Night by Elie Wiesel

Night

by

Elie Wiesel

From the time I was old enough to stand and read the book spines contained in my mother's book shelf or at least from the time I was old enough to bother, there was a small volume with the title Night across its spine on her shelf.  I was always intrigued and assumed I would read it some day.  But never did.  It has been on my reading list of books I keep to choose from when I want to select a new title at the State Library of Ohio digital book area since I obtained that library card a few years ago.  And then last week, I received a newsy email from my sister in law in Columbus, that said, among other things,  she was going to be reading Night by Elie Wiesel along with her son.  She didn't want him to read it alone with out discussing it with him.  That was the catalyst for me to download the book as soon as I completed the book I was currently reading.  Night is a short book and not hard to read as far as vocabulary.   But it is a hard book to stick with as far as content.  The book describes in horrific detail  the author's experiences in Nazi concentrations camps during the second world war.   Since my genre is historical novels and WWII is one time frame I frequently read about I am surprised that I have made it till now and not read this non fiction classic.  The author won the Nobel Peace Prize.  It should be required reading for students as soon as they are mature enough to understand and discuss the material.  Please click on the author's name and book title above and watch the video that follows.  

A Spool Of Blue Thread by Anne Tylor

A Spool Of Blue Thread

by

Anne Tyler

I don't know what to think or say about this novel.  The author does a great job with character development.  I really liked the people in her book.  The story held my interest and I was drawn back to it when away from my reading time.  The novel was not really sad but something about it I found very depressing.  Anne Tyler is spot on with how disillusioning life can be at times and how disappointment surrounds family relationships.   She weaves a heartwarming story but there doesn't seem to be a point to it.  Her books have won awards and are very highly regarded.  Time will tell if I will read any of her other work.   And I am not sure I would recommend the book.  She is not telling an exciting story or leading the reader through any ethical discourse.  But her novel is not an empty headed read either.  Those who like to ponder relationships will enjoy this well written book.  I guess I am just going to have to take some time to digest it to form an opinion.  I do think it might be a good title for a discussion in book group.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow links to more information.  And enjoy the video that follows.  

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance

by

Jodi Picoult 

The audio version of this book is very well performed.  It is a ghost story.  I was confused in Part One of the book because it seemed to jump around and I was wondering if I had discovered the first Jodi Picoult book that I didn't like when I made it to Part Two and the story line began to come together for me and make some sense.  I still struggled with the supernatural parts of the novel  but over all enjoyed the book very much.  Jodi Picoult always addresses an ethical issue in her books.  This book revolves around the ethics of genetics.  She ties the past problems with the eugenics movement and how it slid down the slippery slope to Hitler and the Holocaust to todays questions that modern strides in DNA and genetic research have brought to the surface.  Jodi Picoult is a go to author for me and I know I can always enjoy her novels.  Please click on the book title and the author's name above to follow the links to more information.  The videos below ares interviews with Jodi Picoult and the latter part of the videos discuss other novels by her.  But the information is still interesting about how she researches and writes her books.  

The Immigrants by Howard Fast

The Immigrants

by

Howard Fast

This historical novel was written in the 1980's which I just discovered.  It is a face paced story of three immigrant families in San Francisco.  One family is Italian.  One family is Jewish.  And one family is Chinese.  The time frame starts in the late 1800's and ends during the depression.  I was quickly drawn into the story and enjoyed it immensely.  It is the first of a book series and I intend to read the rest of the series.   This book will make my top ten list at the end of the year.  I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical novels which is generally my genre of choice.  There was a TV mini series made in the 1990's based on these books but I have not watched it.  Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the link to more information and enjoy the videos that follow about the author's life.