2 Other Book Events This Week

So even though the RBC meeting with Vanessa Diffenbaugh Thursday was way cool, I actually went to 2 other book events this week.  And they were very cool too.

The 1st one was the Books, Inc. 4th Tuesday Evening Book Club meeting at their Palo Alto store.  As you know, Margie Scott Tucker, one of the co-owners of the Books, Inc. chain, runs the meetings - and does a great job.  I try to get there a few times a year, and I'm doing particularly well so far in 2016.  I've been there 3 times already!  This time, we talked about the YA, Salt of the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys.  You already know what I thought about this one.  I reviewed it on April 17 and gave it a 3.5/4.  Not only that, but Kathleen, the owner of A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland, told me that I have to read her other book, Between Shades of Gray.  It's in my TBR pile, Kathleen!

The other event I went to was thanks to Ann Bridges.  She told me that Marty Brounstein would be speaking at the JCC in Los Gatos in conjunction with Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is sundown on May 4 until sundown May 5.  He has written a book called Two Among the Righteous Few.  It's the story of a young Catholic couple from a small town in the Netherlands during WWII who ended up protecting about 2 dozen Jews and saving them from the Nazis.  It's an inspirational story, and Marty is an amazing speaker.  He told us a bunch of facts about the war.  Here are a few of them:

1.    50 million people died during WWII, far and away more than any other conflict in history.
2.    Over 50% of all people who died were civilians.
3.    11 million people died in the Holocaust, including 6 million Jews.
4.    On 12/8/41 (the day after Pearl Harbor), the U.S. declared war on Japan.
5.    Germany & Italy, as allies of Japan (the Axis powers) immediately declared war on the U.S.
6.    The Soviet Union would have fallen to the Germans if the U.S. had not stepped in when they did.
7.    At the time of the U.S. intervention, the Germans were only 20 miles outside of Moscow.
8.    In 1953, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum opened in Jerusalem, honoring Jews and the "righteous non-Jews."  The couple that is represented in Marty's book, Frans and Mien Wijnakker, were honored in the museum in 1983.
                  
The personal story of Frans and Mien is unbelievable.  I haven't read the book yet, but I intend to do that soon.  Of the 2 dozen Jews that Frans and Mien took in, all of them survived.  Isn't that incredible?  They either hid them or got them placed safely in other homes.  Even the local parish priest, although not happy with the situation, did not betray Frans and Mien.  Marty highlighted a few of the Jews that the Wijnakkers took in.  Two of them were an architect and his pregnant wife.  In the most moving part of the evening, Marty introduced his wife, who is the baby that the architect's wife was carrying.  I kid you not.

Marty is someone that you should go see in person if you get the opportunity.  Here's a little about his background:

He is an author, speaker, and management consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Marty has also been a human resources executive and started his career as an educator, with an emphasis on teaching history, including the Holocaust.  His previous books include Communicating Effectively for Dummies, Coaching and Mentoring for Dummies, Managing Teams for Dummies, and Handling the Difficult Employee:  Solving Performance Problems.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh at the RBC - Unbelievable!

You all know how much I love The Language of Flowers.  I mean...it's in my top 12 all-time! You also may know/remember that I saw Vanessa last summer in Oakland when she was promoting her 2nd book, We Never Asked for Wings.  When I went up to her to have my book signed, I mentioned the RBC and asked her if she would consider being one of our authors.  And she said yes!  Well, 8 months later, here she came (all the way from Monterey, no less).  And, just like before, she was great.  She's not only an outstanding novelist and a great humanitarian.  But she's also super interesting.  She's animated and funny.  And her story is crazy fascinating.

Thanks to Recycle Bookstore, Orchard Valley Coffee, and Vanessa Diffenbaugh, we had almost 50 people come tonight!  It was fantastic!  Here are some pics.

In case you're wondering, this is Kevin from Recycle.  He sold Vanessa's 2 books at the event.

A Man Called Ove (Does anyone know how to pronounce that name? It's Swedish) by Fredrik Backman

DARN IT!  SHOOT!  I was convinced that this was going to be a nice read, but I was wrong. Let me give you a little chronology.  The book is 337 pages.  The 1st 60 were good.  I enjoyed the story.  I was thinking 3/4.  Nothing wrong with that.  Then the next 150 pages picked up considerably.  I went right from a 3/4, slid into a 3.25/4, and then landed at a 3.5/4.  Also good.  Good enough to hit my rec table.  The next 50 pages after that were even better.  Now I'm thinking 3.75/4.  Wow!  Uh, not so fast.  The last 87 pages were crazy good.  I really spent all of those pages smiling, laughing, and crying, often all at the same time.  I just can't believe how good it ended up being.  With it's cast of quirky characters, ages 3 to 60, and a very unusual main protagonist, it was simply charming as all get out. And the final rating is (no drum roll necessary) 4/4.

I could spend the entire review talking about how clever the writing is.  And I will give you some examples.  But something happened in this book that has only happened to me one time before.  Wait for it...I actually got enjoyment reading about an animal!  Are you shocked?  Me too.  The only other time that happened to me was Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain.  In that book, the narrator is a dog.  This one is similar because the animal, a cat, is a central character not much different from the humans that populate Ove's neighborhood.  Whoops, sorry.  I forgot to give you a synopsis of the book.  Here it is.

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet, a curmudgeon with staunch principles. strict routines, and a short fuse.  People think him bitter, and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots.  
Ove's well-ordered, solitary world gets a shake-up one November morning with the appearance of new neighbors, a chatty young couple and their two boisterous daughters, who announce their arrival by accidentally flattening Ove's mailbox with their U-Haul.  What follows is a heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unlikely friendships, and a community's unexpected reassessment of the one person they thought they had all figured out.  

I promised you some examples of Backman's writing.  The 1st one includes one of many scenes with the cat.
1.  "Ove stomped forward.  The cat stood up.  Ove stopped.  They stood there measuring up to each other for a few moments, like two potential troublemakers in a small-town bar. Ove considered throwing one of his clogs at it.  The cat looked as if it regretted not bringing its own clogs to lob back."
Here are some other great analogies:
2.  "The sun is just up; it shines obstinately into his eyes like a child who has just been given a flashlight."
3.   "...the train approaching so slowly that it's as if it's being pulled along by two decrepit oxen."
4.  Here's another one about the cat:  "...the cat is sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor.  It sports a disgruntled expression, as if Ove owes it money.  Ove stares back at it with a suspicion normally reserved for a cat that has rung his doorbell with a Bible it its paws, like a Jehovah's Witness."

I can't list all of the characters that come into Ove's life.  But let me say this.  There is a great love story in A Man Called Ove.  And it's not the kind you typically see.  And, as the blurb from the back of the book tries to say, not every seemingly hard-hearted person is actually hard-hearted.  You will need to read this book to know what I'm talking about.

Ratings Criteria + More

First of all, a couple of days ago, I posted a blog asking for people's thoughts on what criteria they used for rating a book.  Thanks to those who responded.  I also wanted to give you Jill Broderick's Facebook page because she got some great feedback.  To see that, search for rhapsodybooks.  3 different options will come up.  Take the 3rd option, which says Jill Broderick.  Then scroll down until you see a post about ratings.  Spend some time to scroll through the comments.  It's worth the couple of minutes it will take you.


Second of all, Steve Berry posted an article on Facebook about the difference between books that are mysteries and those that are thrillers.  This is really interesting.  Here it is:

175 years ago today Edgar Allen Poe’s story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” first appeared in “Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine”. Many people consider it the first modern mystery story. Homer’s “Odyssey” is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as the earliest example of a thriller. 

Have you ever considered the difference between a mystery and a thriller? Both involve criminal activity, catching the bad guy and usually at least one murder. Mysteries are usually a slower paced story and appeal to people who like to solve puzzles. The story almost always has a hero trying to find a killer. 

Thrillers are more fast paced, filled with suspense, and in general appeal to those who like excitement and danger. They keep the reader on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element. The hero is usually trying to stop some person or persons from committing an evil act and frequently there doesn’t appear to be any way for the hero to win. 

Do you enjoy both mysteries and thrillers, or are you more of a thriller only reader?

Third of all, I just found out that The Girl on the Train will be released as a movie, starring Emily Blunt, Allison Janney, Lisa Kudrow, and Justin Theroux (Jennifer Anniston's husband), among quite a few others, on October 7 of this year.  I didn't like this nearly as much as many others did (2.5/4), but the movie could be good.  Here's a trailer provided by Paula Hawkins, the author.

Author wrote 'The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

Author · 9,850 Likes

 · Yesterday at 6:39am · 

Thrilled to share the official trailer for the movie adaptation of my book, ‪#‎TheGirlOnTheTrain‬! I can't wait to see Emily Blunt Official star as Rachel on the big screen - coming this October!

-2:11

784 Comments1.9K Shares116K Views

What Criteria Do You Use to Rate a Book?

Jill, from rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com, and I would like to get a conversation started about what criteria bloggers (critics, casual reviewers, et al) use to rate books.  Although some of us (me) use a 4.0 rating system and others (the rest of the civilized world) use a 5.0 system, the criteria should be the same.  This all started because Jill and I read the same book, enjoyed it a lot, but gave very different ratings based on genre.  We would love to hear what y'all have to say.  Whether you respond to Jill's blog or mine doesn't matter.  We will be sharing the responses on both.  Let's see if we can generate a discussion that might help us all better identify what we are looking for in a book (whether it be print, ebook, or audiobook).  Please weigh in.  We are anxious and excited to share the comments.

Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys - A VERY Good Historical Fiction re WWII

Salt to the Sea is considered to be a YA because the 4 protagonists are ages 15 to 19.  But it doesn't feel like a YA.  All the Light We Cannot See also had a couple of young protagonists and also didn't feel like a YA.  But what do I know?  I only know that I really liked it - to the tune of 3.5/4.  Check out the blurb on the inside cover:

Winter, 1945.  
Four teenagers.
Four secrets.
Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies...and war.
    As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.
    Yet not all promises can be kept.
    Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II.  An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

Have any of you heard of this ship?  Do you know anything about Germany's evacuation of its citizens as the war was nearing an end and the outcome was inevitable?  The answer to both of those questions for me is a resounding "No!"  And, yet, the author makes us all understand what was happening through the 1st person voices of the 4 teenagers.  And let me tell you that you will definitely care about them, along with others.  I know I sure did. That might explain why I said "Oh, no.  C__p!" on page 131.  And why I felt like I did in Conroy's South of Broad when one of the main characters bit the dust on page 132.  And why I felt like I was reading Sophie's Choice on page 157.  And why I had chills and tears on page 261.  And why I was nodding my head on page 268.  And why I smiled and got teary on page 314.  And why I yelled "Oh My God" on page 319.  And why I winced on page 322.  And why I kept shaking my head over the course of several pages starting with 326.  And why I flat-out cried on page 338.

Have you heard (read) enough about my emotional breakdowns?  Can I move along now? Okay.  I've already compared it to All the Light We Cannot See because of the youth factor. But this book also reminds me of The Nightingale because it taught me some WWII history that I didn't know anything about.  That's obviously a main function of historical fiction.  It definitely works here.

Because the book flips back and forth among the 4 main characters, it took me a while to remember who was who (I don't know how to use "whom" here - or if I'm even supposed to).  And partly for that reason it took me close to 100 pages to really get into it.  But, ultimately, I really liked when they all came together (kind of like Strangers, by Dean Koontz).  And I really liked reading from the 4 different viewpoints.  In fact, there are 4 pages about 35 from the end of the book in which there is 1 line for each of the 4 leads.  I thought that was particularly clever and effective.

And, on top of all these reasons why I liked the book, there's also the writing:
1.  "His silence was elastic, slowly curling a rope around her neck."
2.  "His skin clung to his bones like drenched clothing."
3.  "The train, battered like a bruised fighter, hissed in the sidings."

There were nice moments in the book, like:  "I tried not to, but I couldn't help it.  I laughed. The wandering boy started to giggle.  Eva burst out laughing.  And then the most amazing thing happened.  The German smiled and laughed.  Hard."  And horrifying moments in the book (you many not want to read this one), like "Mothers tried hurling their infants to passengers up on deck, but they couldn't throw them high enough.  Their babies smashed against the side of the ship and plunged into the sea.  Women screamed and dove into the water after their children."  Can you even imagine?

The one thing I know for sure is that at the end of the book, you are going to want to do some research on the Wilhelm Gustloff.  Trust me on this one.  And thanks to Margie Scott Tucker, who runs the Books, Inc. Palo Alto 4th Tuesday Book Club, for picking Salt of the Sea for April.  I can't wait to talk about it.

A Different Perspective on the LGBT Law in North Carolina

We've all seen reports of entertainers pulling out of scheduled appearances in the state of North Carolina because of the laws regarding LGBT.  My 1st reaction was "Good for them."  Well, here's the other side.  Take a look at this NYTimes article about a single bookstore owner in NC and her lament.  It's worth taking a minute to read what she has to say.  It definitely will give you a different perspective on this issue.  (And it's still book-related!)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/opinion/why-should-my-store-be-boycotted-over-a-law-i-despise.html?emc=edit_th_20160414&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=20735318

And here's some exciting Harlan Coben news.  When we went to see him a couple of weeks ago, he told us all that an A-lister movie star contacted him about producing and starring in his movie.  He said that these inquiries happen once in a while, but that nothing typically comes of them.  Well, 5 days after he came to Book Passage, he posted on Facebook that Julia Roberts is that A-lister.  And she is going to produce and star in the movie!  Isn't that the coolest thing?  Here is Harlan's post.

Julia Roberts is attached to the film adaptation of New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben’s novel.

Julia Roberts to Produce, Star in ‘Fool Me Once’

Julia Roberts is attached to star in and produce the film adaptation of New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben’s “Fool Me Once,” Variety has learned. Roberts will produce with …

VARIETY.COM|BY JUSTIN KROLL