The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner

by

Herman Koch

This book was recommended to me by a friend whom I met at the local library book club over a year ago.  I finally moved it from my wish list onto my iPod a couple of weeks ago and just finished listening to it this morning.   The performance by the reader is wonderful and the book is well written.   The topic is an important one to contemplate.  Nevertheless,  I am very glad to be finished with the book and it will not make my top ten list this year.  In fact I would not recommend it to others to read.  It is an upsetting book.  The novel takes place in a restaurant.  Two brothers and their wives are eating a meal at a very upscale establishment.  They are upper middle class couples and both have teen aged boys.  As the book progresses it is apparent that the boys have gotten into some very bad trouble and the point of the meal is to decide how to handle the situation.  The question in the readers mind is how far should a parent go to protect their kids from their actions and at what point does a young person have to deal with the consequences of their behavior.  While it would probably make a great book for a reading group to discuss the book gave me the creeps.  I am glad to be finished with it.  Click on the title and the author's name above to learn more and enjoy the video that follows.  They must have made a movie of the book in Europe.  

Movie Night

Saturday evening Bruce and I sat down and watched a movie that I had seen parts of and wanted to watch entirely.  It was a Brad Pitt movie called World War Z.  Bruce didn't like it much but I did.  It is a zombie movie but it isn't like the zombie shows that consist of one zombie  fight after another and not much other plot.  In World War Z they are actually working toward a solution of the problem.  I liked the movie and found it exciting.  Of course, as all zombie movies go,  it is pretty gruesome.  Enjoy the trailer and watch the movie if you are into that sort of thing.  It is on Netflix.

The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

The Invention

Of

Wings

by

Sue Monk Kidd

There is no doubt in my mind that this book will make my top ten this year and will very likely be either number one or close to it.  It contains every element that makes a book especially interesting to me.  Although a fiction novel,  there are historical facts and people in it.  It is about Sarah Grimke,  a abolitionist and advocator of women's rights way before her time.  The story takes place in the first half of the 1800s.  She grew up in Charleston in a well to do family that owned slaves.  I listened to this book on audio and it was very well presented.  Sarah's voice was the same reader as Skeeter's voice in The Help.  The book is written and read in two voices,  that of Sarah and her slave friend Handful.  It is the character of Handful that is partially made up.  Sarah was presented with a slave on her eleventh birthday and she did teach her to read as put forth in the story.  And both girls were punished for it.  But the real life Hattie died in childhood where as the author of this book depicted a life long friendship between the Sarah and Handful.  There are some other fictional parts to the book  but included is a lot of accurate history.  Also brought into the story are some specific foods that I was able to find the recipe's for online. The punch that Sarah spills during one of her disaster filled southern social parties can be found HERE.   And Sarah smells THIS  wafting from the slave's kitchen house.  One of her birthday cakes is called an Election Cake.  Besides the art of cooking,  Sue Monk Kidd also weaves the art of sewing into the novel.  The factual history of Story Quilts was inspired by the admiration of the author for the quilts of Harriet Powers.  I highly recommend this novel.  Please find the seven links interspersed in this blog and enjoy the video that follows.  

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Loving Frank

by

Nancy Horan

Touring a Frank Lloyd Wright home is on my list of go to activities.  I have enjoyed three of them and two of those more than once.  About an hour north of where I live is The Westcott House, which I have been through a couple of times.  And in my favorite vacation city of Springfield, Illinois is The Dana Thomas House,  which I have also seen two or three times.  I also have had the privilege of a tour of his Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.  Therefore,  Loving Frank has been on my to read list for awhile.  Even though, being a historical novel fan,  I am not in my genre with a love story, I did enjoy this book.  I was shocked that although I knew Frank Lloyd Wright had the reputation of being a womanizer,  I had no clue about this relationship in his life or how it tragically came to a close.  I have always wanted to see Oak Park,  Illinois and tour the Wright homes there and have had an interest to see the homes he did in the Spring Green, Wisconsin area, but now I am determined to get to these locations and enjoy the tours. I especially want to see Talieson that he built for Mamah Borthwick Chaney during the events of this book.   Loving Frank is a must read for Frank Lloyd Wright fans.  It really brought home to  me  the limited choices that women had back in the early 1900s and made me grateful for the women who came before me that fought for my freedoms.  Please click on the title, authors name and the other links throughout the body of this blog to read more.  And enjoy the video that follows.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

By

Margaret Atwood

The handmaid's tale is a story about a futuristic religious right society that has taken over the United States and the  subservient role of women in that society.  There is a underground railroad of sorts that tries to smuggle women to Canada and to freedom and a militant group called Mayday that is trying to over throw the new regime.  The story takes place at what was once Harvard and the surrounding community.  There is a shortage of Caucasian babies as a result of birth defects from pollution,  birth control,  and abortion that all took place prior to the take over so one of the main goals of the new government is to produce white babies.  It is the method of how they are trying to get the white women to have white babies and control the white babies lives after they are born that the story weaves around. This is the third Margaret Atwood novel I have read.  She is one of my favorite authors.  That being said,  I can only read one of her books every couple years because her work is so dark that her books stay with me.  If a person is open to stretching their mind I highly recommend reading her writing.  Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the links to more information.  And enjoy the video that follows.

A Land Remembered By Patrick D. Smith

A Land Remembered

by 

Patrick D. Smith

This novel covers a 100+ year span and is about Florida beings transformed from a vast wilderness to the tourist area it is today.  It begins during the civil war and ends in 1968.  While the family that is featured in the story is fictional the events and setting are factual.  It is the kind of book you can read to your kids and yet it also deals with complicated themes.  It should be required reading for every one who lives in or is visiting Florida.  The book made me tearful at least six times.  Descriptions of the natural landscapes of Florida in the late 1800s were absolutely breathtaking.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information.  And enjoy the video that follows.  

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train

by

Christina Baker Kline

A fiction novel,  based on historical events is my genre of choice,  and Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline has been a joy for me to experience.  It is an easy read and caught my heart from the first sentence.  The books moves between the time periods of 1929 - 1943 and several months in 2011 to weave the story of two females.  One being one of the last of the orphan train children and the other being a teen ager in the foster care system today.  The two become friends and share their stories with one another.  It is a heartwarming novel that weaves through out  the importance of friendships and support systems between women.  There is a wealth of information online about the orphan trains.  For example one source can be found HERE.  This book is one not to miss.  I highly recommend it as a great read.  Remember to click on the author's name and book title above to learn more.  And to enjoy the video that follows.