Perfume, Paris and An Inheritance: Why Couldn't This Be Me?

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Grace's world turns upside down when she finds out she is receiving an inheritance from a woman she never heard of, who lived in, of all places Paris. (I should be so lucky as to get a letter like this!) Grace isn't all that excited about it though--and, she's not sure she can accept this surprise gift. Who was this woman, and why did she leave her money to her? Grace is convinced that she made a mistake.

Eventually Grace leaves for Paris to meet with the lawyers and find out more about her benefactor, Eva. Along the way she discovers some of the mystery behind Eva,and, eventually, Grace also begins to discover herself.

Some of the story was believe-able, and some not so much. For example, I'm not sure I would have had the scruples Grace had as she researched the history behind the gift.

The story switches between people and times and the characters were interesting. It's a little more in depth than a beach read, and a good book to just escape to another place for a weekend.



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Losing Yourself

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so poignant. Some things I wondered about were:

Is Alice a true representation of a person with Alzheimers (ie: is someone really cognizant of what's going on). This article about Pat Summit seems to confirm much of her early experiences.

I found much in the story that struck me as sad, which I guess is to be expected when you are losing the person you love to Alzheimer Disease. One of the saddest things ever was when Alice said: "I miss me". Heart breaker.

The story depicts the changing relationships between Alice and her husband and Alice and her children, and even, really, Alice and herself. It must be so hard and scary to know you are losing parts of yourself. There are so many good lessons for real life - be patient and kind to each other, accept each other and love each other no matter what. How fleeting might be our own memories, or the memories of another. What if this happened to me? My husband?

One thing the book didn't talk about, and that I wonder about, is the financial implications. This family could afford a nurse, and to care for Alice. The story would be so different if a family could not afford that type of care.

It feels funny to call this a "good" story,because it is a hard story, but still, it is worth the read.


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Historical Fiction At It's Best!

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really good book that will give you enjoyment, but will also cause you to reflect. What makes it even better is that this fictional book is based on the true story of two southern sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke. Not only were the sisters abolitionists, but they were forerunners for women's rights and the equality of women. We need to celebrate women like this more--it's on their backs that we are able to work, write and love freely!

I loved how the author imagined the sisters lives, and depicted the lives of the slaves who worked in their household.

The slave issue is not minimized. The situations depicted in the story reflect the anguish of a people being separated from loved ones and the reality of having to submit to the whims of their white masters, even to physical cruelty. Basically, cruelty, whether it is to slaves or each other, is the attempt to extinguish the light that we all carry within us. Handful and her mauma, two of the main slave characters in this story, work hard to keep their light. Of her mauma, Handful says

"Everything she knew came from living on the scarce side of mercy"

In the novel, Sarah struggles with her belief that slaves should be free and her family and southern society's beliefs that they should not. Sarah is a brilliant scholar, and her father ultimately shuts all the doors of learning to her. (Doesn't this just make you mad!) We meet Sarah on her birthday at age 11 when her parents give her Handful as her slave. This is when her struggle begins. We are able to grow up along with her as she learns what is denied to her as a woman, as an abolitionist and as a feminist.

The story moves between Sarah and Handful. We're able to see what they think about themselves, each other, the slavery situation and their relationship with each other.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about the story was the quilting theme. Mauma and Handful are the seamstresses for the Grimke family. In the evenings and in time stolen during the day, they worked on quilts. The description of Mauma's story quilt was inspired from the quilt work of a slave woman named Harriet Powers which is now on display at The Smithsonian.

Do read the Author's note at the end of the story so you can understand the historical bits and the fictional bits of the story. I enjoyed doing some research on the Grimke sisters as much as I did the book!



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Dystopia to Utopia?

Lighthouse Island: A Novel by Paulette Jiles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am conflicted on how I feel about this book. I struggled to get through the first seven chapters, but I kept going because the review I read talked about the beautiful prose. I am a huge fan of beautiful prose. At Chapter 7, I was still waiting for it. I persevered though. On Chapter 13 I had to force myself to put the book down so I could go back to work. Still, for me, the book is really between 3 and 4 stars.

The beginning chapters describe the current world. If it was a movie, I would compare it to maybe The Matrix, or The Book of Eli. The world seems to have been annihilated and people struggle to survive. Water is rationed, people disappear, and there is little hope in this world. However, our heroine, Nadia, is both resourceful and audacious. She has a goal beyond just surviving, and that is to get to Lighthouse Island. She has books and poets to encourage her on her journey.

In her quest to go north, Nadia meets a man, James. They are instantly intrigued with each other. James uses his skills as a cartographer (illegal in this new world) to guide Nadia on her journey. Can Nadia make it on her own? Will James re-connect with her? Is there really a Lighthouse Island?

I did run across some beautiful prose:

"Small traveling elements of joy passed through her like x-rays and lit up all her bones."

and

"an elegant small skiff rocked on its painter as wave after wave boiled up under the trackway, impatient, as are all craft, to be at sea."

are two examples.

I would recommend this book, but know that it will take a while to get drawn into the story.





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The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So many people have been talking about this book that I was interested to read it. This is a perfect book club pick as it begs for discussion.

Why is death such a difficult subject in our society? Disability, death, and any situation that puts us out of our comfort zone seems to produce such banal conversations. I cannot imagine what it's like to have cancer, nor have I known any teens with cancer, so it's difficult to judge how realistic the conversations in this book are, particularly between two young people who are dealing with the disease.

I did like the conversations that Hazel and Augustus have with each other and with their families, as well as how the author depicted the thoughts these kids had about their families, themselves, and their non-cancer friends. I think those parts of the book should be taken seriously, and use them to change how we think, feel, and talk with people that walk with a life-threatening illness.

I have never been to Amsterdam, and would be interested to know if the lovely descriptions of that city are accurate. I loved the cabdriver's statement:

"Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin."

This would be a great discussion point, particularly with teens.

There is a point where the teens have a sexual relationship, which appears to be approved by their parents. I think that yes, teens are definitely pulled toward all things sexual,but having sex before you die is really not going to improve the quality of your life. Our society places so much emphasis on our sexual natures, and really Augustus and Hazel are so much more than that. Their conversations were way more intimate than that actual encounter.

Overall, a good book that would benefit from post-reading discussion.


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Hello You Women of Valor!

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did not expect to enjoy A Year of Biblical Womanhood as much as I did. In my head, I thought it would be like A.J. Jacobs book The Year of Living Biblically, which had me chuckling throughout.

There is also some humor in Evan's book, but all in all it was a bit more reflective and serious. This was a pretty big plus for me. Much of what she has to say is reinforced by what I've learned from the Teaching Pastor in my own church, lending authority to her voice.

I loved how she described the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina:

"Lectio Divina, or "holy reading," isn't really about reading at all; it's about listening. It's about approaching the text as you would a sanctuary and inviting God to inhabit the words."

There is much to like throughout the book, but I especially liked the chapter on the Proverbs 31 woman. The Proverbs 31 woman is like, so perfect that I, at least, could never hope to attain her magnificance.  Evans explains that the Hebrew (eschet chayil) that describes the wife in question as virtuous or excellent is actually best translated "valorous woman".

This is what her Jewish friend Ahava says about Proverbs 31:

"Take Proverbs 31 for example. I get called an eshet chayil (a valorous woman) all the time. Make your own challah instead of buying? Eshet chayil!! Work to earn some extra money for the family? Eshet chayil!!. . . Every week at the Shabbat table, my husband sings the Provers 31 poem to me. It's special because I know that no matter what I do or don't do, he praises me for blessing the family with my energy and creativity.

I find this beautiful. According to Evans, this is not unique. Jewish men memorize Proverbs 31 and say it to their wives at the Sabbath meal. I love this chapter because it reminds me that I am surrounded by "women of valor" every day, and that we should celebrate each other more.

Evans is passionate about the role women play in all areas of life. She did a great job of bringing out the value that woman played in the Bible and as lovers of Jesus, both historically and today. She did a nice job of bringing her husband's thoughts into the book as well.

Bottom line is, we are all, man, woman, child, valued members of the Kingdom of Heaven. I agree with one of her ending statements:

"It's not our roles that define us, but our character. A calling, on the other hand, when rooted deep in the soil of one's soul, transcends roles."

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Racial Injustice Revealed Through Story

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent book - not only was the story captivating, but the relevance to issues for people of another culture (in this case the Indian culture) are still current. I rarely think about the prejudices that other people incur since most of the folks I hang out with are from the same culture and upbringing. Books like this are so valuable for jolting us awake to the problems we have in our neighborhood and world right here in the good old USA.

"Oops", the main character in the story was very real to me. Oops and his friends lived a pretty normal life up until a racial attack on his mother. The way he and his family, as well as his community, react to this was so believable. It was very easy to empathize with all the characters in the story. Injustice always captures the imagination, but since the basis for the tale was based on very real facts, the story becomes even more compelling.

The ending was a little abrupt for me, but it fit with the overall tale.


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