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What have you just read? Opinions, recommendations, reviews Part 2
This is designed for little kids, but adults will enjoy seeing how Charles Darwin made the scientific discoveries that changed our understanding of the world. Need I add that every school should have this one?
5★ Link to my review of Charles Darwin with several illustrations from the book
So much to choose from! Buzz Books 2021: Spring/Summer is full of sample chapters of upcoming books, some by established authors and some by those who are also up-and-coming. 
5★ Link to my Buzz Books review with some of my picks
I have noticed that not only am I reading less (due to difficulty concentrating plus not liking several of my recent books) but I am also having more 2, 2.5 and 3 star ratings. Most of my higher ratings have been rereads which I have been resorting to as not only because I know they will be enjoyable but won't be setting off my sensitized nerves about certain issues (such as racial prejudice or political issues).My most recent book didn't have any issue setting off my alarm bells but was still a disappointment - only 2* for The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac.
Sigh... I am still hopeful that I will find some books that will transport me to a wonderful place that I can devour.
My review of My Name is Anton: A Novelby Catherine Ryan Hyde
Five stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have been absent for so long!I just read this hefty one:
Hausfrau
Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of A Deadly Chapter: A Castle Bookshop Mystery by Essie Lang
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Same here!!!!
Leslie wrote: "I have noticed that not only am I reading less (due to difficulty concentrating plus not liking several of my recent books) but I am also having more 2, 2.5 and 3 star ratings. Most of my higher ra..."I'm sorry you're in a bit of a reading slump. If you're interested in historical fiction, I can recommend a couple of heavy clunkers that transported me to a different time and place and helped me get over my slump a while back. It's been a couple of years since I last read them, but I remember being blown away by them at the time.
Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan.
Independent People by the Nobel Prize winner, Halldór Laxness.
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea.
I've posted reviews of all three books if you're interested in knowing more about them.
About the only thing I can do nowadays to help me deal with this pandemic crisis is to read. So I know how important reading is to my sanity. I hope this helps.
all best.
My review of The Charioteer by Mary Renault. I can't find the link to the book via the seach function but here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Raul wrote: "My review of The Charioteer by Mary Renault. I can't find the link to the book via the seach function but here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."
It's been a bit odd today, and I can't find all of the books I want, either even if I can get to the book's page.
My review of The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season by Molly Fader
4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I re-read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A chilling classic that is as powerful now as it was when I first read it many years ago.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by National Centre for Truth and ReconciliationA look at the policies and attitudes of the Residential School system. I liked how the issues were laid out, the policies, the attitudes, and the stories of the Survivors. The recommendations laid out for reconciliation bring culture, healing and equality into the process.
I felt hope at the end of this book that reconciliation, in its true form, can actually happen. But it will take time and truth.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read three books from my Netgalley list last week: 
Exit by Belinda Bauerhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The Rosary Garden by Nicola Whitehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Life Sentences by Billy O'Callaghanhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Plus I listened to
Dry Bones by Peter May https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Petra wrote: "A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by [author:National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation|1983..."Does this cover anything about the Coastal Salish first nations' in BC? I am asking because when I went to school the kids from our reserve went with but starting at grade 5 there were kids who lived in the former Residential School who also came to school with us. As a child I just took all of this for granted as I'd been on the reserve before (where I bought my first bicycle, used, from a classmate when I was in grade 2).
Karin wrote: "Does this cover anything about the Coastal Salish first nations' in BC? I am asking because when I went to school the kids from our reserve went with but starting at grade 5 there were kids who lived in the former Residential School who also came to school with us. As a child I just took all of this for granted as I'd been on the reserve before (where I bought my first bicycle, used, from a classmate when I was in grade 2)...."Karen, it's a general review. Some schools in BC are mentioned, but not specifically the Coastal Salish.
It's a general review of the system, the financing, the running of, etc. There's mention of the disconnection of families, the fear & confusion of the children and how the system tried to erase the heritage of these children (language, customs, beliefs). But it doesn't focus specifically on any specific school.
Set in WWII in Australia, Singapore, and the Malay Islands:The Widow and Her Hero by Thomas Keneally - 4 stars - My Review
Petra wrote: "Karin wrote: "Does this cover anything about the Coastal Salish first nations' in BC? I am asking because when I went to school the kids from our reserve went with but starting at grade 5 there wer..."Okay, thanks. I have read about this subject before so am hoping to someday find something more specific.
I read Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir by Michael White. It is part travelogue, part memoir, and part art appreciation. I enjoyed it, especially his "reading" of the Vermeer paintings. His appreciation for the paintings was infectious.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Leslie wrote: "I have noticed that not only am I reading less (due to difficulty concentrating plus not liking several of my recent books) but I am also having more 2, 2.5 and 3 star ratings. Most of my higher ra..."That's a shame Leslie. I seem to be taking longer to read books at the moment so I am already 5 behind on my 2021 challenge which isn't too good. Perhaps it is because they are longer ones that need more time to process - hope that's all it is!
February is Black History Month, and I found James Baldwin's long story/novella Letter from a region in my mind online from 'The New Yorker Magazine'. Still relevant and worth remembering.
5★ Link to my review of Letter From a Region...
February is Black History Month. Alexander McCall Smith is a white author who created the wonderful Mma Ramotswe in Botswana and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. She features in The Cleverness of Ladies, a lovely little novella.
3★ Link to my Cleverness of Ladies
My review of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchihttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's a nice, quiet classic, and the beginning of a series I just might try. The Warden by Anthony TrollopeReview:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was great, such a good non-fiction. I learned a lot.
written by Sophie Campbell.Here is my [lengthy] review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All About Books
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4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...