Chicks On Lit discussion

Once again I HAD to go to India in Q and A by Vikas Swarup otherwise known as Slumdog Millionaire. My copy came in at the library after reading The White Tiger and actually it is a good contrast read to it. I of course, loved Ram Mohammed Thomas. The main theme of good vs. evil is also a theme from The White Tiger but told in a much more likable way. (if that can be) I think the books each are approximately the same time frame too which also makes it easy to compare. In both you get bits of the culture, an eye into the poor conditions of much of the cities and you get a glimpse of what they think our western culture is made up of. Both books have little bits of humor and sadness and death. I think they would make a great contrast book discussion. I gave Q & A 4.5/5 stars!!

OK you really have my interest now. I love books about India, and, WWII Germany is a genre I read often.

My grandparents lived in Germany during the war, and my grandfather was actually in a work camp..so it interests me and makes me sad at the same time...

I am very interested as well. I know I lost a lot of family during that time. They lived in Germany, Russia and Hungary.

I just finished In The Woods. As I mentioned earlier, it takes place in Ireland, and place is an important element to the story, but more so because it's an expanding suburban neighborhood and less because it's in Ireland. If you like crime dramas, I would recommend this book for you, but be patient. I'm used to crime stories that take off and move like a speeding train, whereas this one slowly builds until you find yourself up until 2AM reading it. It does have some brutal descriptions, so it's not for everyone, but if you like this kind of stuff, it's a great read.

Not sure where I'm off to next, I do have Eight Million Gods and Demons at home, so maybe Japan, or maybe I'll go get the sequel to In the Woods and tear through it. :)

I am packing my bags and getting ready to leave Cuba, through Waiting for Snow in Havana. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. The book was fun, made me laugh but I was looking for more about the escape from Cuba to leave Castro's regime. There was very little about that. You certainly got a lot of information about what life was like in Cuba for the wealthy. A good glimpse of the family and the strong role that the church had on the family. When they arrived in America life was difficult but they didn't go into it in depth, it was all written very light. I think I would have preferred a more serious attempt to writing here. It is amazing that with all this author went through he was able to graduate an Ivy League college and become a full professor. I wanted to learn more about that.

Well, I am finally settled in Germany. We have a house, and we move in on April 1st. Yay! The tough part is pretty much done. Getting the dog ready to move to Germany was less than fun :-P
I am about halfway through War and Peace, and I am not sure what I'm going to attempt next. Anyone have any suggestions? I am going to post some pictures of what we've seen so far in Germany. I'll post a link when I get them uploaded. :-)

Linbee, what was the title and author of your book I think I missed that here somewhere. My goodreads connection today is all screwy. I keep posting but getting computer language pages and nothing else so I am not doing too much clicking.

Meg, good to know about that book. I think I would want more in-depth detail too but it stills sounds like a good book.

You made it April. I think you should start with a German author writing something about Germany? not sure what that would be but it would be interesting.

KrisT wrote: "Linbee, what was the title and author of your book I think I missed that here somewhere. My goodreads connection today is all screwy. I keep posting but getting computer language pages and nothing ..."

I read The Book Thief by Zusak. Well, the book on cd, but it was a great book.

Glad everything went well April. I hope you are enjoying War and Peace.

I am getting ready to go to Hong Kong with The Piano Teacher. Anyone read that one?

I have been to Africa, the Low Country, Nova Scotia, Boston, England all in Someone Knows My Name. I then travelled to Vinci, Italy in Signora da Vinci. Next, I was in Alabama in The Well and the Mine, and I have just returned from Guernsey, Germany and the coast of France in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I am tired from all this travelling; however, I am soon off to Wales in Here Be Dragons. Happy Travels.

So Wanda, what did you think of the books that you have read? Do you recommend them?

Of course, Guernsey was a favorite here as it was one of our books of the month.

April, I've been wondering about you but know how busy you must be as of late so I didn't want to bother you with an IM ob messenger. Glad to hear things are well! My Grandma was from Oppau, Germany (a village near the Austrian border). I'd love to visit one day.

My Nana was from Ireland - I just found out that I can apply for dual citizenship thru the Embassy in NY. Once I have all the details, I'm going to do it!

Meg wrote: "So Wanda, what did you think of the books that you have read? Do you recommend them?

Of course, Guernsey was a favorite here as it was one of our books of the month."

Meg, I highly recommend all of these books.

Someone Knows My Name is just fantastic. Imagine a little girl kidnapped from her family and taken across the ocean to become a slave in a strange land. All she dreams of is returning to Africa and while her life takes her many places in North America, she does eventually return to Africa (Freetown, to be exact). What happens to her life is extraordinary - and it took place before and during the Revolutionary War time; not the Civil War. The book is called The Book of Negroes in Canada and it is based upon a real book (a collection of names of negroes who helped the British during the Revoluntionary War and were given their freedom in Nova Scotia - the site of the first racial war in North America) which exists today. I cried many tears for this little girl and will definitely read this one again.

Signora da Vinci presented a different way of looking at Leonardo da Vinci - through his mother's eyes. Really all that was known of her was her name and the fact that she and Leonardo's father never married (she was considered to be beneath him in terms of social status). There is an interesting aspect of cross-dressing in the book. It seemed to be the rage for women to dress as men during ths time and her character even went so far as to be able to participate in public urinating with the other men. (Nasty now, but acceptable back then.) I quite liked this book for the ideas presented by the author as to Leonardo's sexual status (something that is always debated - homosexual or asexual - I personally think he loved men and women). And, the idea for the Mona Lisa is great - it could explain why the portrait was never given to the woman who sat for the picture but rather kept by Leonardo and found among his possessions after his passing.

And, of course, Guernsey goes without saying - it is a gem and worth reading by anyone.

Thank you for your recommendations and reviews. I will be adding to my ever growing TBR.

Meg wrote: "Thank you for your recommendations and reviews. I will be adding to my ever growing TBR."

You are welcome, Meg. I joined Goodreads so that I could better articulate to someone why they should read a book. I am good at telling someone whether or not it is a good book; however, I stink at articulating the reasons why. I think a summary of the book does not tell someone why or why not they should read a book; but, rather, I want to be able to share my reading experience with someone and have them walk away wanting to (or not wanting to) read the book . I hope I accomplished this with my reviews. P.S. If you can only pick one, go with Someone Knows My Name first.

Wanda, may I recommend What is the What? I am about 1/4 way into the book and it is so rich. It is about the Ethiopian/Sudanese wars and takeovers. The man gets to America (Atlanta) and is robbed in his apartment. It is so well done.

Meg wrote: "Wanda, may I recommend What is the What? I am about 1/4 way into the book and it is so rich. It is about the Ethiopian/Sudanese wars and takeovers. The man gets to America (Atlanta) and is robbe..."

Thank you, Meg. I will add it to my list of great books to read.

I went into the Thrift Shop on base here, and they had a practically brand new copy of The Book Thieffor $1.50! So, that sort of helped make the decision :-)

I love Germany so far. The house we got is in Schweich. It is right on the Moselle River. We can see it from our back yard, and it is about a 200 meter walk. All the towns we have seen are beautiful; the countryside is very hilly. Great views from almost everywhere. I just got my German License for US Forces. It is so nice to be able to drive again. It allows you so much more freedom. As much 'fun' as walking, taking buses, and begging for rides is, driving yourself allows things to get done much quicker.

Jo, maybe we can stop in Oppau when we visit Austria. If we do, I'll make sure to take tons of pictures for you :-) We are going to try to get to Ireland and Great Britain, but that will probably be in the Fall. There is a NFL game in London in October that we want to go to. My team (the Patriots) is playing :-)

I can't wait to explore all over Europe. It's so neat to be able to be living here. I think it will be a great experience.

Ah, April, I kind of envy you. One day I hope to visit Germany and maybe do a tour of Europe. I want to see where my grandparents were from, though they tell me it definately doesn't look the same. I want to see pictures too! I am so interested. Let me know what you think of the Book Thief! I personally loved it!

April, thank you so much! That would be wonderful, I appreciate it!

Wanda, it sounds like you've had a wonderful journey so far!

I finished Factory Girls/From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T Chang
I am not sure exactly how I feel about it. It is a non-fiction. The author followed or tried to follow two migrant girls once they left their village and came to the city to work in the factories. The job jumping and the low pay and unqualified work is truly amazing. The author also tried to dip into her history though she was born in the US she has her family history in China. She does investigate for this book and spends many years living there again.
I found out she has married one of the book authors I recommended before here, Peter Hessler and he wrote River Town, a book I loved about China.
I gave this 3.5/ 5.

KrisT - Factory Girls sounds somewhat similar to stories in last years Ted Koppel 4 part documentary which followed the lives of several people in China including factory and migrant workers as well as professionals. I found it very interesting.

I just finished the Red Tent and loved it. It is about Jacob's only daughter Dinah from the book of Genesis. I guess it is as much time travelling as geographic travelling! It is told from Dinah's first person - which is a women's version of some of the events in Genesis. There is much description about daily life at that time in 2000 BC in the middle east and Egypt including marriage/family relations, cooking, animal husbandry, use of herbs, and child-bearing/mid-wife practices. When Dinah reaches Egypt - we see the different culture through her eyes - the contrast between the Egyptians and Caanaanites. Although parts were heartbreaking - all in all I thought it was a beautiful book. (just a note - I am somewhat of a non-believer/liberal christian - but still found the story wonderful)

I thought this was an exceptional book. I am glad that you found the story wonderful. It is very well written.

Maria wrote: "I just finished the Red Tent and loved it. It is about Jacob's only daughter Dinah from the book of Genesis. I guess it is as much time travelling as geographic travelling! It is told from Dinah..."

I LOVED the red tent. Loved loved loved it. It always reminds me of CoL because it was the first book recommended to me by the chicks. I think it was Amanda that recommended it.

I just got back from Iran. I read my first graphic novel. Persepolis 1 The Story of a Childhood It was pretty good.

Tera, now that you finished Persepolis, rent the movie. It was well done as an anime.

Just getting back from Iran, does that mean you finished Book Seller? What did you think?

Meg wrote: "Tera, now that you finished Persepolis, rent the movie. It was well done as an anime.

Just getting back from Iran, does that mean you finished Book Seller? What did you think?"

Still reading Bookseller. I just made a quick hop over to Iran. It was so short I read it in a quick little sitting while my husband was watching Star Trek... hes such a geek!

I didn't think I'd finish it but it was so quick and so interesting I didn't put it down untill I was done.

I need to get part 2 now. Ill look for the movie too.

Tera wrote: "I think it was Amanda that recommended it."


It was! It was! It was me!!!
Ironically enough, I almost picked up Persepolis earlier because I saw it on your update feed (but then I remembered I have no money to buy books)!

Forgive me if this has already been posted (has it???), but I just noticed that in the monthly newsletter, there's a section for Authors from other countries! Coolio.

It's called "Literature at Every Latitude"
Scroll down the page to see the blurb.

February newsletter:
http://www.goodreads.com/newsletter/s...

Thank you so much for this Amanda. This is what they have for this month:

Looking for something outside the Western canon? Great stories know no borders. Each month Goodreads brings you a new recommendation from a different country!

Brothers by Yu Hua
Already a runaway bestseller in China with more than a million copies sold, Brothers is poised and ready to expand its audience with a freshly published English translation. It tells the tale of two brothers growing up during Mao's Cultural Revolution who then must navigate China's adjustment to the free market. Goodreads member Gautam calls it, "Funny and dirty, and it tells so much about modern China. It's long but engrossing, like the best of Dickens."

Thanks Amanda and Meg for sharing!

I am currently reading The Night Villa by Carol Goodman. It is intriguing. The setting is the isle of Capri, close to where Italy’s Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Sophie is a classics professor from Texas who seeks sanctuary on the isle of Capri after a tragic Texas University shooting. She immerses herself in her latest scholarly project; a cache of antique documents believed lost to the ages but buried beneath a subterranean labyrinth. She and her colleagues are staying at the home of a millionaire named John Lyros. I am enjoying the descriptions of the isle; the fantastic villa they are staying in, the town markets, the ocean breezes; all kind of transports me to that place. I’ll keep you posted on how this book is going!

The Night Villa A Novel

Well Jo was looking for books from Italy. This sounds like a good one.

This does sound great!

I'm hopping between Italy and England with Under the Tuscan Sun (I know, it's not by an Italian author but...) and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Thanks too Amanda for the note about international authors in the newsletter - I'll have to watch for that each month!
Tera - I really liked the movie Perseopolis. It was an eye-opener to watch a teenage iranian girl rockin out to Metallica! I should check out the graphic novel as well. I'm looking forward to visting nearby as well as soon as I get my hands on copy of Bookseller of Kabul.
I just go back from Dominican Republic in reading Oscar Wao. For those who haven't read it here's a brief description:
Its a hip/urban written story of 3 generations of Dominicans. It is fulled with sci-fi references as the title character is an ultimate wonderful geek. The book is also full of lots literary/intellectual references as well. I printed 22 pages of annotations from this site which were very useful to have on hand while reading to understand all the references including spanish words that are interspersed.

http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/in...

The story contains a lot of history on 20th century Dominican Reupublic and the harsh dictatorship Trujillo. Being sort of a geek myself - I appreciated all the Lord of the Ring comparisons with the Trujillo dictatorship (comparing him to Sauron, etc) It made it easier to read about how hard that regime made it for people.

I really recommend it for its history and examination of an immigrant family and each generation's coming of age story. All told in a very fast-paced young and fresh way.
(Won the 2007 Pulitizer)

Maria -- I loved this book. I too felt that I learned a lot about the culture. Having visited Dominican Republic made it all the more terrific.

Meg- did you read the book before or after you travelled there? Pictures online of its beaches look beautiful. I've recently learned how it has really become more stable and democratic. Interesting how in the book one of the characters was doubting if that would ever happen.

I went there before the book. There are parts of DR that are beautiful with really nice beaches. The people were very warm and friendly, they know how important tourism is. A lot of poverty though.

As a tourist you are not aware of the political aspects. I am glad I read the book after I went, I don't know if I would have enjoyed myself as much if I read the book first.

Maria,
Meg sent me a copy of Bookseller of Kabul, if she doesn't mind I can send it to you when I am done. Should be this week sometime I finish it up.

Of course you can send it to Maria.

Thanks Meg and Tera! That would be great to get BoK copy next. I've been watching for it on my 1/2 price books clearance rack (I'm cheap) to no avail.

Meg - Oscar Wao was hard to read as an American. Made me aware of yet another country that was affected by our cold war politics - with us supporting a baddie in their country. Prior, I had no idea of the history there. It definitely would make you look at things a little different when visiting.

Wait until you get to Cuba. Another tough example.

Well, I'm jumping all over the place right now, while journeying through Hell (just passed the 5th circle), I've also sailed out to a tiny island in the Pacific (I think) and am rooming with Dr. Moreau and Mr Montgomery. I'm also taking a side trip through Egypt and getting a head start on Nefertiti (I WILL get done before April so that I can participate in the discussion.)

I just ordered Nefertiti, can't wait to read it.

from Bomc2?
I am SO signing up for that place NOW.

meg is there like a referal section or something? You should get some sort of credit for refering someone I would totally use your name as a referal if there is.

I have no idea. The place is terrific. Whatever they have is always only $10 and that includes shipping and handling.

Don't tempt me, chicks!

I was lucky enough to have a copy of Nefertiti at our library. I started it at lunch, and I so did not want to put it down! It's a good one!