THE SIZE OF THE WORLD

I first saw this book reviewed in the Sunday paper a LONG time back - well before it was on the shelves. Of course it appealed to me because I am so crazy for stories that take me to the faraway places to which I can never travel. As SOON as I learned the book was out, I purchased it. I finished reading it last night and have yet to quite finish digesting it. The novel was written in segments rather than actual chapters, each segment featuring specific characters. I realized it was supposed to link people and places, and it did that. Each segment kept me interested and I felt especially invested in some of the characters. Being an editor, though, I would have suggested to Joan Silber, the author, that she NOT begin the book with the segment she chose. Ultimately, I suppose it WAS a good place to begin, but the reader doesn't really understand that until the very end of the book. Perhaps some sort of preface would have eased the reader into the flow of the story. Did I LIKE the book? Yes! I liked it well enough that I am almost tempted to pick it right back up and reread it, knowing NOW what I DIDN'T know the first time. I liked it well enough to go and buy a second copy to give away to someone. (Ordinarily I'd just give away MY copy, but I still believe I may reread this at some point.)
As an aside, I've had a number of authors whose books I've reviewed here SEE the reviews (HOW they found them I have NO idea) and write to me. So, Ms. Silber, should YOU happen to read this, I hope you will email me. I have LOTS of questions. LOL!

Synopsis
Love and family loyalty meet up with the allure of far-off vistas in elegant new fiction by an acclaimed novelist.A richly imagined novel—set in wartime Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Sicily, and contemporary America—about men and women whose jolting encounters with the unfamiliar force them to realize how many "riffs there are to being human." Travelers, colonials, immigrants, and returned ex-pats meet or pass one another in narratives spanning lifetimes.In the book's opening, an engineer in Vietnam is shaken to discover why his company's planes are getting lost. A modern marriage between a Thai Muslim and an American woman leads to a terrible family fight. In 1920s Siam a young woman experiences the colonial stance of her tin-prospecting brother. The last section returns the brother to the States, older now but ever in love with Asian women.Love, loss, yearning, self-delusion, and forgiveness are here in ways fresh and surprising. And in the tradition of E. M. Forster, seeing the size of the world changes the meaning of home-sickness for all the characters.

RIVER SECRETS & WEEDFLOWERS

Two books very different in style and content, but very similar in excellence. RIVER SECRETS is the third in Shannon Hale's series which begins with THE GOOSE GIRL. This one spotlights Razo, the young man who is small in size but has a HUGE heart, a very endearingly funny personality, and a talent for ... well, YOU will have to read it to find out what talent he has. I've already bought the newest book in the series and can't wait to read it!

Publishers Weekly
Razo, this winning novel's endearing protagonist, first brought to life as a minor character in Hale's The Goose Girl, here gets his own story. Now a confidante of Queen Isi, Razo was originally a simple forest boy whose major skill is using a slingshot to hunt squirrels. Short in stature and low in confidence, he is asked to join a mission of peace between his own kingdom of Bayern, and the enemy kingdom of Tira. Razo is then selected to become a spy because of his unassuming nature and powers of observation. He soon discovers that traitors in the Tiran army are trying to re-ignite the war, literally, by leaving charred remains of bodies an act they hope to pin on another envoy from Bayern Razo's friend Enna (from Enna Burning). This mystery unfolds along with charming friendships among Razo and his comrades, who lovingly tease him when he is the last to realize he has fallen in love with Dasha, the striking orange-haired daughter of the Tiran ambassador to Bayern, and has grown in height as well as self-assurance. This novel will be a special treat for readers of Hale's other two companion books, but it also stands on its own as a unique and tender coming-of-age story.

WEEDFLOWERS is by another author with whom I'm familiar. Cynthia Kadohata wrote KIRA KIRA, a novel which touched me deeply. In WEEDFLOWERS, her central character, Sumiko, finds herself and her entire family, 'relocated' to a reservation in Arizona after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. I've read a lot of books about the relocation of Japanese, and what subsequently happened to them during and after WWII, but this one puts such a personal spin on it. It's an excellent story, and one both young adults and adults SHOULD read.

Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Sumiko feels her life has been made up of two parts: before Pearl Harbor and after it. The good part and the bad part. Raised on a flower farm in California, Sumiko is used to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Even when the other kids tease her, she always has had her flowers and family to go home to.Now, other Americans start to suspect that all Japanese people are spies for the emperor and Sumiko and her family find themselves being shipped to an internment camp in one of the hottest deserts in the United States. The vivid color of her previous life is gone forever, and now dust storms regularly choke the sky and seep into every crack of the military barrack that is her new “home.”Sumiko soon discovers that the camp is on an Indian reservation and that the Japanese are as unwanted there as they’d been at home. But then she meets a young Mohave boy who might just become her first real friend…. With searing insight and clarity, Newbery Medal—winning author Cynthia Kadohata explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young girl who yearns to belong. Weedflower is the story of the rewards and challenges of a friendship across the racial divide, as well as the based-on-real-life story of how the meeting of Japanese Americans and Native Americans changed the future of both.

THE GREAT WIDE SEA

With absolutely NO hesitation, I will say this is one of the best books I've read in a VERY long time! To learn what the book is about, read the synopsis beneath the cover photo. To learn why I LOVED it so much, READ THE BOOK. I'm SERIOUS! I FELT these characters. And after I read the last chapter, I wrote to the author and asked her how on EARTH she was able to get into the heads of her male characters so beautifully. I was actually surprised to learn a female AUTHORED this story & I TOLD her so. She was lovely and gracious, telling me she has 4 sons, and THAT is how she did it. The story is riveting, and I believe readers will close the book with a huge sense of satisfaction for having read it. I did!
Synopsis
Ben, Dylan, and Gerry are still mourning their mother's death when their dad decides to buy a boat and take them on a year-long sailing trip. Tensions flare between Ben and his father, but they gradually learn to live together in close quarters. But one morning, the boys wake up to discover their father has disappeared—and they are lost. What happened to him? Where are they? And what will they do when a treacherous storm looms on the horizon?
M. H. Herlong spins a gripping tale of adventure, survival, and the bonds of brotherhood in The Great Wide Sea.

LEFTOVERS

Page after page of this book gave me the sense of reliving my own childhood. And, NO. That's NOT a good thing. BLUE PLATE SPECIAL is pretty much as the synopsis and Kirkus critique say - a bit contrived in some instances, but overall, well done. And I KNOW parts were realistic because - well, let's just say I know someone who had VERY similar things happen. This book will be great for young girls who may find themselves in uncomfortable situations, or who are in need of a confidence boost. It will also fill in at least ONE of the tiny holes left in the heart of anyone who HAS endured any of these things.

Synopsis
Doomed loves, failed families, nixed dreams—someone else's leftovers are heaped on our plates the day we come into this world.
Big Macs and pop tunes mask the emptiness as Madeline watches her mom drink away their welfare checks. Until the day Tad, a quirky McDonald's counter boy, asks Madeline out for a date, and she gets her first taste of normal. But with a life that’s anything but, how long can normal really last?
Hanging with Jeremy, avoiding Mam, sticking Do Not Disturb Post-its on her heart, Desiree's mission is simple: party hard, graduate (well, maybe), get out of town. But after Desiree accepts half a meatball grinder, a cold drink, and a ride from her mother's boyfriend one rainy afternoon, nothing is ever simple again.
Too many AP classes. Workaholic mom. Dad in prison. Still, Ariel's sultry new boyfriend, Shane, manages to make even the worst days delicious. But when an unexpected phone call forces a trip to visit a sick grandmother she's never met, revealing her family's dark past, Ariel struggles to find the courage to make the right choice for her own future.
As three girls from three different decades lives converge, they discover they are connected ways they could never imagine. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful past, and faith that there is a happier future.
Kirkus Reviews
Three young women spanning three generations become intimately connected as their mothers' mistakes affect their lives. Growing up with a self-centered, single-parent, alcoholic mother, obese Madeline copes by indulging her insatiable hunger and being ultra-responsible. Desiree avoids her overly critical, negligent mother, who's stoned on headache pills and glued to soap operas, by hanging out with her boyfriend. Ariel's father is incarcerated for murder and her possessive boyfriend stalks her, but her mother is loving and supportive. Madeline's life changes when her boyfriend dies, leaving her pregnant, Desiree's, when she's raped and impregnated and Ariel's, when she meets her maternal grandmother, and all three lives are pulled together in an epiphany of discovery, forgiveness and healing. From 1977 through 2009, Madeline, Desiree and Ariel tell their stories in alternating present-tense voices evoking the tone of their respective generations (Desiree in all-lower-case free verse). While Kwasney effectively develops her characters into multidimensional personalities, convincing in their strengths and weakness, the coincidental plot feels contrived. Despite intergenerational differences, however, all three learn to make the most of the lives they inherit.

LOOKING UP

Muchacho. Chico. Hombre. Boy. Guy. It's all a male thing. MUCHACHO - the BOOK - focuses on one male, Eduardo Corazon, who has wasted an awfully big chunk of his young life screwing up. But he really ISN'T the bad kid he seems to think he is. And THAT is where this author won me over. I think this book is PERFECT for all the kids who believe they have to be tough or act DUMB to be popular. I won't give much away, but let you read the synopsis, and HOPE you will give this book a chance, then pass it along to a student - ANY student. I DEFINITELY intend to pass along SEVERAL copies.

Synopsis
An inspiring YA debut from the author of Dangerous Minds.Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail.Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands. Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.

CAKES WERE NEVER THIS SWEET!

I need to begin this review with a commentary on African writing styles. See, I LIVED with Africans for YEARS. And, in doing so, I learned quite a lot about the way they approach things - especially storytelling. Here, we are taught when writing to SHOW, NOT TELL our stories. Less conversation, more action. For the most part, African writers approach things in a totally opposite way. LOTS of conversation. LOTS. I'm a talker, you understand. But, in the beginning, as I was getting to know and understand this about the African culture, I LOVED it when I was speaking with someone. It drove me INSANE when I was reading an African's writing. The very first time one of my 'stepdaughters' wrote me a letter from Ghana, she began this way:
"My dear mother,
It is with great hope that, at this juncture, you are endeavoring to be of joy and of excellent health."
My first instinct was to stare at the letter and think, "Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask, "How ya' doing?" LOL! But that is NOT the African way. Over the years, I began to cherish that verbal bouquet my Jamira would send in each letter. And later, when we spoke on the phone? Lo and behold if she didn't actually TALK that way!
With that said, let me tell you that this book, BAKING CAKES IN KIGALI, is written by a Caucasian woman born in Africa. And she has definitely picked up and embraced the African way of writing.
Angel, the book's central character, is a very talkative lady and sometimes comes off as being a heroine of sorts to her neighbors. You may find some of the conversations she has with people she just met a bit contrived. The truth is, I could close my eyes and HEAR these conversations, and believe them completely.
If you are expecting action in almost ANY form, you will be disappointed. There really ISN'T any here. However, the people will reel you in, hook you first with their interesting names, then with their stories and humor. And warning - African humor is ALSO quite a jump off American humor's page. I LOVE it because I understand it. But it takes a bit of acclimating, I admit.
Still, if you want a pretty good introduction into the real world of African women particularly, read BAKING CAKES IN KIGALI. I'm betting you will find yourself laughing out loud at some point.


Synopsis
Baking Cakes in Kigali is a tale in fourteen confections, and behind each cake lies a story. As baker Angel Tungaraza busies herself with her customers’ orders, we learn about their lives: Ken Akimoto — with his penchant for partying, her best client — and Bosco, his lovesick driver; Dr. Rejoice, without whom she’d never cope with the hot flashes that send her delving into her brassiere for a handkerchief so often these days; Odile, an AIDS worker whose love life Angel has taken a keen interest in; and not forgetting young Leocadie, Modeste, and their baby boy, Beckham. Angel works her magic, solving problems for all around her; and in turn, they help her lay her own demons to rest: perhaps she can finally face the truth about the loss of her own son and daughter, and achieve a sense of peace . . .Hauntingly charming, funny, and involving, Baking Cakes in Kigali is a novel about the real meaning of reconciliation — about how, in the aftermath of tragedy, life goes on and people still manage to find reasons to celebrate.
Publishers Weekly
Set in an international apartment complex in Rwanda, Parkin's appealing but overstuffed debut throws together university professors, U.N. employees and CIA agents among a panoply of traditions and cultures. Heroine Angel Tungararza has moved from Tanzania with her husband, Pius, who's taken a job at the local university; before long, she develops a reputation as a masterful baker and a sagacious friend. Though haunted by the deaths of her grown daughter and son, Angel plunges back into motherhood, caring for her five grandchildren, tending to Pius, baking cakes and dispensing advice. Meanwhile, the sour undercurrents of AIDS and genocide play quiet but instrumental parts in shaping Angel's world. In Parkin's eagerness to introduce a rainbow of cultures and personalities, she crowds her enjoyable but terminally dedicated heroine, forcing Angel to take a saccharine supporting role in her own story; almost simultaneously, she's soothing survivors of Rwandan genocide, reconciling a local prostitute and her client, and serving as an honorary mother-of-the-bride. (Sept.)

WHAT IS HAPPY-EVER-AFTER?

I finished this book last night. When I bought it, I KNEW the subject matter, of course. But I had NO idea, having read so many books about the holocaust over the past 47 years (I started reading about the Holocaust when I was only 12 years old) that ANY book could affect me this way. Those of you who know me, know I don't sleep much at all. MAYBE 2-3 hours a night and THAT is done sitting in a rocker because I have been unable to lie down for nearly 5 years. Well, during the time I was reading this book, I had nightmares. BAD nightmares that awakened me with my own screams or gasps. THIS STORY IS NO FAIRYTALE and it is NOT for the faint of heart. Okay, it may NOT affect everyone else (or, for that matter, ANYONE else) the way it affected me. I can't really say why this particular story got to me. I just know it DID. Do I regret having read it? NO! Ms. Murphy has woven elements of the Holocaust into elements of the traditional Hansel & Gretel story we all know. Her book focuses on the END of the Holocaust, and it takes place in a horribly war-ravaged Poland. It spotlights not only the fear, but the defeat. And it brings to the front the Russians who played a HUGE part in the fight yet were often skimmed over in other accounts. I found heroes throughout this story. Unlikely heroes. Heroes worth holding in my memory and in my heart. One thing I particularly liked is the characterizations. No one person was one-dimensional. That's as it SHOULD be. I will NOT forget this book. It's going to stay with me in what I LEARNED from it, and in residual nightmares. Tonight I plan to begin a book that promises to be HAPPY. I really am.

Synopsis
In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest. Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed "Hansel" and "Gretel." They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called "witch" by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children. Combining classic themes of fairy tales and war literature, this haunting novel of journey and survival, of redemption and memory, powerfully depicts how war is experienced by families and especially by children, and tells a resonant, riveting story.