The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgokov: Despite taking me over two months to finish this beast of a book I can finally re-shelve it's beaten self back on my book shelf. The first half went horribly slow for me, I would read a few pages on the train and get nowhere with it, every chapter seemed to introduce a new character and I just couldn't get into it. But luckily the holiday break gave me plenty of time to finish it up and the second half not only breezed by but was rather enjoyable. It was funny, smart, enjoyably philosophical and had a fun-loving Devil right in the middle of it all, what more could a girl ask for over her Christmas break? I only wish I had read the whole thing with such enjoyment. The end wasn't quite as great as I expected. I had heard all sorts of fabulous comments about how great it turned out, but I found myself a bit confused, maybe because the Devil didn't fit my stereotype, who knows? What about those of you that have read it? I'm interested to hear what you think about the pace of the book and how it all came together. In the end, I can happily say that this book continues in holding up my love of Russia as depicted in novels. What a great place.
Unless, Carol Shields: I loved loved loved this book. Charissa recommended it to me and what a wonderful recommendation it was. Unless was the last book Shields (pulitzer prize winner) wrote before she died of cancer. Her reflections on being a writer and what it means to live your life in a worthwhile manner are expressed quite eloquently through her characters story. Personally I couldn't help but often get the impression that she wasn't really writing a fiction novel but scratching her frustrations down in a journal that she just happened to publish. Of course there very much is a story line that is fictional and it too is heartbreaking. Her main character, Reta Winter is a 44 year old writer whose oldest daughter up and dropped out of university one day to sit on a street corner in Toronto with a sign that says "goodness". It's an amazing story and the ending only reaffirms that. The point is, read it. It's well worth it and it'll only take you a couple days at the most.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John Wood: I discovered this book while listening to NPR back in my jobless days. The author was talking with Terry Gross (I think) describing the experiences he had that led him to give up a very high ranking position with Microsoft to bring books to remote areas of the East for children who had never even so much as seen dreamed they would get a chance to hold one in their tiny little hands. I picked it up right away (AND IT'S ONLY OUT IN HARDCOVER!!) and fell head over heels in love with this man and his organization, Room to Read. For someone who loves books and is interested in libraries as well, John Wood is a God-send. His NGO is only five years old but is spreading like wild fire. They have built over 3,000 libraries for children in the developing world and reached 1.1 Million children's lives, from new libraries to schools to scholarships for girls. It's an incredible organization, that just doesn't take no for an answer. And lets just be honest, how can you not love someone who gives their life to make the world a better place for children?
No comments:
Post a Comment