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William Wallace Jamieson's wife Hazel was going to have a baby.
This novel takes place in wartime Berlin. Early in 1941, half a year after the French capitulation to Germany, a Gestapo inspector named Escherich stands in his office on Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, contemplating a map of the city into which he has stuck 44 red-flagged pins. Each marks a spot where a different inflammatory postcard has been found — “Hetzkarten” that denounce Hitler, hand-written in heavy, clumsy print. The first card reads: “Mother! The Führer has murdered my son. Mother! The Führer will murder your sons too, he will not stop till he has brought sorrow to every home in the world.”
THE BOOK OF NIGHT WOMEN by Marlon James
At the center of “The Book of Night Women” is a black-skinned, green-eyed slave woman, barely out of childhood, who struggles to transcend the violence into which she is born, a violence that begins with her first breath as a “baby wash in crimson and squealing like it just depart heaven to come to hell.” Orphaned when her mother dies giving birth to her, Lilith more or less raises herself in the hell of the Montpelier Estate, a closed and brutal society all its own, where nothing is as it seems and nearly everyone has secrets to conceal.HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni
For Moaveni, born and raised in California, Iran is both an intimate and a stranger, a familiar motherland and an alienating theocracy that requires permits for musical instruments and prohibits coed wedding receptions. Yet it isn’t only the contradictions of a child of exiles sorting out her identity crisis that makes this book worthwhile. It’s the seductive contradictions of the motherland itself.
A MAD DESIRE TO DANCE by Elie Wiesel
The protagonist, Doriel Waldman, is a Jewish New Yorker in his early 60s who believes he has gone mad. Born in Poland just before World War II, Doriel hid with his father, sister and brother while his mother, blond and the holder of a counterfeit Aryan identity card, fought for the resistance. Unlike his siblings, who were captured and killed, Doriel survived the war, as did his parents, though they died in a car crash soon after the liberation of the concentration camps. An aunt and uncle raised Doriel in America, but he demands to be called an orphan and never allows himself to be loved. “As far as I can read people’s gazes,” Doriel explains, “they see me as mad. And I’ve always felt I was. Mad about my parents first, then about God, study, truth, beauty and impossible love.”
THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR by Yoko Ogawa
“The Housekeeper and the Professor” tells of the adventures, such as they are, of the remarkable virtual family formed by the professor’s new cook and cleaner, the single mother of a 10-year-old boy whom the professor calls Root because his flat head reminds him of the mathematical sign for a square root. Nobody except Root really has a name. Every morning the housekeeper, who narrates the story, has to introduce herself and her son to the professor all over again. He, in turn, as he does whenever he is stuck or flustered or has extended his 80-minute window, is likely to ask her shoe size or her telephone number. He always has something amazing to say about whatever number comes up.
Title: The Simplest of Acts And Other Stories
Author: Melanie Haney
ISBN: 978055703590
Pages: 101/2008
Melanie asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her book of short stories. When I said yes, she was kind enough to send me the book. I am very glad I read it.
It is a thin book and there are eleven short stories. Reading those were were a revelation in itself. With fine prose and delicate use of imagery, Melanie captures the essence of story writing. The stories are insights into human failings and frailities. She has enhanced for us the necessity of human understanding by way of small gestures.
She has tackled with love, loss and those small moments which somehow act as catharsis in our lives. And she has done it with very finely and delicately. No where you feel she is preaching. She makes us connect to her stories instantly.
Along with the title story, I especially liked Milk, in which a mother finally realises the importance of letting go. I needed to assimilate the stories before I set down to review it. A must read and it is for keeps. I am not letting go of my copy anywhere.
Weekly Geeks themes: Political and Social Issues.
At the time, use of the term Negro was standard and so was nigger, a common colloquialism. In the modern reprints golliwogs were replaced with teddy bears or goblins. Enid Blyton has also been accused of being sexist.
The original illustrations by Bannerman showed a caricatured Southern Indian or Tamil child. The story may have contributed to the use of the word "sambo" as a racial slur. 
Title: Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe
Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favourites sources you'd like to share?
On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother Thomas entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut Public Library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable. What are some of your favorite character names? Roark: Its source is a Gaelic expression meaning "Champion." Some authorities assert that this name came from an Old English expression meaning ''rock,'' and that it was given as a surname to those living close to a remarkable outcropping of stone. It totally fits the character.
1) When and why did you begin writing?
I wrote a book as an Independent Project my senior year in high school, twenty years ago. It wasn’t bad for a teenager, but it certainly wasn’t a work I would be proud to put out as an adult. I’ve shelved it and four or more manuscripts since. Drawers & Booths was the first piece that continued to make me laugh, and that I found thematically sound. As with my high-school manuscript, Drawers & Booths is dialogue driven. I was always drawn to plays. Later, my writing was honed by the Defense Information Schools of the military. Journalism is a great foundation for the novel. The style forces a writer to have a point, and to get to it. Many of my favorite writers have a journalistic background.
2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think that’s a deceptively intricate question; a great question, in fact. Although I wrote news for the military for years, because of the demands of having to meet a deadline, to produce a certain amount of copy, I never felt like the work was completely unfettered, (though they made little demands about my news voice), and therefore I never considered myself a genuine writer. It wasn’t until I created articles without any thought to the venue of publication, until I freelanced, that I considered myself a writer. But the consideration is not a black-and-white proposition. The feeling of being a genuine writer sinks in with each new venture. Now, with two books in hand, the moniker is becoming more indelible.
3) What inspired you to write your first book?
Drawers & Booths was written as the type of book I’d have appreciated stumbling upon as a reader—an interplay of humor, philosophy, and a nicely paced plot, along with a quirky something special. The particulars of the book came from my military background. The met fiction angle was just a natural progression of my long analyses of the narrative, the supposedly subjective voice.
4) What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part is convincing yourself that there is a marriage between the artist in you and the businessman. It is easier to be a hobbyist and write solely for yourself—and there is no difference in integrity in doing so—but to consider whether other people will be interested in reading your book, to consider the virtues of publication, can sometimes create a conflict. In the end, you have to hope you’ve taken an accurate personal inventory, and that you’ve created a high-quality piece that will forge its own market. This may be a deeper analysis of what others call “writer’s doubt.” This doubt creeps in each time you hand out a copy. But, even before that point, you must set aside that doubt long enough to get pen to paper, while being honest with yourself about which areas you need most to improve.
5) What do you see as the influences on your writing, outside, inside, whatever?
I am influenced by great documentaries. Though my novels are fiction, I do much research. My motto is If I don’t get my facts right, they will never believe my fiction. So, my news-writing background was essential in laying the groundwork for good writing habits. My other primary influence is the thought of all those voices that were squelched due to historical circumstances, people who would have made the most of my fortuitous position, of not being in a Gulag, of not being imprisoned for controversial views. They keep me honest … I hope.
6) Who are your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I usually answer that question with Graham Greene, who has this beautiful way of painting humanity, often in interesting settings (for this American), and a plot pacing that suits me. Lately, I am blown away by Cormac McCarthy (except for The Road, ironically, since he won the Pulitzer for that one). He’s humbling. There is no other way to put it. I also like Capote, and then many, many particular books, sometimes even hating others by the very same author. A perfect example of this is Ishiguro; love The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World. Dislike most of his others. Incidentally, I read a lot of nonfiction.
7) Can you share a little of your current work with us and how do you envisage it in future?
Currently, I am finishing the edit of my third novel, which is less absurdist humor, but still has a met fictional bent. I envision it displaying my diversity, as my first two novels had a similar tone. The tone of this novel is less artificial. That being said, humor will always play a strong part in my works, and the third will be no exception. Primarily, my own diverse interests will keep me from being a one-trick pony.
8) Why did you venture out to write metafiction?
Metafiction allows me to delve into the thoughts of the author, my thoughts, and remove the uncertainty of author intent for the reader. I think those authors that gravitate toward metafiction are the ones in class who asked the teacher, “How do we know that the author really meant that?”
9) What book(s) are you reading now?
I am reading Isabel Allende’s short memoir entitled My Invented Country, and have a bookmark in Midnight’s Children, V, a history of medieval life, and I am in a Ulysses reading group, in which we tackle a chapter every two weeks. My reading bounces from textbook type reads to fiction that I think pertinent to be exposed to as a writer.
10) Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
New as in new on the scene or new to me? Since I am not hip enough to know who is new on the scene, I will have to answer this question as if it we are talking about someone I recently discovered. For me, that was Cormac McCarthy. I also discovered The Shadow-Line, by Conrad. My discoveries tend to be for particular books more so than authors. I try to spread my reading around so that I’m exposed to many styles.
11) Do you have anything that you want to say to your readers?
I realize you are taking a chance by purchasing an Indie author’s work, even though mainstream fiction is not impressing me much either, and I appreciate the vote of confidence. Please keep in mind that our marketing efforts are primarily grassroots; and if you like our work (mine particularly), then pass the word. I greatly appreciate it.
12) You have an unusual last name. Can you elaborate on that? (Feel free to ignore THIS question)
I legally changed my last name when I was in the military. I thought it was funny to have a number on my nametape. It made me laugh. It still makes me laugh when people cock their head and digest the notion of 13 being my last name. It is a good barometer to see who has a sense of humor. Plus, it has the bonus of being good marketing. People remember the name; but I changed it prior to seeking publicity, so the conceptual silliness was my first intention. Additionally, it reminds me that the superficial name is of little importance, it is the man behind the moniker that matters.
