Set sail for murder

Friday, August 27, 2010

Amish Grace

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Doug Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zarcher is a book that was valuable to read for me. As a woman of faith who questions everything, it helped me to understand the Amish better, and to appreciate their faith walk. The authors were trying to impress upon the readers that it wasn't surprising that the community of Amish believers would forgive the man who murders their children, and that they even would go to his wife and family and forgive them also, meaning they would not hold a grudge against his family. The Amish community also reached out to this English (non-Amish) family in their time of need, financially and emotionally. This forgiveness offered so quickly was because this act of forgiving is a part of their everyday world, working on forgiving each other. One unique tradition of the Amish is to hold a meeting of members twice a year to iron out their grievances and to work on forgiving the members. The Amish know that it is unhealthy to hold grudges, and one other observance they honor is to refuse to take anyone to court. Although they do believe in letting the police and courts to carry out punishment for crimes, it is the duty of a community to forgive others if they are to expect forgiveness from God. The authors pointed out that it is not easy for the Amish to forgive, but something they believe in. This was an excellent book, easily read, and full of wisdom.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Big Read Dayton

It is that time again to vote for the Big Read Dayton Ohio for 2011. I have read two of the three. My recommendation for Still Alice is as follows:


I have read Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Although this is a book on
Alzheimer's, it is specifically early onset Alzheimer's, in a women who is
still working. I thought the book was excellent, and it addresses the
dilemma that many families are facing. We have not done a book like this.
It is very readable, a good choice to introduce Alzheimer's to the younger
crowd. I especially liked getting into the thoughts of the protagonist and
her fears and problem solving. The reactions of the different family
members was also very realistic. It is a difficult topic, but a timely
one. It is available in Large Print, paperback, and audio book on CD.
From her website:
http://www.lisagenova.com/
There is a list of awards for the book. The author is also listed as an
actress and speaker.
# 6 Top book group favorite of 2009 by Reading Group Choices
I think it is worth considering.

My recommendation for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is as follows:
 
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The Author, Rebecca Skloot, took ten years to research her book, and her compassion and personal attachment to the family really made the book more interesting. I also posted my review this year.

Eat This Book

Erica Bauermeister has written a slow, mouth watering novel about a cooking school in California. Hidden in the back of Lillian's restaurant, a group of strangers learn about Lillian's philosophy of cooking. Beautifully written, with richly drawn characters, it is a slow-paced novel for the foodie. We learn about each participant, but to be honest, not much plot. Delicious for a hot summer evening on the porch. I hope to see more from this author, as this is her debut.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Read-a-Likes for Little Heathens

In preparing a list of read-a-likes, I have included books that are either about the Great Depression, or about rural families.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: a Memoirby Bill Bryson, the story of his childhood in the fifties, with all the humor and candid observations that have made him a popular author, a feel-good book
This Heavy Silence by Nicole Mazzarella, a slice of farm life in Ohio in the 60's
Starting Over by Robin Pilcher, farm life in Scotland, with familiar realtionships going under changes
The White Earth by Andrew McGahan, a serious study of Austrailia, especially of the farm tragedy that haunts the storyteller from his early years
Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles, a story of the Great Depression in Central Texas through the eyes of four women
A Student of Weather by Elizabeth Hay, farm life in Saskatchewan during the 30's, jealousy between two sisters, a first novel for this Canadian author
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, life in the circus in post-depression America, well-researched and fully engaging
The Painted House by John Grisham, a hard look at rural Arkansas in the 50's proves that Grisham's talent goes beyond the courthouse scene
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, gives us the inside story of one faily's attempt to eat only locally grown food all year long

April in Paris by Michael Wallner


Michael Wallner is a screen writer and a first time novelist from Germany. I especially enjoyed his afterword at the end of the book as he explains how he came to write this novel. While hiking along the cliffs on the Normandy coast the author comes across the remains of an old German bunker. He starts to imagine what a young German soldier would be thinking if he were a foreigner in a strange land. As I read the novel I am reminded at how infatuated this young man Roth is in everything French. He has learned to speak fluent French without a German accent and he enjoys his abilities to be taken as a Frenchman. This role that he has been assigned, the German who is hated on the streets of the one place he has always wanted to visit, joined with the temptation to disappear into the crowd and pass himself off as a native, is too much for him. Because he is young and naive he is unaware of the full danger he has exposed himself to. Because the novel takes place toward the end of the war, this is an unrealistic premise. He should have been more aware of the unrelenting brutality of the German soldiers against the traitors. Another good read about World War II.
I am reading a very fascinating book about World War II by Mary Lee Settle. Mary Lee Settle was an American author from West Virginia who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, O Beulah Land in 1956. This book, All the Brave Promises: The Memories of Aircraft Woman 2nd Class 2146391 (1966), is the story of a young American girl who is living in New York and she meets up with young British women who convince her to join the war effort before America declares war. She joins the war in England, as an aircraft woman 2nd class, in the country side of England with anti-air attack radar devices. For a person like me who is infatuated with World War II, it was an excellent book. It allows me to live vicariously the dangerous and interesting life of the British women in 1940's. Women were conscripted for war work, either in factories or behind the scenes in the military. It was difficult to live in crowded quarters with very little freedom. I had heard of the Land Girls, women who were recruited for farm work to keep the British from starving during the war, but I had not known that this was not a volunteer effort by the women. Everyone was needed to win the war, and Ms. Settle does a good job in relating how she endured the war in Britiain as an American citizen. Her experience of the crossing of the Atlantic in a convoy was harrowing.

Southern Cross by Jim DeBrosse

I wanted to read one of Jim DeBrosse's fiction books after I heard such great things about his writing. He is a writer for the Dayton Daily News, and maybe soon to retire. He is also the author of the book, The Secret in Building 26: the untold story of America's ultra war against the U-boat Enigma codes. The book I finished this summer was Southern Cross, a Rick Derek mystery, written in 1994. Rick Derek is a journalist going undercover on the boat, Southern Cross, in the Caribbean to investigate the diappearance of a young heir to the wealth of a Cincinnati family. He and his photographer get involved as more murders take place. Taut writing, with page-turning plot. Surprise ending. Well-written. I'm always up for a good mystery.

crazy summer

I have been reading, honestly, I just haven't been posting. I have been traveling, and when I get back to work, I am playing catch up. I slept for four days this weekend, and then one half day back to normal undid all my relaxation and I came home dog tired and didn't read anything.
The book for Booklover's Book Discussion is Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald B Kraybill et.all. That is coming up on August 23 at 7 p.m. I like the quote by Bill Moyers, Public Affairs Television, "A story our polarized country needs to hear: It is still grace that saves." I hope that we will have a lively discussion. The discussion questions are from the home page of the book. "All author royalties are going to Mennonite Central Committee for their ministries to children." The Fetzer Institute is noted on the home page of the book. "The Fetzer Institute advances love and forgiveness as powerful forces that can transform the human condition." The connection to the home page of the book is linked in the title of this blog page. I hope that you will have a chance to look over the discussion material before coming to the library for our meeting. Anyone is welcome, as we are always growing and changing in our group.