Reading Life: Books are Magic

Outside the snow is coming down. My feet are wet from shoveling and my fingers tingle from the cold. A hot chocolate sits by my side, a blanket lies on my lap, and I am encased in a warm, wool sweater. 

I read this paragraph and suddenly I am on a city block in the hot air, friends surround me, sipping cold drinks, and dancing. Children play. Old people compete at chess. I can hear the music, I can feel the humidity, I smell the cigar smoke in the air. I have been transported with just a few words.

Books are magic, they take you places. 

(From Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp)

Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

 

Imagine living in an unsafe world - where if feels like even the walls have ears, where friends have turned against friends, and family members share sensitive information? Imagine living in a world without trust - without knowing WHO you can trust. And on top of that, living in a world where resources are incredibly limited. Imagine standing in food lines for hours just for a few potatoes and securing only a single onion the size of a grape. Imagine not having enough food to keep you healthy, enough heat to keep you warm. Imagine living in a world void of the opportunity to try a banana.

This is the situation that people were living in during the late 1980s in Romania. Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife gathered the wealth of their country for personal gain while leaving the citizens with little and with little hope for outside help as communication was cut off to the larger world. 

This is a novel about Cristian Florescu, a 17-year-old boy with dreams of becoming a writer in a time when the slots in college were few and jobs as educated people were fewer. This is about dreams of love in a time without trust. This is about holding on to hope for a better life in a time when that hope is often dashed. This is a time when Cokes and Twinkies are forbidden treats that can get you arrested.

Read this book. 1989 wasn't that long ago. Walk in the shoes of Cristian. Spend some time experiencing his life. And finally, reach for the hope at the end. And maybe you should even keep a Twinkie or a banana or a can of Coke beside your reading chair in order to celebrate with these characters.

Book Review: The Wild Book / Juan Villoro

This is certainly a wildly imaginative book about books and reading. Does that sound boring? It isn't, but it does start slow. (Also note that this is a translation and the wording is a little awkward at times.)

Juan is excited about starting on summer vacation until he learns that he is being sent away to his Uncle's house for the summer. At first he doesn't believe it, his sister is being sent to her best friend's house - why does Juan have to live with his elderly uncle.

But soon after arriving at Uncle Tito's house the magic begins.The house is not only huge but a labyrinth of books as well. There are so many twists and turns that Uncle Tito requires Juan to carry a bell with him in case he gets lost. And then the books begin to move of their own volition. 

If you are both a lover of books and a lover of magical realism, you will love this book - no matter what your age.

"Every book is like a mirror: it reflects what you think. It is not the same if it is read by a hero than if it is read by a villan. The great readers add something to books, they make them better." (Page 69)