Turn The Page ... Tuesday

From the Shelf TBR

 

 

 

I went through a phase after I read my first Persephone book that basically had me scouring their web site trying to track down as many of their books as I could afford (and was interested in - which proved to be many - the interested part - one can only shell out so much money on books before their husband begins to raise some questions). Anywhoooo - I began collecting. That's right. Collecting. Not reading. Life got busy and most just got shelved. Another reason for the TBR challenge!

 

Little Boy Lost is a book that has you on the edge of your seat with a lump in your throat. Set in France after WWII an Englishman is in search of his little boy - lost during the war. His wife was French and involved in the resistance and did her best to secure the safety of their toddler son but leaving little to go on. Hillary Wainwright, the father, is lead to an orphanage by an old friend who is aiding him on his search. Ultimately, Mr. Wainwright has to decide whether little Jean is his son (of which he only met as an infant because of the war. You will be biting your nails in the end all the while holding your breath.

 

I thought Hillary Wainwright's character was a bit stiff but yet all things considered I felt sorry for him. He has lost his wife - his child - and suffered through a war; I guess I should cut him some slack. If you like reading WWII books, pick this one up. There is lots of details about France before and after the war - fascinating.

 

From Amazon:

 

"'Hilary Wainwright, poet and intellectual, returns after the war to a blasted and impoverished France in order to trace a child lost five years before. The novel asks: is the child really his? And does he want him? These are questions you can take to be as metaphorical as you wish: the novel works perfectly well as straight narrative. It's extraordinarily gripping: it has the page-turning compulsion of a thriller while at the same time being written with perfect clarity and precision. 'Had it not got so nerve-wracking towards the end, I would have read it in one go. But Laski's understated assurance and grip is almost astonishing. She has got a certain kind of British intellectual down to a tee: part of the book's nail-biting tension comes from our fear that Hilary won't do something stupid. The rest of Little Boy Lost's power comes from the depiction of post-war France herself. This is haunting stuff.' 'When I picked up this 1949 reprint I offered it the tenderly indulgent regard I would any period piece,' wrote Nicholas Lezard in the Guardian. 'As it turned out, the book survives perfectly well on its own merits - although it nearly finished me. If you like a novel that expertly puts you through the wringer, this is the one."

 

On the Kindle TBR

 

 

This was a 99 cent book I picked up back in November of 2011 ... time to read it and have it stop taking up megabites or gigabites or whatever it takes!  The Silence of Trees was an interesting read. So much folklore and legends added to the storyline. Some times it was difficult to follow because of the names but again, if you like a WWII book that has a different perspective this would be another must read. There is much of the work camps for those who were rounded up from the Ukraine who were not Jews but not "Anglican" enough.

 

From Amazon:

 

"In Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Nadya Lysenko has built her life on a foundation of secrets. When she was sixteen, Nadya snuck out of her house in Western Ukraine to meet a fortuneteller in the woods. She never expected it to be the last time she would see her family. Decades later, Nadya continues to be haunted by the death of her parents and sisters. The myths and magic of her childhood are still a part of her reality: dreams unite friends across time and space, house spirits misplace keys and glasses, and a fortuneteller's cards predict the future. Nadya's beloved dead insist on being heard through dreams and whispers in the night. They want the truth to come out. Nadya needs to face her past and confront the secrets she buried--in The Silence of Trees."

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Book vs Movie

 

 

 In the back of Little Boy Lost there is a blurb about the movie (I didn't know there was a movie until I had finished the book - score! Two challenges met!). Apparently the author wasn't to keen on how it turned out ... and after seeing the movie I have to agree. I liked the book soooo much better. With that said, if I had seen the movie with out reading the book and not knowing the full weight of the subject I probably would have enjoyed the movie. It just seems wrong though having read the book. So - ok movie - much better book. Sorry Bing - nothing personal.

 

Bonus Book

 

 

Well. I put my name on the waiting list for a digital copy from my library and proceeded to wait. And wait. And  - it was worth it. Mr. Albom has done it again with The Time Keeper.

 

How many times have we just wished for a few more minutes, hours, days - to turn back time - we don't have enough time - time time time. It's so elusive. But what if we could control it? What would that mean?

 

Read The Time Keeper and meet Father Time. The man who created the first "clock". The man who tested God by trying to mange time. The man who suffered the consequences of his actions. Does God give second chances? Can we reverse time? 

 

From Amazon:

 

"The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is."

That's all I've got for this month - what do you have to share? Remember - these challenges are not mandatory - I want to hear what you've been reading whether it's been languishing on your shelf for 16 years or you bought it two days ago and could not put it down until you finished despite the laundry and dinner!

Paula

Stacey
Sara
Debi

I have been having trouble with my link ups since we got a new computer. Seems some of my info didn't make it to the other side. Just leave me a comment and I'll add your link. Thanks!