first they killed my father

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First They Killed My Father is an honest, harsh, but redeeming story of Loung Ung and her family in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge invasion in the 70s. Loung's story is heroic and gripping. This memoir is definitely worth reading.


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the glass castle

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Glass Castle is a memoir about Jeannette Walls' crazy, mixed-up, confusing, and disenfranchised family. It's a story about Jeannette's relationship with her father, Rex, who is a very intelligent man, but also an alcoholic full of unfulfilled promises. Jeannette's relationship with her dad is one that is hopeful and always believing until she grows up and realizes that his "Glass Castle" dream isn't going to happen.



Jeannette's story is almost unbelievable, but her storytelling ability is so strong and so captivating that I just couldn't put this book down.



I think everyone should read this book. It's an excellent memoir.


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sarah's key

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sarah's Key is a double-perspective WWII story about a much-neglected event within Paris in 1942. it's interesting that the vel d'hiv (the velodrome was an arena in Paris used for sporting events) is often overlooked when one speaks of the Holocaust. the main character, Sarah and her present-day counterpart, Julia Jarmond, are both telling the story from their perspectives in 1942 and 2005, respectively.



i enjoyed the relationship that Julia establishes with the history of Sarah and the apartment and the key, but at times it seems a big manic. i was happy to see that Betrand's father wasn't as crude and cocky as he seemed or as Betrand.



in the end, the book had some strong points and an alluring story that made you want to find out more.






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the Friday Night Knitting Club

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Friday Night Knitting Club is definitely not a work of literary genius, but it provides you with such a warm, happiness that it's definitely worth the read. Dakota, James, and Georgia are such an important rekindled family...Anita is a woman I would want to spend time with, and Walker and Daughter is a shop where I'd want to visit, even if I didn't knit. The stories for other characters, like Darwin, K.C., and Lucie could be more developed...but the overall story was very engaging...very warm...very snuggly. I wish it would've ended differently, but I'm still very happy I read the book.


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the Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think The Bell Jar is a very interesting novel. It plagues me in a way because it is a somewhat autobiographical account of what was going on in Sylvia Plath's life. I feel sad that the answer to her desparation was to attempt suicide and then eventually kill herself. She was an excellent writer. Just wish she was still alive today so we could've enjoyed more of her writing.


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the Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved reading this book. My mom had followed his last year of life because my parents live outside of Pittsburgh, so he was in the news often. I remember her calling me to tell me that Randy had died, and I was like, "Who?" She went on to explain that he was a professor at CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.



Nonetheless, it wasn't until I went to Jersey with Gregg to celebrate at his brother Don and sister-in-law, Rose's home, that I found out about this book, The Last Lecture. Rose read the book and passed it on to me, and then book club selected it to read for February.



I wasn't sure what the book would be like, and was hoping that it wouldn't be too sad, so when I read it, I had minimal hopes.



Much to my amazement, the book is an excellent read. It's not something that's going to give you divine points about life that you've never heard before. It's more about how Randy Pausch says the things we've all heard in our lives from our parents and from those wiser than us.



I recommend this book. It's a great passer-on.


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The Jungle

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have wanted to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair for a LONG time. I remember back in the 90s when my older sister read it in high school and she talked about how gross it was.



Anyway, when my book club decided that everyone was to pick an American classic to read for the month of January, I knew I would finally have the chance.



This book isn't really about the disgusting meat-packing industry's unbelievable conditions. It's more about the life of a man, Jurgis Rudkus, who is a Lithuanian immigrant to Chicago, or Packingtown, as he calls it.



The story is more about the Rudkus family's struggle to survive in a capitalist society that was ruled by just a few on top.



If you've never read this book, it's definitely a book worth reading. You'll become attached to Jurgis' attempts to make it when everything is against him.


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