Fiction Review: Happiness

From the long list of books I want to read in an Excel spreadsheet, I first heard the joys of Aminatta Forna at Booktopia, a very unique yearbook event where writers and readers meet and talk about books in Vermont every May. weekend. I thought this book was a recommendation from one of the booksellers at Northshire Books , the great bookstore that offers the event, and as always, it was a great deal. I really liked this novel about two completely different people who intersect in London in winter. I read very comfortably because I was infected with the corona virus in January.

Jane is an American wildlife biologist living in London, where she studies urban foxes ( the real problem there). He is divorced (mostly because of his commitment to his job) and has a teenage son at his home in Massachusetts. He loves his job and designs rooftop gardens/terraces for city dwellers, but leads a fairly isolated lifestyle. There are a lot of locals here - officials, taxi drivers, street cleaners, security guards and so on. - It helps him follow the foxes and let them know when and where he sees them. Attila is a Ghanaian psychiatrist who specializes in PTSD. His work usually takes him to the worst places/times, to war-torn countries, where he provides advice and assistance to soldiers and civilians who have witnessed or participated in horrific events. But he came to London for a spectacular show and a personal mission. Yan and Attila's paths intersected at the Waterloo Bridge one night, and then met again several times. While in London, Atilla But's "niece" goes through an immigration campaign (despite her legal presence) and her son, Tanu, disappears. While the mother is in the hospital, Attila begins to look for Tanu, and Jean, along with various "fox watchers", offers to help. Jean and Attila get to know each other and deepen their friendship, as they each face their own problems and sorrows.

It is also a warm, serene and very thoughtful novel. Jean and Attila, two completely different people living different lives, struggle with different problems in their lives. They both felt very lonely and immediately attracted to each other. The novel covers topics such as war, insanity, immigration, divorce, and grief, but always with a playful twist. I learned a lot about wolves, foxes, and PTSD. But the emphasis here is on character. As I read, I became very interested and attracted to Jean and Attila. Forna's writing is beautiful, and this serene winter novel is something that really disturbs and comforts me when I'm sick. I wanted to read more of Aminata Forna (she has written three novels and two more memoirs).

312 pages, Groov Press

Registered book

This book is suitable for the following reading problems :

Mount TBR Challenge - I'm finally reading a book on my shelf!

Alphabet soup

Diversity Reading Challenge

Ghana and England are in trouble traveling the world with books

Note: This article contains general links. Purchasing from this link earns me a small commission (a few cents on each purchase) to compensate you for the time I spent writing this blog at no extra cost.

Visit my YouTube channel for more fun books !

 

Listen to sample audiobooks at the beginning of the book, excerpts from historical episodes from 1834, and/or download them from Audible.

 

This book is available at Bookshop.org , where your purchase will support the independent bookstore of your choice (or all independent bookstores) - making online shopping convenient, but also local shopping!

Or you can order at the Happiness Book Depository with free worldwide shipping.

Middle-Grade Review: Marshmallow and Jordan

Heard Great Things About Alina Chaw Middle Class Marshmallow Jordan Graphic Novel I finally got a chance to read it for myself. I loved this touching and enduring story of a young disabled girl who faces challenges and finds an impossible partner to support her.

Jordan was the captain and star of the Indonesia national basketball team. Then the accident led to him being put in a wheelchair. He seems amazingly consistent, his talented teammates always support him when behind training and playing, sometimes helping the coach during training or he can play from his chair. But Jordan cannot be an integral part of the team and the competition. One day, on his way home from school, he saw a wounded white elephant cub. I think elephants are popular in Indonesia because Jordan is not surprised, but helps the baby elephant back home so that its mother, a veterinarian, can help the injured animal. His parents agreed to let an elephant named Jordan Marshmallow stay with them until he regained his health. To recover his kindness, Marshmallow mysteriously builds a backyard pool one night, helping Jordan learn to swim the next day without using his feet. Jordan loves the newfound freedom of walking around the pool. After a great day of water basketball with his friends in the pool, Jordan joined the water polo team. As he's playing a brand new game, his teammates aren't very hospitable at first, fearing it could ruin his chances of reaching the final this year. Jordan seems to be falling behind his old and new teammates, but he trains hard every day after school, adding extra hours to himself, until his strength, stamina, and aquatic skills improve. At the end of the school year, the crisis resolves itself in a very surprising way.

For example, Jordan with his basketball team

For example, Jordan brings home Marshmallow candy

This person has a chronic disease, there were two young men who had the same disease at a very young age (one of them is being treated now) - I can say with confidence that having a disabled child is very rare. In a book for children and adolescents. A disabled child is less common for a gifted athlete. But this wonderful book is more than just a Jordanian flaw. It's all about the company, the family, and overcoming all kinds of challenges. I like that the challenges Jordan faces here have to do with his “disability, he can no longer play his favorite game,” and the completely “normal” kinds of challenges all the kids in the company face, accepting and trying something new. Learning Skills. There is a story in the story to make it more fun. Beautiful, colorful watercolor illustrations help tell the story - they literally paint a complete picture of Indonesia's daily life (add some additions to the section). Picture together և Text / Dialogue that tells the magical story of an ordinary girl from a different culture, familiar to most readers, with challenges that all children can identify with.

365 pages, first second

This book faces the following 2022 reading challenges :

TBR Mountain Challenge:

Diversity Challenges

Travel the world with books - Indonesia

inspiration. I got this book from the publisher for an honest review. My opinions do not affect my opinions հարաբերությունների My relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains approved links. Buying from these links gives me a small commission (one buyback per purchase) to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog at no additional cost to you.

 

 

Visit my YouTube channel for more book fun .

 

You can get the book through Bookshop.org , shopping supports your favorite independent bookstore (or all independent bookstores) at the convenience of online shopping when shopping locally.

 

Or you can order from Marshmallow և Jordan Book Depot , including free worldwide shipping.

 

Memoir Review: Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau

Booktopia 2022 is approaching (click Events for details ; Booktopia 2019 Roundup ) and I'm still reading the new editions of the authors that will be here this weekend. Last month I read Ben Shattuk's memoir , Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau . This quirky non-fiction book is filled with nature, beautiful open writing, and my favorite kind of introspection in memory.

The author began spontaneously picking up some of the Thoreau rides at the lowest point of his life. He went for a walk along the coast of Cape Cod, completely oblivious and without equipment (it was a bit like Bill Bryson's Walk in the Woods in those days!). However, he met some amazing people, saw amazing places, and came out a little better mentally and physically, so he continued his mission. He based six of his travels on published books, Thoreau's essays and Thoreau's personal diary (which I believe has been published). As often as possible, he tries to recreate the same place as Thoreau, even if our modern world has changed things a bit. With two walks on Cape Cod (in and out), he climbed Mount Katahdin in Massachusetts, along the coast of MA / RI, from his home in the salt marsh where his family lived for generations. Menin canoeing with a friend at Baxter State Park (north end of the Appalachian Trail) and Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine, on an island where Toro and his friends camped out for their canoe trip. In this book, Shattuk shares his deepest thoughts and feelings, as well as his observations on nature and quotes from Thoreau himself. The result is an emotional and physical journey.

From Thoreau, on how life reflects the way you walk, quoted in the book:

"Yet there is a consolation to the traveler who suffers the most on the dusty roads that the path followed by his feet is the perfect symbol of human life - now he goes up the hill, now he goes down to the valley. He has continued his old lessons and although very tired and tired of traveling, it was still an authentic experience.

From Shattuk, who compares nature to life:

"Sadness and joy are in the same life, but feel the chill of the sun entering the forest."

Since he loves nature, enjoys hiking (as much as possible) and visiting Cape Cod and Maine (one of my favorite places), I enjoyed this trip with Shattuck. His writings on nature are lyrical, permeating the forests, lakes and coasts of his pages. I am embarrassed to admit that I have never read Thoreau (I intend to improve it), so I enjoy reading those parts of his many writings. And in this book I was able to appreciate the healing power of nature and the author's personal journey. He accompanied this beautiful writing with his sketches, so beautiful that even though I had read ARC on the Kindle, I ordered a hard cover. All these elements come together in a beautifully written memoir that blends nature, travel, literature and personal experiences. Can't wait to meet Ben Shattuck at Booktopia in a few weeks!

175 pages, pewter house book

Audio: Blackstone Publishing

PLEASE NOTE: Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau will be released on April 19, 2022.

This book aligns with the following 2022 reading challenges :

Nonfiction Reader Challenge (Wild Animals Category)

Literary Escape Challenge - Maine

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My views are my own and are not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This article contains general links. Buying from this link earns me a small commission (cents per purchase) as compensation for the time spent writing this blog at no additional cost.

 

Check out my YouTube channel for more book fun !

 

Listen to a sample audiobook here and / or download it from Audible . There is an audiobook narrated by actor Jonathan Todd Ross. I assume the audio clips will be released on the book's release date.

 

You can purchase books through Bookshop.org , where your purchase will support the independent bookstore of your choice (or all independent bookstores) - the convenience of buying online when you shop locally!

 

Or you can order Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau from Book Depository , free worldwide shipping.

Fiction Review: The Lost World

I searched for classics in one of my great audio books, and I was amazed to find the lost world of Arthur Conan Doyle. I was surprised that this 1912 novel was not about Sherlock Holmes. In fact, it is not a secret; This is a science fiction novel. I did not know that Doyle wrote a science fiction novel, but it seems to be the beginning of Professor Challeger's series. The convincing basis, movement, and skepticism of this wonderful novel kept me on my toes.

The book is told by journalist Ned, who embarks on his adventure with the woman he loves. This is a great opportunity when you attend a scientific conference and hear Professor Challenger talk about his remarkable discoveries. During his voyage to the Amazon Basin in South America, he said he had seen prehistoric animals, including dinosaurs, in the highlands. During the conference, when other scientists laughed at what he said and did not believe him, he made another trip, including another scientist (one condemned him). As a journalist, Ned took the opportunity to record her findings ... and impressed her lover. A small group of people set out to hire fellow travelers and help them navigate the rugged terrain. Following Professor Challenger's instructions and memories, he discovered a plateau that was home to some of the strangest, most beautiful, and most dangerous creatures of all time. When they are sent home with the local ambassador, they find strange animals and new people, and their stories are told in Ned's writings and drawings.

The story is dubious and vocal as the team solves problems one by one and records Ned's remarkable discoveries. This novel has a lot of action and adventure, and it is easy to see how this story - first published in a magazine - captivated and captivated the audience in 1912. Current findings. My only curiosity is that the racism in the story was created in time, but it is still a threat. Assistants recruited for the trip have been misinterpreted as "half black race", but the African hired to help is permanently described as "great and always faithful," perhaps no more positive. Less distorted and angry. Despite this flaw (carried by many classics), I was engrossed in the tragic story of the creatures you find.

230 pages, Seawolf Press

FNH Audio

Note: I recommend that you use the bookstore (both links below), which supports traditional audio books and typically free bookstores to purchase books ፡ የሲ የሲ የሲ የሲ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ ዎ የያዘ ዎ የያዘ የያዘ የያዘ የያዘ የያዘ የያዘ የያዘ ዎ Accompanied by the publication of the first issue of this book. The design of the "Look Inside" feature of this link is very detailed and beautiful.

This book is part of the following 2022 Reading Test :

Monthly Example - April - as a TV series or movie-edited book (but unfortunately the show is so scary , women with special effects and punch half-dresses - there are no women on the go in the book.)

Back to the classic challenges - 20th century classics

2022 Spell Soup - L

Challenge "Travel the World with Books" - Brazil

Note: This article contains general links. Purchases through this link provided me with a small commission (with a purchase coin) to compensate for the time I spent writing this blog at no extra cost.

Check out the YouTube channel for more book entertainment !

 

Listen to audio book clips here and / or download them if heard.

 

You can get the books through Bookshop.org , your purchase supports free bookstores (or all independent bookstores), making it convenient to buy online locally!

 

Or you can order the lost world free of charge from the bookstore .