101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
What are you reading?
Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin, S.J.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Written for a popular audience, this book argues for the importance of humor, laughter and joy in the spiritual life, in personal and communal prayer, as a fruit of the spiritual life and as essential food to nourish the spiritual life. I did not find anything earth shaking in this book, but I did find many great quotes and a good reminder to cultivate a lighter spirit.
Unbowed by Wangari Maathaihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, the first African woman to be awarded this international recognition. This is her memoir. It is a wonderful account of a life lived in service to her country and its people. I was familiar with her work in ecology, but not as aware of her work for human rights and democracy in Kenya. This memoir increased my admiration for her.
Catholics by Brian Moorehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Written in 1972, as the implementation of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council was causing tension in many parts of the Catholic world, this short novel uses a controversy over similar reforms in a future Church to explore issues of faith and religion, of certitude and doubt, of secularism and traditionalism, of descent and obedience. Despite being 50 years old, I found this to be a very thought provoking book. I appreciated Moore’s understated writing. 4.5 stars
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am not a fan of fantasy fiction, but read this because it was a book group pick. I am sure this deserved its awards, but it did not make me a convert. The dialogue between characters and with the reader had the feel of a young adult novel, but the sex scenes, including the threesomes, were not young adult material. This is part of a series, so the cliff-hanger was not a satisfying ending.
American Taboo by Philip Weisshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In 1976, an American Peace Corps volunteer serving in Tonga was murdered by another Peace Corps volunteer. Although the guilt of the accused was never in doubt, the U.S. government mounted a vigorous defense, spending a fortune on his legal team. Their goal was the safeguarding of the reputation of the Peace Corps. Many believed that the outcome was a case of justice denied. This book follows the events surrounding the murder and recounts the trial. The author is an investigative journalist. I think I would have enjoyed this more had it been a long feature article rather than a 400 page book.
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the early 1990s, two young men dream of buying a home, moving their young children to a good school district and creating a better life for their families. Both men are tragically ripped from their families before these dreams can be realized, leaving the women to raise their children out of abject poverty to make a better life for them, the best way they know how. This book jumps between the two families and back and forth across two decades. The sharp-edged, fierce nature of familial love, the power to dream even in the fields of broken dreams, the way we often hurt most those we love the most are among the themes explored in this novel. 2.5 stars
A House For Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaulhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Based on the life of the author’s father, this is the story of one man’s life lived in the Indian diaspora in Trinadad. Born under an inauspicious sign, it is predicted that his will be a life of misfortune. Throughout his life, he perceives his situation as misfortunate. But whether he is the victim of bad luck, of poor choices or of chronic dissatisfaction, the reader must decide. This is the story of one man’s desire to break free of the traditional constraints of his culture and to thrive in a modern world. It is the story of a life lived between what had served his community for generations and what will serve his children. This novel is often included on lists of the best 100 books of the 20th century. The writing is excellent, but I found Mr. Biswas to be exasperating and depressing in turns.
Cold Earth by Ann Cleevehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Easy to read, uncomplicated detective story set in the Shetlands. Because this is part of a series of which I have not read the earlier titles, the back story of the detectives did not engage me fully. 2.5 stars
The Mountains Sing by Nguyn Phan Qu Mai https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Three generations of one wealthy land-owning family in North Vietnam have lived through the pain of war. In alternating stories, a grandmother tells of her life in Vietnam of the 1940s and 1950s as first Japanese soldiers and later the Communist revolution cause death, poverty, displacement and fear. The grandmother’s story is told alongside that of her granddaughter who is coming of age in the 1970s in a country scarred by war, in a community grieving great loss, in a family beginning to heal. Despite the brutal historical realities of the setting, this is a story of kindness, love, strength and hope. The bonds of family, the unflagging patience with those who hurt, the generosity of spirit and the persistence in the face of difficulty shines more brightly than the ugliness of war and the cruelty of the revolution. I don’t know if this is considered young adult, but it felt that way to me. Although the characters have depth, they are not complex. The grandmother’s strength and wisdom never falters. The granddaughter’s gentle goodness never alters. The few moments when the granddaughter expresses anger, it felt superficial, her regret and reconciliation comes almost immediately. Parents, aunts and uncles return after a prolonged absence, bearing physical and emotional wounds. Although they initially display the behaviors of such traumas, alcoholism, nightmares, isolation, their reconciliation back to the family is uncomplicated, their story is told and their demons are exercised. This is an excellent story to help a younger reader understand both the misery brought by war and the strength of the human spirit to survive and even thrive. But as an adult reader, the depiction felt a bit simplistic. 3.5 stars
The Testaments by Margaret Atwoodhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In this re-telling of her modern classic The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood gives the reader additional information about the founding and the fate of Gilead as well as attempting a reclamation of the female members. Atwood always crafts a great story, but in light of THT, this was a disappointment. In my humble opinion, THT should have been allowed to stand on its own. The background to the dystopian theocracy made it feel less ominous, less real. By recreating Aunt Lydia as a brilliant strategist who could craft a decades-long plan, Atwood undermined her original observation that women are often complicit in oppressive systems, even those oppressive systems that disadvantage most women. I wish I had not read this as a book group pick because it diminished The Handmaid’s Tale in my memory.
Palace: My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco by Christian de Massyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is part autobiography, part royal gossip rag with a vindictive tone. The author is the nephew of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, an entitled Playboy who justifies his bad behavior or blames his ambitious, emotionally distant mother for anything he can’t justify. There is so much bitterness in this book that it was uncomfortable to read. This is an older book, written when the author was a young adult; I wonder how decades of maturation has shaped his perspective on his life.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greenehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a powerful novel about grace, mercy, faith and suffering. Set in rural southern Mexico in the early 1930s, a time and place when Communist forces have shuttered all Catholic churches, outlawed religious practices and forced all the priests to renounce their ministry or face execution, one priest remains. He is far from the picture of traditional piety. He carries an unconfessed mortal sin for which he is not fully repentant. He is a coward, allowing others to be arrested and killed for hiding him. He craves liquor, the prestige of his old life and the certitude of goodness. Yet it is in his humiliation that he finds humility, in his unrepentant sin that he finds compassion, in his cowardess that he finds mercy and in his fear that he clings to hope. This is a beautiful story of raw, ragged, broken holiness without a whiff of sentimentality.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent KruegerThis is a re-read in preparation for my in-person book group this week.
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpellhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The story of several interconnected families from vastly different backgrounds are told in this intergenerational novel of Zambia. In the unfolding of these people is contained the unfolding of the country. A little science fiction, a little magical realism, a bit of political rhetoric and philosophical musings, are skillfully woven into this complex saga of community and country.
Jack by Marilynne Robinsonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the fourth in the Gilead quartet. It might have helped if I had read the second book before this one; I might have had more sympathy for Jack. As it was, I found him to be an enigma despite a plethora of words dedicated to his rambling thoughts. Robinson uses fiction to explore theological and social issues creating dense texts with little action. I was not in the right head space for this book. Rather than thought provoking, it came across as pompous. I plan to read Home sometime, but hopefully when I am in a more receptive place.
Songbirds by Christy Lefterihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When a nanny goes missing and the authorities dismiss the inquiries, the woman’s employer and boyfriend are forced to investigate her disappearance. As they look for her, they narrate her story, pulling this woman out of obscurity and revealing the precarious lives of guest workers. The employer and boyfriend narrate the story in alternating chapters. Although I appreciate what the author was trying to communicate, the novel fell flat for me. The two voices were indistinguishable despite very different backgrounds. The amount of time given to the background of the two narrators diluted the nanny’s story. Rather than harrowing, this story turned out to be a bit sad and a bit sweet.
The House of Hemp and Butter by Kevin O’Connorhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the history of Riga from its founding in 1201 to its conquest by Czar Peter the Great in 1710. My knowledge of this period of history is weak and my knowledge of Riga was virtually non-existent. I had no idea how significant Riga was as an economic center during these centuries. I found this fascinating.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Muratahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This short novel is so simple and so expertly rendered. The narrator is a 36 year old woman who has worked contentedly in a Tokyo convenience store for her entire adult life. She has never been able to understand the rules of society, despite the loving support and encouragement of her family. But the structure of the little world of the convenience store gives her a frame work by which she is able to function contentedly. Murata allows this character to grow without violating her nature or relying on sentimentality. Through this character, the author explores both the importance of social norms and their liabilities. I loved this book. 4.5 stars
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
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This is the story of a small Chippewa community in 1953. Although two characters dominate the book, one of whom is inspired by the author’s grandfather, this is a larger story. Erdrich offers us strong, wise, caring characters and a grace-filled, wise, mutually supportive culture from which we could all learn. This novel demands patience from the reader. Story lines are continually introduced and let go, new characters appear and fade, little happens and everything happens. This novel deserves all the literary acclaim it received.
The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisherhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The duel narrators of this novel are sister-in-laws, one hiding an abusive marriage and the other hiding secrets, one newly married and the other a decade into her marriage, one fearful and the other exuberant. As the two become friends, they play significant roles in the other’s growth. This is an easy read with a made-for-the-movies ending, a perfect relaxing summer book. 2.5 stars
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
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This is Cinderella Ghanaian style, so don’t expect the happy ending to look the same. A beautiful young woman is entered into an arrange marriage with a wealthy, handsome young man. For the woman’s family, which has fallen onto hard times, it is an opportunity for social advancement. For the man’s family, it is a desperate move to persuade him to leave his live-in girlfriend and mother of his daughter. Despite her fears, the bride quickly adjusts to her new opulent life and falls in love with her Prince Charming. But can she become his only wife or will he persist in keeping two families? And, what will happen if she can not succeed in her mission? 3.5 stars
Salazar Blinks by David Slavitthttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a political satire set in Portugal in the final days of the Salazar administration. I think I needed a much better understanding of the history and politics of Portugal to fully appreciate this short work.
Simone by Edwardo Lalo
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With cryptic notes delivered in creative ways, a young woman stalks a poet. This game of hidden identity which morphs into a pursuit of a search for a deeper identity forms a skeleton for the narrator to drape extensive philosophical musings.
The Big Sky by A.B. Guthriehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A young Kentucky lad flees his abusive pa with only the clothes on his back. We travel with him into the rugged, unsettled western U.S. in the first half of the 19th century. With tiny, vivid details of daily life and an excellent use of dialect, the author brings a particular moment in our history to life. But it was exactly this authenticity that I found most difficult. Racist language, violence, demeaning attitudes to anyone who was not a white male was rampant. The only good Indian was dead or docile. The only good woman had her mouth closed and her legs spread. I appreciated the quality of the writing, but despised what the characters stood for.
Among Flowers by Jammaica Kincaidhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Better known for her literary fiction, Jamaica Kincaid is also an avid gardener. This is her account of trekking through the Himalayas with a botanist friend in search of unique seeds for her Vermont garden. I expected more lavish depictions of nature, particularly of the flowering plants of Nepal. Although she names the many plants she encounters, they were not described with sufficient detail for me to picture them. This is more about her experience on this two week hike, her excitement, frustrations and physical discomfort.
The Survival of Easter Island by Jan Boersemahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book pulls together archeological evidence, archival documents going back to 18th century explorers, geological research, comparative skeletal studies and more to refute the claim that catastrophic cultural collapse was brought about on Easter Island by an arrogant raping of the natural resources leading to widespread violence and even cannibalism among the native Polynesians. Although I do not have the background to evaluate the scholarship, I found the depiction of cultural practices, the devastating impact of European diseases and enslavement, the environmental damage caused by the sheep and cattle herding of white settlers to be credible and very interesting. Other than the famous statues, I knew almost nothing about Easter Island before this book.
Woman 99 by Greer MacAllisterhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When a young, bi-polar woman is admitted to a women’s asylum by her parents, her socialite sister fakes a suicide attempt so that she can get behind the walls and rescue her. This story line depends on many perfect coincidences to advance the predictable plot and arrive at its Hollywood ending. 2.5 stars
By Fire By Water by Mitchell James Kaplanhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An historical setting that is not over used, interesting characters, a plot with intriguing turns and tension, themes of faith, identity, suffering and survival made this an engrossing read.
Better To Have Gone by Akash Kapurwww.goodreads.com/review/show/4235341814
Auroville was founded in 1968 in India as an international utopian community. The author and his wife grew up in this community, but their experiences were very different. When his wife was 14, her mother and foster father died hours apart. What caused the deaths of these long term members and true believers of this idealistic project? In this memoir of a community and a family, the author uncovers the story of a utopian adventure and of two of its most ardent spiritual devotees. 3.5 stars
Qatar by Mehran Kamravahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a thorough analysis of Qatar as an international power. I was hoping for something a bit more basic about the history, politics, culture and current attitudes of Qatar. I did learn much from this book, but just as much went over my head.
Rosemary Nyirumbe: Sowing Hope in Uganda by Maria Ruiz Scapeerlandahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe is often called the Mother Theresa of Uganda. This short hagiography highlights the remarkable courage, incredible generosity, expansive love and great holiness of this woman. Early in her years as a member of the Sacred Heart community, she ran a clinic in northern Uganda which cared for those suffering from the ravages of poverty and war. She worked tirelessly under dangerous and primitive conditions. When that clinic closed, she was moved to a girl’s school run by her order. There she developed a ministry to girls returning to society after having been abducted by the LRA, young women who were brutalized and forced to brutalize. Her work has taken her around the world to advocate for the child victims of Uganda’s decades long war. The reader can’t help but be in awe of Sr. Rosemary.
The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasamhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Set in a make shift refugee camp in Sri Lanka populated by those displaced by more than two decades of fighting, this story unfolds over a single day. The narrator is a young man who has lost everything except his basic humanity. When another refugee asks him to marry his daughter in order to give both young people a bit more security, something in him begins to briefly re-awaken. This is a beautifully and sensitively written account of one person’s struggle to be truly human in a world that wants to destroy it. This is a powerful meditation on what it means to be human. 4.5 stars rounded up
Revenge by Yoko Ogawahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Incredible! These macabre interlocking short stories are wonderfully clever with characters that are fully realized in just a few pages. I need to read everything this author has written. 4.5 stars
The Way West by A. B. Guthriehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This award-winning novel journeys with a wagon train made up of a group of families making their way from Missouri to Oregon in 1845. Along the way they deal with all the perils of a 19th century cross country trip: wild animals and aggressive Indians, fierce storms and treacherous mountain paths, illness and arguments. The use of dialect and many exacting details gives the reader a wonderful sense of a moment in history. And it was exactly these many details that made this feel more like a history lesson than a compelling story with vivid characters. We got one of every difficulty encountered by the many wagon trains that crossed the continent: one case of wagon fever, one near drowning, one rattle snake bite, one buffalo stampede, etc. The characters never became individuals whose survival I worried about, but were stand-ins for all the adventurous Americans who settled the West.
Secrets of the Savanna by Mark and Delia Owenshttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The authors spent two decades on a game preserve in northern Zambia studying its endangered wild life and working for its preservation. When they arrived in 1986, a park which is approximately the size of Delaware, had 2 game wardens and two rifles to fight a well-funded, well armed, large number of ivory poachers which was decimating the elephant population. Alongside their academic study of elephants, they vigorously lobbied for aggressive banning of international trade in ivory, worked with NGOs to develop economic opportunities for the local population so that they did not have to resort to poaching for survival and found the funds to train and sustain a police force to catch poachers. This is a series of memories of their time in Zambia, waking up to lionesses sniffing their sleeping bags, a cooking fire that nearly burnt down their camp and surrounding savanna, orphan elephants that “befriended” their camp, taking local children to see their first elephants in the wild, watching village women being trained as midwives through dance presentations, etc. This was fascinating, enjoyable and ultimately hopeful.
Barking To The Choir by Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fr. Greg Boyle has spent decades living in one of LA’s more notorious neighborhoods, serving the abused and neglected, gang bangers and drug addicts, the frightened and the frightening. Through the establishment of Home Boys Industries, he has helped countless people find healing, hope, peace and the love of God. Through stories from his ministry, he challenges the reader to recognize the immensity of Divine love, to realize our mutual interdependence, to strive for an awareness of the deep connections of the human family, to embrace our own wounds and those of others and to believe that compassion can and will transform the world. 4.5 stars
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis
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A nurse is asked by an old college friend to retrieve a suitcase from a train station locker for her boss. But, she strictly warns her not to open it when anyone might be able to observe her. At this point, the reader is having the same eye roll reflex that happens when those horror film characters head into the dark, isolated woods from which are coming blood curdling shrieks and the sound of a chain saw. What she discovers inside is a drugged 3 year old child. It is not a spoiler to say that she will drop everything to protect this boy from his kidnapper and reunite him with his mother. This novel was well paced, the violence was kept to a minimal, and the characters’ back stories made them interesting.
Radio Shangri La by Lisa Napolihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In 2007, the author stepped away from her successful career in journalism to volunteer in Bhutan to help establish the country’s first radio station for youth. Both the author and country were in a period of transition. Bhutan would hold its first elections at the end of that year. As Bhutan was adjusting to greater influences from the West, the author was searching for life adjustments that would bring her greater satisfaction and joy. In this chronical of her months volunteering at the radio station and subsequent trips, the author shares her observations of Bhutanese life in its capital and the attitudes and social behaviors that makes this tiny kingdom one of the places with the highest Gross National Happiness scores.
Voyage to Greenland by Frederica De Lagunahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The author was a graduate student in 1929 when she was unexpectedly offered the chance to be part of the first archeological expedition to Greenland to try to learn about its earliest inhabitants. In the preface to the edition I read, she wrote at the age of 75 that those months were the best of her entire life. This is the account of that summer comprised mostly of letters written to her parents, journal entries and some thoughts on her return.
How Can I Find God by Fr. James Martin, S.J.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Several dozen people from a variety of religious and professional backgrounds (all except 2 living in the U.S.) write a brief response to the question, “If a friend asked you how they might find God, what would you say?” The responses were expected: in the kindness of others and the beauty of nature, through relationships with loved ones and caring for those in need, in communal rituals and private prayer, by the reading of sacred texts and through silence.
The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quadehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a redemption story. Spanning one year, from Good Friday to Good Friday, the wounded members of this family seek personal redemption and find it where they did not expect it. The religious imagery is overt and the message for the reader is explicitly stated. As the novel opens, a 33 year old with a severe case of failure-to-launch has been chosen for the part of Jesus in the local passion play. This devotion invites participants to “feel what Jesus felt”, even encouraging the one with the part of Jesus to have nails pierce through his palms. This young man believes that he can redeem himself in the eyes of his community by this public act of piety and self-mortification. By the end, he comes to recognize that redemption does not come from enduring punishment but by carrying the burdens of others in love. He finally realizes that we are invited to embrace what Christ felt on the cross, but this is not the physical agony, but the love that brought him there. Other characters will draw similar conclusions as they learn to accept the flaws in themselves and each other, to put others first, to love unconditionally despite the pain. There is a great deal of swearing and sex which is supposed to give this novel an edge, but that was only a thin veneer. This is a sweet story with an ending that could cause tooth decay. The writing is good. The characters grow. But I found the presentation a bit heavy handed.
Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticathttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a collection of stories of several people from a small coastal Haitian town whose lives are connected, but whose stories are independent. The author drew me into the life of each character, presenting them with depth and sensitivity. 3.5 stars
In Sierra Leone by Michael Jacksonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The author traveled to Sierra Leone in 1969 where he spent a number of years doing ethnographic studies. He found a country emerging from colonial rule, an unstable government riddled with corruption, a vibrant and multi-ethnic culture, hard-working, hope-filled, superstitious, highly stratified communities. A brutal war of rebellion in the 1990s left a scarred and wounded country, most of the people with crippling physical and psychological wounds, a society divided with its physical structures destroyed, often fatalistic, yet somehow still believing in a future and still hopeful. The author returned to Sierra Leone in 2002 to the friends he had left behind. In part, this is the oral history of one of those friends, a man whose political career spanned the second half of the 20th century, whose family story was wrapped up with the story of his country. Between the transcripts of this narrated autobiography is the author’s impressions of post-war Sierra Leone, his interpretation of the cultural dynamics and social beliefs that are shaping a people at a critical juncture in its history.
Yemen: Dancing on the Heads of Snakes by Victoria Clarkhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I knew little about Yemen except what makes a brief headline in some news story. This was a wonderful introduction to the history of this small, poor country in the Middle East. The first part of the book is an overview of its history going back centuries. The second half looks at the first decade of the 21st century and the connection between Yemen and terrorist groups. This is exactly what I needed and wanted, accessible, informative, relevant.
Daughters of the Island by Laura Maria Torres Souder-Jafferyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed the first half of this book far more than the second half. I loved learning about the role of women in native Guam culture. Marriage customs assigned power to the female, inheritance rules gave the woman control of property and children, attitudes toward sex punished men more severely for adultery than women. Spanish colonial rule diminished the rights and power of women in society, but did not completely subjugate them. It made me want to move to Guam. The second half recorded the biographies of 9 women involved in organizing on some level, from the political to the informal local community. It tried to draw conclusions about female leadership in Guam from these native women. I did not find these biographies particularly illuminating and failed to see how 9 women could be sufficient to draw inferences about an entire population.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garciahttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was expecting a psychological thriller, but this was a supernatural horror. I am not a fan of supernatural horror novels; they fail to frighten or excite me because I can’t believe in the world they create. Rather than scary, I found this a bit silly. Based on other reader reviews, I know I am in the minority. 2.5 stars
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingatehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is my third book by this author, all of which were book group picks. They are surprisingly similar, in ways that I do not like. All have employed duel timelines, alternating narrators, all have included an idealized romance that was extraneous to the story line, and all were overly sweet and preachy. As a reader, I do not feel respected by the author. She felt it necessary to provide me with very rudimentary history lessons, including an explanation of the Underground Railroad. She lectured me on the importance of literature and story as if I were a 12 year old needing to be coaxed into reading. She presumed that I either struggled with attention deficit or memory problems because she gave me the same information time after time: Benny felt rootless, was insecure about her past, wanted us to know that a past does not have to define a person, Hannie felt rootless, was threatened by white supremacy groups, was likely to be cheated out of her work agreement. The plot was unbelievable. In the 1980s story, we watch groups of unruly teens reading 4 to 5 years below grade level turn into eager learners who can do extensive archival research and produce a major historical pageant in only 2 months. Those banana cookies that first year teacher baked for those kids must have been magical. Hannie’s story involved too many happy coincidences for my taste. I also had a huge problem with the way race was depicted in the more contemporary story line. 1.5 stars
The History of the Seljuq Turks by The Seljuq Nama of Zahir al-Din NishpuriTrans. Kenneth Allin Luther
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This is a 12th century document recording the succession of rulers in Iraq for several centuries. I was hoping to get a glimpse into governance, court structure and life, maybe even religious or social thought of this empire during the medieval period. Instead I got a chronical of names of ruling families and key advisors, lots of heads severed from bodies, bloody coups, and locations of battles. Because I was unfamiliar with any of the individual or place names, this was not informative. But it is striking that these court documents are so similar across a continent and numerous centuries. The only thing that seems to be of importance is power, its acquisition and loss.
Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadburyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Skip the scary books about zombies or psychopathic clowns; this is my idea of a perfect Halloween read. What better to get me into the true spirit of the season than a book about the growth of the chocolate industry. Cadbury dominates this book, but other prominent companies get attention. There was so much that I did not know. I particularly enjoyed the earlier chapters and the way that Quaker spirituality helped and hindered various business endeavors in the 18th and 19th century.
Midnight At The Pera Palace by Charles Kinghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a social history of Istanbul focused on the first half of the 20th century. Interesting, informative, engaging, I would recommend it to anyone interested in social history. This is written for a popular audience, so any reader with knowledge of the subject may find it too basic.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitzhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was a fun psychological thriller with sufficient twists to keep it interesting, although I guessed most before they were revealed. A conversation with a student at a writer’s workshop becomes the inspiration for the instructor’s novel years later. When that novel rockets to the top of the bestseller’s list, the author begins to receive anonymous emails and social media postings accusing him of plagiarism. Since he knows that the student is long dead from a drug overdose, these messages launch him into full-blown paranoia and obsession. Who is making these accusations and what do they want? 3.5 stars
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakamihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a quiet story of a growing romance between a lonely woman in her late 30s and an elderly man who had once been her high school teacher. Although this is very well written, I never was able to understand the growing attraction. I think there were cultural pieces that I may have missed.
East of the West by Miroslav Penkov
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I enjoyed these short stories set in Bulgaria. Most explored family dynamics, the tension between the love that is expressed in duty and the love that is in yearning, the pull of the past and the pull of the future. So often stories that are set in a Communist context are dark and depressing, but these stories depicted life with all its beauty and pain.
How Iceland Changed the World by Egill Bjarnasonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is a social history of Iceland highlighting those moments in Icelandic history that intersected with world events from the preservation of Medieval Norse literature to Bobby Fisher. The tongue in cheek humor with which this history is told made it particularly enjoyable.
101 Books to Read Before You Die
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The final scene in this book is of two boys burying a time capsule containing those common items that they believe would give some future person a sense of their moment in time. This book felt like the literary equivalent, a collection of moments from the life of a boy growing up in the Bronx in the 1930s. Each chapter felt like a snapshot, capturing the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of a particular time and place. The writing is evocative. Although I enjoyed each scene, I did not find it a compulsive read.