I’m still blogging – just not here right now

hey folks, I am still blogging, but I am at http://www.lovesmukiwa.blogspot.com
come check it out!

One Perfect Day

 

 

How is it possible that I read two of the worst books ever back to back?
This is NOT a book about one perfect day. There was no perfect day.
One mother loses a son and the family chose to donate his organs, but the mother is not at peace with this choice or the loss of her son and is totally and completely depressed and “out-of it” for the duration of the tale. Her husband and daughter suffer in the background – at the physical loss of a brother and son and the emotional loss of a mother and wife.
Another mother is parent to a daughter awaiting an organ – who receives one when it was completely unexpected. Though her daughter receives the organ, the mother has great difficulty “transitioning” from the mother of a terminally ill child, to the mother of a healthy and living child.
Somehow into the mess of all this there is a sappy love story woven in. To me the love story is completely out of place and random – and I have no idea who has the perfect day.

I would give this story one star

The Son of A Certain Woman

This book bothered me greatly and I don’t believe I am a prude. Teenage sexuality doesn’t bother me. I would just rather spend my time reading something other than about a boy lusting after his mother, masturbating, coming in his pants at his baptism, and having an arrangement with his mother to sleep with her!
When Percy wasn’t involved in some kind of lustful fantasy, the catholic brotherhood were deviously scamming, lying and peeping in an attempt to eliminate (by treachery, threats and finally assimilation) an unmarried, unbaptized mother and son from their community.
This book was a total fail for me.
I really TRIED to like it. I did! I loved the fact that it was a story told about St. John’s Newfoundland. I wanted Penelope and Medina to be able to be together and be happy – outside of the shadow of Brother McHugh. I wanted Percy to find a friend in his community.
The characters were well developed and I LIKED them. The sexuality was so over the top it completely killed it for me – and by sexuality I mean the Oedipal masturbatory lusting of Percy for his mother.

I would only given this book one star.

A fort of nine towers

I just finished the book “A Fort of Nine Towers”.
This is the story of a young man and his family living in Kabul, Afghanistan from the time the Russians were leaving Afghanistan to the present day.

“I have long carried this load of griefs in the cage of my heart. Now I have given them to you. I hope you are strong enough to hold them.” Qais Akbar Omar

Wow. A load of griefs is an understatement! This tale of life in Afghanistan written by one who lived through it all and triumphed is riveting. I am truly inspired by the positivity and love of life that comes through on every page in the face of mind boggling hardships this family endured.

I think each person as they go through life believes that they face hardship and struggle. I am certain we all do. Having said that, it is BEYOND humbling to read about the lives of people living in this same world, at the same time and being witness to the HORRENDOUS life circumstances that they endure. I cannot comprehend being imprisoned for the length of my hair, or bitten by a man to extort money from my father.

I lived as a child in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in the throes of civil war. People in our community were imprisoned for having wagon wheels in their gardens (wagon wheels were seen as a symbol of colonialism). My father and uncle were imprisoned as they came into town on a rugby bus back from a tour. They allegedly offended members of the notorious fifth brigade. (The North Korean-trained 5th brigade was formed in 1981 and was used in genocidal operations against Ndebele-ethnic Mugabe opponents in Matabeleland). In school we had drills – not fire drills – but ambush drills. At the time I thought it was a “normal” part of growing up. I realize now more fully how much I was protected from many of the realities of the horrors of that war by my family. I only know the “stories” of my father being imprisoned himself – stories he told of making dice out of melting tar on the ground outside and playing dice games with his fellow cell mates. My father does not speak of the war even when asked. This book made me realize some of the emotional hardships my parents and grandparents must have faced and protected me from.

Fast forward to 2013. I am a gay, married female living in Canada and I enjoy SO MANY freedoms. I drive a my own car to my job each day from a house I own with my partner. I shop in stores fully stocked with food and anything else I may need, and walk around outside my home unaccompanied by the men in my family. I have been educated without opposition and have access to medical and dental facilities.

SO much of my life experience is incomparable to that of Mr.Omar’s, and still I felt deeply connected to him. I have the same love for my family and love for the world in which I live. At my core I feel the same love and loss that I felt from Mr. Omar. I am grateful that I was able to “carry this load of griefs” for just the two days it took me to read this story.

I laughed and I cried through it all.

Thank you Mr. Omar for this wonderful, wonderful book which I will read again and again and recommend to everyone.
I give this book five stars.

Matchbox Girls

This book was not at all what I expected. Fairies, Angels, Demons, Mortals, all in conflict over twin girls for reasons none of them are certain.
I liked this book because I get tired of the same stereotypical archetypal roles – angels are good, demons are bad, faeries are mischievous. This book really turned all of those on their heads. Each of the characters is motivated differently and good and evil depends on where you stand in terms of your motivation. How WONDERFUL to see in a book that good characters can do “bad” things to meet their goals and advance their purpose!
I am usually not one who likes ambiguity in a book – I like to read fast and have things spelled out for me, but I was very comfortable with the unknown in Matchbox girls. It created enough mystery to keep me interested without being so deep as to irritate me. (I’m such a shallow reader!!!)
I loved that there were strong female characters – MANY of them, and I look forward to the next book in this series.
I think this book is worth a second read, there’s a LOT of detail and a LOT subtlties between the relationships that would bear another (deeper) look. I’m usually not one for reading a book a second time but I would absolutely read this one again without hesitation.

Riddle In Stone

 

I just finished the book Riddle in Stone by Robert Evert. I absolutely loved the book and I highly recommend it.This is Evert’s first novel and I would love for the second to be published – so get out there and buy this one so we can follow along in the next adventure of Edmund! Edmund is one of my favorite hero’s. A librarian who has lived his whole live in a small town, dreaming of doing greater things “one day” is confronted with the harsh reality of his life outside the tavern. He is taken for granted by the community for the services he provides but no-one expects anything more from him – EVER. In a bit of an over reaction to this news, he makes some rash decisions. He leaves the community and walks headlong into an adventure he did not expect.
It is REFRESHING to read a story about someone who makes mistakes, didn’t listen to his parents growing up and  lacks skills as a result, and encounters disappointments in his journey. Edmund uses the skills he has and what he DOES know to overcome the obstacles he faces. One of the things I like the MOST about this story is the “reality” aspect. I find sometimes with fantasy novels that the fantasy aspect can be carried away and the stories are one remarkable feat of accomplishment after another. That is not the case in this story and I love it!!

We’ll be the Last Ones to Let You Down

This is the first book I am reviewing for NetGalley.

This book is the memoir of Rachel Hanel, daughter of a gravedigger in Minnesota. Rachel grew up spending her time with her father as he maintained the graveyards and dug the graves around their hometown. I was fascinated by the themes of grief and loss in the book and I love the way the story has been crafted.

All my life I have had a fascination with graveyards, but have been terrified of them at the same time. I have not once experienced a death close to me. Sure, I have had grandparents pass away – when they were in another country or after being lost for many years to senility, but I have not yet lost anyone or known anyone close to me who has passed.  When I was 4 my uncle was killed in the civil war in Rhodesia. I have asked and asked those who knew him to tell me about him, but no-one ever has. The topic of his death, and his life, was taboo. For this reason I was absolutely captivated by the experiences if Hanel’s youth as she witnessed loss after loss after loss, and knew the stories of who these people were. Being related to the gravedigger it makes sense that one WOULD be privy to many details surrounding the deaths in a small community, but a few times I thought to myself “She knows ANOTHER one?” There’s a lot of death in this book!

I wish I had known Hanel in my youth. I can imagine myself riding my bike with her, or collecting flowers with her after memorial day.What an amazing experience she had – and communicated – in this book. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.

I would give this book 5 stars.

13 Books I did not enjoy

1. I just saw the preview for the DVD Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts. I love Julia Roberts movies but I did not like this book at ALL and so I am disappointed that Julia is starring in the movie. The book had such great reviews and I was so excited to read it but Elizabeth Gilbert was annoying and got worse as the book went on. I can’t imagine the movie could be changed in any way as to make it more palatable. I think I will have to pass on the experience (which won’t be hard since I don’t go to movies anyway!) The idea behind the story is appealing – change your life and reconnect to the things that are important, but the way this unfolds in Elizabeth Gilberts life sounds self aggrandizing and completely unrelatable to anyone without the kinds of resources she has at her disposal.

2. The Time Traveller’s Wife. Audrey Niffeneger

This really could have been a great book, and I loved the premise of it, however it just fell flat. It felt like the author got tired of writing it so she just stopped. I was right into it almost the whole way through and then all of a sudden everything came to a halt. I thought there were a lot of loose strings left in the abrupt conclusion. Have I mentioned I thought it ended rapidly and unexpectedly? I know a lot of people who just LOVE this book, but I got tired of it at the same time the author did.

3. The Scarpetta Factor. Patricia Cornwell

Cornwell’s books for me have been deteriorating over time, each one worse than the one before. This one seals the deal for me. No more Cornwell.

4. Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism. Jenny McCarthy

More than anything I wanted this book to be a good one. One of my sons (we are still waiting on an official diagnosis) we strongly believe falls on the autism spectrum. We also know that every single child is different. Our two boys both have one diagnosis that is identical, but they are as different from one another as two human beings could possibly be. So I KNOW that there isn’t just a one answer that will solve the problems of every autistic child. I can appreciate the struggle of trying to get support for something you KNOW is wrong, and being turned away at very door you know of to go to. My problem with Jenny’s book is that she has a LOT more resources than the “everyday” parent of a child with Autism. She has connections we will never have in a million years. I am extremely happy for her, and I feel her pain as the parent of a special needs child, but I felt she was out of touch with what other parents feel, as if she only got “half” the picture. In addition to that – she is not a great writer and it was a painful read.

If you want to know of a GOOD book on this topic read – The Boy in the Moon by Ian Brown. Admittedly the focus is a bit different, but the realities of living with a child with disabilities resonates much more in this book tan in McCarthy’s.

5. The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing it all. Alexandra Penney

This lady is OUT OF TOUCH. First of all she was never a “bag lady”, she was an extremely rich person who had to deal with losing a lot of money. she had more money than I will have in my lifetime and she lost it. A tragedy for sure, but she has NO CONCEPT of how people in America struggle every day just to get by. She had to sell some of her houses. Oh my. I couldn’t muster up sympathy for her if I tried – even though I admit she suffered a great loss.

6. The Magicians. Lev Grossman

I am right in the middle of a kick on fantasy novels. This book was heralded as an adult version of Harry Potter. HA! From beginning to end this book was a failure with one exception – the excursion to the south pole. Literally every page I turned I thought to myself – “if only they had done this instead”. It was by no means a book to get lost in. The vast majority of the story was about self indulgent, lazy, alcohol stupefied wannabes.

7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. David Wroblewski

Maybe because the book was hyped so much I thought it was going to be so much more. I like a book with a decent conclusion. This was not it.

8. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams

I think I am missing something here. “HHGTG” has cult status among science fiction fans. It was a radio show, it has been made into books, comics, computer games… you name it. I read it for the first time in May 2012. I was completely baffled by why this book is so famous. I thought it was boring, not funny at all and I struggled to finish the darn thing. I guess I can say I missed the plot on this one!

9. Why Men Lie.

I tried to read this book because the author is Canadian and I am trying to read 13 books by Canadians in one year. I HATE this book. it was boring and completely uninteresting. I tried to hard to read this book that I basically didn’t get anything else read for almost a MONTH while I tried to slog through this one. I have to say it is one book I did not finish and I finally accepted I would never finish and returned it to the library. I honestly don’t care why men lie, but the book never provided me with any earth shattering information either. Maybe if I had made it to the end it would have been better but I doubt it. I am primarily disappointed that the rest of me reading was affected by this book and that I was not able to count it towards the challenge.

10.The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

I absolutely detested this book. Abel is a teenager caring for his sister after the disappearance of his mother. Anna is a student in his classes who is drawn to him. Abel tells his little sister a fairy tale with characters representing people in real life – a lighthouse keeper who is a teacher, a cat as his missing mother.
I found for a teenager who is caring for his sister and supposedly doing all he can to provide, the fairy tale, which is a KEY part of the story is a dark and disturbing ta…moreI absolutely detested this book. Abel is a teenager caring for his sister after the disappearance of his mother. Anna is a student in his classes who is “mysteriously” drawn to him. Abel tells his little sister a fairy tale with characters representing people in real life – a lighthouse keeper who is a teacher, a cat as his missing mother and so on.
I found for a teenager who is caring for his sister and supposedly doing all he can to provide, the fairy tale, which is a KEY part of the story is a dark and disturbing tale and one that I would never tell a small child.
Much of this book was disturbing to me, including how Abel rapes Anna – yes I said rapes, and how disconnected her parents are from what is happening in their daughters life – especailly as it is an apparent dramatic shift from who she normally is.This is a terrible book!

11. A Prison Diary. Jeffrey Archer

I am a huge fan of Jeffrey Archer and this book was a complete disappointment.
After being sentenced to prison basically Jeffrey wrote notes on eveything that was happening to him. He didnt eat prison food and…. yup thats about it.
This is a terrible book!

12. and 13. Making Toast. Roger Rosenblatt AND Two Kisses for Maddie by Mathew Longelin

I am grouping these two books into one because I was disappointed in them for the exact same reason. They are both autobiographical books and in both storeis the young moms have passed away due to some medical tradgedy. One is told by the father of the deceased and the other by the husband. In BOTH stories the writer seems completely detatched from the story as if holloly recounting details of the events without making any connection to the reader or to the people in the story. I think the potential for these stories is IMMENSE and they both fell completely flat for me.

The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer

 

I wish I would check before I read a “book one” of a series to determine if any other books in the series are published or if I am going to have to wait many years for installment number two to be published. You would think I had learned SOMETHING from J.K Rowling! This is book one (obviously) and Book 2 is not due out for another year or so, by which time I am certain to have forgotten what this book was about or that I was even mildly interested in reading more.
I say “mildly” because I feel in a way as though I was tricked by this book. I believe all books with a religious slant should come with a warning – the way music comes with an “explicit lyric” warning for consumers. Unfortunately there was no such warning on this book and of course I was more than 100 pages in before the whole “why would a loving God allow this to happen” conversation and “preaching” took place.
On one hand I am glad I picked the book up because it turns out the author is a Canadian and I am committed to reviewing  some books by Canadians in the next year, but had I know Brouwer was a well known author of evangelical books I would have passed on this one.
Thomas was raised in a monastery where he was ill treated. His mother (who he was taught never to reveal ans anything but his nursemaid) has taught him to read and write in French and Latin and he has continued to read and learn past her death. Without knowing his full role in fulfilling prophesy and unaware of his allies and enemies he leaves the monastery and begins to follow a path laid out for him by his mother prior to her death.
He is joined in his journey by a pickpocket, a knight and a beautiful deaf and mute girl. One is an ally, one is a spy and Thomas knows nothing about any of them, nor of their role in his life.
All in all the book is a quick read, I finished it in a few hours. People who are less sensitive than I about religion and being preached to may not be offended at all by the religious undertones of the story, but unless you want to wait another year for the second part of this tale I would recommend waiting before picking this book up.

Annabel by Kathleen Winter

In 1968, into the devastating, spare atmosphere of the remote coastal town of Labrador, Canada, a child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, but both at once. Only three people are privy to the secret: the baby’s parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbor and midwife, Thomasina. Though Treadway makes the difficult decision to raise the child as a
boy named Wayne, the women continue to quietly nurture the boy’s female side. And as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hyper-masculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as “Annabel,” is never entirely extinguished.

From page one of this book to the very last I absolutely loved every single word. The book is set in Labrador. Wayne’s father Treadway is a trapper who spends months each year away from his family.
I tried to come up with an excerpt from the book that I could share to illustrate how powerful the writing is but it is impossible to chose just one. The entire book is like a poem. It is so vivid and beautiful it was a pleasure to read and be carried away by the author. It is the best book I have read all year. I absolutely LOVE it.