Brothers by Da Chen

referral from Stefan (looks like it is just my style):
At the height of China's Cultural Revolution a powerful general fathered two sons. Tan was born to the general's wife and into a life of comfort and luxury. His half brother, Shento, was born to the general's mistress, who threw herself off a cliff in the mountains of Balan only moments after delivering her child. Growing up, each remained ignorant of the other's existence. In Beijing, Tan enjoyed the best schools, the finest clothes, and the prettiest girls. Shento was raised on the mountainside by an old healer and his wife until their deaths landed him in an orphanage, where he was always hungry, alone, and frightened. Though on divergent roads, each brother is driven by a passionate desire-one to glorify his father, the other to seek revenge against him.
Separated by distance and opportunity, Tan and Shento follow the paths that lie before them, while unknowingly falling in love with the same woman and moving toward the explosive moment when their fates finally merge.
Brothers, by bestselling memoirist Da Chen, is a sprawling, dynamic family saga, complete with assassinations, love affairs, narrowly missed opportunities, and the ineluctable fulfillment of destiny.

The Meaning of the Night by Michael Cox

A 700 page recommendation by Stefan. Getting great reviews, a real page turner.

http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Night-Confession-Michael-Cox/dp/0393062031/sr=1-1/qid=1161097696/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0345808-0661510?ie=UTF8&s=books

So many books to read, so little time....

Hello Japan!

I read two books by Haruki Murakami back to back: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. John and I both really like Murakami's style; surreal and so amazingly imaginative. I want to read more of his books. John just finished Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, and I want to read that soon. Right now, I'm working on a new John Irving book, and then I have to read In Cold Blood for my book group. I'm so happy that John is reading novels again. :)

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana - Umberto Eco

I had a little Eco kick when I was a junior in college. I read the Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. I thought a nice fat Eco book would be just the ticket for my trip to Asia. But it was a surprising work and left me disappointed. It's a work of nostalgia for Italy during WWII. The main character has amnesia after a stroke, and he visits his childhood home to resurrect his old memories. I wouldn't recommend it.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson

I started this book right before I left for Asia. I picked it up because I really liked her detective novel Case Histories. I also just like her writing style in general. I thought this was a good book, but Marty read it after me and she found it lacking in character development. I wonder if you would like it, Mom.

The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston

Well, a bookstore was closing in Ft. Myers and they brought a bunch of books to Tom's work and sold them real cheap. Tom was a doll and bought quite a few that he thought I would like. This book is about a Jewish woman who survived the holocaust, moved to France and got married and had a child. It is her story of coping with what she had lived through. It was good. Not riveting, but good. I'm putting it in the condo for Mema if she would like to read it. It's a bit on the depressing side though.

In the Shadow of the Ark by Anne Provoost

I think I have actually read this author before. Loved the book. It is a story of a girl whose father is a shipbuilder and her mother is disabled. They leave the shore to go inland where they here that Noah is building the biggest ship ever but where there is no water. The heroine falls in love with one of Noah's sons and it is all about how Noah gets everyone to help build the ship but doesn't tell them that they won't be allowed on it. Of course, the people also don't believe that they will ever need to get one it what with no water and all. The water comes and I won't tell the story because I will leave it here in the house so you can read it at Christmas if you are interested in biblical novels. I actually bought this book in the airport on the way home from Seattle because the cover says "Will draw readers who enjoyed The Red Tent".

The Books of Rachel by Joel Gross

When I was in CT in Sep I finished Cleopatra and needed something to read so Mema gave me The Books of Rachel which she raved about. It is interesting that it is written by a man. The story is of "Rachel's Diamond" which as been passed on through the generations to the next Rachel in the family after the Rachel with the diamond has passed away. The story goes back to the inquisition which I learned was a very awful thing. Rachel and her family are Jewish and they were persecuted and the story is a lot about the persecution of Jews through history and also how Jewish people came to be involved in diamonds. It comes up to the present day. If I had criticism it is that we go through the Rachels fairly quickly with not enough time to really get to know each Rachel. But I did enjoy it.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

You bought me this book in Seattle (how sweet) on a nice sunny Sunday after we had a wonderful breakfast and were strolling through the area where Serials Solutions is and I didn't know if I would like it but I thoroughly did. It wasn't futuristic in the sense of technology as life in the future is protrayed as going back to simpler times. Times when women had no presence except in the utilitarian sense, like going back to women not being able to vote.

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

Well, you know this book very well, Noella, as it is the big fat broken book that came with me to Seattle in September. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am waiting to receive the movie from Netflix. The story is told from Cleopatra's view and starts with her childhood but focuses on her years with Ceasar and Marc Antony. She had a son with Ceasar but he was killed when Ceasar's nephew invaded and took over Egypt. I wonder how history would have changed if he would have lived. It certainly makes me want to go to Egypt to visit Alexandria and the pyramids. The good part was at the end, the author lets the readers know what is fact and what she inserted as probable. Makes it really something to think about. Stefan is reading the one about Mary Queen of Scotland and Mema read from the library Mary Called Magdalene and she also wrote a book on Helen of Troy which I think is new. I want to read all three. Sadly, when I went to CT on 9/17 I only took less than 1/4 of the book with me and trashed the rest. When I finished the last 1/4 in CT I had to throw it away as well, I was so sad and hope to never leave a book out in the rain again :( Margaret George has a nice website - I signed the guest book and there is an interview that she did with PBS that you can listen to.
10/6/06

The Book Thief

One of my work friends gave this book to me after she finished reading it. The Book Thief is by Markus Zusak, and I think you would like this book, Mom. The narrator is Death (which I thought added a slight twist but wasn't really necessary since the story is so good on its own without twists). It's the story of an orphan girl in Nazi Germany and the foster parents she lives with in Munich. The girl, Liesel, is feisty and funny. It was great to read a book from a conscientious German perspective about the war and Holocaust, instead of all of the books I've read with Jewish narrators. You should pick this up, Mom. I'm passing it to another coworker...

I started reading this one while you were visiting Seattle

Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood is the September pick for our Book Club. It's a futuristic work that is sure to scare the daylights out of any intelligent person. I was a little peeved by the ending, but it was a quick interesting read. One of our book club members thought the book took too long to explain the situation, because you're introduced to the main character and then learn how he arrived at his present situation through flashbacks. But I thought the pace was perfect and helped keep suspense.