Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza

I don't post on this blog much anymore. I've started a new one where I choose books from affiliated reading lists (giving me a chance for a small income!) and it keeps me busy. But I had to post here today because I just finished an absolutely incredible book that I need to share.

My book club chose "Left to Tell" for our book this month. I was hesitant to read it because it's one woman's experience surviving the Rwandan genocide. I saw the movie Hotel Rwanda about 10 years ago and it remains one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen. What happened in Rwanda was horrifying. Seeing it played out on the big screen was difficult (albeit important) to watch. I was worried this book would be a similarly difficult experience. Now that I've finished, I am so grateful I read it. "Left to Tell" is the single most inspiring thing I've read in years--possibly forever.

The real bathroom where 8 women hid for 91
days during the Rwandan genocide.

Immaculee is one of four children growing up in a small village in western Rwanda. When the genocide begins, she hides in a tiny bathroom of a local minister for 91 days along with 7 other women. This bathroom was so, so small. From the photo included in the book, it looks to be narrower than my kitchen table and a similar length. Aside from her oldest brother--who was attending graduate school out of the country when the genocide began--Immaculee was the only member of her family to survive the slaughter.

This book deals with horrific events, but the story is more centered on her spiritual development. Sitting silently in a bathroom for 3 months left lots of time for meditation and prayer. Immaculee shares how God gave her strength, answered her prayers, and eventually showed her how to forgive the killers who murdered her family. It is an intensely spiritual and inspirational story, not to mention written in a way that is gripping from page one until the very end.

If you are nervous about the heavy subject matter, I understand. I felt that way too. But this is a book that everyone--and I mean everyone--should read. It is inspiring; it strengthened my own personal faith in God, and helped open my eyes to the conditions some people must live in. It put into perspective the problems our country faces right now. Suddenly bathroom laws seem completely insignificant when compared to a government that was actively encouraging neighbors to massacre one another.

Go read this book. You'll be inspired and changed and want to make the world a better place.

5 stars

The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor

This was recommended by a long-time friend's mother who is especially interested in Ireland (because they're Irish) and the Titanic. This was a fascinating perspective of the Titanic disaster of 1912. It follows an Irish teenage girl named Maggie Murphy and a group of fellow travelers from her parish as they embark on the Titanic headed for America. She is one of only 2 survivors of her companions. The story is told partially from Maggie's time from both her and a couple others' perspectives, and Maggie's great-granddaughter's point of view.

The story of the Titanic has been told and retold countless times. It is a tragedy that has captured the attention of generations. The Girl Who Came Home was told in a fresh and heartfelt way. I connected with Maggie and her great-granddaughter. I was so concerned with who was going to survive and so heartbroken that most did not. It is truly a tragic story and this book will make you experience some of the emotions felt by the world as they experienced the sinking of that great ship.

If you enjoy historical fiction you will love this book. It was a little slow in parts, but perhaps that's just because I knew the climax I was waiting for. Good read!

4 out of 5 stars

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee

This was a beautiful story! Emily is a 33-year old editor for a New York book publishing company and is married to Sandy Portman, a rich and stubbornly proud business man. One snowy night, on his way to meet with and tell his wife he wants a divorce, Sandy is hit and killed by a car. An angel, whom he refers to as "Old Man" throughout the story, comes and gives him a second chance to make things right with his wife. Now living in the form of a scruffy little dog named Einstein, Sandy has to overcome his pride, admit his faults, and focus his energies on saving the most important person in his life: Emily.

Shortly after Sandy's death, Emily learns that she is soon to be evicted from her Manhattan apartment by Sandy's mother. She is losing focus at work and has generally gone to pieces in every aspect of her life. She finds comfort in her dog Einstein, who seems to know her on an uncanny level.

The story is told from both Sandy's and Emily's perspective. As we uncover secrets Sandy kept from his wife, he becomes a highly despicable character. I have no sympathy for his disdain of living as a dog because of how terribly he treated Emily, who is as admirable as Sandy is despicable. I loved learning about Emily's job in publishing. I have recently decided I might someday enjoy being a book editor and have been researching what steps I would need to take now to make this a reality in upcoming years, so it was fun to read about her experience. Overall it was just a beautiful story. Very well written with believable characters and struggles. I would definitely recommend this one! 

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

This book is by the same author who wrote Flipped, which I read a few months ago. Just before I read this book I decided that I wanted to do a big race before planning to have another baby and, consequentially, getting out of shape. I'd been exercising a lot already so I just needed to pick a race and tweak my training schedule. I thought about doing a half-marathon, but I really hate running so the idea of running 13.1 miles sounds like my idea of hell. My friend mentioned doing a triathlon and the idea stuck with me. I signed up for a sprint triathlon, which is the shortest distance: 1/2 mile open water swim, 15.1 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run. Easy peasy, right?? Well I worked and I trained and I completed my first triathlon on June 1, 2013. During my training was when I read this book and it was the perfect read to keep my head in the game.

The Running Dream is about a high school track star who loses her leg in a car accident on the way home from a track meet. The story focuses on her personal journey of learning how to cope with losing a leg and adapting her life. She decides that she wants to continue running and works to accomplish her dream despite inconceivable obstacles.

I don't know if this is based on a true story, but shortly after I finished reading came the attacks at the Boston Marathon and I couldn't help but think of those people who lost their limbs and the journey they have ahead of them. I found The Running Dream to be inspiring and it helped me aspire to work harder to accomplish my dreams despite the difficulties life has in store. I definitely recommend this one--uplifting, easy read, all-around good book.

4 out of 5 stars

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Oh this was a lovely book! The more I read, the more I realize what a hopeless romantic I am at heart. My favorite stories in the world to read are the ones that have a good love story and end happily. That's not to mean that I don't appreciate other literature as well, but there's something special about books like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

Edenbrooke is a story set in Regency times, though it was written just a few years ago. Our heroine is Marianne, twin to Cecily, whose father has just sent her to live with her grandmother after the death of their mother. Cecily was sent to live with a cousin while their father went off to France to be alone to deal with his grief. Marianne tries to make the best of her situation though she is perfectly miserable. One morning her grandmother informs her that she intends Marianne to be her heir if she can prove herself to be a proper lady. Marianne is sent to live with her mother's best friend Lady Caroline at Edenbrooke for the summer where she is supposed to learn the ways of elegant ladies. Cecily, who has become great friends with Lady Caroline's daughter, will be there too and has written Marianne about her ambitious plans to marry Lady Caroline's eldest son.

On her way to Edenbrooke, Marianne's carriage is held up by a highwayman (gasp!) and her coachman is shot. The highwayman flees when Marianne's maid shoots a gun at him, and Marianne drives the horses to the nearest inn, where she meets a handsome and arrogant stranger. Marianne soon learns that he is Sir Philip, one of the sons of Lady Caroline of Edenbrooke and they strike up an unlikely friendship.

I loved the sense of humor throughout the book. Marianne is very funny and Philip very much appreciates her wit, resulting in highly entertaining banter. I only had a couple issues with this book. At times I could tell that this was not a genuine Victorian novel and that it was written in modern times. Compared to the classics, you can tell that this is an imitation. Also, as much as I loved Marianne, she was really, really stupid when it came to her own feelings, and that irritated me. She convinced herself for practically the whole story that she wasn't in love with Philip and that he didn't love her, when it was totally obvious that they were both in love with each other. Also I was annoyed that Cecily was completely obtuse and didn't figure out what her twin was going through.

In any case, I loved the book. Even though it wasn't convincingly Regency and sometimes the characters were a little dense, I read Edenbrooke twice in a row. Yep, twice. I read it the first time in a day and when I was done I realized I wanted to savor it a little more, so I read it again. And even after the second reading, I still love it.

Definitely recommend to the other hopeless romantics out there.

4.5 out of 5 stars

(btw, I debated about this rating. I loved the book, but there were a couple things that annoyed me. But I read it twice in a row, that's got to count for something. I almost gave it a 5, but I rarely give 5's. I have to be absolutely raving about a book to give it a 5, so I settled on 4.5.)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 This is the final (for now) installment of my series of World War 2 related books. After reading The Book Thief, I've decided I really need a break. Not that I didn't enjoy the story, it was just much heavier than I had anticipated. In my search for pictures of the cover I learned that yet another recently read book is being made into a movie. The Book Thief is set to release in January of 2014, according to IMDB. The cover picture to the left is the one that was on the copy that I read, but I found the picture below and really liked it and decided it must be included.

The Book Thief was an interesting book. It was narrated by Death, which I thought was a unique perspective, and it turns out that Death has a sense of humor. So Death takes us around Nazi Germany and showcases various stories, mostly focusing on a little girl named Liesel who is sent to live with foster parents after losing her family. In time her new family offers a hiding place to a young Jewish man in their basement. Amidst the stress and horror of her life during the war, Liesel finds comfort in books and reading and she begins to steal literature where she can, whether that be a graveyard, a bonfire, or even an old lady's house.


It's hard to really say what this book is about since the storyline is interrupted so many times by side stories and glimpses into the future or past. Death kept giving away the endings to characters and I felt that really took away from my interest. I had a bit of a difficult time getting into the story, mostly because of the way it was narrated. I like the uniqueness a story told by Death, but to be honest it wasn't gripping enough to make me fall in love with any of the characters. My favorite character was Rudy, the boy who lives next door to Liesel, but unfortunately I didn't get the story I wanted out of him. I think the thing that put me off the most was the ending: it was horribly depressing. Not that it wasn't probably the most realistic of endings considering the time period, but still depressing.

Overall I would recommend The Book Thief, but don't expect a happy, feel-good story.

3.5 stars out of 5

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

Next on the list from my friend was another World War 2 book, and just a heads up, the book I'm reading now is also WW2 era. So many good stories inspired by such a colossally horrific chapter in history.

Our heroine is Elise, a bourgeois Jewish girl from Austria, whose mother is a famous Opera singer and father is an author. Her sister inherited her mother's beauty and talent, leaving Elise with little beauty other than her father's jet black hair. Times are changing for Jews in Vienna and the family makes preparations to go to America. Since no visa could be procured for Elise, she is sent to be a housemaid in an English country home where she would be safe and she must learn to adapt from her life of comfort to becoming a member of the working class. Upon her arrival at Tyneford, the house in which she will be working, she meets Kit, the 20-year old son of the master of the house. They strike up a friendship, one that helps her bear the weight of the trials and tragedies that come her way during the upcoming years.

I found this to be a very beautiful and well-written story. I grew to respect Elise and the grace with which she learns to handle her lot, especially compared to the immature tantrum-throwing child of 19 years she was when she left Vienna. This was not a happy, feel-good kind of novel, which I think is actually much more appropriate considering the setting, but I loved it completely. I'm a happy ending kind of girl, and while this one did end well, it wasn't the "happily ever after" I usually hope for when reading a book.

On the cover is printed something to the effect of "Fans of Downton Abbey will love The House at Tyneford!" I had never seen Downton Abbey but kept hearing friends rave about it, so when my husband and I got a week trial of Hulu Plus (to try and catch up on a different show that turns out wasn't actually available, but that's a whole other story) we decided to give it a try. We finished the 2 seasons during our trial and it was kind of fun to be reading this book at the same time. They definitely have their similarities: centered around a world war, give a good view of the upstairs vs downstairs life, in England, etc. So if you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you probably would enjoy this book. However, I wouldn't limit my recommendation to only those people; I think many would enjoy it.

4 out of 5 stars

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Last week I ran out of things to read. After I finished North and South, I started to panic because none of the books on my to-read list were at the local library, and heaven forbid I should go even a day without reading material. So I polled some friends during a play group for our kids and got a great list of books. The next few book reviews on this blog will be a result from their recommendations. Thank goodness for fellow bookworm friends!

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a delightful feel-good book that left me with warm fuzzies all over. CeeCee, a 12 year old girl living in Ohio, has been raised by a mentally ill mother who frequently acts out her delusions that she is still the Vidalia Onion Beauty Queen from her youth in Georgia. She dresses up in prom gowns from the local Good Will and parades herself around town, humiliating her daughter. When CeeCee's mother is hit by a car and killed, her father, who chose to ignore his wife's illness and desert his family, comes to arrange for CeeCee to move to Georgia to live with her Great Aunt Tootie. Leaving the past behind, CeeCee is able to live and heal and thrive under her kind aunt's care and she meets many wise people who help her learn to move on and love her mother's memory.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If ever in the mood for a good, soul-uplifting story, I heartily recommend this one. I really enjoyed the characters that CeeCee meets in Georgia. Pretty much all of the significant characters, aside from her father, are women and there sure were some powerhouse ladies to help CeeCee along her way. The story is set in the 1960s and it kind of made me wish I'd grown up in the south. As a California girl, I can truly say that I've never, ever wished that before, but there is something so charming about southern hospitality and the way women back then took care of each other. Although it also reminded me of the racial inequality of the times, making me grateful for how far we have come as a nation.

Loved this story. Perfect for reading snuggled under a blanket on a cold day.

4 out of 5 stars

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

This book was....interesting. Not what I expected, but I enjoyed it for the most part. When I was looking for books after my awesome dream I found this on the shelf next to the book I was looking for. The synopsis looked promising so I checked it out.

This is a spin off the fairytale "Donkeyskin", which I had never heard of so I'm guessing many other people haven't. It's about a princess who is the daughter of the beloved and extraordinarily conceited king and queen. Her mother is known to be the most beautiful woman in seven kingdoms, and her father, along with the rest of the kingdom, is smitten with her. She dies when Lissar (the princess) is 15 and her father loses his mind with grief. Lissar grows up to be beautiful like her mother and those around her begin to notice. On her 17th birthday her father declares that he will remarry and that Lissar will be his bride. She is horrified (as well she should be) and locks herself in her room. Her father breaks in and rapes and beats her until she is close to death. She manages to escape with her one friend, her faithful fleethound Ash (who was also injured in her father's attack), away from the kingdom and finds solitude for the winter in an abandoned cabin in the woods. Here she blocks her memory of the horrors of her past and seeks a way to move forward with her life.

This story was a lot darker than I expected (not knowing about the rape/beating beforehand) and I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone without them knowing that it gets, not necessarily too graphic, but very realistic dealing with ugly topics. Overall I enjoyed the story and earnestly wished for Lissar's happy ending, which she got, but perhaps not as happy as I would like fairytales to end. This book had the same problem as Robin McKinley's last book I read, Beauty, in that the main character's journey and life is painstakingly described in detail, but the ending is rushed and left me unsatisfied. When I read a fairytale, I want a mind-blowing, weak-at-the-knee, unforgettable happily ever after, where there is no doubt that the prince and princess WILL be happy together after all their struggles. Lissar had to go through some serious trials and she deserved the best happy ending imaginable, not a wishy-washy, rushed, semi-sweet ending. My only other criticism is that things got a little weird at the end and I found myself not really believing what the characters were doing because it all seemed so far-fetched, but maybe that's just me.

Overall: I would recommend to others, but perhaps not for the faint of heart. It gets a little gruesome.

3 out of 5 stars