Lulu In The Sky by Loung Ung

Lulu In The Sky by Loung Ung
Published April 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: the publisher and TLC Book Tours

When Loung Ung was just five years old, the Khmer Rouge marched in Phonm Pehn where Loung lived with her parents and six siblings. Along with millions of other Cambodians, the family was driven into the country to work in the fields. Three of her siblings were separated from the family and one day her father was led away in a blindfold and handcuffs never to be seen again. After years of back-breaking work, starvation and relenting terror, the Khmer Rouge was overthrown by the Vietnamese and Loung escaped the Vermont with her brother and his wife.This third memoir in Ung's trilogy, chronicles her life from her years as an undergraduate student to her years working with abused women and as an activist against land mines.

Growing up in her brother and sister-in-law's house, the strict rules included "no dating." It  was not until she was in college that Ung began to secretly date. While the idea of dating was exciting, it brought to the forefront many of the fears and anxieties that Ung had long kept buried. Did she want a man who simply because he would take care of her? Would she every be able to allow a man to touch her intimately? Would she ever be able to believe that loved ones might not be snatched away from her? Most importantly would she be able to find a purpose for her life and forgiveness for those who had caused her so much pain?

Although the writing was a little uneven, ultimately Ung's story is one of survival in the face of terrible tragedy that makes for a compelling read. It almost feels like there are three stories in this book: the love story, the story of Ung finding her place in the world, and a history of Cambodia. The circling dance between Ung and Priemer sometimes felt overly detailed, yet reading about the internal struggle Ung went through as she tried to allow herself to fully love was constantly interesting. Sometimes the little girl who was nearly raped by a Vietnamese soldier caused Lulu to push Priemer away with amazing anger. Other times, it was fascinating to watch the young woman studying feminism fight for her right to happiness.  Bit by bit, the walls began to crumble, eventually allowing Lulu to forgive the mother who had sent her half way around the world as a young girl.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for introducing me to Loung Ung and her incredible life story. I'll certainly be adding her first two books, "First They Killed My Father" and "Lucky Child" to my wish list. I don't know that readers need to read the books in order, but I do think that readers would better understand grown up Lulu if they knew exactly what happened to the young Lulu. The full TLC tour includes reviews of all three books. To learn more about Loung Ung, visit her website.

You know it's spring when your weekend consists of a wedding and graduation party planning. Last night we went to the wedding of a man who's been a friend of my husband's for more than 35 years. It's a second marriage for both the bride and the groom and between them, they had enough grown children to have a large wedding party. It was great to see our friend so happy and fun to get to see so many people we haven't seen in a while.

At our house, we're working hard to get ready for our baby to graduate. A graduation is always such a great excuse to get some things done around the house that you've been wanting to do for a while. I'm doing some painting, getting the flower beds and potted plants ready, rearranging furniture and replacing hardware. I still have such a long list of things I want to get done in the next month. My house is going to look great but I don't know when I'm going to find the time to read!

Thank heavens for my lunch break, because I do have a lot of reading commitments this month. Coming up for review I have "Lulu In The Sky" by Loung Ung, "My Father's Country" by Saima Wahab, and "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett. For book club, this month's selection is Lionel Shriver's "So Much For That," and, of course, the "Bleak House" readalong continues this month.

Do you have any big activities you're looking forward to this spring? What's on your nightstand in May? Much as I'm looking forward to watching my daughter cross that stage, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to putting my feet up and reading, reading, reading come June!

Bleak House Readalong - Week Nine

Let's just get straight to it this week. I'm pretty sure Dickens was trying to make me mad (by either definition) with the chapters we read this week. It was either love it or hate it.

What I Liked This Week: Things finally are coming to a head with the relationships between Tulkinghorn and Lady Dedlock and Mr. Jarndyce and Esther and the feelings between the two pairs could not be any more different! It's going to be fun watching what happens with both love and hate as we move forward.

What I Didn't Like This Week: For a good part of two of this week's chapters, I was bored senseless. I get it, Charles, you really, really dislike government and the legal system. Enough already.

Still, Dickens is a master at expressing his opinions on the subjects of government and the legal system so, I suppose, he can be forgiven in taking pleasure in writing about it:

"He [Mr. Vholes, an attorney] never misses a chance in his practice; which is mark of respectability. He never takes any pleasure; which is another mark of respectability. He is reserved and serious, which is another mark of respectability. His digestion is impaired, which is highly respectable. And is his making hay of the grass, which is flesh, for his three daughters."

Pin It And Do It Challenge

Trish, of Love, Laughter, and A Touch of Insanity, found herself doing an awful lot of pinning over on Pinterest but not doing an awful lot of "doing" and the idea of a Pinterest challenge was born. I'm jumping into the deep end of the pool on this one and this is one challenge that I know I can finish! The challenge officially starts May 1, but Trish has kindly allowed us to get a jump start if we'd like. I've already done two of the eight plus pins I'm shooting for: eggs in avocado slices and avocado toast.

 Miss H was especially excited to try eggs in avocado slice; as a vegetarian, eggs are her protein of choice. Sadly, this is one we won't be making again. I'm not sure where they got eggs that small or avocados that big but we had much too much egg to fit in a small hole in an avocado slice. And warm avocado? Not a hit.


The best part of eggs in avocado slice? All of that leftover avocado you get! We used it to try avocado toast which we both loved. Okay, it's really not much more than guacamole on toast but we made lovely french bread toast and it was quite delicious. It just may become our Sunday evening light dinner With protein, potassium, fiber and loads of great vitamins, we won't even have to feel guilty about eating a delicious food!

Since I'm prepping for a graduation party the end of May, I'm sure that most of my entries for this challenge will have to do with trying foods we might want to serve at the party. Of course, I always like to do some new things around the house before a graduation party, so my For The Home, DIY, and Craft boards are bound to come into play as well. Do you pin? Interested in giving it a try? Let me know if you'd like to see what all of the talk is about and I'll send you an invitation. But far warning - you're liable to become every bit as addicted as Trish and me!

The Cove by Ron Rash

The Cove by Ron Rash
Published April 2012 by Ecco
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours

In a dark cove, deep in the Appalachian mountains, Laurel Shelton has lived a lonely life. Born with a birthmark the locals deem to be the mark of a witch, Laurel has spent the years since her parents' deaths mostly alone except for her brother, Hank, with only the hope of something more.

Then a stranger appears in the woods, with only a flute and a note explaining that his name is Walter, he can't talk and he is bound for New York. When Laurel discovers Walter nearly dead from yellow jacket stings, she brings him to the cabin where she convinces Hank to help her save him. As Walter heals and begins to become a part of life on the farm, Laurel begins to imagine a life with Walter.

As much as I would love to keep talking about this book, I will instead caution you not to read too much about this book before you pick it up. Do not, do not, read the publisher's blurb. Because you really should read this book and it really should take you by surprise. Be forewarned, much gushing is about to ensue.

Rash's Serena was one of my favorite books of 2009. The story and the voices from that book have stayed with me for more than two years so I was both eager and anxious to read The Cove. Just as he did with Serena, Rash has created a story with an underlying tension throughout. I knew, I knew, that very bad things were going to happen so I imagined all of the ways Rash might take the book. Not one of them was right; the man is a genius at taking his books in directions the reader will not see coming.

Rash never loses control of his large cast and when their diverse paths begin to come together, it feels natural. His characters are both astounding and utterly ordinary and believable. Rash masterfully addresses small town prejudices, patriotism and propaganda, and hope against all odds. The book has it's flaws, to be sure. Some characters could have been developed more, others less. There is a long detour about a ship that seems unnecessary. All is forgiven, though, because Rash's lyrical prose is just that good.

The Cove is a book I couldn't put down and was sorry to see end. For other opinions about this book, check out the full tour. Ron Rash is the author of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Finalist and New York Times bestselling novel, Serena, in addition to three other prizewinning novels, One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, and The World Made Straight; three collections of poems; and four collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the 2010 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and Chemistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award. Twice the recipient of the O.Henry Prize, he teaches at Western Carolina University.

Sunday Salon - April 22

What a sad week at our house. My poor daughter, who lives for American Idol, was crushed when her favorite, Colton Dixon, was voted off. She has totally sucked me into watching the show with her and I was disappointed to see this kid voted off since he brought so much showmanship to the show. I am wondering, however, if now that he's gone, she'll lose interest in the show. If that happens, will I as well? It would sure be nice to be able to give myself those three hours a week to read again!

I feel like I'm treading water with my reading lately. With readalongs, I'm just not getting anything finished. Thank heavens for Dewey's Readathon, which I'm sleeping off right now! Much as I'm really starting to enjoy Bleak House, I'll be glad to have that chunk of reading done. Even moving at the faster pace that I'm getting through it now, every week's reading is taking me a few hours. I'd be half way through most of a "regular" book in those hours!

Books I've recently discovered that I'm looking forward to included City of Scoundrels by Gary Krist and Hollywood Boulevard by Janyce Stefan-Cole, Unbridled Books latest release.

As for the read-a-thon, here are my answer's to the end of event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? As always, this is always the hour I call it a night. When it becomes "daunting," it's no longer fun and if I'm not enjoying it, I'm not doing it.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I didn't read any this year, but previously I've read graphic novels during readathon that really help through those late hours. 
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I only wish that my hours were different. I think I could stay awake longer if I were able read for part of two nights instead of having all of my last six hours during a time I'm usually asleep and the house is so quiet.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Lots of fun sounding mini-challenges. If I wasn't cheerleading, I would have liked to participate in more of them.
5. How many books did you read? 2. The first readathon I ever did, I got 5 books read. I feel like such a failure every time I don't read that many. Which is every time!
6. What were the names of the books you read?
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Ron Rash's The Cove
8. Which did you enjoy least? I liked both of the books I read.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Don't put it off. I know people probably appreciate being cheered on during the later hours but you just might not make it to the end to get to everyone.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'll definitely participate in the Read-a-thon again, though I might tweak my hours a bit. Next time I think I'd like to host a mini-challenge.

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon

I'm off and reading - although I'm getting a late start. Stayed up much too late last night and there was no way I was going to try to read 24 hours on 4 hours of sleep! I took a lovely picture of the way I'm starting the day but now I can't find the cord to download pictures to my computer. Off to a great start!

So...as soon as I get this post finished, I'm off to start Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray (for review) while I enjoy my cup of coffee and a bowl of steel cut oats with raisins. I'm not a morning person so I'm loving a breakfast that is hot and ready when I wake up!

Hours Read: 11

Pages Read: 512

Books Finished: 2

Hours Cheering: 3.5

Mini-Challenges Completed:1

Now Reading: Ron Rash's The Cove

Sheila, of Book Journey, is hosting a mini-challenge called Book Appetite. Using the book you're reading, Sheila challenged the participants to put together a menu for a book club meeting. Here's my entry:

I'm reading "Calling Invisible Women" by Jeanne Ray. There are quite a lot scenes with food, but I think for book club what I'd go with is a pasta dinner with salad and bread. I'd have to bring out the good dishes, though. The invisible ladies are talking a lot about being crystal clear so we'd have white wine in crystal to drink. 


**I tried, I really tried, to fight through those late night yawns and push through. But knowing that I'd get nothing done on Sunday if I stayed up longer, I finally called it a night about 3:30 when I finished The Cove.**