralling money troubles. But Ann is dogged by a local homeless man whose constant presence comes to feel like a terrible omen. As her pregnancy progresses Ann finds solace in her new friendship with Kate, a woman Tom is both repelled by and peculiarly drawn to. Their home is beset with vermin, smells and strange noises. Is this normal for London, or is the measure of normality in this city actually mad?"

I really enjoyed this novel. It was well paced, and I was drawn to keep reading. The protagonist is a bit frustrating, as he's a bit of a lame duck writer who needs to get a steady paying job. (God bless my solid husband!) He has a good heart though tries to help his wife who is struggling to hold onto her sanity.

I would try another of Perkins' novels...It was a pleasant surprise!

(Emily Perkins and I are born in 1970. She's from New Zealand and currently lives there with her family. I'm from Canada...and the winter feels like it may never end!)

I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish

A Must Read.

I am a middle aged, suburban mother of 3 who has never paid much attention to the ongoing conflicts in the middle east. I have always been confused about who exactly the Palestinians, Israelies, Hamas, Gazans and PLO are. I don't pretend to be an expert on any of these groups, nor do I know more than the average Canadian citizen. To call me ignorant in this area would be complimentary. In fact, I would say that I know next to nothing about this topic, so here goes:

I attended public school in Ontario, Canada. Here, what I learned was straight from the standard curriculum with little to no diversion. Current affairs were seldom incorporated into the classroom, so I can confidently say that I never learned anything about the middle east. We certainly never learned about middle eastern conflicts. After having read I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abeulaish, I would suggest that this book be mandatory reading for all high school students. It is a mémoire of hope, pain, loss and determination to change a small part of the world; one man's story to make a difference.


Here's an overview courtesy of Goodreads.com:

At the Tel Aviv hospital where his 3 Daughters Died.

"I Shall Not Hate is Izzeldin Abuelaish's account of an extraordinary life. A Harvard-trained Palestinian doctor who was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and "who has devoted his life to medicine and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians" (New York Times), Abuelaish has been crossing the lines in the sand that divide Israelis and Palestinians for most of his life - as a physician who treats patients on both sides of the line, as a humanitarian who sees the need for improved health and education for women as the way forward in the Middle East. And, most recently, as the father whose daughters were killed by Israeli soldiers on January 16, 2009, during Israel's incursion into the Gaza Strip. His response to this tragedy made news and won him humanitarian awards around the world. Instead of seeking revenge or sinking into hatred, Abuelaish called for the people in the region to start talking to each other. His deepest hope is that his daughters will be "the last sacrifice on the road to peace between Palestinians and Israelis."

Izzeldin Abuelaish

Abuelaish is a Gazan doctor who is determined to work with Israel to improve the living conditions for the Palestinian people. He believes that the medical community has a central roll in improving the public health conditions of this war torn region. He explained that for years and years, Israel and Palestine have fought over the Gaza Strip. This tiny piece of land has been the centre of so much bloodshed and war.  This land's history is so complicated that it's hard to know who and what is justified, and what motivated each hostile action. He believes that rather than looking to lay blame, we need to acknowledge the personal costs and losses that both sides have suffered. We then need to settle this dispute and establishing peace for the next generations.

This book is a good starting point for anyone who has never taken a close look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I accept that Abulaish undoubtedly has his own politicized perspective to a certain extent, but I found his story very compelling, and informative. I was able to follow his overview of the issues, and I was able to understand the various factions.

I am open to learning other perspectives about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, so if anyone would like to make suggestions as to my next readings on this topic, I would be most receptive.

Palestinian child among the rubble

The imposed embargoes by Israel against Palestine  that have essentially choked the vitality from the majority of the population. I was staggered to learn that 70% of the population in Palestine live in abject poverty. I had no idea that running water and working filtration systems are a luxury that are threatened by the lack of parts needed to maintain these systems. How shameful.

Here are a few passages that I highlighted during my reading that I want to remember:

"One of the ways to alter the status quo is to look to the women and girls. It's easy to find a thousand men in favour of war; it's difficult to find five women who are inclined that way...The mother is the school. If you prepare this school with the right equipment, the students will be smarter and more successful and so will the nation...The evidence beyond doubt that investing in women and girls is the way forward out of poverty and conflict." page 118-119

Of the soldier in the tank that fired on and killed his 3 daughters and 1 niece: " 'What have I done?" And even if he doesn't think that now tomorrow he will be a father. He will suffer for his actions when he sees how precious is the life of his child...Hatred is an illness. It prevents healing and peace." page 167

Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca

Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place between the seventh and twelfth days of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar. This is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world; every able bodied Muslim is required to make the trip at least once in his or her lifetime.

This novel has made me think.

I am left with the thought that armies do not resolve wars, individual people who decide not to fight resolve wars. Abuelaish has made me think about the Middle Eastern conflict for the first time, and I hope to learn more.  I am open to learning other perspectives about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East also, so if anyone would like to make suggestions as to my next readings on this topic, I would be most receptive.

I encourage  you to read this memorable book.

eReader Vs Old Fashion Book...

Fancy Pants Tech is Great When It Works!

Kobo, iPad, Kindle, iPhone...Which ever device you use to read your "books", we all have our preferences.  I bought a Kobo eReader several years ago...certainly long before the iPad came to market. Since then, I have used different eReaders, and I'm now weighing in to the debate: eReader vs. traditional paper books.

Bought from Chapters, my Kobo came with 100 classics preloaded. I immediately felt that I had access to so many good reads no matter where I was. I also purchased and loaded a few more current books and downloaded a couple of novels that were offered for free. It was great to be able to carry 120 books around in my purse! No doubt, I enjoyed the portability of the Kobo from the start.

Yes, the Beaches are This Beautiful

Then I went on vacation with my husband to St Lucia. I thought that I had found the perfect combination of travelling companions: Claudio who likes to sleep undisturbed in the sun and the Kobo who will keep me from disturbing him! St Lucia is a fabulous place boasting an endless assortment of beaches and coves that are perfect for an afternoon of reading in the sun or shade. It was perfect having the Kobo in my beach bag. We were planning on lounging on the beaches and I was set for a ton of reading.

I began by finishing of Elegance of the Hedgehog, and was just getting into Still Alice, when the unthinkable happened. Yup.  You know what I'm going to tell you. Smash. Safely tucked away in my beach bag, my trusty Kobo didn't stand a chance against the unmoving volcanic rock that I dropped it on. I don't know what I was thinking when I plonked my bag next to my chair (actually, I was probably thinking about what drink I was going to order from the bar, or maybe I was thinking about whether to reapply some sun screen).  Anyway--truth be told--I wasn't thinking anything important, when I dropped my Kobo on the ground and smashed its screen.

Boom...There it was...End of my vacation reading. Just like that. Next item on the agenda?

How about a bunch of waiting for my husband to wake up and "....do something with me?" Yah right. The only person who felt more disturbed by this technical difficulty was Claudio. "What do you mean you have nothing to read? What do you mean you want me to keep you company now?" When the penny dropped, it was a bit like the end of the Fantasy Island vacation! In desperation, I ended up buying a shlocky paperback from a hotel lobby that basically annoyed me from start to page 132. I couldn't take any more, and went cold turkey for the balance of the vacation.

My Vote Goes to the Old Fashioned Book!

So here's my verdict. I enjoy eReaders for the portability that they offer, but when the chips are down, there are very few technical glitches that will get between me and my favourite paperback while on vacation. When push comes to shove, I will always travel with a couple of traditional books over the Kobo. I just don't ever want to be left on vacation without a good book!

You Before Me by Jojo Moyes

And now, for my March Break Survival read...

This novel was recommended by a fellow hockey mom who is also an avid reader.  At weekend games, we like to compare notes on our most recent reads.  Based on her direction, I downloaded this one onto my iPad and read it over the March break.  

Here's my summary (Spoiler Alert): 

Pretty basic Pygmalion plot with Eliza Dolittle or "Louie" as caregiver to young, handsome, upper crust British  quadriplegic "Will".  Louie is an awkward, but charming younger woman who lacks self confidence and it looking for direction in life.  Will is surly and caustic  and treats her dismissively.  Unbeknown to her, Louie is hired by Will's mother to cheer him up and change his mind about his pre-arranged assisted suicide.   Louie eventually finds out about Will's plan to end his life.  She then takes on the 6 month challenge of saving him by changing his mind about ending his life.  Her plan is simple:  show him a good time and demonstrate all the great things quads can do. In the course of her efforts they fall in love which ultimately drives home Will's resolve to end his life because he feels he is unable to love Louie the way he would like.   

There is little doubt from the beginning where this novel is headed and it's just a matter of time before a smouldering romance emerges between these two characters.  I appreciate the attempt to paint a non-traditional romance between able bodied and disabled characters.  There is surely not enough representation in fiction of disable characters and how they cope with real life.

Primarily though, my criticism is that it was all a bit simplistic.  It's a modern day Pygmalion plot that is terribly predictable.  While Moyes lures the reader into the story and keeps them turning the pages (a la John Grisham style), I couldn't help feeling that this book was written to be produced into a screen play. I couldn't help seeing it play out as such in my mind.  

Personally, I don't really enjoy Grisham style writing.  I would much rather read a novel that is a bit more challenging, and watch screenplays on the big screen.  

It's time for some Non-Fiction. Stay tuned!!!

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

Shortlisted for the 2012 Giller Prize, The Imposter Bride was one of the hot books at my Book Club's Christmas Exchange this past December. It made it's way around the room at lightening speed, and eventually went home with someone else (I can't find my meeting notes right now! and no, I don't keep notes...no worries!!!)

I bought this one and enjoyed it quite a bit. I have been spending a lot of time at the hockey arenas lately with 3 kids playing winter hockey, I am invariably at an arena at least 3 times a week. When tournament season hits, it's awful--the expectation is for the players to arrive an hour early, and then play for an hour. Rather than squander the time away, I like to find a quiet spot and bang off a few chapters when possible.

The Imposter Bride kept me company this week, as my daughter Abigail was playing in the Leaside March Madness Tournament. Their team didn't fair very well, but I made good progress with my book!

Here's a quick summary provided by Book Browse:

"An unforgettable novel about a mysterious mail-order bride in the wake of WWII, whose sudden disappearance ripples through time to deeply impact the daughter she never knew. 
The Imposter Bride blends gorgeous storytelling and generation-spanning intrigue in the story of Lily Azerov. A young, enigmatic woman, Lily arrives in post-WWII Montreal on her own, expecting to be married to Sol Kramer. But, upon seeing her at the train station, Sol turns her down. Out of pity, his brother Nathan decides to marry her instead, and pity turns into a deep - and doomed - love. But it is immediately clear that Lily is not who she claims to be. Her attempt to live out her life as Lily Azerov shatters when she disappears, leaving a new husband and a baby daughter with only a diary, a large uncut diamond - and a need to find the truth. 
Who is Lily and what happened to the young woman whose identity she stole? Why has she left and where did she go? It's up to the daughter Lily abandoned to find the answers to these questions, as she searches for the mother she may never find or truly know." 

(I actually take issue with the term "mail-order bride" as stated in the above review.  It's an awful, pejorative term that really doesn't have any place in describing the influx of immigration to Canada of young adults who are left without family after WW2.)  

From the author's own website, here's a much better summary:

"In all my writing I explore the slipperiness of morality and identity in the face of extreme loss and threat, though the settings and circumstances change with each novel. The Imposter Bride is set in the postwar Jewish community of Montreal, the setting of my own childhood. Here, too, one of the igniting sparks was an event in my family history: My paternal grandmother immigrated to Canada for the purposes of marriage, only to be rejected by her prospective bridegroom at the moment of her arrival in Montreal. The young woman who arrives in Montreal at the beginning of The Imposter Bride faces the same crushing rejection that greeted my grandmother at the start of her new life in Canada, but her circumstances are entirely different. The arrival I depict in that opening scene is drawn from my mother’s descriptions of greeting relatives who came to Montreal in the late forties, having survived the Second World War in eastern Europe. The Montreal that I describe grew out my own experiences and memories of a community where loss and dislocation lay at the core of so many people’s lives."  http://www.nancyrichler.com/bio.html

Here's a brief interview with the author about her latest work:  

I enjoyed this story. It was mysterious, and engaging. The author draws clear characters and describes several distinct perspectives during the course of several years. I was fascinated to explore the issue of child abandonment and the fall out created by such unnatural actions. I truly saw the depth of Lily's despair and grief, and Richler does an excellent job of painting the picture of a young woman who is struggling with PTSD. There was no such label for shell shocked civilians in the late 1940's but there was an entire generation and their families were left to pick up the pieces.

This story also examines the effect on the daughter who is left to grow up without a mother. Ruthie is a resilient child who questions why Lily simply walked out of the apartment and never returned. She internalizes a great deal of guilt about not having a mother and imagines the negative reactions of others. 

It was a well written novel and I would recommend it as a good read. I will read her first novel Throwaway Angels because I believe that the media may have passed over it as a result of the sexual orientation of the protagonist....I'll let you know what I think!

Noteworthy Business Books from Vegas!

Just back from the International Re/Max Conference in Las Vegas NV, and I can tell you that Vegas is NO place to read. I brought my book Cutting for Stone, and tried several times to steal away for a few quiet chapters, but alas, no luck. It didn't matter if I was in Starbucks or sitting alone at the breakfast table, the noise, distraction and constant interruption conspired against me. Thank goodness it's a 5 hour flight for Toronto, so in the end, I was able to really "fly" through my novel once we were in the air. (I have already finished my post on Cutting, and I highly recommend it.)


Here's a topic that I have never blogged about before: Business Reading.

Now, for the most part, business reading--be it motivational, strategic planning or self-help, is typically pretty crappy reading. I have found that these books are often poorly written and are more a means of getting the author onto the TV interview circuit.

However, during the course of the conference, a few books were recommended and I would like to note them here as future possible reads:

• My Next Step by Dave Liniger, Founder and CEO of Re/Max International.  

• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. Recommended by Dave Liniger.

• The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews. Not sure about this one, but Andy Andrews addressed us at the conference, and I found him to be a very engaging speaker. I will give it a try and let  you know how I do!

• Deliver the Unexpected by Richard Robbins

Just Finished, But Didn't Want it to End!!!

Cutting for Stone is a Treat!  

Here's a summary of Abraham Verghese's novel courtesy of the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Feb 6 2009 (I'll leave the book reviewers to write the summary, but I'm happy to offer my thoughts afterwards!):

"The plot of this big, dense book is fairly straightforward. Marion and Shiva Stone are born one dramatic afternoon in 1954 in Addis Ababa, the same day their mother — a nun, Sister Mary Joseph Praise — dies of complications from her hidden pregnancy. The boys are conjoined at the skull, yet separated at birth; they are raised by Dr. Kalpana Hemlatha, a forceful woman known as Hema, and Dr. Abhi Ghosh, both immigrants from Madras and both doctors at the hospital where the boys’ natural parents also worked. Missing Hospital, it’s called: “Missing was really Mission Hospital, a word that on the Ethiopian tongue came out with a hiss so it sounded like ‘Missing.’ ” They grow up amid the political turmoil of Ethiopia (its actual chronology altered slightly by Verghese to suit his fictional purposes), and in 1979 Marion flees, first to Nairobi and finally to New York, where he qualifies as a surgeon. Shiva, too, goes into medicine, specializing in treating vaginal fistula, for which work he is acclaimed in this very newspaper, a sure sign of his renown. Almost supernaturally close as children, the brothers become more and more distant as the novel progresses; they are dramatically reunited at its end — through the mysterious agency of the long-vanished Thomas Stone."

This summary doesn't spoil the story whatsoever, and I encourage you to read and enjoy it.
The following brief interview with Verghese will help explain the inspiration of his novel:



Cutting for Stone was a memorable treat: I found the language rich and flowing, the imagery enchanting and insightful. As a general rule, I do not mark a book. I know that markings distract subsequent readers, and so I really avoid this practice. However, in this novel, I just couldn't help but highlight a few passages that stood out for me. Here are a few lines that I really want to remember:

On the topic of death, what insight:  "...the tragedy of death had to do entirely with what was left unfulfilled." and as the novel's father figure struggles to impart the last of his insights to his son:  "He was teaching me how to die, just as he'd taught me how to live." and further along, "Death is the cure for all disease."

How true is this statement?: "Life too is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward."

"Guilt leads to righteous action, but rarely it is the right action."

"Knowledge shall be promoted by frequent exercise
Art polishes and improves nature
Fortune is a fair but fickle mistress
Yesterday misspent cant be recalled
Vanity makes beauty contemptible
Wisdom is more valuable than riches."

And wouldn't our world be so different if we would live this idea more in our actions: "How we treat the least of our brethren, how we treat the peasant suffering with volvulus, that's the measure of this country. Not our fighter planes or tanks or how big the Emperor's palace happens to be."

On the lighter side, I caught myself laughing out loud when Matron chides Dr. Stone's cursing during a medical emergency: "Custody of the tongue." I have never heard this reproach, but it was memorable for me.

The following article written by Verghese explains how the author's work mirrored some of his personal experiences:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/11/abraham-verghese-ethiopia-coup-1973

I hope you discover this work, and enjoy it as much as I have! 

In Progress: Cutting for Stone

Well, we haven't yet discussed this novel at our next book club meeting, so I won't spill the beans about it, but I am loving this story. I find myself stealing away to read a chapter or two at a time.

There's nearly a foot of snow on the ground here, and I am loving the trip to Addis Ababa that is the basis of this novel. To hear of the warm breezes and lush bougainvillea is a lovely, welcomed treat. I love novels that transport me to far away places.

I'm heading to Las Vegas tomorrow, and will take this one with me on the plane. It's about a 5 hour flight and I plan to polish this one off...it's been a pleasure so far. I'll write more upon my return.

A Post from My BFF Katherine Shea!!!



Best thing to come out of McGill
was my friendship with K.

Katherine is one of my best friends. We met back in first year at McGill University in Montreal. In the old Douglas Hall residence, she lived just across the lounge from me, and we became fast friends. We had a blast together when we were young. We'd go out dancing until all hours in places like The Lizard Lounge, and other fun night clubs. We made lots of great memories, most of which will never grace the pages of ANY blog!

Douglas Hall, McGill University

Although I didn't stay at McGill for the entire 4 years
(I left early due to aforementioned activities), Katherine and I have maintained a close friendship ever since. We have lots of great memories and I hope that we will have lots more in the future.

One of our common points, is our love of reading. When we get together, we always go talk about what we're reading or what we've uncovered. I recently asked Katherine about her favorite books, so she sent along this list, and I'd like to include this note from Katherine on my blog. I hope you enjoy some of Katherine's suggestions...I know there are several that she recommended to me, and I have since enjoyed! 

"Hi Claire,



Melissa, Me, Katherine & Alex
Oct 15, 2005

This is just a running list of books I love .. but my top ten? Hmmm…that’s really hard because I classify them differently in my head – Anne of Green Gables is from my childhood so I’ll always love them … Harry Potter series were the first books I shared with the kids and we talked about them incessantly ….. hmmm….some are sad and touching.. others I can’t stop thinking about – I’ve taken a stab at a top ten list for adults:
 
1. The Year of Magical Thinking (extremely sad but so touching and beautifully written..)
2. Touch
3. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
4. The Descendants
5. The Book Thief
6. The Kite Runner (I loved this one too!!!)
7. Sarah’s Key (Ditto)
8. Room (not a favorite but was entertaining)
9. The Help (fell asleep during the movie)
10. The Glass Castle (read it, but have forgotten the story line--hence the blog!)

You can include this on your blog in any way, shape or form you wish – I’m always happy to share the books I love! The Prodigal Summer isn’t on this list nor is The Red Tent because I only started this list about 2 years ago & I read those books a while ago. A Fine Balance and Such A Long Journey are two more I love but I read them ages ago … and The Poisonwood Bible …
 
Love
K"

I love you too Katherine!!!

CFUW and A Night with Robert Hough

Last night, I attended the CFUW Vaughan Chapter's Annual Winter Fundraising Dinner at the local Woodbridge Legion Hall. The night consisted of a hearty roast beef dinner followed by a presentation by Robert Hough, author of Dr. Brinkley's Tower.

Although I haven't yet read this novel, I couldn't help picking up an autographed copy of the fictional novel. It sounds like a fun tale about a larger-than-life conman from the 1930's.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Here's a little info about CFUW:

The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) is a voluntary, non-profit, self-funded, non-partisan, non-governmental organization, which serves to improve access to education for women, for peace, justice, human rights and to support programs that improve the environment. This dedicated group is about 10,000 members strong in 112 clubs across the country.

If you’d like more information on becoming a member or to learn about the work done by the CFUW, visit www.cfuw.org.

The Butterfly House by Marcia Preston

Originally, I had planned to save this for summer reading, (see Dec's post), but I changed my mind. Having just finished Wally Lamb's novel, I was in the mood for something a bit lighter. (i.e. no killing, raping, cheating, insanity etc). I guess I avoided a couple of those  topics, but got another bid dose of the "neurosis"...

The Butterfly House was given to me at my Book Club's Christmas book exchange. It's not a book that I would have chosen myself, but that's why I looked forward to reading it! A Harlequin book (not the romance type), I have to admit having never read anything from this publishing house. That's the beauty of the book club...I am willingly forced to try new genres and read authors that I would have previously dismissed.

Here's a quick summary as per Goodreads.com:

"As a child, Bobbie Lee found refuge from her lonely life at her best friend's house. Rockhaven was a place of magic, colored by the butterflies that Cincy Jaines's mother, Lenora, studied. Her friendship with Cincy and Lenora soon became Bobbie's compass. But the tangled intimacies between them began to unravel, and in one night, Rockhaven became a place of unspeakable tragedy. Now, a decade later, the long shadows of that night continue to haunt Bobbie, despite her attempts to hide from the past. When a stranger with ties to Lenora and Cincy arrives at her doorstep, she is forced to confront the memories she has tried to avoid, and the dark secret at the heart of the tragedy slowly emerges"


Marcia Preston

This novel is an easy read. It's about two childhood friends who grow up together and both suffer from absent fathers. Their mothers are both struggling financially and they both have very little material wealth. While Bobbie Lee's mom struggles with severe alcoholism, Cynthia's mom takes on the nurturing role for both girls. Lenora is an unemployed butterfly researcher who conducts experiments on her sun porch. The central metaphor is thus established between Bobbi Lee's coming of age, and the butterfly's metamorphosis.

There is an interesting, brief interview with this author at: http://www.trashionista.com/2008/06/author-interv-1.html

The author also has a website that shows she is quite prolific: http://www.marciapreston.com/

Anyhow, this novel has left me yearning for a strong, stable and intelligent protagonist, who isn't loosing her mind, temper, husband or morality. As you can tell with my reading list, it's been a while since I've enjoyed a strong, solid female character.  Not sure if I'm on track with my next novel, but I'll let you know!

It's Time: The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

January is nearly over, and although we haven't had terrible weather, I did find myself hybernating a little. With the snow on the ground, and the skies looking gray, I was quite often tempted to make a cup of tea and cozy up in my new reading nook. I recently redecorated my home office, and as a part of the design, I incorporated an antique armchair and my favorite bits of art. I can sit comfortably with my feet up and look out the window to the back garden. No wonder I like reading so much...I feel like my pearch is a little piece of heaven!

Now on to Wally Lamb's The Hour I First Believed.

Over the course of more than 700 pages, the novel takes on major events (the Columbine High School shootings, the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina) and weighty issues like motherhood, marriage, alienation, psychological trauma, drug addiction, chaos theory, prison reform, grief, the connection between ancestry and identity — to name just a few.

Here's a brief summary:

"When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.

While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers a cache of old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family's house. The colorful and intriguing story they recount spans five generations of Quirk family ancestors, from the Civil War era to Caelum's own troubled childhood. Piece by piece, Caelum reconstructs the lives of the women and men whose legacy he bears. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface.

As Caelum grapples with unexpected and confounding revelations from the past, he also struggles to fashion a future out of the ashes of tragedy. His personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary—and American." (Attributed to Book Browse review)

"Lamb is an amiable, credible storyteller at first. But his writing style is undistinguished, and so is his thinking; the combination leads to mind-numbing mediocrity. This novel is ill-disciplined in the extreme – in its length, its constant repetition of the same information, its sprawling, poorly integrated structure.

The volume bespeaks an arrogance. High sales thanks to the blessing of a certain talk-show host ()prah) seem to have reprieved Wally Lamb from the editorial judgment and often productive self-doubt that other writers continue to exercise in order to craft novels more humbly constrained both in scope and page count."

For more of the catty (and actually entertaining) review check out Lionel Shriver's review in the Telegraph...It's not pretty.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/3708957/The-Hour-I-First-Believed-review.html

I think that Lamb's novel is an easy read, that sprawls over many major events of the early 2000's.  It is not a literary read, more an armchair ride. I enjoyed the easy read, but I was happy to have it finally come to an end. I think his other works like She's Come Undone and This Much I Know is True are stronger.

Now, my blog is up-to-date and I feel like reading some non-fiction.








 

Pillars of the Earth...Epic...Maybe just a bit too long!

Can you ever try a bit too hard to be EPIC? Maybe so...

Ken Follett is an author that my father has enjoyed for years. Now typically, I don't enjoy spy mysteries, war and bloodshed sagas, or historical quests...Understandable then that I was not even slightly tempted to read Follett's work. That is until another mom at my daughter's hockey practice raved about Pillars of the Earth. She told me that this was her FAVORITE book of all time.

Now, FAVORITE book of all time is huge praise in my mind, so I started a quest to find this novel and give Follett as try. After about a month of looking for a second hand copy, I found it at my local Value Village for $3.99!!! (I love VV!!!)

Central plot summary: The Pillars of the Earth is the construction of a new cathedral in the fictional English town of Kingsbridge during the 12th century. But the story is really about the conflicts between the people building the cathedral and those who want to destroy it.

It is the early 12th century and England is about to erupt into civil war. The new prior of the monastery at Kingsbridge is determined to rebuild the current run down cathedral into one that will glorify God. He finds a young master builder who shares his vision of building the most beautiful cathedral in England.

Unfortunately, the local bishop is a power hungry man with other plans. He works to disrupt the prior's efforts at every turn. His frequent ally in this is a cruel and vengeful earl consumed by his own greed.

This novel is over 900 pages, and I have to say that I thought it was a bit drawn out. I like the character development and I also appreciated that Follett does create very strong female heroines. However, I did find it too long, and could have been shorter without loosing any of it's value. I would recommend this novel as an entertaining read. I have purchase the followup novel and plan to give it a read in the near future.

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy



This novel was one of my reading group's selections. Each year we try to use the Vaughan Public Library's book club reading list to cut down on the number of books that we are forced to purchase. As it turned out VPL had a set of Wayson Choy's The Jade Peony, so we were in luck.

I've read several novels about the Japanese experience of internment in Canada during the second world war, and I found this novel interesting because it depicted the experience of being Chinese during this difficult time in Canadian history. It was an interesting opportunity to examine these events from a different, and threatened perspective.

Here's a quick summary of Choy's novel (thanks to Good Reads):

Author Wayson Choy

Chinatown, Vancouver, in the late 1930s and '40s provides the backdrop for this poignant first novel, told through the vivid reminiscences of the three younger children of an immigrant Chinese family. The siblings grapple with their individual identities in a changing world, wresting autonomy from the strictures of history, family, and poverty. Sister Jook-Liang dreams of becoming Shirley Temple and escaping the rigid, old ways of China. Adopted Second Brother Jung-Sum, struggling with his sexuality and the trauma of his childhood in China, finds his way through boxing. Third Brother Sekky, who never feels comfortable with the multitude of Chinese dialects swirling around him, becomes obsessed with war games, and learns a devastating lesson about what war really means when his 17-year-old babysitter dates a Japanese man.

Mingling with life in Canada and the horror of war are the magic, ghosts, and family secrets of Poh-Poh, or Grandmother, who is the heart and pillar of the family. Side by side, her three grandchildren survive hardships and heartbreaks with grit and humor. Like the jade peony of the title, Choy's storytelling is at once delicate, powerful, and lovely.

The Jade Peony was selected by the Literary Review of Canada as one of the "100 Most Important Books in Canadian History" in 2005. It was also an American Library Association Notable Book of the Year in 1998, and was winner of the 1995 Trillium Award (shared with Margaret Atwood).



The Cat's Table is the Cat's Meow!!!

October's read for my local book club, and what a treat Michael Ondaatje's The Cat's Table turned out to be!

Here's a good summary of the book which is taken from Good Reads:

Michael Ondaatje

Great Artwork!

"In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England – a ‘castle that was to cross the sea’. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly ‘Cat's Table’ with an eccentric group of grown-ups and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys become involved in the worlds and stories of the adults around them, tumbling from one adventure and delicious discovery to another, ‘bursting all over the place like freed mercury’. And at night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner – his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever."

I enjoyed the story very much and I really love the way that Ondaatje crafts the language. He is a talented Canadian author who has written many entertaining novels. My favorite of his is Anil's Ghost. It's definitely worth a try too!

December's Book Club Exchange

December's Book Club Exchange is always a fun one. This year was not exception.

I've been very negligent of my blog lately and I have a lot of catching up to do. Maybe it was the busy Christmas season, or maybe a hit a few books that I didn't necessarily enjoy...I find it harder to write about the ones I don't like. Never mind, I will try to get caught up over the next few days.

I received Marcia Preston's The Butterfly House and hope to enjoy this one over the summer.

Book Exchange Summary 2012

I love my Book Club, and the December meeting is one of the social highlights of the feastive season. It's the annual book exchange where each lady brings a new, wrapped book and we draw for selection order. Basically, it becomes a game of either choosing a wrapped book from the pile in the middle of the room, or "stealing" from someone who has already unwrapped and revealed the title of the book.

Most years there are a couple of "hot" titles that rip around the room, and cause great commotion on how to get the book back. It's always a good laugh and everyone leaves with a new book to read over Christmas!

Here's a list of the books that were offered in this year's exchange:

1.  The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler (I wanted this one so much that I went and bought myself a copy for my book pile.)

2. Anna Karenin by Leo Tolstoy (Old classic that I have on my Kobo--I read it a long time ago, and I'm not sure I want to read the Russian classics again for awhile.)

3.  Still Alice by Lisa Genova (Already read it, and loved it. Of course, I always think I'm losing my mind, but that's part of the process of reading it!)

4.  Astray by Emma Donahue (My contribution to the exchange as we read and enjoyed her earlier title "Room" this year)

5.  Canada, Richard Ford (yikes, Richard Ford is following me...I recently crawled through his "Independance Day", and I'm not signing up for more from him!)

6.  Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (Not sure I'll ever take her seriously since Harry Potter)

7.  The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (?)

8. The Shoemakers Wife by Adriana Trigiani (Nice cover...I think Lorece got this one and enjoyed it)

9.  Magnified World by Grace O'Connell (?)

10.   The Butterfly House by Marcia Preston (This is the book that I received, and I just finished blogging about it, See Feb 8 2013)

11.  The Secret Daughter by Shula Gowda (Loved this book, and think it's one not to be missed)

12.  The Twelve Tribes. (Duplication of books...must be a popular one in the book stores.)

13.  Inside by Alix Ohlin (?)

14.  The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom (shortish novel, and heard it was ok)

15.  The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (I have this one on my list to read also.)

16. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (On my side table, just waiting to read it. My mom keeps asking me if I have read it yet. I think it's a really good one.)

So as you can see, there are some really good titles that came up at the party. I look forward to reading them, and will enjoy selecting my contribution for next December's exchange.

OK, So I read one, But I have forgotten...

Ok, so sometimes I forget the titles of what I have just read. This time, I know I have read it, but I can't remember the title, and I can't remember what the book was about.

Usually, it's a sign that I wasn't much keen on the book to start. Knowing my short memory, I try to blog about the book as soon as I have finished it. In this case, I was so excited to get onto reading the October selection for my book club, that I put the finished novel down (somewhere) and now I can't find it, and I can't remember much about it. (In my defence, I am reorganizing my home office, so I have an excuse as I have just packed all my books up into boxes for a week.)

Hold on now...I remember it was about a man, who is a real estate agent in New Jersey, and he is divorced and struggling to maintain a relationship with his son. During the course of the story, his son is hit in the head with a baseball in a batting cage accident in Cooperstown.

What was it called again: One Ball Too Many?...No that isn't it.

Tell you what, when I find it, I'll fill in the blanks and we'll call it a blog entry. (Wonder if I can google a book just with short description?) Oh well.

OK. I FOUND IT. IT'S CALLED INDEPENDENCE DAY BY RICHARD FORD. Don't rush out and buy it. I'll lend you a copy!

Listen, I don't purport to know much about literature, but this is one of the reasons I wouldn't recommend it. David Louis Edelman sums up why I found it boring:

"No one could accuse Richard Ford of rushing things in Independence Day. (Bascombe spends fifty pages alone narrating his house tour with the Markhams.) But those who can float with the tide will find a brilliant and absorbing underbelly to Independence Day that makes it one of the most accomplished novels of the year."

No thanks to underbelly!!!
 

What Stinks Around Here?!? Day Late and a Dollar Short...OH YAHHHH!!!!!

What a drag...

Well, it pains me to say that this book was a real disappointment. Talk about perpetuating stereotypes, with little attempt to create a portrait of a real life family. "Well, you're reading fiction Claire!" you say. Ok, I realise that this is fiction, but Dollar Short just seems to be painfullly predictable.

This is a summary of the novel by Book Reporter: "Through the literary device of the talk story, we explore the ups and downs of "the Price family." At the opening, everyone is at odds with each other. Viola and her husband Cecil have separated after a tumultuous, 38-year marriage. Viola's second oldest daughter Charlotte and she are not speaking. Viola is troubled by a situation with her youngest daughter Janel. The only son, Lewis, is an alcoholic, in and out of jail and alienated from the family because he feels he is the "failure" among his middle-class sisters. Paris, who admittedly is living out her mother's dream, is the only one at peace with Viola. But even Paris is harboring secrets. Meanwhile, Charlotte is not speaking to Paris because she feels Viola and Paris triangulate against her. The whole family is in turmoil."

Here's my overview of the dysfunctional characters:

-Overbearing fat black mother who's on her deathbed and needs to fix everyone's problems
-Four siblings who are fighting in lumps;
-One daughter is constantly popping pills and abusing prescription drugs
-One daughter married to a man who is sexually abusing her daughter...and she is in denial about it
-One daughter who's husband has a secret child with another woman and is paying child support behind her back
-One alcoholic brother who has a son that he never parents

Needless to say, it's grim. So painfully grim and predictable in some ways.

This was my book club's September read, and it was chosen from the local library's Book Club collection set. We try to use this moving collection at least 50% of the time, so that we don't have to buy a new book every month.

This month's selection was really disappointing though, and I question how it could have been included in the library's collection.

Oh well, onwards and upwards. October's read will be much better, I am quite sure!

Great Summer Read: The Red Tent

No summer is complete without a great story while laying in the sun or sitting by the pool. This year, my summer relaxation was perfected by Anita Diamant's The Red Tent.

Although my book club read this novel last year, I missed that month and put The Red Tent on my long list of "must reads". I am so glad I came back to it this month, as I will remember it as the summer vacation book of 2012. 

Arrowhead Provincial Park

Ironically, while it's call The Red Tent, I found myself reading inside a green and white tent in Arrowhead Provincial Park during a family camping trip. Our days were busy with hiking trails, kayaking on fresh water lakes and exploring the creatures of slow moving rivers. But at night, after the kids had roasted marshmallows on the camp fire and finally gone to sleep, I would pull out the bottle of Amarone and a flashlight so that I could enjoy Diamant's story under the northern Canadian stars. Reading by flashlight in the middle of the woods is absorbing...no disturbances (other than the occasional scratching from the nearby bushes.

Here's how Amazon.com summarizes the book:

"Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction."

Hands down, I loved this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading rich stories about strong women. Two bid thumbs up!!!