Little Bee

I will start by saying that I did not like this book, although I think that goes against popular opinion.
Whenever I get talked into reading a book by a male author I seem to remember why I don't read them very often. I'm sure this goes against popular opinion as well.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave is a book about a Nigerian girl who has suffered greatly in her short life, and the British woman who happens to meet her on a Nigerian Beach. The book is written from both of their perspectives, and neither voice is convincing to me. I'm always aware that I'm reading a man writing as a woman. The men in this book are not even worth mentioning, they are either savages or morally vacant.
Without a doubt, the story is a page turner-I read it in 2 days-I wanted to know what would happen. However, this doesn't make it a good novel.

The situation that Cleave brings to light about the plight of refugees is horrifically tragic and all too true. This made the book worth reading for me, although I could have read an article in the New York Times and understood the situation just as well. This is a truly heartbreaking book with little that redeems it.

The Persia Cafe

The Persia Cafe by Melany Neilson is a book that is set in the exact same time-early sixties, same place-small town Mississippi-dealing with the same issues of rascism-as The Help. But this is, in my opinion, a  better book.

The protagonist is Fannie Leary, cook and owner of  The Persia Cafe in Persia, Mississippi. The tale that unfolds of murder, rascism and trying to understand yourself and your place in a small rural town in the south, amongst people you've known your whole life is truly haunting.

This is a beautifully written book that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a book we read recently in my book club. After so long on the best seller list, it seemed like a book worth checking out. It is based in Mississippi in the early 60's and it is written from the perspective of a white woman detailing the plight of black maids at that time.

I did enjoy reading it. It held me and kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. However, on the whole the book was not entirely believable to me, nor were the characters. Our book club was split between who liked and and who didn't, but the discussion that ensued was as interesting and worthwhile as the book itself, and this I think is the beauty of this book. Everyone is talking about it, talking about rascism as it still exists everywhere, and for this I appreciate greatly what Kathryn Stockett has written.

Sing Them Home

I just finished Stephanie Kallos' new novel Sing Them Home.

It is a huge sweeping novel taking us back and forth through the lives of 3 now adult children and their mother who was lost in a tornado when they were young. It is set in a small Welsh town in Nebraska's tornado belt. I loved reading about the customs and songs of the Welsh people and trying to read their language with no vowels. Stephanie Kallos is a wonderful writer and I truly enjoyed the journey this novel took me on. However, it did leave me unsatisfied in many ways. I wanted to hear more from the dead, especailly Hope, the dead mother. I wanted to hear from the father after he passed on, and I wanted more resolution to Viney's, (the stepmother) story. Kallos created a wonderful cast of characters and a engaging picture of small town life, but somehow the novel was just not all the way there for me.

I enjoyed her first novel Broken for You even more than this one. That one's worth checking out.

The Blind Contessa's New Machine

Since I love historical fiction, especially by and about women, I was immediately drawn to this little book- The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace.

I had no idea the typewriter was invented so a blind woman could write letters. It's a fascinating little piece of history woven around the story of the young Italian Contessa who is going blind, her family who doesn't believe her, and her eccentric neighbor and friend-the inventor, who does belive her and falls in love with her.

I loved this little book, and highly recommend it. It is the first novel by Carey Wallace and I look forward to her future offerings.

The Devils Teeth

The latest book we just read in my book club is called The Devils Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks by Susan Casey.

This is the fascinating true story of pioneering shark research done in the shark's own habitat near the Farallon Islands just off the coast from San Francisco. The Farallones are so inhospitable (unless youre a shark or a bird) that it is a miracle the 2 biologists in this book could spend so much of their lives living out there. Susan Casey joins them, and we read first hand of her harrowing adventures. I learned more about sharks than I ever knew, and also learned about the fascinating history of these islands.

This book is truly amazing- definately one worth checking out!

A Quilters Holiday

Since I'm meeting now with my knitting group as the days get shorter and colder, I thought it would be fun to read another book from The Elm Creek Quilt Series by Jennifer Chiaverini.

A Quilters Holiday seemed the perfect thing leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, I found it  all a little too good to be true and theres nothing special about the writing, but theres nothing really wrong with it either. I enjoyed it for what it is. A sweet little book perfect for this time of year.

Thinking in Pictures

I should mention a few of the books we've read recently in my book club.

One that stands out is Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin.  She is an autistic woman who is a gifted animal scientist. The book gives us an inside view of how her mind works-how she truly does think in pictures. It's the clearest picture into the autistic mind I've ever read. She is a remarkable woman, and it is an incredible story, however, its not my favorite book. There is much of her story left out and the writing is not the best, but in the end, it doesn't matter. It really is worth reading anyhow, and it's a very fascinating and memorable book.

Rudolph Steiner

If you are not familiar with the works of Rudolph Steiner-you should be! Rudolph Steiner was a brilliant teacher, writer, thinker, human being. He is the founder of Anthroposophy, a spiritual path of knowledge. He is also the founder of Waldorf Education,  Biodynamic Farming, Anthroposophic Medicine and a form of movement called Eurythmy, among other things.

His writings on all these subjects are vast, and not easy reading, but highly worth the effort. I recommend reading Theosophy. Also, I am currently re-reading The Philosophy of Freedom. Most of Steiner's books can and should be read and re-read. I cannot recommend delving into the works of Rudolph Steiner enough.