Book Blogger Hop, June 24 – 27, 2011

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. It is a great way of discovering new blogs and meeting fellow book bloggers, talking about books and authors, and sharing our love for literature.

 

This week’s question is: “When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?”

MY ANSWER:

I can’t really answer that, because I just didn’t realise that at any particular time. Reading has been an important part of my life as long as I can remember.

None of my family members are avid readers, but I have always been encouraged to read. My maternal grandmother taught me to read before I went to pre-school and I have been reading ever since.

I have a minor heart condition, so I wasn’t able to spend as much time running around as other kids, and we had no TV when I was a child (thanks God for that), so reading was my salvation from boredom, and it has been my passion ever since.

I used to read more up until the end of high school than I do now, and I almost quit during my university years (I don’t count required reading and studying as actual reading), but I picked it up after I finished university.

So, there has been no big revelation about reading being my passion for me, it has just always been something I have enjoyed.  

Flowerpot

On Monday she got an old flowerpot out of the basement, filled it with soil, put some seeds in and spread yet a thin layer of soil on top. She watered it a little and set the flowerpot on the windowsill.

Every evening before she went to bed she checked the flowerpot on the ledge, probing the soil with the tip of her index finger, and watered it if it seemed too dry.

Then work piled up and she kept coming home later and later. She barely had the time to do the housework before she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep exhausted. She forgot to check on the flowerpot. Even as she pulled the curtains apart in the mornings and back in the evening, she did it automatically, without taking a glance down at the patiently waiting flowerpot.

She started feeling like a robot, doing meaningless work, mechanically coming and going, washing, dressing, cooking cleaning, going to bed, getting up, and everything all over again.

Only the next Friday, while she was washing the dishes, the sound of running water stirred a memory in her numbness. She put the dish she had been holding into the sink and hurried to the window.

There in the dried, cracked soil was a small green offshoot. She leaned closer to see it better and her eyes moistened. Amidst the emptiness of her apartment, there was a small sign of life.

I wrote this post for Red Writing Hood, a weekly writing meme hosted at The Red Dress Club. It has been a long time since I participated, so I am very happy to have made it today. This week's prompt from Carrie of Views fom Nature asked us to write flash fiction – 300 words maximum – inspired by the word "Life."

Booking Through Thursday – Soundtrack

 

What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading? (Given a choice, of course!)

Usually, I don't listen to music while I'm reading. I sometimes have the radio or the TV on, but it doesn't matter, because I don't register it anyway. When I read, the rest of the world just disappears. So, mostly I prefer peace and quiet while reading.

Fatherland by Robert Harris

 SUMMARY (from Goodreads): In this painstakingly detailed and chillingly plausible parallel world, Hitler still lives, the U.S. seeks detente with the Third Reich, an important Nazi official is murdered, and a German investigator and a pretty American journalist set out to unravel a conspiracy.

MY OPINION:

I was unable to put this book down, literally. I finished it in one day, reading far into the night. It overwhelmed me. It gave me a nightmare. It made me feel sick. But that is fine. It would be something terribly wrong with me as a human being if I had not reacted that way.

I was firstly attracted to start reading Fatherland by its science fiction premise of Germany winning WW II. Harris outlines a frighteningly believable version of what the world would be like had the history tuned out differently.

Harris depicts many historical personages in Fatherland, and though he changes their endings, those are highly probable. His fictional characters are just as life-like as the actual people he writes about.

Xavier March is an SS detective. He is a pedantic workaholic who is dissatisfied with the perfectly ordained life and uses every loophole in the system to feel at least a little bit free. He gets a divorce, he refuses to join the Nazi party, and he does not attend rallies if not obligated. He finds the only satisfaction in his work, trying to uncover the truth behind the crimes. This is the reason why he does not just walk away from the case as ordered but decides to follow suspicious evidence, not knowing he stumbled upon something that can get him killed.

Charlotte (Charlie) is a young American newspaper correspondent in Berlin, who gets involved in the case because of old family friendships. She represents a different, fresh view on the world. She is brave, observant, cynical, and eager to unmask the Third Reich regime. She is distrustful of Germans, but when she finds March is actually after the truth, she helps him. As they work together unravelling more and more secrets, gaining enemies at fast pace, they find themselves bound by much more than the fact that they can only trust each other.

Though Fatherland is a fictional book, everything it includes, from the international relations and political map of Europe to the details of everyday life, is what would truly have been possible. Not only that. Fatherland is a shocking reminder that the Nazi vision it depicts was not just possible but was in the major part of Europe for some time a reality.

The most horrifying part of Fatherland is the one about the Holocaust. Harris incorporates authentic historical documents, along with the events which we know for a fact took place but were undocumented. Besides that, Harris’ presentation of the Nazis’ mentality, their hatred and their attitude towards whom they deemed to be inferior nations is shockingly genuine.

Fatherland is a fictional book, but most of its elements are not, and the book successfully reminds the readers of that. After almost seventy years, when only few people who experienced the era personally still live, we need such books to make us remember, because remembering is the only thing that can prevent the history from repeating itself. Serving as a reminder of the horrors that did happen, and which people tend to forget, is the real value of this book.

RECOMMENDATION: This is an attention-keeping book from the first to the last page. Despite being about alternate history, it offers a great insight into the actual history. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to people who like reading historical fiction, especially WW II books, and books about alternate history. 

Teaser Tuesday (June 21, 2011)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASERS: 

"The hysteria it would cause, the questions, the fear and hatred once the questions were answered. Something that ran deeper than compassion or sympathy or the need  to help wrenched her back, flattening her against the wall."

The Fury (The Vampire Diaries #3) by L. J. Smith, p. 50

"Hurrying down the isle was Diana Holland, the dearly departed's little sister, with a few shining curls coming loose from under her hat and her cheeks pink from exertion. Only Elizabeth, if indeed she could look down from heaven, would have known what to make of the smile disappearing from Diana's face as she took a seat in the first pew."

The Luxe (Luxe #1) by Anna Godbersen, p. 8

The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries #2) by L. J. Smith

SUMMARY (from the publisher): Elena is torn between her boyfriend, Stefan, and his brother, Damon. But these brothers hide dark secrets and a tragic past that threatens them all. Damon wants to lead Elena astray – and he'd rather kill Stefan than let him possess her...

MY OPINION:

Firstly, I need to say I watched the TV show before starting reading the books. I totally loved it. So, the books are a little disappointing to me. Perhaps, it would be different if I had read the books first.

There is one major problem I have with this series so far: I miss some more depth. Smith is trying to develop the story and the characters, but it all remains more or less on the surface.

In The Struggle, Elena’s character grows a little. If the fact that she has to deal with being no longer a worshipped high school queen counts as growing. There are hints on her deeper personality, but Smith remains at that – hints. It is intriguing, however, witnessing Elena coping with her problems and the supernatural world she is drawn into.

The Salvatore brothers continue their feud, and again, the reader is mostly left to guess about their relationship, the reasons for their feud, their past, and their personalities. The same happens with Elena being torn between the brothers. The question how she feels about either of them and why are largely unanswered. Not that Smith does not tackle these issues; she does, but only superficially. I would like a deeper look. Perhaps she could use a little more meaningful dialogues for that purpose instead of mostly small talk and teenage bickering.

I think the reason for all these shortcomings is too much rushing. Smith often setts a scene or starts a confrontation between the characters, but then, just at it starts leading to some deeper discovery, it ends abruptly and moves on to the next action.

Nevertheless, there are some strong points which make The Struggle worth reading. The plot is interesting, with unexpected events and  new information on vampires. There are some witty and funny parts. The reader also gets to know minor characters better. The book reads smoothly and Smith’s writing is good, especially scenery descriptions. 

Generally, The Struggle is a book with a compelling plot. Therefore, despite all my complaints, I enjoyed reading this book, and will continue reading the series to see what happens next.  

RECOMMENDATION: If you want to read an interesting story, this might be a good book to spend a few hours with. Just expect there will still be some blanks to fill in after you finish it, or hopefully, the blanks will be filled in by the following books in the series. 

The Awakening (The Vampire Diaries #1) by L. J. Smith

SUMMARY (from the publisher): Elena Gilbert is used to getting what she wants and she wants mysterious new boy, Stefan. But Stefan is hiding a deadly secret – a secret that will change Elena’s life for ever…

MY OPINION:

The Awakening has a compelling topic, but unfortunately does not fully develop its potential.

To start with, it took me almost half of the book to really get into it. I only kept reading because I knew it had to get better at one point. And it did. But not for long.

The first thing that bothered me was the small town high school atmosphere with a group of spoiled teenagers and their petite ambitions and feuds. Elena’s character in particular did not seem very likeable. My first impression of her was that of a lofty, over confident, and shallow high school queen, preoccupied with her porcelain Barbie doll beauty. She considers boys adorable, but expendable, puppies she tosses aside as she gets tired of them.

In time, Smith lets the reader see deeper into Elena, revealing her complexity: how she hurts from missing her parents, longs to find her place in the world, and searches for true love. Stefan Salvatore is the first boy who makes her nervous and the only one who dares to ignore her. Therefore, her pride offended, she pledges to conquer him if it kills her.

As Elena’s character develops and the reader starts learning more about Stefan, the book becomes a captivating read. However, it also rushes forward much too quickly. Instead of delving into characters’ growth and exploring their history and relationships, the events just go by in fast-forward mode. Thus, both Elena’s dealing with Stefan’s true nature and the history of the Salvatore brothers lack somewhat more detailed treatment which would make the story richer and the characters easier to understand.

Overall, in spite of these shortcomings, The Awakening is an entertaining start of the series, promising perhaps a better continuation of the story in the following books.

RECOMMENDATION: If you want a relaxing, easy read with a little mystery, and you are not too demanding, this is a good book to spend a lazy afternoon with. 

Teaser Tuesday (June 14, 2011)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASERS: 

"Automatically, she boosted with her feet and felt herself scrambling on to the shingled roof. Trying to calm her ragged breath, she looked over gratefully to see who her rescuer was – and froze."

The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries #2) by L. J. Smith, p. 320