Comfort Reads discussion
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What are you reading right now? (SEE NEW THREAD)
Lee wrote: "That's a great quote from Einstein. I'm reminded of this daily when explaining things to my daughter. It's a great exercise to try and explain a complex issue in simple language without losing any important bits. "Exactly! I really love when kids ask questions and I see if I do know it well enough to answer them in an understandable way.
Lee, I will call you Super Mom! How wonderful you relationship with Maggie sounds!
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Well Super Mom, life isn't simple. As she matures, you will know when it is time to explain more. I am sure of that.
Lee, That image of that discussion made me smile. Isn't it at about 8 that kids can more easily see those shades of gray? I think young kids in many cultures have the good people-bad people play with one another. I think they already have the black & white thing and they gradually learn about grays, and hopefully we can help them along with that. She's so cute: I can just picture it. ETA: I actually don't like to use the words black and white to refer to bad and good. Yes, I can be ridiculously pc at times.
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I definitely find it fascinating to watch and be a part of the development of another human being. We're really amazing creatures!
Lee, Yes, I love kids. And, yes, it is at least a few years away, but it still is great to have those conversations.
I just finished A Summer Without Dawn: An Armenian Epic. Here is a link to my GR review:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Now I will start The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust. Maude is rereading this, and we thought it would be fun to read a book together. :0)
Christine, I just thanked you over there under the review! Thank you very much. It was so annoying at first not understanding why I was not enjoying the book. I believe it WILL appeal to many other readers.
I can say right away that I like the prose style of The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust. Oh, I am enjoying myself. The language is so "down to earth".
Ronyell wrote: "Just finished Yours Until Dawn. Now moving onto One Night of Scandal."
So, was it a good read Ronyell? I think I will request it today.
So, was it a good read Ronyell? I think I will request it today.
Chrissie wrote: "I can say right away that I like the prose style of The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust. Oh, I am enjoying myself. The language is so "down to earth"."
That put a smile on my face, Chrissie! What a good thing to say about a book -- "Oh, I am enjoying myself.
That put a smile on my face, Chrissie! What a good thing to say about a book -- "Oh, I am enjoying myself.
Jeanette, I LOVE how some writers put things. It is the little choice of words that make or break a book. This is a memoir and you know down to your toes this is true. The author is in no way pretentious or all-knowing. Even a book about WW2 experiences need not be without humor.
Chrissie wrote: "Jeanette, I LOVE how some writers put things. It is the little choice of words that make or break a book. This is a memoir and you know down to your toes this is true. The author is in no way prete..."
I definitely agree with that, Chrissie! Sometimes the way an author expresses things just clicks and that is happiness.
This sounds like an interesting story, too.
I definitely agree with that, Chrissie! Sometimes the way an author expresses things just clicks and that is happiness.
This sounds like an interesting story, too.
Jeannette wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I can say right away that I like the prose style of The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust. Oh, I am enjoying myself. The language is so..."By the way, the book was also made into a movie; I've had it on my list of recommendations from Amazon, but because I have not read the book, I don't want to see the movie at this time (I want to read the book first). And, while I want to read the book, I also need to sometimes pace myself when reading books on Nazism or the Holocaust, as they tend to make me feel very guilty (at times even hating myself and my background). It does not stop me from reading books on the Holocaust, it just makes me careful about not reading too many at once. I hope that makes sense.
It makes sense, but you shouldn't take the guilt of Nazi Germany on your shoulders Gundula! It isn't something you are personally responsible for. It was an evil thing created by evil people and it swept too many good people up in its wake.
Gundula,
My friend's mother feels the same way, and she was just a child. I think many Americans feel that way when they read about slavery too. I guess it's natural even if it had nothing to do with you, but that's only because you're such a good person.
My friend's mother feels the same way, and she was just a child. I think many Americans feel that way when they read about slavery too. I guess it's natural even if it had nothing to do with you, but that's only because you're such a good person.
Gundula, you were not even born! I know this is illogical but I too would question HOW DID THIS HAPPEN in my country. Such questions are unavoidable. But take it a step further - people from all countries can pose the same question. How did we let this happen? The guilt is NOT German but relevant to all mankind. This is why I think WW2 literature is a very important genre even today. We are all asking ourselves the same question. Will we learn?BTW 90% of the AUSTRIANS were in favor of the Ansluss in 1938!I cannot make that Bish letter that is pronounced ss in German.
Jeanette, the book is very interesting. The author is humble and at the same time she has gumption and does silly things b/c she is human.. You should have hear her speech to get her Mom released from going to an agricultural work camp. The author was a lawyer and she used ALL her skills. She is so human: one minute silly and making bad choices due to being in love and the next being the bravest woman out there, fighting for her mother.
Chrissie wrote: "Gundula, you were not even born! I know this is illogical but I too would question HOW DID THIS HAPPEN in my country. Such questions are unavoidable. But take it a step further - people from all c..."I know that logically, I should not feel guilty, but emotionally I always do, even though it is not as bad as it used to be (but, when we first moved to Canada, there were quite a lot of kids who really enjoyed calling me a Nazi). Also, it does not prevent me from reading books on the Holocaust, or avoiding them, I just cannot read too many in a row, and I don't usually find them comforting, although many of the books I have read have been interesting, enlightening and very, very good. I also think WWII literature, or literature about other tragic and horrific episodes in history are as important today as ever, I just know that I have to pace myself at times (and, I'm going to put the book on my to-read list and the movie on my to-watch list).
I simply have to quit my bookclub book, it's officially driving me insane. I'm going to start something new....What Is Left the Daughter
When is the stupid book club meeting? Is it at your house? I am glad you ditched the book, but they might have cupcakes so you should really go to the meeting!
I just finished reading the thriller Fatal Convictions by Randy Singer and really liked it. I'm half way through A Season of Miracles: A Novel a sweet story about a little league team in 1971.
Jeannette wrote: "When is the stupid book club meeting? Is it at your house? I am glad you ditched the book, but they might have cupcakes so you should really go to the meeting!"
We're actually meeting for dinner at a winery next time to celebrate our one year anniversary. I am definitely going. :)
We're actually meeting for dinner at a winery next time to celebrate our one year anniversary. I am definitely going. :)
Christine wrote: "I simply have to quit my bookclub book, it's officially driving me insane. I'm going to start something new....What Is Left the Daughter"I would go to the meeting, though. A book that's officially driving you insane would or should be an excellent departure point for a discussion and/or debate.
Good. Never quit before a good meal! It's bad for you to skip good food!
Gundual, kids can be so MEAN! Well adults are no better. What does this say about the lovely human race?!! The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust is actually about Austrians! It does get grittier as it goes along. And her boyfriend is driving me crazy.
Christine, It will be interesting to find out what others think of the book. And it's good you stopped. Reading is supposed to be a pleasure.Gundula, Human beings can be cruel in all sorts of different ways. We're only responsible for our own actions, in my opinion.
Lisa, you always find the perfect thing to say in just a few words: "We're only responsible for our own actions." YES! But you see my mind always goes around in circles - we also have the responsibility to teach our kids, to the best of our ability. Of course when they grow up we cannot blame ourselves for their mistakes.. Well neither should we grab their successes either. They earn them themselves. We as adults only helped set the foundation. Stop thinking, Chrissie!!!!!
Jeannette wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "Just finished Yours Until Dawn. Now moving onto One Night of Scandal."So, was it a good read Ronyell? I think I will request it today."
It was pretty good! I actually enjoyed it!
Chrissie wrote: "Lisa, you always find the perfect thing to say in just a few words: "We're only responsible for our own actions." YES! But you see my mind always goes around in circles - we also have the responsib..."My mind goes in circles as well. I think that, yes, I am first and foremost responsible for my own actions, but I think that I am also responsible (due to my ethnic and cultural background) for pointing out and exposing bigotry and prejudice as much as possible, and not to accept it in those around us. That also means that if I am teaching a German language course, and I notice anyone taking this course voicing racist or bigoted opinions and/or being even remotely accepting of the Nazis etc. that I will speak up and confront these individuals. I have actually had to do this once or twice, and generally it turned out to be cases of ignorance and lack of knowledge, but a professor of mine who was teaching a course on the Holocaust actually had some white supremacists who did not take very kindly to her criticism (that's putting it mildly, she actually received email threats, but it did not stop her from her mission).
The fact that the book is about Austria is quite interesting and makes me want to read the book more than ever. Even though most Austrians were quite supportive of the "Anschluss" there still seems to be somewhat of an attitude both in Austria and elsewhere that they were just another victim of Hitler. Now, I do believe that Austria would not have had much of a choice in the matter, that refusal to join would not have been tolerated by Germany, but it is also true that for most Austrians, joining the "Reich" was not only acceptable, but very desirable.
Gundula, yup, we have to open our mouths and voice our own opposing opinions when one runs into racism. Currently xenophobic right wing groups are making alarming headway in MANY European countries. OK, Austria was going to be taken by the Reich, but that they supported Hitler is what is revolting. It shows the littleness of mankind. We want law and order and jobs and stability, even if it is done at the cost of others' lives.
Ronyell wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "Just finished Yours Until Dawn. Now moving onto One Night of Scandal."
So, was it a good read Ronyell?
It was pretty good! I actually enjoyed it! "
I should have it by next week. :)
So, was it a good read Ronyell?
It was pretty good! I actually enjoyed it! "
I should have it by next week. :)
I am finally reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a funny little gem of a book. Not quite as serious as Chrissie's book, but with the same themes of survival in WW2.
Jeannette wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "Just finished Yours Until Dawn. Now moving onto One Night of Scandal."So, was it a good read Ronyell?
It was prett..."
That's great to hear Jeannette!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Jeanette, you will love the TGALPPS. It is very good. :0)
It is very good so far, but really, the name is too much! lol
Gundula, Chrissie, All, Well, I agree with that.
Part of our own actions are what we do about past wrongs, even if we had no part in them.
If I benefit because my ancestors were not slaves, I should try to rectify that. If I buy something from a company where the beneficiaries were directly involved in doing something wrong, then I share in the blame. Etc. etc. etc. And if I have children or teach children or know children, I'm responsible for doing what I can to help them develop into people who will want to do the right thing, whatever that is for them. Etc. etc. etc.
But, I'm still responsible only for my own actions and I'm not responsible for things about which I can truly do nothing.
Well, and as far as the Nazi Holocaust, my father would never buy anything that was made in Germany, but as I studied..., Hitler was elected by the Germans, but Austria was certainly as culpable as Germany, as was every person in the world who helped it to happen or didn't do anything at all to oppose it. (And I don't mean having to be so brave as to risk their lives.) As Buffy St. Marie's The Universal Soldier said: How would Hitler have condemned them at Dachau. It took a lot of people to make that happen, and none of them were born once it started.
Now, there are some companies that benefitted from the Holocaust (including some invested in by prominent Americans, etc.) and if the current owners are from the same family that benefitted during the Holocaust from their slave laborers or the murdered, and the current owners have done nothing but benefit financially and have put no money or time or effort into rectifying what happened, well then I might have a problem being their customer, although I wouldn't blame all of their employees. It's complicated. My mind can go around and around too.But I still say that anyone born after the late 20s-1930 can't possibly hold themselves responsible for the Holocaust proper.
Lisa wrote: "Now, there are some companies that benefitted from the Holocaust (including some invested in by prominent Americans, etc.) and if the current owners are from the same family that benefitted during ..."I would have problems with that myself. I would not blame the employees, and I would not even blame the current owners if they did not know this aspect, but if it were discovered that they benefitted financially from the war and/or the Holocaust, and nothing was done to make amends, that is quite a different story.
I'm actually reading a German YA book (a bit stalled due to group reads), where a modern German teenager discovers that her family's wealth is based on the fact that her grandfather profited from the Holocaust; she wants to make amends, but her father and some other family members would rather simply forget about the past, would rather forget the Holocaust ever happened. The book is called Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Die Zeit der schlafenden Hunde.) by Mirjam Pressler, and from what I have read so far, it is a good, but quite disturbing book, definitely more for young adults than for children (it also asks the question of what can one actually do to make amends, can amends be even made). The only things that sort of bothers me about the book itself, is that the grandfather, the one who actually benefitted from the Holocaust by obtaining an erstwhile Jewish-owned factory at a ridiculously cheap price, is basically given a very easy way out by the author (he commits suicide right at the beginning of the novel, maybe realistic, but it did bother me that he just sort of disappeared and left his son and grandchildren hanging).
Gundula, Yes, I feel the same about all you said. And, that book sounds fantastic. I'm adding it and if I've already added it (that happens quite frequently now) I'll bump it up. Thank you.ETA: Oh darn. No English translation??
Oh, there is. This author needs some librarian work done/combining, but I have no time...out the door soon.
Lisa wrote: "Gundula, Yes, I feel the same about all you said. And, that book sounds fantastic. I'm adding it and if I've already added it (that happens quite frequently now) I'll bump it up. Thank you.ETA: O..."
I tried to combine the editions, but I couldn't as I am not a librarian. I really need to finish reading this, thanks to this conversation, I remembered that I have to finish (and probably reread it). Not everyone like Mirjam Pressler, but I think it's mostly because she is not afraid of approaching controversial subjects in her children's and YA literature.
Gundula, I got home and I combined those two editions, just those two. There's a way to do them all, or most of them, without knowing German, but I don't have the time right now. Someone will get to them eventually, maybe me.
Lisa wrote: "Gundula, I got home and I combined those two editions, just those two. There's a way to do them all, or most of them, without knowing German, but I don't have the time right now. Someone will get t..."Cool, thanks for doing that. And, once I've read some of the books for my October and November club reads, I think I will get back to reading the book (I wish more of Mirjam Pressler's work were translated, she is an amazing author).
Gundula and Lisa, I am going to give The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust 4 stars. I recommend it to both of you. I have finished it and will try and write a review today.ETA: I changed it from 5 to 4 stars. I musn't get carried away by the writing style!
Thanks, Chrissie. I think I've added it. If I haven't I will do that. And I'll look out for your review. This book seems as though it will be my cup of tea.
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I've added the first book in the series to my tbr pile. :)