Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genre: Adult Contemporary Fiction

I am a nervous flyer.  Each time I find myself vibrating in my seat as the plane charges down the runway before launching into the sky I grab the armrest in a white knuckle grip and give a reassuring smile to my kids.  So far, I think I've managed to trick my kids into thinking that Mommy enjoys the excitement of air travel.  However, while I don't enjoy it, flying is a somewhat routine part of my life, and I find myself on a plane at least once a year enduring my air anxiety with relative good cheer because it allows me to avoid a long and unpleasant road trip with impatient and loud children.  So, I could identify with the premise of this book, which is the story of a plane crash.  When I received this book via the Book of the Month club, (which is amazing and which you should go and join right now, here) there was warning tucked inside not to read this book on an airplane.  This is excellent advice for any nervous fliers out there as this book will definitely remind you that you are literally placing your lives in the hands of those who are responsible for both flying and maintaining the aircraft.

The book begins almost immediately with the plane crash, so no spoilers there.  However, this book is about so much more than a plane crash.  While I was intrigued and invested in the mystery of the how and why, and that aspect of the book was very satisfying, I was more interested in what this book had to say about the mantle of celebrity, rights of privacy, and the news media.  There are only two survivors to this plane crash.  One, a four year old, and the other a man named Scott, a recovering alcoholic and failed artist.  I don't want to spoil the survival aspect of this part of the novel, so suffice it to say I thought that the book did a great job of portraying the celebrity status and instant obsession that we thrust upon those in our society who we consider to have accomplished great or heroic deeds.  The book also shows the dark side of this fame as those who have been blessed or cursed with this sort of attention seem to lose any rights to privacy and become the object of an intense investigation regarding their character and perceived motives.

I found this book to be timely, and it gave me a lot to think about.  There were a few characters that I thought might have been inspired by certain real life media personalities.  I highly recommend this one.

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Genre:  Fiction, World War 1

Reading Challenges:  9 for 100+ in 2009

"Once upon a time, there were five French Soldiers who had gone off to war, because that's the way of the world."  So begins Sebastien Japrisot's haunting novel which chronicles not only the horrors of war and the endurance of love, but the ways in which World War 1 forever changed the lives of those who were caught up in the conflict.  

I have already read this book several times.  For some reason, I seem to find myself returning to it every few years.  Japrisot's writing is so beautiful and flows so well in translation (the novel was originally written in French) that it makes me want to take language lessons so that I could enjoy his writing in his native language. 

The story concerns Mathilde Donnay, an intelligent and strong-willed protagonist who happens to be confined to a wheelchair because of an early childhood injury.  Don't let this detail bother you, as it certainly doesn't bother Mathilde.  She has far too many fish to fry to let a little thing like partial paralysis get in her way.  As a young girl, Mathilde formed a lasting friendship with a boy named Manech, who became her fiancee after their childhood friendship developed into a strong and loving relationship.  At the tender age of 19, Manech was sent off to the war, serving as an infantryman on the front of the French lines.  Literally driven past the point of endurance by the horrors he has witnessed, Manech arranges for an accommodating soldier in German trench to shoot him in the hand.  Manech is sentenced to death for this self-mutilation, along with four other soldiers.  Their sentence is to be thrown into no-man's land, the space between the French and German trenches, with no weapons and their hands tied behind their backs.  What happened to Manech and his fellow inmates becomes a mystery, one which Mathilde is not willing to let remain unsolved, and spends seven years trying to uncover.  In pursuing this mystery she will uncover not only Manech's ultimate fate, but also learn the stories of those who witnessed it.

This is such a beautiful novel, and Mathilde is such a likable character.  Each time I read it I find myself furiously turning the pages, hoping for a resolution to lives that were so unfairly interrupted.

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Genre:  Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Parody

Reading Challenges: Discworld 2009, 7 for 100+ in 2009

Here is where it all began, the birth of the Discworld series, and the introduction of perhaps the most incompetent wizzard (yes, that is wizzard with a double z) in all of literature: Rincewind.  In this book we find the first mention of the fascinating twin cities of Ankh and Morpork, and of course we are able to observe the benefits of owning luggage made from sapient pearwood.

You might be wondering, why would I possible only give this book a 3 star rating?  I first read The Color of Magic almost 10 years ago, when I stumbled upon it while browsing in the University of Utah bookstore during a break between my graduate school classes.  I was looking for something entertaining and light, something that would take my mind off the boring business text books that required so much of my time.  The book delivered.  I was immediately hooked, and over the last 1o years I've read all 36 of the Discworld novels.  So, why 3 stars? Who, or what, has outshone this Discworld classic?  The answer is easy, it's Terry Pratchett himself.

The Discworld novels have only gotten better as Pratchett keeps writing, both in complexity and execution.  After reading Thud! (number 34), my favorite Discworld novel of all time, The Color of Magic feels a little less polished, and I realize how spoiled I've become.  I'm trying to remember how I felt the first time I read this book, but I can't.  I've lost the remembrance in the haze of too many books over too many years, but it must have really blown me away.  I remember buying the next four books in the series at the same time, so it must have impressed me.  That isn't to say that this book isn't good.  It is!  It just can't compare to later Discworld novels.  So, if you haven't ever visited Discworld before, start at the beginning, so you can appreciate this book for yourself, in the way it should be.  One caveat, it does end with a bit of a cliff hanger, so have The Light Fantastic handy.

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Genre:  Adult Fiction, World War 2, British Isles

Reading Challenges: 2 of 5 for War Through the Generations,

6 for 100+ in 2009

I had heard so many great things about this book that it made me nervous. I approached this book with trepidation because I was certain that it couldn't live up to the many rave reviews, and that it would be sure to leave me disappointed.  To my surprise, not only did it exceed my expectations, but it will now have a permanent place in my library as one of my favorite reads of all time.

The novel itself is written in the format of a series of letters, telegrams, and even a few journal entries, written shortly after the conclusion of World War 2.  I always find this format interesting, perhaps because in our age of technology it is actually very rare to receive a true letter in the mail.  I found myself slightly jealous of the main character for the opportunity she had to look forward to receiving such truly remarkable messages on paper, that were then hers to treasure for as long as she wished.  Letters like these certainly put our text messages and email greetings to shame!

The novel is the story of Juliet Ashton, a writer who has achieved some notoriety for her light-hearted weekly newspaper column during the war.  Juliet is seeking to leave the war behind, both personally and professionally, and is searching for the subject of her next book.  Coincidentally, she receives an amazing letter from a stranger named Dawsey Adams, a native of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands which had been occupied by the Nazi's during the war.  Adams enlists Juliet's aid in obtaining a copy of some additional works written by his favorite author, Charles Lamb, and in the process interests Juliet in the history and origins of the Guernsey Literary society.  Soon, Juliet finds herself not only corresponding with, but building friendships with Dawsey's friends and neighbors as she seeks to understand their wartime experiences.  Eventually Juliet travels to Guernsey, and becomes a part of the story herself.

This was a fast and enjoyable read.  I really couldn't put this book down, and I found myself longing for more even as I turned the last page.  This is a book that I will be adding to my read again pile!

Rating:  4/5