Week 2 of vacation is almost over and thanks to the daily thunderstorms and showers I've spent most of it on the couch curled up with a book. To keep myself entertained, I'm going to record what books I read and which I'd recommend.
1. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation Vol. 1 by M. T. Anderson.
2. Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick.
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.
4. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.
5. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is written about the childhood of a slave during the American Revolution who grows up as an experiment in a college of scientists. Enh. I sped through it in just a day or two and enjoyed it but I haven't run out to get the sequel.
Blood Red Snow White is a fictional account of a real British author and journalist, Arthur Ransome who lived in Russia during the Russian Revolution. Apparently he knew Lenin and Trostky quite well. The plot and narrative was rather tricky to follow at times. The most interesting part of this book was when I researched the main character afterward and realized that he had written my favourite childhood books,
Swallows and Amazons.City of Ashes and City of Glass are the final two books in the Mortal Instruments Trilogy. They are a great youth fantasy series. My only complaint is that the author sometimes skips details that are integral to the plot which lead to me re-reading several passages trying to figure out what exactly was happening.
The Book of Negroes is hands down fantastic. It follows the life of a young African girl who is taken into slavery and travels through America during the Revolution, to Nova Scotia and then on to Sierra Leone. Read it!
Another week has gone by and more books have been read. I just finished reading "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. It was written in 1948 and is heralded as the most important novel in South African history. The story follows an African pastor who journeys from his rural village to Johannesburg to search for his lost son. The imagery and emotion in the book are overwhelming, as are the implications for the future apartheid laws. While the first part of the story focused on the injustices between black and white, the second half ends with a hopeful look toward the future and brings out the goodness in ordinary people. I cannot believe I haven't read it before now. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Week 2 of vacation is almost over and thanks to the daily thunderstorms and showers I've spent most of it on the couch curled up with a book. To keep myself entertained, I'm going to record what books I read and which I'd recommend.