What are we reading? July 2021 Edition
Annie Deighnaugh
2 years ago
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What are we reading? July 2020 edition
Comments (119)"I also have access to 2 library systems. ( we moved, and my old library system access still works! don't tell!!!)." That may be perfectly allowable although certainly unlikely to be enforced since most cards do expire after a few years and need to be renewed. Something I've mentioned before is that in many states, residents are granted library card privileges for library systems in other cities and towns of the state they live in. California offers this, parts of NY state do too. In California, unless special accommodations have been made because of current circumstances, it may be more difficult right now because library card applications need to be made in person. (I have 10 and they can be renewed by phone when they periodically expire). Getting new cards is a bit more of a challenge since many libraries are closed. The NY Public Library, which has a very extensive Overdrive collection, allows remote card application and internet borrowing for in-state residents using its app SimplyE. Call your regional libraries to see what can be done, if interested. Another way to get access to different Overdrive collections, as an example, is to exchange library card numbers with friends who live elsewhere. I myself have three such accounts with people I know in different cities in other parts of the US. The advantage of the multiple card approach is that the popularity of books, the number of copies of any one particular title purchased and made available, and indeed which books are chosen to provide vary from library to library. More often than not, when I'm looking for a particular title, it's not unusual to find a 12 week or longer wait at one large library and immediate availability at another. Or, for books of lesser popularity, I may check 4 different libraries to find the book isn't in their Overdrive subscription and then the 5th library I check will have it....See MoreWhat are we reading -- Feb 2021 Edition
Comments (94)Bunny, thanks for sharing your thoughts about The Four Winds. It’s been sitting on my kindle as a library loan for over a week but I’m torn as to whether I want to read it. The historical background interests me, and I love reading books that teach me about something I didn’t previously know. I think Hannah’s books are written to have broad appeal, and as a result, not necessarily be well written. I read The Nightingale and though I enjoyed it, I think I gave it a 3 star rating as I had to suspend belief for certain things that happened. Same with The Great Alone. I was incredibly disappointed with how that one ended, among other things. I have also had the same experience with the Amazon First Reads selections - many are poorly written yet get rave reviews. One book that people constantly rave about is The Tattooist of Auschwitz, another book that was written to appeal to the masses. I felt it read like a screenplay, and some parts were downright unbelievable, even though it was based on a real life story. To me, it was awful (I later found out the author was actually a screenwriter - now it made sense!) I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction, and have read many better books than Nightingale and Tattooist,, but these books are much more popular. I haven’t decided whether I will end up reading The Four Winds. I have three other hardback library books to get through and two others from the library waiting to be checked out on my kindle. I may let it go back unread since I have enough to keep me occupied for now. Had these others not suddenly become available in the meantime, I probably would have read it for sure. But I did wonder if the reviews on Goodreads were a lot of hype so thanks for the honest review!...See MoreWhat are we reading? April 2021 Edition
Comments (64)Just finishing The Upside of Hunger, an excellent true tale that has been hard to put down. Though part of it takes place during WWII, that is not the primary focus of the story. From Amazon: Book Overview This description may be from another edition of this product. "Beautiful, shocking, at times painful... the magnificently told story of a man who triumphed over the limitations of history to become his greatest self."Fans of All the Light We Cannot See, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this riveting true story of history, suspense, and beating the odds.The life he was born into was too small for Adam Baumann. But would escaping Hungary cost him everything?Based on a true story shared with the author over 400+ recorded interviews, this is the epic tale of a young man's survival as the world plunged into the darkest days of WW2.Growing up in an isolated village in eastern Hungary between the great wars, Adam couldn't remember a time he hadn't yearned for more excitement, more freedom, and often more food. Locked up for theft at age nine, Adam's life took one tumultuous turn after another as Hitler plunged Europe into war.From a 12-year-old runaway searching for food, to a 15-year-old shivering in the mud of a frozen foxhole on the Eastern Front, Adam's survival hung in the balance. When a Russian bullet found it's mark, Adam was catapulted into a series of captures and narrow escapes from enemy forces while Europe reeled from the final destruction and horror of WW2.Never standing still, Adam struggled through war-torn landscapes to find his family, and began to build a life from the ashes, until the results of a medical examination at an American Embassy in Germany changed the course of his future forever....See MoreWhat are we reading? Sept 2021 Edition
Comments (104)Finished The Girl with the Louding Voice. About a 14 year-old girl in Nigeria, a tiny twig of a girl refusing to curl up and die in the face of unspeakable horrors. What a dynamite of a book! Heartbreaking at times yet so uplifiting and inspiring. The powerful, piercing, raw language is a fitting voice for the main character — her unbreakable spirit, her searing but unschooled mind, her naive but resourceful ways. I think the story is a believable one, and unfortunately even a common one. I shared an apartment with a Nigerian roommate in grad school. This was 35 years ago and she was from Lagos. Though we are not close friends, I got to know her well and have kept in touch with her. I believe the values and norms of the society described in the book are — unfortunately — accurate ane prevalent even now. The treatment of hired help in the book rang true too. I grew up in India though I’ve lived all my adult life in the US. The dynamics of the wealthy and the working class in the book is, I’m ashamed to say, prevalent in India too, though it’s changing. Finally, the power of education to lift lives out of poverty and oppression can never be as real to others as someone gripped by unspeakable desperation. I come from a relatively privileged background and can’t pretend to understand the life of someone like Odunni in the book, but it was education that allowed me an escape from the vise of patriarchy. Feminism is not a fancy notion, a notion many struggling women around the world don’t even know about. It’s simply a woman’s rejection of her lot in life and her fight to survive. It’s as simple and real as that. The book lays it bare in the most unadorned way. I teared up occasionally. My heart swelled with thrill and pride for the little girl at other times. I laughed out loud at her cheeky little obervations. She will stay with me for a long, long time. salon, faftris, 4kids, thanks for the recommendation. This book is an unforgettable experience. Loved it. 4.5 stars....See MoreOutsidePlaying
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