Sister Of My Heart

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I loved this book. I would read a little, then put it down and spend a lot of time thinking about what I had read. Then I would smile to myself and pick it up again and read a little more. It really was a beautiful story of love, friendship and family, and it was beautifully told.

The story is told through the eyes of two girls, cousins who were born on the same day. Sudha and Anju were both born prematurely the day both their father's lives were ended. Living in the same household, the girls were raised together and grew to love each other as sisters. We spend the first few chapters of the book getting to know these two girls, and the three mothers who raised them. As they grow, we discover that Sudha is a rare beauty, the girl who's face will enchant any man, while Anju, is rather plain looking. While this matters not to the two girls, we are soon to learn that their eternal happiness could be destroyed by this fact.

This story is wonderful. As each chapter unfolds we get yet another glimpse into life in India, and what it would be like to be part of an arranged marriage. Each section is even more beautiful than the one before, and we find that in the end, love triumphs over all.

I highly recommend this book, and I will be looking for more by this author. Such a beautiful manner of storytelling cannot be unique to just one novel. I dare you to read this book and not be enchanted and swept away.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

I've had this book on my table for awhile now. I have been waiting and waiting for this book to arrive since it was first announced because I loved The Kite Runner. I couldn't wait to see if Mr. Hosseini could write women as well as he did men. So when the book arrived I set it on my reading table to wait for a day I could read it. I just knew that once I picked it up I wouldn't be putting it down. Yesterday was the day, and I did just that.

You know, sometimes it takes a while for a book to grip me, for me to become invested in the story. Not so with this book, the first chapter sucked me right in. I was hooked, I was already emotionally drawn in and I was a part of the life of Mariam, an Afghan child born out of wedlock to a bitter woman. Mariam's father was a wealthy man with four wives already, so when Mariam's mother was found to be with child, she was quickly sent away to avoid bringing disgrace on Jalil, Mariam's father. Rather than abandon her altogether though, Jalil spent time with his daughter for a few hours once a week, much to the dismay of Mariam's mother, who thought it unfair that Mariam was kept in hiding. Mariam adored her father growing up, but then once she became a teenager she realized herself how unfair it was that she had brothers and sister that she'd never met, and that she'd never even been out of sight of her tiny humble home. Mariam makes a decision that changes her life forever.

Later on, we meet Laila and her best friend, Tariq, a little boy with only one leg. We watch them grow up together in Kabul, we see how they interact and care very much for each other as best friends should. And then we notice that Laila's feelings have changed and she realizes that she has, in fact, fallen in love with her best friend, and would he return those feelings?

It takes a long time for Mariam and Laila's lives to intersect in this story, and once they finally do, it is quite the intersection. I dare not say any more about this book as much else would lead to spoiling bits of the story. And like I mentioned, I did not put this book down, it was that good. I loved this book. It made me laugh, cry, cheer, and I completely fell in love with both Laila and Mariam. Though this is a fictional book, I also wonder how factual the events of Afghanistan are in the book. At the end there is a bit about a few liberties taken, but I suspect that while this is fiction, that a lot of it is based on fact and firsthand experience.

Overall, Khaled Hosseini does write women well. I thought he got into the heads of these women very well. One thing that really struck me in this book was the time when it came for these women to don the burqa. The burqa is a very thick and long veil, designed to let women look out, but not let anyone see the women. While their initial thoughts on wearing the burqa were worrisome, it wasn't long before they were grateful to be wearing the burqa, they both appreciated the anonymity it provided them when they were out of the home. It just struck me that this was another way to show how groups like the Taliban can get away with what they do, because it is quickly accepted as normal, the reasoning works for those involved.

An excellent book- instantly one of my favorites. As I understand, The Kite Runner has been made into a movie and will be released later this year. Khaled Hosseini writes so beautifully and wonderfully, that I just can't imagine that the screen adaptation can even come close to conveying the emotions in his books.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

*This book review is a cross-post. I enjoyed it so much, and feel it so worth reading, that I am sharing it on both Tummy Treasure, and The Savvy Bookworm.

by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara has been making a few appearances on my reading list lately. This one is a bit different, as it is not fiction. Not in the least. This is the chronicle of one family's attempt to eat local for the period of one year. Essentially, this book chronicles the way of like I so want to attempt, and as such, I loved it.

I grew up on Little House On The Prairie. I loved the books and would read them over and over. I can't tell you how many times I would read an account of food life and think that I could do that. As an example, in Little House In The Big Woods the family slaughters and preserves a pig for winter. It's a big deal, and as I finished reading Laura's account of the process, I felt certain that I could do the same thing if needed-even at the age of 10. I have always felt this deep-seeded desire to return to rustic life and grow much of my family's food and attempt raising our family's meat. We're still a long way off from doing just that, but for a few days I was able to live vicariously through Barbara Kingsolver and her family.

This book is so full of information, that it's hard to know where to begin a proper review. I learned so much about organic farming and why we really should be buying local. I'm still not 100% convinced that eating local all the time is the best way to go, but I loved seeing it done. With young children who practically live on fruit, I don't know how willing I would be to let go of our daily fruit ration- however out of season it may be. One of my favorite parts of this book was the argument against vegetarianism. Ms. Kingsolver actually used to be a vegetarian, and I have also considered it many times in the past. She clearly pointed out that we are designed to be a carnivorous species, and actually took us through the calendar year and proved that during the winter months we are designed to sustain on carbohydrates and proteins from animal products. I do agree with her wholeheartedly about sourcing meat as local as possible. If we lived in the country, you can bet that before I even finished this book I would have been out back building a chicken coop and ordering some chicks. Our family has taken almost exclusively to buying meat from a local butcher who gets all their meat products locally. The only exception is fish- and since we live in the Midwest, fresh fish is hard to come by.

This book was entertaining and informative the whole way through. As I'm reading their daily accounts with the massive garden, I kept heading out to my tiny garden plots, wondering how I could squeeze more into my tiny space. I found out that I am not insane to want to grow all I can and "put it by" for winter times. In fact, yesterday as I finished up the book, I promptly headed into the kitchen and put up three quarts of pickles. It may not be very much, but those cucumbers fresh from my garden will be a welcome addition to my Thanksgiving table. Provided they make it that long. While we are thoroughly enjoying every morsel that comes out of my garden, I am inspired by Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to try and save every scrap I can for leaner months ahead. At the end of harvest, as Barbara talked about the shelves lined with jars of tomatoes and bushels of root vegetables, I want my pantry to look the same.

And I learned about potatoes. Every year I consider buying a big 50# bag of potatoes from local farmers, and I always figure that we'd never eat them all before they spoil. After all, there are plenty of times where a 5# bag doesn't make it before the potatoes begins sprouting an shriveling. I learned in this book that I should buy the local potatoes in the fall and that they will likely survive until March or so without rotting from the inside out. Potatoes have a natural life cycle that permits them to sit in a root cellar for months without sprouting. When we buy potatoes in the grocery store and they begin sprouting shorty thereafter, that means that the potatoes are at the end of their life cycle and were easily pulled from the ground some 6 months ago in another climate. I never knew that! You can bet that I will be on the prowl for some bushel baskets to tuck in my larder and that those jumbo bags of potatoes at the farmer's market will be making their way into them this fall.

Same thing with onions! I always have onions go bad on me in my pantry- and this of course affects the rest of the onions. By purchasing onions at the farmer's market in the fall, I am ensuring that my onions will make it to early spring still intact.

I could go on and on about this book and all that I learned from it. Yes, there were some things that I don't particularly agree with in the book, but those were few and far between. Mostly I learned that it is entirely possible to do what I want to do, and do it in a way that doesn't leave us feeling deprived. The Kingsolver family ate well the entire year- they did not starve come the end of winter. Instead they looked ahead at what was to come, and they continue to eat locally as much as possible. You can see some of their progress and see some great pictures at their website www.animalvegetablemiracle.com. You definitely need to check out their turkeys. The turkeys get a few special sections of this book and I love that they give us a picture of them on their website- they are gorgeous birds.

So overall, read this book. It is an excellent book about sourcing food locally, and the many reasons for doing so. I know I will be going back to it time and time again to re-read a section here and there. Right now I'm thinking about sourcing some heirloom seeds for next year's vegetable garden. We'll see how I do.

Hungry Planet:What The World Eats

by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio

It isn't very often that I pick up non-fiction to read. Other than cookbooks of course. A few weeks ago though, a national magazine brought to light a few excerpts from this book and I had to read the whole thing. I checked it out at the library and literally could not put this book down. It was so incredibly moving and truly amazing.

The premise of Hungry Planet is that families from around the world are photographed with a week's worth of groceries. Included with the photos is a detailed list of what the family eats on average, and how much it costs them. It was very eye opening to see how the rest of the world eats. Most notable were the families from the poor nations- refugees from Chad immediately come to mind. They were photographed with the most meager amount of food, and that was a feat to them. The essays that accompanied talked about daily life as a refugee and the massive amount of work that goes into feeding a family every day.

Equally stunning is the photos of the families in the more developed nations. It's astounding to see how American eating is having an effect the world over in the form of processed food. Nearly every photo in this book contained some form of Coca-Cola. It's incredibly sad to me to see that the more money a country and family has, the more they spend on processed food.

By far my favorite essay in this book is the one on the family from Okinawa. With the longest life expectancy in the world, Okinawa is a culture to pay attention to. They eat very little meat- instead indulging daily in fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood that comes from the surrounding waters. Okinawans also have a saying- Hara hachi bu, which means "eat only until 80 percent full." What a great philosophy to have, in my opinion. We live in a country full of all-you-can-eat buffets and supersizes, imagine how much more healthy we would be as a country if we ate only until 80% full.

Overall, this book has had me thinking a lot about the food we eat. It makes me embarrassed to throw food in the garbage, when there are so many people worldwide who would be thrilled with my scraps. It's eye-opening, and sometime this fall, I intend to do my own grocery experiments and see what a week's worth of groceries looks like all spread out. I bet it will be embarrassing to myself to see how much food we go through. I highly, highly recommend Hungry Planet, and even though I got my copy from the library, a copy will be making it's way to my bookshelf soon to serve as a reminder to be more conscious of what we eat.

The Dante Club

by Matthew Pearl

Wow. Really, that sums up this novel in one word. Wow. What a fantastic tale of intrigue and mystery and literature.

This story is set in 1865 in the grand city of Boston. We meat a group of men who are attempting to translate Dante's The Divine Comedy into English from it's native Italian for the first time. The men who are working on this translation are none other than famous literary geniuses of old. We have Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and famous publisher J.T. Fields, who rounds out the foursome. While they are working diligently on their translation, the powers that be are set against the translation and subsequent publication. They feel the young American soil, recently ravaged by war, isn't ready for such a gruesome tale.

While working on their translation through "The Dante Club" ,which meets once a week, some gruesome murders occur in their community of education, and these four men stumble upon the reality that someone is committing murder right out of Dante's hellish travels. This books is full of actual historical references, and people of note come into the equation from time to time. This was such a tumultuous time in history, the civil was is still fresh in everyones minds, and the police officer assigned to the Dante murders is the first police officer of color- he isn't even permitted to carry a weapon. With references to actual events in history, this book is a page turner.

I can't tell you how often, while reading this book, I felt myself in Longfellow's study, surrounded by cigar smoke and poets pondering Dante's writings. I wanted them to finish their writings so badly, just as I wanted Lucifer to be caught. After a while, I got a little nervous upon meeting a new character, hoping that they weren't about to become the next victim. I could see these four educated men snooping in their own poetic manner- I could just go on. This novel was a wonder to read. I confess, it took a little while to get into it. The first chapter was overwhelming, and for the faint of heart, this book is not for you. The murders are gruesome, and portrayed very accurately- right out of one of the Cantos of The Divine Comedy.

This novel ranks right up there with the best I've ever read. It was a true page turner- gripping in the sense that I felt caught up in it. It was so well written...Matthew Pearl is clearly a genius, given his pedigree, but his gift for words is mesmerizing. This is the first I have read by him, and I will eagerly seek out The Poe Shadow upon my next trip to the library. I also now have an interest in the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I can only hope that my small town library can satisfy my curiosity.

East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

Wow. This was a fantastic book. Thank you Belle for suggesting it. It was captivating and thought provoking, and altogether a wonderful novel. If I were to begin to describe what this book is about... I think I would fail miserably. Ultimately, it's a view of life in the Salinas Valley in California mostly through two families- the Hamiltons and the Trasks. But there is so much more to it than that.

This is a novel about good vs. evil. Really. This entire novel is full of Biblical references and parallel, and it doesn't take much to see that we see the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Able played out more than once. And it seems, as we start out, that evil always triumphs. we have Cyrus Trask who succumbs to evil but stealing from the US government and dying a rich man. Then we have half-brothers Charles (Cain) and Adam (Abel). On one of their father's birthdays, the two boys give him gifts- Charles a pen-knife, and Adam a puppy. Cyrus favors the puppy over the knife- very much like God choosing Abel's offering over Cain's. Eventually this leads to Charles almost killing his brother Adam.

We also get to meet Cathy who seems to be nothing but evil. All she sees is evil, and she spends her life trying to exploit the evil in others. It isn't until the end of her life, when she sees that her sons have something she doesn't that she begins to realize that maybe the whole world isn't evil. Adam trask marries Cathy, and out of their union came twin sons named Caleb and Aron. And once again, the Cain and Abel story is played out, only with a different ending this time around. In fact, at one point, Adam and his housekeeper Lee are asking on the whereabouts of Aron, and Cal snaps back with "Am I supposed to look after him?" I doubt anyone even half familiar with Cain and Abel would miss the reference to "Am I my brother's keeper?"

A huge point with this novel- I think, is the one of timshel, or Thou Mayest. In the Bible, in the story of Cain and Abel, God tells Cain that he CAN overcome evil- that he mayest, and the Hebrew translation of that is timshel. Ultimately, I believe that Cal was the sole winner in this book. He ultimately attained timshel by realizing the power of free choice and resists the evil within himself. Free choice to overcome evil.

There are so many other parallels in this book that could be touched on, I would love to hear from others who have read this book. There's the issue of money... Cyrus stole a fortune and passed it on to his sons who couldn't triumph over evil wholly themselves. Charles left his portion of that fortune to Cathy who used it to the benefit of her whorehouse, and subsequently left that fortune to Aron. Aron, the pure son possibly couldn't handle the taint of evil within the money itself- hence part of what drove him to his eventual demise. Only Cal remained untouched by the tainted money... does that have any bearing on his triumph over evil? Is this another story about money being the root of all evil? Samuel Hamilton was the happiest man on earth- but the poorest. And when his children moved on to try and make something of themselves, they all fell into ruin of some form or another.

A fascinating book. I would love to hear from anyone else! This is definitely a novel worthy of discussion. I'm actually sorry I didn't read this for a class- it would have been a fun one.

The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

In the interest of keeping this blog fresh, while I am catching up, I intend to review several of the books that I have read recently, but haven't reviewed. This is the first in that series.

This book is probably one of the two best books I've read this year. It was beautifully written. I was caught up in the story right from the get-go, and I literally stayed awake into the wee hours to finish this book. I could not put it down.

The Kite Runner begins as a story of friendship. We are introduced to Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghani businessman, Baba. We also meet Amir's playmate Hassan, the son of Baba's caretaker. Hassan is born with a hare lip, and although very poor, he and Amir develop a cautious friendship. Hassan adores Amir with his whole heart, and Amir is torn about his feelings for Hassan. One part of him believes Hassan to be his best friend, and the other part of him is aware of the social status, and realizes that Hassan is more a servant than a friend. Hassan's loyalty to Amir eventually leads to Amir's disloyalty to Hassan. This novel fully investigates the relationship between two people in such an intense manner. As Amir and Baba move to America, Amir continues to be haunted by his past, and only years later when some unexpected information arrives, does Amir return to his homeland of Afghanistan, now under Taliban leadership.

This book is amazing on so many levels. The story of Amir and Hassan itself is a wonderful story. As we are reading this book though, we also get a great dose of Afghanistan's history and culture. It bring such an awareness of what life was like for so many Afghani people, that at times, I wondered if I was actually reading a biography. It is so realistic and thought provoking. One reviewer on Amazon likened this book to reading a memoir. Such an extraordinary work of fiction, The Kite Runner was a fantastic book. A bit gritty at times, and very real in a sense, but superbly written in simple to read and colorful prose. I challenge anyone to read this novel and not enjoy it. This is one that will be re-read many times over, I enjoyed it that much. Do check it out if you get a chance, I promise a spectacular read ahead.

The Storekeeper's Daughter

by Wanda Brunstetter


Well, I simply had to go back and read the first book by Wanda Brunstetter. And I will say this, read them in order. I knew what was going to happen in this one, and I found myself anticipating it, and it almost made it difficult to read. I mean, I got caught up in the lives of these people. I wanted them to make different choices, different decisions. And I found myself crying along with their pain and sharing their joy as well. Basically, another great book. And yes, this has a lot of the spiritual stuff in it as well, so if that's not your thing...

Once again though, I find myself amazed at the Amish people. I know for a fact that the author has not taken liberties with the generalities of the Amish people. What we are reading, is very much how life is among the Plain people. The whole aspect of Amish courting is amazing, and the fact that before every decision is made, a quick prayer is sent off to ask for guidance. Simply amazing.

I am really looking forward to reading the third part of this series, The Bishop's Daughter. I feel like I know these people well, and there are some conclusions that must be brought into the lives of these families. I can only hope that my patience is rewarded.

the Quilter's Daughter

by Wanda Brunstetter

I love to read about other cultures. I have always been interested in learning more about the Amish people, there's something so intriguing about living a simple life. Wanda Brunstetter is a Christian author who has spent a lot of time among the Amish and has managed to capture the essence of an entire society on the pages of a book. This book is not a light read by any means. Easy to read, yes. Beautiful and capturing, yes. Light read, no. I started reading this book yesterday afternoon, and I literally crawled out of bed late last night to finish it. It's been such a long time since I read into the wee morning hours. It was so worth it. This book was beautiful. I was fully immersed in the lives of Abby and Fannie and their families.

Abby is a young Amish woman who is betrothed to a wonderful young man. She spends her life running a quilt shop- selling quilts as well as making them. When she learns that her mother is expecting a baby, she quickly offers her assistance in preparing for the arrival of the baby and helping run the household until her mother can handle things. Soon, disaster strikes Abby's young life and caring spirit. She loses her Faith and her handle on life itself and finds herself in need of help. The ensuing journey is one that eventually restores her Faith in both her God and her family.

Let me start by saying this is very much a Christian novel. If that's not your cup of tea, you will not enjoy this book. Secondly, this is the second book in a series of three, so you may want to read the first one first, the Shopkeeper's Daughter. While I do feel I can successfully go back and read the first one now without knowing too much, it probably would have been better to read them in the correct order. But I do have things to say about this book and these people. So often we see the Amish portrayed in movies and on television as farmers, and not much more. But there is so much more... the very being of the Amish people can be broken down to their Faith. Absolutely everything they do is for the love of God. Everything. Their days do not begin without earnest prayers, praying for the day ahead, and thanking the Lord for that day. And they're not just prayers. They're not just saying random prayers. Prayer is their answer to everything. And wholeheartedly, they believe that God answers. It is their Faith that drives them every day. As the farmer is doing his chores, he's thanking God for the opportunity to work his land. With every stitch of thread, the quilter is thanking the Lord for the beautiful colors and the ability to work the fabric into a work of art. It's simply stunning and amazing.

Even though this is a work of fiction, it causes great reflection. I am really looking forward to reading the other two books in the series. And not only does this book cause me to think on my own Faith, it also gives me an urge to consider taking up quilting, and try to create my own work of art. This book is a great inspiration and is also very encouraging. I am very grateful to have read it.

Mutiny On The Bounty

by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

Have you ever read this book? If not, you must get yourself to a library immediately and check out this book. Oh my goodness. I am convinced that this is one of the best books I have ever read! I had been concerned that being written in 1932 I would have to spend a little time clarifying some verbage, and I never did. The only confusing part was some of the ship descriptions. I have no clue about sailing, and it would have been nice to have a diagram of a ship to understand where a mainsail is or which one is the topsail, among many others. But this novel...I wanted to stand up and cheer when the book was finished. And I wonder why the heck we weren't required to read this in school! This truly would have been a study of great literature.

This book is as close to historical fact as it can get. The two authors spent years travelling the globe and researching the real events surrounding the real Mutiny on the Bounty. They invented a character through which to tell the story- that of Roger Byam. Byam is a 17 year old lad whose widowed mother sets up a dinner with a famous ship captain- Captain Bligh. During this dinner, natural events lead to Captain Bligh offering Byam a midshipman position, with the idea that Byam will study the language of a new population and write a dictionary. That of the Tahitian people in the South Seas. Of course, Byam jumps at the chance to sail the South Seas as his father once did. The story just continues to unfurl with every single page. I almost became a part of the ship myself, as though I was a parrot perched on Byam's shoulder. I found myself truly conflicted when the actual mutiny occurred. One part of me was gald for the banishment of Cpatain Bligh. But then one part of me felt I should be loyal to "my captain" despite the harshness suffered at his hands. I was indeed a part of Roger Byam to the end. It was wonderful.

Mutiny On The Bounty is truly a page-turner. I became caught up in the story right from the beginning. It never disappointed. I was also delighted to discover, after I finished the book, that Mutiny On The Bounty is also part of a trilogy. There was very clearly two other parts of the story that we never got in this book. We never found out what actually happened to Captain Bligh after the infamous mutiny occurred. And we also never found out what happened to the head mutineer- Christian, and his few followers. These two men are the subjects of subsequent novels, Men Against The Sea, and Pitcairn's Island. I will be reading these other two when I get a chance, but for the sake of my reading goals, I will hold off for another time while I forge ahead with my reading list.

So, with all of that, I eagerly move ahead and begin reading the next one on my list, Treasure Island.