Mini Reviews: 4 books

I'm still behind on reviews so here are a few quick thoughts on some of my recent read/listens. For a summary of these books please click on the title.

The Bonesetter's Daughter, by Amy Tan - audiobook (11.9 hours) - narrated by Amy Tan and Chen Joan Tan - I enjoyed THE JOY LUCK CLUB year ago and haven't read anything by Tan since then. This was available for download from my library so I decided to give it a listen. And it was ok. Not great, but ok. Parts of the book were very moving and other parts were very intriguing, but the story as a whole didn't capture me. I think in part this was because I didn't identify with the relationship between the mother and daughter main characters.  Still, it was generally enjoyable to listen to, even if it won't stick with me long-term.

Heart of Lies, by M.L. Malcolm - 352 pages - I've had this book since BEA in 2010 - sad, right?! I met the author and really enjoyed chatting with her, so I was definitely looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately I didn't end up loving the book. The story is strongly based on the love between the two main characters, but I wasn't convinced of that love so the story didn't really work for me. I picked up the follow-up book, Heart of Deception, at BEA 2011 and I still plan to read it, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.

The Gunman's Rhapsody, by Robert Parker - audiobook (5.3 hours) - narrated by Ed Begley, Jr - This is a retelling of the Wyatt Earp story. Although it was well-written and I enjoyed listening to it, I can't say that it gave me any new insight into the story or the people involved.




The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, by Pat F. Garrett - audiobook (5.5 hours) - narrated by Daniel Luna - Alright, I have to admit that I didn't finish this one.  My husband and I started listening to it on a long drive and we made it about halfway through. Once we got home, we never got around to listening to the rest of it. It wasn't bad but it didn't really pull me in either, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on much by not finishing it.

Olga: A Daughter's Tale

Olga: A Daughter's Tale

by Marie-Therese Brown

266 pages

About the Book

All her life Marie's mother, Olga, has been secretive about her past. Marie doesn't even know the name of her father. So when Olga ends up in the hospital, Marie realizes that if she ever wants to know about her family history she will have to find out for herself. She begins researching, using what little facts she has, and ends up discovering her mother's family in Jamaica. Through fictionalized journal entries, letters, and actual news clippings, Marie tells the story of Olga's childhood (happy yet with little to live on), her family, and the trip to England to visit her (horrible and vindictive) aunt - a trip that was supposed to last just a few months (but turned into the rest of her life).

Why I Read It

I love researching my own family history and I'm intrigued with family history stories of all kinds. I received an email from the author describing her book and I knew I wanted to learn more about Olga's story.

My Thoughts 

First off, I like the cover, though that was not my first though upon seeing it.  After finishing the book however, I feel like it fits very well.

As for the story itself - Olga's life - well, that was fascinating.  I loved learning about how her (white) mother, Becky, came to Jamaica from England, and how she bucked society when she chose to marry a black Jamaican. Becky was an amazing woman and I enjoyed reading about her.  It was clear that she loved her children and wanted the best for them even though she couldn't always provide it.

Race and color issues loomed large in Olga's childhood. In Jamaica at that time, lighter skin meant better status in society. Olga's siblings varied in skin tone and this led to a variety of conflicts in the family and community. And of course there was also Becky's white family to contend with. Some of them accepted her marriage but most did not. I learned a lot about Jamaican society and class issues while reading this section.

Olga's story took a turn for the worse when her journey to England coincided with the start of World War II and she was unable to return home as planned. Olga was a resourceful young woman and I enjoyed reading how she made the best of the situation. Things might have turned out alright had it not been for the intervention of her vindictive aunt - and boy, what a creep this aunt was!

The format of the book really worked for me. By using fictionalized journal entries and letters Marie-Therese allowed the reader to get to know a variety of Olga's family members early on. And by following Olga through her life in England I came to understand why she wanted to keep her life hidden away from her daughter.

All that being said, I think this book could have done with some grammatical editing. It wasn't written in dialect, rather it was written the way some people speak - including misused words and phrases.   I don't know if it was the author trying to make certain letters and journal entries sound "authentic" but it was very distracting to me. If it was intentional, I think the book would have been better without it. If it was unintentional, then a good editor would fix it all up.

I'm so glad that Marie-Therese was able to put together her mother's life story and reunite with the family she never knew. I love reading family history tales, and I hope that I'm able to find more like this one!

My (Quick) Thoughts on Self-Publishing

I do accept self-published novels for review but only if I can read an excerpt of the book ahead of time. This helps me eliminate any books that haven't been edited or that are simply not well written.  I am not comfortable rejecting all self-published books because I think there are lot of amazing stories out there that are worth reading, even if they aren't perfect. That was certainly the case with this book, and I'm very glad I read it!

The Time In Between

The Time In Between

by David Bergen

audiobook: 8 hours

narrated by Anna Fields

*** About the Book ***

Vietnam Veteran Charlie decides to visit Vietnam thirty years after he fought there. When his family doesn’t hear from him for a while, two of his children, Ada and John, head to Vietnam to look for him.



*** Why I Listened To It ***

I saw it while browsing the audiobook section of my library and knew it would count for the War Through the Generations: Vietnam Challenge.


*** My Thoughts ***

I really didn’t like this book. I enjoyed the portions of the story told from Charlie’s point of view, but most of the book was told from Ada’s point of view and I just didn’t get her. Nor did I get John. If I flew around the world to look for my missing (and semi-estranged) father, I think I’d be searching a bit more actively. I do understand the appeal of losing yourself in a new place, acting differently than you would at home where people know you, but hello people! You are here to look for your father!

I could go on but it really isn’t worth my time. The only reason I finished this book was because the narrator did a pretty good job and I wanted to see how things turned out in the end. If I had been reading it (rather than listening) I’d have given up on it.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Has anyone read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it if you have. Am I missing something profound here? I doubt it, but I’ll listen to your argument if you think that I am.

Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
audio book: 8 hours

I "met" Jeannette through her memoir THE GLASS CASTLE which I read with my book club in 2008. This book is basically a prequel to that one, in that it is the story of her grandmother and (partially) of her mother. If you've read THE GLASS CASTLE then you know that Jeannette's mother was one odd bird; this book goes a long way to explain that oddness.

Lily Casey Smith, grandmother to Jeannette, was born in a dugout home on a Texas riverfront. She left home at age 15 to be a school teacher during World War I. Her life was was fascinating, although not always easy, and she had to work for everything she had. I won't tell you much more than that as it would spoil the fun of reading it for you.

Jeannette calls this a "true-life novel" because it is based on family stories that were passed down from her grandmother to her mother and then to her. Some of the stories can be verified but others cannot. Jeannette had to fill in the blanks in places, and she also told the story from Lily's point of view so there were obviously some liberties taken (since Lily died when Jeannette was only 8 yrs old). The story has the ring of truth to it though, as all good family stories do.

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Unlike THE GLASS CASTLE, it didn't grab me from the beginning. Once Lily left home however, I was really into the story. And once her daughter Rosemary was born (that's Jeannette's mother), I couldn't take my ear away from the radio; I wanted to know everything I could about how she came to be the woman she was.

In the end, I'd say that if you enjoyed THE GLASS CASTLE, you will likely enjoy this book as well so do give it a shot.

Oh, and it is narrated by the author. She does a good job of it, but personally I'm not a fan of her accent. I do like it when authors narrate their own books though, especially when they are of the true-life variety, so I didn't let the accent get to me.


(This book counts toward the Library and Audiobook challenges.)

The Odyssey

With Kiddo's surgery last week, and the prep I did for my panel at the Baltimore Book Festival, plus a weekend getaway to the beach, I have let a few of my reviews get really, REALLY far behind. In order to catch up I'm going to do a few very brief reviews over the two days. They won't be nearly as detailed as usual but they will serve their main purpose, which is to help me remember what I read and what I thought about it.

The Odyssey
by Homer
audiobook: 12.5 hours
originally written in Greek, circa 800-600 BC

Translator: Samuel Butler, Narrator: Norman Deitz

This is the story of what happens to Odysseus when he tries to go home after the fall of Troy. We first meet Odysseus in The Iliad (reviewed here) so I knew a bit about him before the story began. About half of the story details the problems he ran into while trying to get home. The other half tells how he rids his home of the hundreds of suitors who were hoping to marry his wife when he didn't return from the war (he left 20 years ago).

I really enjoyed listening to this book. This is a story that was MEANT to be listened to, so it works well as an audio book. I loved the way certain phrases were repeated - it lent a rhythmic feel to the story.

Rebecca liked The Iliad better than The Odyssey but I have to disagree with her on that. I did enjoy both books, but there was more story in the 2nd book and I liked that.

So there you have it - short and sweet. If you'd like more info on The Odyssey be sure to check out this link: http://www.shmoop.com/odyssey/

(For how this relates to the tv show LOST check out my post here.)

Ines of My Soul

Ines of My Soul
by Isabel Allende
audio book: 12.5 hours
originally written in Spanish

*** About the Book ***

Ines Suarez was born in 1507 in Spain and became a conquistadora in the conquest of Chile in the 1530s-1540s. This book tells the story of her life from her childhood in Spain and her first marriage, through her journey to the Americas and her life as a mistress, to her part in the conquest of Chile and her final marriage. AND … it is all based on historical fact. I had no idea there were FEMALE conquistadors!


*** My Thoughts ***

It has been a few days since I finished listening to this audio book and my appreciation for it has grown over those days. There were parts of the story that dragged, where I didn’t give my complete attention to listening. There were parts that captured me, where I had to rewind to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. My first reaction when I finished it was “ok, this wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t a great book either.” However, after thinking about it for a few days and doing a bit of research into Ines (see “The Real History” below) I must say that this is an amazing book.

Knowing what I know now about the real Ines, I am amazed at the way Allende infused the facts of the story with personality and feeling. I always enjoy learning about history through novels, but the plethora of facts she included (without me realizing it!) is simply amazing. Allende has written 14 other books but this is the first of her works that I’ve tried; I'm curious to know whether her other books are written in the same was or not.

One thing I need to point out is that there are descriptions of torture in this book (the Spaniards, like other conquerors, were not exactly kind to the native people) that may be too much for some readers. There is also a great deal of violence – this was a conquest after all. I didn’t think that either aspect of the book was overdone or that it didn’t fit into the purpose of the novel, but parts did make my skin crawl all the same.


*** The Real History ***

There is a wonderful article on wikipedia.org that details the true history of Ines Suarez. I wish I had read that before listening to this audio book as I think it would have given me a greater appreciation for Ines. I didn’t realize that some of the more fantastical parts of the story are actually present in the historical record. I suggest that if you decide to read/listen to this book, you check out that post before reading, then read it again after finishing the book. It definitely added to my appreciation of the book.


*** Historical Fiction vs. Creative Non-Fiction ***

On the one hand, this book is clearly an example of Historical Fiction. The story is based in fact (more so than most historical fiction novels) but embellished to draw the reader into the tale.

On the other hand, Back when I read CANE RIVER I found that book described as “creative non-fiction”. According to Wikipedia, creative non-fiction “(also known as literary or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.” Basically, it is when you make a non-fiction story read like fiction. I’m not sure that it was an accurate description of CANE RIVER, but if it was, then it is an accurate description of INES OF MY SOUL as well.


*** About the Audio Book ***

The narrator was Blair Brown and she did a good job. Not great, but good. I don’t have much to say either way on her performance.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Is this time/place in history familiar to you? Do you know of other books set in a similar time/place? This was the first time I'd read anything other than history textbook accounts of the Spanish conquest of South America.

Anyone interested in reading this one? Let me know your thoughts!

Here are other reviews of this book you might want to check out:

• Diary of an Eccentric - really enjoyed it but warns about the graphic scenes
• The Armenian Odar Reads - also loved it but was expecting more story at the end (though I actually liked where it ended)
  
• Fizzy Thoughts - was bored with it and gave up after 100 pages

Did I miss yours? Let me know and I'll add it here.

The Iliad

The Iliad

by Homer, approx. circa 825 BC
translated by Robert Fitzgerald, published 1994
audio book: 16.75 hours

This post will be a bit lengthy because there is simply so much to say about this book. I do hope you enjoy it in spite of the length, and that you get something out of it. And just so you know, I'm going to keep referring to Rebecca's posts because she did an excellent series about this book last year.


*** About the Book/Epic Poem ***

This book is a classic in the truest sense of the world. It is attributed to the ancient Greek poet, Homer. [Rebecca wrote about the disputed existence of Homer.] The original poem was meant to be recited to an audience. The poem is likely based on actual events, embellished to include the intervention of the Greek gods.


*** The Story ***

I'm going to explain the entire story (spoilers and all) because I think it is almost common knowledge. Plus the major events in the story are foretold by the gods long before they actually happen, so there are really no surprises in the poem.

I assume that most people have at least HEARD of Helen of Troy and of the Trojan War. THE ILIAD tells the story of one part of that war. In brief, the Spartans have besieged the city of Ilian in Troy. Their attack is in retaliation for the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta, wife of the Spartan king's brother, by a prince of Ilian. By the time the story begins, the siege has been going on for 10 or more years (I can't recall the details exactly). The Spartan hero Achilles has a falling out with his king, Agamemnon, and in anger he decides to sit out the rest of the war. But when his best friend is killed in the fighting, Achilles goes on a rampage and kills Hector, the most beloved prince of Ilian.

Throughout all this, the gods and goddesses conspire against each other to support their chosen side in the war. Their actions are the focus of a large portion of the story.

(Rebecca gives a more in depth look at the story in this post.)


*** My Thoughts ***

I truly enjoyed listening to this one. It was huge and epic and amazing. At times, especially in the extended battle scenes, my mind wandered a bit but my attention was always drawn back when the characters I loved came on scene.


*** Thoughts on the Human Characters ***

Many of the characters are people I’ve heard of before. (Since I’ve seen the movie Troy I kept picturing Brad Pitt as Achilles whenever I was listening to his portion of the story – he was quite sexy in that movie!) But even had they been unfamiliar to me I think I would have connected with them just the same. I loved hearing about Achilles and about Helen, about Ajax and Odysseus, Agamemnon and Menelaus, Hector and Paris (although I didn’t like either of them that much), Priam and Hecuba. My favorite of all the characters was King Priam of Ilian.

One thing though … What is it with characters who have alternate names?! For example, Paris is the Trojan prince who runs off with Helen. But sometimes he’s called Alexandros. Thankfully I’d experienced this before in other books otherwise I’d have been completely confused in parts.


*** Thoughts on the Gods and Goddesses ***

The Greek gods and goddesses play a huge role in this story. They take sides in the war, protect the humans they like, and bicker between themselves as to who will win in the end. This is clearly where some of the inspiration for the TV shows Hercules and Xena and the movie Clash of the Titans came from. (Every time Ares, god of war, came on scene I pictured his character from Xena and I had to smile.) I loved this “otherworldly” aspect of the book. I wrote about these shows in comparison to THE ILIAD recently, and I included videos clips in case you aren't familiar with them.


*** Thoughts on the Battles ***

I must admit, I was expecting more of a story and less battle descriptions. I really liked all the battle stuff but I would have loved more story. That said, the battles do make up the majority of the book and they are very interesting.

• The battle scenes are very extensive and quite detailed. You hear how each man is killed – with what weapon, where it hit him, what damage it did, how he fell, and then “darkness veiled his eyes.” I came to love the beauty of that simple phrase amid all the carnage. I wonder if the wording is the same in other translations?
  
• The battles were almost a litany of names. As each fighter came to the fore, you learned about his background and his family. If you believe as I do that this poem is historical then this is a record of real people. I loved learning about their lives, even briefly. There were so many names mentioned that I don’t think it is importance to keep track of them, just simply to know they existed.
• A huge theme in this book is the revering vs. the defilement of corpses. Each side in the war has rituals for dealing with dead heroes and each side also wants to capture the corpses of enemy heroes. Much of the conflict in the book stems from that simple issue.
  

*** The Audio Book ***

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I listen to lots of audio books. You also know that there are some books that just don't work for me in audio form. When I decided to tackle THE ILIAD I knew that I simply had to do the audio version based on the history of this poem. After all, it was originally meant to be listened to, not read, and I thought that I'd get more out of it by experiencing it as it was meant to be experienced. And I was right in that. I very much enjoyed HEARING this epic tale ... and I don't know that I would have enjoyed reading it in the same way.

The narrator, George Guidall, did an excellent job. I've listened to other books he's done and I always enjoy his style. Definitely look for books that he's worked on - you can't go wrong with him as your narrator.


*** The Translation ***

After reading Rebecca's post detailing several different translations, I really wanted to get the Robert Fagles version. It sounded like the most popular among readers and I like the language he used. However my library only had one version of the audio book, and that was the version translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Although I did truly enjoy it I felt like it was lacking the poetry that the poem was supposed to have. It didn't "feel" poetic to me. Epic, yes. Poetic, no. I'd like to eventually listen to the Fagles version and see if it has a different feel to it. If you've read/listened to it, did it feel poetic to you?


*** Miscellany ***

• Here's an excellent article about the history that we can learn from THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY.
  
• The story ends before the whole episode with the Trojan horse. I'm telling you this in case you decide to read/listen to THE ILIAD - I would have been disappointed had I not known that ahead of time.
  
• These people have too many children! Every time I turned on the tape, another of Priam's sons was being killed. At the end he says that he had 50 sons, 19 by the same woman. Whoa.
  
• I know that author Robert Jordan took many of the names and themes in his Wheel of Time series from standard mythology, but I still got a kick out of hearing the names Ilian (which he calls Illian) and Aginor and recalling their importance in the Wheel of Time.
• I enjoyed hearing about Odysseus and Aeneas because I know I can continue their stories in THE ODYSSEY and THE AENEID, both of which I hope to tackle this coming year.
  

*** Other Reviews ***

If you've reviewed this I'd be happy to add you here as well.

• Rebecca Reads - she's the reason I decided to take the plunge on this one
  
• S. Krishna - she's read several translations and loves this book
• Books 'N Border Collies - says if you are not ready to tackle this, first try AN ILIAD, a modernized and shorter version which she enjoyed
  

*** Your Thoughts? ***

Here are my questions for you, dear reader:

• Have you read this or considered reading it?
• Did my post influence you one way or the other?
• Do you see any value in reading/listening to ancient stories like this? Why or why not?

Of course, you can comment about anything you like but those are the questions on my mind at the moment.

If you made it to the end of this extremely long post, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I hereby award you the Queen (or King) of AWE-Summm!!! award - you deserve it for your awesome reading skills and your amazing patience with my rambling thoughts. Feel free to post it on your blog and pass it along. :)

The Cole Family Christmas

The Cole Family Christmas
by Jennifer Liu Bryan, with Hazel Cole Kendle
74 pages

For my book club's upcoming Christmas party everyone is reading a Christmas book of her choice. Then, rather than a formal discussion of one book like we usually have, we'll do individual "book reports" while we eat. I didn't quite know what to read until Lisa at Online Publicist sent me The Cole Family Christmas - that made my choice a simple one.

The Cole Family Christmas is a children's book about one Christmas in the real life Cole family, circa 1920. Papa Cole is a miner in the mountains of Kentucky. He and Mama Cole have 9 children, ranging in age from 1 year to 18 years old. The family isn't rich by any stretch of the word but they do have enough, and that's really all they need.

This particular Christmas Mama and Papa tell the children they can write to Santa and ask for one special thing from the Wish Book (aka the big catalog). Just a few days before Christmas however, a huge snowstorm blows in. Will Papa make it home from his extra shift at the mine? Will Santa be able to make it with their special gifts? And how can the children make amends for breaking one of Mama's treasured possessions? What will this Christmas be like for the Coles?


I loved this book! It is a wonderful tale of family love and it is well worth reading. I didn't have a chance to read it with kiddo, but I plan to do that before Christmas (or maybe on Christmas Eve?).


One thing that makes this book extra special to me is the relationship between the authors. Hazel Cole Kendle is the youngest of the Cole children and the only surviving one as well. Jennifer Liu Bryan is married to Hazel's grandson. Jennifer wrote the book based on stories Hazel and her siblings told over the years. What a wonderful collaboration between generations!


If you read my blog regularly you know that I have a great relationship with my grandparents. What you may not know is that I write down all the stories they tell me in the hope that one day I can compile them into an informal book for the rest of the family to enjoy. Knowing what I do about the authors of this book made me love it even more, and inspired me to keep doing what I'm doing with MY grandparents.


And let me say that I loved the illustrations by Jennifer Julich. Not being an artsy person I don't really know how to describe them except to say that they conveyed the characters in a realistic but still fun way. They are perfect for this book.


To learn more about this wonderful book you can check out The Cole Family Christmas website.

What do you think? Is this something you'll add to your Christmas reading each year? I know that it will stay on MY shelf, and that's a great compliment considering that I give away almost every book I read.


*** There is still time to buy books before Christmas! This would make a wonderful gift for those who enjoy the simple things in life. And families with young children could add this to the list of books they read together around the holidays. Plus, a portion of the proceeds goes toward the Berea College Appalachian Fund, so it's a gift that keeps on giving! ***

For more Kids Picks click the button above!

One Special Summer

How could I have not read this book before now?! It is so lovely, so fun, and so simple! Its just fabulous!

Oh, did I not tell you what book I’m raving about? Sorry - it’s One Special Summer, by Lee and Jacqueline Bouvier. Yes, that’s the same Jacqueline who later married John Kennedy.

It’s 1951 and Lee, age 17, has just graduated from high school. After months of begging and pleading, her mother has agreed to allow her to go to Europe for the summer, with big sister Jacqueline as her traveling companion. Upon their return the girls create a scrapbook for their mother as a thank you for the trip. Their mother was thrilled, and counted the book as one of her most treasured possession.

Fast forward to the early 1970s. Lee is planning to write a book that will include many family letters and other documents. She and her mother sort through boxes of papers and come across the scrapbook. Too big to be included in her book, Lee decides to publish it separately. The first edition came out in 1974; it was republished in 2005.

This book is simply fabulous! Both girls contributed to the scrapbook, writing stories and poems, adding sketches and photos. It’s printed in their handwriting, giving it a very personal touch – which was the point, since it was a gift to their mother. Jacqueline’s drawings are so much fun! She packs tons of expressions into such simple little sketches - many of them had me laughing out loud. And the stories were just as much fun. I read it in one sitting, in part because it was rather short but more because I simply couldn’t put it down.

How did I find this book, you ask? It's certainly not one I'd ever heard of before. You see, this month my book club is doing something different. Rather than reading one book, we’re reading on one topic: Jackie Kennedy. The plan is to read any biography of her that appeals to us (there are TONS). At our meeting we’ll discuss the various takes on her life, the image the author was trying to portray, and what was left out of each book. While browsing my library’s online catalog I found about 20 book about Jackie O, including this one. I ordered it not knowing what it was, and I’m so glad that I did! I’ll be reading a biography as well but this was a great intro to her life.

Have you read One Special Summer? Heard of it? Tell me, tell me! If not, you simply must read it. This book is a real treasure.

Cane River

I just finished reading Cane River by Lalita Tademy and I LOVED it! How could I have not read this book before now?!

Let me back up a bit ...

Last year sometime I read The Book Club Cookbook. In it are - among other things - interviews with a variety of book clubs, many who have rules for what they read. I read about several clubs who only read African American authors and EVERY ONE of those clubs had Cane River on their reading list. Intriguing, no? Honestly, not really. And that's because I often avoid what it seems that EVERYONE else is reading (I'm not alone in this - check out this post for proof!).

But somewhere along the way, I decided to give in and read Cane River. I figured that now would be a good time, since this book fits in with the Historical Fiction Challenge. By the time I finished I wanted to smack myself for being so stubborn for all this time. This is a REALLY good book!

Cane River is the story of the Lalita Tademy's family beginning in the early 1800s, told in the form of a novel, written after the author left her corporate life and devoted herself to researching her family's history. Genealogical research is tough and time-consuming but when your ancestors were slaves it is even tougher to find reliable records. Her book includes many of the documents and photos that she unearthed; these documents serve to remind the reader of the that this story really is true.

What I liked so much about this book was the way the author presented each of the characters as having different strengths, and how what one character viewed as a strength was often seen by others as a weakness. But as time progressed, each generation built upon the strengths and achievements of the generation before ... all leading up to (almost) present day.

This book truly does read like a novel so at times I forgot that I was reading about real people. But then I'd come across a copy of a letter written by the person I was reading about, or a receipt for tax payment from another person and I would suddenly remember "these people REALLY lived!" It was amazing.

As a side note, I think that the reason I fell in love with this book is that it is exactly the type of book I want to write. I'm not a creative writer (give me something to research and I'll write you a scholarly paper, but don't ask me to be creative) but I am our family's unofficial historian. I collect the stories from generations past and present whenever possible, and I have always wanted to turn them into some kind of book, even if it would just be read by my family. But this book showed me a way to create something out of what I've got! If only I could be creative enough to fill in the details, I'm sure I'd have something really amazing to write about.

For more about this book ...

If you'd like to learn more about the Cane River region of Louisiana, check out the Cane River National Park. The photos there give an idea of what life was like in the book.

After I finished reading I checked out the discussion questions on ReadingGroupGuides. They gave me lots to think about and helped me "digest" this book.

As always, I'd love to link up to your review of this book - just let me know where to find it!

The Shadow Catcher (Nov. '07)

The Shadow Catcher, by Marianne Wiggins (audio) - Ok, I'm not sure what to say about this one. I was a bit distracted while listening so I'm not sure if I heard everything fully. I found the details of Clara and Edward's young life intriguing but once they were married the book seemed to skip ahead too quickly. But here's my real concern: this book is a novel but it is based on historical fact ... so where does truth end and imagination begin? Did Edward Curtis, famous photographer of reservation Indians, actually spend much of his later life as an openly gay man? Did the author really come across a man who had stolen the identity of her late father? In books like this, I really love when the author includes a Forward or an Afterword that explains things. In his Alfred the Great series, author Bernard Cornwell ends each book with a clear explanation of the facts in the story as well as the liberties he took with them while writing. I would have appreciated that here.

NOTE: Another blogger gave me a link to the new DVD version of Curtis's original photographic presentation - it's worth checking out!