What is the What

Okay-- Dave Eggers always seems to impress me. What is the What was fantastic! I loved it. I really plan on doing some research on Valentino after I figured out that yes, he is a really person. I wonder how he feels about the final version of the book. I know he states in the introduction that yes, it's a fictional work it is based on his life. I am just a curious person. I wonder how many of the events in the book really took place and how many were made up by Eggers for the story. (even though I am sure things very similar happened.) Because I personally work with refugees on a daily basis I found this book even more fascinating. It makes me wonder more about some of the things my students have been through. I also wonder how Eggers met Valentino in the first place and how it came about that he would be the once to write this story. Anyhow, I loved the story, I loved the writing style and how it was laid it. Fantastic all around.

Next up:

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Still Alive

No, I am not dead. What is the What is just taking me a little while. (I mean it is just short of 500 pages, what did you expect?)

This book is quite interesting. Thought I was disappointed when I was on People.com's website and they had an article about "What is Angelina Jolie reading?" and I clicked on it and it was What is the What. Figures!!

Anyhow, back to the book. I wonder how Dave Eggers was able to get all this information. It is actually a fiction account, but does Valentino actually really exisit out there under some other name? And if so, how close is this to the actual truth? I realize that is not the point, but I am curious. So many of the "Lost Boys" stories must be so similar that I wonder if this is just a general account of many stories Eggers had heard about or on particular story.

Anyhow I am throughly enjoying this book. I am about 300 pages in. I hope to finish it over the next two weeks.

On a roll..

The Bookseller of Kabul was an excellent, excellent read! I loved it. The writing style was suprub and I loved the story line. It was great getting a different view point from different memebers of the family each chapter. It ceses to amaze me how people of different parts of the world live in such different ways and believe such different things.

Anyhow.. this book comes highly recommended!

Next up:

What is the What -- Dave Eggers

On a winning streak...

Finished The Reader over the weekend. I was actually impressed. It had many of the themes I like in books; books, reading, the holocaust, a good plot. It had some nice twists and turns. At times I wished the pace was a little faster. But in the end, I was satified.

Next up:

The Bookseller of Kabul.

I actually picked the book because I thought it might take me a while to get through. I am leaving for a trip in 2 days and I was looking for something that would tide me over until I got back. To my surprise, I might actually finish it before we leave. (Not that that is a bad thing!) But I am totally loving this book. More on it later....

Bored...

Finished The Keeper of the Lime Rock. Honestly, it bored me. I mean, yea it's cool a woman ran this lighthouse and rescued all these people. I just didn't think it was such a big deal. I do understand that back in that time period it was a big deal, but not now. I guess I should try and see the historical value of it. But the book was pretty dry. Eh.. so it goes...

Next up: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I am a taken off by the fact it was an Oprah book.. but I will live. (After all, she did pick my favorite book of all time as one of her books.. so not all her choices can be THAT bad, right?)

Nightmares

Finished over the weekend Windows on the World. This book is giving me nightmares. It a fictional story about what happened during the 102 minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center in the restaurant called Windows on the World on the 107th floor. I am a bit fascinated by 9/11 so that is what triggered me to read this book. I never really thought about some of the events in such depth before. It's really a bit heart wrenching to think about all these people who were in the restaurant and literally trapped until either they burned to death, suffocated or the tower feel. They were up there for over an hour and half. Yes, I realize it's fiction, but I bet the story is actually quite real. (Though of course we would never know, as no one in the restaurant survived.)

*sigh*

Currently reading:

Keeper of the Lime Rock by Lenore Skomal. It's about Ida Lewis, who was the first woman to be awarded the American Cross of Honor for her heroic effort in saving lives. I am about 60 pages in.. it's interesting. I said I was going to read more non-fiction so here we go. It's a short little book and I should be finished in a day or two.

Disasters

Just finished Why New Orleans Matters. At first, I didn't think I was going to like this book. I thought the author was pretty arrogant and annoying. But then the book grew on me and I really started to get the feel for the New Orleans that he felt. It must be a great joy to love a city so much. In the end, I thought it was a very well written love story.
I thought the book would focus more on Katrina, but it didn't really unil the last 60 pages or so. I thought I would be disappointed by this, but I wasn't. I thought, in the end, the book was laid out beautifully.


Apparently I am in a disaster book book phase:

Next up (or should say already reading)

Windows on the World by Frederic Beigbeder