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The mind after a sharp blow to the head is like a house after a hurricane unrecognizable shards, shreds and splinters.
Title: Random Acts of Heroic love
Author: Danny Scheinmann
ISBN: 9780552774222
Publisher: Black Swan/2007
Pages: 428
Plot summary:
Leo Deakin and his girl friend, Eleni are travelling in South America, when the bus they are in, has an accident. Eleni dies and Leo blames himself for her death. In his despair, he has no one to turn to. His dad takes it upon himself to get Leo on the way of recovery. He gives him a bunch of letters to read.That is how Leo gets to learn about Moritz Daniecki, who survived the great war in 1917. Moritz escapes from the wilderness of Siberia, and makes a journey over the Russian Steppes to be with Lotte, the girl who had kissed him only once. Leo is totally fascinated by the story but does not know how it is connected to him.
What did you like least?
There is nothing to dislike about this book, other than it ended too fast!
What did you think of the writing style?
It is a beautiful piece of prose. Emotions comes through. One can easily get into the novel and does not want to get out of it.Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
Most of my readers would love this book. And those who are reading about the World Wars would especially love it. It would also interest those who are into Jewish literature. Only people it would not interest, are those who read only romances and chick lit.
Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books?
It is a debut novel. A remarkable debut at that. I would keep an eye on his upcoming novels, if any.
What did you think of the main character?
Leo is totally in love with Eleni. When she dies, he does not how to cope. He falls into a depth of despair.
What is the central character’s biggest problem?
Leo can't even think beyond Eleni. He does not understand Hannah when she tries to get him out of his despair. He misunderstands her feeling for love for him, which is not true.
Any other particularly interesting characters?
Moritz Daniecki, is fallible like any other person. In his own words, he is not heroic at all. But his love for Lotte keeps him going. He keeps writing letters to her which he never posts.
I received the following books:
1) Death's Daughter by Amber Benson from Shannon of Confuzzled Books
2) Rooftops of Teheran by Mahbod Seraji from the author
It's Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? is a weekly event hosted by J. Kaye of J. Kaye's Book Blog, "to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week."
How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this in increasing number or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile?
If I take only the books, which are waiting to be read on my shelf, in the last count it was 173. Excluding books I wish to read. If I add those, it goes beyond 250. That is lot of books. Although I keep reading from it but I also keep adding to it, thanks to all our book blogger friends. It has stayed stable for some time now. However, this summer it is bound to increase. And I will be tearing my hair out!
Like the previous years, Maggie of Maggie reads is hosting Southern Reading Challenge from May 15th to August 15th. Here, In her own words:
You may choose to read any style of Southern book such as Appalachian tales, Civil War sagas, Gothic myths, Grit lit, and heart-wrenching biographies. Click here for ideas. Just as long as you read three (fiction or nonfiction) between May 15th and August 15th.
To get started, sign on Mister Linky with a url specific address back to your 3 books post and join me on the porch!
Last year I had fun reading for this challenge. This year too, I am joining in.
I wouldn't mind good recommendations. Here is my tentative list:
1) The Known World by Edward P. Jones
2) Thirteen Stories by Eudora Welty
3) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
4) A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
5) Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
I managed to get hold of this 3- Column Template from my archives. It is same as the one I used for Reading Room. I want that all of you should feel at home on my new blog.
By now, most of you know that my blog Reading Room was deleted by google/blogger because it supposedly contained Malware. I tried to get help from but no one is responding at the help forum. Like most others, I had no back-up for it. I lost 663 posts without any warning or notification to me. I had put up so much of man hours and had built up a community of book blogs around myself. I lost everything at one go.My advise for all of you is to back-up your posts!
In some kind of madness, I had subscribed my own blog in the reader and find that it was the best thing I could do. I can see all my posts and retrieval is not beyond my reach now. First, I will retrieve the book reviews as well short stories. Then I will see about getting around other posts, like my reflections on reading and books, Weekly Geeks, Booking through Thursday, Musing Monday etc etcs. Worse scenario is, I can't retrieve any of your comments. I lost all of that.
I have already written a post about it, and put something akin to this on my left sidebar but decided to post it again for Sunday Salon, where many will see it and know about my temporary disappearance. Please help spread word about this blog. I have already created the blogroll. If you are not there, do let me know. I will add you. Please do bear with me until I do.
My comments section is always open and my email id: gautami.tripathy[at]gmail.com. Don't hesitate to contact me for anything.
PS: I have subscribed to almost all of you on my google reader. Don't forget to follow me, subscribe to me or adding me to your blogroll! And I also request you to keep my old blog on your blogroll and/or google follow me feature, for some more days. Who knows, I might get it back.
We all review books differently. Some go in for indepth analysis, quoting from the books and writing snippets about author's past work. There are others who write pages and pages , which sometimes includes spoilers. They literally go overboard with it.
There are still others who are brusque, to the point.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I did the last two reviews in question- answer form, taking only 4-5 questions. Do check those out by clicking on the titles:
I am reproducing here, Dewey's review questionaire for all. I have used it in its entirity or part of it in many of my reviews. I find this very useful when I don't have much time to think. This questionaire has all the relevant questions which ought to be asked of any review.
Title and author of book:
Fiction or non-fiction? Genre?
What led you to pick up this book?
Plot summary:
What did you like most about the book?
What did you like least?
What did you think of the writing style?
Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books?
What did you think of the main character?
What is the central character’s biggest problem?
How do you think he/she feels?
What strengths does she have that help her cope?
Do you know anyone who has been in the same situation?
What would you have done?
If you were his best friend, what advice would you give?
How would that help the situation?
8. What effect do the people in the book have on one another?
Any other particularly interesting characters?
Write a (physical, emotional, relational) description of three of the characters in the book.
Take two or three of the characters and write about their relationship to each other. How do they interact; who are they to each other?
If this book has been made into a movie, and if you’ve seen the movie, compare the book to the movie.:
Share a quote from the book:
Share a favorite scene from the book:
What did you think of the ending?
Do you recommend this book? If you use a rating system, what’s your rating?
Eve moved restlessly in her small bed. Something was far wrong. Mama was leaving her. She could feel it, sense it.
Title: The Pleasure Trap
Author: Elizabeth Thornton
ISBN: 9780553589573
Publisher: Bantam Books/2007
Pages: 385
Book Blurb:
After years of heroism in the fight against the French, Ash Denison wants nothing more than to savor the good life. But an urgent request has sent him to a writer’s symposium. His charge: to unmask an author who has rattled several members of the town by revealing their most intimate, most scandalous secrets. Not one to be left out, when Ash encounters a bold, beautiful, irresistibly aloof woman writer, he can’t help stirring up some gossip of his own. . . .
Much to Eve Dearing’s surprise, Ash is far from the well-mannered gentleman she’s heard about. In fact, he’s shockingly brash and has taken an inexplicable interest in manhandling her at every turn. Yet something about his searing embrace makes her forgive his wicked behavior–and succumb to his dangerous seduction. And when a fellow writer is brutally attacked and Eve becomes the killer’s next target, Ash surprises her once more by vowing not only to keep her safe . . . but to win her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What led me to pick up this book?
I received this book from Stacy. She is clearing her shelves and I chose this out of a lot. I wanted to read a historical romance for the 24 Hour Read-a-thon.
What did I like most about the book?
I liked the sparring between Ash Denison and Eve Dearing. However, that is normal in any romance, be it historical or contemporary. There is that bit of mystery too which adds to the novel. After one point, it gets very interesting to speculate as to who wants too kill Eve.
What did I think of the writing style?
As historicals go, this is extremely readable. A good, easy read.
Which of my readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
Those who like chick lits or romances will like it. It was all those ingredients of meeting, fighting, sparring, mystery and lived happily ever after. A feel good kind of book, good for in between reads.
Most of you are aware that I have lost my blog Reading Room to Malware. I have tried to get help from google/blogger but no one is responding at the help forum. Hope I get it back but I am not very sure about that. Meanwhile, I have started this new blog, slowly retrieving data from google reader.
First, I will retrieve the book reviews as well short stories. Then I will see about getting around other posts. Worst is, I can't retrieve any of your comments.
Please help spread word about this blog to all those you know, by the way of emails or in you blogs. Any help in that direction will be greatly appreciated. I will create links/Blogroll soon. Please bear with me until I do.
My email id: gautami.tripathy[at]gmail.com
PS: I follow most of you on my google reader. Don't forget to follow me or adding me to your blogroll!
Update: I managed get hold this Template from my archives. It is same as the older one I used, is it not?!
"The Child, wild-legged on the ground, licked dust off his fist and tried to pretend he was tasing camel milk."
Title: The Camel Bookmobile
Author: Masha Hamilton
ISBN: 9780061173493
Publisher: HarperPerennial/2008
Pages: 308
The Story Behind the Book in the author's words:
The Camel Bookmobile made its first run almost a decade ago. Three dromedaries trudged through dusty, arid northeastern Kenya near the border with Somalia to bring a library to settlements so tiny and far-flung they'd become nearly invisible; places lacking roads and schools, where most people had never held a book between their hands and where they lived daily with drought, hunger and disease.
I first heard about the project from my daughter one autumn afternoon as I drove my three children to the Bear Canyon Library in Arizona's Tanque Verde valley. She'd read an article in Time For Kids. One detail in particular piqued my interest. Because books were rare and precious in the reaches of Africa far from the safari vacationers, the camel-powered library initiated a severe fine. If even one person lost a book, the bookmobile would boycott that entire village, choosing another to visit instead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Blurb:
Fiona Sweeney wants to do something that matters, and she chooses to make her mark in the arid bush of northeastern Kenya. By helping to start a traveling library, she hopes to bring the words of Homer, Hemingway, and Dr. Seuss to far-flung tiny communities where people live daily with drought, hunger, and disease. Her intentions are honorable, and her rules are firm: due to the limited number of donated books, if any one of them is not returned, the bookmobile will not return.
But, encumbered by her Western values, Fi does not understand the people she seeks to help. And in the impoverished small community of Mididima, she finds herself caught in the middle of a volatile local struggle when the bookmobile's presence sparks a dangerous feud between the proponents of modernization and those who fear the loss of traditional ways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What did I think of the writing style?
The prose is simple, and I liked the charaterization too. Nowhere it seems stilted and does have a good flow. Hamilton can write prose very lyrically. And some of the characters are so real.Which of my readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
Those who like to know new cultures, interested in anything African will like it. There is much to learn about the tribes, they way of living and thoughts.
What did I think of the ending?
Under the circumstances, the ending seems right. Open for interpretation by the reader.
Do I recommend this book? Why?
Yes, I recommend this book to those who like realistic way of life depicted in literature. It has that conflict between modernisation and traditional way of living. Not much has changed in certain parts of the country. Mididima to looks like one such place. Fiona too is trying to change her own perception. All of us are questing for something in our own way. Here we can see the various characters seeking answers for the bigger questions of life. The conflict is shown in the way of book which seek to change their way of thinking. Some wish for it, others shun it. Barefoot children who might not be able to read a word still want books. That is what this books depicts. The power and lure of the word. Even though it might not make sense.
Also reviewed by:
