2014-24 - Us, by David Nichols

24 - Us, by David Nichols
WHY I PICKED IT: I loved One Day, and this is his next book.
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Very Good

I saw this in the book store and was immediately taken back to the beauty that is One Day: The story of two friends’ July 15^th.  This book has some of the same melancholy, style, and a character who you can like and hope is happy.

Douglas Pedersen, scientist, is married to Connie, artist.  They have been together for a long time, but she’s not happy and wants to leave him – after their son Albie goes off to college.  The family vacation to Europe is supposed to be their last trip as a family – and Douglas’ chance to win back his wife.

What follows is an engaging story.  Douglas is a character that speaks to your heart – you want him to figure out that, in Life, the journey is the destination… and in so doing, you hope that you are reminded of that yourself.

The alternating chapters telling the story of the present day, and some point in the past, are engaging and beautifully written, if not gut wrenching at times.  Nichols writes characters that are easy to like, and who you can’t help but root for.

2014-23 - Burnt Shadows, by Kamila Shamsie

23 - Burnt Shadows, by Kamila Shamsie
WHY I PICKED IT: Heard her interviewed on CBC Radio, and was intrigued
ELAPSED TIME: 10 days
RATING: REQUIRED READING


This book is really three inter-related sections.  The first section is set on the backdrop of the Nagasaki bomb and the partition of India. In this part of the book,Shamsie weaves in concepts of class and difference from a perspective that is rarely seen in North America. I would recommend this book on this section alone. So rarely does a writer introduce such concepts, with prose that is captivating. 

The second section brings us to a neighborhood in Karachi during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. We can see how some characters thrived, and others, despite having let pride get in their way, have made lives for themselves. Here Shamsie shows us that character is really a defining feature in who we are; more so than the opportunities that were available to us (by virtue of race and where we were born).

Finally, we have Afghanistan and the USA in a post 9/11 world. 20 years have passed. This part of the story builds on the themes from earlier in the book. Subtle commentary becomes more a feature in the story as issues of nationalism and opportunity show us how North Americans value a human lifedepending on where they were born and where they died, and the impact of US interventionist policy 20-years after they left Afghanistan to the Taliban. This is beautifully written, but (to me) didn't fit with the rest of the story as too much action and intrigue detracted from the characters and ideas that Shamsie had built up.

Shamsie writes characters that have warmth and depth, and that are beautiful and flawed. Best of all, she writes about nationalism and class, about war and the value of a human life.  This is a book, and these are characters, that will travel with me for some time to come.

2014-22 - Sugar Falls, by David Alexander Robertson and Scott B. Henderson

22 - Sugar Falls, by David Alexander Robertson and Scott B. Henderson
WHY I PICKED IT: Heard about it on the CBC
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good

This is a great little story.  A graphic novel with only 40 pages tells the story of a high school kid asking his friend's grandmother about her experience in a Canadian Residential School.

These schools were run by the Catholic Church, funded by the Canadian government, and imposed on the native population... These churches were the home to many native children who were forced away from their families, to sacrifice their own language and culture, were beaten when they didn't comply, and frequently abused in other ways too.

This story shows all of that... A stark reminder that this history is not that long ago. A worthy read.

2014-21 - The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion

21 - The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion
WHY I PICKED IT: Loved the Rosie Project
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: Not Good

Oh what a disappointment. The Rosie Project was a surprisingly fantastic book. The follow up had logical fallacies (what are the odds of anybody in NYC scoring themselves a free apartment in Manhattan) and unlikely events (friend-of-a-friend who flips out at dinner turns out to be the social worker who forces him into therapy!)... oh the hijinks. No. Sorry. Fail.

2014-20 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

20 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
WHY I PICKED IT: Bought it in a bookstore in NYC
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: REQUIRED READING

Mary Francis Nolan is a first generation American at the turn of the century, and this is the story of her childhood.  The strong women who keep her family together, the love of her father, the camaraderie with her brother. Francie listens a lot, and reads a lot... all the while trying to understand her world.  She dreams of a better life - and works for it.

This story is a bit slow, but that is part of its charm... you slowly grow to love Francie and her family, and share their path for a few days.

2014-19 - Your Fathers, where are they? And the Prophets, do they live forever?, by Dave Eggers

19 - Your Fathers, where are they? And the Prophets, do they live forever?, by Dave Eggers
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in a bookstore, and it's Dave Eggers
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: Good

This book is bizarre.  Thomas kidnaps a NASA Astronaut to ask him some questions. As the answers leave holes, Thomas continues down a troublesome path in order to gain an understanding of the world around him... but goes deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole.

Not sure if the book is supposed to be funny, but some of the conversations in the book are really well defined.  This book is written to be a play.

But this book is also not earth shattering.  Eggers' writing is inconsistent with fantastic books: Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Zeitoun... and terrible ones: You Shall Know Our Velocity and A Hologram for the King.  This book falls somewhere in the middle... high enough up that I'll keep reading his work.

2014-18 - Confessions, by Kanae Minato

18 - Confessions, by Kanae Minato
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in a bookstore, and it looked good
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: Good

The book starts out fantastic.  A teacher on the verge of retirement tells a story to her class about why she's retiring so young.  This story reveals two of their peers' sociopathic behaviour, and her revenge against them for a heinous act.

The remainder of the book, sadly, does not live up to this beginning.  Twists and turns and too much action take the story from gripping to a poor man's Hemingway: this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened... without richness of language or depth of character.

Disappointing, if not for the first 50 pages.