A Good American by Alex George – Book Review

Feb 062012

A Good American by Alex George
Published by Amy Einhorn/Putnam Books, an imprint of Penguin

Jette’s mother is determined that her daughter will be the family’s ticket into higher society, marrying up and bringing connections. The large-boned Jette is not a traditional beauty, though, and she has no particular interest in playing a society girl. That is not to say that nobody is interested in her, however. Unfortunately, her suitor, Frederick, is not a man whose social status her mother does not deem appropriate. When Jette ends up pregnant and scorned by her mother, she and Frederick decide to head to America to create a new life in the early years of the 20th century.

A Good American is narrated by Jette and Frederick’s grandson, and follows the family from their trip from Germany to Missouri, and through the next two generations of the family. George has written a beautiful and frequently heart-wrenching account of an immigrant family as they adapt to life in America. Particularly interesting is the Americanization the family goes through as Germany becomes an enemy of their adopted country during the Great War. Indicative of the way the family and the community and country around them changes over the course of the century is the food served at the family’s restaurant. That, as well as the fate of the family, is a wonderfully rich symbol of the way the family assimilated as well as the way the country continued to change.

Readers will become immersed in the life the family, invested in their futures, in their pain and in their problems. A Good American does, however, fall just short of being a perfect book. George has a tendency to be a bit heavy-handed with foreshadowing, with the end of many chapters setting up an event in the next chapter, or the one following it in a way that lets the reader know a bit too clearly that something bad is going to happen. These sentences tended to draw me out of the family’s lives, without adding much to the story, and perhaps even taking away from the surprise the events might otherwise have held. Still, this amounts to little more than a handful of sentences in a book of nearly 400 pages, and, at least in my case, does not significantly decrease enjoyment of the book, nor does it detract from investment in the family.

A Good American is a wonderful book about family, America, and the immigrant experience. Despite a bit too much foreshadowing, I highly recommend it.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

The History of the World According to Facebook by Wylie Overstreet – Book Review

Jan 302012

The History of the World According to Facebook: A Parody!!! by Wylie Overstreet
Published by It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins

Facebook chronicles so many of our moments, from personal (and sometimes. far too personal) to large, culture-changing events. Of course, Facebook doesn’t exactly have much historical depth, having only been around since 2004. Yes, there were posts about Obama’s historic election in 2008, but we’ve missed even such paradigm-shifting events as 9/11, let alone the Renaissance, or even the Big Bang.What if Facebook had been around from the beginning of time? What sort of record, perhaps even from the people involved in historic events, might we have now?

Answering this question, or parodying this question, at least, is Wylie Overstreet’s The History of the World According to Facebook. Or, you know, a history of the Western world according to Facebook. The book opens with the creation of the universe and Earth, with a mixture of scientific and religious posts. From there, we move through ancient history, primarily through Biblical stories – ostensibly because they are familiar to most people – with a bit of Greek and Roman history mixed in. There are also sections devoted to the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution (apparently defined here as post-US Civil War approximately through the Vietnam War), and the modern history of The Information Age. Notably missing, however, is anything not directly dealing with the Western world. Some things I might have expected to see include the rise of Islam and any piece of Chinese history. Some of Japan’s ‘wall posts’ did make it in, although only when they were bombing Pearl Harbor.

Of course, The History of the World According to Facebook is not meant to be a comprehensive history of the world by any means. It is meant to be silly, poking fun both at history and Facebook. At that, it is certainly successful. Nothing was particularly laugh-out-loud funny, but most of the material is indeed rather humorous. That being said, The History of the World According to Facebook is something best consumed a few pages at a time. Overstreet himself mentions in the introduction that is ideally suited as a bathroom book. Reading an entire section – or more – at a time leads to fatigue with Overstreet’s humor and decreases enjoyment of the book.

If you’re looking for a funny book to pick up for a few minutes here and there, The History of the World According to Facebook by Wylie Overstreet is definitely one to consider.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Empress Elizabeth – Guest Post by Eva Stachniak, Author of The Winter Palace and Giveaway

Jan 262012

Eva Stachniak was born in Wrocław, Poland, and came to Canada in 1981. She has been a radio broadcaster and college English and Humanities lecturer. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.com/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and her second novel, Garden of Venus, has been translated into seven languages. Her third novel, The Winter Palace, was published in January of 2012 in Canada (Doubleday), US (Bantam) and the UK (Transworld). She lives in Toronto, where she is working on her second historical novel about Catherine the Great.

Ah, the Romanovs! Researching them was such a treat. To my initial surprise, Empress Elizabeth Pietrovna, the Russian Tsarina who brought Catherine to Russia to marry her nephew, proved to be as fascinating as Catherine herself.

A daughter of Peter the Great and his peasant wife who ruled Russia briefly as Catherine I, Elizabeth was a passionate woman filled with contradictions. I loved to evoke her presence in The Winter Palace: Elizabeth sending for the choicest morsels to the palace kitchens, having her heels scratched and her feet massaged by her attendants, listening to folk tales and gossip, reaching for any man she fancied. And—this should not be overlooked—at the same time securing for her beloved Russia a period of growth and prosperity only Catherine, herself, would rival.

Elizabeth must have made a tremendous impression on Catherine, for even though Catherine bitterly complained against the empress when she was the Grand Duchess, she ended up imitating her predecessor’s ways. Like Elizabeth, Catherine courted the palace guards, and let them believe they alone raised her to the position of empress. Like Elizabeth, Catherine summoned petty German princesses to Russia as prospective brides for her son, raised her grandsons as if they were her own children, and as she grew older, took progressively younger lovers. She may have sneered at Elizabeth’s passion for 22 year old Ivan Shuvalov, but when Catherine turned 60 herself, Platon Zubov—her dashing lover—was 20 years old.

I have one copy of The Winter Palace available for a reader with a US address. Fill out the form below by noon on Wednesday, February 1st.

Loading…

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak – Book Review

Jan 252012

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak
Published by Bantam, an imprint of Random House

Barbara has a loving family, her father is a Polish bookbinder who has had some measure of success in Russia, including some patronage from the Empress Elizabeth. When her parents die, one after the other, Barbara has nothing left, and must throw herself on the mercy of the court. Starting as a maid in Elizabeth’s wardrobe, Barbara – called Varvara in Russian – draws the attention of Chancellor Bestuzhev, who quickly recognizes her potential as a spy for himself and Elizabeth. As a new The timing for a new, bright spy to come into their employ is perfect, as a young princess is currently on her way to Russia as a potential bride for Elizabeth’s nephew and probably heir, Peter. As Varvara spends more time with Sophie, the girl who would become Catherine after her Orthodox conversion, her loyalty begins to shift from Elizabeth and Bestuzhev to Catherine.

The Winter Palace is the first in a series on Catherine the Great’s rule, and spans from the time shortly before she arrives in Russia to shortly after her ascension as Empress. Varvara is an engaging main character, and her position as maid and spy in the imperial court gives her the ability to know and narrate things that would be out of the purview of most characters, which allows Stachniak to use a first person narration that would otherwise be implausible.

Having recently read Robert Massie’s Catherine the Great, it seems to me that Stachniak’s historical research is topnotch, and she appears to stick very closely to Catherine’s story, without embellishment for dramatic purpose. This is particularly reassuring in cases like Catherine’s, where the historical drama is more than sufficient without anything added. Particularly shocking for students of Western European history is the exhortation for Catherine to become pregnant by any means possible to provide an heir, whether Peter was the father or not. The idea that none of the rest of the Romanovs were really Romanovs is simply mind-boggling.

Although this is the first book in a series, Stachniak made it nicely self-contained. There is no incomplete feeling at the end, it cuts off at a logical point in Catherine’s reign and in Eva’s life. Overall, this was a very engaging way to present the first part of Catherine’s life in Russia and the dramatic events that unfolded. If you’re at all interested in Russian history or Catherine’s amazingly strong reign, pick up The Winter Palace. Recommended.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound*

Source: .
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Sunday Salon 1.22.12

Jan 222012

This week was made of miserableness. I’m mostly over morning sickness, but my toddler gave me his cold last weekend, and it pretty much killed me this week. I did get a bit of reading in while trying to steam and soak my head, though. Despite being sick, we took Daniel to the train convention last weekend. It came to our local convention center and it was insane. The showroom floor was nearly as big as the floor at BEA, but instead of books it was covered with model trains. They had a few different areas for kids to play, but surprisingly Daniel was actually more interested in looking at the model trains that were moving than he was in playing. We discovered this when we were sitting around the kid play area and he took off running towards one of the displays when the trains started making noise and caught his attention. The highlight of the experience seems to have been the train he got to ride on, though. Here he is, on the back of the train

He has probably told me about this every single day since it happened. The engine was Thomas the Tank Engine, so he either tells me that he rode the Thomas train or that he rode the orange train. In fact, he’s sitting next to me as I format this post and he keeps pointing at the picture and telling me “I’m riding the train! I’m riding round and round!” Clearly this was VERY EXCITING.

Amid all of this I did some good reading, though. Here’s what I finished last week:

thewinterpalace picture crookedhouse picture Changeless picture

iseveryonehangingoutwithoutme picture

Reading Crooked House convinced me that I need to take a break from Agatha Christie for awhile. For the second time this year I figured out the solution to one of her mysteries, and this time I actually knew the killer from the moment that he/she was introduced and was utterly unconvinced by the red herrings that Christie threw in to throw me off.

And here’s what I reviewed last week:

Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron – Book Review

Jan 172012

Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
Published by Algonquin Books, an imprint of Workman Publishing

For as long as Jean Patrick can remember, he has wanted to be a runner, to represent Rwanda in the Olympics. And he has a gift, he could do this. Except, in addition to being a talented runner, he is also Tutsi. Things are becoming increasingly difficult for the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Hutu are in power, there are ethnic quotas in place, and violence is beginning to escalate. Jean Patrick may be able to overcome his family’s poverty, but can he survive the hatred of his fellow countrymen?

In Running the Rift, Benaron brings the period leading up to the Rwandan genocide beautifully and painfully to life. What is particularly interesting about Jean Patrick as a character, is that as a child he was sheltered from the Hutu-Tutsi animosity by his idealistic father, who believed such ethnic rivalries to be a thing of the past. His father’s death in a freak accident, though, brings a lifting of the veil over Jean Patrick’s eyes. Before long they are being harassed, even in their home, the community where they have lived so long.

As violence becomes more and more pervasive in the lives of Tutsis and the Hutus who do not persecute them, Benaron builds the tension and the personal stakes for Jean Patrick. Will he be injured by Hutu extremists so badly he can’t run? Will his family be hurt or killed? Will this conflict tear him away from the woman he loves?

The story Benaron tells is gripping, and she tells it in a very personal and engaging way. It is easy to sit down with Running the Rift and read for 100 or more pages at a time. Jean Patrick is a complex and sympathetic character, and the reader cannot help but root for him – and keep reading to make sure he will be okay.

Highly recommended.

We will be discussing Running the Rift here for BOOK CLUB on Tuesday, January 31st. Anyone who has read the book is welcome to participate.

Buy this book from:
Powells | Indiebound*

Source: Publisher, for BOOK CLUB.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Sunday Salon 1.15.12

Jan 152012

So, if you missed it, I announced this week that I’ll be having twins this summer. My reading has really been slow in the past couple months, as I haven’t felt fabulous with this pregnancy (come on, second trimester!!), and often when I do feel okay I’m just so tired that I just play games on my phone and watch stuff on Netflix.

This week, for instance, I had finished all of one audiobook by Friday night. I was partway through three other books, and another audiobook, but it didn’t seem likely that I’d finish anything else except maybe the audiobook. Then on Saturday I woke up with the cold Daniel had all week, including a nice sinus headache that completely felled me for most of the day. It meant, though, that I got to pretty much just lay in bed all day and I managed to finish two of my books plus my audiobook when my eyes needed breaks. Now if only I can catch up on my writing during my day off tomorrow…

So here’s what I finished reading this week (by the way, if you’ve read Running the Rift, we’ll be discussing it here on my blog on January 31st):

orientexpress picture runningtherift 1 picture

invisibleones picture theendofeverything 1 picture

And here’s what I wrote about, besides the whole two babies announcement:

I also posted about the books I’d like to Drop Everything And Read (er, listen to):

February BOOK CLUB giveaway – Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung

Jan 102012

It is that time again! We are gearing up for this month’s discussion of Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron (Tuesday, January 31, right here), but it is also time to give away next month’s BOOK CLUB selection. In February we will be reading an offering from Riverhead Books, Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung (release date: March 1).

forgottencountry picture

We will be discussing Forgotten Country on Tuesday, February 28th on Nicole’s blog.

From the publisher:

On the night Janie waits for her sister, Hannah, to be born, her grandmother tells her a story: Since the Japanese occupation of Korea, their family has lost a daughter in every generation, so Janie is charged with keeping Hannah safe. As time passes, Janie hears more stories, while facts remain unspoken. Her father tells tales about numbers, and in his stories everything works out. In her mother’s stories, deer explode in fields, frogs bury their loved ones in the ocean, and girls jump from cliffs and fall like flowers into the sea. Within all these stories are warnings.

Years later, when Hannah inexplicably cuts all ties and disappears, Janie embarks on a mission to find her sister and finally uncover the truth beneath her family’s silence. To do so, she must confront their history, the reason for her parents’ sudden move to America twenty years earlier, and ultimately her conflicted feelings toward her sister and her own role in the betrayal behind their estrangement.

Weaving Korean folklore within a modern narrative of immigration and identity, Forgotten Country is a fierce exploration of the inevitability of loss, the conflict between obligation and freedom, and a family struggling to find its way out of silence and back to one another.

If you would like to be considered as a participant for February, please fill out the form below by noon Eastern on Tuesday, January 17th. Your mailing address will be discarded if you aren’t selected to participate and used to mail you the book if you are. I do not share or retain any personal information. Only those selected will be contacted by email.

Loading…

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson – Audiobook Giveaway

Dec 192011

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, narrated by Dylan Baker
Published in audio by Simon Audio

From the publisher:

Based on more than forty interviews with the co-founder of Apple conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson’s STEVE JOBS is the riveting biography of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. Narrated by Dylan Baker (The Good Wife) with an introduction from Isaacson, this audiobook is an instructive and cautionary tale, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

Although I’m not a huge Apple person, I’m fascinated by the company, ethos, and intense following that Steve Jobs created. I’m an equal fan of Walter Isaacson, whose Benjamin Franklin: An American Life I loved. Whether you’re an Apple fan or simply interested in entrepreneurship, Steve Jobs is a must-read. Or even better, be read to by Dylan Baker:

I have up to five copies to give away to blog readers with US mailing addresses. Enter by 12:01 am Eastern on Monday, Dececember 26, 2011. If I have at least 15 entrants, I’ll give away 3 copies, 25 entrants and I’ll give away 4 copies, more than 35 and I’ll give away all 5 copies. You can enter by doing any one (or more) of the options below:

Buy this book in audio from from:
Powells*
Indiebound*
Amazon
iTunes

Thanks to Simon Audio for providing a copy of this book to give away.

11/22/63 by Steven King – Audiobook Giveaway (Sound Bytes)

Dec 162011

11/22/63 by Steven King, narrated by Craig Wasson
Published in audio by Simon Audio

From the publisher:

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new audiobook, 11/22/63, takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it. Narrated by Craig Wasson (Aleekah and the Bee, Malcolm X), this tour de force audiobook tells the story of Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program when his life is turned upside down as he enters a portal to 1958 and finds himself on a mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination…

It has been a very long time since I’ve read any Steven King (I’m a big Firestarter) fan, but when I heard about 11/22/63 I knew I had to read it. I love this sort of alternative history, and coming from such a talent author as Steven King, I’m incredibly excited. I am almost equally intrigued by the audio production, I can’t wait to hear what Craig Wasson does with it. For a sneak peek of what he’ll do with it, listen to the audio clip below:

I have up to five copies to give away to blog readers with US mailing addresses. Enter by 12:01 am Eastern on Friday, December 9, 2011. If I have at least 15 entrants, I’ll give away 3 copies, 25 entrants and I’ll give away 4 copies, more than 35 and I’ll give away all 5 copies. You can enter by doing any one (or more) of the options below:

soundbytes picture Buy this book in audio from from:
Powells*
Indiebound*
Amazon
iTunes

I encourage you to review any audiobooks you review on Fridays and include the link here every Friday. If you have reviewed an audiobook earlier in the week, please feel free to link that review as well. Thanks to Pam for creating the button.

Thanks to Simon Audio for providing a copy of this book to give away.