The Sunday Salon: February in Review

This is going to be a terribly short month in review. I read a whopping two book. Two! I feel terribly chagrined.

That Bridge of Sighs consumed my month. Should you read it? Here's my review. I also read Alexander McCall-Smith's most recent installment in his Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. I haven't reviewed it yet, but I sure do love that series.

Pitiful, I know. And that's about all I have to say, except…

Teaching
Much Ado About Nothing (World Lit, high school)
Roar of Thunder, Hear My Cry (literature circle, middle school)

Reading with the Kids
American Adventure: The Great War
Call Me Francis Tucket by Gary Paulsen

Up Next
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Next month will be a better reading month! It can't be much worse!

Book Review: Bridge of Sighs

I am sooo happy to finally be writing a review for Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs. I'm happy because, well, I'm finished with the book. After nearly 3 weeks, it's been returned to the library. Phew.

I almost gave up on it. The first 10 days or so, I could only manage reading a couple of pages each night before I fell asleep. So the question is: was I falling asleep because the book wasn't captivating, or was I falling asleep because I was sleepy? I suspect it was a lethal combination. But somehow I stuck with it. I just couldn't quite admit book defeat.

So the next question is: am I glad that I spent nearly 3 weeks reading this book? I'd have to say: no. I am not happy to have spent 3 weeks on any book (except for The Count of Monte Cristo-- that deserved three weeks). But I guess I'm kinda glad I finished Bridge of Sighs. It was interesting. The characters are memorable. As tempted as I was to give up, I bigger part of me (slightly bigger) wanted to find out what happened in the end. Russo gave just barely enough bait to keep me from falling off his hook. Barely.

The problem is that the book was too…much. There was too much going on with too many characters at too many time periods. I was always thinking, "Huh? Wait, whose POV is this now? Where are we? Huh?" There is Lucy/Lou, the nervous, awkward boy/man; Sarah, his wife; and Bobby/Noonan, the renegade/painter. And about a zillion other key characters. Too much happened. Nothing happened. And yet, I stuck with it.

In fact, my review is now reminding me of the book. I'm trying to say something, but I'm falling into a trance. Repeating myself. Don't read it. Unless, of course, you have to find out why I can't write a proper review about this odd but somehow intriguing book.

Other Reviews of Bridge of Sighs
Caribous Mom
I Read, I Knit, I Am
Banjo52
Bookfan

17 Days and Other Rambling

I can hardly believe it, but I've been reading the same book for 17 days. Or maybe even longer; I've actually kind of lost track of time. The culprit: Richard Russo's The Bridge of Sighs. For the first week I seriously read 3 pages each night before falling asleep. I think I was on page 21 at the end of the first week, and I had no idea what I was reading. I came soooooo close to giving this book up; but now that I'm nearly done, I'm glad I didn't. I'll hopefully be done within two days and can finally post a review.

In other bookish news, I went to the library today and was terribly confused. I usually go during the day when it's nice and quiet there, but apparently there was no school today and it was packed with people. I'm happy that they all like the library, but I was feeling the need for peace and quiet, which is why I left my own children at home. Anyway, I did pick up three books on my TBR list. Actually, I picked up only one book (The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon) on my actual TBR list; the other two were on my mental TBR list (Alexander McCall-Smith's Tea Time for the Traditionally Built and Still Alice by Lisa Genova).

Here's a cool thing: I met a new friend who said that she actually picked our city to move to because she loved the look of the library from the website! She and her husband are retired, and they each had a special desire: she wanted to be near a great library, and he wanted to be able to hike. My kind of people.

Book Review: The Bright Side of Disaster

I needed this book by Katherine Center after a month of heavy reading. This is total chick lit, a genre I don't indulge in terribly much. But sometimes it's exactly what is needed, and Center is really an excellent writer. Her dialogue is great, and she has lots of funny scenes and great characters.

So the story goes that Jenny's fiancé leaves her the day before she gives birth to their baby. The reader can't help but be glad; obviously, he was a loser and Jenny is extremely likable. She spends the next several months in the oblivion of postpartum and post-relationship. She finds a mommy group and meets a man. It all sounds like a trite story, but Center really does tell it quite well. She does a great job especially of detailing what it's like to be in that weird world of newborn baby bliss/torture.

I liked this book. Like I said, this is chick lit—perfect for an in-between, relaxing kind of read.

Other reviews of The Bright Side of Disaster:
Book Addiction
CaribousMom
Lit and Life
Maw Books
Trashionista

The Sunday Salon: January in Review

Historically, January is a good reading month for me. My favorite book of the year often comes from my January reading list. I liked every single book this month and I'm not even sure I can pick my favorite…

Books Read
(click for reviews)
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (Ernest Gaines)****
Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian****
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers)****
Last Night at Twisted River (John Irving)****
Long Way Gone (by Ishmael Beah)****
Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center (haven't reviewed yet)

Favorite Book of the Month
I guess I'd have to pick Late Night at Twisted River. Somehow it just seems wrong not to pick John Irving's latest as one's favorite.

Worst Book of the Month
This month, there are no "worsts." But the first four were all very intense. The Bright Side of Disaster was well-written but in the light beach-read category —exactly what I needed after a month of heavy reading.

Now Reading
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. (I read one chapter last night before I fell asleep, and I can't remember anything about it this morning.)

On Reserve at the Library
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Teaching
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (World Lit)
Sounder by William Armstrong (Literature Circle)

Reading with the Kids
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen

An the Agenda for Re-Reading
Romeo and Juliet
Jane Eyre

Book Review: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I am a big fan of well-written, lyrical memoirs: creative non-fiction, not straight autobiographies. Dave Eggers does not disappoint in his memoir of becoming his brother's parent at age 21. But this book is so much more than Eggers' struggle to be a parent vs. a big brother. It's a coming-of-age story of a person that is overloaded with creative genius, surrounded by emotionally needy friends, and being emotionally needy himself, and who is trying to figure out what he is supposed to do with all of that.

The story opens in the elite suburb of Chicago as Eggers' mother is dying from the last stages of cancer. Just a month of so before, his dad also died of cancer, unexpectedly. At this time Dave is 21 and his older brother and sister are also in their early twenties. And then there is Christopher (Toph), who is just eight-years-old. For various reasons, Dave becomes the primary caretaker of Toph, with sister Beth helping out when she can. They move to California, where Dave and Toph live in semi-squalor by night, while Toph attends a private school by day. Dave is still really a kid himself, forced to become essentially a single mom without any real knowledge of how to go about it. But he has great parenting instincts for the most part and is completely committed to raising Toph.

The title of this memoir, which I sense is meant to be self-deprecating and ironic, is perfect. It is a heartbreaking story. Losing both parents in a matter of months. Going from being a mostly functional family of six to a brother/brother-parent/son duo. Going from being a carefree college student to a dad. And then there is the whole struggle of just being in one's early 20s, wondering where to go and what to do. And the staggering genius part: Eggers really is. His writing is amazing. The dialog is perfect. It's all just so...real. It's sad story, but I laughed out loud a lot and found myself nodding in understanding. I totally get him at a generational level. He is clever and funny and amazingly perceptive.

The downside: There were parts I skimmed, I must admit. Sometimes he went off on tangents that lost my interest. And the last few pages were bizarre; the book ended with a slow fizzling out. Also, Eggers' swears a whole lot, especially toward the end of the book. I'm just not really around that in my life, so I found it silly and annoying, but it didn't stop me from loving the book and recognizing it is an honest, reflective, and ultimately hopeful book.

Book Review: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

I've had this book on my actual real TBR shelf for close to two years. My husband, who is on the local university's faculty, takes part in the "Life of the Mind" discussion groups for incoming freshman each August. Ishmael Beah's memoir of his years as a child soldier in Sierra Leone was the university's choice a couple of years ago. I don't know why I took so long to read this, but I'm really glad I finally did.

This is not a pleasant book, although Beah is an extremely likable narrator. Even when he is brutally killing innocent villagers, the reader knows that Beah is a gentle boy forced into a life of brutality over which he literally has no control. The story starts when Ishmael is about 12 years old, and his peaceful life in a rural village in Sierra Leone is suddenly altered forever when the rebels attack anyone and everyone in the countryside. Ishmael and a band of boys manage to evade the rebels for a couple of years by wandering from ransacked village to jungle to ransacked village, but eventually Ishmael is forced to become a boy soldier like so many others. His only goal is to kill those who killed his family, and to survive.

This is an absolutely heart-breaking book, not only because Ishmael tells his story with such honesty, but because there are still thousands and thousands of children throughout the world who are forced into being soldiers today. It's hard to imagine the devastation of the lives of these children, when we in the U.S. are concerned about if it is OK for our 14-year-olds to read Twilight or if a teacher was really justified in making a kid stay after school. We have no idea.

This book actually has a very happy ending—as happy as I think it can get. I wish the best for Ishmael Beah, and pray that he will stop being plagued by nightmares. And that his voice may save the lives of other children.

Other reviews of A Long Way Gone:
Book Lady's Blog
Books By Their Cover
Laughing Stars
Lost in Books
Bibliofreakblog
The Book Book
Discerning Reader