false 10 198 141 true 5867763 read 1 true 612179 currently-reading 56 true 612178 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67648092 The Cellist of Sarajevo (Hardcover) by Steven Galloway
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67648064 The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower 2) by Stephen King
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67647855 to: Elsie's Business (Native Storiers: A Series of American Narratives) by Frances A. Washburn
On a recent trip with a friend, I happened to glance at some books her daughter had brought home after her freshman year at college. Despite the grim description, I was intrigued by Elsie's Business by Frances Washburn.

The novel begins with the brutal attack of Elsie, who is beaten and raped by a group of white boys. Elsie, is half African American and Native American. The narrator of the book pieces together Elsie's life from various people he talks to including Nancy Marks, who befriends Elise. Elsie, like her mother cleans homes and makes beaded moccasins and other crafts from deer hides.

After leaving the town where she is attacked, Elsie is murdered. The mystery of who killed her is never solved. There are several other questions raised that are never answered.

I have to admit, this was a tough book to read. I think I sniffled/ cried through at least half of the book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5077914 to: Water for Elephants (Hardcover) by Sara Gruen
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62481943 to: The Help (Hardcover) by Kathryn Stockett
The Help is told by three women (Skeeter, a white woman, and two black maids, Aibileen and Minny) in Jackson, Miss. during the civil rights movement. Skeeter decides to compile a book about black women waiting on white women and their families. She enlists Aibileen's help recruiting maids to tell their stories. It's a very dangerous undertaking - one that could get them ostracized, beaten or worse.

A gripping, moving novel that's also very upsetting. While Aibileen practically raises her employer's child, she wants to build a separate bathroom for Aibileen to use. The son of one of Aibileen's friends is brutally beaten for mistakenly using the white's bathroom.

I couldn't put this book down. It was heartbreaking but uplifting. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67646785 to: The Gunslinger (Dark Tower 1) by Stephen King
I'm on the fence. I felt like not a lot happened, but that might be a shallow take. The Gunslinger (Roland) tracks the Man in Black across the desert. Along the way, he stays in a desolate town, where his visit has tragic consequences. He befriends a boy name Jake, who is from another time and place. (He's from New York, but Roland has trouble believing his stories including one about the Statute of Liberty.) I'm giving the second book in the series a try.) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67646587 to: Florida (Paperback) by Christine Schutt
Florida is told in short bursts by Alice Fivey, who is shuttled between relatives when her mother, Alice, goes into a sanitarium. Uncle Billy and Aunt Frances take Alice to the desert vacation home. Their regular house is full of collections and not very child-friendly. Uncle Billy's driver, Arthur, ferries the family around and is one of Alice's favorites. He creates a tinfoil box for her mother to sunbathe in. Her mother, who dreams of goting to Florida, calls the contraption Florida.The novel is told in mostly short passages that seem more like connected vignettes. I thought it was bittersweet and engaging. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67646366 to: Alva & Irva: The Twins Who Saved a City (Hardcover) by Edward Carey
Alva are Irva are twins leaving in the imaginary city of Entralla. While Alva dreams of travel (she has a map of the world tattooed on her body), Irva is more reclusive. When Irva stops leaving the house, she and Alva undertake recreating the entire city in plasticine. Irva promises to leave the house once they've made a model of the entire city. Interspersed between Alva's recollections, the novel is narrated by one of Alva's friends. The novel is structured like a tour guide/ memoir, which the main narrator providing information about Entralla and the twins. It also includes images of the plasticine models of Entralla Alva and Irva created. While a tad bleak, I thought it was a quirky read. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63601758 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (Paperback) by Jeanette Winterson
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62481440 to: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Hardcover) by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is told in the form of letters. An unlikely correspondence starts between a writer in London after World War II and members of the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society. The group formed as a way to avoid trouble with the Germans after its members were caught breaking curfew.
Overall, a good hearted novel with compelling characters. I thought it was also interesting, but sad, reading about the aftermath of World War II. ]]>