Astray by Emma Donoghue

First let me start off by saying thank you to all my readers who have stuck with me the last few weeks. My life has been crazy busy lately. Most importantly I started a new job and have been crazy busy with getting antiquated with the new schedule and commute the last few weeks. But the good news is I'm back and have tons of reviews to post!

Now on to the review of Astray by Emma Donoghue.

I was looking for something different the day I picked this book up. Ironically when I picked it up and read the synopsis I thought it was extremely similar to one of my new favorite's Trains & Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith. I fell in love with McCall Smith's book instantly and read it in one night, so surely with a very similar description of adventure and finding ones self in a hodgepodge of characters I thought this book would be a good comparison.

I started off reading this thinking that each chapter was an introduction to the character and their stories. What I soon realized was that each chapter was their story. Astray is a collection of short stories that Donoghue did a wonderful job of portraying in these historical fiction pieces.

I don't like reading collections of short stories for numerous reasons, but mostly because I always feel as though the stories are left hanging. Ironically I write short stories myself, but they usually turn into full fledged novel manuscripts down the road. So when I realized that this book was short stories I contemplated on the idea of giving up and walking away out of frustration. But I'm glad I held strong and finished this collection of master pieces.

Donoghue does a great job of getting the reader to understand the characters while leaving a slight sense of mystery to the story. Each story ends with information about the characters development and where Donoghue found her inspiration. Out of the collection my favorites where Daddy's Girl and Vanitas. I won't give away much but the thought provoking questions that are asked in the mind of the reader leave to question the idea of what more in history do we not know or understand?

Our lives today are very similar in many of these stories, but the question I wonder is how far have we truly come from understanding the human mind and the beliefs we all hold true to our hearts. I recommend this read if you are looking for something a little different and philosophical to a sort.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Original Book Cover

Have you ever wanted to run away? Just leave all the bad behind in the dust as you speed on forward to a better tomorrow? Sometimes all it takes is a little guts and whole lot of will to take that first step of leaving the hurt and pain in the past.

In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees Lily does just that. She runs away from the heartache and abuse that is inflicted on her by her widowed father and the memory of something deeply suited in her soul. Lily, only 14, leaves behind the hurt and horror of her life she looks for the one place she can find comfort in the future, her mother. She knows that the physical being of her mother is impossible, the memory of how she died rooted inside of her holds deep guilt, but the clues left behind by her mother lead her to find just what her soul was looking for. The place that her mother called home.

The adventure of a teenager finding herself in the south in a time of segregation is well written and beautifully transfixed on how color really has no boundaries on the heart. Monk Kidd does a great job of telling this coming of age story in the midst of such historical context in America. The mind of a child is shown through as Lily see's beyond the color of her adoptive family and into their hearts, but understands that the outside world does not see the sames as her.

I have passed this book on to a few friends who enjoyed it so when it was turned into a movie I was trilled to see the adaptation. But what I found was that this book far outweighed the movie in comparison. I will always recommend the book over the movie on this one. The actresses did a great job in the portrayal of the characters that Monk Kidd had developed, but the editing literally botched the feel of the story.

The Corpse Washer By Sinan Antoon

Have you ever questioned all of your choices you have made in your life? Let alone have the one person you look up to feel betrayed on the ideas of what you want for you life?

The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon is a story of just that. Jawad was born into a traditional family in Baghdad. His father was the town's corpse washer, in which it was expected for Jawad to take over the family profession. However, Jawad had different ideas for his future. With the help of an art teacher, Jawad found his passion in life and decided to take a path less traveled in his culture and town.

But the culture and life that Jawad had struggled against to fight for his own path and passion was soon road blocked by war. The story in which Antoon portrays for the reader is one done beautifully for the reader. The struggles that Jawad faces with the concept of war, family, culture, love and self, intertwine into a coming of age story that lets the reader into the lives of Iraqi civilians.

This book allowed me to start asking more questions about the Muslim faith as there is a general concept in America that those of Muslim faith are all terrorist this book shows the truth on this concept. I have never felt fear of the Muslim faith, misunderstanding yes, but fear no; after 9/11 the panic and misguidance of the Muslim faith became very prevalent in the mainstream media, this book shows that there are truly two sides to this faith that allows the reader to start asking questions.

Overall I found this book hard to finish mainly because I had a hard time understanding the concepts of a few things, but I think the pictures it portrayed into an ill-guided stereotype are worth the struggle.

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

I know it's Valentine's Day, where you should show love for those who mean the world to you. But sometimes there isn't love in those you see as family or your significant other. Sometimes our visions are bluffed on so many levels that we can't determine where bond and survival should be separated.
Abuse comes in all forms; psychological, physical, sexual.

We are taught as children not to talk to strangers, tell someone if someone touches you, etc. But what do you do when the person you would go to for these things is the person who is also doing the harm? Who do you tell? How do you get help? How do you survive?

In A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer, these questions are the very ones that Dave must face at a very young age. The abuse inflicted by his mother is profound and disgusting on so many levels that I won't even begin to quote them. But this is one of the many reasons someone should read this book as well. The survival instinct in Dave at such a young age is tantalizing, the strength he holds within himself for survival is breathtaking.

This story is not one of love and devotion, but of survival and perseverance in the darkest of situations. Through it love prevails in the heart of Dave. The fear Dave faces hinders his heart as he fights for his survival. Dave's love for his brothers, even his mother, conflict with his emotions and instincts for survival leaving him to question the very existence of himself many times.

This page-turner is short but well worth the read. If I could find the nerve and emotional capacity I would re-read this over again. When picking this book be prepared to harbor ill feelings towards humanity during your course of reading this novel.

Brains A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker

My first zombie book, seemed pretty fitting these days with how my brain seems to be exploding with ideas and opportunities being given to me.The title was pretty much the only reason I decided to pick this book up at the library. I'm not one for guts and gore, mostly because I get sick at the sight of blood. Brains a Zombie memoir, by Robin Becker, started out as an easy read. With only 191 pages soared through the first half easily, however somewhere towards the middle of the book the language in the book took on a more difficult to understand. The story was easy and complex based on the nature of the context and situation that the characters face.

The idea of zombies walking the earth is something that has become of great popularity within the media; from film to tv shows to books, the idea of living a half life or an undead life can be terrifying. The concept of what it would be like to live this way can't be documented properly, after all there have been no cases in the medical field to follow on such a topic, therefore zombies are based on a theory. A terrifying concept of being trapped in your decaying body kind of theory.

This book took on a different idea of becoming a zombie. Can you become a zombie and still have the thought process, conscience and fight like a human? I can't really answer any of these questions, nor do I really ever want to know if there is a zombie apocalypse.