Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Also posted HERE .
I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. I knew it already. I'm more into those very unhealthy and very artificial pick 'n mix sweets, or cheesecakes or apple crumble, or ice-cream. But you don't have to love chocolate to enjoy this book, and I'm the living proof. I didn't crave for truffles or for easter eggs while I was reading it. In fact, it took me a while to get into it, but it won me eventually.
At first I was annoyed by Harris' use of the past and the present tense at the same time. I would have preferred if she sticked to one of the two. I know I'm a bit fussy, but I really tried not to be bothered by it. In the end, it was Vianne and her little daughter that made me love the book. Vianne is such a charming character, I was really fascinated by her, and even more maybe by her daughter Anouk, so wild and confident and understanding, the way only 6 years-old kids can be.

The story is a well-known one: Vianne, a traveler, decides that Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, a small town in in the French countryside, with its sad and grumpy faces, is in serious need of a bit of magic. But young Father Reynaud doesn't think so. It's just the beginning of Lent and he feels that the opening of a tempting Chocolate shop will tackle his authority and control over his "herd". Vianne Rocher is obviously ready for the challenge. All she needs is time, cause she has more than a special gift. She can read into people's soul and tastes, guessing exactly which one is everyone's favourite. Her kind and welcoming manners will do the rest. Slowly she manages to break the wall of hostility bringing a whole new approach to life for many people in the community, which involves cherishing pleasure, joy and friendship.

It's crazy how much the book is different from the movie. I thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong. The movie was a light fairy tale. The book is much more complex than that. It tells us of Vianne's pasts, of her fears and nightmares and of her pagan beliefs, so brave to be shown in such a small and religious community. It also tells the story from the opposite perspective of the priest, which didn't do him any good, anyway! To those who might be offended by Harris's description of a Christian priest, I might say that she didn't invent anything. Yes, she chose one of the worst examples that could be, but it serves the story so well and it's also so true. Life is supposed to be enjoyed. Chocolate (or cheesecake for me) is there to help!

This book was chosen by two people: Chasida and Margo. I know Chasida chose it because she loves chocolate (fair enough!), but I couldn't find the reason for Margo. Thanks to both anyway:)

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

This post is reproduced over on my blog as well, except for the last paragraph.

I read Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: A Novel for the "Something About Me" reading challenge. It's not my usual reading fare, but it sounded interesting, so I thought 'what the hell heck.' And it was interesting. This is a novel written by Anne Rice (yes, she of the vampire fame) from the point of view of Jesus as a 7-8 year-old boy. It is a believable story about the events that may have taken place within Jesus's family, thoughts he made have had as a young boy and his awareness or lack thereof that he is somehow different than the other children. Now, I admit that I'm no Bible scholar. I have not read it cover-to-cover (I've tried a couple of times, but I somehow never get past Exodus), and I only know the well-known stories. So I may say that I wondered about something that Rice touched on in this novel, and you may be thinking, "Well, duh, it says all that in the Bible," and you would be right that I am ignorant of it being right there where I could have eased my wondering mind all along.

What I liked:

I liked that Rice gave voice to things I had wondered about regarding the virgin birth. For example, in the novel, it WAS a scandal, people DIDN'T believe Mary. When she returns to Nazareth with Jesus, he is almost denied admittance to the school to learn from the rabbis, because he is thought to be a child conceived in sin. All of this is only alluded to, no one ever comes out and says that people assumed Mary had had sex with someone and become pregnant, but everyone thinks it.

I liked Mary's brother, Jesus's Uncle Cleopas. He's a lot like me in that he was continually amused by people not just saying what they mean. Everyone danced around what they knew, and refused to just come out with it, but Cleopas thought that was ridiculous. The only reason he stayed silent was because he promised Joseph.

I liked that Jesus was portrayed as a real kid, one that liked to run and play, though he was obviously wise beyond his years. It was through play that he realized he had "powers" that others did not - the power to kill, the power to give life. He desires things, as children do, but his desires actually happen. When he wishes for snow, it unexpectedly snows. The wise beyond his years part was what kept him in check. If my almost seven-year-old discovered that whatever she wished for happened, my house would be full of Webkins, and we would eat every meal at Chuck E. Cheese's. But Jesus realizes what is happening and decides to only pray for things that are God's will.

I liked the sibling rivalry. That James, Joseph's older son, could envy and at times even hate Jesus, knowing he was the son of God, was a true testament to the intensity of sibling rivalry.

I liked Jesus's reaction when he finally put together the story of his birth and realized what had happened because of it. Not that it was a happy part of the book. I liked it because Jesus had a very human reaction. We'd probably call it a nervous breakdown. This was the only part of the book that elicited an emotional response from me.

What I didn't like:

There wasn't really anything in particular I didn't like. It was a bit of a slow read, and seemed to drag in places.

One thing I didn't like, because it just wasn't mentioned at all, was that while Mary was 13, Joseph was 60 or thereabouts (right?). And they were betrothed. Pedophilia anyone? Now I know things were different back then, but today Joseph would be in jail, so I thought maybe it deserved a mention and some sort of rationalization.

Overall, it was an interesting novel that I'm glad to have read. It was nice to read some speculation, particularly well-researched speculation, on Jesus at ages that aren't mentioned in the Bible. I think in the Bible we see his birth, he pops up around the age of 12, and then we see him as a man. But what of the child? I'm glad Anne Rice addressed this. BUT... I would have liked to see a more mischievous child-Jesus. I would've liked to see Jesus play some practical jokes with his powers. Something that would have made me able to relate him to my nephews at that age. Maybe next Rice will speculate on a teenage Jesus, call it 'God's Rebellion' or something.

As a side note, the 'Author's Note' at the end of the novel was really worth reading. Rice gives her religious history, details the research involved in writing this novel, and wonders about the various ways to portray Jesus.



I selected this novel from Jill(mrstreme)'s list. I think her choice of this book tells me that she is a person who is interested in knowing people in a more in-depth way than what is presented to the world. In other words, what was this person like aside from the stories we've heard? I'd have to say that Jill is not one to "judge a book by its cover," but is willing to take the time to find out what's inside the book, why someone bothered to write it.

The Stand

Wow! I finally read a Stephen King book!

I picked this from a.book.in.the.life's list. I also already had it on by TBR Challenge list, so I killed two with one!

The horror genre makes me a bit nervous, but I've heard so much about this particular book, so I was curious enough to check it out.

And wow! What a story it is! But, I must say that I was getting too depressed by it and was glad to see it finally come to an end. It wore me out! The end of the world scenario depicted here seems like it could be so real. It's quite scary. There's a lot of political AND religious stuff that King is trying to say here that I couldn't even begin to list. But all very interesting.

There was lots of icky stuff too that maked me grimace and feel a bit squeamish, but that's to be expected in a so called horror book, right?

Anyway, I'm glad to have finally read it, but I must say that I'll probably give Stephen King a break for awhile!

Wuthering Heights Bookworms review

I've just finished my second book from my list.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
I enjoyed this book very much. It's not what I expected at all.
Being partial to the classics, I enjoyed it and actually got through it quickly. For some reason, I expected this book to be like "Gone With the Wind'...I was so wrong.

Anyway, what is 'Wuthering Heights'? It's a house. With a name like 'wuthering' (which I can't find in the dictionary by the way) I expected this to be a romance novel. Supposedly 'wuthering' is a Yorkshire word that refers to turbulent weather.

I kept hearing this is a 'gothic romance'. It is dark and gothic. It is a love story, but not just that. It's about death and revenge as well.
....
read the rest of my review here....
:)

Without by Donald Hall

Without- Donald Hall

81 pages

Rating: 5/5

Gracie picked this book of poetry as her sixth pick for the challenge. I read this book years ago and had forgotten it. Without by Donald Hall is a book of twenty poems about love and grief. In 1972 Hall married Jane Kenyon, a fellow poet. Kenyon died in 1995 of cancer and this book is Hall's tribute to her. So many of the poems are written in third-person and the grief lingers on every word. I think that Hall probably couldn't write about such intimate things in first-person. The pain was too great. At times I had to put the book down because I was trying not to cry. There were few poems that I like every part of. But I got somethiing out of every poem. One poem that I do love every part of is Last Days. It tells of Kenyon being told that the bone marrow transplant didn't work and she was going to die. Phone calls had to be made, funeral arrangements planned, last good-byes had to be said. I felt the horror of it so fully. The horror of being diagnoised with cancer and then dying of it. This book made me think of Dana. Dana, I'm so glad you are well. I'm so glad you are alive. I hope soon cancer will be a thing of the past. A good book for everyone to read about love, life, grief, and death. Thanks Gracie for the recommendation.

Vasilly

Jane Eyre (Thanks Kathrin!)

I completed my reading of Jane Eyre. I am not sure where to start to explain my thoughts on it. I loved it. That is for sure. I am head over heels in love with Mr. Rochester. Jane made me laugh and yell. I wanted to hug her and hit her, simultaneously. I chose this off of Kathrin's list. Makes me think I might just like Kathrin. *grins*

A big plus to reading this is that I have been spending more time with a girl I met three years ago. She was away at college until recently. Now, we work together, and I love the chance to get to know her better. Jane Eyre is one of her favorite books. She has written college papers on the book. When she found out I was reading (and liking) it, she suggested Wide Sargasso Sea. I MUST read that book. Why? Because my only real complaint about Jane Eyre is that it does not truly explain Bertha. We hear Rochester's explanation, and it isn't a bad one, but I am left feeling like there could be so much more. Granted, Jane Eyre isn't a thin book, as it is, but still... I will definitely be searching out a copy of Wide Sargasso Sea and sharing my thoughts on it.
I am so glad I took this challenge and read this book.

Heather

Why I Wore Lipstick for Think Pink Dana

My first completed book for this challenge is: Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy by Geralyn Lucas, from Think Pink Dana's original list. She actually chose another book after this was a choice, but this is the one I found first. I'll try to catch the other one, The Five Gifts of Illness, another time.

I've known Dana online for several years now, and for the longest time all I really knew about her was that she was younger and cuter than I am, that she mothered little girls as do I, that she was a minister's wife as I was---and that she was a breast cancer survivor. Her email signature line has always said something like, "Young women can and do get breast cancer...and survive! Surviving and thriving since 1996." I've read her blog with her cancer story, and it is nothing short of amazing. Through the years I've learned more about her: her strength, her hunger for God's word, her desire to serve God, her compassion, her intolerance for silliness and unnecessary drama. She challenges me often to reexamine what I think and believe about things. I am proud to call her my friend.

Lucas's book was, in many ways, an echo of Dana for me. I am glad I read this book, because I feel it gives good insight into what it is like for a young woman in today's society facing the loss of something profoundly and foundationally female: a breast. I have always had respect for Dana, and this book only served to remind me of what she has gone through.

Cancer, that evil in a cell, manifests in many forms. It claims lives like my friend Nattie's; it claims breasts and portions of breasts; it crops up in the most unexpected places. But it can never conquer the human spirit, and it will never, EVER, conquer God.

Originally posted at: http://freshbrewedwriter.blogspot.com/2007/08/something-about-me-book-1.html
Author's Web Site: http://www.whyiworelipstick.com/