Rating: 9 · 552 pages
Read for The tl;dr Challenge
This book came highly recommended and positively reviewed by so many different readers, both offline and online. In the back of my mind, I knew there was a possibility that this would be one of those books that become popularized in the reading world for no real concrete reason. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with The Book Thief.
Narrated by Death himself, you'd think this novel would be mostly depressing. Quite the opposite; it is life-affirming. As we walk with Liesel through her formative years we watch as she becomes wise beyond her time, thanks to her surroundings, choices, and circumstances. Living as a foster child in Germany during World War II, Liesel's life is enriched by her friends, neighbors, family, and is damaged irretrievably by enemies she didn't deserve. Although this is a fictional account, I feel that in many ways, Liesel's experiences are symbolical and utterly essential to learning about the inexplainable truths and disappointments that so many have had to face. As she makes her way through the terrors of war, Liesel conveys a heart of courage and thoughtfulness that many would have trouble displaying in peacetime.
Throughout the novel, Liesel steals books. Sometimes from desperation, sometimes from anger, and sometimes just because they are there for the taking. But Liesel isn't a typical thief, not by any means. Books mean even more to Liesel than they do to most of us who consider ourselves bookworms. Her books are real, sacred connections to her past, present, and future.
It's not often you find a novel that is written so simply yet so lyrically. The way the author used words, it was just amazing. Here are a few quotes:
It kills me sometimes, how people die.
Even the wrinkles around her eyes were joining hands.
Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day. That was the business of hiding a Jew.
She could see the light on Max's eggshell face and even taste the human flavor of his words.
I can now officially join the multitude of people who hold this book and its deeply creative author in high esteem.
Rating: 6 · 501 pages
I wouldn't go so far as to say that buying this book was, in itself, a "pretty little mistake", but I will admit that this is yet another lesson I've learned in not judging a book by its cover. I purchased Pretty Little Mistakes because it looked cool. I did read the premise, and thought an adult version of the choose your own adventure would make for a fun read. And it did, kind of. Maybe I'm just too much of a traditionalist to be able to truly enjoy a book that is written this way. You have to keep going back to the first page to start over on a new adventure. I did this about 10 times, but each adventure only lasted about 12-20 pages each, and then you were dead and had to go back to the beginning all over again.
Eventually, I gave up and just read the book straight through. The various story lines ranged from interesting or fulfilling to scary or depressing. Obviously, the author wrote this book for women to read, because the main character (you) is a female. She meets all types of people, travels to different areas of the world (most of them outside the U.S., I noticed), and ends up in situations good, bad or terrible. If you read the book straight through, you'll find that near the end, you die on every other page. It's an interesting reading experience.
This book made me thankful for my own very uneventful life and for the ultimately mundane choices I've made.
Rating: 9 · 334 pages
I was the lucky recipient of an Advance Reader's Copy of Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank. When I got the note that this was the one they were going to send me, I was really thrilled, because I have enjoyed previous novels by this author. Bulls Island was yet another great book, written as most of her others are in the setting of the South Carolina Lowcountry. I've never visited that area of the U.S., but I long to go now that I have "traveled" there through her novels. There's something extra-special about that area, I can tell from just reading about it.
Bulls Island was one of those books that start off fast, then slow (way) down, and then pick up to a nice speed for the last set of chapters. I particularly enjoyed the story of Betts & J.D., the main characters. In a way, I wished that Betts had had the opportunity to tell her big secret before fate told it for her; I would have liked to see her family's reactions (and J.D.'s) in a more normal setting. But maybe it was better the way they did come to find out. The shock of the recent events probably helped to dull the anger that would have inevitably cropped up after finding out what Betts had been hiding for so long.
There were 2 characters I loved to hate: Louisa and Valerie. And maybe this is bad, but I had very little sympathy for Valerie. What a total witch! At the end, at least Louisa redeemed herself somewhat by insisting on some morality and decency regarding the situation between her son and Betts.
Overall, though the story was a bit unbelievable in certain parts, I found myself turning the pages happily, excited to find out what was going to happen next. I wish we would have been able to find out more about how Betts and J.D.'s relationship ended up - an epilogue including their wedding would have been nice. I really wanted to see those two make it happily ever after. But we're led to believe that's what would happen anyway, so I guess that will have to do!
I can't really make this a long, detailed review, because 100% American was basically just a book of percentage statistics that were researched and written in the 1980s. It is written in the fun format beginning with 1% (for example, 1% of Americans speak Italian at home) and going all the way through the numbers to 100% (ending with "100% of Americans are, if nothing else, Americans.")
It was an amusing little book, mostly due to the time period in which it was published (1988). I had to keep remembering how the world was when I was 10 years old. A lot has changed since then, in many ways. Anyway, here are a few of the interesting statistics that I noticed:
1% of Americans are color-blind.
7% of American teenage girls own golf clubs.
14% of Americans snack all day.
26% of American husbands would agree to pay their wives a weekly salary.
33% of Americans think robots and automation will worsen the quality of life for people like themselves.
42% of American women think there will be a black president by the year 2000.
45% of American women weigh 140 pounds or more.
50% of Americans read books
73% of Americans prefer not to work around people who use foul language.
79% of American grits-eaters eat a cup or less at one sitting.
86% of Americans like mashed potatoes.I like to read fun little reference books like this one every once in a while. They don't require a lot of thought, yet they provide some conversation starters and tidbits of knowledge that are always good to have laying around in your brain.
Rating: 9 · 208 pages
As bad as this may sound, I've wondered from time to time if I might just be a misanthrope (defined: misanthropy is a hatred or distrust of the human race, or a disposition to dislike and mistrust other people). I have always tended to be a bit antisocial, and I admittedly hold disdain for certain kinds of people (mainly those who are willfully stupid, troublemakers, or backstabbers). So when I read about Florence King, who is herself a misanthrope (and also a conservative, like me), I added With Charity Toward None to my wish list at PBS. As soon as my wish was granted and I received the book in the mail, I put aside my other books-in-progress, and read it. I wanted to know for sure whether or not I am a misanthrope.
I am not. But I'm close. I'd say I'm about 80% misanthropic, if that is possible. Completely full-blown misanthropes truly hate 100% of all people. I'm not that far gone, and don't really want to be. In my opinion, if everyone were honest, we'd all admit to having some misanthropic beliefs. I mean, come on - people are annoying.
I found myself nodding a lot while reading parts of this book. Misanthropes are frequently mistakenly categorized as "shy" when the truth is, if you were to ask a young misanthrope why they won't talk to you, they might blatantly reply "I doan yike you," as the author herself once told someone.
King wrote this book by using examples of famous misanthropes. Ty Cobb sported a fiery temper, Irving Berlin was "emotionally incapable of entrusting his work to others," and Ayn Rand frequently used the word "contempt" to describe her feelings for the majority of the human race (this became apparent in her work Atlas Shrugged, in which she made the mediocre people the villains).
Overall, to me it was most interesting to read how misanthropes personally dealt with their negative feelings toward others. It is not easy to be a misanthrope in this very social world in which we live. Another misanthrope, author James Gould Cozzens, made the observation that "You must be careful how you treat people as your equals. The average person has much more respect for you if, even though he resents it, you make it plain to him that you consider him of no great importance." That's difficult to do, in most situations, but many misanthropes probably feel this technique is necessary in order to tolerate most of the people they have to be around on a regular basis.
Labels: Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Reviews
Rating: 10 · 351 pages
My first 10 of the year, The Quotable Ronald Reagan is a fantastic compilation of some of the famous words of America's 40th President. Personally and politically, President Reagan is one of my heroes. So it's no surprise that I thoroughly adored this quotation collection. I marked 55 of my favorite pages, and it's going on my keeper shelf.
I could go on and on about why I love President Ronald Reagan, but I think I'll let his timeless, funny, poignant, and true words show you why I hold him and his ideas in such high esteem:
We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.
--Remarks commemorating the 40th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1984
Government is the people's business, and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid.
A truly successful army is one that, because of its strength and ability and dedication, will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it.
The best view of big government is in the rear view mirror as you're driving away from it.
I told Nancy, "This is the other woman in my life."
--to Mrs. Reagan as their helicopter circled the Statue of Liberty
Labels: America, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Presidents, Quotations, Reviews
My Rating: 8 · 144 pages
It was the lifelong desire of General Stonewall Jackson's to be a kind person, a devout Christian, a gentleman and friend that compelled him to keep a notebook of sorts, his "book of maxims". He researched and reflected upon things that he felt would help him succeed in achieving his personal goals. Who knows, had he been alive in the 21st century, maybe he would have had a blog!
I don't know if it was one of General Jackson's dreams to become a military leader, but fate propelled him and his commitment to excellence steadied him along the way. A few years ago, I watched the movie Gods and Generals. The way General Jackson was portrayed in the film really impressed me. I felt that if the movie was true to history, General Jackson was quite a remarkable and admirable man. And now, after reading Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims, I learned that my feelings were fully warranted.
A couple of quick facts about General Stonewall Jackson:
- He was painfully shy, but worked diligently to overcome it.
- He organized and taught a Sunday afternoon Bible class for local slaves.
- He was very strict with himself, always avoiding overeating and did not drink alcohol.
- He lost his first wife in childbirth, and was grief-stricken for years.
- He kept his temper in check and rarely raised his voice to the soldiers under his command.
Another interesting thing about General Jackson was that he closely studied the works of Lord Chesterfield, who wrote:
"By the help of history, a young man may, in some measure, acquire the experience of old age. In reading what has been done, he is apprised of what he has to do; the more he is informed of what is past, the better he will know how to conduct himself in the future."I believe General Jackson did indeed apply his readings to his life, and reaped the benefits from doing so. This book inspired me to continue to study important things, and to also be mindful of the knowledge of those who have gone before us.
Labels: America, Biography, Civil War, Etiquette, History, Nonfiction, Reviews
