The Week in Reading (though a bit late..)

I've been on hiatus from the internet the past 5 days or so, and it's great to be back! I spent a wonderful few days at my dad's aunt and uncle's cabin, watching their 2 adorable Malteses while they were out of town. I had a blast and really will miss those doggies. I do get to see them again on Friday for a wee bit. I hope I can see them more often from now on (I just met them last week!!). They've both got such distinct personalities and I've grown close to both doggies.

While I'm missing those white fluffs, I am SO happy to be home again with my very own poochka, Mocha!

Though she isn't too loving or happy right now because she had to go to the vet today for all her yearly shots..

This week in reading, I started and finished Je suis le dernier Juif (The Last Jew of Treblinka) by Chil Rajchman, which I loved because it really was an eye-opener and a great reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the super strong people who survived it. I'll be posting a review soon. While you wait, preorder a copy of the English version at Amazon.com! I also started reading The Lace Reader. I thought I'd get more reading in during my days spent dog-sitting, but those two furballs had so much energy! I'm hoping to have it finished this weekend. Then I'll start on The Time Traveler's Wife, which I've been wanting to read since it was released but never made time for. I've heard mixed reviews on it, so I can't wait to see for myself what it's all about.

So what's in store for the rest of the week? Nothing bookish. All musique-related. I am getting PUMPED to see Alex Band (fave singer) next Wednesday June 30th for the annual Starry Night in the Garden here in Buffalo! I have a VIP ticket. Because I am so VIP material. It's going to rock! I'm also preparing myself for the excitement of Alex Band's debut solo album release on June 29th. I've waited years for this and can't believe the CD will soon be in stores! I reviewed 12 of the 14 songs on the new album back in November. The album is called "We've All Been There" and you can preorder it through Amazon.com, Target.com, and Bestbuy.com (and listen to song snippets!), or you can just pick it up Tuesday in stores! Annnddd sticking with the subject of Mr. Alex Band, I got my ticket in the mail this week to see him in Columbus, Ohio on August 1st!

No more off-topic gushes about my love for Mr. Band's music this week. I PROMISE!!

Hope everyone else is having a happy reading week!

Note: I am an Amazon Associate and will receive an eensy weensy tiny bit of money for each purchase you make at Amazon.com through the links on this site.

Review: Thomas Trofimuk's Waiting For Columbus

I finished Waiting For Columbus the other day and I'm pretty sure Thomas Trofimuk is one of my new favorite authors. I gulped this thing down. And it was SO yummy! As I've stated in earlier posts, I've had my eye on this book for quite a while now, all thanks to The Book Lady's Blog. I started reading it as soon as I could after getting it for my birthday.

The main story is about a man who is brought to a mental hospital. He doesn't have any ID on him, and he claims that he is Christopher Columbus. Nurse Consuela sits with him as he starts to tell her his story, but this isn't the "true" story of how he ended up in the hospital. Instead, it's the story of "Columbus", taking place in the 1400s (although Columbus is really straddling two worlds..he'll be talking to Queen Isabella and then a phone will ring). Throughout the book, both the reader and Nurse Consuela are trying to piece together what could have happened to this man to make him suddenly start thinking he was Columbus.

The writing in this novel is fantastic! As I read, the words seemed to glide through my brain like silk. I'm not sure if it was the words Trofimuk used or the beautiful sentences he was able to string together, but something about his writing made me swoon! I also loved how he was able to (seemingly so easily too) intertwine the time Columbus thinks he's living in (the 1400s) and the present time that he is really living in. It takes a great author to do something like that. And Trofimuk's got it.

Basically I loved this book and it's all I've been talking about at home and with my friends and boyfriend. I can't wait to see what Trofimuk will put out next!

Some favorite quotes:

"Imagine a man standing on a rocky shoreline looking out to sea, pondering the question, the same question we whisper when we look up at night into a star-crazed sky-swirls of light millions of years old-everything moving away, or toward, or around: What's out there?" pg.1

"Morning does not come quickly when one is looking for it. It becomes a lugubrious, lumbering animal that moves only when it wishes. Yet mornings are inevitable." pg. 83

I usually don't like to give "star" ratings, but this book definitely warrants one. 5 out of 5 in my book.

For more info on the author and to read some of his poetry (which is really good), check out his Official Website.

Title: Waiting For Columbus

Author: Thomas Trofimuk

Date of Publication: 2009

Number of Pages: 324

Source: Birthday Gift

 

Note: I am an Amazon Associate and will receive an eensy weensy tiny bit of money for each purchase you make at Amazon.com through the links on this site.

My 50 Authors from 50 Countries Challenge!

I know it's a long shot.  My sister asked how in the world I was going to find English translations of books from some of the countries I've decided to do.  But I've been toying with the idea of this challenge for a few months now, and if I don't start it now, I'll just keep obsessing over it.  So here goes.  Soon I will embark on this new journey.  I hope when I'm done (not sure when that'll be.  I haven't given myself a deadline.) I'll be a more rounded person when it comes to understanding different cultures.  I've always enjoyed reading books from other countries and this is more of an excuse to keep doing it. 

On this list, I've only got the first 25 countries listed.  I'll add the next 25 once I've finished all of these.  I only have books planned for a handful of these countries, so please, if you know of a good read written by an author from one of my listed countries, let me know (I can read both English and French, by the way)!  (And the author doesn't have to still be living there.  They technically just have to be born there..)  So without further ado, here is my list for the first half of this challenge:
1. Afghanistan-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
2. Australia-The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
3. Germany
4. Haiti-Compère général Soleil by Jacques-Stephen Alexis
5. Mexico
6. Russia
7. Sweden-The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
8. Turkey
9. Brazil
10. Canada
11. France
12. Italy
13. Spain-The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
14. Peru-The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
15. Poland-House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
16. United Kingdom
17. Vietnam
18. India
19. Ireland
20. Bulgaria
21. Hungary
22. China
23. Greece
24. Senegal
25. Portugal

Album Review: Mindy McCready's "I'm Still Here"

Since music plays just as big a part in my life as books, I thought it would be fun to do a review every once in a while of new music I'm listening to. I haven't been able to buy much new music since returning from France, but thankfully my birthday = new music. Plus my sisters buy CDs pretty frequently. Now that I have my new job, I'm hoping to buy more music!

About a month before my 21st birthday (which is May 27th, by the way), I was feeling nostalgic and decided to google one of my favorite singers from my childhood. My dad had Mindy's first 2 albums, which I grew up listening to. Her 3rd album, "I'm Not So Tough," was the first CD I ever bought, and it's till one of my faves. During my google research, I stumbled upon the news that Mindy had just released a new album. I was quite ecstatic. It was immediately added to my birthday list and then promptly bought and wrapped and hidden in a closet by my wonderful mother.

(just a side note-if Mindy's name sounds familiar, it could be because you recognize her from Celebrity Rehab. I don't watch the show but I know she was on it.)

I'm not a big country music person, but I do like some of it. Mindy's new album is AMAZING. I've been pretty much addicted to it since that first listen. It's a very mellow album, but that said, I personally think it's her best album yet (though I still have to buy and listen to her 4th, self-titled, album). It's depressing at times-there are songs about love gone bad and making the wrong decisions. But it's also very uplifting. My favorite song is the title track, "I'm Still Here". It literally took my breath away the first time I heard it. Knowing all the hardship Mindy has gone through these past few years (see: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew), this song to me is so uplifting because she's saying, "Yeah, life has sucked, and it's not going to improve over night, but I am still here." I replay that song a few times every time I listen to the album! My other favorite song is "Fades". I think it might be about how having faith can get you through tough times. I'm not religious, but my Nature worshipping self can still definitely relate to the song.

You can preview the songs at Mindy McCready's Official Website. You can also purchase her album, "I'm Still Here", at Amazon.com and at Itunes. If you decide to take a listen, let me know what you think, especially if you know Mindy's earlier stuff!

The Week In Review

I can't say I'm sad that the week is over. It was very busy and I am worn out! Work was busy but bearable. This afternoon I went with my family to Buffalo's Allentown Art Festival. I love going just to look at all the handmade things. I usually never buy anything. Though lately I've grown accustom to eyeing the paintings and prints a lot closer. Eventually I'll be moving into my own place, and when I do, I can't wait to start collecting artwork for it! My mom was a sweetheart and bought me a beautiful glass necklace with a tree on it. Maybe I'll get a photo up later in the week.

In reading this week, I finished The Crow, and reviewed it (which is right below this post). I also started reading Waiting for Columbus, by Thomas Trofimuk. I am LOVING it so far! I can tell this is going to be a awesome read. The writing is beautiful. I don't know how he does it, but Trofimuk was somehow able to write so well that as I'm reading, it feels like the words are slipping through my brain like silk. I LOVE it. I also decided that my next read is going to be a book I picked up while traveling abroad in France. It's called Je suis le dernier juif, and it's a memoir by Chil Rajchman. My version is in French. I think it was originally written in Polish. And it's going to be published in ENGLISH February 15th, 2011, under the name The Last Jew of Treblinka: A Memoir. It's already up on Amazon for pre-orders, and if this memoir is anywhere near as good and I think it's going to be, I'm going to pre-order the English copy as soon as I finish my French copy. This book is going to be insanely sad and depressing, but I am really excited to read it.

So that's what I've been up to. What is everyone else reading or planning on reading? I am super excited for my 6 day weekend and break from work-it's going to be spent knitting, reading, playing with the poochka (my dog), and hanging out with Mother Nature.

Review of The Crow

The Crow by Alison Croggon was not my favorite of the 3 Books of Pellinor I've read, but it was still a great read. It was entertaining and sometimes even scary. And I cried once. And yes, I do tend to like books more when they make me cry! I think it's because the characters have to be well-written in order for me to connect with them at all. But more on that later.

The Crow is book 3 in the Pellinor Saga. The first 2 follow a young girl named Maerad and her friend Cadvan on their journey to find something called the "treesong." Book 3 changes direction a bit. It follows Hem, Maerad's younger brother. He has been brought to the Suderain, a land in the south, by his mentor Saliman. Their city, Turbansk, is under attack. The city's seige, Hem's escape, and Hem's travels deep into evil lands fill the pages of this story.

I found this book to be a bit slow in the beginning, but I chalk it up to the new characters. Maerad and Cadvan dominated the 1st 2 books, and I love them both dearly. So the character changes were definitely noticed. Once I got to know Hem, Saliman, and the others from The Crow (Hem and Saliman we actually meet in earlier books, we just don't know them too well), this book went a lot faster. My favorite character has to be Irc, the white crow Hem nurses back to health. The things he says are priceless and made me laugh out loud. I also love how even when Irc is surrounded by evil and in danger of death, his obsession with shiny things is still in full swing, leading him to steal a pendant from the leader of the Dark. My other favorite character is Zelika, Hem's friend. She is spritely, spicy, and has a lot of attitude. She has a thirst for revenge and a lot a energy. I connected with her immediately.

All in all, this was a great read. If you've read books 1 and 2, read this one too. It's weird because Maerad and Cadvan aren't in it at all, but it's still fun to read, and fun to meet new characters. I especially loved seeing Hem's transformation from child in the beginning to young adult at the end. I can't wait to read book 4, The Singing, now! (Although I'm putting it off for a month at least because I hate when a great series comes to an end!)

Some of my fave quotes:

Ch.9: 'It is only the darkness in our own hearts that will defeat us, in the end.' Saliman

And SPOILER!! DON'T READ THIS QUOTE UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE BOOK OR DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS!

Ch. 25: 'Goodbye, Zelika,' he said out loud. 'I was going to marry you, you know, when we grew up. It won't happen now. Maybe it wouldn't have happened anyway. But I want you to know that.' He stood silent for a long time with his head bowed, and then whispered, 'May the light keep you.' -Hem

Letter to My Daughter-A Gushing Review

I've been meaning to get this review/gush up of Letter to My Daughter for a few days now but life has (rather fortunately actually) gotten in the way this week. I'm happy about my lack of free time because in this case it means I have been working! This was my first week at my new job, and so far I like it. It's definitely something I can see myself working at for a long time, as long as my school schedule in the Fall permits me to keep it.

This week I didn't finish any books because, as I said above, I was so busy I barely even had time to sit down. I didn't even get to the gym! But I did get halfway through Alison Croggon's The Crow. I also while at Target saw that book 4 in the saga, The Singing, is finally out on paperback, so I was kind of a bad girl and splurged on the $10 book…..(don't tell the fam.-I'm supposed to be saving money).. I should have The Crow finished by next weekend. Now I commence with my thoughts on George Bishop's fabulous book:

I won Letter to My Daughter from Library Thing's Early Reviewers. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew it was a book I wanted to read. And I gulped it down super quickly! It's pretty short, just a mere 148 pages, but boy was it good!! The whole book is one long letter that a mother writes to her 15 year old daughter after they've had a big fight and the daughter runs off. In her letter, the mother, Laura, tells her daughter the story of her own adolescence, including the pain of switching high schools mid-year, first loves, and even the bumpy relationship she had with her own parents as a teen. The book is so thoughtfully written that it actually seems as if a real mom is writing this letter, not a middle-aged man. It was the kind of thing I wish my mom would write to me sometimes.

Some of this book was actually hard to read because of how painful it was. It's so easy to put myself into Laura's shoes, especially now that I'm no longer a teen and can look back on those years. This isn't a "Vietnam War Era" novel, but the war definitely resonates throughout the letter, which makes the story seem even more real. I cried at least twice while reading this, and I'll probably cry again when I someday reread it (because it's def. worth a reread!).

I think this book is a great reminder to teens that their parents were once young and made mistakes too. It's also a great reminder to parents that they used to be young and quite similar to the kids they now have. I think this would be the perfect book to bring on a vacation because it's quick and very heartwarming.

I'll end this review with my favorite quote, a piece of advice that Laura receives in a letter from a teacher as a teen, and then passes down to her daughter in her letter: "Be good, and if you can't be good, at least be sensible."