Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key, written by Tatiana De Rosnay, is a book that switches from 1942 Paris to contemporary Paris. In July of 1942 there was a round-up of French Jews by the French police. They sent the Jews to camps in France and then ultimately to Auschwitz. Anyone sent to Auschwitz didn't come back alive. What was alarming about this round-up was the number of women and children involved. It was so sad to read about.

The main character in the book, Julia Jarmond, is an American who had been living in Paris for 25 years. She married a French man and had a daughter. She was a journalist for a magazine that asked her to research the round-up for the 60th anniversary of it. While doing her research, Julia discovered the story of Sarah, hence the title "Sarah's Key".

I will not lie--the first 1/2 of the book was so depressing I could only read a couple pages at a time. I have read many Holocaust books in the past, but for whatever reason, this one was especially hard to take. Maybe it's because I'm finally a mother now. I always thought the idea of families being ripped apart was terribly sad, but now that I can imagine someone doing that to me and Jack, I can barely stand it.

The second 1/2 of the book was not nearly as depressing, but the switch from 1942 to current stopped and it just stayed in the current time period. I found myself missing the point of view of Sarah. I wanted to read more of her story, not Julia's. Julia becomes a little obsessed with Sarah's story and I found it a little unrealistic.

It was an interesting book, but I'm not sure I'd consider it a fave. Too sad at the beginning, too unrealistic at the end. But you'll have to read it to see if you agree!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This was a fantastic book! Once I realized I wasn't going to finish The Art of Happiness, I decided to pick up this one that my mom recommended. (She always has great recommendations!) I read it in just a few days, after trying to trudge through the Dalai Lama's book. It was fun, entertaining and easy to read.

Written by Mary Ann Shaffer, this book is set in England just after WWII. The format of the book is letters and telegrams written back and forth between the characters. I thought this was a very creative way to tell the story and I didn't feel like I was missing any information in between letters. I'm sure that was a difficult feat to accomplish.

This was different from other post-WWII books that I've read. Maybe it was the geography (mostly set on the island of Guernsey), but I think it had more to do with the author's approach. I loved it and I highly recommend it! I'm so sad that the author didn't live to see the fruits of her work (she passed away in 2008).

I won't give too many details, but the main character is Juliet and I just love her personality! She was a strong willed woman who knew what she wanted in life. She had a witty sense of humor and seemed like the kind of person who would make any gathering more fun just by being there. She starts a correspondence with a man who bought a book with her name and address in it. He lived on Guernsey and was part of a book club during the war. You'll have to read it to find out the rest!

The Art of Happiness

I really shouldn't be writing about this one, seeing as I never finished it (besides the fact that I should be mopping the kitchen right now). But I thought you should know what I've been reading for the last 5 weeks and why it has taken me so long.

With this book I realized that although non-fiction is educational, I need fiction! Non-fiction just doesn't grip me in a way that makes me want to pick up the book and read, and so I seldom got around to it! When there are so many other things that demand my time, the book has to pique my interest to take it away from those other things.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book. The Dalai Lama spoke a lot of truths in his conversations with the author, things that we could all do well to learn and heed. I truly believe that truth is truth no matter where the source. I don't know a whole lot about Buddhism, but I know that a lot of what the Dalai Lama tries to do is what we all should do.

The premise of the book is that the purpose of man's existence is to find happiness. How we go about trying to attain that usually doesn't work because we're searching for happiness outside of ourselves instead of within. If you are looking for an interesting read and are in need of some self help--this is a great book for you!

Murder At The Opera

See, I told you it takes forever for me to read a book anymore! I just finished the book "Murder at the Opera" by Margaret Truman. This is the next book in our ward's book club. I have no idea who recommended it, but I think Margaret Truman is the daughter of Pres. Harry Truman. Anyway, I wasn't really impressed with the book to be honest. There were some things I guessed (which I can never do correctly with an Agatha Christie), and it just wasn't all that suspenseful.

I suppose the purpose of a book club is to get you to read things you woudn't normally read, so that was accomplished. I just think there are too many good murder/mystery authors out there to waste your time with a mediocre one.

The next book on the ward book club list is "The Last Lecture", which I've already read, so I think I'm going to read something else now! Trouble is, there are too many options. But I need to read something I can recommend to others, so I think I'll read "The Art of Happiness" by the Dalai Lama. Hopefully it won't take me a month, but it may!

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN

I finally finished it! I have been reading this book FOREVER! It took me at least a month to read the first half and then I finally got into it and read the last half in about 2 days. I have no idea why it took me so long to get into it. I think it had more to do with me than the book.

Written by Betty Smith in the 40's, this book is considered a modern classic. There is nothing spectacular about the plot--it's just a story about a girl growing up in Brooklyn around 1914. I found the description of Brooklyn at that time fascinating. I've never been to New York, but I could definitely imagine it during that time.

The main character, Francie, grows up in poverty. Her parents are children of immigrants. Her father is an alcoholic and ultimately dies from it, although she absolutely adores him. Her mother works as a janitoress and wants her children to be educated so they don't end up like her. The division of classes in the country during that time seemed inescapable, yet somehow, poor people managed to get an education and make better lives for themselves.

I think one of the themes from this book is that education is the key to a better life. I have to agree. We are so lucky to live in a country that has student loans, grants and other ways to fund education. I think Americans totally take for granted the opportunities they have. Of course, I still think there is somewhat of a class system; how many Harvard grads have at least one parent that was a Harvard grad? I'm sure the percentage is something they don't want published! (Watch the documentary "Born Rich" for some interesting insight into that world!)

Anyway, I did enjoy the book, but just wish it hadn't taken me so long to get into! Let's hope the next one doesn't take that long!