Labfs39 resumes reading and reviewing in 2021, Part 3

Currently reading:



A Delayed Life: The powerful memoir of the librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus

Books read in 2021:

January/February
1. Children in the Holocaust and World War II: Their Secret Diaries by Laurel Holliday (NF, 4*)
2. Baba Dunja's Last Love by Alina Bronsky, translated from the German by Tim Mohr (TF, 4*)
3. The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne (NF, 4*)
4. The Age of Orphans by Laleh Khadivi (F, 3*)
5. The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal (TF, 4*)
6. Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz by Rena Kronreich Gelissen with Heather Dune Macadam (NF, 4*)

March/April
7. Autumn by Ali Smith (F, 3.5*)
8. The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe, translated from the Japanese by E. Dale Saunders (TF, 3.5*)
9. In Search of My Homeland: A Memoir of a Chinese Labor Camp by Er Tai Gao, translated from the Chinese by Robert Dorsett and David Pollard (TNF, 3*)
10. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes (F, 3*)
11. Winter by Ali Smith (F, 2*)
12. The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee with David John (NF, 3*)
13. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice (F, 3.5*)
14. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell (TF, 4*)
15. Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano, translated from the French by Joanna Kilmartin (TF, 3*)
16. The Note through the Wire by Doug Gold (NF, 3.5*)

May/June
17. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky, translated from the German by Tim Mohr (TF, 3.5*)
18. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (F, 4*)
19. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (F, 4*)
20. Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler (F, 4*)
21. The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui (NF, 3.5*)
22. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey (F, 4*)

Books read in 2021:

July/August
23. Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov (F, 4*)
24. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (F, 4.5*)
25. My Friend Bill: the life of a restless Yankee, William W. Streeter by Paul Schratter (NF, 4*)
26. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (F, 5*)

September/October
27. The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel (F, 3*)
28. An Untouched House by Willem Frederik Hermans, translated from the Dutch by David Colmer (TF, 3.5*)
29. Last Train to Paris by Michele Zackheim (F, 3.5*)
30. Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan (F, 4*)
31. The woman who smashed codes : a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies by Jason Fagone (NF, 4*)
32. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai (F, 4.5*)
33. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (F, 4*)

November/December
34. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (F, 4*)
35. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (F, 4*)
36. Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah (F, 3.5*)
37. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (F, 4*)
38. Burned Child Seeks the Fire by Cordelia Edvardson, translated from the Swedish by Joel Agee (TNF, 4*)
39. Em by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman (TF, 4.5*)
40. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (GNF, 4*)
41. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder (TF, 3*)
42. Memoirs of a Blue Puttee: The Newfoundland Regiment in World War One by A.J. Stacey and Jean Edwards Stacey (NF, 3.5*)
43. Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov, translated from the Russian by James Riordan (TF, 4*)
44. Mac & Irene: A WWII Saga by Margot McMahon (NF, 3*)
45. The Folly by Ivan Vladislavić (F, 3.5*)
46. The Self-Sown by Prežihov Voranc, translated from the Slovene by Irma M. Ozbalt (TF, 3*)
47. A Delayed Life: The powerful memoir of the librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus (NF, 4.5*)

Reading Globally:

Books I've read in 2021 by nationality of author:

African American: 3
American: 7
Canadian: 1
Canadian/Wasauksing First Nation: 1
Chinese: 1
Dutch: 1
English: 5
Finnish: 1
French: 1
German: 2
Ghanaian American: 1
Iranian: 1
Japanese: 3
Korean: 1
Korean American: 1
Kyrgyz: 1
New Zealand: 1
Nigerian: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
Scottish: 2
Slovene: 1
Somali: 1
South Africa: 1
Swedish: 1
Tanzanian: 1
Vietnamese: 2
Vietnamese American: 2

Check out my Global Challenge thread for a look at a cumulative list.

List of books I've read by Nobel Prize Winners can be found here.

Book stats for this year:

I've never kept running stats before, but I saw it on other threads and thought I would try. If it becomes too labor-intensive, I will wait until the end of the year as usual. I realize that gender and ethnicity are difficult categories, but I want to prioritize diversity in my reading.

47 books total

25 countries
13 (28%) translations

33 (70%) fiction
14 (30%) nonfiction

27 (57%) by women
20 (43%) by men

20 (43%) nonwhite authors

2 graphic novels

Summer reading programs. Remember those? Although they didn′t exist when I was a kid, I was able to participate vicariously through my daughter and this year thanks to my 18-month-old niece. Over the course of the summer, I logged 697 minutes of reading aloud to her. That′s over 11 hours, and with picture books, that is a lot of books. I logged 82 different titles, many read more than once. The library used this neat app (Beanstack) which made it easy to keep track, although I didn′t always have my phone to hand, so I didn′t enter everything.

The library also organized a scavenger hunt in our town. Participating businesses put a sign in their window or on a stake out front with a picture of an animal, some facts about them, and a QR code. We walked from place to place, wrote down the animal name on our record sheet, and used the QR code to bring up a list of related books in our library′s catalog and put them on hold. It was great fun, although my niece didn′t want to be in the stroller, but wanted to run after her big sister. As a prize the library gave out kites.

Every week the library also gave each kid a paper lunch sack with a craft project inside. The most fun was the bag with pumpkin seeds and a stake to decorate. Behind the library is the community garden where we planted the seeds. They did well and should probably be picked soon.

Although I would have read to my niece anyway (I have her during the week so my sister can go back to work), it was fun to track and the scavenger hunt was an interesting way to familiarize the kids with our town. I can′t wait for next year!

11 hours is certainly a lot of picture books!

>7 labfs39: Ah, so fun! My kids always enjoy the summer reading programs that our library and school comes up with. I'm still reading out loud at night to my 8 year old, but my 11 year old just put an end to it this summer. He loves to read on his own, though, so I'm happy about that!

I love that you’re tracking what you read to your niece. I miss those days.

>7 labfs39: That sounds like a great summer program, Lisa. Normally, our library does similar stuff, but this year, they skipped any in-person stuff.

>8 AlisonY: 11 hours is certainly a lot of picture books!

Definitely! Especially when she will sometimes ask me to read a favorite book three or four times in a row. I draw the line at four times. I think she is going to be an early reader. She will sometimes move her finger along the text as though she were reading and other times tap on each word. She's also naming letters.

>9 japaul22: I think my daughter was about the same age when she stopped wanting to be read to every night. I missed it after that. It's fun having a little one around to read to again.

>10 dchaikin: It was fun to track for a while, but time-consuming because there was so much of it.

>11 BLBera: Our library is open again, but not for story hour or anything like that. The nice thing about the scavenger hunt is that it was all outdoors, and the craft bags were on a table where you could grab and go. I long for the days when I can take her to story time. Being a "covid baby," born at the beginning of the pandemic, she has spent so little time with other kids.

Glad you had so much fun reading with your niece. It sounds like a fun program.

>7 labfs39: This sounds like a lot of fun! As kids we loved the summer reading programs. I once participated as an adult and got a free book when I finished.

>13 markon: >14 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks, I enjoyed getting to participate in a summer reading program again. A fun summertime tradition.

The woman who smashed codes : a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies by Jason Fagone

Knowledge itself is power.

So said Francis Bacon in 1597, but it was to become the byline of Elizebeth and William Friedman, America's top cryptanalysts during the world wars. A husband and wife team, the Friedman's decoded more spy transmissions, broke more Enigma and Purple machines, and wrote more how-to papers than any other cryptographers in the country of their time. Historically most of the credit was given to William, but recently unclassified records show that Elizebeth's work was equal to and perhaps greater than (and certainly longer running) than her more famous husband.

In 1916 Elizebeth was in Chicago trying to drum up a job in literature or research. Something unusual, she told the librarian at the Newberry. She was there to see a First Folio of Shakespeare that was on display. The librarian introduced her to George Fabyan, a textile tycoon who was obsessed with finding secret messages in the Shakespeare texts proving that Francis Bacon was the true author. He hired her to work on this project and took her to Riverbank, his estate outside Geneva, Illinois.

Riverbank was a fascinating place. Fabyan had built a sort of scientific commune with numerous labs, renowned scientists, and research projects in a wide array of fields, from acoustics to genetic engineering. Although Elizebeth dunked the Baconian theory of Shakespeare authorship, through the project she met a young genetic botanist, William Friedman, who would become her partner in life and work. When WWI broke out, America had no cryptographers, and Fabyan offered up Riverbank and the Friedmans for government use. Before long all encrypted messages intercepted by any branch of the US government were finding their way to the Friedmans. They not only broke codes, but wrote papers documenting their methods, and taught military personnel the basics of cryptology.

After the war, William continued to work for the army, but Elizebeth was recruited by the Treasury Department, specifically the Coast Guard, who had all the internal listening posts. She became the head cryptologist there and spent the 1920s and 30s breaking the codes of rum runners and drug dealers. The intelligence she provided led to the arrest of large rings in both America and Canada. She testified in numerous court trials and became known as the "Key Woman of the T-Men" and "Lady Manhunter." Later she would call these years, target practice, for the invisible war of 1939-45.

As fascism increased worldwide and America tried to stay out of the war, FDR and others in his administration became increasingly concerned about the threat of fascist governments in the Western Hemisphere. If the Nazis gained a foothold in South America, they would be within striking distance of the US itself. So Elizebeth's ears were trained on Nazi spies based primarily in Brazil and Argentina. She and her Coast Guard team began breaking codes, including three Enigma machines, that proved the Nazis were trying, sometimes successfully, to orchestrate coups and establish fascist governments in countries like Bolivia. In addition, she monitored channels that were providing US ship movements to Germany. This intel would save countless ships and sailors from Nazi U-boats. Although the nascent FBI's chief, J. Edgar Hoover, would claim all the credit, it was Elizebeth and her team that broke the Nazi spy ring in South America.

After the war, Elizebeth, like all cryptologists, signed an agreement of secrecy. She never spoke about her work to anyone for the rest of her life. She spent the ensuing decades tending her ailing husband and ensuring that his legacy was not forgotten. She died, unrecognized and poor, in 1980. Fortunately, her papers finally came to light when some Coast Guard records were declassified, and she started to get the recognition she deserved. She was an amazing woman, and this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the foundation of American cryptology or codebreaking during the world wars. With almost 100 pages of notes and references, the book is well-researched and is a prime example of good narrative nonfiction. Thank you, BLBera, for my copy!

Sounds terrific. What a story. Great review.

>16 labfs39: Absolutely on the list. I had it in my head that it was a different, fluffier kind of book and I had bypassed it completely, but now I think it's something I'd really like to read.

>16 labfs39: Interesting book. What a shame Hoover got away with taking glory that didn't belong to him. I wonder if she'd been a man would he have got away with it.

>18 lisapeet: I think it's the title. I'm put off by the "the woman who . . . " trend. Sounds like the opening of a children's book! But I agree that the book sounds worthwhile after reading Lisa's review.

>17 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. It was a very interesting book. At first I worried that my review was too much of a summary. I didn't want to spoil anyone's read, but I wanted to be able to refresh my memory later on. Then I thought, if someone is interested in the book, this much of a summary probably won't deter them, and if someone isn't going to read it, at least they will have an idea who she was.

>18 lisapeet: I'll look forward to your thoughts when you read it, Lisa. Do you have a copy? I could send you this one.

>19 AlisonY: Hoover was something else. Just a couple of tidbits I learned from this book:
-He fired the two female agents who were working in the bureau when he became chief and refused to hire any women agents during his 37 year tenure. He hated the fact that his intelligence came from Elizebeth, a woman, and tried to circumnavigate her when he could.
-Elizebeth and her team had broken all the South American codes, and read all the intercepts from 20+ stations. So the intel she passed to the US government, military, and the British was like gold. Hoover, however, decided to take down the spy ring, and like a bull in a china shop started arresting SA agents. Well, of course, the agents learned their codes had been broken, so they went underground and tightened their security, bringing in Enigma machines, etc. It took Elizebeth about nine months to break all the new codes. During those nine months, the Allies were blind. The British in particular were wild and hated Hoover's ham-fisted move.

>20 japaul22: Interesting point about the title, Jennifer. It's unfortunate that the subtitle puts love first, ahead of spies or heroine. She may have loved her husband, but it had very little to do with her work after the few Riverbank years. She worked in a completely different branch of the government for almost her entire career (Treasury vs army), and during WWII they were under oath not to talk about their work, even to each other.

Great review of The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Lisa!

>20 japaul22: Yes, children's or History Lite. It sounds like neither, though, so I'm in.

>21 labfs39: Thanks for the offer, Lisa! Please don't go to any trouble, since I can get a copy from the library, unless you're really hot to deaccession/pass it along. Either way, though, thank you for the good recommendation!

>22 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! Not your cuppa, but a good read for us history buffs.

>23 lisapeet: Beth (BLBera) sent me this copy of The Woman Who Smashed Codes, so I feel like it would be good karma to keep it on it's journey. PM me your address, and I'll send it along.

Next up:



The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

>16 labfs39: Very interesting…added to my list.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Lisa. The part about Hoover irritated me, although I'm not really surprised. I, too, liked this much more than I expected to. Great comments.

>24 labfs39: Well in that case, sure—I'll send my info along. I totally get the enjoyment of passing along books (and wish I didn't read so many e-galleys just so that I could send some along to friends more often).

>7 labfs39: I remember being so disappointed when I turned thirteen because at the time the public library didn't do summer reading programs beyond the age of twelve. Now they have summer reading programs for children, teens, and adults, and they've been using the Beanstack app for the tracking since around 2019. I actually keep using the app even when there isn't a particular challenge/program going on; I'm currently at a 422 day reading streak.

>16 labfs39: The first I heard of Elizebeth and William Friedman was in Code Girls by Liza Mundy, which I read back in 2018. This sounds like it goes a lot more in-depth, and I am adding it to my list of books to read!

>26 NanaCC: Hi Colleen, I hope you like it, if you get to it.

>27 BLBera: Thanks again, Beth. It's a sleeper hit.

>28 lisapeet: I'll send it off shortly, Lisa. I hope you enjoy it.

>29 shadrach_anki: I don't remember ever being in a summer reading program, but my daughter did. She actually won the grand prize drawing one year: a mini-tablet. It was fun using Beanstack for the summer reading program. I didn't realize you could use it on your own. Congrats on your reading streak. That's impressive!

I have Code Girls in a box somewhere. I'm looking forward to reading it now. I wonder how it's depiction of the Friedmans will compare with that of The Woman Who Smashed Codes. It's always interesting to get multiple perspectives.

Why is it that it takes personal experience with severe covid before some people believe in it? My stepmother's daughter and son-in-law refused to get vaccinated, saying covid was a hoax, etc. They both tested positive for covid a week ago, but still claimed it was only the sniffles. Then Sunday night, the SIL's O2 saturation level dropped to 78%. He was rushed to the hospital and 24 hours later, he was intubated. He is on a ventilator with a central line in a pressurized room, and his blood pressure keeps bottoming out. His wife cannot go to the hospital, because she has covid too, and is going crazy trying to find out what is happening. She told her mother she wishes they had gotten vaccinated. I bet she does.

They are fortunate that Concord Hospital in NH has open ICU beds and free ventilators. In parts of Maine, and around the country, that is not the case. I know that cases are dropping in many parts of the country, but that does not mean covid has disappeared. It means that vaccinations, masks, and social distancing are working. Please, please, please. If you have not been vaccinated yet, don't wait until it is your loved one on a vent and wish that you had gotten the shot.

>31 labfs39: The human condition - "it won't happen to me" combined with "I know better" attitude... I hope the SIL get better.

I have a few people in my close-ish circle that have the same attitude and it vexes me to no end.

>31 labfs39: I cannot understand why there continues to be so much denial about COVID-19 and the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. There have been hundreds of news stories about people have become critically ill and died from COVID-19, and now that 716,000+ people have died in the past 18+ months you would think that nearly everyone would know someone who contracted the disease, or at least read or heard about it in the media, unless they are living under rocks or get all of their news from extreme right wing sources. (I assume that Fox News, One America News and conservative radio hosts are continuing to spread lies and disinformation, but, needless to say, I don't watch or listen to that garbage.)

This may sound cruel and insensitive, but I, along with many of my physician friends, especially those who care for adults, have lost nearly all sympathy for anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, science deniers and others who willingly chose to play Russian roulette with their lives. I, of course, care deeply for the children who are sickened with COVID-19 or MIS-C, multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood, but I have to continue to pray for patience in dealing with the abusive and hostile anti-vaxxer parents of some of these poor kids. I will also say a prayer for your stepmother's SIL to make a full recovery.

ETA: You may have heard about the recent article in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which estimated that more than 140,000 American children have lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the pandemic, which was mentioned in a press release by the CDC last week.

The Hidden U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic: Orphaned Children

Frustrating and preventable. Sorry Lisa.

Happy Wednesday, Lisa. Happy New thread. Sorry to hear about your family members. How is The Mountains Sing coming along? I have that one on my list.

>31 labfs39: Best wishes for your family, Lisa. It is frustrating.

BTW, there is a PBS show based on The Woman Who Smashed Codes; it was part of the "American Experience" series. I don't remember the name, but it should be easy to find. It's based on Fagone's book although of course it isn't as detailed.

So sorry to hear about your family. I hope everyone pulls through.

Happily, all of our close family is vaccinated, but we have several cousins on my husband’s side who refuse. Luckily they live far away so we rarely see them and don’t have to have a family argument over it (though there have been plenty of discussions through phone and email), but I very much worry for their health. Sad that it turned into a decisive issue.

>31 labfs39: That sounds worrisome and frustrating. I hope they both come out of this OK (and contrite about not vaxxing, if that's not too much to wish for).

Thanks in advance for the book!

>32 AnnieMod: Vexatious indeed, Beth.

>33 kidzdoc: It's especially frustrating to me because my stepmother's daughter is a nurse. She, of all people, should know better. I'm not sure why she hasn't been required to get a vaccine. I think she works in an office setting for a healthcare facility, so maybe that's how she has avoided it. Fortunately her teenage daughter has been staying with her ex, so the girl tested negative.

>34 kidzdoc: I did see that article. Another collateral crisis with long-reaching effects.

>35 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan.

>36 msf59: I'm only 65 pages into The Mountains Sing, Mark, but it's already impressive. I like the structure, alternating between a 12-year-old girl in 1973 and her grandmother's life story forty years earlier. It's also very well-written. Based on what I've read so far, I think you would like it.

>37 BLBera: Ooh, I didn't know there was a PBS episode of the American Experience about Elizebeth Friedman. The Codebreaker appears to be freely available online. I might watch it tonight. Thank you!

>38 japaul22: Fortunately, all of my immediate family is vaccinated as well. Although I have met my stepmother's SIL before, they live in NH and are estranged from the family. I do feel bad for my stepmother.

>39 lisapeet: Thanks, Lisa. Contrition is always a day late and a dollar shy, but welcome nonetheless. Perhaps they'll at least get their daughter vaccinated now.

So, inquiring minds want to know: do you thumb reviews? When I first joined LT in 2008, I remember quite a bit of discussion about thumbs, and people would often post a comment to the effect that they had left a thumb for a review. When I rejoined in January, thumbs seem to have fallen by the wayside. What's your experience?

>41 labfs39: I don't thumb reviews, and it's solely because I just never remember that it's a thing. I wish they'd add this feature to threads so you can thumb reviews as you read them - then I'd remember to do it.

And on your family COVID story, I really hope they get well soon, and completely agree that it's so sad people don't believe it until it happens to them. And a nurse too - wow. Someone came to do a job own the outside of my house this week and was telling me how he won't be getting the jab and that "people who got the jab are getting sicker with COVID than people who didn't". I just had to step away from the conversation at that point before I got really angry.

>40 labfs39: It's especially frustrating to me because my stepmother's daughter is a nurse. She, of all people, should know better. I'm not sure why she hasn't been required to get a vaccine. I think she works in an office setting for a healthcare facility, so maybe that's how she has avoided it.

Sadly, and disturbingly, there are a not insignificant number of nurses in the US who are rabid anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and COVID-19 deniers, including a large handful who care for sick COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Hundreds if not thousands of nurses and other health care workers across the country have resigned, been fired or are at risk for losing their jobs due to their refusal to get vaccinated, including 153 employees of Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the health care system I work for, mandated the vaccine for its medical staff, those physicians and dentists who provide direct care to patients in our (three) hospitals, urgent care centers, clinics and rehabilitation centers. I'm the Section Chief for the Department of Pediatrics in the hospital I work for (Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, which is directly across Johnson Ferry Road from Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs (I only mention this due to your occasional trips to Atlanta), and part of my job is to contact physicians in my department who are at risk for having their privileges suspended for a variety of reasons, including not meeting this requirement. I had to contact two of them last month, one of whom I've known for years, and it was obvious from his reply that he only chose to get vaccinated because of Children's mandate, and was not happy about being forced to do so. The same mandate has not been extended to nurses, respiratory and other therapists, and others who also go into patient's rooms and could potentially infect patients and families. An argument could easily be made that it's more important for nurses to be fully vaccinated, since they spend far more time in patients' rooms than physicians do, but there is a lot more vaccine hesitancy amongst the nursing staff than the medical staff, and we would almost certainly lose dozens if not a hundred or more nurses if the system chose to enforce a vaccine mandate on them, which would make our already bad nursing shortage much worse, and potentially compromise patient care or affect our ability to staff the hospitals.

>41 labfs39: I do give thumbs to reviews I particularly like—the one thumb you were given for your review of The Woman Who Smashed Codes is mine! It used to be common for LTers, especially members of the 75 Books group, to award thumbs to reviews, but that's fallen off the wayside in the past few years.

>42 AlisonY: To me there is a huge difference between those who are vaccine hesitant, such as pregnant women who fear that the vaccine may harm their fetuses, and those who are rabid anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists and COVID-19 deniers. I'll gladly engage with the former group, but I refuse to waste my time with the latter.

>41 labfs39: I used to thumb reviews and used to follow the "hot reviews" page (and was very excited when one of mine got there!) but I haven't done it in years. I think it's because I usually just keep the Talk page open to my Groups and Posts, so I rarely visit the home page. And thumbing a review is an extra click away - I guess I'm lazy!

>41 labfs39: when everyone was thumbing, i did too. But CR just suddenly stopped. Not sure why, but it didn’t seem to affect our conversations any. So it seems that aspect wasn’t important to our group. I followed and stopped too.

>42 AlisonY: I wonder if that suggestion has been posed to Tim and the LT coding gurus: to make it possible to thumb a review from the thread. I've seen some reviewers link the title of the book they are reviewing to their review, rather than using a touchstone. But then the reader would need to know that was the case and click the link in order to place a thumb. Bothersome.

Thank you for your good wishes to my stepmother's SIL. They brought him out of the medically-induced coma long enough to test his neurological state, and he responded appropriately, which is a good thing. The doctors say after ten days of medication administered through a central line while he is intubated they will have a better idea of his prognosis.

I agree that it's possible to have rational discussions with some people and try to educate and persuade and with others it's best to just walk away.

>43 kidzdoc: I am stymied as to how medical personnel, steeped in science, can possibly justify their not getting vaccinated. Maine has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country (75% of eligible people have had at least one shot, as opposed to 66% nationally) and a relatively high rate of vaccination among hospitals (92%) and even nursing homes (86%). The biggest problem here is the EMS system. Paramedics and EMTs are refusing to get vaccinated, and it's a real problem. They have until the end of the month to comply.

>43 kidzdoc: >44 japaul22: >45 dchaikin: It sounds like people are in agreement: thumbing used to be more of a "thing," it would be done more if it were easier, but thumbs are not what motivates our group to review, discuss, and participate. Personally I did find that I spent a tad more time on a review when I perceived I was being critiqued, even if it was only a thumb. But it added a smidge of pressure that I don't miss.

I just watched the hour-long PBS documentary on Elizebeth Friedman that Beth brought to my attention. It is an episode of the American Experience, and is freely available, at least in the US. It's called The Codebreaker. Even though I had read The Woman Who Smashed Codes, and the documentary is based on the book, I found it very interesting, mainly because the book did not have photographs. Although the narrator could be a little melodramatic, the historians who spoke were credible, and the photos added another dimension to an already interesting story.

>41 labfs39: I do when I find a review that is informative and well written. :) of course very often I read the review here and don’t even open the book page so there is that. I feel guilty sometimes that I do not thump reviews more often.

>48 AnnieMod: good point. When I’m a book oage reading reviews and the thumb is right there, I’m libel to click it if i like the review. I’m unlikely to open another page to thumb.

A bit late to the conversation(s). Sorry your stepmother's SIL is fighting for his life. I share your anger. I'm always shocked to hear that a nurse is anti-vax. Or that a soldier is (as my daughter notes, having been in the military, there is a list of required vaccines one gets when one joins, so what's the big deal (I note it's 17 vaccines! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220954/ ).
And a death seems not to have much influence beyond the immediate family. Sigh.

>41 labfs39: Interesting question. Like you, I used to thumb in years past (and I'd also flag a one line -- or one word statement because it was NOT a review). I think I still sometimes do "thumb" when I come across a review I connect with -- usually of a book I've already read.

I'm glad your relative is stable, but it is frustrating at this point to still have these people who know people who have had covid, who still won't get immunized. This pandemic has corrected my former belief that in a time of crisis, we can pull together for the sake of our communities. Clearly, I was wrong.

I wonder how big a factor long covid is in this current labor shortage. The folks I know who have/had it weren't able to work full-time for months and my favorite vet tech is still only working part-time because her body won't let her do more, and it's been at least a year since she had covid.

>48 AnnieMod: I'm with you, Annie. I will thumb a review when I think of it and am reading a particularly good one, but usually those stars only align when I'm on the book page and reading some reviews to see if I'll like a book. It's not like in the old days when I made a point to thumb all good reviews.

>49 dchaikin: Funny how even CR has trends.

>50 avaland: Good point: both healthcare workers and military members have to have a slew of vaccines. What's the big deal about one more, during a pandemic no less? I heard a WWII vet say that he had to have a bunch of vaccines to go fight for our country, now we can't get one to protect him?

>51 RidgewayGirl: To be clear, I don't consider this person to be a relative, but it's near enough though the step and in-law connections to create a tenuous link. My daughter has a very hard time with people we know who don't take covid seriously, because she feels like it belittles the struggles that she and I have had with covid and long covid.

Your point about long covid effecting the labor shortage is interesting. I read an article discussing whether everyone who gets long covid should be eligible for disability, and if so, what that is going to do to the disability system, already in crisis. Up to 30% of people who get covid still have some symptoms three months later. I had symptoms for a year. Fortunately the heart issues went away after I was vaccinated, so I'm off medication and fully recovered. Others are not so lucky.

Sorry to hear about the stubbornness within your extended family. I will never be able to square the logic of anti-vax folks. Glad they have stabilized hopefully are on upward trend.

I happened to look at my book stats today, and I have exactly 2,800 books in my library (not counting wishlist and read but unowned). I love nice round numbers! I was interested by my tag counts too. For one thing, I have almost an equal amount of fiction and nonfiction. That surprised me as I assumed I had more fiction, but I think that's because most of my nonfiction has been boxed for a long time. If my contractor ever builds the rest of the shelves and I can unpack, it will probably seem more equal. Here are my most popular tag counts (out of 527 different tags):

memoir (includes autobiographies and biographies): 476
World War II: 375
Jewish: 319
children's fiction: 308
history (deceptively low because I have not marked most of my WWII books as history, but simply WWII): 253
Holocaust: 195
picture books: 185
young adult: 175
fantasy (thanks to all the series, this number is high): 169
religion: 91
Nobel Prize: 91
French: 84
Russian 82

Have you been surprised by any of your book stats? What are your most commonly used tags?

>54 labfs39: Top Five as of right now:
read (1,642)
library (951)
to read (899)
lib:Scottsdale Public Library (843)
to read:kindle (683)

Which tells me 3 things:
- I still need to add a lot of my paper books
- I need to read a lot more from my own books (see the library number - this is since 2015-02-14 when I finished my first library book since... 1999 when I moved away from my home town). Not that libraries are bad or anything but I do own a few thousand books).
- I need to get my non-possession, non-reading tags systems implemented across all my books.

Not really surprised by anything - but then outside of the kindle ones (which I added awhile back while I was on the road and bored out of my head in a hotel room one week), I had not been adding my paper books at all unless I read them (to read is a combined total of the different to read:format tags...). Oh well. Maybe time to get organized.

What a mess my library is. Too 5 tags:

correct cover: 3,974
@ DHC: 1,555
Fiction: 1,291
editing: 1,156
ECC: 1,155

Correct cover and editing because I once had a plan to go back through all my books and check and refine the entries and those tags were meaningful. But they are kind of dead tags now. DHC and ECC because my library has my books, plus my wife’s, some of my kids (i had to quit that), and library books, among others. DHC means my books. ECC means my wife’s (E for Erica).

I am very unorganized with my books. My most common tags are:
Contemporary fiction
Historical fiction
Mystery
Memoir
Translation

>53 stretch: Thanks, Kevin. He is still on a ventilator and will be for the foreseeable future. He is one of three people at Concord Hospital's ICU that is on a vent with covid. He's lucky one was available.

>55 AnnieMod: I need to read a lot more from my own books Why is it that the grass is always greener on a book I don't own? I think we all have teetering TBR piles. I bought two books today, as though I don't have more books than I could ever read already in the house. Ah well. Could be worse. They could be cats.

I love metadata (occupational hazard), so I find it fascinating all the different ways people use tags. One idiosyncrasy I have is that I tag books by an Armenian author "Armenian," but a book about Armenia "Armenia." So every country has two tags. That alone creates a lot of tags.

>56 dchaikin: I hope my question did not lead to angst, Dan! It's interesting what tags reveal about the sorts of things we are consider important or worth tracking. For instance, whether a book has the correct cover. Lately I've been irritated and crotchety about books whose covers have disappeared. I learned that when I add a book to my collection, I need to check if the cover was imported from Amazon (even though the record might be from LoC), and if so replace it with a member-uploaded cover, if possible. Those darn Amazon covers are too transient.

Regarding multiple book owners in a single household, I have been thinking that I should delete Katie's books from my LT account. Or at least make sure they are in their own collection.

>57 BLBera: Given my interest in translations, I'm surprised that I too don't use a translation tag. Hmm... As for the tag "historical fiction," I struggle with how to consistently apply it. How do you define historical fiction? Any book set in the past? Too broad. Featuring actual historical personages? Fiction about a specific historical event? Is every book set during WWII historical fiction? I go back and forth. How do you do it?

Had a lovely meetup with Lois (avaland) and Michael (dukedom) today. We met at the Old Number Six Book Depot in Henniker, NH, then had lunch at a yummy local restaurant. I came away with a couple of finds:



Snow Country by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. I also own his Palm-of-the-Hand Stories, but have not yet read it.



A Dictionary of Maqiao by Han Shaogong. It's a fictionalized account of the author's experiences during the Cultural Revolution, but written through dictionary entries. Intriguing.



From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women by Marilyn French. This looks very interesting. Thanks, Lois!

>59 labfs39: Why is it that the grass is always greener on a book I don't own? I think we all have teetering TBR piles. I bought two books today, as though I don't have more books than I could ever read already in the house. Ah well. Could be worse. They could be cats.

Amen, sister.

>60 labfs39: Nice book haul and meet up with Club Read royalty!

>61 kidzdoc:"royalty" snort! that was pretty funny, Darryl (Michael thinks he should be referred as the consort, ha ha)

>61 kidzdoc: If you haven't yet noticed, Margaret Atwood does all the Forwards in each book, which is another reason I couldn't let it be returned to the publisher

>60 labfs39: Hooray for a Meet Up, Lisa. These are always so special. I hope we can connect again. It has been many years.

I am not consistent with my tags, Lisa. For historical fiction, I usually use mid-twentieth century as a cut off, I think. I tend to use pretty general tags. If I think I might use a book for a class, for example, a dystopian novel, I'll add a tag so I can find it later.

What fun to have a meet up.

>59 labfs39: oh, I’m entertained by my tag mess. I wonder if there is a way to transfer collections from one account to another.

Yay for meetups and nice pickups.

>65 dchaikin: You could always export your entire library as a CSV file, delete the tags column and re-upload it without tags. Transferring to a new library or replacing your existing one.

>66 stretch: That... does not work as well as you might want it to. It basically will go back to your default source for each of the ISBNs in your export and pull whatever the source says in a lot of fields, messing up most of what you had already corrected once. The import AS-IS works only if you remove the ISBNs...

The lack of the ability to export and reimport without basically screwing up all data had been a major topic for grumbling around LT for years.

>67 AnnieMod: Yeah guess i never noticed that, since my sources for books is pretty monolithic, Pretty much everything is Amazon for me with whatever ISBN it defaults to, I'm a bit sloppy in this regard.

>61 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. The bookshop was vast, and I would have enjoyed spending more time, but the owner would not let my daughter in with her service dog. They had to wait outside, and I was quite angry. We had driven two hours to get there and Lois and Michael one, so I didn't want to spoil the day for everyone. I have since reported him to the NH Commission on Disabilities. Hopefully he can be educated about the law and about the importance of allowing service dogs to accompany their handlers.

>62 avaland: The From Eve to Dawn books look fantastic, and I have them next to my reading chair. I think it's the kind of thing I will dip into, rather than tackle head on.

>63 msf59: It has been a long time, Mark. I enjoyed our meetup near Geneva, where my sister-in-law lived, and the big one at Powell's in Portland, Oregon. That one was so fun. I rode down from Seattle with Ellen (EBT1002) and Deborah (arubabookwoman), which in itself was fun.

>64 BLBera: I enjoy metadata, so tagging is fun for me. I have oodles of tags, including ones for whether I've seen the film or play, know the author, used the book in college, who recommended it, and one of my favorite tags, "bookmark stuck."

>65 dchaikin: Yay for meetups and nice pickups.

I had to chuckle at this, as it could be interpreted differently than you intended.

>66 stretch:, >67 AnnieMod:, >68 stretch: I have never tried to move my library, so I wasn't aware of the import issues. I do periodically download a csv file of my library simply for backup. Redundancy being ingrained.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Published 2020, 351 p.

The Mountains Sing is beautifully written, heartbreaking and uplifting by turns. It′s the story of three generations of the Trần family. The story begins in 1972 with twelve-year-old Hương and her grandmother trying to get home from school during a bombing by American B-52s. They are the only remaining members of their family in Hà Nội, as Hương′s parents and uncles are in the south fighting to rid their country of the occupying Americans. Daily life is almost impossible, yet they not only survive, but succeed, thanks to Hương′s grandmother, who is tenacious, hardworking, and experienced in survival. The story then switches to the grandmother′s voice, who is telling her granddaughter about her family′s history.

Trần Diệu Lan was born in 1920 to a wealthy farming family in northern Việt Nam. She lives through the Japanese occupation during World War II, the famine known as The Great Hunger in 1945, and the Land Reforms that devastated her family. These alternating chapters flow smoothly and complement each other as one occupying army is replaced by another. Themes of love for family and ancestral land, the kindness of strangers, and the value of education run parallel to scenes of betrayal, senseless brutality, PTSD, and the effects of Agent Orange. The Trần family represents both a fictionalized version of the author′s own family and a metaphor for the country as a whole as it is torn apart, reunited, tested, and made whole.

Author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was born in northern Vietnam in 1973, but grew up in southern Vietnam after the war. She won a writing competition at the age of ten, but her parents did not want her to be a writer due to the hardships authors faced from censors. Her brother started to teach her English when she was in the eighth grade, and she eventually won a scholarship to university in Australia. She has written eleven books⁠—poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction⁠—but this is her first novel and first book to be written in English.

It may seem ironic that I have chosen to write this novel, by far my most personal work to date, in English, which is also the language of invasive military powers and cultures. But this language has given me a new voice and a way to fictionalize the turbulent events of my country's past, including those that have not yet been sufficiently documented in Vietnamese fiction, such as the Great Hunger or the Land Reform. I am also responding to Hollywood movies and novels written by those Westerners who continue to see our country only as a place of war and the Vietnamese as people who don't need to speak⁠—or, when we do, sound simple, naïve, cruel, or opportunistic. The canon of Việt Nam war and post-war literature in English is vast, but there is a lack of voices from inside Việt Nam.
-Climbing Many Mountains: an Essay by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

I highly recommend this book, both for the beautiful writing and the story. I appreciate the author′s attempt to bring a Vietnamese voice into American war literature, and I tried to honor her by replicating her use of Vietnamese diacritics. I can′t wait to read her next novel, Dust Child, which is also set to be published by Algonquin Books.

ETA: Thank you to Ardene (markon) for recommending this wonderful book.

It hadn't occurred to me how much this perspective is really missing in the Vietnamese literature. This sounds terrific. (as is your review. I thumbed it - in light of my last comment, which I'm now a little entertained by, hopefully that's not too awkward a phrasing. :) )

>71 dchaikin: Ha. Now a new image is running through my mind. Thumbing. Pickups. Am I sensing a theme? Cue Joni Mitchell singing "Coyote"

Next Up:

I decided to stay in Viet Nam a little longer. I've been looking forward to this one, and the first few pages do not disappoint. Very tight writing with an interesting sense of rather grim humor.



The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

>73 labfs39: 🤦🏻‍♂️

>69 labfs39: That’s shocking about the service dog! I find most bookshops here are reasonably dog-friendly. Certainly the biggest chain (Waterstones) will always let dogs in, and most independent book shops seem to as well. Our dog Daisy has been in a fair few book shops in her life - in fact she was in two yesterday!

>75 SandDune: I'm not sure what the laws are regarding service dogs in the UK, but in the US, a true service dog can go anywhere the public can except religious buildings and public pools (although they can go poolside). It is illegal to prevent their entry anywhere in the US, but the penalties vary by state. In NH where we were, it's a misdemeanor and can result in jail time and I think it's a $1000 fine. I have not reported the bookstore to an enforcement agency, but a bureau that tries to educate people as to the importance of allowing service dogs and their handlers entrance and the laws that protect them. I hope his eyes can be opened, although since he told me he would fight it in court, I'm not sure they will.

Part of the problem in the US is that there is no national registry, so many unscrupulous people try to bring their pets on planes, in restaurants, hotels, etc. There have been cases of pets biting people, urinating, barking, destroying property. And the laws that protect the disabled make it hard for business owners to differentiate or ban the fakes. Fortunately more states are also making it a misdemeanor to impersonate a service dog, but again it's hard to enforce. To make things more confusing, people often think that emotional support animals are entitled to the same rights as service dogs. They aren't. The only thing emotional support animals are entitled to is access to housing (ie renters are allowed ESAs even where pets are prohibited). Emotional support animals have no right to enter restaurants, stores, or anywhere else animals aren't allowed. So next time you see a dog riding in a grocery cart, know that it is illegally taking advantage of service dog rights.

Like so many others, I first learned about Oliver Sacks from the movie Awakenings, based on his book of the same name. It starred Robin Williams as Sacks and Robert de Niro as one of his patients. It made a tremendous impression on me, and I went on to read that book then several of his others, such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, An Anthropologist on Mars, and The Mind's Eye.

If you are not familiar with Sacks, he was a neuroscientist who observed and interacted with patients with a wide variety of neurological differences. He then wrote books which were essentially their case histories. Temple Grandin feels that he was the first person to really understand what she was feeling. When speaking of his work, she said he was like the Hubble Telescope, but observing people not the stars. Without his observations, the theorists and hypothesis makers/testers would not be able to do their work. Atul Gawande says he learned about the truth in life that doesn't exist in textbooks and what it means to be a good doctor from Oliver Sacks.

Someone here, and I am sorry to say I forgot who, recommended the documentary, "Oliver Sacks: His Own Life." I just finished watching it and wanted to add a recommendation as well. (The observations from Grandin and Gawande are from the documentary.) I had no idea the personal struggles that he had with drug addiction, homophobia, shyness, and desire for professional recognition. He gave exclusive interviews for the documentary just weeks after receiving his diagnosis of terminal cancer, and he died a few months later in 2015. He was a brilliant person, not without faults, whose ability to empathize allowed him to examine the boundaries of consciousness and the brain in a very personal, yet scientific way.

>76 labfs39: Yes, the law is pretty much the same here when it comes to service dogs I think. But we don’t really have the concept of emotional support animals so much. But when I was referring to dogs in bookshops, I meant that most bookshops I come across will let all dogs in, not just service dogs.

>78 SandDune: Yes, most bookstores seem to be feline and canine friendly. Given that this bookshop was in an old barn out in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure why he was so adamant about denying entry.

Ages ago I read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and was fascinated - although I always wondered what was going on behind these oddball stories. A good doctor or only a good story teller. I also listened Gratitude (~40 minutes long), which I found really interesting. Thanks for noting the documentary.

The Mountains Sing sounds wonderful, Lisa. I'll add it to my list. I am a huge fan of Sacks. He was an amazing man.

>77 labfs39: I keep meaning to watch this. I have it in my head that it was Caroline McElwee from the 75ers who mentioned it recently, but I may be wrong.

>80 dchaikin: A good doctor or only a good story teller

That is the contradiction that defined Oliver Sack's professional life it seems. At first "real" doctors, or at least neuroscientists, pooh-poohed him. A doctor who spends more time listening to his patients than "treating" them? Over time, I think it has become apparent to a larger segment of the medical community that listening is a form of treatment, especially to the neuro-atypical.

Early in his life, Sacks had to choose between pursuing literary interests or scientific ones in college. He chose science. But one of the achievements of his life, I think, was in being able to find a way to use both of his talents. I admire people who are able to create their own path. In the documentary, a medical school administrator (of Columbia Med School, perhaps?) said that a large majority of students applying to the neuroscience department mentioned Sacks and that he was a reason that they were choosing that field. Imagine being an inspiration to an entire generation of med students.

He was one of the first doctors that I know of who was able to convey information about medicine to the masses in a way that was accessible and interesting. Some find this off-putting, as though it lowers medical standards to be understandable to the lay person. Others like Atul Gawande, who was effusive of his praise of Sacks, have chosen to continue his legacy and write their own books demystifying medicine. I have found the books of his that I have read to be compassionate toward his patients, and his efforts to be motivated by an attempt to create bridges of understanding.

For me, the biggest question is whether he exploited his patient's stories. There is a famous line from a critic to the effect that Sacks mistook his patients for a literary career (playing off his book title The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat). In a Guardian interview, Sacks said, "I would hope that a reading of what I write shows respect and appreciation, not any wish to expose or exhibit for the thrill," he sighs, "but it's a delicate business." I think his motive is important when considering this question. I think it all stems from his strong belief in the importance of the case history, built from countless interactions with the patient, all carefully documented. When his use of L-DOPA with the sleeping sickness patients had such astonishing results, so much so that they were doubted, he wrote about them in Awakenings. The book and subsequent movie touched a chord with people, like me, and I will never forget them. His books make me think about what it means to be sentient, to be alive, to be human. I have a greater appreciation for the amazing diversity and resilience of the human mind.

I haven't read Sacks in years, but the documentary made me think about him and his work, and I have a new appreciation for what he accomplished after learning about the struggles in his personal life: being evacuated during the blitz to a boarding school where he was beaten, his brother first evidencing schizophrenia after that, his mother's treatment of him upon learning he was homosexual, etc.

Anywho, that's my two cents. Thanks for recommending Gratitude, I haven't read that one, but will look for it.

>81 BLBera: I hope you like The Mountains Sing, if you get to it, Beth. I have Ardene (markon) to thank for that recommendation.

>82 AlisonY: Yes... Caroline, that's who recommended the Sacks biography. Thanks, Allison. I hope you get to watch it, I found it inspiring, as you can tell from my blathering on about it!

>83 labfs39: such a nice post and tribute to Sacks (and to that documentary).

Oof. I just finished reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Wow. The last third is a killer, which I read straight through. I was going to read Homegoing next, but I am desperately in need of something happy. Any suggestions?

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Published 2015, 403 p.

″They cannot represent themselves, they must be represented.″ Marx spoke of the oppressed class that was not politically conscious enough to see itself as a class, but was anything ever more true of the dead…?

Much has been written about the Vietnam War, but the vast majority of the voices heard in America are American. Nguyen′s novel is an attempt to give another perspective, yet that perspective is of someone who came to the states as a child and lost no family in the war. So although his name is Vietnamese, his approach is academic, not biographical.

The entire novel′s tension rests on the dichotomies of a character who is half-French and half-Vietnamese, a Viet Cong soldier in a ARVN uniform, American-educated but Vietnamese-born, trained by the CIA to interrogate the very revolutionaries he is trying to save.

I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds.

Thus begins the novel and the protagonist′s confession. He is in an isolation cell writing for an unknown commandant—not an auspicious beginning. His story begins with the fall of Saigon and his escape with his commanding officer, a general in the South Vietnamese secret police. Although he has been serving the general for years and is a trusted aide, he is actually a mole for the North Vietnamese communist army. His handler orders him to leave the country with the general and continue reporting on the general′s activities, and any attempts to rekindle the war, from America. The plot bogs down a bit in the middle, but picks up again for an intense, page-turning ending.

Nguyen′s writing is clever and darkly humorous. I often stopped and reread a sentence simply for the pleasure of the construction. The book has elements of metafiction: a self-conscious novel that is written as a confession by a narrator whose life is a lie. The war is being recast as a movie starring American heroes and nameless, unspeaking Vietnamese extras, on the one hand, and as a communist victory for the people by political commissars in the reeducation camps, on the other. Readers of Invisible Man and The Quiet American will find echoes throughout, as will watchers of Apocalypse Now. Nguyen tackles issues of identity, race, representation, and both individual and societal culpability head on, sparing no one—American, South Vietnamese, or communist—from his glare.

>87 labfs39: That sounds interesting in a weird way.

Great review. Thumb clicked. And I need to read IM and TQA.

>88 AnnieMod: >89 dchaikin: Thanks, Annie and Dan.

Next Up:



Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Hi Lisa, stopping by to say hi.

I noticed you read An Untouched House by the uber-pessimistic author W.F. Hermans. I have not read this novella, but I have read other books and I like them a lot. Hermans was renowned for his sharp pen, but his books are very thought provoking.

>16 labfs39: - I'm intrigued by that one. Your review reminded me of a movie I saw earlier this year that was based on the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and that I really liked.

>54 labfs39: - Interesting talk about the tags. I love metadata, but I'm a bit fickle with them here on LT. I probably should update them first and then try to keep them up to date. One day...

>70 labfs39: - As glowing as your review is, I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a sad war-story right now. Such a pity that some of the best books deal with such horrible stories.

>77 labfs39: - I was indeed one of those who first learned about Oliver Sacks from the movie Awakenings. But I never read any of his books. Fascinating what you wrote about him. It makes me curious.

>87 labfs39: - Noted that one. The dichotomies of the character, as you phrase it, are what appeals to me.

>91 Trifolia: You had recommended The Darkroom of Damocles by Hermans to me a long time ago, but when a copy of An Untouched House fell into my hands, it ended up being the one I read first. The Archipelago press edition that I read had a very interesting afterward by Cees Nooteboom. One of the things he wrote about was how the order in which we read an author's work influences our understanding of the author.

When someone is only translated late in life, or, in this case, after his death, something strange generally happens. The organic balance is lost, the reader is introduced to the writer through whichever book the foreign publisher happens to have chosen to publish first. Usually people don't settle on the author's debut, but prefer a book that was a great success in the author's own country, often something written at the peak of their career, which naturally disrupts the order in which their books were written.

That is not necessarily a major problem. On the other hand, it is also the case that the writer, if dead, is obviously unable to travel to the country in question for book launches, interviews, or TV appearances. That makes them much less visible for a foreign audience. If the foreign critics notice the writer all the same, and readers find the book gripping, and if the publisher publishes a second book after that first one, and the another, the readers in that foreign country will ultimately be able to form an impression of the writer's body of work... Still, this course of events can sometimes have peculiar consequences... what is it like to read something by a twenty-year-old after you have already read the books of that same person at fifty or seventy?

It led me to think that if we start with an author's most recent work, we see a fully fledged version, and may be disappointed with their earlier work. If we read the works in publication order, however, we may give up reading them, discounting the growth that the author may go through both as a writer and a person. Certainly the novel an author of twenty writes will be vastly different than what the same author will write forty years later.

What do you think? Dan, you often read an author's works in publication order, what is your take?

>92 labfs39: for what it’s worth this is something I think about a lot - although not in terms of accident of translation and access, but in terms of author development. (See the review I posted last night on Steinbeck…if you can tolerate its length). I tend to read an author’s work in publication order. The benefit is seeing development and understanding the work better. The cost is knowing too much - losing an element of surprise and discovery. Sometimes I wonder if an author is best served by only reading their best book.

>93 dchaikin: Your Steinbeck review is part of what prompted my post above. I was saddened at the thought that you might never read Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, or Cannery Row because of a poor debut novel, which I had never heard of. Have you read any of his other works? Would you consider reading Of Mice and Men, for instance, even if you don't read everything he wrote?

Some authors are one hit wonders and their first book is either their last or their best. Other authors work at their art their entire lives. I think most, if not all, writers evolve as time goes on. Prolific ones even seem to have eras, where one theme or genre is a focus for a period of time, then it changes. I don't know enough about Steinbeck to say whether that is true of him, although I've read probably 6-8 of his books.

For myself, I don't read author's entire oeuvres or works in order by publication date. There are so many authors I want to read that I tend to flit from one to another sampling their best, or sometimes, what I happen to stumble upon. I think I do lose something from not knowing enough about the author or their work, but on the other hand, I can approach each work individually and let it speak for itself.

Which leads to another question: which do you think is more important to you: the author's intention or the reader's interpretation?

Happy Saturday, Lisa. Very good review of The Sympathizer. I loved it too. I also absolutely loved Homegoing. It may have been my favorite novel of that year.

>94 labfs39: i read To a God Unknown, which is a quietly great little novel. I still would like to read those three you listed. But what bothered is not that it’s a bad book - Cup of Gold. It weirdly fails, but it’s still a readable book. But i read it thinking this writer has to think himself special in a way that would make him be dismissive of other people. It was an uncomfortable kind of arrogance he (maybe - this is an opinion post and of the moment) projected that would not go far today, but was tolerated more then. And that aspect bothered me a lot. I’m assuming his later works have less of that.

I read crappy people’s works. Author’s are almost always self-centered and arrogant even if today’s authors conceal that aspect by social necessity, projecting publicly likable selves. It’s still there. It’s in many of my favorites - Toni Morrison for example has it. Others on my mind include Cormac McCarthy, who I appreciate, where it’s extreme. Nabokov, who hasn’t really become a favorite, has it in weirdly annoying ways - but necessary ones. James Baldwin relished in flaunting this (and makes it sound nice). But somehow it bothered me here in this book. Maybe I just need to try another.

>92 labfs39:- >94 labfs39: - Imo, publication order is mostly relevant if you read books from an author's point of view, to understand the full oeuvre, which I rarely do. Obviously, I'm not referring to series, trilogies, etc. But with literary authors, it might be relevant and might add an extra to the reading-experience.
However, I thinks there's also the element of the reader's evolution in this triangle of Book - Author _ Reader. What do I think about a book in my twenties, fourties or sixties? Will I like or dislike the same aspects? Will I pay attention to the same things? Will it be equally relevant or irrelevant? And what about the times we're reading the book? Do the sensitivities of an era add a different dimension to a book? I guess they do, when I read the reviews and comments on certain books and certain authors. But would a 19th century reader have read Jane Austen differently than a 21st century reader?
I guess we all read books from our own perspective, but it's the interaction with other readers that adds more flavour (though sometimes a bitter one) to the reading-experience.

>96 dchaikin: - Author’s are almost always self-centered and arrogant even if today’s authors conceal that aspect by social necessity, projecting publicly likable selves.. I don't know if that is the case for all writers, but I understand what you mean. I also have difficulties reading some Flemish and Dutch authors because I know too much about their infamous bad traits and arrogance. Sadly, sometimes, their books tend to be rather (very) good. But can we really disentangle a book from its author? And where does the reader come in?

More questions than answers here, Lisa.

Great review of The Sympathizer, Lisa. I'll add it to my list of library books to borrow in 2022.

>95 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I'm enjoying Homegoing a lot. The structure is very effective. I should finish tonight or tomorrow.

>96 dchaikin: Yikes, you don't think highly of authors, huh? I guess I always thought of authors as people like everyone else with the same types of idiosyncrasies. Are you saying you think there is something inherent in writing that brings out the worst in people? Or do you think only "self-centered and arrogant" people choose to write? As for Steinbeck, I last read him a long time ago, but I have a lingering impression of great compassion for the downtrodden.

>97 Trifolia: All interesting points, and each one could become a topic unto itself.

For me, the most impactful factor lies with me. Where I am in both my life (the older me certainly has more experience to bring to the book) and my day (some days I do not have the patience for some books) are important in determining how I relate to a book. After that, I think my knowledge of the history (both within the book and the time it was written) and the author's place in history are key. Since I read a lot of historical fiction and literature in translation, I've noticed that I miss a lot when I don't know the history involved. As an example, I'm currently reading Homegoing, half of which is set in Ghana. I am ignorant of Ghanaian history, and I feel the lack. I've googled some things, but it's not the same. I'm still enjoying the book, but I feel like I would appreciate it even more with a better understanding of the history.

I have talked with some people who believe the book exists in and of itself as a Truth that readers have to uncover. They downplay interpretation, because either you know the truth of the book or you don't. What the truth is usually comes down to author's intent. Even if the author's intent is unclear in the book, the truth is whatever that intent was. Perception is irrelevant. It's as though books are frozen in time, and whether we read them as soon as they are published or 100 years later, or whether we are 20 or 60 when we read them, is also irrelevant. The book is.

Although I too like to understand an author's intent, I place a greater emphasis on interpretation than these readers do, in part because I think an author has a context as well as the book. Authors are products of their environment and time, as are we the readers. As an example, earlier on the thread we talked about Gone with the Wind. It is a product of it's time as is Margaret Mitchell. Whether she intended racism, it nonetheless exists for a modern reader. Another example would be regional literature. Being from New England, Ethan Frome is probably a much different book for me than it would be for you as a Belgian or Dan as a Texan. Likewise I'm sure I read Bailey White differently than our Georgian friends, even though I enjoy her works.

Interesting to step back occasionally and think about our role as readers and the context in which we are reading. I agree with you that discussing books brings even more texture to my reading. Hooray for LT!

>98 kidzdoc: The Sympathizer was an interesting book, as was listening to an interview with the author. I think if I had heard the interview first, I would have focused more on certain themes and perhaps gotten even more out of it.

>99 labfs39: i wouldn’t say I don’t think much of authors or that i see them as more than just people, but i do believe they tend towards self-centered and arrogant, and I think it’s related to the process.

I think a writer needs to be bold and confident to be successful, unless they are writing towards a specific agenda. To write simply to have something to read is a tough agenda. I think that’s where the exaggerated self confidence (aka arrogance) comes in - it helps lead to success (and to missteps). The second part, being self-centered, is because writers write in their heads, so it’s natural most writers will tilt towards writing about themselves and for themselves because that’s usually what we think about - you kind need to to survive.

Add that together and you have someone arrogant enough to write about themselves and have someone else read it… it just naturally tilts that way. Most successful writers will have these characteristics strongly in some way. That’s my logic anyway. I do find that the better writers tend to be like this when I think them through - although I only tend to know writers after they have been successful and have reason to have some confidence. So that’s an example of where maybe my perspective is more tilted than i’m aware.

Interesting discussion. I do think reading an author's best book first can lead to disappointment in reading earlier books later where the author's skills aren't as well developed – that's what appeals to me about Dan's reads of an author in chronological order, seeing the development of skill over time, and possible themes that are important to the author. But I tend to hop around a lot – so many books, not enough time. And with translated fiction, you tend to get the best first, and then what the publisher thinks the market will bear.

I'm with you Lisa in that I think readers bring a lot to the table when we read a book. It helps to know history and context of an author's time, but I'm unsure of how much of an author's intent we can know, and think interpretation matters a lot.

I understand Dan's assertion that author's have to have a self-confidence that they have something worth saying and can say it better than most people. That can lead to arrogance; I'm not sure how often it does. And living & conversing in our heads can lead to becoming self-centered. As someone who tends in this direction (living in my head), I hope that my interactions with people – work, friends, family – keep this to a minimum. But you do have to spend a lot of time in your head as an author to get the work done.

>102 dchaikin: I think I may have a more generous view of authors because of what I tend to read: a lot of translated lit from war torn or repressive regions, nonfiction, and memoirs. And within those genres I tend to read a lot about WWII, the Holocaust, and genocide/war in general. I think that many if not most of the people I tend to read are writing because they think they have something to add to the historical record. If I read celebrity memoirs or trendy authors, I would probably agree that authors are more self-centered. But when I read about the Vietnam War or the gulag or the Resistance, I feel more respect than anything. To me, it takes guts to open up to the world. Perhaps that is what you mean by arrogance, but to me arrogance is a pejorative word. I haven't met many authors, but those I have have seemed driven, almost as though writing wasn't a choice. It took Madeline Miller ten years to write Song of Achilles, seven more to publish Circe. That seems more like a labor of love than arrogant self-centeredness. But like I said, I haven't met a lot of authors, so maybe I'm naïve.

>103 markon: But I tend to hop around a lot – so many books, not enough time. And with translated fiction, you tend to get the best first, and then what the publisher thinks the market will bear.

I'm a rabbit, too, and tend to cherry-pick. I admire dedicated readers like Dan and Darryl and many others who are very thoughtful and structured about what they choose to read. Not that I'm not thoughtful when reading, but I tend to read in fits and starts: The Mountains Sing led to another Vietnam book, The Sympathizer, and then a skip to Africa and Homegoing. What will I read next? No clue. Maybe The Underground Railroad by Whitehead, as it would be a nice follow-up to HG. But then again, in the moment when I pick up the next book, I might feel like something completely different. I know, I know. I lack discipline. Ah well. Maybe in my next life.

>103 markon: that is a weird aspect of translation.

>104 labfs39: interesting. My argument gets weaker the more examples you find. For example I was surprised to see how bold Primo Levi was as a writer, but he was well known to be humble in person. Unfortunately I find Madeleine Miller ok, limited. Not bad. Sometimes bold, but, honestly, not bold enough. Neither of her two books were ever going to veer off her style, and her style isn’t original. Not sure what that fits. But note that Marilynne Robinson, who took 20 years to publish Gilead, pushed a lot of things with that novel, some technical (but pushed a lot less so with her sequels).

>100 labfs39: - Or in other words, let me quote you, who quoted me who quoted Thomas C. Foster: You and I know too many different things, entertain too many different thoughts, hold too many different beliefs to see Pip - or any other character - in quite the same way. Same words, same pages. Different us. Sometimes different me. I find that my Pip today is not my Pip of yesterday. As I've changed over the years, I find that my thinking about characters has changed as well... -Thomas C. Foster

I am torn between reading a book either as a solid unit frozen in time or as fluid entity that correlates with time and place. Maybe it is best to find a way somewhere in between, with respect for the book, its time and its place and what the author tried to convey, but also with respect for our own mores. Otherwise, it will become very hard to read older books because we either will not be able to understand the author's intentions or we will get caught up in our contemporary sensitivities. Although I like it when I recognize myself and my world in books, it's often the books with characters and mores that surprise and challenge me, that are the more interesting and enable us to grow as a person.
I resent it when people judge old books by modern standards but I also understand and respect that people can get upset by the language and contents used in older books. A well-founded preface and footnotes are often very useful and necessary assets.

>107 Trifolia: let me quote you, who quoted me who quoted Thomas C. Foster

Lol. We have been bouncing off one another for a long time, no?

I agree that a balance between historical perspective and current cultural awareness is important. I too like books that introduce me to new ideas and norms, which is one of the reasons I tend to read a fair amount of translated lit.

Can you imagine what our lives would be like without reading?

I finished Homegoing, review forthcoming, and it was a solid 4* read for me.

Next Up:



Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

>109 labfs39: Oh, I think this is my favorite Whitehead! I'll watch for your comments.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Published 2016, 305 p.

Homegoing is the story of two branches of a family tree with one sister being sold into slavery and taken to America and the other sister remaining in Ghana. The narrative alternates between the two lines, with each chapter being the story of the next descendant. I found this a very effective structure for telling the multigenerational family story, although I did appreciate the family tree at the beginning of the book. I wasn't sure how the author was going to tie things up at the end and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. Although some sections were of necessity difficult reading, and I wish I knew more Ghanaian history, Homegoing was a wonderful story and a stunning debut novel.



The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Published 2016, 306 p.

Like many talented authors before him (Butler, Morrison), Colson Whitehead adds a fantastical element to his story of American slavery. In this case, the underground railroad is an actual railroad. Primarily though, this is alternative historical fiction, with each state representing a different approach to American slavery: Georgia represents the cotton plantation, South Carolina an experiment in "uplift" and medical experimentation, etc. I found the book mesmerizing and sped through it quickly. I also spent some time researching different events and ideas presented in the book. It made a great companion read to Homegoing. I hope to read more by both authors.

Sadly, another unvaccinated family member has been struck down by covid. While my stepmother's SIL is making a slight recovery, although remains on a ventilator, my uncle has refused further treatment after intravenous remdesivir and the newly approved baricitinib failed to stem his decline. He has fallen into a coma, and we are waiting for the call that he has passed. His last words were to extract a promise from his daughters that they would get vaccinated.

>111 labfs39: Both are wonderful books and you are right, they would complement each other nicely. The Water Dancer is another book that plays around with the issue of slavery with a fantastical twist. I didn't like it as much as The Underground Railroad, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

>112 labfs39: I am truly at a loss trying to understand people these days. A simple & free vaccine could have avoided all of that and yet many still resist. I'm glad your uncle saw sense in the end and I really hope that his daughters & others heed his advice. But what a heavy price to pay for everyone. Sorry to hear your news.

My condolecces to your family. Glad he made them promise, lets hope they follow through. So sorry

>113 Yells: I also don't get it. We got polio shots without a word because our parents knew the horror of that disease. Indeed what a heavy price to pay I hope his daughters follow through for al their sakes. My condolences to you all.

>112 labfs39: Condolences, Lisa. I hope your cousins do get vaccinated. My vaccinated daughter has COVID now; she's a teacher and even though the kids wear masks, they are kids. The school is a hotbed of virus right now. She has opted to have my granddaughter stay home until she gets vaccinated.

I'm glad you liked Homegoing and The Underground Railroad. I liked Gyasi's second novel even more, but I know not everyone agrees with me.

Thank you, everyone.

And thank you, Dan, for passing along Paradise by our new Nobel Laureate. It arrived just as I finished The Underground Railroad. I will start it tonight.

Next Up:



Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah

>112 labfs39: Oh I'm sorry to hear this. My condolences—I hope the rest of the family is listening now.

>112 labfs39: Thinking of you and your family, Lisa. So sad, such needless deaths.

I’m really sorry about what your family is going through.

I’m glad the book made it (which came to me from Avaland).

>111 labfs39: enjoyed this post. I’ve read Homegoing but nothing by Whitehead yet.

I'll watch for your comments on the Gurnah; I want to read something by him but am not sure where to start. My library doesn't have any of his work. :(

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, Lisa.

You're reading all my favorite books now. Glad you like them, too. I'm interested in what you think of the Gurnah. I just finished Gravel Heart and was impressed.

>118 lisapeet:, >119 avaland:, >122 kidzdoc: Thank you.

>120 dchaikin: Thanks again, Dan (and Lois), for Paradise. I'm about half way through. I love reading about places and cultures different from my own, and this certainly fits that bill. Like when reading Homegoing, I am woefully aware of how inadequate my knowledge of African history is.

The Underground Railroad was my first book by Colson Whitehead, and I was very impressed.

>121 BLBera: As this is my first book by Gurnah, I'm not in a position to offer advice as to which work you should read first. I will say that Paradise is relatively short (246 pages in my edition) and is a coming of age story (if you like those).

>123 RidgewayGirl: I can see why these are favorites of yours, Kay. I will be hard-pressed to name a favorite book of the year. These last three titles (Homegoing, The Underground Railroad, and Paradise) have complimented each other nicely.

Well that's difficult family news. I'm sorry for your uncle's situation. I imagine the 'what if' scenario (i.e what could have been if he'd had the vaccination) will weigh heavy on his children's minds.

Looking forward to your review of Paradise, and enjoyed catching up on your other reviews.

>125 AlisonY: Thanks, Alison.

While on Darryl's thread the other day, I learned that PaulCranswick is going to be running an Asian Reading challenge in 2022. I immediately checked out the planning page.

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors
FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
OCTOBER - INDO CHINE - Authors from Indo-China
NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors
DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere

For January I am tentatively planning to read Snow and The Bastard of Istanbul, two titles that have been languishing on my TBR pile. I loved My Name is Red by Pamuk, so am particularly looking forward to Snow.

Then while I was on that thread, I was reminded of the Take It or Leave It Challenges run by SqueakyChu. I used to participate years ago, but had forgotten about them when I reengaged this year. So I checked out the November list and was happy to add my two completed November reads to challenges. I put Homegoing under Challenge #2 Read a book where the title completes the phrase, "I am thankful for..." and The Underground Railroad under Challenge #10 Read a book that can be found at LibraryThing in at least 3 languages. (I was happily surprised to learn that it is available in Catalan, French, Dutch, Italian, and Swedish.)

Do you participate in any organized challenges?

Usually I don't, I like reading what I want at my speed. But I am too taken by the Asia challenge and definitely participating!

Hello Lisa! I’ve been catching up after too long away. I hope you’re well (I’m sorry to read about your uncle). You’ve been reading lots of books that I’ve enjoyed: Paradise, Homegoing, The Underground Railroad, The Mountains Sing. The Asian reading challenge looks great (hang on, didn’t I just read a further up the thread that you lack discipline in your reading?), but I don’t even try any more - organised challenges just make me feel constricted.

>128 cindydavid4: I don't usually either. I tend to read what I want, when I want. The good thing about the TIOLI challenge is that I still do that, but try to fit them into categories after the fact. That way I can still read spontaneously, but participate also.

>129 rachbxl: Welcome back, Rachel! Lol, you are absolutely correct about my lacking reading discipline. This year though, I have been trying to be more cognizant of diversity in my reading. Up in post six, I have been tracking my reading in the following categories:

35 books total

19 countries
8 (23%) translations

26 (74%) fiction
9 (26%) nonfiction

21 (60%) by women
14 (40%) by men

15 (43%) nonwhite authors

Since I want to be diverse, and I love reading literature in translation and about other cultures, I think the Asian Challenge will be an easy prod. And if I don't participate every month, I still think it will be worthwhile for me to follow along and learn about new authors. Hopefully Paul won't chastise us serendipitous readers too harshly. :-)

>128 cindydavid4: The good thing about the TIOLI challenge is that I still do that, but try to fit them into categories after the fact. That way I can still read spontaneously, but participate also.

Yes!

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle.

I also had seen Daryl's link to Paul Cranswick's Asia thread. I hope so sporadically participate in that, as there are some titles that appeal to me.

I finished reading Paradise, and although I did not rate it quite as highly as some other Club Readers, I did enjoy it. Tonight I find myself empty of words, however, and may pass on writing a review. For those who are interested, I think Lois says everything I would, only more eloquently in her review.

Next Up:



Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

>131 cindydavid4: My participation will be fun while it lasts. I need to see if I can find a category that works with Paradise.

>132 markon: Thanks, Ardene. The funeral was today.

I think a lot of us Club Readers will pop in and out of Paul's thread. I look forward to learning about some new-to-me authors.

My condolences with the loss of your uncle, Lisa.

You have done some excellent reading, lately. I had some of them on my radar bacause of my Global Reading and your reviews make me curious.

It's funny to see that you've been browsing Paul's Asian thread over at the 75'ers, while I'm browsing the CR-threads. It's not a good idea for me to engage in challenges, because they seem to be the best way for me to end up in a reading slump. But I like your idea to randomly read and add if it fits the challenge. Given the goals I set myself to read internationally (no, no, not a challenge!!), I will definitely be reading some Asian books. Will you set up a thread somewhere?

Happy Sunday, Lisa. I also loved both Homegoing & The Underground Railroad and you are right that they make fine companion reads. I hope you like Klara. That one is a bit more divisive around here.

>136 Trifolia: there is one here https://www.librarything.com/topic/336770#n7659482

>127 labfs39: I don't usually plan my reading enough to participate in challenges, but this one does sound interesting, Lisa.

My library has a copy of Paradise, so I will get my hands on it eventually.

I loved Klara and the Sun; I'll watch for your comments.

>133 labfs39: trying to read between your lines, but glad you enjoyed Paradise and hope you enjoy Klara.

My condolences, Lisa. What a tough time this is.

I don't do reading challenges because my book choices are either work-related or based on my own weird algorithms (or, more likely, which library holds come in), but I love reading about other folks doing them, and look forward to getting more ideas for good books with that one.

>136 Trifolia: Hi Monica, Once upon a very long time ago I belonged to the Global Reading Group, but eventually pared down to a single thread in CR. Do you maintain a thread there? I'll have to look for it.

I too like to read globally, but more as a predilection than a challenge. I had to laugh when you said that joining a challenge is a sure fire way to instigate a reading slump. Sounds familiar! I think of Paul's Asian Challenge as more of an inspiration than a challenge. I doubt I'll set up a separate thread.

>137 msf59: I'm only a quarter of the way through Klara and the Sun, but so far I'm enjoying it. Oddly, I liked the descriptions of her life in the store more than her life with Josie.

>139 BLBera: As a nonplanner myself, I completely sympathize, Beth. As I said to Monica, I am thinking of it more as inspiration than set-in-stone plan. We'll see how long I last!

My little library here in Maine did not have any Gurnah, but I was fortunate enough to mooch Paradise off Dan. I'll keep an eye out for more, but I don't think I'll run.

>140 dchaikin: Sorry, Dan, didn't mean to be cryptic. I liked Paradise, the descriptions of the trading trip inland were very interesting. I thought the book picked up momentum as it went along, and the ending was a sucker punch I didn't anticipate. The book didn't wow me as much as I expected, but that's the problem with expectations—they are hard to meet.

>141 lisapeet: I like your description of reading to your own "weird algorithms." I tend to read as the mood strikes, although sometimes I daisy chain down a rabbit hole (Homegoing to Underground Railroad to Paradise being an example). Then I darted to Klara and the Sun because it came in at the library. I will read When Stars are Scattered next because I received an email today that it had come in as well. I think I used to be more open to challenges because I read so many more books a year. Now that I've slowed down, I'm even more inclined to only read what I want. I think the Asian Challenge will be a good one for book bullets though.

Since it is Nonfiction November, I thought I would follow someone else's example and sum up my nonfiction reading for the year. I haven't actually read any nonfiction this month, but I have read 9 nonfiction titles this year. Surprising to me, they are all memoirs/biographies; usually I have some history books mixed in. They are ranked within each category.

US:
1. The woman who smashed codes : a true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies by Jason Fagone
2. The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
3. My Friend Bill: the life of a restless Yankee, William W. Streeter by Paul Schratter

Non-US:
1. In Search of My Homeland: A Memoir of a Chinese Labor Camp by Er Tai Gao, translated from the Chinese by Robert Dorsett and David Pollard
2. The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee with David John (shared read with Monica; North Korea)

Graphic Novel:
1. The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui (Vietnam)

Holocaust:
1. Children in the Holocaust and World War II: Their Secret Diaries by Laurel Holliday
2. Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz by Rena Kronreich Gelissen with Heather Dune Macadam
3. The Note through the Wire by Doug Gold

Favorite: The Woman Who Smashed Codes
Most problematic: The Girl with Seven Names
Funniest: The World's Strongest Librarian
Saddest: Children in the Holocaust and World War II

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Published 2021, 303 p.

Klara is an AF (artificial friend), designed to be a companion for a teenage child. She's not the newest model, but she has unusual powers of observation and a keen desire to learn. She is chosen by Josie, a kind, but frail girl, and after some unusual questions from the Mother, is purchased and sent to their home. There she settles into her role as Josie's friend, and all seems quietly domestic, despite Josie's illness, until halfway through the book when Klara learns why she was really chosen.

Klara and the Sun reminds me of another Ishiguro novel, Never Let Me Go. In both, the author explores the definition of what it means to be human. In an age of artificial emotional intelligence, the line becomes less clear. What does it look like when the AI character is more loyal, forgiving, and understanding than the human one? Is one of the defining characteristics of being human the ability and desire to represent oneself differently to different people at different times? What would faith mean to an AI? If it is a soul which makes humans unique, can we say that an AI with a distinct personality has one?

I like the kinds of questions that Ishiguro poses, and in Klara we are presented with the most current societal dilemmas: genetic manipulation, success-oriented parenting, climate change, and even the social isolation of teens learning from home rather than school. Seeing these issues through the eyes of an AI removes the veneer of politics and presents them more as existential problems for the human race, not personal ones.

My favorite parts of the book were in the beginning when Klara is still in the store waiting to be bought. Her observations of the world through the display window were well-written. Things slowed a bit for me when she first arrives at Josie's home, but then at the halfway point, things picked up, and I read the second half in a single sitting. Ishiguro does a wonderful job creating a voice for Klara that is intelligent and innocent, yet inciteful in ways that I could imagine an AI being. If you liked Never Let Me Go, I highly recommend this one as well.

Next Up:



Burned Child Seeks the Fire by Cordelia Edvardson, translated from the Swedish by Joel Agee

>142 labfs39: - Re Reading Globally, I do / did have a thread there, but under my old name and with a different scope. I'm considering starting a new thread with a new scope or I could continue to add my reviews to the regional threads which are a treasure trove of great recommendations. The regional threads are particularly interesting (and populated with other CR members). The Theme Reads are tempting too. For some reason, ever since I saw Anne Morgan's TED-talk on her year of reading globally, I was inspired to revive my international reading. I like the fact that RG is not a yearly group, so you can take your time to read.

>144 labfs39: - Ouch, seriously hit by your book-bullet. And I have it in my library, so I have no excuse to not read it sooner rather than later. The questions Ishiguro poses are indeed relevant.
She's not the newest model, but she has unusual powers of observation and a keen desire to learn.... sounds like me (LOL)

>146 Trifolia: Thank you for mentioning the Anne Morgan Ted-talk. You are right, it does motivate one to do more global reading. I keep a list of Nobel Prize authors, and I track which books I read for each one. I don't deliberately chose authors from the list, but it's a tickler in the back of my mind, and when I do read one, like Klara and the Sun, I add it to the list with a feeling of accomplishment. I think I'll set up a similar one for the countries of the world. There must be a place on LT for that sort of thing; I'll start looking with Reading Globally.

Lol. I wish I could add RAM to my mental hardware. My memory is terrible these days. LT acts as my external hard drive, as long as I take the time to enter the data, I can refresh as needed.

>146 Trifolia: I haven't seen her TED talk, but I ran across Ann Morgan's blog recently (a year of reading the world), and it looks like a distrubingly good recommendation of translated literature.

I wish I could add RAM to my mental hardware. Me too, Lisa, me too!

So I found The Global Challenge group which does just what I wanted: provides a place for you to create a list of books (not reviews usually) from each country. I added all the countries from the list of UN recognized member nations, and I'm slowly adding the books I've read from each country. I'm up to Columbia. If you want to see my list (be warned, it's a work very much in progress), it's here.

>148 markon: She mentions her blog in her Ted talk. I'll check it out.

>149 labfs39: Oh, that's a good idea. I wouldn't mind tracking my reading across years. I may copy you and start a thread.

Great comments on Klara and the Sun; I thought Ishiguro did a wonderful job with Klara. I loved the descriptions of her vision.

>151 RidgewayGirl: I'm up to authors from countries beginning with T. A slow but interesting project. Although I've felt like I read a fair amount of translated and foreign lit, when I look at the list of countries, I realize how limited my reach is. It's been fun to set up.

>152 BLBera: What did you make of Klara's vision? I thought it was a great way to remind the reader that her way of viewing the world was different. Otherwise it would have been perhaps too easy to think of Klara as human. One reviewer I read went further and said that her vision became a grid when faced with ethical/emotional issues. I didn't follow it closely enough to know whether I agree.

Enjoyed your review of Klara. I found the questions he poses quite interesting (and I could add disturbing too).

>149 labfs39: how fun. (I’m curious how you will handle the uk and us.)

>154 dchaikin: and I could add disturbing
Agreed.

I am not counting the US at all, and I'm only counting Scotland and Wales for the UK. I finished the list. It's here.

I made a map of the countries from which I've read at least one book.


read from 71 countries (31.5%)


Big swathes of South America and Africa to go...

>156 labfs39: That is so cool. I might join you.

>153 labfs39: I liked how consistent he was. The way he describes her vision is never humanlike. I didn't think about its changing with ethical issues.

>157 BLBera: Kay (Ridgewaygirl) has set up a thread in the Global Challenge group too. You should join us.

I liked how consistent he was. The way he describes her vision is never humanlike.

I agree.

Burned Child Seeks the Fire: A Memoir by Cordelia Edvardson, translated from the Swedish by Joel Agee
Published 1984, 106 p.

Cordelia Edvardson was born in 1929 and raised in Berlin by her mother and grandmother. It was not an easy or happy childhood. Her relationship with her mother was difficult and from the age of twelve she did not live at home. Partially this was to protect her step-siblings from the perceived taint of her half-Jewish parentage. Although she was raised Catholic and her mother tried everything to keep her Jewish identity hidden (even having her be adopted by a Spanish couple so that Cordelia could have a Spanish passport), the Gestapo caught her. Cordelia was forced to either sign a paper saying she was Jewish and thus subject to the Nuremburg Laws or her mother would be prosecuted for hiding a Jew, which was treason.

In 1943 Cordelia was taken in a roundup and sent to Theresienstadt. She was fourteen-years-old. When she arrived, she was sent straight to prison for unknowingly having contraband and later released to the general camp. Less than a year later she was deported to Auschwitz where she was forced to labor in various factories. After liberation, she ended up in Sweden, where she became a citizen. Later she spent many years in Jerusalem as a Middle East correspondent for a Swedish newspaper.

Although quite short, this Holocaust memoir covers some themes and events that struck me as not typical. First, although Cordelia is young when most of the memoir takes place, this is not a coming of age story. It′s an adult′s clear-eyed perspective written in the concise language of a journalist. Second, there is no celebration of life after the war ends.

To put it behind her, to forget, to be healthy—the girl felt despair, rage, and hatred turning into a burning ball of fire in her throat. She still lacked words, but if she had had them, she would have screamed: ″But I don′t want it behind me, I don′t want to get healthy, I don′t want to forget! All you ever want to do is ′wipe the slate clean,′ as you all so complacently put it. You want to take my anguish from me, deny it and wipe it away and protect yourselves against my rage, but then you are wiping me our as well, ′eradicating′ me, as the Germans put it, then you deny me too, because I am all that...″

Cordelia struggles in her relationships and as a mother. Even Sweden galls her,

She, who still had a burnt smell in her hair and in her clothes, began to turn every stone and rummage through every heap of refuse, but all she found were some wood lice or the bones of birds. No skeletons marked by torture, no skulls showing evidence of gold teeth having been broken out of the jaw bones, no emaciated corpses of children.

In the midst of so much innocence she found it hard to breathe, and she realized she had to move on.

Cordelia ends up in Israel and, while reporting on the Yom Kippur War, finds acceptance and an odd sense of peace.

The threat of destruction and the people of the land looked each other in the eye with the familiarity of recognition. The survivors returned to the only form of life, the only task and challenge they had learned to master—the struggle for survival. But she felt, here human beings and the forces of destruction were meeting as combatants, the outcome was not predetermined, not this time. This was fair play.

I liked the tone of the memoir. Nothing is wrapped up with a pretty bow, the world is not let off the hook.

Her anger did not permit her to accept the pity and solicitude of others. They would have to try harder than that! She would not allow them to cry over her the way they had sobbed over Anne Frank′s diary…

With the touching letters to ″Kitty″ the world had received its catharsis at much too cheap a price—and pretty young actresses were being given a rewarding part to play on the stage and in the movies. The thought filled her with feelings of hatred.

Yet, Cordelia does find a place and a position that affords her self-respect and self-determination. She marries, has children. The memoir ends with a resounding, ″I am!″

>160 cindydavid4: The Global Challenge is here. I am not actually doing the challenge per se, I'm more just tracking my reading, but the challenge is to try and read five books from or about each country giving yourself a point for each one. I'll be happy with one book from each country! Also, I'm listing all my reads, not limiting myself to five. And I am not including books about a country, if the author is not from there. But that's the great thing about LT, everyone can do their own thing, and it's all good. :-)

Yeah I'll be lucky to do one of each let alone 5! Ill be followijng along, and picking up reads as we oo.

Happy Hanukkah to all my friends who celebrate the holiday!

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah, and I was fortunate to get four books from my wish list: two which I had added this year, and two which had been languishing for 8-10 years.



1. Em by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman. It was recommended by Yells recently and just became available in the US. It's a novel about the evacuation of mixed race children during the fall of Saigon. I will start reading it tonight.

2. Memoirs of a Blue Puttee : the Newfoundland Regiment in World War One by A. J. Stacey. This one was recommended by Jerry (rocketj).

3. Sacred trash : the lost and found world of the Cairo Geniza by Adina Hoffman. Rebeccanyc recommended this book over ten years ago. I'm glad I've finally gotten a copy. Fascinating story of Solomon Schechter and his discovery and rescue of a huge cache of medieval documents from a synagogue in Egypt.

4. A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII by Sarah Helm. Cushla (cushlareads) first recommended this one eight years ago. It's about how the indomitable spymaster, Vera Atkins, searched for twelve of her missing female spies after WWII ended.

>164 labfs39: oh I want to read Sacred Trash! I learned about this collection when reading in an antique land years ago, and recently reread for a RT theme this year. Wanted to know more and this looks like just the book. thanks for the info!

>165 cindydavid4: And I hadn't heard of In an Antique Land, which sounds good too. I've read two of Ghosh's novels, but nothing like this.

Next Up:



Em by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman

>166 labfs39: Its not a novel; its his search for people who lived in 12th century and his journey through the Geniza. On my reread, I got a bit frustrated with him and confused, but that probably was just me, because I was thrilled with the book earlier.

>167 labfs39: Yay Em! And double yay for it being gifted. Happy Hanukkah and happy reading :)

Happy Hannukah! Always a joy to get new books gifted.

Happy Hanukkah! I'm thinking about buying a copy of Em. (My library has a downloadable audiobook in French, but that's it.)

Also, I don't know if it's available to stream anywhere, but From Cairo to the cloud would be an interesting movie to watch in conjunction with Sacred trash.

>168 cindydavid4: probably was just me, because I was thrilled with the book earlier

I have these types of reactions on rereads sometimes too, which reinforces my belief in the connection between my state of mind and my reading, and the conviction that I have to read the right book at the right time.

>169 Yells: Thanks, Danielle. I read about half the book last night, and it was fantastic.

>170 AlisonY: Books are by far my favorite gift.

>171 markon: Em is really good so far: well-written and engrossing. It's not just about the babylift though. It's a girl's whole life so far.

I'll have to look for From Cairo to the Clouds when I read the book.

Happy Hanukkah!

Great comments on Burned Child Seeks the Fire; it sounds like something I would like.

And yes, books are my favorite gifts as well.

A gift from my daughter:



The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder

>174 labfs39: A good choice!

You've been busy while I was looking the other way! First of all, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Klara and the Sun, which I immediately put a library hold on. I used to be a big Ishiguro fan but have let him slip off my radar (I really liked Never Let Me Go).

Next, reading globally. Way back whenever I joined LT, I launched myself with great enthusiasm into a read-my-way-around-the-world project, which I recorded on my thread in the Reading Globally group. For several years it was a real driver in my reading, informing my choices and leading me to seek out books I can safely say I'd never have read otherwise (some I could have lived without; others I'm glad I found). It's been years now since I posted in Reading Globally (as you know, I can scarcely maintain one LT thread!), but my project has never died (though you would sometimes have had to look very hard to find a pulse), and whenever I choose to go back to it it never fails to breathe new life into my reading. I just had a look at your thread in the Global Challenge, and I think I'll join you and Kay - that's exactly what I want, an easy way to keep track in list form. You know what? It's a miserable wet autumn morning here in Belgium, and I have the day off - I'm going to go and set my thread up right now.

>146 Trifolia: thanks for the mention of the Ann Morgan talk - interesting, and I'm going to have a look at her blog later (though I'm like you, Monica, in that signing up for a challenge is a sure way to lead myself directly into a book slump, so if I set out to do a year of reading globally it would soon be a year of reading very little!)

>173 BLBera: I have found myself talking about Burned Child Seeks the Fire to everyone (family) I meet this week and have even read aloud excerpts. It's obviously still on my mind, and I think it's a combination of her tone and her audacity in challenging some of our comfortable ideas about the Holocaust that are responsible. Although obviously not for everyone, if you think you would like it, I would recommend it.

>175 avaland: I'm looking forward to reading The Memory Police, Lois. It seems to one of those books that is either well-liked or well-disliked. I was telling my mom about the synopsis, and she was not hesitant in adamantly saying it sounds like a book she wouldn't like. My daughter on the other hand was excited to borrow it.

>176 rachbxl: Hi Rachel! Nice to see you.

If you liked Never Let Me Go, which remains my favorite by a sliver, I think Klara and the Sun will be a good choice. What else have you read by Ishiguro? I've read A Pale View of Hills, which I also liked, and When We Were Orphans, which I didn't. I've never read the classic Remains of the Day.

Your relationship with Reading Globally sounds like mine. Back in 2011-2012 or thereabouts, I read a lot and a large chunk of it was in translation or otherwise global. I too participated in Reading Globally. But then in 2015 my reading took a nosedive in both quantity and quality. I even disappeared from LT for a while. But recently I have been reinvigorated to read internationally. I had to laugh when you said it was a rainy day and you were off to create your list. Another book geek, hurrah! I'm off to check it out.

Good review of Klara, Lisa. I liked the early store moments the best too. I highly recommend The Remains of the Day. Probably my favorite Ishiguro. Great film version too. Surprisingly, The Buried Giant turned out to be a gem too.

30 posts behind and so much is happening here.
Ann Morgan seems to have struck a chord with you and some others around here. Or maybe there is another virus that makes us want to read internationally (how wonderful that would be...).
Anyway, it seems we're not the only ones who have caught it.
I had to laugh when I saw your thread in the Global Challenge. I did something similar a while ago (without posting) just to keep track of the books I read. But I sometimes find it hard though (as you also experienced) to allocate a book to a country. For me Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone was the one I really struggled with (born in Ethiopia from Indian parents, currently living in the US with a book set in Ethiopia). And I also learned that some countries have few books in translation that I find worth reading, but that's another discussion that would lead me too far. Anyway, the main thing is to enjoy what you're doing.

>148 markon: - She's good, isn't she, Ardene.

>156 labfs39: - Impressive! If you count Smilla's Sense of Snow for Greenland as part of Denmark, you'll be able to add a substantial splash of colour.

>159 labfs39: - Excellent review, Lisa. It's not the book I enjoy reading but some books need to be read.

>164 labfs39: - Hey! Sacred Trash seems to be about the same sisters from Sisters of Sinai which I loved. I look forward to your review. Nice book haul btw.

>174 labfs39: - I had mixed feelings about this book, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it better than I did. Your daughter has excellent taste.

>176 rachbxl: - I did not realize that you also had a thread in the RG group, Rachel. It seems we are on similar tracks with starting and abandoning and trying to revive, etc.
Ann Morgan's blog is inspiring but I would feel very pressured to read a book from every country within one year and blog about it. I don't know how she all processed it. But I'm fine with the "light version" of reading more internationally without the challenges (although it's not so hard to read internationally when you're a Belgian).

>177 labfs39: - And now I remember you also had a thread in the RG group etc. How odd that we all seem to have started one, abandoned it and somehow want to revive it one way or the other. What has happened? :-)

>178 msf59: I definitely want to get to Remains of the Day; I've been putting off the movie (Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, wow!) until I read the book. I think I have a copy floating around.

I'm about to start When Stars are Scattered, have you read it yet? It's a young adult graphic novel memoir of Somali brothers growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp. It was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Next Up:



When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

>179 Trifolia: I love when we get inspired off each other's reading. Not only do I read more, and more broadly, but I get more out of the book as well through the conversations. Win-win-win. And it does seem as though a lot of book nerds like lists too. :-)

Ooh, I didn't realize the Smith sisters figured in Sacred Trash as well. Nice. I read Sisters of Sinai several years ago and didn't write a review, so my memories are foggy. I do remember being impressed with their drive to get an education, and I gave the book 4*.

>177 labfs39: not sure I will read Burning Child, but was struck by this quote in one of the reviews

To put it behind her, to forget, to be healthy—the girl felt despair, rage, and hatred turning into a burning ball of fire in her throat. She still lacked words, but if she had had them, she would have screamed: ″But I don′t want it behind me, I don′t want to get healthy, I don′t want to forget! All you ever want to do is ′wipe the slate clean,′ as you all so complacently put it. You want to take my anguish from me, deny it and wipe it away and protect yourselves against my rage, but then you are wiping me our as well, ′eradicating′ me, as the Germans put it, then you deny me too, because I am all that...″

and this, which I have felt deep down for many years

Her anger did not permit her to accept the pity and solicitude of others. They would have to try harder than that! She would not allow them to cry over her the way they had sobbed over Anne Frank′s diary…

With the touching letters to ″Kitty″ the world had received its catharsis at much too cheap a price—and pretty young actresses were being given a rewarding part to play on the stage and in the movies. The thought filled her with feelings of hatred.

Very powerful, a bit too hot for me to touch but admire it nonetheless

ETA just realized you already quoted them, but too powerful for me not to as well

>179 Trifolia: For me Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone was the one I really struggled with (born in Ethiopia from Indian parents, currently living in the US with a book set in Ethiopia)

this is a big reason why I haven't joined a challenge: how in the world (pun unintended) do you catergorize them? Im just happy reading works out of my white bread jewish world. Oh and I absolutely loved that book - havent looked to see what else he has written,need to do that.

That being said, I am now committed happily to the new Asian Challenge. Welcome back and hope to see you around

>156 labfs39: wow several of those I could easily add to my list as read- sometimes I just read a book and not really notice where its from or where the author is from. Getting better at doing that now.

I was just thinking of Cambodia for some reason, don't remember seeing people listing books somehow, so Im glad you have a few I can jump into

>181 labfs39: I love when we get inspired off each other's reading. Not only do I read more, and more broadly, but I get more out of the book as well through the conversations. Win-win-win. And it does seem as though a lot of book nerds like lists too. :-)

this

>183 cindydavid4: Huh, I didn't struggle with Verghese as much. I put Cutting for Stone under Ethiopia, because he was already in med school by the time he left Ethiopia, so not a babe in arms, and the book reflects on the difficulties of deciding whether to leave Ethiopia to study medicine abroad, very apropos to his own experience. My Own Country, however, I consider US, because it's about his experiences as a doctor in Tennessee.

I completely understand those who aren't interested in this sort of categorization. I, however, love it. My career was in information science, and I spent years organizing information and making it discoverable. These sorts of questions I find perplexing, but enjoyable.

>184 cindydavid4: I would highly recommend In the Shadow of the Banyan for Cambodia. It is a lyrical, semi-autobiographical novel that was so beautiful to read that I reread it immediately after finishing it. I never do that, but I found it incredibly affecting.

thanks for that rec, I'll look for it

"I completely understand those who aren't interested in this sort of categorization. I, however, love it. My career was in information science, and I spent years organizing information and making it discoverable. These sorts of questions I find perplexing, but enjoyable."

if it wasn't for people like you, the book world would be chaotic for readers, books out of sort, things all mixed up, and not being able to find that book you know you bought so you bought it again and sheepishly went to the bookstore to return. So I do appreciate what you do!

Em by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman
Published 2020, 148 p.

I loved this book. The plot and characters are impactful, and the structure of the book and writing are the epitome of ″write short.″ On one level the book is the story of Tam, Emma-Jade, and Louis, three orphans who survived the Vietnam War, the fall of Saigon, and relocation abroad. On the other hand it is the history of Vietnam told in miniature. It is also a reflection of the difficulty of writing truth, especially historical truth:

I′m going to tell you the truth, some true stories at least, but only partially, incompletely, more or less. Because it′s impossible for me to re-create the blue nuances in the sky just as Rob, the marine, was reading a letter from his lover, while at the same time the rebel, Vinh, was writing to his own lover during a brief lull, a moment of deceptive calm. Was it a Mayan and azure blue, or a French and cerulean blue? When Private John discovered the list of insurgents hidden in a pot of manioc flour, how many kilos were there? Had the flour just been milled? What was the temperature of the water when Monsieur Út was thrown into the well before being burned alive by Sergeant Peter′s flame-thrower? Did Monsieur Út weigh half as much as Peter, or two-thirds? Was it the itching of his mosquito bites that so unsettled Peter?

This is the second paragraph of the novel. Already the author has raised questions about the loaded difficulty in deciding which details to include in a story and how that choosing effects the truth of the narrative. She has also provided several different situations and viewpoints, all with their own individual truths and contexts. Because each chapter is only a page or two long, every sentence, every word is important. A character may only have a few paragraphs to reveal themselves, so their description and actions take on layered and textured meaning. If a novel could be a haiku, this would be it. Highly recommended.

As I mentioned above, I tried doing the November TIOLI challenge and am happy to report that I fit four of my books into categories:

Homegoing under Challenge #2 Read a book where the title completes the phrase, "I am thankful for..."

The Underground Railroad under Challenge #10 Read a book that can be found at LibraryThing in at least 3 languages

Burned Child Seeks the Fire under Challenge #11: Read a book by an author whose surname ends in the suffix '-son'

and Em under Challenge #14: Read a book with a title that refers to a woman or women

The last because the author writes that the word em is a diminutive that may mean little sibling or the woman in a couple. She says, "I like to think that the word em is the homonym of the verb aimer, 'to love,' in French, in the imperative: aime. I love that linguistic connection.

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Published 2020, 256 p.

I′m always pleased to see a graphic novel receive recognition on the award circuit, and this young adult memoir is well-deserving of being a National Book Award finalist. Omar Mohamed was about five years old when his Somali village was attacked. His father was attacked while tending his fields, and his mother sent him and his younger brother, Hassan, running to hide at the neighbors. As the violence spread, everyone in the village fled, and the two boys were swept along. They eventually make it to Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. There they spend the rest of their childhood, waiting year after year for their mother to find them or to be relocated abroad.

Life in the camp is tough, especially for young Omar. His brother doesn′t speak and has seizures, so Omar must watch him while also getting water every day, rations every other week, and firewood for the woman in a nearby tent who cooks for them. When a man befriends Omar and offers to help him start school (fifth grade, so Omar can be with age peers), his world suddenly has possibilities and hope.

When Stars are Scattered is the story of brothers, friendship, war, the kindness of strangers, and the transformative power of education. The artwork is spot-on, and the bold outlines and color convey a childlike simplicity that is appealing, while the story itself deals with complex emotions and difficult issues such as child marriage and the world′s response to the refugee crisis. I highly recommend this book, even if you aren′t sure about graphic novels.

>188 labfs39: - If a novel could be a haiku, this would be it.... now that is tempting.

>190 labfs39: - I find the cover so heartwarming. I haven't actually read graphic novels since I was a kid, but apparently there's an audience for the adult version too. Maybe I should give it a try, because it seems like a a book worth reading.

>191 Trifolia: I didn't read comics as a kid, but my first graphic novel, Maus, blew me away. I don't remember reading another for many years, but then Persepolis came along, and I was sold on graphic novels as a legitimate form of "literature". Since then I've read a few a year. Usually they are memoirs, like the two above and the two I've read this year, but occasionally I read fiction as well. Habibi comes to mind in that category.

>192 labfs39: - It seems my library has both Maus and Persepolis as well as Habibi. I also noticed that one of our most respected war-correspondants has written one on the Arabian spring, so there's no reason not to explore this new genre sooner rather than later. As a child I was fond of graphic novels and comics (Asterix comes to mind but also classics like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield of which I had a copy with both the text and a graphic version in the same book. I started to read the graphics which piqued my interest in reading the text. Very cleverly done by the publisher.
Thanks for the recommendations.

>193 Trifolia: If you go in that direction (journalism in graphic format), Joe Sacco and Guy DeLisle are also worth exploring.

>194 AnnieMod: - Thanks! Believe it or not, but my library has two books of each of these authors. Let's see if the genre works for me. I'm afraid it will only lead to further reading about the subject which may be a good thing to read more non fiction.

>195 Trifolia: Have fun - if the format works for you, there are all kinds of fiction and non fiction GN these days. And the European authors (mostly French speaking ones) have a much longer history of using the format creatively than the US and UK ones.

>196 AnnieMod: - Thank you. As I already mentioned, apart from the reading experiences from my childhood, I can't remember ever reading such a book. I know there is some controversy among fellow historians about the genre, but I haven't decided yet if and which party I would join. The fact that one of our respected and very solid journalists also wrote one makes me curious. What do you think of the genre yourself?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Lisa, but somehow, I don't think you'll mind :-)

>197 Trifolia: I consider it a valid format/genre on the same level as prose, poetry and drama. A story is a story - and that’s just one more way to tell stories.

People tend to think of the graphic format as a children’s format because that’s what they were exposed to usually and because later in a lot of people had been told that this is not for grown ups. And yet… That’s like saying that poetry is just for children because of the rhymes we learned early in life. Maybe it was mainly a children format for a while (and I’d challenge even that) but even a few decades ago, there were enough mature titles (Tardi’s C'était la guerre des tranchées came out in 1993 - by which time it was not unexpected at all to have this kind of works - if you read French you can try that one as well - or its English translation).

Don’t get me wrong - I had to rediscover comics again in my late twenties. Once I did, I realized that they are a lot more than superheroes and the like (I enjoy superheroes as well but this is just part of the genre).

I am not a visual person usually - I’d rather read than watch TV or movies and the format still works for me - even when if has no words at all as in Tan’s The Arrival (awesome work but don’t start there).

Give it a try with a few authors/styles/types of stories and see what you think. If you want a memoir instead of journalism, in addition to Persepolis, check Bechdel’s Fun Home. I can guarantee you that you won’t like every GN you read - same way as one does not like every novel they read. Some styles will work better than others. And sometimes the art won’t work but the story will and vice versa. Just like with prose. Or poetry. :)

>198 AnnieMod: - Thank you very much for this substantial explanation. It seems my library has all the books you list except Bechdel. Some are currently on loan and one (The Arrival) is even "missing", which I find quite surreal for my small village. But there are already plenty to try. I guess I'll like the genre. As a child I also liked to read comics, but that didn't stop me from reading "serious books without pictures". Your comparison with poetry is correct. Both can stand side by side. I've never been a big fan of poetry, by the way, but who knows, maybe I'll give it another go one day.

>199 Trifolia: Yeah... A few years ago I would have said the same about poetry - outside of Shakespeare, I am not sure I had read a complete collection in English since high school. Then I decided to explore... I still don't like everything but I had found some gems (The Tiny Journalist, A Nail the Evening Hangs On, Black Girl, Call Home, The Galleons: Poems, Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life, The Wild Fox of Yemen for example (I have reviews in all but the first one if you are interested - and I have a poetry collection if you want to see what else I had been reading: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/AnnieMod/poetry ).

Apparently someone liked Tan so much that they decided to steal it :) If you need more recommendations, ask (or use LT's recommendations) - specify what you are looking for and if I had read something suitable, I'll mention it :)

I tend to read across all genres and formats - I have my favorites but I go and explore outside of them regularly. Sometimes I don't like what I find. Sometimes I do. My biggest problem usually is that I end up liking too many things - and there are only that many hours in a day... ;)

Lisa, sorry for hijacking your thread a bit this sunny Sunday :)

>200 AnnieMod: - Ouch, I knew CR was dangerous, but not to that extent.
Poetry is pretty much my blind spot. But what would life be if you don't even try something new. It seems to me difficult to enjoy poetry in other languages. I wonder to what extent you can understand all the nuances, but you will probably have a better view of that. I'll definitely take a look at your suggestions. Thanks!
We're really taking advantage of Lisa's thread right now, aren't we :-).

>201 Trifolia: I am not a native English speaker either :) So I know what you mean perfectly well - that's why I specified "in English". I read poetry in Bulgarian and Russian (my second language and one that is much closer to Bulgarian both linguistically and culturally making a lot of the poetry nuances closer) just fine. English needed a nudge. :)

Yeah yeah yeah - welcome to Club Read - we do that all the time. :)

How fun to pop in and see such an interesting conversation happening on my thread.

That’s like saying that poetry is just for children because of the rhymes we learned early in life.

What a great analogy. There is a definite difference between reading comics and reading a graphic novel. Here is what Masterclass had to say on the subject:

What is the Difference Between a Graphic Novel and Comic Book?

While an untrained reader may not be able to discern a graphic novel from a comic book, fans of both genres should have no trouble doing so. As a general rule:

-Graphic novels are longer than comic books.
-Graphic novels cover a wide array of genres and subject matters. Comic books may as well, but the subjects are often associated with or explained through the lens of superheroes or heightened realities.
-Graphic novels contain complete narratives, whether or not they are part of a larger series.
-Comic books contain excerpts of serialized narratives. It can be difficult to read a comic book if you haven’t read the comic that comes directly before it in series.
-Both comics and graphic novels can contain complex characters with detailed backstories and inner conflict.
-Comic books are produced with greater frequency than graphic novels, often arriving on a weekly or monthly schedule.

Comic-style illustration is also popular in other countries. For example, Anime and manga, both of which originated in Japan, are popular worldwide. Anime is most analogous to comic books while Manga aligns more closely with graphic novels. Italy is another country who produces comic books, called fumetti, which are translated and exported worldwide.

>198 AnnieMod: I can guarantee you that you won’t like every GN you read - same way as one does not like every novel they read. Some styles will work better than others. And sometimes the art won’t work but the story will and vice versa.

Yes, and because I have some time before the family arrives for the evening, I'll try to show some examples of art from a few of my favorite graphic novels.

This is a Belgian gn which I liked:



The war within these walls by Aline Sax, illustrated by Caryl Strzelecki

I remember wanting to learn more about Neil Gaiman after reading the good omen but found nothing except 'graphic novels', that the bookseller called them 'you probably don't want those. at the time I figured they were children's books, but once i hooked on to more of Gaimans 'real' work, I checked out his sandman series. Oh my god - brilliant. That being said, I wasn't really exposed to comics as a kid (not sure MAD magazine counts) so still think text works best for me. I have Persepolis somewhere and really should get it out and read it.

I was exposed to poetry very young, and while my sis was in college got her norton anthology of poetry that started with to a mouse by robert burns and prided my self by memorizing it. Loved Jabbowacky and THe Walrus and the Carpenter, John Ciardi, and so many others. Started writing, and still write some, and have found some really interesting works here and there. If kids are exposed early, they are apt to stick with it. (what was that book written by a teacher about teaching poetry and a kid who really doesn't like poetry ends up writing a take on 'so much depends upon a red wheel
barrow' who tunrs it into a poem about his dog who was run over. Just broke me/

Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

>203 labfs39: Thanks for that distinction. Funnie coz I love anime and always associated it with graphic novels, not magna. I associate that with some of the movies japanese movies ive seen Whats the difference between them?

War brothers : the graphic novel by Sharon E. McKay, illustrated by Daniel Lafrance

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Although those are just a few examples, you can see the variety of artwork that's out there. Some types resonate with me more than others, but often it depends on how well the art meshes with the story.

>207 cindydavid4: As I understand it, anime is "animated", whereas manga is on the page.

My favorite anime is Secret World of Arrietty which is a Japanese film based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Search the title to see examples of the artwork.

>203 labfs39: "-Comic books contain excerpts of serialized narratives. It can be difficult to read a comic book if you haven’t read the comic that comes directly before it in series."

That had been changing a bit in the last couple of decades with the advent of "limited series" (they existed before but usually as an off-shot of a big series; the current crop of them is kinda newish) and with some of the independent creators' work (on both sides of the ocean). They are often initially sold as comics when there is a publisher who wants to do that (because there is a distribution model for that) but are in essence a self-contained graphic novel. Not all of them do but...

Take Jason Lutes' Berlin. Yes - it got serialized for 22 years or so (22 issues were published - and nope, he did not manage one per year in some years...). Once assembled though it IS a graphic novel - it always was - he just did not want to complete is to he can publish it so he just published it in parts - kinda the same way Dickens published his novels (and a fine one at that -- which reminds me that I really wanted to read through the whole thing again now that the hardcover is out).

Even Seth's GNs are initially serialized (in books and not floppies (single comics issues) but still serialized. Jason tends to go directly for books. Bryan Talbot's Grandville and Juan Díaz Canales's Blacksad came out as what the Europeans call albums - no real "floppies" on the continent so they either come out in the Seth model or as albums (some actual comics come out in UK in the long running magazines there) (just to mention 4 more creators I like - Canadian, Norwegian, English and Spanish respectively).

And then you have the cartoonist who are neither here, nor there: who does both single cartoons and serialized ones... (Adrian Tomine for example).

And then there is manga which is a totally different cattle of fish (for a lot of reasons). In a lot of ways, we are talking for at least 4 different types of "comics": US Style, UK style, manga and Continental European style. And then there are the GNs. But I digress (again)

My favorite manga is Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa



This was a stretch for me, both in terms of the artwork and the brutality of the story, but it was impactful for sure.

>211 labfs39: Yep.

Manga is a Japanese comic book basically - usually serialized in one of the magazines (or online these days) and then collected into collections of a few chapters each (which some people call graphic novels but they are not really... manga is manga; US terms don't really apply to it). Anime is an animated version of the same. Most of the popular series exist in both formats, not always matching exactly.

I need to pick up >204 labfs39: and >208 labfs39:

I agree on >206 labfs39: and >209 labfs39:

>203 labfs39: - A Masterclass on GN tonight. So exciting to explore a whole new world!
The artwork is indeed different. I wonder what effect it will have on me.
Apparently, my little local library has a substantial collection of GN. I suspect one of the librarians is a secret (or not so secret) admirer. I noticed Caryl Strzelecki illustrated both The war within these walls and the GN I was talking about earlier: De gierenclub (The Vulture Club). I'll check them both out, as well as the others that were mentioned here. Somehow, this topic resonates with me.
I'm a bit reluctant to visit my library right now because of covid, but I'll see if I can overcome my worries or if I wait till more reassuring times, whenever that may be.

>212 AnnieMod: You are far more knowledgeable on the subject than I, Annie. I'm still a newbie, and I have only read a couple dozen graphic novels. Mark (msf59) and Kerry (avatiakh) are the ones who got me interested in them and from whom I get most of my recommendations. I will definitely keep in mind some of your suggestions.

It's interesting that there are still librarians who are not on the graphic novel bandwagon. At my daughter's school, they were shelved separately, and kids could only check one out after they had read a "real" book.

Is it my impression that a lot of GN are about "difficult" topics like war, oppression, trauma? And if so, does anyone have an idea if that's because the genre lends itself well to showing the indescribable? Or is it coincidence?

>217 labfs39: Yeah... and way too many people who think that "GNs and comics are not books". Shelving them separately makes sense - they shelve poetry and drama separately also - it is a different form after all. :) But only allowing one after a "real" book is... short-sighted. Oh well.

>205 cindydavid4: I read a few comic books as a kid, but was never a huge fan. For a long time I thought of graphic novels as comic books for adults, when they are very different. It took me a while, but now I enjoy one every once in a while. (And this conversation is making me want to read more of them.)

Thank you for sharing about your early experiences with poetry. I read to my nieces a lot and I've been trying to mix in a decent amount of poetry. I like both the collections of poetry for kids comprised of adult poems on kid-friendly topics, like animals, and poets for kids like Silverstein and Prelutsky.

>216 Trifolia: I'll look forward to your views after you've read some, Monica. I know that graphic novels are not for everyone, but I like to dip into them from time to time.

Does your library do curbside pickup?

>197 Trifolia: What do historians find controversial about the genre? I could see having issues with the way history was portrayed in a particular gn, but what are the issues with the genre as a whole?

>218 Trifolia: A lot of novels are about the difficult topics as well. :)

You are seeing the tip of the iceberg here. There are fantasy GNs and comics. There are science fiction ones. There is a LOT of horror out there. There are the superheroes (and that segment is huge). There are slice of life ones(Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez Love and Rockets Library series is probably one of the best out there in that segment)) and anything in between. If a prose book can be written, a GN can be done as well.

One of the reasons for them being so visible lately is because people started admitting that GNs are a proper format in the last decade or 4 and people started publishing pretty much anything in it. Especially on the US side - Europeans were covering the serious topics a lot earlier. Not that the US was not - but it was masquerading under other genres (superheroes or horror) and not as real people's stories. And a lot of young creators, especially from minority or marginalized groups find the format suitable and less crowded in a way...

And yes - the format also allows different exploration of the topic - a hint in a picture is more powerful than saying the words sometimes. Which helps. Add to that the independent publishers who actually DO publish that (and some major ones lately)...

So... a lot of reasons :)

>218 Trifolia: Hmm, good question and one Annie can probably answer better than I. I looked through the list of graphic novels I have read, and you are right, they make for rather grim reading, but then that could be said about most of what I read, lol. I have read mostly graphic novel memoirs, but there are a couple of works which are not too dark.



Siberiak : my cold war adventure on the River Ob by Jenny Jaeckel is about an exchange student to the USSR in 1988.



Same difference and other stories by Derek Kirk Kim is a young adult gn about prejudice and coming of age.



The invention of Hugo Cabret : a novel in words and pictures by Brian Selznick is a tween book, but wonderfully inventive, I thought.

Two last Hanukkah gifts to report:



Hyperbole and a half : unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened by Allie Brosh, a humorous graphic novel



A Delayed Life by Dita Kraus, the memoir of the "Librarian of Auschwitz"

>211 labfs39: oh I love that one, several others by the same illustrator. My fav tho is a very powerful anime called the grave of fireflies based on the authors experience in WWII japan. definitely not for kids

>217 labfs39: WTF??? I remember our HS had books that were kept in the back room that we could only read with teacher permission. but that was 45 years ago! .Ended up reading them all. I don't get that attitude

Grave of the Fireflies sounds familiar. I will try to watch it, as it sounds like one I would like.

>218 Trifolia: not all of them are for kids (see Grave of Fireflies below) the anime that Ive watched are about diffiult topics, but no more so than the books the kids are reading, Interesting question tho

>226 labfs39: you may need a box of kleenex or two....just sayin

Just chiming in as someone who read comics growing up (from mass market to the good stuff like Tintin), went on to '60s and '70s undergrounds as a young teen, ate up the fantastic explosion of '80s underground and experimental comics/comix in my later teens and early 20s, and loves graphic novels/nonfiction now. I'm not particularly into manga or anime (though I am a fan of Miyazake... not sure if that quite qualifies). But most of the graphic work coming out right now I find really nuanced and sophisticated.

Seconding all the recommendations above—there are some incredible writers and draftspersons mentioned (Joe Sacco blows me away with his graphic journalism on a regular basis, but really too many too name). A great place to start is the Best American Comics series, which offers up excerpts from contemporary work.

>203 labfs39: I love this, Lisa. Thanks for sharing, along with your GN favorites. So many good ones out there. I also truly love non-fiction GNs. I agree with you, Radioactive was excellent and so was Hugo Cabret. At the top of my list will always be The Complete Essex County which was one of the first to make me a convert.

>228 cindydavid4: Thanks for the heads up!

>229 lisapeet: I wish I could share these stories with the children's librarians who worry graphic novels and/or comics will prevent kids from becoming readers and writers. I think collectively we have enough data to prove that fear completely baseless. All reading is good reading, I think. The more the better.

I haven't read anything by Joe Sacco yet, but this is where I would like to start:



The Great War: July 1, 1916 The First Day of the Battle of the Somme: An Illustrated Panorama



And interview on NPR with Joe Sacco

>230 msf59: You have introduced me to many excellent graphic novels, Mark. Making a note of Complete Essex County

This topic seems to be generating a lot of interest at the moment. I know I'm excited to go track down some of the graphic novels mentioned up thread. Should we start a thread in Club Read 2022 dedicated to graphic novels? We could share our favorites, articles about them (as well as manga, etc) and the authors who create them, and pictures of some of our favorite artwork. What do you think? Anyone up for curating it?

>231 labfs39: That one is gorgeous but it is not a standard book - it is literally one huge illustration with an essay on the side. It is very detailed and it seems to have new things every time you look but it is just that. If you had never read Sacco, try one of his actual books first - then come for this one.

>232 labfs39: - I'd be interested in a thread dedicated to GN. The genre is new to me but it would be nice to exchange suggestions and recommendations. I'm pretty sure it would be invigorating.

Congratulations on becoming the admin for CR2022!

>232 labfs39: I've come to the graphic novel bandwagon late, but it is something I throughly enjoy. There's something in GNs that expressed visually that is hard to convey only in words.

I'd be on board for a thread next year. There are tons to discover, and outside resources are a little sparse or too deep for a lot of beginners I think. Plus, I want to explore more manga, but really unsure of where to start that isn't barefoot gen.

>232 labfs39: I am doing the Victorians and do not want to overstep by hoarding all projects but I will be happy to host/curate/try to make people fall in love with the medium :p

>236 AnnieMod: Ooh, sold! I was hoping you would volunteer as you know so much about them. Thank you!

>233 AnnieMod: The Sacco work reminds me of the Bayeux Tapestry.

>234 Trifolia: Thank you!

>235 stretch: I would love to broaden my graphic novel exposure to include more non-US works. I hope that my library can ILL some of the titles Annie mentioned.

>238 labfs39: The Bayeux Tapestry IS the inspiration indeed :)

I'll look forward to learning about graphic novels next year. I loved Radioactive, and have seen the Hugo Cabret, but am not familiar with the others you've listed Lisa.

>240 markon: I had Radioactive on my bedside table when I was reading it and was very started to turn off the light and have the book glow.

>241 labfs39: Yeah - part of why comics and GNs with shiny covers almost never sleep on my bedside table - there is a big chance that a cover can glow or reflect the light weirdly... ;) Not that it cannot happen with other books technically but these are a lot more likely to actually play on it.

Well, Annie has prompted me to expand beyond my newly created list in the Global Challenge group, and I have created a thread on the Fifty States Fiction (or Nonfiction) Challenge. LOL. I am going to list one fiction and one nonfiction for each state and see how far I get. Have I mentioned that I love lists?

Labfs39 tackles the states

>235 stretch: What kinds of manga are you looking at/for? History? Slice of life? Fantasy? SF? Horror? All of the above? Something else? Long series or self-contained? (mainly so I can go and look at some titles and around my library - I prefer European and US style usually but I read manga now and again, especially when it is not one of the never ending series - think Osamu Tezuka, Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Naoki Urasawa and not Akira Toriyama or Masashi Kishimoto for example. I have nothing against the last two - don't get me wrong here - but there are differences both in style and in what they produce. If you are looking for a start with manga for grown ups, anything by one of the first three is a good start.) :)

>243 labfs39: Hm. I am considering joining you in there... thus leaving the Global one at just 5 and not monkeying with it as much... Decisions, decisions....

And why do I keep reading the name of this group as Fifty Shades? :)

>244 AnnieMod: I haven't quite settled on on what typeof manga I'd want to read. More adult for sure, but I'm at best an eclectic reader so I'll try any of those genres at least once. Right not I havean Ito on my kobo, but I need t carve out time when I can read it all one its own. My brian has trouble switching back and forth form right to left, left to right.

Tezuka and Urasawa both look to be my kind of reading for sure, I will definitely check those out further. I also hear soccer manga is a thing and well I am destined to go down that rabbit hole if I find one in english.

I'm also a Joe Sacco fan, but lots of great graphic suggestions here. I also loved John Lewis' March

Excuse me, while I dart in with an unrelated review



The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder
Originally published 1994, English translation 2019. 274 p.

If you want clarity or fast action, this is not the dystopian novel for you. The premise seems to promise conflict and the potential for rebellion. Inhabitants of an island wake up periodically to discover that something has disappeared: birds, roses, boats. But not really. Physically the items are still there, but people's memories of the items begin to disappear. They gather up all the "disappeared" items and burn them or return them to nature. The Memory Police are on hand to ensure that the items are destroyed and that nobody remembers them. Our protagonist is a young orphaned novelist, and she seems ripe for resistance. After all, her mother had been taken away by the Memory Police, and she herself decides to hide someone who still has memories. But that's as far as it goes. She accepts the loss of memories and passively makes do as the things around her disappear.

While the lack of agency didn't particularly bother me, the lack of internal logic did. Not everything disappeared the same way: sometimes there was a supernatural aspect to the disappearance, sometimes not; sometimes people seem to forget even the word for the disappeared object, sometimes not. It seemed as though the author handled each one ad hoc.

I thought that the novel was going to delve into the effects of a surveillance state on memory, but it was more about one woman's experiences with the disappearances and how they effected her relationships with the two people remaining in her life: one who remembers and one who doesn't. I did like the excerpts from the novel she was writing. It too dealt with loss and stagnation, but in a tighter way.

All in all an odd novel that I suspect will disappear from my memory sooner rather than later.

>236 AnnieMod: - >237 labfs39: - Yay for the Victorians.

>243 labfs39: - Phew, there's no stopping you :-) But it makes sense since some of the states are bigger than some countries and it is your home after all.

>248 labfs39: - Ouch, I would have thought you would have liked the book more, but to be honest, I'm also a little relieved because I thought I was missing something and didn't get the point. But apparently you think the same as I do (again :-)). I only gave it 2,5 stars.

ETA ...All in all an odd novel that I suspect will disappear from my memory sooner rather than later. LOL

>248 labfs39: I did like the Memory Police a bit better than most it would seem, but Ogawa's the Housekeeper and the Professor which deals with memory and lost in very different way is the better of her books and has stuck with me, but you're right about this one fading to from memory, I'm struggling to recall much in the way of detials or what exactly I liked about it most.

>248 labfs39: Just out of curiosity - did you go in knowing it is a dystopian novel before you started reading it?

I liked it a lot more than you did (it still is one of my favorite novels from the last years albeit being strange). The different states of forgetting were kinda logical to me - forgetting as a process and not as a singular act makes sense. Or so I read it back then. :)

Sorry you did not like it :( Maybe the next one will work better for you.

>249 Trifolia: I remember your review, but sometimes I like dystopian books more than you, so I still thought it was worth a try. Oh well, now I know.

>250 stretch: I loved The Housekeeper and the Professor, which is one of the reasons I decided to read The Memory Police, despite not so stellar reviews from a couple of people with similar reading tastes. Another fantastic book that deals with memory loss is The Garden of Evening Mists. Have you read that one? It's about a survivor of the Japanese occupation of Malaya who has Alzheimer's. Here is an excerpt:

Memory is like patches of sunlight in an overcast valley, shifting with the movement of the clouds. Now and then the light will fall on a particular point in time, illuminating it for a moment before the wind seals up the gap, and the world is in shadows again.

There are moments when, remembering what happened, I am unable to continue writing. What troubles me more than anything, however, are the instances when I cannot recall with certainty what has taken place. I have spent most of the my life trying to forget, and now all I want is to remember. I cannot remember what my sister looked like; I do not even have a picture of her. And my conversation with Aritomo by Usugumo Pond, on that night of the meteor shower..did it take place on the day of Templer's visit or did it occur on a different evening entirely: Time is eating away my memory. Time, and this illness, this trespasser in my brain.

>251 AnnieMod: I did know it was dystopian, and as such I think I expected resistance, a la 1984 or We. I read a review on NPR that said "We are used to the American style of science fiction, while Ogawa is playing with another deck." The reviewer talked about how the protagonist "watches everything with a certain detachment which is not cynical indifference, but merely a deep-rooted passivity."

However, as I noted in my review, it was not the stagnation which frustrated me so much as the lack of internal logic. I kept trying to puzzle out the rules of Ogawa's universe, but came to the conclusion that she changed the rules to work with whatever plot device she needed.

Fortunately she's a very good writer, so even with problems, I did not feel it was not a waste of time.

>252 labfs39: I wonder if this is not part of the issue. When I grabbed from the library, I knew nothing except what is on the flaps (and my library had it in Fiction and not in SF). So without the expectations, things were lining up a bit better maybe. I don't remember seeing inconsistencies per se - just different stages of the same process (but then I may have missed them - I did enjoy it a lot and I tend to overlook issues in books like that). We cannot all like the same books :)

>253 AnnieMod: We cannot all like the same books

Thank goodness, or imagine how boring our conversations would be?

>252 labfs39: I do have The Garden of Evening Mists and I was griped from the first pages. The language is so intense and gripping, but I started reading when my father was having his issues so I put it down, I want to get back to it, just need the headspace to clear up before I continue with that one.

>252 labfs39: love that excerpt, making me want to read that. I like the concept of Memory Police; reminds me a bit of the giver, when people have forgotten every color and more, except for the giver. Always wanted more information about how this 'forgetting' happened, would make for an interesting discussion

>255 stretch: I can see how The Garden of Evening Mists could be difficult reading when dealing with such issues in your own family. It is beautifully done, if you ever feel up to it.

>256 cindydavid4: The Giver is another dystopian novel about memory that I enjoyed. Did you ever read the sequels? I read Gathering Blue and Messenger but did not enjoy them nearly as much.

>248 labfs39: Enjoyed your thoughts about The Memory Police although I clearly liked it more than you. I think there is something about the story that some may respond to better than others (although that could be said of most books, I suppose)

>258 avaland: Some books do seem to split readers into two camps more than others. As Annie says, it may have been because I went in with certain expectations, or it may not have been the right book at the right time. Since one of Ogawa's books was a five star read for me and one a three star, I am still planning to read Hotel Iris at some point.

Up Next:



Memoirs of a Blue Puttee: The Newfoundland Regiment in World War One by A.J. Stacey and Jean Edwards Stacey

Recommended by Jerry (rocketjk)

LT glitched or I flinched. Dup post.

>259 labfs39: - It was only after I read The Memory Police that I noticed that she was the author of The Housekeeper and the Professor, a book that I liked but did not love. Maybe it's her style that does not resonate, at least with me.
It's striking to see that some books elicit such divergent reactions. I find this interesting because other reactions allow me to view a book differently and see it in a different light.

Hi, Lisa. Shoot me a heads-up, if you or someone else sets up a GN thread. I would be interested in visiting one. Your review of The Memory Police reminds me why I never got to that novel. It does have an interesting premise though.

>262 Trifolia: It is interesting how, rather than a continuum of reactions, some books have polarized readers. No One Is Talking about This seems to be one of those books. I've seen scathing reviews, and yet it was on the Booker Prize longlist, so some obviously liked it.

>263 msf59: Absolutely, Mark. Look for it under the auspices of Club Read 2022. I'll be sure to pop by and pry you away from Jackson long enough to check it out. ;-)

Memoirs of a Blue Puttee: The Newfoundland Regiment in World War One by A.J. Stacey and Jean Edwards Stacey
Published 2002, 190 p.

This interesting little memoir/history documents the roll of the Newfoundland Regiment in WWI and in particular the first 500 volunteers known as the Blue Puttees, for the color of their leg wrappings. A.J. Stacey was number 466 and was with the regiment through some of the worst battles of the war: Gallipoli, Ypres, Battle of the Somme, and Vimy Ridge, to name a few. His memoirs are bracketed by the history of the regiment written by his daughter-in-law, Jean Edwards Stacey.

Whereas the history recounts the battles and losses, Stacey's memoirs focus more on day to day life and personal interactions. During the war Stacey served in roles which provide unique perspectives. He worked in the mess, so often talked about the food; as a Battalion runner, which allowed him to move between units and have an overview of battles; and as a mailman of sorts, delivering mail to the units. He writes often of the hijinks he and his friends got up to and of ways in which he subverted military discipline.

As with any account of WWI, this book astonished me at the loss of life that accompanied each gain, not of miles, but of yards. The most profound day of battle for the Newfoundland Regiment was July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. It is now commemorated as Canada Day*. It was the regiment's first battle in France, and out of the 801 men of the regiment who fought at Beaumont Hamel, only 68 answered roll call the following day. The rest were dead, wounded, or missing (usually blown up).

I enjoyed the snippets of everyday life that Jean Stacey wove into her history: newspaper clippings, advertisements, poems. And photos are always interesting. What I didn't enjoy was the formatting of the text. There was very little line spacing, with 44 lines per page. (Whereas the last book I read, The Memory Police had a comfortable 31.) To make reading even more challenging, all of A.J. Stacey's memoir sections, sometimes pages long, were printed in italics. Overall, I would recommend this book for those interested in regional history and those who like unusual WWI memoirs.

*Edited to clarify: July 1 was known as Memorial Day in Newfoundland, but later Newfoundland became part of Canada, which celebrates July 1 as Canada Day.

>265 labfs39: - Wonderful review, Lisa!

>265 labfs39: Since you read this on my recommendation, I'm happy you enjoyed reading it, even if with qualifications. I know what you mean about the print formatting. If I remember correctly, there is a memorial to the regiment, a statue of a Newfoundland caribou, at the Somme battleground. I may have mentioned this to you previously, but there is also a novel about the Newfoundland Regiment, which I thought was pretty good: No Man's Land by Kevin Major. I got interested in the topic when my wife and I visited Newfoundland on vacation way back in 2008. Cheers!

>265 labfs39: sounds fascinating. (But did i read rocket’s review and forget or am I behind and haven’t read it yet? I have another memory worries. I listened to and adored Garden of Evening Mists, which captures some of the variety of ethnic histories that make up Malaysia, but have no memory of the Alzheimer aspect. Hmm. Wonder if my review says anything...it doesn’t) And interesting on the Memory Police (and the “whole other deck of cards” comment) And great GN discussion and list. Unfortunately I don’t have anything to add. Barefoot Gen is surprisingly powerful. Goodness, I think this is an ADD post… just had a lot to catch up on.

>266 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica!

>267 rocketjk: Yes, there is actually a bronze caribou statue at each of the five major European battlefields where Newfoundlanders played a decisive role. And one in St. John's. I grew up going to civil war battlefields in the states with my parents. As an adult I've been to many WWII sites in Europe, including the Normandy beaches. But I've never been to any WWI sites. My attention has always been much more fixed on WWII and the Holocaust. I read some WWI books for the centenary, but that's about it. I may take it up again at some point, as there is so much there I would like to explore: the ANZACs at Gallipoli, trench warfare, gas attacks, the introduction of tanks, and poets like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Someday!

>268 dchaikin: Thanks for stopping by, Dan. I think many of us are struggling with what we perceive as memory issues. Is it age? Stress? Sleep deprivation? Or something more sinister? I think those of us who had very good memories are particularly affected when things appear to slide.

Personal issues aside, I like reading and thinking about the role of memory in history, both on the macro and micro scale, so books like Garden of the Evening Mists are right up my alley. And Tan Twan Eng is a beautiful writer. I had this to say in my review as well:

Since we as readers know from the beginning that Yun Ling's memories are being eaten away by disease, we must accept that she is an unreliable narrator. Is she really the only survivor of a Japanese work camp? Was her relationship with Aritomo as she writes? She never learns all of his secrets, do we ever learn all of hers? But even if all of the memories she relates are true (and I hope they are, because this fictional space the author creates is so compelling), how does time effect the way in which those stories are remembered? Malayan Chinese of her generation have layers of memories of the Japanese and their emotional responses to them. A survivor must learn to live with her memories and in doing so, remember her experiences in a way that validates her survival. We all remember history passing by in our own ways; and even our own lives, something we should know the truth of in exacting detail, is subject to haze and gaps and smoothed over areas. Our experience of memory is something that makes us humans unique. It is a gift and a curse. And then our memory is gone and a slice of truth is gone with it.

I think it is a book with so many important and well-written themes, that readers can take away many different equally valid points. Memory just happens to be what I focused most on.

Lisa, have you read Pat Barker? She deftly covers all that you mention in her regeneration trilogy, as well as a great deal about the WWI poets. If you haven't,you mightt want to start there..

>270 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy, yes I did read (and love) the Regeneration trilogy, which inspired my interest in the poets. Another great book I read for the centenary was Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth.

Re: World War One, I cannot recommend highly enough Peter Jackson's documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old." He took old, grainy WWI footage and had it colorized (well, colourized) and slowed the sped up old film speed down to normal speed. He also employed sound archeologists (basically, people expert at lip reading silent film footage) and thusly added in speech and other sound effects. It's like being taken back in time 100 years to those awful scenes, not just of combat but of life in the training camps and trenches. Brilliant filmmaking.

Here's a BBC piece about the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYIeactlMWo

>271 labfs39: Did you know that she continued her memoirs with two more books? I have a copy of the second one, Testament of Friendship but haven’t read it yet. Loved the first one!

>265 labfs39: This is a well known book in Newfoundland. WWI was a terrible time for the island. A whole generation of men was lost. Many institutions in Newfoundland and Labrador have 'Memorial' as part of their name in remembrance of it, as in Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The Blue Puttees are naturally famous. Beaumont-Hamel on July 1st 1916 was one of their major battles and the caribou stands there on the battlefield as you say. The caribou was the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

Newfoundland was not part of Canada at that time. July 1st has been known there as Memorial Day. When Newfoundland controversially joined Canada in 1949 it came up against Canada's national holiday, formerly known as Dominion Day, now Canada Day, which also happened to be on July 1st. This created a dilemma for Newfoundlanders; whether to celebrate or commemorate. The observation in each family came down to their own inclinations. This still creates problems for some, as seen in the list of statutory holidays for the province, where July 1st is listed twice on some sites, once as Canada Day and once as Memorial Day. The official government website lists it only as Memorial Day.

https://www.gov.nl.ca/exec/tbs/government-holidays-for-2021/

>1 labfs39: Oh, I really enjoyed Jamilia; looking forward to your thoughts.

>272 rocketjk: After reading a post on your thread about "They Shall Not Grow Old," I bookmarked it on Amazon Prime Video. I hope to watch it soon.

>273 Yells: Good to know, Danielle. When I looked it up, it appears that Testament of Friendship is about her relationship with Winifred Holtby. Have you read any of Holtby's writings?

>274 SassyLassy: Thank you for the information about Memorial Day vs Canada Day. I will edit my review to reflect the difference. The loss of life was certainly horrific. I read that twenty percent of the Newfoundland Regiment died during the war. The Ayre family lost four men in one day (July 1).

There were so many interesting tidbits in the book. For instance, 500 of those who served were foresters and there was a Newfoundland Forestry Corps. I'm curious to know why they were a separate corps and if they had different duties. John Shiwak was one of the few Inuit that served in the Great War and an excellent shot. Tommy Ricketts lied about his age and joined the army at age fifteen and was the youngest member of the British Army to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Then there are the "boys who saved Monchy"—ten men who held off the Germans for four hours after nearly every Newfoundlander in the regiment was killed, wounded, or captured. Incredible stories.

Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov, translated from the Russian by James Riordan
Published 1957, English translation 2007; 96 p.

Fifteen-year-old Seit is the proud jigit, or protector and breadwinner, for two households while his brothers are away fighting the Germans. He's infatuated with his beautiful, older sister-in-law, Jamilia, and accompanies her on grain deliveries. They are joined by a quiet, wounded ex-soldier, and Seit observes their interactions with interest.

This little novella is beautifully written, and it is worth reading just for the descriptions of the Kyrgyz steppes. The land is both a backdrop for the story, and a mirror reflecting the emotions of the characters. The book reminds me of The Issa Valley, with it's gorgeous descriptions of nature and the gentle boy narrator.

Chingiz Aitmatov is perhaps the premier author of Kyrgyzstan. He wrote in both Kyrgyz and Russian, translating between the two, and Jamilia was his first success. In addition to his literary career, he was an ambassador to the EU, Nato, etc.

I highly recommend Jamilia and will be looking for more of Aitmatov's works.

>275 avaland: I loved it as well, Lois. Have you read anything else by him?

Jamila sounds wonderful, Lisa. I will look for it.

>277 labfs39: enjoyed your review. (I have a copy around here I’ve been meaning to open.)

>277 labfs39: Oh that looks terrific, and what an arresting cover. I'll keep an eye out for that one.

>277 labfs39: When he's on form, Aitmatov is a terrific writer. He disappointed me a couple of times, but The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years and The White Steamship will stay with me for a long time!

>279 BLBera: It's a beautiful little novella, Beth.

>280 dchaikin: Jamilia might be a good book to clean your palate between tomes, Dan.

>281 lisapeet: I love this cover, too.

>282 Dilara86: Thanks for the tip. Both of the titles you mention are available in English. And thanks for stopping by my thread.

Next Up is an early reviewer book I received today. The author is an artist, and almost every page has a photo or drawing. Looks interesting.



Mac & Irene: A WWII Saga by Margot McMahon

>278 labfs39: Just an earlier work, The Place of the Skull, but I didn't note any comments or review. If I still have it I'll send it to you. The only review is in maybe, Russian? and they gave it 4 stars

>285 avaland: Thanks, Lois. If you find it, that would be great. Maybe it could be an excuse to get together again!

>277 labfs39: - This one sounds interesting. I'll add it to the list.

>276 labfs39: Thanks for the edit. It probably sounds like a small nit picky thing, but for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians it's really important.

>287 Trifolia: It was one of those books that I think will linger in the back of my mind despite not being clever or deep or complex. The emotion it evoked is very similar to that of The Issa Valley. Have you read it?

>288 SassyLassy: Absolutely. I hate making stupid "American" mistakes. I went back and reread what the author said about it, and she too phrased it as Canada Day, but her audience would have known the difference, and I did not. Thank you.

Hi. You asked a really nice question about my reading year on my thread. So back at ya: Are you ready to evaluate your year of reading? (I hope so) If so, how do you feel about your 2021 reading? Quantity ok? How was the quality? Do other factors come to mind? And, quoting you, “Did your reading add the enjoyment and fulfillment to your life that you want?” : )

>290 dchaikin: Lol, you got me. :-)

As you know, I don't set elaborate reading goals. I rejoined LT and Club Read this year after some time away due to the reading doldrums, so I started the year thinking any reading is good reading. But I became inspired by the folks on CR and had a great reading year. I read more books than I had in 2019 and 2020 combined (although still less than half of what I used to read).

Once I realized that I had my reading mojo back, I decided to keep running stats on the diversity of my reading, something I had never done before. I have always enjoyed reading literature in translation and from around the world, and I tend to read more books by women than men, but I was curious as to how many nonwhite authors I read. So although I had no set goal, reading nonwhite authors was a tickler in the back of my mind.

So far this year (there's two weeks left!), I have read 43 books from

22 countries with 28% in translation
58% women authors
47% nonwhite authors

I'm pleased with that and will continue thinking about ethnic diversity next year.

As for quality, I am happy there as well. Most of the books earned respectable ratings (why read duds?), with only one being a major disappointment. And I had many favorites, if that is not an oxymoron. Because of this my reading enjoyment was high. I was pleased to be reading again and pleased with what I was reading.

Complementing my reading enjoyment was the pleasure I felt being part of the CR community again. It was lovely reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones. Reviewing books, talking about them, and seeing what others are reading adds to my enjoyment and my learning, which weighs heavily into my sense of fulfillment. So

reading + CR + learning = Happy Lisa

It’s a great answer. I’m impressed with your 22 countries and appreciate your 58% women. But congrats on a great year so far.

>289 labfs39: I haven't read The Issa Valley, but it looks like something I'd like to read. I have Milosz' The Captive Mind on my TBR pile, and after reading Lea Ypi's Free: coming of age at the end of history, I'm tempted to read this book soon. I sometimes like to read "in pairs". This often contributes something to both books.

>291 labfs39: Interesting, both the insights you give us and the stats. It seems we've walked a very similar reading path this year, mojo, intentions and CR included. It's eery remarkable sometimes: I read 37 books from ... 22 countries but surprisingly, we only shared three books this year :-)

reading + CR + learning = Happy Lisa: love that!

>292 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. I'm looking forward to your reading plan for next year. Your reading is always impressive.

>293 Trifolia: I sometimes like to read "in pairs". This often contributes something to both books.

I do too, although it's usually unplanned. I had a couple of memorable pairs: Homegoing-Underground Railroad and The Mountains Sing-The Sympathizer.

It doesn't surprise me that our stats are similar, dear book twin. Our conversations on and off thread contributed to my rekindled reading energy. Thank you for helping me have a good year!

Mac & Irene: A WWII Saga by Margot McMahon
Published 2021, 103 p.
Early Reviewer book

Franklin "Mac" McMahon was a young cartoonist with dreams of flying when he enlisted in June 1942. He was trained to be a navigator for the legendary B-17 bomber. On January 13, 1945, on his sixteenth bombing run, Mac's plane was shot down over Germany, and he became a prisoner of war. After two weeks in Stalag Luft III POW camp, Mac and the rest of the prisoners were marched West, ahead of the advancing Russian army. He landed in Wehrmacht Camp VIIA and a couple of weeks later was liberated by Patton's army. When he arrived back in Chicago, he and his sweetheart were married, and he became an artist and filmmaker.

Mac's daughter, Margot, also an artist, wrote this memoir after extensive interviews with her father. On almost every page, there are photos, drawings, and paintings which added to the story. Visually the book is attractive, with a printed case wrap, and a photo of Mac and Irene superimposed on a painting by Mac of a bomber. The text was a bit overwritten, but the action kept it from bogging down. A nice tribute to the artist's father.

>294 labfs39: Usually unplanned, the same goes for me. I often find a link to a book right after I've read the first book and it yells at me: Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is a coming of age story and so is Lea Ypi's book, in a totally different setting but nevertheless about two girls growing up and finding their way in life. And now you're talking about Milosz, which reminds me of his book on my WL that talks about totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, which is the link to Ypi's book. Or maybe I'm just predictable or susceptible for parallels:-)

And thank you so much for being such an inspiration to me this year! I enjoyed it very much and am already looking forward to next year.

ETA - typo

>295 labfs39: You're really immersing yourself in WW-literature. Excellent review!

>296 Trifolia: Or maybe I'm just predictable or susceptible for parallels

I call it reading down the rabbit hole, and I love it. As you say, it enhances the experience when you get a broader perspective on either the setting or themes.

I like Czesław Miłosz. I've read some of his fiction (The Issa Valley, which is also autobiographical), nonfiction History of Polish Literature, and poetry The collected poems, 1931-1987. I too have The Captive Mind on my TBR, and I also have two books of essays and letters.

>297 Trifolia: I do love WWII memoirs. This one was just a step above self-published and the writing was clunky, so I reviewed it with a more generous eye than I might have otherwise, not wanting to abuse an amateur writer.

Now I'm off to South Africa



The Folly by Ivan Vladislavić

>291 labfs39: Great stats, Lisa. I am always hoping to read more diversely as well. You are an inspiration. I look forward to following your reading through 2022.

Such cool reading here, Lisa! I'm really enjoying seeing what you've read and what you think of it.

>300 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I'm excited to kick off a new reading year. The Graphic Novel thread, the Asia Reading Challenge, and my own country lists—there's lots of possibilities. What are you looking forward to next year?

>301 lisapeet: I've been all over the place lately, reading gift books and the ER one. Even less rhyme or reason than usual. It's been interesting though. And I'm really enjoying my current book, The Folly. I would have finished this weekend, but the snowstorm created some extra work. Plus I had the insane desire to clean under things: the refrigerator (found one of my niece's toys), the couch (found a missing chopstick from a ramen incident a few weeks ago), and the radiators (a missing Playmobile ducking and chick).

I forgot to post an important update from the world of reading: my five-year-old niece read her first book on Wednesday! She was so excited. Everything clicked, and she realized she was reading. My sister (her mom) rushed over so E could read it to her, and then my dad (grandpa) showed up. By the time my mom (grandma) arrived, E was bouncing up and down in the driveway waving the book. A good day.

>303 labfs39: and and what book? Thats so cool!

>303 labfs39: she rocks! Happy for her.

>298 labfs39: reading down the rabbit hole : I like this expression.
I reviewed it with a more generous eye : Yes, I agree. Such egodocuments have their value in the landscape of historical sources. They may not always meet scientific standards, but they are certainly necessary and indeed we should not judge them by the same standards.

>299 labfs39: - This one looks interesting! I'm already looking forward to your review.
P.S. the touchstone in this post links to Erasmus.

>303 labfs39: - How wonderful that your niece has read her first book under your supervision (and undoubtedly encouragement :-)). It must be exciting for her to enter a whole new world. She's in good company.

>303 labfs39: A good reading day indeed! That must be so fun to see someone else get excited about reading.

>304 cindydavid4: The book was Mat, one of the Bob books. She read her third one today.

>305 dchaikin: >307 markon: Since Thanksgiving she's been spending time with me for an hour and a half in the mornings before day care. Very fun. When she leaves, I get her little sister (almost two) for the rest of the day. She's going to be an early reader because she wants to do everything big sister does.

>306 Trifolia: we should not judge them by the same standards

I was glad to read this, because I had been wondering if I was being unduly influenced by the fact that she had sent me a note when I got the Early Reviewer copy. I didn't want to feel pressured to write a good review, but I also didn't want to diss a good effort.

Thanks, I fixed the touchstone. I finished The Folly this afternoon while the little one was napping. I hope to write the review tonight.

Here's where all the reading happens:

What a lovely thing to have experienced with your niece! And your reading nook looks perfect and welcoming.

Oh, your reading nook looks delightful!

>309 RidgewayGirl:, >310 shadrach_anki: Thanks, it's where I read to the girls, and now they read to me. :-)

The Folly by Ivan Vladislavić
Published 1993, 179 p.

One evening a man carrying a fake leather portmanteau gets out of a taxi in front of a vacant lot next to the Malgas′ home. He is odd, scurrying around the lot picking up trash and making things out of it, camping in the corner by the hedges, and never seeming to leave. Mrs. Malgas is suspicious and keeps an eye on him out the window and wonders if she should call the police. Mr. Malgas, however, is intrigued and soon approaches him. The man introduces himself as ″Father,″ although later he says his name is Nieuwenhuizen. He is there to take ownership of the lot and build a house. Mr. Malgas is excited at the prospect and offers to help. As time goes by, and the plans for the house never materialize, Mr. Malgas must imagine the house in order to remain friends with his neighbor. As the imaginary house becomes more real, Mr. Malgas begins to become less so.

Parable, fable, allegory? It′s hard to say exactly what this book is, but it is well-written and funny, with thought-provoking threads. But like the strings outlining the foundation of the planned house, they seem to meander into a tangled dead-end heap. I was following a line I thought was a religious allegory, but in the end was left staring at an amorphous cat′s cradle. Was Father God and Malgas his disciple? Were they building His church not on a rock, but an anthill? Or was this a cautionary tale about totalitarian state plans, being forced to ″see″ what you are told to, and then being left with nothing when the plan changes? The genius in this book lies not in what is written, but in what must be conjectured. Do we as readers buy into the premise, or do we remain with Mrs. Malgas on the outside looking in?

The writing is very clever and humorous. Things are described like punctuation marks, lists of objects reflect personality, and words beginning with C seem to be important, but are they? The first sentence and the last are nearly the same; what do the differences mean? I would love to be reading this with others, as the possibilities for discussion are endless. Recommended for those who liked The Investigation by Philippe Claudel or perhaps Paul Auster′s Travels in the Scriptorium.

>312 labfs39: sounds curious. Enjoyed your review, which leaves some things to think about. I was thinking above, >299 labfs39:, that Vladislavić seems an odd name to take you to South Africa, although it sounds like the book to take place in any newish neighborhood.

>313 dchaikin: True, probably not the most evocative book for South Africa, but the author was born in Pretoria and lives in Johannesburg. The setting is generic, with only passing reference to the veldt. It raises an interesting question that has been floating around on some other threads: when trying to read globally, does an author have to write about his native land? Is a book less African, say, if it is post-modern? And do books that aren't set in the expected place get translated as often as those that match author and country? I wonder if it is easier or harder to sell a translated book by an author who writes about a different country than her own.

>314 labfs39: somewhere here Mark was asked, or asked, whether any South Africa books don't look at Apartied. I think you found one. :)

The Self-Sown by Prežihov Voranc, translated from the Slovene by Irma M. Ožbalt
Published 1940, English translation 1983, 111 p.

Prežihov Voranc was one of the pseudonyms of Lovro Kuhar, a Slovene socialist with an elementary school education and a passion for political activism that landed him in jails across Europe. Despite keeping a relatively low profile during WWII, a proponent of a ″cultural silence″ during the occupation of Slovenia, he was rounded up and sent to concentration camps. He never recovered and died a few years after the war. He is known for his novels and short stories in the social realist style.

The Self-Sown is the story of Meta, a young housemaid in the wealthy Karničnik household. When she is discovered to be carrying the child of the oldest son, she is tortured and made into a social outcast. Despite subsequent beatings, she continues her relationship with Ožbej and bears him eight more children. She only grows more beautiful in the face of adversity, and her children inherit her strength and goodness. Within a few generations, they are an army of downtrodden peasants with the potential to rise up and claim their rights. They are the self-sown.

Wait, wait, wait, you're reading too fast.
>312 labfs39: This one sounds really interesting. I'll look for it and let you know if I read it because I think I'd like that one.

>313 dchaikin: >314 labfs39: >315 dchaikin: Yes, the author's name surely does not sound very South-African. Raton-liseur and I have been talking about this sense of place on other threads, but it's the question that Elif Shafak also poses or actually she claims the right to write about other things and other settings than her own country.

>316 labfs39: This one sounds like a classic but somehow this book does not appeal to me. Did you like it?

>303 labfs39: What a great story!

The Folly and The Self-Sown sound interesting. Noted.

I don't usually plan my reading except very generally. I would like to read more from my shelves next year, and also more in translation. Then, I have my book club and my public library always has a challenge. Other than that, no plans.

>315 dchaikin: Perhaps because it was more like Waiting for Godot and less like historical fiction.

>317 Trifolia: Lol, it seems fast because I've read a couple of short ones in a row. I picked up A Life in Secrets first, but the print was too small. I need to get my new glasses before tackling that one.

I think you might like The Folly, but I would only recommend The Self-Sown to folks who really like social realism (not a large group).

>318 BLBera: I hear you, Beth, about not being a planner. I'm excited right now about a couple of groups, but usually I pick what's near to hand. Both of these books have been sitting on Mount TBR. I actually first read The Self-Sown in grad school. The professor was Slovene and spoke 14 languages. I was so impressed that I've never forgotten him, but I had forgotten the book.

>319 labfs39: I did like social realism, but I can only have so much. I'll just let this one pass.

Your reading has been fantastic lately! I'm both impressed and making note of titles. Meanwhile, my reading is stalling out in the general chaos and too-much-to-do of this move. I'm looking forward to having moved, less to the actual process of moving.

Belated congratulations to your niece! I'm trying to remember my son's "click" moment and can't, now... though knowing him, there's a good chance he just came out of his room one day and said, "Mommy, I can read books now, you know."

This is a really fun thread to follow. Lots of stuff that wasn't on my radar previously.

>314 labfs39: heh very similar to the debate about what is considered historic fiction. Both debates seem unsolvable it seems

Caught up again on your interesting thread

>320 Trifolia: I don't think you are missing much by skipping this one. You've been on a great reading streak. I'm happy we are both ending the year on a reading high.

>321 RidgewayGirl: Thank you, Kay. I'm starting to feel like myself again after a long reading dry spell. Understandable that your own reading is on hold. Is this a forever move for you, do you think? Or is this a temporary posting?

>322 lisapeet: One day my daughter was sitting on the couch with a book, and she started laughing. That's when I knew that she was a reader, and not just a decoder. I wish I remembered the book she was reading. My niece zipped through three more little books and is definitely consolidating her skills. So much fun to watch.

>323 cindydavid4: the debate about what is considered historic fiction

Yes, that one is a doozy too. I have taken to only marking a book historical fiction if it is about real people, not just set in the past. So Wolf Hall yes, Pachinko no.

>324 Nickelini: Thanks for stopping by, Joyce. I'm glad you were able to get to Switzerland and back safely, and that your daughter is doing ok. My sister and her family have a planned trip out of the country for January, but are worried about going because they don't want to get stranded if one of them were to test positive. A rather inconceivable problem a few years ago.

Next Up:



A Delayed Life: The powerful memoir of the librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus

After an interesting conversation about Holocaust books "based on a true story" on Alison's thread, I decided to read Dita Kraus's memoir, rather than the more famous Librarian of Auschwitz. So far it is a very engaging story of her childhood growing up in Prague. Lots of little details that bring to life that time period.

love reading this thread, but I do have a fav to ask of you. I know some of your real names but not all. If you mention someone here, and done have a link back to it, please put in their real name (Im assuming these people have already mentioned it so its not private :)

>291 labfs39: I love the stats.

>326 labfs39: Oh, looking forward to this review, Lisa. I wish my RLBC had chosen this rather than the Librarian of Auschwitz.

>327 cindydavid4: Not everyone makes their name public, but I often include the names of those who do.

>328 avaland: Thanks, you should see Kevin's (stretch)!

>329 AlisonY: I'm enjoying A Delayed Life, but it is very different than what I imagine the novel to be. I can see how their might be room for both a memoir and a novel, but I haven't read Librarian of Auschwitz, so can't comment on that particular one.

Hi Lisa,

I'm so sorry to read about your uncle, but glad he changed his mind in time to tell his daughters to get vaccinated.

I finally got back onto LT after months away yesterday and spent twenty minutes just reading this thread (and only this one so far!). Now I have In the Garden of Evening Mists *and* The Mountains Sing out as e-books from Wellington library - I really enjoyed The Gift of Rain when I read it ten years ago.

I loved the news that your niece has started reading! I am horrified that I can't remember exactly when the kids learnt to read...just that it was wonderful when they did.

Right, it is Christmas morning and I have yet to wrap up the presents so I will get off here and try to find the sellotape.

>330 labfs39: Oh I know; its just helpful to put names together with 'names' :)

>331 cushlareads: Hi Cushla! So nice to hear from you. I hope all has been well with you and your family.

If you liked The Gift of Rain, I think you're in for a treat with The Garden of Evening Mists. Both are good, but I thought the latter quite special. I hope you'll pop in and let me know what you think, even if you don't have a thread yet.

It's been a treat to spend time with my nieces. My daughter is eighteen now, so it's been a while since I've had little ones to read with. We are currently reading all of the Jan Brett books and talking about her artwork and the idea of retelling a story. The five year old dictated a story to me as the first installation in her own storybook collection. It's about Earth, water, and aliens. :-)

Merry Christmas!

>332 cindydavid4: I'm guessing your name is Cindy? It's not on your profile. Usually I figure that if people don't put their real name on their profile, they aren't keen to share it widely, unless of course it's in their username.

>333 labfs39: Looks like Gift of Rain might be an interesting celection for the Asian Challenge coming up this next month.

My name is Cindy. The reason I asked the question is that many people don't use their name, which is fine, but then people responding will often use it in their posts. I don't always know who they are referring too. But no matter.

hee, I found a solution. went to Club Read 2022, the new introduction thread and saw many user names linked with real names. That will help a lot!

>334 cindydavid4: The Gift of Rain was very good, and I liked Garden of Evening Mists even more. Great suggestions for the Asia Reading Challenge.

>335 cindydavid4: Hmm, when I read a post, I usually see the person's username and the post being referred to prior to the content. So if I see
>335 cindydavid4: Hi Cindy
I know cindydavid4 is Cindy. I'm glad the list of members on the introduction thread is helpful. I got the idea from Lois, as she did it this year.

>325 labfs39: This move is a permanent one, although I had thought the last move was the last one, LOL. I guess as long as both my husband and I are up for another adventure, there's no way to say for sure. But I do love this house and had said I would be happy to die here. Hope to find one in Bloomington, IL that I can say the same about. Just in case we don't move again.

It's snowing on top of a layer of ice here, so it's a good day to stay inside with tea and my book. I love days like this. I won't love shoveling later, so I'm enjoying it while I can!

>337 RidgewayGirl: Did you say that you had found a house you liked there and were hoping to make an offer on? In some ways it was hard for me to move from Woodinville, WA where I had lived for fourteen years, and where my daughter was born and grew up. We had renovated a few years before, and there were built-in bookshelves everywhere. Plus, the yard had been a labor of love with trees, fruit bushes, and raised garden beds that we had planted/built. After a short hiatus in Florida, I bought a house in my hometown in Maine. Although I could never have predicted it, I love it here. It turned out to be a very good decision. That said, I certainly hope I never have to move again. I still don't have all my books unpacked!

2021 Year in Review:

Favorite book: Bring Up the Bodies
Favorite graphic novel: When Stars are Scattered
Favorite history: Memoirs of a Blue Puttee: The Newfoundland Regiment in World War One
Favorite memoir: The Woman Who Smashed Codes
Favorite translated book: Em by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman
Favorite reread: Baba Dunja's Last Love

Can′t wait to read the sequel: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Had been on my wish list forever: Jamilia
Surpise hit: Pnin
Looking forward to the movie: Pachinko
Most memorable title: Burned Child Seeks the Fire
Shared read: The Girl with Seven Names with Monica (trifolia)
Best regifted gift: Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah (from Lois to Dan to me)
Me and no other: My friend Bill: the life of a restless Yankee, William W. Streeter
Biggest disappointment: Winter by Ali Smith

Saddest: Children in the Holocaust and World War II
Funniest: World′s Strongest Librarian
Oddest: The Woman in the Dunes
Longest: Mirror and the Light at 757 p.

>340 labfs39: I really like the way you have set up these categories!

Bring up the Bodies would definitely go on an all time best list for me - not sure how long that list would be, but it would definitely be on it.

>338 labfs39: That's what we were doing also in similar weather situation (we had the family holiday the day before). And we are still here, not willing to deal with the now snow-covered ice.

>340 labfs39: What a fun list, I might borrow that....

>340 labfs39: Cool list. Neat way to look back on a year of reading.

>341 SassyLassy: Although I struggled with the last book in the Cromwell trilogy, WH was great and BUTB superb. I'm so glad I finally stopped being intimated by the "British history that I know nothing about" fear and read them.

>342 avaland: It warmed up to 35 this afternoon, so my morning snowblowing is paying off in that my driveway is almost bare. Still nice reading and tea weather.

>343 stretch: It's fun to put together lists like this to supplement by more data focused reviews (which I should post now).

2021 Book Stats:

47 books total*

25 countries
13 (28%) translations

33 (70%) fiction
14 (30%) nonfiction

27 (57%) by women
20 (43%) by men

20 (43%) nonwhite authors

2 graphic novels

*I'm including the book I'm reading now in my yearly totals because I'm almost done and will be by Saturday.

Books I've read in 2021 by nationality of author:

American: 10
Canadian: 1
Canadian/Wasauksing First Nation: 1
Chinese: 1
Dutch: 1
English: 5
Finnish: 1
French: 1
German: 2
Ghanaian American: 1
Iranian: 1
Japanese: 3
Korean: 1
Korean American: 1
Kyrgyz: 1
New Zealand: 1
Nigerian: 1
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
Scottish: 2
Slovene: 1
Somali: 1
South Africa: 1
Swedish: 1
Tanzanian: 1
Vietnamese: 2
Vietnamese American: 2

I love looking at everyone's book stats! You have a great spread of authors from around the world.

>347 japaul22: I love looking at everyone's book stats

I do too. It ranks right up there with making lists.

>340 labfs39: great list, fun to read. And cool the BUtB was your favorite. Looks like it was a good year.

I also love looking at year-end stats and favorites. I was just thinking I need to do that.

>340 labfs39: What a great idea to review your reading year this way.

>345 labfs39:>346 I love Book Stats. I'll add mine when I finish (what I think will be) my final book of the year.

I have no interest in making stats for myself, but I love seeing other people's... I'm a stat voyeur, I guess. Yours are really fun (and inspiring), Lisa.

Great stats, Lisa. I think the worldliness of mine would quite pale in comparison.

>349 dchaikin: After putting off the Cromwell trilogy for so long, the first two turned out to be favorite reads of the year.

>350 BLBera: >351 Trifolia: >352 lisapeet: This was the first year I did running stats, and it was interesting, but the numbers remained fairly static over the course of the year. My goal in creating the categories I did was to see how diverse my reading was and to encourage myself to read widely. In trying to promote diversity in my reading, I ended up pigeon-holing authors, which is in itself anti-diversity, if that is a word. Categories like female/male, nonwhite, and even a single nationality, are by default limiting. So how do I track my reading to promote diversity without such categories? If you have ideas, please let me know.

>353 AlisonY: Reading about other places and cultures has always been a love of mine. I recently created a list of countries in the Global Challenge to see how many countries I've covered, which was fun. I will add to it as I go along, although I'm not participating in the challenge part of it. More lists ;-)

I finished reading A Delayed Life today. Excellent book. And I was able to slide it into one of the TIOLI challenges, to end December with six:

3. Read a book with a celestial body in the title or on the cover: When Stars are Scattered
5. Read a book where the author’s last name could be used as a first name: The Self-Sown by Prežihov Voranc (Voranc can also be a first name)
12. Read a book where someone on the cover (front or back) is wearing or holding glasses: Mac & Irene
15. Read a book whose first sentence has seven words or fewer: A Delayed Life (My life is not real life.)
16. Read a book with at least three numbers in the first paragraph: Memoirs of a Blue Puttee (first World War, one of the, first Five Hundred volunteers)
17. Read a book whose story takes place in a COLD setting: The Memory Police (endless winter)

Last book of 2021:



A Delayed Life: The powerful memoir of the librarian of Auschwitz by Dita Kraus
Originally published in Czech 2018, English edition 2020; 474 p.

I first learned about Dita Kraus when I read a review on LibraryThing of The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe. It is a fictionalized account of her life during the Holocaust. The review led to an interesting conversation about ″based on the true story″ literature, the sensationalizing of the Holocaust, and the merits of fictional Holocaust literature. I decided to skip the novel and chose to read her memoir instead.

A Delayed Life is not only, or even primarily, a Holocaust story. The first quarter details her childhood in Prague, from her earliest memories through her thirteenth birthday. The second quarter covers the war years, 1942-45. The last half describes life in Prague after the war, her immigration to Israel, life on a kibbutz, her marriage, and teaching career. Taken in it′s entirety, it is a rich history of both a life and a time period.

Dita Polach was born in 1929, the only child of a middle class secular Jewish family. Her homey descriptions of her childhood in Prague—her relationship with her grandmother, being a picky eater, having her tonsils out, skating dresses, and trips to the countryside—were a delight to read. Little mention is made of political matters, because as a child, she was unaware of them. When she was thirteen, however, the war came crashing down around her, when she and her parents were deported to Terezín. She was thirteen years old.

One of the unique things about Dita is that she is one of the few survivors among the child artists at Terezín. Her drawings are on display in several exhibits around the world. Another is that although she was separated from her parents in Terezín, she was reunited with them in the BIIb or the Terezín
family camp at Auschwitz. Very few families were kept together at Auschwitz, but around 17,500 people from Terezín were transferred there. Unfortunately, only 1,294 survived. Dita and her mother were two of them. They were selected by Mengele for transport to Germany as slave labor and thus they avoided the crematorium. In the spring of 1945, as the front grew closer, the women were transported to Bergen-Belsen where they spent several harrowing and desperate months prior to liberation.

After the war, sixteen-year-old Dita returned to Prague and eventually decided to emigrate to Israel. This was another fascinating part of the book. She describes the process that the now communist Czech government required in order to emigrate: the documents needed, what you could and could not bring, how they traveled. All to end up inside a barbed-wire fence in Israel for months until they were found a place on a kibbutz. Her descriptions of life on the kibbutz were interesting, because although she wanted to succeed there, she was not a Zionist, and saw things without the passion of an idealist. Interestingly, one of her longest jobs there was as a cobbler.

The last part of the book deals with her teaching career, her husband, and children, bringing the reader to the present, 2018. Unfortunately in January of 2021, Dita contracted Covid at the age of 91 and was hospitalized for several weeks. She appears to have recovered. You can listen to an interview with her and see some of her artwork at her website: www.ditakraus.com.

I highly recommend this well-written and readable memoir.

thanks for that review, Ive been avoiding the book, but think I might read the memoir

>356 labfs39: Thanks for such a nice review, touching on so many things, including that conversation here in CR. Also - what a fascinating life - in several ways.

>356 labfs39: Wonderful review. Sounds like a really interesting book. I feel like I should read it at some point to let Kraus tell me her own story after The Librarian of Auschwitz.

Incidentally, did she cover hiding books in her memoir, or was that just an embellished piece of fiction for mass market selling?

>359 AlisonY: To be honest, it merited only a few lines in her memoir. It was while she was in the family camp. The children were allowed to go to a specific building while their parents were working, and there they played games, sang, and had informal classes. Freddy Hirsch, whom she knew from before created the "job" to give her a purpose for remaining there. She never mentioned having to hide the books, although it's probable she did.

In an interview she talked about being the heroine of a novel. She said the author spoke with her beforehand. She didn't seem upset about it or concerned that it wasn't accurate; she saw it as fiction. Which leads to an interesting question: does the fictionalized account hold merit separate from the memoir? When we talked about it earlier I was leaning toward no; but having read the memoir, I can see how a fictionalized account could bring value. For instance, in her memoir she might say "we talked about food all the time now," and that is different than creating conversations that she might have had about food. They would have a different impact, and while the words might be different, the essence would remain the same. I haven't read The Librarian of Auschwitz, so I can't comment on this particular fictionalization, but our conversations have made me reconsider my initial feeling of distaste.

One of my favorite authors is Arnošt Lustig, who was also born in Prague, only three years before Dita Kraus. He too was sent to Terezín as a teen, then to Auschwitz. He was later at Buchenwald and escaped when the train carrying him to Dachau was hit by an American bomber. He wrote many novels and short stories about the Holocaust, but not a memoir. Being a survivor, I have no issue reading his fiction, in fact I find it extremely powerful, as well as beautifully written. So clearly I feel that some Holocaust fiction is valid, is it only because the author is a survivor?

I continue to think about this issue, and I am very appreciative that the conversation about it has been so thoughtful and respectful.

>356 labfs39: Ooh, this one is going on my to read list. My library even owns it!

Edited to add that the link to dita kraus' website goes somewhere strange on LT. I found her site using the web address you typed.

>354 labfs39: I don't have any great ideas on the tracking books and creating diversity in reading issue - it's something I still definitely struggle with. But one thing I've enjoyed doing some years (not every year!) is picking a certain area of interest or country or similar as a "focus". Some years this happens organically and sometimes it's an idea I plan. Last year I read quite a few works by Indigenous authors - mainly from today's Canada and U.S. One year I had a focus on Black American authors. One year I read Scandinavian authors, and another French. I never make this a huge percentage of my reading - maybe 5-10 books over the year - but it's kind of fun to get just a bit more in depth on a region all in one year.

>361 markon: I hope you enjoy it, Ardene. I was expecting a Holocaust memoir, but it turned out to be that and so much more.

>362 japaul22: That's a good point, Jennifer. I guess I'll be doing that by default this year, since I'm going to try and participate in the Asia Reading Challenge. I would like to read more indigenous authors too. I've seen so many good recommendations and lists lately.

>360 labfs39: "Does the fictionalized account hold merit separate from the memoir?"

In my opinion, generally speaking, yes. For me, a novel based on real events only has to be a good novel, as long as it doesn't grossly misrepresent the actual events it's based on. An author's adding elements for dramatic enhancement of the story doesn't bother me at all, as long as they are "believable" and add to, rather than distract from, the novel's narrative integrity. That's just my two cents (and worth every penny). :)

>364 rocketjk: Lol. I agree, in general. I do like to know what the basic facts are so I don't mistake the author's inventions as fact. To provide more context from the original conversation, we were taking about the numerous recent Holocaust novels that claim to be "based on the true story." Questions were posed about making profit off sensationalizing the Holocaust, to what degree the author's intent was important, and how we as readers felt about it all.

I love your reading stats.

>365 labfs39: Oh, sure. I've read through (and commented briefly within) the very interesting conversation on Allison's thread that you mention. I was certainly speaking more generally, as you noted, but for me the principles hold true for Holocaust novels, too. On the "making profit" question, I suppose one has to take into account the relatively long-shot aspects of turning a sizeable profit on a novel, in comparison to the work and time needed to write the thing in the first place. Of course, and I think to your point, when an author starts with a fictionalized account of a real person's tale, the author is starting a long way along on the path to realizing a workable plot, so there's that. The question of success or failure in the endeavor would ultimately come for me in how skillfully the author balances the subject's individual story with the ability to add fictional elements that might move the story from an individual one to a more global human tale.

I haven't read either the memoir or novel that sparked this conversation, but I would want to know whether the fictionalized elements of the novel, on the one hand, were emotionally manipulative and/or sensational or, on the other hand, helped to enhance the narrative so that it became, more than just one person's singular tale, no matter how compelling that might be, a more acute reading experience about the horrific Holocaust experience as it was endured by millions. The more singular the original person's experience, I would think, the more desirable would be some additional elements that created a more global story. To put it another way, a memoir would properly be, "Here's what I experienced during the Holocaust." A novelist has to add at least some elements of "Here's what the Holocaust was like" or "Here's what human nature is like" or some such. Many details of the person's individual story would, of course, come with their own global connotations, but the more singular/unusual the person's story, the more challenging the task I'd see for a novelist who wanted to write a book that wasn't simply a plot-driven narrative about a person whose story might not even be really believable, even though it really happened!.

Again, that's my own personal perspective on the question only, of course.

For the record, I am Jewish myself, and I fully share your distaste for sensationalized writing about the Holocaust. In fact, I can't offhand think of a single novel I've read that was set primarily in the Holocaust, (though I've seen some of the movies). I have read quite a bit of history, though, and for a while I volunteered at an organization called the San Francisco Holocaust Oral History Project which was involved in taping the oral histories of survivors while they were still around to tell their tales. I mostly did PR and event planning for the organization, but I did sit in on one or two of the interviews and watched many others. Talk about powerful storytelling. Anyway, it's not that I avoid such novels or, as noted above, disapprove of them, but that I haven't felt compelled to read them. You could probably read Elie Wiesel's Night once a year and learn what you needed to know.

>367 rocketjk: I apologize, Jerry, for not remembering you were part of the original conversation. My bad.

how skillfully the author balances the subject's individual story with the ability to add fictional elements that might move the story from an individual one to a more global human tale

the more singular/unusual the person's story, the more challenging the task I'd see for a novelist who wanted to write a book that wasn't simply a plot-driven narrative about a person whose story might not even be really believable, even though it really happened

This is interesting. When I was thinking of a fictional account of the memoir I read, I was focusing on the micro: how the details of the story might be altered for a different reading experience (i.e. conversations). You bring up the macro: a novel as a reflection of or commentary on the human condition. I want to think about that some more, but my initial feeling is that I want to read as many individual accounts as possible and from them weave a bigger picture. Part of it is a desire to honor individual experiences, and part is skepticism that it is possible to write a novel that encapsulates "this is what the Holocaust was like," but I know what you mean.

Of the Holocaust fiction I have read, I would put them into two categories. The first is literary fiction like

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Borowski
Lovely Green Eyes and others by Lustig
Brodeck by Claudel
Memory by Grimbert
The Last of the Just by Schwarz-Bart
Comedy in a Minor Key and others by Keilson
If not now, when? by Levi

I think these novels are all very good and some great. Where I start to have questions are with books like

The Apple : A Novel Based on the Herman Rosenblat Holocaust Love Story by Holt
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Morris (based on a true story)
Sarah's Key by de Rosnay
Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Boyne

When I stop to ask myself why, I hesitate. Is it because they weren't written by survivors? Is it because they were so popular? (I do tend to get a rash whenever confronted with a super-hyped book.) Is it the "based on a true story" vs memoir dilemma? I'm not sure. My thoughts and feelings on this subject are evolving the more we talk about it.

Your work with the San Francisco Holocaust Oral History Project must have been fascinating and rewarding. I sometimes watch recorded interviews that are available online. They are incredibly moving, but very difficult for me to watch. I think I sometimes need the written page to provide a bit of distance.

Thanks for taking the time to write such thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. I'll keep mulling.

>366 avaland: Thanks, Lois! It's always interesting to me to see where things clump. For instance this year I ended up reading four books by Vietnamese or Vietnamese American authors. Prior to this it had been years. Sometimes a series, like the Cromwell trilogy, create an almost unfair weight. In some ways they seem like one.

I got a chuckle out of this. I was browsing through my charts & graphs feature for 2021, and it said I had read 1 romance book and 1 horror book this year. Really? When I investigated further, it listed Jamilia as romance and Moon of the Crusted Snow as horror!

>370 labfs39: "it said I had read 1 romance book and 1 horror book this year."

I was sure the punchline was going to be that they were the same book! :)

Your discussion on the various types of Holocaust fiction is very interesting.
I read a lot of juvenile Holocaust fiction as well as the adult fare.
I find that I can't read most of the recent Holocaust related fiction books, they mostly lack authenticity with their thoughtful covers and intoxicating blurbs.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas is considered an allegory to cover its many faults, I hated it and couldn't understand how popular it became especially when books like Gudrun Pauswang's The Final Journey could be read instead.
Uri Orlev's The Lead Soldiers is a good first person account from a child's perspective. I became interested in the young child's experience while reading Magda Denes' memoir Castles Burning: a child's life in war which she wrote in the voice of her childhood self.

For me one of the more memorable fictions based on a true story, is the YA The Fighter by Jean-Jaques Greif about one of his father's friends, Moshè Garbarz. Greif decided to tell this story rather than that of his own father who was also in Auschwitz. The afterward was interesting, Garbarz took his children every summer to the woods for brutal survivalist camping, in case anything like the Holocaust would happen again.
The book is a set work for French school students and he has an interesting FAQ (in English) on his website which discusses some of the questions you've raised.
http://mapage.noos.fr/jjgreif/fighterfaq.html

A delayed life is going on my 'to read' list. I've read so many books related to the Holocaust, yet apart from the Keilson, haven't read any on your list in post #368, I'm aware of them, have most of the books on my shelves, so will make a point of reading them next year. I would add Imre Kertész's Fatelessness to your list.

Well, now you've got me thinking about this again, and I've been pondering over recent comments here.

When I think back to The Librarian of Auschwitz, in the end it won me over and I think it's exactly for the reason you gave an example of - that the author was able to use dialogue and other narrative devices to put the camp into 3D for me in a different way to Holocaust memoirs. But (and it's a big but), those same narrative devices swallowed me up in the story and often than not caused me to lose some perspective. I'm pretty sure it was simply the general reading enjoyment of the book that won me over, and morally that still bothers me.

Would I read a semi-fictional account of someone who perished in 9/11? Absolutely not. So is it simply the passage of time that somehow makes it feel OK to read similar on Auschwitz? Will this feel even more acceptable in another generation or two? There are plenty of popular novels based on the African slave trade, a number of which I've read and enjoyed. Is that different? If so, why? Again, is it a time distance thing?

Anyway, getting off topic of your review of Data Kraus's memoir and story in her own words. As Jerry pointed out, if you want to read about Auschwitz I think there are plenty of memoirs like this which are the right place to start, rather than these fictional accounts.

>371 rocketjk: Now that would have been funny, Jerry! Although come to think of it, it does bring to mind my last relationship...

>372 avatiakh: Over the years I have gotten many good recommendations from you, Kerry, and a good many on the Holocaust. Thanks to you, I also read Castles Burning and put The Lead Soldiers on my wish list, where it has unfortunately remained. Adding The Fighter now.

The novels I listed upthread are only a sampling of my favorites. I have read Fatelessness too. The fiction books I would most recommend are those above plus:

The German mujahid by Sansal (are we guilty of our parent's sins?)
Children of the Holocaust by Lustig
Twilight by Wiesel
The Long Voyage by Semprun
The war within these walls by Sax (graphic novel)

>374 labfs39: I hope you don't feel that I usurped your conversation, Alison. The questions raised have resonated with me, and I continue to think about them too. I may read LofA so that I can fairly compare the two and perhaps clarify my thoughts.

Your point about time and distance from the event is another aspect that I need to think about more. I was trying to think if I've read fiction about other genocides and thought of The Gendarme, which I liked very much, despite it not being written by a survivor of the Armenian genocide. I have a feeling that my reaction to certain books may come down to a very complex and unscientific algorithm.

>372 avatiakh: P.S. the interview with Greif was very interesting.

>368 labfs39: I have read all of the "literary" Holocaust fiction you mention except Memory by Grimbert, which I have not heard of but will look for. I agree all are excellent, and join in your recommending them. Of the 4 you question, I have heard of all of them, but there was something about each that made me suspicious of them and I was never tempted to read any of them.
Hope you are well!

>375 labfs39: Thanks. I've read that graphic novel, but not the others. I've taken note of titles and am challenging myself to read more of these next year.

>376 labfs39: I still haven't progressed much on The Gendarme, need to pick it up again. I got all the Armenian story I needed from Hilsenrath's The story of the last thought.

Slightly off topic - Netflix has a documentary, Misha and the Wolves, about Misha Defonseca and her fake autobiography, Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years, alt title: Surviving With Wolves . I came across this when searching out book titles containing 'wolf'.
https://www.moviemaker.com/misha-and-the-wolves-netflix-who-is-misha-defonseca-w...

>378 arubabookwoman: Happy almost New Year, Deborah. I hope you and Gil are doing well. Regarding Memory, the author is a psychoanalyst, and the book is a fictional attempt to put some of his and his family's ghosts to rest. He says in an interview, "I think I have discovered the truth of this story more than its reality, but in any case, this psychological truth was more important to me than the historical reality." (Italics are the author's.) The issues of truth and memory in history are also favorite conundrums of mine, so I liked this book although, of the ones I list, it is the one I rated the lowest.

>379 avatiakh: I would particularly recommend The German Mujahid as a book, although it's not as deeply set in the Holocaust as some of the others. Marketing has called it the "first Arab book to confront the Holocaust." I ​can't comment on that but the perspective was different and the writing superb.

I remember you not being as captivated by The Gendarme as I was, and it wasn't the sort of book that I would feel compelled to finish if you aren't enjoying it. In fact, since we have similar taste in books, it makes me wonder if I would like it as much on a reread. I put The Story of the Last Thought on my wish list when I read your review, but it's not an easy book to stumble across, and I need to make a concerted effort to get a copy.

I have put "Misha and the Wolves" in my Netflix queue. I am not watching anything at present (The Silent Sea with Gong Yoo not keeping my attention although I will finish it) so I will get to it soon.

>340 labfs39: I love looking at best of the year lists from my pals and yours is no exception. I took note of When Stars Are Scattered. I have been in a GN drought these past few weeks, so I requested that one.

Happy New Year, Lisa. I am glad I connected back with you.

>376 labfs39: 100% happy for the conversation on the place for Auschwitz fiction vs memoirs to have continued here, Lisa. I definitely don't feel remotely precious about anything that's discussed on my thread (although plenty of my own random ramblings are probably better off left there!). I hope I didn't say something that sounded otherwise - that would be quite weird and more than a little sad if something like that bothered me.

>381 msf59: Hi Mark! I thought When Stars are Scattered was fantastic. I hope you like it too.

>382 AlisonY: I didn't think so, but as it's hard to read tone online, I like to err on the side of caution and check in. I'm glad we're kosher with OSHA (as my dad likes to say). :-)

Lisa, Have you read The Memory Monster?

>384 dianeham: I have not, Diane, but it looks very interesting. I'm adding it to my wish list. Thank you.

And I'm off to Club Read 2022! You can find me at Labfs39 wanders the world of words.