What Strange Paradise - Omar El Akkad

 Title: What Strange Paradise (Bookshop.org)

Author: Omar El Akkad

Published: 2022 (first published 2021)

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary

Edition: Paperback

Source: Surrey Libraries

Thoughts:  I really wanted to like the book, as I thought, and the others in my library book club also thought, that it would be a good read.  And it was a good read; it's just that I couldn't get into it with the two different timelines that the author gave for the book.  The book really needs to be read either closely or multiple times to really understand the two main timelines.  It is definitely a fairly quick read, if you just want to go through it once, but I think that if you really want to understand the book, you may want to read it many times.

Bottom line: A really excellent read that needs to read multiple times to get a complete understanding of it.  I just feel like there was something more to the book that I missed that would have completed my understanding of the book better. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Description: From the widely acclaimed author of American War a new novel--beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving--that brings the global refugee crisis down to the level of a child's eyes.

More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another over-filled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight of its too many passengers: Syrians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians, all of them desperate to escape untenable lives in their homelands. And only one has made the passage: nine-year-old Amir, a Syrian boy who has the good fortune to fall into the hands not of the officials but of Vanna: a teenage girl, native to the island, who lives inside her own sense of homelessness in a place and among people she has come to disdain. And though she and the boy are complete strangers, though they don't speak a common language, she determines to do whatever it takes to save him.

In alternating chapters, we learn the story of the boy's life and how he came to be on the boat; and we follow the girl and boy as they make their way toward a vision of safety. But as the novel unfurls, we begin to understand that this is not merely the story of two children finding their way through a hostile world, it is the story of our collective moment in this time: of empathy and indifference, of hope and despair--and of the way each of those things can blind us to reality, or guide us to a better one.

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Bellevue Square - Michael Redhill

Title: Bellevue Square
Author: Michael Redhill
Pages: 262
Published: 2017
Awards: Scotiabank Giller Prize (2017)
Genre: Fiction
Edition: e-book
Source: Personal Library

Description: From award-winning and bestselling author Michael Redhill comes a darkly comic literary thriller about a woman who fears for her sanity--and then her life--when she learns that her doppelganger has appeared in a local park.

Jean Mason has a doppelganger. At least, that's what people tell her. Apparently it hangs out in Kensington Market, where it sometimes buys churros and shops for hats. Jean doesn't rattle easy, not like she used to. She's a grown woman with a husband and two kids, as well as a thriving business, and Toronto is a fresh start for the whole family. She certainly doesn't want to get involved in anything dubious, but still . . . why would two different strangers swear up and down they'd just seen her--with shorter hair furthermore?

Jean's curiosity quickly gets the better of her, and she visits the market, but sees no one who looks like her. The next day, she goes back to look again. And the day after that. Before she knows it, she's spending an hour here, an afternoon there, watching, taking notes, obsessing and getting scared. With the aid of a small army of locals who hang around in the market's only park, she expands her surveillance, making it known she'll pay for information or sightings. A peculiar collection of drug addicts, scam artists, philanthropists, philosophers and vagrants--the regulars of Bellevue Square--are eager to contribute to Jean's investigation. But when some of them start disappearing, it becomes apparent that her alleged double has a sinister agenda. Unless Jean stops her, she and everyone she cares about will face a fate stranger than death. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  I had purchased this book back in late 2017 after it had won the Giller Prize last fall.  I bought it because it had won a literary award, not because I was interested in the book, and because it was something I had kept returning to the library unread.  So fast forward to July of this year when my library book club picked this book as the book to read for our August meeting and I thought great; I can get one off my TBR pile

Well, I really didn't like it.  The writing was very good and very descriptive, but quite honestly I couldn't quite get the story that the author was trying to tell.  It felt convoluted, but I guess when you have a brain tumor, you do get convoluted and since this is to be part of a trilogy, maybe the answers will eventually come.  I just had a hard time understanding what the premise of the story was and therefore didn't really enjoy it.

Bottom line: While the writing is good, I just didn't understand the story.  The book really needs a reread at some point, but with books that I probably will enjoy more on my TBR list, I don't see myself getting back to this book, unless I am on a trip somewhere where I am desperate for a book. 

If you enjoy books where the protangist is a bit loopy and trying to discern what is and isn't real, then I would recommend it.

Rating: 2.75/5

Mãn - Kim Thúy

Title: Mãn
Author: Kim Thúy; translated by Shelia Fischmann
Pages: 139
Published: 2014
Genre: Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Mãn has three mothers: the one who gives birth to her in wartime, the nun who plucks her from a vegetable garden, and her beloved Maman, who becomes a spy to survive. Seeking security for her grown daughter, Maman finds Mãn a husband--a lonely Vietnamese restaurateur who lives in Montreal. 

Thrown into a new world, Mãn discovers her natural talent as a chef. Gracefully she practices her art, with food as her medium. She creates dishes that are much more than sustenance for the body: they evoke memory and emotion, time and place, and even bring her customers to tears.

Mãn is a mystery--her name means "perfect fulfillment," yet she and her husband seem to drift along, respectfully and dutifully. But when she encounters a married chef in Paris, everything changes in the instant of a fleeting touch, and Mãn discovers the all-encompassing obsession and ever-present dangers of a love affair. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I enjoyed this more than Thúy's debut novel, Ru.  It was probably due to the fact that I better able to understand Thúy's style and could better appreciate the book.

While it may have not been her best work, I personally enjoyed more and look forward to other books that may come in the future from the author.

Bottom line: Really enjoyed the read and would probably recommend the book to those that enjoy Thúy's style. Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4/5

And Nothing But the Truth - Kit Pearson

Title: And Nothing But the Truth (The Whole Truth #2)
Author: Kit Pearson
Pages: 267
Published: 2012
Genre: Middle-Grade Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Kit Pearson’ s endearing heroine from The Whole Truth, Polly, is now thirteen and following in her sister’ s footsteps to a boarding school in Victoria. The adjustment is difficult— all those rules!— and Polly often escapes into her dreams of becoming an artist. At least her family is intact again, and there are no more dark and difficult secrets to be kept hidden . . . that is, until her teenage sister, Maud, makes a dramatic confession. Will Polly be able to keep this new secret? Will it tear her family apart again?  (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Not sure how I first found out about this book, but probably when doing a searching for anything new out by Kit Pearson, who has long been a favourite author of mine since I was about 10 or 12.

I felt that this was a nice continuation of The Whole Truth and liked that a good number of the same characters appeared in the book, in addition to some new characters that made an appearance in the book.  The book was similar to another favourite book mine by Kit Pearson that I enjoyed as a middle-grade reader, The Daring Game.

Nothing really stood out for me, but I did like that there was a change in scenery during several points in the story, this one had scenes in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, and the small island community Polly lived in during The Whole Truth.  I also liked that the personality of Polly continued to evolve over the course of the book, experiencing emotions that a 13-year old probably would experience, given the set of circumstances that Polly was faced with.

As well, I liked how the author uses language that appreciates that her readership will probably want something that can challenge their reading ability, while not dumbing it down, making it too easy for them to read.  And writing in a way that even adult readers enjoy the book as well.  And as this reader can attest to, Ms. Pearson does that well.

But if there was something that I didn't enjoy it was that the author basically closed the book on Polly and her family and friends at the end, as I would have like see how Polly evolved as a person through the different adventures and experiences as she grew into a young adult.

Bottom line: A good addition to the Kit Pearson cannon and while it is not my favourite book of hers, it is engaging for the reader and is able to challenge middle-grade readers.  I would also recommend The Daring Game and The War Guest Trilogy, which are also written by the same author.

Rating: 4.25/5

Ru - Kim Thúy

Title: Ru
Author: Kim Thúy; translated by Shelia Fishmann
Pages: 141
Published: 2012 (first published 2009)
Genre: Autobiographical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Ru. In Vietnamese it means lullaby; in French it is a small stream, but also signifies a flow--of tears, blood, money. Kim Thúy's Ru is literature at its most crystalline: the flow of a life on the tides of unrest and on to more peaceful waters. In vignettes of exquisite clarity, sharp observation and sly wit, we are carried along on an unforgettable journey from a palatial residence in Saigon to a crowded and muddy Malaysian refugee camp, and onward to a new life in Quebec. There, the young girl feels the embrace of a new community, and revels in the chance to be part of the American Dream. As an adult, the waters become rough again: now a mother of two sons, she must learn to shape her love around the younger boy's autism. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I first heard about the book through the Canada Reads program that is held on a yearly basis, in which five books compete with each other to show which book should be read by all Canadians.

While the book was fairly easy to read, I felt as though it could have been a poem, as each segment seemed to flow into the next segment, even if the prior segment did not really relate to the previous segment.

Bottom line:  While I had some issues with the book, I really liked how the sections transitioned smoothly and that book showed that a short book can have just as large an impact as a longer book through the use of language.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4/5

After the War is Over - Jennifer Robson

Title: After the War is Over
Author: Jennifer Robson
Pages: 384
Published: 2014
Challenges: Historical Fiction, Canadian, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source:

Description: England, 1919 In the months following the Armistice, Charlotte Brown leaves behind her wartime work as a nurse and returns to her life as a social worker in Liverpool. There she sets about helping her fellow citizens better themselves, though the world is still reeling from the devastation and loss of the Great War. In her journey she is guided by friends old and new, among them the other women at her boarding house, her colleagues at work, and a radical young newspaper editor who may have romantic designs on her. But even as she tries to look ahead, one man continues to pull her back into her past: Edward, now the Earl of Cumberland, the brother of Charlotte's dearest friend. She hasn't seen him in years and is shocked to discover him utterly changed. Once charming and infuriatingly arrogant, he is now broken by all he has seen. Still Charlotte sees the specter of the captivating man she knew, and knows he could offer her a world far different from the one she's worked so hard to build for herself. As the country seethes with unrest, and post-war euphoria flattens into bitter disappointment, Charlotte fears that the only way to keep her independent life of purpose may be to turn her back on the only man she has ever loved. (from Goodreads

Thoughts: When I saw this book on a blog somewhere, I knew I wanted to read this book, especially since I had read Jennifer's previous book, Somewhere In France, and had enjoyed the read.

I found the book to be a nice follow-up to Somewhere in France, using a number of the same characters while shifting the focus to new characters or to characters that weren't used as much in the previous book.  It was also a nice break from reading the heavier books that I was reading at the time and to have something quick to read.

Bottom line: It was an okay read, as it didn't exactly blow me away, but it wasn't bad either and like I said earlier, it was a nice follow-up to Somewhere in France, but it can also stand alone on its own without reading Somewhere in France, as there is little reference to that book.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.25/5

Fall on Your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald

Title: Fall on Your Knees
Author: Ann-Marie MacDonald
Pages: 512
Published: 2002 (first published 1996)
Challenges: Canadian, Chunkster, Historical Fiction, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: They are the Pipers of Cape Breton Island -- a family steeped in lies and unspoken truths that reach out from the past, forever mindful of the tragic secret that could shatter the family to its foundations. 

Chronicling five generations of this eccentric clan, Fall On Your Knees follows four remarkable sisters whose lives are filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love. Their experiences will take them from their stormswept homeland, across the battlefields of World War I, to the freedom and independence of Jazz-era New York City.  (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: This had been a book that had been on my TBR for at least 15 years, if not longer, due to talk I had heard about this book.  Mainly due to the content of the book, but I can't recall exactly what I heard and I think it was in the late 1990's when I heard the chatter, but it could have been a few years later when it came to the attention of Oprah and her book club.

I really liked how MacDonald created a sense of place from the outset; I really felt as though I was living the life of the Piper family during the first 30 years of the 20th century.  I could imagine seeing the Piper house and felt like I was trailing them as they moved from room to room and as they went and did things out in the community.  But on the other hand, I did feel as though the writing was choppy and like I was forcing myself at times to finish up the book.  I can see why people like this book and that it at some point could become a Canadian classic.

Bottom line: While I liked how the author crafted a sense of place and characters that you could picture, there were times I could not find a reading rhythm with the book, unlike what I found with Madame Picasso. Recommended.

Rating: 2.75/5

Road Ends - Mary Lawson

Title: Road Ends
Author: Mary Lawson
Pages (File Size): 368 (2.2 MB)
Published: 2013
Challenges: Blogger Summer Reading, Canadian Book, E-Book Reading, Historical Fiction, I Love Libraries
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary, Canadian
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: Roads End brings us a family unravelling in the aftermath of tragedy: Edward Cartwright, struggling to escape the legacy of a violent past; Emily, his wife, cloistered in her room with yet another new baby, increasingly unaware of events outside the bedroom door; Tom, their eldest son, twenty-five years old but home again, unable to come to terms with the death of a friend; and capable, formidable Megan, the sole daughter in a household of eight sons, who for years held the family together but has finally broken free and gone to England, to try to make a life of her own.  

Thoughts: I had trouble following the storyline in the book at times, in that I could not find out what the focus of the book was.  While I enjoyed Megan's storyline, as she was the "normal" on in the family.  I found that reading the other perspectives difficult to get through and that they seemed to slow the book down to the point that I had to force myself to finish the book.

For a large portion of the book, I was unsure of why there was this pall cast over the book and felt scattered as a result.  The book was well written and made one feel as though you really in 1960s London and in a small northern Ontario town.

I think part of the problem that I had with book is that when I read Crow Lake a number of years ago, I was left wanting more, whereas with this book, I could hardly wait until this book had been completed.

Bottom line: While the book seems to be promising, the book fell a little short for me and that was probably a little depressing for me. If you like other contemporary Canadian authors or authors that set their books in small towns, you probably will enjoy this one, as well as fans of Mary Lawson.  Recommended.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2014: 15,534

If you have read this book, what did you think of it?

The Bear - Claire Cameron

Title: The Bear
Author: Claire Cameron
Pages: 221
Published: 2014
Challenges: I Love Libraries, Blogger Summer Reading
Genre: Fiction, Canadian Fiction, Contemporary, Literary, Suspense/Thriller
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, three hundred pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite -- and pouncing on her parents as prey.

At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe runs aground on the edge of the woods, the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a wilderness alive with danger. Lost and completely alone, they find that their only hope resides in Anna's heartbreaking love for her family, and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: Prior to reading this book, I had seen a review or two, which piqued my interest in the book.  And when I was able to sit down with the book and read it, I basically ripped through the book and could really feel the intensity of the kids trying to get help.  It took me a couple times to read the beginning to understand what exactly happened.  But once I had gotten through the first pages of the book (basically got myself launched into the book), I was able to get swept into the rhythm of the book and felt like I was right there with the two kids.

Bottom line: If you were a fan of Room by Emma Donoghue, you will probably enjoy this read, as it had that same sort of frenetic pace that Room had.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 9661

Frog Music - Emma Donoghue

Title: Frog Music
Author: Emma Donoghue
Pages: 352
Published: 2014
Challenges: I Love Libraries, Historical Fiction, Blogger Summer Reading
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Canadian literature
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heat wave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman named Jenny Bonnet is shot dead. 

The survivor, her friend Blanche Beunon, is a French burlesque dancer. Over the next three days, she will risk everything to bring Jenny's murderer to justice--if he doesn't track her down first. The story Blanche struggles to piece together is one of free-love bohemians, desperate paupers, and arrogant millionaires; of jealous men, icy women, and damaged children. It's the secret life of Jenny herself, a notorious character who breaks the law every morning by getting dressed: a charmer as slippery as the frogs she hunts. (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: When I heard that Emma Donoghue had written a new book, I really wanted to get my hands on a copy, especially since I had really enjoyed Room a number of years ago.  

The thing with the book was that I had a bit of difficulty figuring out where the book was during the time span of the book, as it seemed to jump around quite a bit and left me a bit confused as to where we were in terms of the story, which apparently is about a month.  I would have really like it if author's that are doing time shifting of any sort to let reader's know where we are. I had no problem in loving Donoghue's writing, I just had an issue with the time shifting.

Bottom line:  If you enjoy books that use time shifting as a plot device, you will probably enjoy this book.  If you have read it and did like the book, you may enjoy books such as All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and The Painter by Peter Heller (Goodreads came up with the recommendations, not me).

Rating:  3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 9440

The Orenda - Joseph Boyden

Title: The Orenda
Author: Joseph Boyden
Pages: 501
Published: 2013
Challenges: Chunkster, I Love Libraries, Historical Fiction
Genre: Historical fiction, Canadian literature, Literary fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: A visceral portrait of life at a crossroads, The Orenda opens with a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of the young Iroquois Snow Falls, a spirited girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation’s great warriors and statesmen. It has been years since the murder of his family and yet they are never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter and sees the girl possesses powerful magic that will be useful to him on the troubled road ahead. Bird’s people have battled the Iroquois for as long as he can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous threat from afar.

Christophe, a charismatic Jesuit missionary, has found his calling amongst the Huron and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to the new world.

As these three souls dance each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars and a nation emerges from worlds in flux. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: I felt that the book was disjointed and while for the most part I could tell who main speaker was, there were times that I was unable to.

There was also the problem that I couldn't tell what point in time the chapter was, even though it was clear that time passed in the novel, mainly due to the age of Snow Falls.  While it was a read that I did get entranced with, I really couldn't figure out exactly time period I was moving through (but after doing a search, I realize that it takes place during the mid-17th century, but it would have been nice to have a context for the book).

That being said, the author does create a lyrical picture of Huronia (yes, I also found that out too during my search to find out the period of the book and by end of the book, I was definitely engrossed in the book.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of contemporary Canadian literature or at least a contemporary spin on a historical event, you might enjoy this one.  Even if you like literary fiction, you may like this as well. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 6391

The Whole Truth - Kit Pearson

Title: The Whole Truth : a novel
Author: Kit Pearson
Pages: 336
Published: 2012 (first published 2011)
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Canadian
Challenges: Historical
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: It is 1932. Polly and her older sister, Maud, travel by train and boat from Winnipeg to an island between Vancouver and Victoria. Polly will live with their grandmother, the sisters? new guardian, and attend the small school on the island, while Maud will go to boarding school in Victoria.

Their extended family welcomes the girls warmly. New-school jitters give way to new friendships and even a new puppy, and slowly Polly feels that she is becoming part of a larger family she never knew until now.

But Polly and Maud have a dramatic secret, and they have promised each other never to tell anyone. A surprise arrival on the island, however, threatens Polly?s newfound happiness and tests the bonds of family love. Can Polly keep the secret and her new life on the island?

Thoughts: When I saw this book come through a book box this past September at work, I knew I had to read this book.  When I was about 12, I read my first Kit Perason book and she quickly became a favourite author of mine.  Sure the book was probably a tad predictable, but just like the other books that I have read of hers, I enjoyed it and was fully satisfied with the book.  It took me awhile to read the book, but once I was able to really get going with the book, I was able to get through it quite quickly and just couldn't shake it.

Bottom line: I would probably recommend this for readers starting at around age 9 and for those of us adults who grew up with her books and just enjoy being transported to a time and place that they didn't get to experience.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2013: 6680

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
Pages: 400
Published: 2009
Genre: Mystery, Fiction
Challenges: None
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal

Description: The summer of 1950 hasn’t offered up anything out of the ordinary for eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce: bicycle explorations around the village, keeping tabs on her neighbours, relentless battles with her older sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, and brewing up poisonous concoctions while plotting revenge in their home’s abandoned Victorian chemistry lab, which Flavia has claimed for her own.

But then a series of mysterious events gets Flavia’s attention: A dead bird is found on the doormat, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. A mysterious late-night visitor argues with her aloof father, Colonel de Luce, behind closed doors. And in the early morning Flavia finds a red-headed stranger lying in the cucumber patch and watches him take his dying breath. For Flavia, the summer begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw: “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

Did the stranger die of poisoning? There was a piece missing from Mrs. Mullet’s custard pie, and none of the de Luces would have dared to eat the awful thing. Or could he have been killed by the family’s loyal handyman, Dogger… or by the Colonel himself! At that moment, Flavia commits herself to solving the crime — even if it means keeping information from the village police, in order to protect her family. But then her father confesses to the crime, for the same reason, and it’s up to Flavia to free him of suspicion. Only she has the ingenuity to follow the clues that reveal the victim’s identity, and a conspiracy that reaches back into the de Luces’ murky past. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this read and considering that I have been reading some pretty dense books and that this has been on my shelves for almost three and a half years, I was glad for the break.  I also listened to the audio as I read the book and felt that the reader who narrated the book did a really good job.  I like how Flavia was a pretty typical 11-year old, except that she really isn't a typical 11-year old. I love the quirkiness that is Flavia and how she figures things out and I also like how she interacts with the people in her village.  There was something about the book that made me smile as I read the book and also chuckle as I read the book.  Its a really enjoyable book and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bottom line: I would probably recommend the book to most readers that like to have a fairly light read on hand.  Its something that one can read in the matter of a few days or less and can delight almost anybody.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2012: 21756

Waiting for Columbus - Thomas Trofimuk

Title: Waiting for Columbus
Author: Thomas Trofimuk
Pages: 408
Published: 2010 (Originally published 2009)
Challenges: 2012 TBR Reading Challenge
Genre: Literary fiction, Canadian fiction
Edition: Trade paperback
Source: Personal collection

Description: In a Spanish mental institution in 2004, a man who believes he is Christopher Columbus begins to tell his story. Nurse Consuela listens, hoping to discover what tragedy drove this educated, cultured man to retreat from reality. This Columbus is not heroic: he falls in love with every woman he meets, and, on land, he has absolutely no sense of direction. More troublingly, he is convinced a terrible tragedy is coming. Yet with each tale, Consuela draws closer to this lost navigator. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: For about 3/4 of the book I really enjoyed it, but when I came to the end, I thought it was a bit of a cop-out and ended rather hastily.  It was almost as if the author wanted to find an excuse to end the book quickly rather than draw it out a little more.  Sure I can understand not wanting to drag out the ending, but I thought that even if there were an extra 50 pages devoted to the ending, I think that the book would have been a little better and possibly a little tighter.


Bottom line: Other than the ending, I quite enjoyed the book and liked how the book evolved over the course of the story. I would recommend it highly to those that enjoy literary fiction or are looking for something different.


Rating: 3.25/5


Pages for 2012: 10848

The Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje

Title: The Cat's Table: a novel
Author: Michael Ondaatje
Pages: 269
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Library Challenge, 2012 Historical Fiction Challenge
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: 4/5

Description: In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly "Cat's Table" with an eccentric and unforgettable group of grownups and two other boys. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys find themselves immersed in the worlds and stories of the adults around them. At night they spy on a shackled prisoner -- his crime and fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever.

Looking back from deep within adulthood, and gradually moving back and forth from the decks and holds of the ship to the years that follow the narrator unfolds a spellbinding and layered tale about the magical, often forbidden discoveries of childhood and the burdens of earned understanding, about a life-long journey that began unexpectedly with a sea voyage. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: I really expected more out of this, but it seems that my expectations were probably a little higher, especially since my last read of his was The English Patient about 15 years ago and even then I wasn't impressed with the book because I was so lost as to what was going on that I didn't really enjoy the way that I probably should have and intended and now that I understand how he wrote the book, I probably would enjoy it more now, but this review isn't about The English Patient.


The one thing about the book that I did like is the language that Ondaatje uses in the book; while reading the book on the bus home, I got lost in the world of the ship as it traveled from Sri Lanka to England and sometimes I would forget about the whizzing scenery outside my window that I think I almost forgot my bus stop on my way to work one day!  I would even sort of skip over the scenes and get lost to the point that I would wonder what had just happened and not really caring I would move on with the book.  I felt that book allowed me to be encased in a world that I can only imagine and that no longer exists, especially since most people take planes when one goes from one place to the next and ship travel is only used for leisure rather than for a permanent move.  


One thing I didn't like about the book was the flash forwards that occurred in the book and found them to be a bit bothersome and that they chopped up the story a little more than I wanted.  Sure it may the story a little more interesting, but I felt that it detracted from the main story to the point that I became a bit annoyed with the flash-forwards, even though there were a couple that served the main story well and acted as a diversion and added to it.

And personally, despite what he says at the end of the book, I think there are some autobiographical elements that he has included in the book.


Bottom line: Overall, it is an excellent book and really quite enjoyed being transported to a time when moving involved more time than just going on a plane and in a day or two you are in a completely new environment.     If you have read anything else by Ondaatje or enjoy really good literary fiction, I recommend the book, especially since the story is fairly linear and doesn't jump around a lot.


Pages for 2012: 2711

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The Mistress of Nothing - Kate Pullinger

Title: The Mistress of Nothing
Author: Kate Pullinger
Pages: 272
Published: 2010
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 3/5

Lady Duff Gordon is the toast of Victorian London. But when her debilitating tuberculosis requires healthier climate, she and her lady's maid, Sally, set sail for Egypt. It is Sally who describes, with a mixture of wonder and trepidation, the odd menage marshalled by the resourceful Omar, which travels down the Nile to a new life in Luxor. When Lady Duff Gordon undoes her stays and takes to native dress, throwing herself into weekly salons, language lessons, excursions to the tombs, Sally too adapts to a new world, affording her heady and heartfelt freedoms never known before. But freedom is a luxury that a maid can ill-afford, and when Sally grasps more than her status entitles her to, she is brutally reminded that she is mistress of nothing. 

Thoughts: Thought that the first part of the book really dragged, but the second part really picked up in a big way.  I found it interesting in that I was delved into a world that I really had no clue about and found it very fascinating.  It was also fascinating that I was reading this book during the riots in Egypt, which their president was thrown out of office.   It was also interesting because it showed what sort of double standard that men and women servants had in that society. 

3069 / 15000 pages. 20% done!

Room - Emma Donoghue

Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Pages: 321
Published: 2010
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4/5

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.


This was a book I had wanted to read for quite sometime and I wasn't really disappointed.  The first chapter I felt was a little slow and really didn't grab me, but the relationship between Ma and Jack was intriguing enough to allow me to continue on with the book.  But I was rewarded with an excellent story that I couldn't put down for most of the evening, especially after they had managed to escape from the small shed that they were living in.  It was certainly a delightful book and while I probably won't read the book again, it is one that will have me wondering what happens to Ma and Jack as they are able to adjust to life on the Outside.  Highly recommended.

961 / 15000 pages. 6% done!

The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom

Title: The Kitchen House
Author: Kathleen Grissom
Published: 2010
Pages: 384
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.
Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

Reason that I read this book:  I read it for a challenge on Goodreads.  I had intended to read it in November, but got around to it this past month.

Thoughts:  The storyline and the writing are wonderful for most of the book and then for the last 30 pages, it seems to drop off.  Maybe I was expecting too much due to the amazing reviews that I have read about the book, but I honestly didn't like the ending of the book; felt that it was too rushed and there really was no closure as to what happened to the characters that I had spent almost 400 pages learning about.  Almost seemed as though Ms. Grissom was forced to end the book with the ending that the book had.  I was just a bit disappointed and had really hoped that the book had ended better than it had.  I suppose it didn't help that I needed to get the book done and return it to the library.

Bottom line:  While the first 350 pages are wonderful and the storytelling is really great, I found the last 30 was a bit lacking.  I really wanted to like the book at the end as much as I had at the beginning, but whatever the reason, I found the ending to be a bit rushed and there not being a lot of closure for the main characters that I had become attached to, especially Lavinia.