Our earlier books
Books we read earlier:
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - very interesting personal narrative from the time of the bubonic plague in England. This book that Gail and I chose got people interested in coming back each month for more.
Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok - an interesting book by the author of The Chosen (which I would recommend to everybody). D.H. is mostly about political extremism standing in the way of humanity, but The Chosen is about overcoming barriers for friendship and love - in this case, of Orthodox v. Reformed Judaism.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - WOW. This book made me cry and decline social invitations in order to finish it. Set in South Carolina in 1964, the protagonist is a girl who killed her mother as a young child and runs away with her Black housekeeper.
West with the Night by Beryl Markham - Markham was raised in Africa in the early 1900's and details an adventurous life there. Most intriguing for her unwillingness to compromise in life.
My Antonia by Willa Cather - an American classic, her writing style will take you to the prairies of Nebraska. Though the plot is also interesting, the character development are what make this book required reading.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - I couldn't stand it!! Why on EARTH was this such a popular book?? This was so clearly written by a man who doesn't understand the first thing about being a woman.
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Written by a Scottish man who grew up in Africa, this series of books is so engaging. When I finish, I feel that I know and love the characters, that I can smell the dust and taste the bush tea. A light read, enjoyable and lightly thought-provoking, these books make me keep wanting more. Fortunately, he's still writing..
Book of Salt by Monique Truong - I liked this book though others didn't. Told from the perspective of the Vietnamese "houseboy" of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, it is fascinating. Without any Stein or other background knowledge though, it can be a tough read.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - told from the perspective of Dinah from The Old Testament. Apparently this is a controversial book because it gives a woman's perspective to the Bible, but it doesn't seem at all sacreligious to me. Also not very compelling to me, though others really enjoyed it.
Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett - we read this for our Maine member, and I found it in a gorgeous setting, but stylistically a bit tedious.
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - um, I don't think anybody actually read this book. I tried but was really uninterested.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie - (review by Gail):
I liked it. It was good, and the ironic twist of everything paralleled other things that were going on at that time.
It's about the reeducation of two Chinese teenager boys during the entire Cultural Revolution in China. With the schools closed, these two boys that were considered a threat (because their fathers were educated...one was a dentist...and the other? What was he? I forgot...) and shipped off to the country to do manual labor in a village. Often, these kids are sent there for years to be "reeducated".
Mao Tse Tung changed a few things around when he came into power, like stopping education so that people could not be educated more, from science to philosophy to things going on around the world. He believed that we should all get to root of things by working the fields and such, instead of exercising the mind. Why? Keep the people simple-minded, and it's easier to control them all (my own opinion of what he was planning anyways). Hasn't it been that way in other cultures/power struggles and systems as well?
The more you know, the more questions you have...the more you know you don't know..and the more you know, the more responsibility you have to do something with your knowledge. Perhaps that is why they say that "ignorance is bliss". And ignorance allows others to dictate your life - you don't make the choices, but someone else does instead...
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - very interesting personal narrative from the time of the bubonic plague in England. This book that Gail and I chose got people interested in coming back each month for more.
Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok - an interesting book by the author of The Chosen (which I would recommend to everybody). D.H. is mostly about political extremism standing in the way of humanity, but The Chosen is about overcoming barriers for friendship and love - in this case, of Orthodox v. Reformed Judaism.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - WOW. This book made me cry and decline social invitations in order to finish it. Set in South Carolina in 1964, the protagonist is a girl who killed her mother as a young child and runs away with her Black housekeeper.
West with the Night by Beryl Markham - Markham was raised in Africa in the early 1900's and details an adventurous life there. Most intriguing for her unwillingness to compromise in life.
My Antonia by Willa Cather - an American classic, her writing style will take you to the prairies of Nebraska. Though the plot is also interesting, the character development are what make this book required reading.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - I couldn't stand it!! Why on EARTH was this such a popular book?? This was so clearly written by a man who doesn't understand the first thing about being a woman.
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Written by a Scottish man who grew up in Africa, this series of books is so engaging. When I finish, I feel that I know and love the characters, that I can smell the dust and taste the bush tea. A light read, enjoyable and lightly thought-provoking, these books make me keep wanting more. Fortunately, he's still writing..
Book of Salt by Monique Truong - I liked this book though others didn't. Told from the perspective of the Vietnamese "houseboy" of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, it is fascinating. Without any Stein or other background knowledge though, it can be a tough read.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - told from the perspective of Dinah from The Old Testament. Apparently this is a controversial book because it gives a woman's perspective to the Bible, but it doesn't seem at all sacreligious to me. Also not very compelling to me, though others really enjoyed it.
Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett - we read this for our Maine member, and I found it in a gorgeous setting, but stylistically a bit tedious.
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - um, I don't think anybody actually read this book. I tried but was really uninterested.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie - (review by Gail):
I liked it. It was good, and the ironic twist of everything paralleled other things that were going on at that time.
It's about the reeducation of two Chinese teenager boys during the entire Cultural Revolution in China. With the schools closed, these two boys that were considered a threat (because their fathers were educated...one was a dentist...and the other? What was he? I forgot...) and shipped off to the country to do manual labor in a village. Often, these kids are sent there for years to be "reeducated".
Mao Tse Tung changed a few things around when he came into power, like stopping education so that people could not be educated more, from science to philosophy to things going on around the world. He believed that we should all get to root of things by working the fields and such, instead of exercising the mind. Why? Keep the people simple-minded, and it's easier to control them all (my own opinion of what he was planning anyways). Hasn't it been that way in other cultures/power struggles and systems as well?
The more you know, the more questions you have...the more you know you don't know..and the more you know, the more responsibility you have to do something with your knowledge. Perhaps that is why they say that "ignorance is bliss". And ignorance allows others to dictate your life - you don't make the choices, but someone else does instead...
posted by NOLA at 8:05 PM
1 Comments:
My brother actually liked My Antonia! He said it wasn't one of those regular, boring ol' "linear" books. I'm not sure what he meant by that though, hee hee...I don't think he'd post, but he was thinking of starting a book club for guys, since our book club is all girls. He'd call it the Gentleman's Club, ha ha...and start with My Antonia first. Unfortunately, it never took off. He doesn't read much, hee hee...
The Red Tent didn't seem a bit sacrilegious to me, and you know I'm religious! So yeah. It was a good fictional read (like how Harry Potter is a great fictional read, and has nothing to do against religion, and ain't no funky witchcraft book that you have to keep your kids from reading!), and really provided a good perspective. Because hey, we really don't hear much from Dinah in the Bible. =) A similar book that I really enjoyed (I forgot the title) when I was younger was about Joseph and Mary, on their way to Bethlehem, but from the Donkey's point of view, and how the donkey had a vital role in getting the Birth of Jesus goin' on. I'd have to find that book - it was one of those big, hardcover Reader's Digest books that had a bunch of stories in it, that they sold at the library for only a dime. =) I had a lot of those when I was little, but only kept certain ones that I liked, and that was one of them. It's in the garage though. Got moved there during the move. =P
Moonstone - ha ha...I completely even forgot about it...sorry...for whoever picked it. =)
I wrote all that on Balzac? Hee hee. I liked Balzac, in the perspective they gave, but at the same time, I didn't like it. The whole thing about the two boys going after that same girl, that part I didn't like. Like House of Flying Daggers. The whole love triangle is just messed up. Except in Balzac, the boy was very honorable in staying loyal to protect her from everyone, and not a rapist, ha ha...I'm letting my bro ebay the book away, hee hee. =)
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