We Are Water
Near the end of this book, there's talk of a study where brain scientists studied the MRIs of subject when they read fiction. They apparently found that the brain was stimulated through reading fiction in much the same way as it was if the reader was actually experiencing the scenarios described in the book. However with reading, the reader is given the opportunity to get inside the character's head through the narrative. This hones the reader's ability for empathy.
This book is Wally Lamb at his best. He tackles subjects that are hard. The writing is so vivid, it really does feel like you're experiencing the story, to some degree. In the squirmier parts, I actually felt clammy and could feel my pulse racing! And you know, you might think you have a cut and dried opinion on certain subjects, but what about the back story? Suffice it to say that there are some things that make it hard to sympathize or empathize but others, well sometimes you can be surprised where your mind goes!
Secrets, especially dark secrets, can be so destructive. The fallout affecting so many, so deeply. Like his other books, Wally Lamb tells a raw searing tale that will stick with you for a very long time! Such a good book!!
Still Life
Uh oh, I'm hooked on a new series!! So many books, so little time!
At any rate, this is a good crime drama with a great lead detective character. The story progresses smoothly with strong supporting characters. While you may guess who the murderer is (I was pretty sure but not certain), you find that the reasons aren't entirely obvious, but make sense when revealed. I also really liked the story behind the title, Still Life. I had actually highlighted that part of the book, before it gets referenced at the end.
There are now 11 books in the series. I'll definitely be reading the second one and, I suspect, 3 through 11 and any more that may follow!
 - Louise Penny)
 - Louise Penny)
10:04
I'm not entirely sure what I think of this book, a book that I won on a goodreads giveaway (thank you again for another thought provoking read).
I had a very hard time getting into the book, as the writing style seemed a bit disjointed (multi-comma'd and very long sentences) to me. As a result, it was a bit more challenging to stay focused. I ended up reading then re-reading many of the passages, in order to get the gist of what was being said.
The book was intriguing though, the narrator has recently been diagnosed with a life-threatening aortic dilation and his best friend wants him to make her a mother (co-parenting fully encouraged). As this premise is laid out for us, we're taken on a journey of reflection and pondering. I'm still not entirely sure who the narrator was meant to be talking to exactly (did I miss that somewhere?), but the thoughts were definitely relatable for many people: am I worthy; what is my purpose; can/will I measure up the responsibility before me.
Had I not received this book through a goodreads giveaway, I likely would have given up on it early on. I didn't though and I'm glad I kept at it. I may (once I polish off a few more of my ever growing "to read" stack) take a crack at Mr. Lerner's other novel.
The Empty Room
I finished this book just after hearing about the passing of Robin Williams. I can't help but draw parallels between the sadness and misery of severe depression and that of severe addiction. The two are so incredibly related. The feeling of powerlessness is completely overwhelming and sometimes, the only solution seems to be to kill the misery. Unfortunately for some, the death of misery is also the death of a life.This book captures that kind of searing misery, the supreme despair that is found at the bottom of a bottle and heavily laden with demons and denial. It is said that an addict of any stripe needs to find their bottom before they can crawl out of the pits of their personal hell. Ms. Davis does an incredible job of taking us on the last crawl to the bottom for Colleen, the protagonist of this book. I suspect this is largely due to her own experience at the bottom.
For anyone whose ever struggled with alcohol or has been related to someone whose struggled with alcohol, they'll understand the pain of this book and will likely find it as incredible and disturbing as I did!!!
2
The Time in Between
Thinking of something to say about his book brings to mind the lyrics of the song War. War, what is it good for, absolutely nothing!!This book examines the aftermath of war on various individuals. First, Charles Boatman, an ex-pat American living in Canada. He fought in Vietnam and has a longing to return there to ultimately try and slay the demons in his head, demons that settled in after a particularly disturbing situation occurred during a raid on a small village. Charles' children have lived under the specter of his demons and when Charles goes missing in Vietnam two of them head over there to try and find him. We learn a lot about Ada and Jon, Charles children that head to Vietnam, as they attempt to find their father.
This book also looks at two other individuals and their war experience and aftermath. One is through a writer whose book Charles Boatman and his daughter Ada have both read. The other is an artist that met and drank with Charles before he went missing and then meets up with Ada when she is searching for her father.
This is not a happy book but it's not overly morose either. It is a good book though. I really liked the simple and spare style of writing but at the same time, I found what I was reading to be detailed and very visual. Just enough was written to get the point across without getting too poetic or flowery! I got a tad squeamish a couple of times but this was not done in any kind of exploitive way and was actually quite necessary, I think, to get various points across in a compelling enough way to lend credibility to the characters.
I only gave this book three stars though, as I found the ending left me a little flat. Regardless though, I still recommend the book.
The bear's embrace: a true story of surviving a grizzly bear attack
This book is a moving account of a woman who was used as a chew toy by a grizzly bear. Ms. Van Tighem went through hell!! Not only was she fighting the pain and nightmares of the bear attack, she was also in an even more gruelling (well at least in my mind anyway) battle with healthcare and the systems (plural as she used healthcare in different provinces and countries) supposedly designed to help people.It is no secret that Ms. Van Tighem's demon of pain and depression finally won out. The surprise though, is that she managed to endure her suffering as long as she did.
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept
This book is so unlike anything I've ever read. At only 112 pages, I should have been able to get through it in a few hours, but it took me a a couple of days. I found myself reading and re-reading pages several times in order to appreciate the prose and to try and grasp the sub-text. I also went online a read more about Elizabeth Smart (not the one who was kidnapped), which helped to give context. I loved the book. It was challenging and beautiful, sad and poetic. It's no wonder it's one of the 100 Novels that Make you Proud to be Canadian (http://www.cbc.ca/books/books100.html)!
A Song for Issy Bradley: A Novel
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway (thank you goodreads!) and am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.Keeping with the theme of the title, there were two striking notes to this "song" book. The first, was the fallout in a family, when a young child dies. The second is the constraints of a highly controlling, highly misogynistic religion, particularly when one family member is new to the faith (Claire became Mormon after meeting Ian, who'd grown up in the church) and one is highly involved as a "bishop" (Ian is the equivalent of a minister/priest). When these two notes form to make a chord, well, let's just say there can be some serious discordant "music"!!
I've read "dealing with life after loss" books. They often focus on finding a way back to some sense of normalcy. This books is along those lines but I found the backdrop of a strict Mormon faith to add a fascinating element. I am not a huge fan of organized religion, particularly those religions that seem to oppress and "punish" (and by punish I include the threat of eternal damnation) as this most devout aspect of this faith seems to do. I really dislike religions that make women out to be baby-makers and servants more than fully equal human beings (wasn't Eve created from Adam's rib to not be above or below him?)!! I often wonder what it must be like for children to grow up in such a devout, unwavering environment, especially when they go to secular schools. This book really deals with these issues well, I think.
Rants and personal beliefs aside, I loved this book. It will be one I think about for a long time to come. I'm not sure I'm any wiser as to why people choose to follow certain faiths so blindly, but I'm left feeling hopeful that sometimes blinder angles can be shifted, even if only slightly!
Fugitive Pieces
I picked this book up at a used book sale some time ago without really knowing anything about it other than what the liner notes indicated. Once I owned it, I'd hear it referred to by people as a sort of reference point for other writing, but had so many books on my "to read list" it hadn't quite made it to the top of my pile. But since it was included on the recent list of "100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian" (http://www.cbc.ca/books/books100.html), I decided to pick it up now; so glad I did!!
I've read a lot of books set around the holocaust and the fall out for survivors. This book, by far, is the best I've read for it's vivid portrayal of what it must have been like to be one of the "lucky ones" to have made it out alive. I expect there are many survivors who would argue though, that the lucky ones are the ones who don't have to live with the nightmares of what they endured and the knowledge of what humans are capable of doing to other humans.
Many reviews indicated that the second part of the book was inferior to the first part. I disagree. I felt that both parts were excellent in their own way. Jakob's story was certainly powerful and moving but so was Ben's. I really liked how Ben's "journey" was linked to Jakob's but was also a demonstration of the collateral damage related to such incredible trauma.
There is so much wisdom in here as well. Ms. Michaels is definitely poetic in her prose; a lot was left to the reader's own interpretation of the subtext. This book will stay with me for a long time to come. I highly recommend it if you enjoy a deeply thought-provoking story!
Fugitive Pieces
I picked this book up at a used book sale some time ago without really knowing anything about it other than what the liner notes indicated. Once I owned it, I'd hear it referred to by people as a sort of reference point for other writing, but had so many books on my "to read list" it hadn't quite made it to the top of my pile. But since it was included on the recent list of "100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian" (http://www.cbc.ca/books/books100.html), I decided to pick it up now; so glad I did!!I've read a lot of books set around the holocaust and the fall out for survivors. This book, by far, is the best I've read for it's vivid portrayal of what it must have been like to be one of the "lucky ones" to have made it out alive. I expect there are many survivors who would argue though, that the lucky ones are the ones who don't have to live with the nightmares of what they endured and the knowledge of what humans are capable of doing to other humans.
Many reviews indicated that the second part of the book was inferior to the first part. I disagree. I felt that both parts were excellent in their own way. Jakob's story was certainly powerful and moving but so was Ben's. I really liked how Ben's "journey" was linked to Jakob's but was also a demonstration of the collateral damage related to such incredible trauma.
There is so much wisdom in here as well. Ms. Michaels is definitely poetic in her prose; a lot was left to the reader's own interpretation of the subtext. This book will stay with me for a long time to come. I highly recommend it if you enjoy a deeply thought-provoking story!
February
I remember hearing about the Ocean Ranger disaster back when it happened. I can only imagine what it would have been like to lose a family member in such an unecessary way! This book is the examination of the disaster's effect on Helen, whose husband Cal was one of those lost on the Ocean Ranger. The story hops around to different periods in Helen's life before and after the Ocean Ranger's demise. Most of all though, we're party to Helen's reminiscence of her life with Cal and her life without Cal.
I love the way it's written, kind of like the way I think, basically straight-forward with the odd veer off to the left or right and then back on the straight and narrow! The book involves some transitions, they kind of trigger the reflections, and the book ends in the appropriate place.
Very good book, I recommend it!
The Stone Angel
Wow, this was such an a great read!! The book was published 50 years ago, but the sentiments and frustrations of Hagar, the 90 year-old protaganist, are just as relevant today as they were in 1964! I can't believe it's taken me so long to read the book!
And the Mountains Echoed
I just finished this book and turned on the TV. About a Boy was on, a movie about a friendship between Hugh Grant's character and a young boy who's kind of lost. Their relationship blossoms into what can only be described as family; an odd, quirky, completely unconventional family. This book is also about families, somewhat unconventional families, and how bonds are forged, willingly, unwillingly, by blood, by association and by memory. The book starts off with Abdullah and his relationship with his younger sister Pari. Abdullah is a few years older than Pari is is almost more like a parent to her than a brother. He loves her completely. Abdullah's life is deeply affected by the decision his father makes when Abdullah is ten. The decision seems to affect his father as well. The book then goes on to examine the lives and families of several characters that play a part in the story, although not necessarily with Abdullah directly.
The way this book is laid out is almost like a collection of short stories. Each story has a different narrator who gives us insights into the their family, how they were raised, their feelings on life, love and the family/friends they have. We get to see how thoughts evolve and views change.
There is a common thread running through the book that is maintained, which definitely held my interest. However, I really enjoyed the stories and insights of the various characters. Mr. Hosseini has a great way with his characters and getting inside their heads. The characters "thoughts" were all so unique and really left me feeling like I got to know them.
Moral of the story... I loved this book!
The Orenda
I always knew about the Martyr's Shrine in Midland, Ontario, but never really understood the story behind it. This book is more or less a retelling of the Martyr's story and Boyden, apparently, used the journals of Jean de Brébeuf, one of the six priests immortalized at the shrine, in the research for this book.This book should be mandatory reading for all high school students. It's gets to you. I really like my life in Canada, but it disturbs me to think about how we got to this place, where those who first lived here have been so marginalized over the last couple hundred years. Things are changing, I think, I hope! But how arrogant were those first Europeans, to think that their ways were the only ways.
I found this to be a tough read. It took me a month to get through the book, mainly because I knew there was going to be some pretty significant violence and torture contained within. That being said, there's also a lot of beauty. The book's Orenda is pretty strong! I persevered and got to the end and it was so worth it!
Suffice it to say, if you're looking for a happy, sappy story, this is not your book. It is a very good book though and if you like to be moved, this is your book.
