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Samanta's "Going to go easier this year" 2021 Challenge Buffet
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Challenge #5 - Decade/Century ChallengeMy Century Challenge
1800 - 1809 - The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D. by Charles William Chadwick Oman
1810 - 1819 - The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann - FINISHED 12.01.2021.
1820 - 1829 - Confessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas De Quincey
1830 - 1839 - Cuentos de la Alhambra by Washington Irving
1840 - 1849 - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
1850 - 1859 - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
1860 - 1869 - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
1870 - 1879 - 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - FINISHED 13.10.2021.
1880 - 1889 - Childhood, Boyhood, Youth by Leo Tolstoy
1890 - 1899 - The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeA: A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor - FINISHED 10.04.2021.
B: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis - FINISHED 24.03.2021.
C: Christmas in Croatia by Dunja Rihtman-Augustin - FINISHED 21.12.2021.
D: Dijagnoza by Nada Kaurin Knežević - FINISHED 18.12.2021.
E:
F: Fly Away, Breath by Wendell Berry - FINISHED 10.04.2021.
G:
H: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky - FINISHED 06.06.2021.
I: Izgubljeni svjetovi by John Howe - FINISHED 12.07.2021.
J: John Adams by David McCullough - FINISHED 18.01.2021.
K:
L:
M: My Christmas Wonderland by Maureen Spurgeon - FINISHED 02.12.2021.
N: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - FINISHED 30.05.2021.
O: Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer - FINISHED 18.06.2021.
P: Povratak kući by Bernhard Schlink - FINISHED 28.11.2021.
Q: The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani - FINISHED 25.04.2021.
R: Romanticismo y realismo by Iris M. Zavala - FINISHED 27.11.2021.
S: Saint Marie by Louise Erdrich - FINISHED 13.01.2021.
T: The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin - FINISHED 01.01.2021.
U: Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton - FINISHED 28.03.2021.
V:
W: Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich - FINISHED 30.11.2021.
X:
W: When the Wind Blows by James Patterson - FINISHED 11.07.2021.
Z: Zagreb: Filmska pozornica by Cindrić, Velimir - FINISHED 15.04.2021.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter T:
by
Kate Douglas WigginFinish Date: 01.01.2021.
Genre: Christmas, Short Story
Rating: A
Review: A lovely feel-good novella about the meaning of Christmas and family. It was a fast and enjoyable read.
Mod
Thank you, Lynn, for the recommendation. :)
Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge1810 - 1819
by
E.T.A. HoffmannFinish Date: 12.01.2021.
Genre: Children, Christmas, Novella
Rating: B
Review:
A young girl Maria and her brother Fred get different gifts each Christmas by an eccentric Godfather Drosselmeier, who also happens to be a watchmaker. On this particular Christmas, they receive a figurine of an ugly little man who cracks nuts with his jaws. Fred manages to break Nutcrackers jaw and Maria "nurses" him. During the night, the Nutcracker comes to life and leads an army of toys into battle against the evil seven-headed Mouse King.
This is the original work upon which the famous Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker was created. I have to admit that my only reference to the story is the Barbie in the Nutcracker animated movie, which is to this day one of my favourite movies and one I watch every year during Christmas-time.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter S:
by
Louise ErdrichFinish Date: 13.01.2021.
Genre: Short Story
Rating: B
Review: Marie is a young Indian girl placed in a remote convent for (in her opinion) renegade and crazy nuns. She is being constantly physically and emotionally abused by a Sister Leopolda who claims that the Devil is in her and she needs to get it out, when in fact it's Leopolda who is using Marie as a punching bag for her bases instincts. At the climax of the story, Leopolda stabs Marie in the hand with a fork and to save herself invents that Marie got Jesus's wounds by divine intervention and the she is in fact a saint.
This is one of the most disturbing stories I've ever read. I really can't imagine what must be going on in the heads of the abusers of this kind or abusers in general, but this kind is the Ninth Circle of Hell level abuser.
Mod
Letter S:
by Louise ErdrichFinish Date: 13.01.2021.
Genre: Short Story
Rating..."
Our Buddy Read Tracks by Louise Erdrich gives even more information about the relationship between Leopolda and Marie.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter J:
by
David McCulloughFinish Date: 18.01.2021.
Genre: Biography, History, POTUS
Rating: A-
Review: I've decided to read this book as part of my Pulitzer challenge and because I love biographies and David McCullough as a writer. The name John Adams sounded familiar to me as a name connected to US and I was vaguely sure I read it on the list of the presidents of US. Reading the book, I got to know John Adams as a person, both private and as a public figure, and grew to like and esteem him a great deal. Throughout his life, he stayed true to his principles (and they were really good), but also showed that he was, after all, only a human, painfully aware of his faults, but not always able to control them (never seriously harming the people he loved in the process).
I love how David McCullough makes a long-dead person come alive in my mind and how he makes me connect to her on a personal level. Reading the book, though, I found myself wondering what happened to the original principles of the people of the United States, of not getting involved in foreign affairs and not trying to take more than their share. Were these principles, on which the Declaration of Independence was based, just a surface below which a desire for expansion was lying dormant and waiting for its turn to emerge? I could already see glimpses of that desire in the times of John Adams and I was greatly disappointed.
Challenge #1 - New and Old TBR - 1900-1999/New School
by
Roald DahlFinish Date: 08.02.2021.
Genre: Short Story Collection
Rating: C
Review: First, I'd like to say that I expected something completely different. I didn't know (and still don't) a first thing about Dahl's works and the genre he wrote. Looking at the cover of this book, I thought he maybe wrote something more for the children (taking a better look, again, I do not know what I was thinking). I also vaguely remember him as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, of which I've seen the movie adaptation with Johnny Depp and loved it.
This collection is creepy, to put things mildly. Some stories are a bit on the boring side, some downright unreadably boring, some interesting, but all with a creepy twist, or maybe macabre is a better word. So, if you are into that kind of a story, I would recommend this book, and if not, steer clear because some of the stories really leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter B:
by
Christopher Paul CurtisFinish Date: 24.03.2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Newbury Medal Award, African-American Authors
Rating: A
Review: Bud is a 10-year-old orphan, living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan in 1936. At the beginning of the story the "Home" directress places him in a foster home where he is immediately bullied by the 12-year-old son of his foster family. After being accused by his foster parents of attacking their son and thrown into their shed, he escapes their house and starts looking for a way to find the man he believes to be his father. Bud's mom died when he was only six years old, and to be able to survive as an orphan, he became an accomplished liar and went as far as writing his own book called "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself". This book of guidelines helped him, as a child, an orphan and an African American, to survive the harsh 1930's racist US society. During his quest, he will find himself in many strange situations and meet many interesting people, but will eventually find his happy ending.
I really enjoyed reading this story. It's filled with different kinds of emotions, but is, at the same time, very light-hearted and humorous. It also won Newbery Medal Award in 2010.
Fun Fact: The two prominent characters in the story, Lefty Lewis and Herman E. Calloway, are based on the author's grandfathers, Earl "Lefty" Lewis and Herman E. Curtis.
Mod
Oh I am so sorry I didn't see this earlier. Tracks comes chronologically before Love Medicine and then The Bingo Palace. There is a fourth book that I am not quite sure how that one fits in.
Lynn wrote: "Samanta wrote: "Is it a prequel or a sequel?"Oh I am so sorry I didn't see this earlier. Tracks comes chronologically before Love Medicine and then [book:The Bingo Palac..."
No worries, Lynn. Thanks for the info. :)
Mod
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter U:
by
Jennifer AntonFinish Date: 28.03.2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: B
Review: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Under the Light of the Italian Moon is a lovely story of Italian rural families struggling to survive the turbulent 20th century., told from the point of view of the women.
The story starts in a small Northern Italian village of Fonzaso, just as the "Great War" (WWI) is about to start. The protagonist, Nina Argenta, is a young girl just getting to know the small world around her. Many of her neighbours, including her oldest brother Antonio, are thinking of going to USA (America as they refer to it) in search of a better life. She also finds out that Pietro, a boy a few years older than her and to who she is inexplicably drawn to, is also leaving for USA. Years pass, the Great War is over, and Nina is now a young woman, ready to have some fun an fall in love. She sees Pietro again, who is visiting from the USA, and realises she has feelings for him, but thinks he is in love with her sister Onorina, the village beauty. A few more years pass with Nina now 18-years old and finally finding out that Pietro is in love with her. They decide to marry but, to oblige her stern mother Adelasia, the local midwife, also known as the Captain, they decide that Nina is to stay in Italy while Pietro goes back to America to earn money. So begins Nina's adult life, which will be filled with love, sorrow, happiness, loss, death, turmoil, fear and insecurities, but also a never-ending hope of a better life with the man she loves.
Jennifer Anton writes a story about her Italian ancestors. Although she writes about both men and women of her family, her focus is on women. The same women who were working hard, giving birth to children, losing those same children, picking themselves up after tragedies and continuing with their lives, while at the same time being obliged to do it alone, because men were either abroad working, were victims of war or simply couldn't be counted on to be present and provide for their families in the times when women were almost always housewives and completely dependent on men. All of the women in the Argenta family were strong women whose lives were not at all easy, with poverty, war, death, loss and uncertainty always looming around the corner. Despite all that, they managed to survive and carry on, ensuring the wellbeing of both present and future generations of their family.
I do admit that it took me awhile to get into the book. The topic of the book is a bit heavy and we are living in difficult times that are very trying for our nerves, but once I got into it, I could not put it down. I loved all the female characters, except Evira, which is completely understandable given her difficult character. Adelasia reminded me a lot of my mum, a strong-willed, dominant woman born in Dalmatia, the coastal part of Croatia (Mediterranean character, through and through :D), and I could see a lot of myself in Nina, so this story really resonated with me. Lasia and Rita are also very interesting individuals and I would have liked to know more about their adult life, beyond the fact that they eventually married. I think theirs is definitely a story that merits its own book(s).
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter A:
by
Flannery O'ConnorFinish Date: 10.04.2021.
Genre: Short Story
Rating: B
Review: A family of six is going on vacation to Florida. The Grandmother of the family is against going to Florida and unsuccessfully pushes the idea of Tennessee, using the news of a serial killer at large as her argument. The father of the family is fed up with constant noise made by his children and nagging mother and is adamant on keeping to the original plan. On their way to Florida, the family has a car accident and is found by three men who happen to be the gang of killers the news are reporting about.
Although I found the Grandmother extremely annoying, she was right in the end. They should have changed the destination. Or maybe this is a story about how we attract what we want to avoid.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter F:
Fly Away, Breath by Wendell Berry
Finish Date: 10.04.2021.
Genre: Short Story
Rating: B
Review: A story about the life and death of Maximilla Dawe, a formidable woman who survived the Civil War and deaths of her husband and only son, raised her three daughters on her own in the years after and lived to see her granddaughters grow up. The story is told as her great-great grandson's memory.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter Z:
by Cindrić, VelimirFinish Date: 15.04.2021.
Genre: Zagreb, Film History
Rating: A
Review: This 92-page brochure published by the Zagreb Tourist Board, gives an overview of domestic and international cinema and TV productions that were in part shot in Zagreb. It includes a short history lesson on how Zagreb became so popular for filming movies and an overview of 36 movies and TV shows, starting with Orson Welles's The Trial from 1962, whose success brought A production projects to Zagreb.
The brochure is now available only in digital format in Croatian and English language.
https://www.infozagreb.hr/media/docum...
Mod
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter Q:
by
Adriana TrigianiFinish Date: 25.04.2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: B
Review: Queen of the Big Time tells the story of Nella Castelluca, the third daughter of Italian immigrants living in a small town Roseto in Pennsylvania. Her family own a farm in a village near Roseto and Nella and her sisters spend their days doing chores and dreaming of a different life. Nella is an excellent studentat a village primary school and an avid reader, and her dream is to be a teacher one day. She is given a chance to realise her dream when her teacher, Mrs Stoddard arranges for Nella to go to high school in Roseto, Unfortunately, hard life in 1920's USA will make Nella put her dream on hold to be able to provide for her family. Slowly the practical side of her will bury the dream she had as a young girl and make do with the cards she was dealt with.
The story follows Nella's life from when she was 12-year-old poor farm girl with big dreams, to her death as a 60+ widow with two children, grandchildren and a successful business being her life accomplishments. Nella's practical side was in a constant war with her emotional side all her life, but the hard reality always made th practical side win, which gave Nella many benefits in life, but also a lot of regret.
All in all, an enjoyable read about a strong woman who made the best of the life given to her.
Challenge #1 - New and Old TBR - Wild Card Six/ Challenge #10 - A-Z Title Challenge - Letter N:
by
Kazuo IshiguroFinish Date: 30.05.2021.
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: B
Review: I've been postponing reading this book for ages because I watched the movie and I remember it left me feeling anxious (like all other dystopias do), but I finally decided to just do it in an effort to clean out my shelves.
I was more satisfied with Remains of the Day. Although, it didn't finish with a happy ending, it didn't have this bleak tone to it. A tone of inevitable not-happy ending. I hate it when a story does that to me. Ok, I'm also not a fan of unrealistic happy endings but I do love a sense of hope at the end, especially in times when real world seems uncertain and kind of hopeless. I find the idea of people or societies, or species for that matter, playing God (which human beings love doing) and then looking down and discriminating on its creations really disturbing and I have hard time reading stories like that. I might not react like this if I was certain humans were incapable of such things but, unfortunately, I know they are, which makes it so hard to digest.
Mod
Sara wrote: "I can completely understand your feelings, Samanta. I used to read dystopia and think it was fun to speculate, but people would never do such things--now, I read it and wonder how long it will be b..."I agree with you on this one. The sci-fi writer Charles Stross has actually commented on how difficult it has become to set books in the near future as events overtake the books sometimes before they are published.
The thought of what humans are capable of makes me shudder. After the second reading of 1984, I said, never again.Thank you, Sara! Picked that up from a group I was once an admin in. The owner had strict rules about everything, that I mostly hated, but this one stuck with me. :D You are free to use it if you want to. :)
Mod
Thank you, Samanta, for offering. I might do just that.
Sara wrote: "In my first reading of 1984, I remember thinking how impossible it would have been to ever materialize here in my world, because we would fight for our freedoms. By my second reading, I thought man..."I just started reading Blindness by José Saramago (didn't know it was another dystopia of sorts; the stories seem to choose me lately :D). It's about a sudden pandemic of blindness that seems to be spreading as a contagion and the government is locking the sick in an abandoned mental asylum that serves as a quarantine. It early resembles the current situation in our world and it was written in 1995.
Mod
Challenge #1 - New and Old TBR - 1900-1999/New School
by
José SaramagoFinish Date: 05.06.2021.
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Rating: B
Review: These books keep choosing me, not the other way round, I swear to God!! :D
In a nameless city in a nameless country, a man with otherwise perfect vision, suddenly goes blind while driving home. But his blindness is not dark, it's blinding white. The people on the street help him to get home. Once there, his wife takes him to see an ophthalmologist, who is baffled by the man's condition. A few hours later, he and all the patients and the nurse in the waiting room go blind, too. Slowly, anyone who was in contact with those people goes suddenly and inexplicably blind. Everyone except the doctor's wife, who for some reason does not lose her vision and will be crucial for survival of many people. It seems that blindness is contagious. The government, of course, reacts instantly, taking away and the first cases of the "pandemic" and placing them in an abandoned mental asylum, abandoning them to inhuman conditions and leaving them under surveillance of the military that treats them like dirt (out of fear). Soon, a blind collective living in terrible sanitary conditions and with small amounts of food given by the government, but that will eventually stop coming, will put to test all the learned good manners and put on display all the best and the worst of the human nature.
The premise of the book is really interesting and I read it almost avidly, though it was at times really philosophical (not strange given that Saramago was a philosopher). I wanted to find out what would happen in the end and if the people would survive the pandemic and in what condition. Despite all that, I do not recommend this book to those with week stomach, because the writer does not spare us from gruesome scenes and details.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter H:
by
Eliezer YudkowskyFinish Date: 06.06.2021.
Genre: Fantasy, Fan-Fiction, Harry Potter Universe
Rating: D-
Review: I've been suspecting for some time now that I'm a masochist and I've proven it to myself by wasting my time on this book. Good thing I love Harry Potter enough that this attempt at fan-fiction cannot ruin it for me. This must be one of the most boring books I've ever read (and the most ridiculous), but I'm giving it a D for effort. There were some interesting scientific ideas and a few funny moments, but otherwise, it was 2184 pages of pure boredom, incredulousness and time-wasting. Did I mention masochism?
Congratulations on your progress Samanta. Your review of Bud, Not Buddy made me have to add it to my tbr right away. I was thrilled to see that it's a Newberry winner and can work on my BINGO square.
Thanks! I borrowed the book specifically for that purpose and, thankfully, wasn't disappointed.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter O:
by
Jeffrey ArcherFinish Date: 18.06.2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: B
Review: Only Time Will Tell is the first of seven books in the Clifton Chronicles family saga. It tells the story of a young boy Harry Clifton, a son a docker and a waitress who gets a chance to get a higher education (largely inaccessible to people from poor backgrounds in England class system) and better his position in the world. The first book includes his formative years up until his 20th birthday and the beginning of WWI, but also POV's from the adults in his life who give us the stories that Harry doesn't know but that had shaped and will continue shaping his life.
I really like Jeffrey Archer's writing style. It's easy and engaging and you are not bored with the narrative. This is a re-read for me, but I haven't yet read the rest of the series. Definitely plan to at some point, because I would like to know what happens to Harry in the future.
Mod
I own only the first book of the Chronicles and our public libraries in Zagreb do not have the rest of the books, so the series will have to wait for now.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter W:
by
James PattersonFinish Date: 11.07.2021.
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Illegal experiments
Rating: C
Review: Frannie O'Neill is a veterinarian living in the remote area of Boulder, Colorado, looking after local domestic and wild animals and trying to get over her husband's inexplicable murder that happened the previous year. One day, a certain Kit Harrison will appear in her life and rent the cottage she used to live in with her husband and she will, driving after a few glasses of wine, see what appears to be a girl with wings. Suffice to say that that will be the moment her life changes for good as she starts to unravel a secret of an illegal and hidden "School" where biogenetic experiments are being done on human beings, involving many world renown scientist and doctors she knows personally and is even close friends with, as well as people higher up in the hierarchy.
Another typical adrenaline junkie novel with illegal experiments condoned by members of important institutions and conspiracies on government level. Great as a "get away from reality" or a beach read, but not to keep on your overcrowded shelves. I'm not even sure how the book got to be in my possession. Oh, well, passing it on.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter I:
by
John HoweFinish Date: 12.07.2021.
Genre: Chidren, History, Mythology
Rating: A
Review: A short and very informative book about legends of places in our world that existed both in real world and in out imagination. It is filled with beautiful illustrations made by the author or the book, John Howe, the same one who made the illustrations for Lord of the Rings movies. Featured in the book are some places I had already heard of and some I've never heard of before, like Camelot, Atlantis, Timbuktu, Shambhala, Olympus, Avalon, The Garden of Eden, Thebes, Troy, etc. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge1870 - 1879
by
Jules VerneFinish Date: 13.10.2021.
Genre: Science Fiction, Classic
Rating: B
Review: There isn't anything new I can say about this classic. I was always drawn to Verne's ideas, but the execution was sometimes a bit boring. Also, I didn't really care for the translation I read. I would love to read this again sometime, either in English or in a newer Croatian translation.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter R:
by Iris M. ZavalaFinish Date: 27.11.2021.
Genre: Literary Theory, Spanish Romanticism
Rating: C
Review: A collection of essays on Spanish literature, poetry and theatre of the 19th century, that is the Romanticism in Spanish literature.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter P:
by
Bernhard SchlinkFinish Date: 28.11.2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: B
Review: Peter Debauer is a boy who lives with his emotionally detached but hardworking mother in the post WWII Germany. Having been told that his father was killed during the war, he tries to make a connection with him by spending time with his paternal grandparents in Switzerland. His grandparents spend their time revising, editing and publishing works of literature in series. They also try to instill their love of history and literature into their grandson, but they never let him read the novels they publish for the masses, claiming there are better ones. Peter eventually starts secretly reading those novels and one, apparently unfinished, stands out and eventually becomes Peter's obsession. He feels inexplicably drawn to it and as a grown man, he will make it his life quest to find the end of the novel and its author. This quest will shape his life in ways that he could not have imagined and make him question everything he was told about his life.
Homecoming is an interesting story and time flies by when you are reading it (at least it did for me). Peter was for the most part of the book a pretty bland person, just going with the flow and not showing any real interest in anything (except the novel) or any will to really fight for what he wants. Only when he finds out that the story about his life that he was told was a lie, does he show some "gumption" (as the lovely Mr. Arthur from "The Holiday" would say). Another thing I really liked were the short chapters. Given that the story was not the easiest one, short chapters really helped to keep my attention.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter W:
by
Barbara EhrenreichFinish Date: 30.11.2021.
Genre: History, Medicine, Women's Rights
Rating: A
Review: An 89-page (in my edition) pamphlet on the role of women in medicine throughout the history. It gives an overview of the history of women as people's healers who were later proclaimed witches by the Catholic Church, effectively giving medicine to men and giving women and inferior or non-existent role in it. It continues with an overview of the development of medicine as a profession and the role of women in it (almost exclusively as nurses or midwives). There is an interesting bit of information regarding the percentage of female doctors in the hospitals in some European countries as opposed to U.S. According to the data of that time (1972), in U.S. only 7% of doctors were women, while UK had 24% female doctors and Russia as high as 75%. We in Europe always though of U.S. as a land of equal opportunities, but it looks like the situation is completely the opposite.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter M:
by Maureen SpurgeonFinish Date: 02.12.2021.
Genre: Children's literature, Christmas, Short Stories
Rating: A
Review: A collection of Christmas short stories written by Maureen Spurgeon mixed with some traditional ones. The protagonists of the stories are Jane and Tome, brother and sister who love Christmas and always do something interesting and nice on that day.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter D:
by Nada Kaurin KneževićFinish Date: 18.12.2021.
Genre: Short Stories
Rating: A
Review: A collection of stories about the problems an average person deals with in their everyday life that are often hidden from the rest of the world. The titles of the stories start with codes F00-F99, codes for the Mental and behavioral disorders according to the International Classification of Diseases. The protagonists are homosexuals who don't have the strength to "get out of the closet", people who hide their failures for fear of being judged or pitied, social media (Instagram) addicts, primitive traditionalists, hopeless romantics (Boy, do I see myself in this role!), cheaters....The aim if the book, I believe, is to show people that what they consider their problem is actually a pretty common one and it happens to a lot of people, that is, that we are not alone although we sometimes think we are. I'm not sure if that helps one solve the problem, but it definitely gives perspective.
This is one of those books that you just have to be ready to read. My best friend borrowed it to me last year and it had been sitting on my shelf until the day before yesterday. I'm going through some tough changes right now and when I saw it one shelf, it just felt right to start reading it. It was easy and difficult to read it at the same time. When I finished it I bawled my eyes out. I still recommend it, though, and I hope it will be translated to other languages.
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title ChallengeLetter C:
by Dunja Rihtman-AugustinFinish Date: 21.12.2021.
Genre: Non-fiction, Christmas traditions
Rating: B
Review: Christmas in Croatia covers old Croatian Christmas traditions, now mostly forgotten. It gives us an insight in the times long gone, before Christmas became so commercialised, when people had customs that had to be respected, otherwise one was doomed to be very unhappy in the coming year or in life in general. Many of them are somewhat or really misogynist so I am glad that they are either not withheld or have been modernised. Either way, this book is a treasure trove for lovers of Christmas and different cultures.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
Christmas in Croatia (other topics)Christmas in Croatia (other topics)
Dijagnoza (other topics)
Dijagnoza (other topics)
My Christmas Wonderland (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Dunja Rihtman-Augustin (other topics)Dunja Rihtman-Augustin (other topics)
Nada Kaurin Knežević (other topics)
Nada Kaurin Knežević (other topics)
Maureen Spurgeon (other topics)
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1899 and earlier/Old School
1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
2. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
3. Childhood, Boyhood, Youth by Leo Tolstoy
1900-1999/New School
4. The Best of Roald Dahl by Roald Dahl - FINISHED 08.02.2021.
5. Blindness by José Saramago - FINISHED 05.06.2021.
6.Bringing Up Girls in Bohemia by Michal Viewegh
My Wild Card Six
7. Entre naranjos by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
8. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - FINISHED 30.05.2021.
10. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
11. The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières
12. Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord by Louis de Bernières
Alternates
A-1. The Salt Road by Jane Johnson
A-2. Pillars of Light by Jane Johnson