When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Brazil
C.B. James said, "I notice there's nothing from Brazil yet. I recommend Keeper by Mal Peet. This is a young adult novel set in a lumber town in the Brazilian rainforest. The hero meets a mysterious man in the jungle who may be a ghost who teaches him how to be a goal keeper. The hero then goes on to become a world cup winning goal keeper. The combination of soccer how to book, ghost story, coming of age story worked very well for me. I found the book hard to put down even though I know nothing about soccer."
When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.
When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.
Afghanistan
Jill said, "Hi, Bonnie: I finished Hosseini's latest book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which is also set in Afghanistan. This was another powerful story, like The Kite Runner. My review is here."
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love. Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever-escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
How to join this challenge
All you have to do to join the challenge is make yourself a list of what you want to read. You may change the list at any time, add to it, take away yucky choices, or add books one at a time as you read them. Post your questions on the blog, so the answers will help other bloggers. When you finish a good book, tell us about it. If you provide a link to your actual post about a book, I'll add the link so others may see what you thought about the book. Suggest titles of books you run across, especially ones that you think are good. Share your thoughts with us by clicking on COMMENTS below any of the posts you happen to be reading, and I'll be notified that I have a comment.
I'll probably never know how many people around the world are doing this challenge, but that's okay. I think we should help each other, but many are afraid to post their names online. It's okay to use an alias or screen name. It's okay to be anonymous. But it's also okay to say, "This is what I think about the book." Then tell us. Was it wonderful? awful? so-so? a keeper? What did you like about it? I have a set of book review questions on my other blog ... Bonnie's Books ... which I should probably post on ALL my bookish blogs. You'll find it in the links below my icon: Book review outline.
I'll probably never know how many people around the world are doing this challenge, but that's okay. I think we should help each other, but many are afraid to post their names online. It's okay to use an alias or screen name. It's okay to be anonymous. But it's also okay to say, "This is what I think about the book." Then tell us. Was it wonderful? awful? so-so? a keeper? What did you like about it? I have a set of book review questions on my other blog ... Bonnie's Books ... which I should probably post on ALL my bookish blogs. You'll find it in the links below my icon: Book review outline.
Monday, September 17, 2007
World travel
Bonnie said, "I listened to the audio version of Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks (and Micah Sparks) while driving to and from work, 25 miles each way. It was wonderful traveling along with them to so many exciting places around the world, so I'm suggesting this book for all of us booking around the world."
As moving as his bestselling works of fiction (like The Notebook and Message in a Bottle), Nicholas Sparks's unique memoir, written with his brother, chronicles the life-affirming journey of two brothers bound by memories, both humorous and tragic. In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah set off on a three-week trip around the world. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at 37 and 38 respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. As Nicholas and Micah travel the globe, the intimate story of their family unfolds in the details of the untimely deaths of their parents and only sister. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world, the Sparks brothers band together to heal, to remember, and to learn to live life to the fullest.
The book takes them (and us) to the almost mythical sites of Guatemala's Mayan ruins, Peru's Incan temples at Machu Picchu, Easter Island, the killing fields in Cambodia, the Taj Mahal, and Ethiopian rock cathedrals.
As moving as his bestselling works of fiction (like The Notebook and Message in a Bottle), Nicholas Sparks's unique memoir, written with his brother, chronicles the life-affirming journey of two brothers bound by memories, both humorous and tragic. In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah set off on a three-week trip around the world. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at 37 and 38 respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. As Nicholas and Micah travel the globe, the intimate story of their family unfolds in the details of the untimely deaths of their parents and only sister. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world, the Sparks brothers band together to heal, to remember, and to learn to live life to the fullest.The book takes them (and us) to the almost mythical sites of Guatemala's Mayan ruins, Peru's Incan temples at Machu Picchu, Easter Island, the killing fields in Cambodia, the Taj Mahal, and Ethiopian rock cathedrals.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Antarctica
C.B. James said, "There's not a lot of fiction about Antarctica. I recommend The Brief History of the Dead which has one plot line that does take place in the antarctic."
"Remember me when I'm gone" just took on a whole new meaning.
The City is inhabited by the recently departed, who reside there only as long as they remain in the memories of the living. Among the current residents of this afterlife are Luka Sims, who prints the only newspaper in the City, with news from the other side; Coleman Kinzler, a vagrant who speaks the cautionary words of God; and Marion and Phillip Byrd, who find themselves falling in love again after decades of marriage.
On Earth, Laura Byrd is trapped by extreme weather in an Antarctic research station. She's alone and unable to contact the outside world: her radio is down and the power is failing. She's running out of supplies as quickly as she's running out of time.
Kevin Brockmeier interweaves these two stories in a spellbinding tale of human connections across boundaries of all kinds. The Brief History of the Dead is the work of a remarkably gifted writer.
"Remember me when I'm gone" just took on a whole new meaning.The City is inhabited by the recently departed, who reside there only as long as they remain in the memories of the living. Among the current residents of this afterlife are Luka Sims, who prints the only newspaper in the City, with news from the other side; Coleman Kinzler, a vagrant who speaks the cautionary words of God; and Marion and Phillip Byrd, who find themselves falling in love again after decades of marriage.
On Earth, Laura Byrd is trapped by extreme weather in an Antarctic research station. She's alone and unable to contact the outside world: her radio is down and the power is failing. She's running out of supplies as quickly as she's running out of time.
Kevin Brockmeier interweaves these two stories in a spellbinding tale of human connections across boundaries of all kinds. The Brief History of the Dead is the work of a remarkably gifted writer.
Antarctica
Historia said, "For those who wanted me to find that book from Antarctica, well, Here it is. Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, by Jerri Nielsen (2001)."
Ice Bound is Dr. Jerri Nielsen's account of her experience at the Pole, the sea change as she becomes "of the Ice," and her realization that she would rather be on Antarctica than anywhere else on earth. It is also a thrilling adventure of researchers and scientists embattled by a hostile environment; a penetrating exploration of the dynamics of an isolated, intensely connected community faced with adversity; and, at its core, a powerfully moving drama of love and loss, of one woman's voyage of self-discovery through an extraordinary struggle for survival. Jerri Nielsen was a forty-six-year-old doctor working in Ohio when she made the decision to take a year's sabbatical at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on Antarctica, the most remote and perilous place on Earth. The "Polies," as the inhabitants are known, live in almost total darkness for six months of the year, in winter temperatures as low as 100 degrees below zero -- with no way in or out before the spring.
During the long winter of 1999, Dr. Nielsen, solely responsible for the mental and physical fitness of a team of researchers, construction workers, and support staff, discovered a lump in her breast. Consulting via E-mail with doctors in the United States, she performed a biopsy on herself, and in July began chemotherapy treatments to ensure her survival until conditions permitted her rescue in October. A daring rescue by the Air National Guard ensued, who landed, dropped off a replacement physician, and minutes later took off with Dr. Nielsen.
__________
10-12-07 UPDATE: Historia has now read this book. Read her review.
Ice Bound is Dr. Jerri Nielsen's account of her experience at the Pole, the sea change as she becomes "of the Ice," and her realization that she would rather be on Antarctica than anywhere else on earth. It is also a thrilling adventure of researchers and scientists embattled by a hostile environment; a penetrating exploration of the dynamics of an isolated, intensely connected community faced with adversity; and, at its core, a powerfully moving drama of love and loss, of one woman's voyage of self-discovery through an extraordinary struggle for survival. Jerri Nielsen was a forty-six-year-old doctor working in Ohio when she made the decision to take a year's sabbatical at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on Antarctica, the most remote and perilous place on Earth. The "Polies," as the inhabitants are known, live in almost total darkness for six months of the year, in winter temperatures as low as 100 degrees below zero -- with no way in or out before the spring.During the long winter of 1999, Dr. Nielsen, solely responsible for the mental and physical fitness of a team of researchers, construction workers, and support staff, discovered a lump in her breast. Consulting via E-mail with doctors in the United States, she performed a biopsy on herself, and in July began chemotherapy treatments to ensure her survival until conditions permitted her rescue in October. A daring rescue by the Air National Guard ensued, who landed, dropped off a replacement physician, and minutes later took off with Dr. Nielsen.
__________
10-12-07 UPDATE: Historia has now read this book. Read her review.
Antarctica
Historia said, "I also found 2 more Antarctica books as well: Life on the Ice: No One Goes to Antarctica Alone by Roff Smith and No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Extraordinary Journey Across Antarctica by Liv Arnesen [and Ann Bancroft]."
In Life on the Ice, Roff Smith provides an account of several trips to Antarctica, where he visited the South Pole, the large American base at McMurdo, and the smaller bases that other countries maintain. He witnesses the final run of a geriatric sled dog team, the very last time dogs would be used in Antarctica and, in addition, he sailed through the Drake Passage and then around the coast in a yacht. (Note: There is also a book by this title for primary grades, but by a different author.)
No Horizon Is So Far narrates the story of two women making history. International educators and millions of students in 116 countries participated in an online curriculum as the two ex-schoolteachers began their grueling 2,300-mile journey in mid-November 2000. Liv Arnesen, 50, an Oslo resident, was the first woman to ski solo to the South Pole; her book about the journey was a bestseller in Norway. Ann Bancroft, 48, of Minnesota, was the first woman to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles; she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. In February 2001, Bancroft and Arnesen, who started as total strangers, became the first women to cross Antarctica on foot.
In Life on the Ice, Roff Smith provides an account of several trips to Antarctica, where he visited the South Pole, the large American base at McMurdo, and the smaller bases that other countries maintain. He witnesses the final run of a geriatric sled dog team, the very last time dogs would be used in Antarctica and, in addition, he sailed through the Drake Passage and then around the coast in a yacht. (Note: There is also a book by this title for primary grades, but by a different author.)
No Horizon Is So Far narrates the story of two women making history. International educators and millions of students in 116 countries participated in an online curriculum as the two ex-schoolteachers began their grueling 2,300-mile journey in mid-November 2000. Liv Arnesen, 50, an Oslo resident, was the first woman to ski solo to the South Pole; her book about the journey was a bestseller in Norway. Ann Bancroft, 48, of Minnesota, was the first woman to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles; she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. In February 2001, Bancroft and Arnesen, who started as total strangers, became the first women to cross Antarctica on foot.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Canada
Juliette said, "I have, in my opinion, an excellent choice for Canada and that is having read Blind Assassin as well! My choice so far would be The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson. Gorgeously written by a native of Canada who now lives in South London Mary Lawson thouroughly researched her setting. A fine story of the joys and sorrows of life, relationships and shocking events. Set in the author’s native Canada this book centres on the invented town of Struan. I use the word centres deliberately. The characters are fixed on their ‘place’ and the narrative reflects time and again the impact of life and the characters’ perceptions of life beyond their town. It is not only the characters who reflect, it was myself reading and taking in their point of view that made me ponder how differently the second world war must have seemed to those living lives so very far away, in such different circumstances. Much of Mary Lawson’s prose is almost understated yet at the same time tremendously powerful. She intertwines a sense of place with her characters’ sense of belonging and a way of life that may or may not continue. When Pete and Ian sit eye to eye with a myriad of dragonflies on a ledge formed of rock three billion years old, their communing with nature is almost palpable.The whole story encourages the reader to question the values by which we live and the influences that are brought to bear upon us as we make what turn out to be life changing decisions. As Ian thought about Jake following his return ‘it was hard to imagine Struan or anything in it being a part of Jake. He didn’t look as if he had ever belonged’. Yet Ian envied him, was taken in by his outward countenance and thought that he was ‘someone who had all the answers’. This novel painted a real sense of place for me, place in time and the changing nature of place for us all wherever we are. Pete, who had a breadth of knowledge and understanding that Ian admired, chose to stay in that sacred place to make sure the tourists did not find all the best places to fish. This book raises questions of sustainability for caring for our ‘place’, wherever that may be and however each one of us interprets that sense of place. An excellent book that will reverberate within me for some time."
Here's what the publishers says:
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson weaves together the stories of two families as they seek solace and redemption across two generations. Set against the backdrop of northern Ontario’s haunting landscapes, the book opens with an unforgettable image of Arthur and Jake Dunn, two brothers whose jealousies will take them beyond the edge of reason, to a deadly point of no return. The sons of a farmer, they come of age during the 1930s, when money is tight and a world war is looming. When a beautiful young woman named Laura moves into their community, she unwittingly propels their sibling rivalry to its breaking point. Years later, the local doctor’s son, Ian, takes a job at the Dunn farm. His mother has left the family, and he develops a troubling attachment to Laura. As he desperately searches for direction in his own life, he stumbles onto a secret that forever alters the course of Arthur’s. With vivid scenes and stunning twists, this is a novel rich with conversation topics.
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