deLille's bookshelves

read (147)
currently-reading (2)

to-read (2)
could-not-finish (4)

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deLille is currently reading

	07/22 deLille is currently reading: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Hardcover) by Barack Obama bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
	deLille said: "Just started this book because, as a Republican who is receiving alarming emails about this guy, I thought I would read his work for myself. I've worked my way through the first two chapters and other than the fact that he alludes to the unfairness ...more " add a comment
	05/22 deLille is currently reading: Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys (Paperback) by Dan Kindlon, Michael Thompson, Teresa Barker bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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July 26

deLille gave

to:
Gal: A True Life (Paperback)
by Ruthie Bolton
bookshelves: could-not-finish

my rating:

deLille said: "I had to put this book down. I felt like I could not take one more book about abused women. "

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deLille gave

to:
Surrender the Pink (Hardcover)
by Carrie Fisher
bookshelves: could-not-finish

my rating:

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deLille gave

to:
Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America (Paperback)
by Ursula Hegi

my rating:

recommended for: Germans in America
read in February, 2008

deLille said: "After reading all the interviews in this book, my greatest take-away was that people just aren't as impacted by their country of origin as much as they are by their families. I sensed that the author, Ursula Hegi, was hoping to draw some clear theme...more "

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deLille gave

to:
The Year of Magical Thinking (Paperback)
by Joan Didion

my rating:

recommended for: Anyone who has lost a husband or someone significant
read in October, 2007

deLille said: "Those readers who feel a sense of disconnect from Joan Didion's book because of her privileged lifestyle are missing the point that death is the great equalizer. Rich dead people don't have more fun than poor dead people. And survivors of rich dead...more "

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July 22

deLille is currently reading:
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Hardcover)
by Barack Obama
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

deLille said: "Just started this book because, as a Republican who is receiving alarming emails about this guy, I thought I would read his work for myself. I've worked my way through the first two chapters and other than the fact that he alludes to the unfairness ...more "

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deLille gave

to:
The Book of Ruth (Oprah's Book Club)
by Jane Hamilton

my rating:

recommended to deLille by: My mom
recommended for: People who want to be depressed
read in July, 2008

deLille said: "I finally finished this book which has been on my "could-not-finish" shelf for ages. What can I say... it is a lyrical book with beautiful prose, but the subject matter is extremely depressing and it never lifts itself up. It's like Hamil...more "

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July 10

deLille took the never-ending book quiz.

questions answered:	4
correct:	4 (100.0%)
skipped:	20
best streak:	2
questions added:	0

beat her score »

July 06

deLille added:
Buffalo Afternoon: A Novel (Paperback)
by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

my rating:

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deLille gave

to:
Vinegar Hill (P.S.)
by A. Manette Ansay

my rating:

deLille said: "This is the book that made me finally decide that I was sick and tired of reading books about dysfunctional families, particularly ones that are recommended by Oprah. If you want bleak and depressing, this is it. "

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deLille gave

to:
Monsoon (Paperback )
by Di Morrissey

my rating:

recommended to deLille by: Doreen
recommended for: Anyone interested in traveling to Vietnam
read in June, 2008

deLille said: "I recently returned from Germany where I met a woman from New Zealand who was reading this book and she gave it to me to read after she was finished with it. Since it was the only book I had to read in English while I was in Germany, I read it, and ...more I recently returned from Germany where I met a woman from New Zealand who was reading this book and she gave it to me to read after she was finished with it. Since it was the only book I had to read in English while I was in Germany, I read it, and my feelings on it are mixed. The writing style is very simplistic -- it seems as though the author, Di Morrissey is deliberately trying to write to a mass market audience -- which is rather disappointing because I feel that she is capable of so much more. This book is set in Vietnam and I think Morrissey describes well the feeling and mood of the place; it is in her ability to capture a few little images so that the whole scene comes alive that hints at her true writing ability. I enjoyed this book for its ability to transport one to another place... she is a good "travel writer". If you have any interest in traveling to Vietnam, I would recommend this book.

Morrissey's plot line also delivers enough adventure to keep one turning the pages, but it's a bit predictable and in some cases, a little unbelievable. I kept feeling like I was reading a book targeted to the "young adult" (teenager) demographic, but upon further reading about the author, I've come to understand that she is a best selling fiction writer among adults in Australia. She is not a "young adult" writer, although if she were, I would have probably given this book four stars.

Oh, well, I'd rate this book in the same manner as I rated "The Red Tent", which was all the rage in the US a few years ago, but I personally thought was very poorly written. (No one else seems to agree with me on that point, though!) However, I give "Monsoon" a higher star rating than "The Red Tent" just for its ability to evoke the feeling of present-day Vietnam.

This book was not in Amazon's or Good Reads databases so I had to enter it in manually. Here is a synopsis of the plot by Pan MacMillan Australia:

"Monsoon... is a journey into the hearts and memories of those caught in a certain time in a particular place.

Sandy Donaldson has been working for a volunteer organisation in Vietnam for the past four years. As her contract nears it end, she is reluctant to leave so she invites her oldest friend, Anna, to come for a holiday and discover its beautiful tourist destinations.

Both girls have unexplored links to this country. Sandy's father is a Vietnam vet and Anna's mother was a Vietnamese boat person.

During their travels, they meet Tom, an old Australian journalist who covered the war and plans to report on the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. It is Tom who tries to persuade Sandy's father to return to Long Tan and settle the ghosts that have haunted him for 40 years, and suggests that Anna should delve into her mother's past.

But the girls are reluctant, swept up in their own concerns, relationships, and a business deal that has the potential to go horribly wrong. However, it is the near-blind Buddhist nun living alone in the pagoda atop one of the karsts in Halong Bay who might hold the key."

Okay, my opinion is that the "near-blind Buddhist nun living alone in the pagoda" was a weak attempt to interject some Buddhist spirituality into the novel, but the description of traveling to her pagoda was quite interesting and you could almost feel yourself actually being there....less "

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Suzuki School Book Club — 18 members — last activity 03/11/2008 11:23AM
A book club created to bring mother's of Suzuki School children together to discuss mutual topics and share our experiences.

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never-ending quiz

ranking:	34295 out of 47296
questions answered:	4
correct:	4 (100.0%)
best streak:	2
questions added:	0