Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Concert Time
Friday night we went to Daughtry, Lifehouse, and Cavo with our good friends, Joe and Terri McCarrey. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse ahead of time and then went to party. We had decent seats except for the giant banana speaker hanging down blocking the stage. Lame and poor planning by that stage designer!! It was still tons of fun! I love Lifehouse and Daughtry and enjoyed hearing them play live! Thanks for the good times!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Book Thief
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak has been sitting on my fireplace for over two months. Some of my students highly recommended it to me, and I finally got around to reading it. I must say- it wasn't one of my favorites.
This novel is set during World War Two in the town of Molching, near Munich, Germany. Death narrates the story of the young girl, Liesel Memminger. She becomes the foster child of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. On the way to her new home, she watches her younger brother die and those dreams will haunt her for many years. She is closest to her father and learns to appreciate her mother. She cannot read, but slowly learns to with the patient help of her father. She steals her first book from the graveside of her brother and the story follows her book stealing passion. The novel weaves through the years of the war, watching as the Jews are cast from her town, her father's rejection of the Nazi Party, and the effects of the Nazi Party on her friends and family. She befriends a Jewish man, Max, and all of the emotions and secrecy associated with that. The plot is quick paced and pulls at your heart. It brings to life the voice of German citizens from the war and helps the reader visualize the heartache many Germans faced throughout the war.
The writing is not my favorite. Death is a random narrator. He stops mid-story to insert random facts and stories. He will define words in bold in the middle of the page for emphasis. He also will devote 2-3 page chapters to tell you what is going to happen later in the book, in order to remove some of the suspense. I did not like the voice nor the way the writing was laid out. Sometimes it was difficult to follow and see the vision for where death was going.
Though I liked the plot and know many others will too, for me, the writing overshadowed the plot and at times made it difficult to enjoy the book. I read book reviews and others rave for the narrator and the prose style; that is fine- we all have our differences.
I recommend this book to read- some of you may feel differently then I do, but it is not one of my most favorite books of all time. Good luck and let me know what you think.
This novel is set during World War Two in the town of Molching, near Munich, Germany. Death narrates the story of the young girl, Liesel Memminger. She becomes the foster child of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. On the way to her new home, she watches her younger brother die and those dreams will haunt her for many years. She is closest to her father and learns to appreciate her mother. She cannot read, but slowly learns to with the patient help of her father. She steals her first book from the graveside of her brother and the story follows her book stealing passion. The novel weaves through the years of the war, watching as the Jews are cast from her town, her father's rejection of the Nazi Party, and the effects of the Nazi Party on her friends and family. She befriends a Jewish man, Max, and all of the emotions and secrecy associated with that. The plot is quick paced and pulls at your heart. It brings to life the voice of German citizens from the war and helps the reader visualize the heartache many Germans faced throughout the war.
The writing is not my favorite. Death is a random narrator. He stops mid-story to insert random facts and stories. He will define words in bold in the middle of the page for emphasis. He also will devote 2-3 page chapters to tell you what is going to happen later in the book, in order to remove some of the suspense. I did not like the voice nor the way the writing was laid out. Sometimes it was difficult to follow and see the vision for where death was going.
Though I liked the plot and know many others will too, for me, the writing overshadowed the plot and at times made it difficult to enjoy the book. I read book reviews and others rave for the narrator and the prose style; that is fine- we all have our differences.
I recommend this book to read- some of you may feel differently then I do, but it is not one of my most favorite books of all time. Good luck and let me know what you think.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
I told you I planned on doing some book reviews on here so share the great books I read. I finally got the chance to read a book! The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a New York times Bestseller. It was a fast read and easy to follow. It is written as a series of letters between the characters. The main is Juliet a writer from London. The book takes places shortly after World War Two has ended. Europe is still dealing with the effects of the war and coming to terms with the changes in everyone's lives. Juliet gets a letter from a man after he found her name in a book on the island of Guernsey. From their the story unfolds and as Juliet writes, her life becomes entwined with the lives of her new friends on Guernsey. She longs to meet them and make them part of her life forever.
This book grabs you from the beginning and pulls you in. I found myself drinking up the references to the war and seeing how these people struggled and coped. I was unaware of the German occupation of the islands and found myself fascinated by the complex relationships that developed and strategies used to cope with all of the war difficulties. I loved the letters from different characters and seeing the story unfold from the eyes of so many participants. There is humor, tragedy, triumph, and love combined with eccentric characters who pull you into their family.
I love the book and highly recommend it to everyone!
This book grabs you from the beginning and pulls you in. I found myself drinking up the references to the war and seeing how these people struggled and coped. I was unaware of the German occupation of the islands and found myself fascinated by the complex relationships that developed and strategies used to cope with all of the war difficulties. I loved the letters from different characters and seeing the story unfold from the eyes of so many participants. There is humor, tragedy, triumph, and love combined with eccentric characters who pull you into their family.
I love the book and highly recommend it to everyone!
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