Read The World - Ethiopia - Cutting For Stone

Book: Cutting For Stone
Author: Abraham Verghese
Pages: 667
Book Takes Place in the Country: YES
Author is from the Country:  YES
I have visited: no

I read this book before I started this blog.  I cannot remember the year, but when someone recommedned it to me as the book to read from Ethiopia, I remembered it immediately.  It is a daunting book at 667 pages, but well worth the effort.  

This is the story of Marion and Shiva Stone.  They are twin brothers who were born between a Indian nun and a British surgeon.  The brothers are conjoined twins, and their mother dies in childbirth.  Their father - presumably the surgeon (Thomas Stone who delivers them) does stick around to care for the boys.  The boys are surgically separated, and then they are, adopted by another surgeon named Ghosh.  

The boys, grow up in Ethiopia and strive to become doctors.  Shiva is smart and his studies come easy to him, while Marion has to work for it.  The story winds through the life of the boys growing up in Ethiopia and their move to New York City and then back again.  And in the end, when one of the boys tragically dies, we are left heartbroken.

It really is a good book.  It is a bit technical as related to medicine, but if you can push through, it is definitely worth the read.  It is about relationships, bonds (even conjoined twins can become estranged), and idealism.  It also is an honest appraisal of true friendship and committment. 

Check it out - the story is riveting and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Stars:  4

Read The World - Cyprus - Mythos

Book: Mythos
Author: Stephen Fry
Pages: 464
Book Takes Place in the Country: yes (but only partially)
Author is from the country: no
Visited the country myself: yes (just in December 2018, actually)

So - this book might be a bit of a stretch for Cyprus, and I might continue to search for something that is more centered around this country.  We have recently visited this country - took a trip over Christmas break - and it is absolutely beautiful.  We have friends that live there, and when I asked for a book about Cyprus, their answer was Greek Mythology.  And true - some of the gods in the book DO come from Cyprus and some parts take place there, but the overall mythology comes from Greece.  So....we shall see if this stays as my Cyprus book.

Moving on.

This is a pretty self explanatory book.  It is the retelling of the Greek Mythology from the beginning.  From the birth of the universe to the development of mankind, it covers all the antics of the mythical gods and even the humans they eventually interact with.

What I found most interesting was the author giving the history of each Greek god name, word, action, and how they are still used in today's language.  You don't think about how many words came from Greek myth until they are wrapped up in the retelling of that history.

The book was fascinating.  Many stories I knew from previous readings of Greek myths, but the world is so vast that I always catch new information with re-readings.

This was good book with all of them wrapped in one novel.  And the author puts a funny and charming spin on the stories that made it worth the read even more.  Check it out.

This one is going on the permanent shelf.

Stars: 4 1/2

Read The World - Congo Republic - The Poisonwood Bible

Book: The Poisonwood Bible
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Pages: 576
Book Takes Place in the country: YES
Author is from the country: no
I have visited the country: no

I actually just read this book last year.  It had been recommended to me over and over again, but the size of the book put me off a little.  Since last year's challenge was reading recommended books, so it finally made the rotation.  And I am so glad I finally read it.  

This is the story of the Price family who went to the Congo in Africa on a mission for the church.  Nathan - the father - went against the church's wishes feeling that he needed to reach the people of Africa and bring them the word of God.  So in 1959, he and his wife and their 4 young daughters find themselves in a completely different world than where they came from in Georgia.  During the tumultuous year in the Congo, Nathan fails to start the church he so desired, but refuses to leave.  His refusal leads to his family's undoing.  The family lives in extreme povery and in fear for their lives every day.  And in the end, they will leave their part of the Congo as a party of 5 - losing one along the way.

This was a powerful story.  It is an intense read, told from the points of view of the 4 daughters and the mother.  Each girl is so different, that their take away from their time in the Congo is unique to each person.  Once tragedy falls on their family, the women all pick different paths in their lives - all claiming that their year in the Congo, and the tragedy, is what lead them to where they ended up.  The book covers almost the entire lives of the women - jumping ahead a few years at a time after the initial year they spent together.  So you get to see what becomes of them and how events lead to one's life choices.

I encourage you to read this book.  I could not believe the poverty and the danger that they faced daily but that they still stayed.  It is hard for us who live in extreme comfort to imagine what it would be like to have nothing.

Stars:  4 1/2

Read The World - Australia - The Light Between Oceans

Book:  The Light Between Oceans
Author: M.L. Stedman
Pages: 345
Book takes place in the Country:  YES
Author is from the country: YES
I have visited the Country: no

Another book I have read in the past is today's reivew.  Side note - I will not be reading this year in alphabetical order, but reviewing old books, well....that is just how it is going to go.  I read The Light Between Oceans in 2016 and it stuck with me.  

This is the story of Tom and Isabel Sherbourne who live in Australia.  Tom returns from the war and meets Isabel.  They fall in love and get married.  Tom has decided to take a job as a lighthouse keeper on the island of Janus Rock, and Isabel agrees to go with him.  They try desperately to have children but Isabel suffers two miscarriages and a stillbirth.  One day, Isabel hears a baby crying on the shore of Janus Rock.  She discovers a small infant in a boat with a dead man.  Isabel is immediately drawn to the baby, since she just lost one of her own.  Tom - her husband - wants to report the incident immediately to the authorities, but Isabel begs him to wait for awhile and let her care for the baby girl.  Tom and Isabel fall in love with the little girl and name her Lucy.  They never report her as a baby that was found in a boat, but claim her as her own, since Isabel was recently pregnant (and no one knew of the stillbirth).

When Lucy is two years old, Tom gets leave to return to the mainland.  They take Lucy to meet Isabel's parents who are thrilled to finally have a grandchild.  But they find out that their decision to keep the little girl has devestated someone from their small town, and now face the consequences of their decision.

This was a great book.  I had it on my shelf for a long time, but it took the movie coming out to remind me I had not read it.  I can't imagine having a life on an island where it is just you, your family and the lighthouse.  It would take special people to be so isolated for years at a time.  The only visitors they ever received was a supply boat every 3 months.  Isabel wanted a child so desperately, and when her heart is broken with a stillborn son, and this baby shows up on the shore alone and hungry, I can't imagine more people not making the decision she made.  She was sure the baby was going to be put into an orphanage, and that she and Tom would not be eligible to adopt her because of their lifestyle.  So it is hard to judge her for the decision she made.

I definitely recommend this book.  It kept me captivated from beginning to end.  The movie was also pretty good, so add that to your list as well when you finish the book.

Stars: 4 1/2

Read The World - Algeria - The Plague

Book: The Plague
Author: Albert Camus
Pages: 320
Book Takes Place In the Country: YES
Author was from the Country: YES
I have visited the Country: no

I read The Plague in 2016.  I enjoyed it enough (although, enjoy is probably not the right word for a book about a plague) that it made the list.  

The book takes place in Algeria, North Africa, and a town called Oran.  The bubonic plague has hit the town, but the people in the town ignore the signs.  Over 300 people are dying a day.  A Dr. Rieux convinces the town officials that there is definitely a problem and they gate off the town.  No one can get in or out.  Dr. Rieux had just sent his wife to a sanitorium before the plague broke out.  His mother, who came to live with him and care for him while his wife was away, is not trapped in the town with him.  Dr. Rieux and his colleagues work tirelessly to help people, but in truth they watch 100s of people die every day.  In the end, not all the main characters of this book survive the plague, but the plague does end, and the gates to the town open.

This was a good book.  It took me awhile to read it because it is intense.  It is not a book you can read while the TV is on in the background.  It isn't a difficult book, just deserves your full attention.  The main characters are well liked, and each struggles to find the meaning of the plague.  The book makes you think about what you would do if it ever came to your own town.  Would you try to escape?  Would you try to help?  Hide?  These days, we live in a world of immediate over reaction (and immediate gratification), that it does make you wonder what most people would do if this happened today.  

I would put this one on your reading list.  It is written by an author who one the Nobel Peace Prize, so don't miss it.

It is going on the permanent shelf.

Stars: 4

Read The World - Afganistan - The Kite Runner

Book:  The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Pages: 400
Book takes place in country: YES
Author is from the country: YES
Visited the Country myself:  No

First review in a new year.  Like I stated in my last post, I am starting the year with books I have already read in past years.  I read The Kite Runner in 2015, and it still remains one of my favorite books of all time.  I have read all the books by this author, and each was just as good as the next.

The book tells the tale of a wealthy boy named Amir, who lives in Kabul, Afghanistan who befriends a servant boy, named Hassan, who works for his family.  The motherless wealthy boy always is looking for his father's affection which he never really gets.  Hassan and his father become like family to Amir and the boys become best friends.  Hassan even defends Amir against some bullies despite their difference in social status.

One day, a horrible accident occurs and Amir betrays Hassan.  Soon after the accident, Amir and his father move to America and Amir never sees Hassan again.  Afghanistan falls to the Taliban.  Amir grows up in America, goes to college and gets married.  One day he gets a call from a family friend asking Amir to return to Kabul because he needs to see him.  It is urgent that he return.  Remembering his cowardice with Hassan, he sets out to find redemption for his inaction all those years ago.

This truly is a wonderful book.  Hosseini is a gifted writer.  The story is told from Amir's point of view and delves into how he spent his years being guilt ridden about what happened with Hassan.  The writing describing the characters and the scenery is vivid and well done.  Many people probably wonder why Hosseini titled it "The Kite Runner".  It is because there are kite fighting tournaments that are essential to the plot and help to explain the meaning of the story.  It helps describe the relationship between Amir and Hassan and also the promise of the future once Amir returns to Kabul to right his wrong.

Do not miss the book.  It is one for the permanent shelf for sure.

Stars: 5

A New Year - A New Challenge

Now that 2018 has come to a close, that means a fresh reading challenge for me.  I look forward to the start of a new challenge each year.  This year I am starting a "Read The World" challenge.  I have been thinking about this one for awhile, and this year I felt is the time to start it.  I had a lot of people from different reading groups I belong to, friends and family, and even strangers to help me fill in the list.  You can visit my page HERE to see what I have come up with for each country.

Like each year, my books ebb and flow.  This challenge has just a few rules.  Besides hitting all the countries, it had to have taken part in the country, at least part of the book and/or the author needs to be from the country.  Also - I need to be able to buy it because I plan on making this challenge part of my personal book collection.  I don't buy many books due to the shear volume I read, but I feel this would be special to own.

Thus the list was born.  The first books I will review will be the books I have already read.  The country list is VAST, and truly, there are books that I own/or wanted to own that I felt belonged on this list.  But you never know - I reserve the right to change my mind.  I will not count those books in my annual numbers, of course, but to keep a running list on my blog of ALL the books that belong in the "Read The World" challenge, I wanted to post them.

There is no way I will finish this challenge this year.  This challenge will continue until I finish the countries.  I am anxious to see how the world views literature, and learn about countries that maybe, if I am lucky, will some day have the pleasure to explore personally.

Let's get this party started.