In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

Raami is the seven year old daughter of a prince.  She lives in a beautiful house in the capital city of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Her father is a poet and a buddhist and he has created a serene, peaceful place for his family within their home.  Raami lives with her parents, her mother is a vision of beauty, her baby sister Radana and her grandmother, the Queen as well as a variety of servants.  The year is 1975 and the winds of a lost civil war are blowing into town.

The Khmer Rouge regime has just taken power of Cambodia.  They arrived in Phnom Penh and proceeded to evacuate the city.  Raami's family piles into the family car in sweltering heat, in a rushed exodus, never to return. During the next four years, the Khmer Rouge tries to systematically destroy the infrastructure of the country and its people by creating a group mentality, separating family, reeducating the educated populace in the ways of the peasants and stripping each individual of their memory of self.  Two million people lost their lives during the brutal communist regime of Pol Pot.

The author, Vaddey Ratner is a survivor of the Cambodian genocide.  She was five years old when the communist regime came to power.  She lost almost everything during the revolution, including most of her family.  She survived to tell her story in this semi-autobiographical novel.  Most of the characters in the book are based on her family members and her personal story is embedded in the narrative of In the Shadow of the Banyan.

Ratner is a beautiful writer.  While the story itself is tragic, the beauty of the writing and the hope of the characters make this story exceptional.  The love of family, the beauty of the moon, the hope for tomorrow are all reasons to fight and live among tragic and terrible circumstances.  Poetry is woven throughout the pages as well as traditional stories and myths of the ancestors.  At times In the Shadow of the Banyan is hard to read yet the author offers equal parts of tragedy and grace, imbuing the novel with small moments of kindness, love and spirit.

At one point in the novel the family is housed in a Buddhist monastery classroom.  This quote is written on the chalkboard “Knowing comes from learning, finding from seeking.” pg. 69

Below is the author talking about her book and her experience living through the regime of the Khmer Rouge.

Lunch with Authors, Chris Bohjalian and Stephen P Kiernan

Lunch with authors, Chris Bohjalian and Stephen P Kiernan.

Yesterday I had lunch with two amazing authors, Chris Bohjalian and Stephen P Kiernan.  This author event was set up by Subtext bookstore in St. Paul.

I arrived at Fabulous Fern's restaurant at exactly 11:30 and met up with a bunch of like minded, wonderful book women and two men.  Three ladies drove over 150 miles to come to this event.



Chris and Stephen arrived around noon to much applause and joined two different tables for a lunch of soup and sandwich.  Then Chris was introduced and he told some "non-glamourous" stories of being an author on tour.  He then explained the premis behind his new novel, The Light in the Ruins.  He defines the novel as a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet in Tuscany, set around World War II in 1943.  There is a parellel storyline which takes place in 1955 with a female detective with scars from the war investigating murders in the area.  This is Chris Bohjalian's 16th book.

After Chris read from his book, he introduced his good friend, new fiction author, Stephen P Kiernan.  Stephen talked about how he got the inspiration for his book The Curiosity from the song Frozen Man by James Taylor.  The main plot is when a frozen man from 1906 is awakened in modern day society.  Stephen states at it's heart The Curiosity is a love story and it is filled with important elements of science and scientific discoveries.  I totally love the cover!

After Stephen read from his book they opened it up for questions.  They even gave away several T-shirts with the covers of their books imprinted on it.  Sadly I didn't win but that is OK as I was able to ask two questions.  One of the questions I asked is what authors influence them and what are their favorite books?  They answered this questions so fast I couldn't get all the names of authors and books down fast enough.  Luckily after the event ended, I walked over to SubText Bookstore and spent sometime looking at books when Stephen and Chris walked in the door.  We ended up talking about books and sharing titles and authors.  It was cool.  Chris walked me over to one of his favorite books and told me it influenced his next book called Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands being released next summer.  That book was ROOM by Emma Donoghue.  I have not read this book and frankly I have been avoiding it.  Have any of you read it?

Here are some of the books and writers each author recommended.

Chris Bohjalian's List
Room by Emma Donoghue
The Joyous Season by Patrick Dennis
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
Help for the Haunted by John Searles
Schroder. A Novel by Amity Gaige
Joyce Carol Oates,
John Irving,
Tom Perotta

Stephen P Kiernan's List
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Last Nude by Ellis Avery
The Twelve and The Passage by Justin Cronin
Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I had both authors sign my new books and they both wrote very thoughtful inscriptions.  I had a great time and I can't wait to sit down and read both of their books.  I loved this author event!

Anything but Ordinary Giveaway

Anything but Ordinary Giveaway

Lara Avery is the July Minnesota Author in the Spotlight here on Book Snob this month and she is giving away 4 copies of her Young Adult novel to BookSnob followers who live in the U.S. and Canada.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

An inspiring, bittersweet love story about making every day count.

Bryce remembers it like it was yesterday. The scent of chlorine. The blinding crack and flash of pain. Blood in the water.

When she wakes up in the hospital, all Bryce can think of is her disastrous Olympic diving trial. But everything is different now. Bryce still feels seventeen, so how can her little sister be seventeen, too? Life went on without her while Bryce lay in a coma for five years. Her best friend and boyfriend have just graduated from college. Her parents barely speak. And everything she once dreamed of doing—winning a gold medal, traveling the world, falling in love—seems beyond her reach.

But Bryce has changed too, in seemingly impossible ways. She knows things she shouldn’t. Things that happened while she was asleep. Things that haven’t even happened yet. During one luminous summer, as she comes to understand that her dreams have changed forever, Bryce learns to see life for what it truly is: extraordinary.

Rules:
Fill out the form.
U.S./Canada Residents only
Ends July 31st at midnight
Must be 13 or older.
Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Million Heavens Giveaway Winners!

A Million Heavens Giveaway Winners!

Hope you are enjoying your summer so far.  John Brandon and his publisher are giving away five copies of his book A Million Heavens to Book Snob followers who live in the United States. I am excited to announce the winners of this multi-layered novel that takes place in the New Mexico desert.  So without further adieu, here are the winners.  Drum roll please....

Ben from Indiana neonpajamas.tumblr.com (photo blog)

Anita from Georgia

Monika from A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall www.lovelybookshelf.com

Bill from Like an Open Book blog.

Maud from What I have in Mind Blog.

Congratulations Everyone.  Hope you enjoy your new book.

Here is an excerpt from my book review:

A Million Heavens is a novel of place, people and the connections they make.  It is intriguing and interesting how Brandon takes a group of seemingly average, unconnected people and darn it, makes you care about what happens to them in the end.  The characters are complex, the writing style is unique and the story is dark with rays of light shining through. A Million Heavens is full of multiple perspectives, with a little love, arson, music and revenge thrown in. 

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

The read-a-thon has come to an end and I met and exceeded my goals this year.  Oh yeah! So here is what I accomplished.

I read two books and parts of three others.
1.  The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller - Finished
2.  The Magician's nephew by C.S. Lewis - Finished
3.  The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory - 85 pages
4.  Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder -3 chapters about 30 pages.
(read aloud to daughter)
5.  The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriquez - 96 pages
Total pages read:  733 pages read.

Wow.  I have done better this year than in the last two read-a-thons.  I am so proud of myself.  So happy to get some good reading done.  Doing the happy dance.

Max:  Read a total of an hour for the three days.  It is disappointing but I know he has other priorities right now.

Georgia:  She listened to three chapters in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder and read for a total of 3 hours.  She is almost finished with her book The One and Only Ivan.  She has about 20 pages left.

Thanks so much to the hosts of this read-a-thon. This read-a-thon is hosted by Pure Imagination, Candace's Book blog and Reading Angels.

Can't wait for next years Read-a-Thon!

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Update and mini challenge

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Update and mini challenge

So far I have been accomplishing my reading goals and I am so happy.  My kids on the other hand are not doing as well.  Oh well, I guess I expected that.  Friends, video games and TV are more important to them than reading right now and that is fine.

So far I have completed one book,The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller.  I have read 525 pages total in two days and I finished reading my pages in The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory for my read-a-long.  Yesterday I started The Magician's nephew by C.S. Lewis and read about 100 pages.  I plan to finish this book today and start a new one.  Not sure which one yet.  I also read one chapter in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my daughter which equals about 10 pages.

Max:  Did not read at all yesterday and doubt he will read today.

Georgia:  Read 20 minutes in The One and Only Ivan and listened to one chapter of Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.


Mini-Challenge
This mini-challenge is brought to you by Dizneee's World of Book blog.


For my little challenge, I would like for you to tell me your favorite genre, favorite book within that genre, and your favorite character from the same genre.

My absolute favorite genre is Historical Fiction.  I love reading a book that takes place in history and makes that history come alive for me.  I love imagining what life was like in a certain time period and I love learning about actual people and events from a period in history.  

My hands down favorite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  

My favorite character is:  I have no idea.  Scarlet is definitely the most memorable character I have read about but I don't think she is my favorite.  So here are some of my favorites.  Kunta Kinte from Roots.  Ahab's wife by Sena Jeter Naslund, Ishmael from Moby Dick.  Rebecca from Rebecca.

Who are your favorites?

                       

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Update and Mini-challenge

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Update and Mini-challenge

Today is day two of the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon.  It will be a busy day for me so I probably won't get much reading done but I will read when I can.

Yesterday I finished The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller.  I read about 320 pages total yesterday and stayed up late to finish the book and it was well worth it.  Excellent book and good writing.  I really liked it.

Today I plan to read about 85-90 pages in The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory for a read-a-long I'm participating in.  If I finish this I will probably start a new book.  Hmmm, I keep debating about what book I should start as I have so many good books to choose from.

Georgia:  She read about 40 pages in The One and Only Ivan and together we read one chapter in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Max:  Read How to Build a Time Machine by Hazel Richardson.  He read for an hour and is almost finished with the book.


Mini-Challenge
This mini-challenge is brought to you by Better Read than Dead blog.


You're in a bookstore and you've just purchased 5 books you've been dying to read, when the apocalypse hits. (Zombie, Demons, Vampires, Dean Winchester vs. Sam Winchester (yes, I'm watching Supernatural reruns) I don't care what apocalypse). You've got one chance at survival, what 2 books do you take and what 3 other items do you take?

*This is a tough question.  If I can only take two books with me, I would choose two very long books.  One that I have already read and one I haven't.  So the first book I would choose is Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell because it is my favorite book and it should be saved for humanity.  The second book I would take with me is probably a classic that I have been wanting to read but have put off year after year.  I would make a mad dash for Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.  Another book that must be saved for humanity.

Other 3 items I would take from the bookstore;  chocolate, bookmarks and a notebook to write about the apocalypse.

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon mini challenges #1

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon mini challenges.  DAY ONE

OK so every read-a-thon comes with mini challenges and so my goal is to participate in at least one per day but today I am going to do both soooo, here goes.

The first one is by Cover2Cover blog.
I need to answer these three questions.


1. Which book you are most excited to read in the coming year? It can be already released or coming soon.

Oh my gosh so many books to choose from that I can't pick just one.  I am excited to read THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness.  This is my book club pick.  I am excited to read LIFE AFTER LIFE by Kate Atkinson and I am excited to read the first installment of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENT SERIES.  Oh and I can't forget ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY by Lara Avery.

2. Which book would you re-read if you had the time and weren't so busy reading ALL of the other good things?

I would definitely reread GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell.  It is my favorite book of all time and I read it about 20 years ago.  I should probably reread it soon.

3. and lastly, If you could meet any fictional character who would it be and why?

I would choose to meet AUGUSTUS from THE FAULT IN MY STARS by John Green.  Augustus is my book boyfriend and I love him and all he represents.  He is an amazing character.  Probably one of the best male characters to hit literature in a long time.

The next challenge is from BookBFFs.

I need to talk about my book BFF.

My very best book buddy is Stephanie from Steph the Bookworm.  

I met Stephanie by following her blog and one day she had a post searching for a book buddy.  She wanted to correspond with someone who would help support each other in their reading goals and email back and forth for at least a year.  So I signed myself up and Steph and I became book buddies and we are still friends. It is amazing how book blogging is a way to not only communicate your love of books but also leads you to find like minded people as your friends.

OK, now I have to get back to reading.

See you tomorrow.

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon

One Upon a Read-a-Thon

I am participating in Once Upon a Read-a-Thon for the third year in a row.  Since it is summer, I usually make this a family experience so my son and my daughter will also be participating.  It is hard to rope them in as they are getting older (15 and 12) and so many things take precedence over reading lately.  But I am getting them to commit to read at least an hour a day or to read one book over the three days.
This read-a-thon is hosted by Pure Imagination, Candace's Book blog and Reading Angels.  There is still time to sign up if you are interested.


Goals for the Read-a-Thon:

Georgia (my 12 year old)-  Her goal is to finish reading The One and Only Ivan and to read at least 3
hours over these three days.

Max (my 15 year old)- He hasn't chosen his book yet but it is narrowed down to three so I will let you know in an update.

Reward:  If my kids accomplish their reading goals in the Read-a-Thon, I promised to buy them a new book.

My Goals ( I'm forever 29) - I am going to read and finish The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller.  I will read about 100 pages in The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory for a Read-a-Long I'm doing with The True Book Addict blog.  I would also like to start another book but I haven't decided what it will
be yet.  I plan to complete at least one reading challenge a day and of course to have fun.

Yahoo. Here is to a great summer Read-a-Thon!!

July Author in the Spotlight

July Author in the Spotlight.

Happy July Everyone!  Summer is in full swing and hopefully you have been outdoors enjoying it.  This month, I plan to go to my in-laws house on the lake, send my son off to Tomahawk BoyScout camp as well as to watch all his baseball games.  We will be attending my step-brother's wedding and then going on a long awaited camping trip with friends.  I also plan to take part in a July read-a-thon and read Lara Avery's new Young Adult book Anything but Ordinary.  Lara Avery is the Hometown Track Minnesota Author in the Spotlight for the month of July.  Yahoo!

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

An inspiring, bittersweet love story about making every day count.

Bryce remembers it like it was yesterday. The scent of chlorine. The blinding crack and flash of pain. Blood in the water.

When she wakes up in the hospital, all Bryce can think of is her disastrous Olympic diving trial. But everything is different now. Bryce still feels seventeen, so how can her little sister be seventeen, too? Life went on without her while Bryce lay in a coma for five years. Her best friend and boyfriend have just graduated from college. Her parents barely speak. And everything she once dreamed of doing—winning a gold medal, traveling the world, falling in love—seems beyond her reach.

But Bryce has changed too, in seemingly impossible ways. She knows things she shouldn’t. Things that happened while she was asleep. Things that haven’t even happened yet. During one luminous summer, as she comes to understand that her dreams have changed forever, Bryce learns to see life for what it truly is: extraordinary.

This month you can expect a book review, a contest, a guest post from Lara and an author interview.  Please visit Booksnob often and have a Happy 4th of July!!