Anna Begins

Sorry Alexi, I didn't see your post! I started my Catherine Ryan Hyde journey with When I Found You. It was good enough to keep me reading her books. I followed that with Walk Me Home (which was great. Muggle liked this one more, I liked When I Found You better). Then I did Don't Let Me Go and finally Jumpstart the World. She writes a lot though! It was difficult, but lead me to read more on the history of Rwanda's genocide. Which, I guess, is the purpose of the book. It was the last story, about 30 pages, that is one of those literary stories that have changed my life. I didn't do a quarterly report for my reading, because I haven't read much. But I guess I just wanted to post that, while I have read little this year so far, lots of short stories, but everything I have read has been extreme in it's genre. To April 1st 17 short stories 13 books 4,030 pages

Woohoo! I almost asked yesterday just how long that book was You read so fast, I couldn't imagine! Speaking of reading fast I am 65 pages into World Without End, which is only 6% of the book It's going to take me at least 10 days at reading 110 pages per day, straight.

Hope you enjoy it!

That's a lot of books! I'm glad you had such a successful read a thon! Wow! And here I think I'm doing good if I finish 3 or more

I started Ken Follett's World Without End today

Title: Say You’re One of Them (Oprah’s Book Club) Author: Uwem Akpan Genre: Historical Fiction Pages: 368 Dates: 4/2- 4/7 Oddly, I have been fascinated by life in some of the largest slums of the world, so I know that is part of the reason I picked this book, that it was set near or in Kibera. I knew nothing other than that. Urinating in the streets, getting high on shoe glue to ward off hunger and watching his sister chose a life a life of prostitution so that he may attend school, an 8 year old boy narrates life from a slum in Nairobi, Kenya as the first story begins. This book is a sad and depressing collection of 5 short stories from different poor parts of Africa, all involving the lives of various children or teenagers. Uwem Akpan writes of dry, dusty and drought ridden Africa, of life surrounded by Savannah. In a country where more than 200 languages can be represented at a market, from eating candy in its wrapper, to rocks in the rice (no matter how thoroughly picked), to the fattening of children to sell, Say You’re One of Them is a portrayal of life that is so completely foreign to anything I can or will experience, it is hard to realize this is actually life for people. Two of the 5 stories deal with the crisis between Muslims and Christians that divide Africa, one from a 6 year old’s perspective. The main story in the book, is of the life of a Christian baptized Muslim teenager, who is stuck on a bus crammed of Christians fleeing secular violence, hiding evidence of his region’s imposed Sharia law and tries to adhere to his strict Muslim beliefs. Even when the local news on the bus televisions switches to 3 frames of different religious carnage, it’s just like, “What the HECK??” I just can’t fathom living in a country with such violence and where what denomination you are from determines life or death. The last story is told by a 9 year old Tutsi girl and is a horrific story of the gore and violence of the Tutsi genocide. I was not emotional with this book, but it did disturb me mentally.

Wow- thanks a lot- I will definitely check out the Cold War books! And what a coincidence, I was just thinking of reading The Great Gatsby as my next read. I've tried to read it before, but gave it up, and I found I owned Rees's Hitler's Charisma. I've read Eyewitness Auschwitz by Filip Muller, but I have read A LOT of holocaust books. I will definitely have a look at the Rees book. Alex and I talk some about History and Politics, so I might ask her as well.

I know- that's usually how it goes. Except this time, unbeknownst to us, it was just the grandparents and us 3, so, nice, small and not hectic like normal, although, I am having a bad bout of agoraphobia right now so I was still panicky.

Aw! That is too bad that you didn't enjoy it very much. I still can't believe how old that novel is. My grandfather (since passed) remembered hearing the radio broadcast! Totally off topic, but can you recommend a non fiction WWII book?

Everyone: Manatee:

I agree Noll, I have seen pictures of Ireland's coast, but had no idea you could just walk out there and take gorgeous pictures like that! It must have been an amazing day trip! I used to take day trips up and down California's coast when I was in my late teens, early 20's, I would've been all over that like sticky on rice Off to grandpa's house, perhaps over the river and through the woods, as grandpa has a new house this Easter. We will be over there for a part Easter/ Housewarming. Egg hunt, egg dyeing, Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies, the whole works.

Do have fun with that and keep in mind, it was blowing readers minds back in 1898 Haven't read of that one, but I posted in your other thread! I plan on finishing the terribly depressing, Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan today and continue to have trouble with my Kindle Fire

Good to see you around, how are you doing? And you finished Needful Things, one of my favorites!

It is definitely going on the TBR list. My mom loved the mini series. I am jealous of your shelves and the porch, I agree, if I had that porch, I'd be reading out there everyday day too- is that in south Carolina? SC was our favorite state, so gorgeous.

Well, I took part, but was unsure how much I could do, so I am posting results now: Thursday 4/2 Lois Lowry, The Giver, 15 pages Catherine Ryan Hyde, Jumpstart the World 194 pages Umem Akpan, Say You’re One of Them 30 pages Total= 239 Friday 4/3 Umem Akpan, Say You’re One of Them 92 pages Total= 92 pages Saturday 4/4 Umen Akpan, Say You’re One of Them 103 Pages Total= 103 pages Total for 3 day read a thon: 434 pages

I can say that Theo James is extremely hot in Insurgent!

This one is kinda sorta on the TBR 2015 list for me. I tried Crash about a month ago but couldn't make it through the sample. Have you read much of his work? Empire might be a contender for my holiday in May... I also have the sample for The Drowned World.

Congrats on finishing Wool!

Lonesome Dove should definitely be on my TBR, wow! It's almost a 1,000 pages What about True Grit? Oh- I picked The Sixth Shotgun because it is a collection of L'Amour stories, the title story and then The Rider of the Ruby Hills. The Rider... was originally a magazine published piece that he expanded, this includes the original, so that is why I chose it

Forgive me, but was it the Grey's or the Louis L'Amour collection you donated to the library? I have the sample to a Louis L'Amour book I want to try on my vacation in May, so I thought I'd ask for a recommendation if you had one. Out of the comfort zone and all. Ohhh- I hope you like it I'm sure you will. I will either be doing The Year of My Miraculous Disappearance or, one of your favs, Becoming Chloe next!

That Murakami I might be able to try, I will download the sample, thanks! Gee, Goats doesn't sound like crazy stuff at all I finished off The Giver, read the entire novel of Catherine Ryan Hyde's Jumpstart the World and started a new book all in one day yesterday! I am now 30 pages into one of Oprah's Book Club selections, written about Rwanda and a Kenya slum. It's called Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan.

I was just telling Athena how I managed to (totally unlike me) sleep yesterday away, despite reading some 250 pages. So I guess I am the fuzzy one. Or my computer is, it is dying a slow death and should be replaced today thanks to Amazon's guaranteed shipping by 8pm! I totally agree about Don't Let Me Go. Noll, I almost mentioned it to you after your quarterly stat post. It's totally not what you usually read, I don't think, but you'd probably like it. CRH isn't what I normally read either. But her contemporary fiction has just enough edge in it to keep me reading more of her work. Plain Truth by Picoult was like that as well. Muggle, have you read any Picoult? Plain Truth is about an Amish neonaticide.

lol a bit of sleeping in on Spring Break Carry on, Carry on... I read 245 pages yesterday You'll finish today in no problem, in fact it is evening, you probably are done already Now I can't wait to hear the answer lol I think Don't Let Me Go is representative of her work and the pinnacle of it, that it should be recommended first, I mean, I look back on that book and wow. What a story and what characters! Maybe he was going to tell you its my favorite CRH My thread is open whenever- I like my thread warm and fuzzy

Title: Jumpstart the World Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde Genre: Contemporary Fiction Pages: 194 Dates: 4/2 My summary: Elle’s mother is way too busy with her lover to bother with her 15- 16 year old daughter, so she sets Elle up in a small apartment of her very own. While Elle resents her mother and realizes she is now truly on her own, she comes to care for the transgender man next door and goes through a myriad of emotions over the discovery. Thoughts: Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books are about outcasts and the deep emotions her characters experience. In this 200 page novel she accomplishes in scope the character development and plot strength of her longer books. A fully developed novel, Jumpstart the World shows off Hyde’s talent- working with common topics in different ways, but also adding in the confused feelings of the characters- either about their own situation or the feelings of someone close. With characters coming out enlightened or changed, the reader can see life a new way or in an affirming way, depending on your way of thinking. And I think that is one of the things I like about CRH so much- she does make you think about other people’s situations and makes you aware, not everyone lives a straight life. Sometimes, her stories don’t end the way you want them too. She writes about the grey areas of life and I have always championed the grey sides of it, so in that, Hyde definitely stays in my top favs. If you want to start with Catherine Ryan Hyde, I say start with Don’t Let Me Go, but if you are a fan, get to this one eventually too. Thank you Gaia, for sharing this read with me!