christianreader | Kiwiria's March Madness

Under the Duvet - Marian Keyes, 4/5, 315 pages
I've long read and enjoyed Marian Keyes' novels, so I figured it was about time to read her essay collection. I tried it once before many years ago, but at the time hadn't realized that it wasn't yet another novel, so pretty quickly gave up on it as it wasn't what I was expecting. This time I knew what to expect, and greatly enjoyed it. It's always interesting to learn more about the person behind the books.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - David Foster Wallace, 3/5, Read 118 pages
An almost impossible book to rate and review, because I only read about a third of it, but what I read, I loved.

The title essay is an incredibly amusing essay on David Foster Wallace's experiences on a week long cruise in the Caribbean... only, the cruise could really be anywhere, because as far as I can make out, he never leaves the ship! Like the title reveals, he really doesn't think too highly of being on a cruise, yet he still manages to make me long to go on one! Probably basically because the things that drive him crazy, I'd love ;-)

So 5 stars for that essay alone, but unfortunately it was one of the very few that I managed to get through, as most of the others I couldn't get past the first few pages, so with about half of the book being a solid 1-star (my standard rating for abandoned books), it all averages out to this 3 star rating.

Kingmaker's Sword - Ann Marston, 4/5, 336 pages
I received this series via a Christmas book exchange, and picked it up knowing absolutely nothing about it, but it very quickly caught my attention. Set in a fantastical version of Scotland (very obvious, as the men wear kilts, say "ken" for "know" and even call outlanders a word very similar to sassenach) I fell in love with both the universe and the main characters. It's the first book in a trilogy, but unlike many first novels, I didn't feel like most of the page-time was spent establishing the universe and setting the scene for the future novels. It was fast-paced and action-filled and though the author didn't pull any punches, it didn't seem heartlessly so.

I'll be looking forward to seeing where she takes it from here, even though this book is so nicely contained that I don't feel like I absolutely have to read the next to get the full benefit from it.

Neither Here Nor There - Bill Bryson, 4/5, Audiobook ~9hrs
What I really appreciated about "Neither Here Nor There" is that unlike many of his other travelogues, I've actually been to many of the places Bill Bryson visits here. Of course I especially loved reading about his stay in Copenhagen (not the least because he liked it here :) ), but it was fun walking together with him in my mind's eye and seeing how my experiences of Amsterdam, Rome etc. meshed with his.

I'm glad the book ended when it did though - he became increasingly frustrated with being abroad, and that clearly influenced his opinions of the later places he visited.

I'm amazed his wife and kids are okay with him travelling so much though! I'm not sure I would have been, if I'd been in her shoes.

One Child - Torey Hayden, 4.5/5, 325 pages
This is the fourth book I've read by Torey Hayden, and I think it may just be my favourite. Not that it left me any less heartsore than usual, mind you :-S But at least the end was more uplifting than some. Sheila is a darling and I was pleased to see that it seemed as if her father was starting to realize that too. I don't think I could do what Torey does, but I have great respect for how clearly her love for the kids show.

I wish I knew what happened to Sheila after the end of the book though!

Pigen fra Auschwitz - Morten Vestergaard, 5/5, 205 pages
(The Girl From Auschwitz)
One of the most moving books I've read about concentration camps and WW2. I couldn't not read it in one sitting, and put it down with a heavy sigh and tears in my eyes.

What makes this book so powerful is that Arlette's story isn't unique. She is merely one of 1,3 million prisoner's of Auschwitz, but unlike 1,1 million others, she got out of there alive.

I'll never understand the Holocaust (nor do I really want to, actually!). Killing people in active war is one thing, but slaughtering people like that, in cold blood, is quite another. How could the soldiers make themselves do it? How could they live with themselves afterwards? I guess they must somehow have convinced themselves that they weren't proper humans, and that killing them was no worse than killing animals... at least, that's the only explanation I can find.

I'm glad Arlette decided to speak out, and agreed to have this book written. Granted, it didn't tell me anything about Auschwitz that I didn't already know, but hearing it from somebody who experienced the terrors herself and survived makes for a very powerful story.

Unfortunately "The Girl From Auschwitz" hasn't been translated to other languages.

Breaking Free Day By Day - Beth Moore, 3/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Disclaimer: I bought this thinking it was the original "Breaking Free" and was very disappointed to discover that was not the case :( Instead, this is a devotional based on her book "Breaking Free", and my initial disappointment probably coloured my opinion of the book itself.

As devotionals go, it's pretty good though. It's probably mostly aimed at new believers, as it has a lot of easy truths; but even "old" Christians (like myself) will find some food for thought in it. Most of what she wrote I already knew, but there were a couple of gold nuggets that I would do well to remember.

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop - Lewis Buzbee, 4/5, 225 pages
A lovely and charming memoir. If you love not just reading books, but shopping for them as well and consider browsing through bookshops a worthwhile occupation, even if you don't purchase anything, then this is the book for you. It was filled with fun anecdotes and made me want to rush out and find the nearest bookshop, just to go browsing through it. Unfortunately Danish bookstores (at least the chain stores) aren't nearly as charming as those I've encountered in other countries, so good thing we're going to London soon!

A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson, 4/5, Audiobook, ~9hrs
Bill Bryson's writing style is very much like Douglas Adams' in places, which naturally immediately endeared him to me. While not quite as excellent a book as "In A Sunburned Country", it's still a riveting read, and I found myself longing to go on hikes on the Appalachian Trail myself, even though I know there's no way I could do all of it.

Reading so many of Bill Bryson's books so closely together was quite amusing, as I discovered that he tends to repeat himself - quite a number of anecdotes from this one also featured in "A Short History..." They fit in both places though, so it didn't feel like superfluous information either place.

Who Killed My Daughter? - Lois Duncan, 4.5/5, 368 pages
This was a very difficult book for me to read for several reasons.

First of all, I knew even before starting the book that it would supply me with no answers. I was afraid that would make for a frustrating read, and I was partly right, but on the other hand it probably also spared me an even greater frustration of turning the last page and not getting the information I wanted.

Secondly, what a horrible, horrible situation to be in! Of course I know that it's written from a slanted viewpoint, but I still can't believe the disinterest of both the APD and the FBI.

Thirdly, I'm very much a sceptic when it comes to psycics, and thus disinclined to believe in ESP and the likes at all. I have no problem with it in fiction, because... well, it's fiction so different rules apply. But this wasn't fiction and makes me wonder what to make of it. Obviously I believe theres more between heaven and earth than what we can see, but reinvarnation and psycic readings aren't part of it.

It took me quite awhile to enable myself to suspend my disbelief and move past that, and I did find it easier when they started getting evidence from other places as well.

But what a dreadful thing to have to go through! I'm fascinated to see that Lois Duncan and family are still so involved in finding an answer, and hope they will eventually succeed.

Packing for Mars - Mary Roach, 3.5/5, 334 pages
Really interesting, but also rather heavy at times which is probably why it took me so long to read. Well worth the effort though, as it's filled with anecdotes and tidbits about space travel that I had no clue about!

Like that you can't actually feel you have to pee before it's almost too late, because that feeling is gravity causing the pee to weigh down.

Or how two astronauts got so desperate for fresh food that they ate the onion bulbs they had brought along to observe growth in space.

And about a hundred others that I either can't remember detailed enough, or that are too gross to mention here... funnily enough, a lot of the anecdotes conserned bodily functions, but I guess that's not too weird, considering.

But if you're a bit of a space geek like myself, you'll want to read this!

Hustler - Odile Poulsen, 3/5, 88 pages
A fascinating story about an environment I can't even begin to imagine (nor do I want to!). Odile wasn't sold into prostitution, nor was she 'forced' by an addiction - she merely saw it as an easy way to earn some extra cash, but eventually realized that it is completely impossible to sell yourself on a daily basis without it affecting your feeling of self-worth.

Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 5/5, 384 pages
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 5/5, 238 pages
I was in the mood for some comfort reading and when it comes to describing the life of the day, I actually think these two are the two best ones as they describe settled households, rather than starting out somewhere new. I'm in the mood for more like this now!

Tronns sorte engle - Bjarne Reuter, 128 pages
(The Black Angels of Tronn)
First half of a Danish fantasy series. I think I'll wait and review it once I read the second half.

Book of the Month: "One Child"