Being a reader all my life and having three kids in various ages have a lot of advantages: I know quite a bit about books, what to read, and what to buy. We have two Kindles, a Nook Color and various Apple gadgets in the house, each with its own Nook, Kindle or iBook application. People always ask advice about books to buy, for both kids and adults; and I've been sharing my family reading list forever.Christmas day is great day to read, the shopping craze is over and all gifts are opened (many book-related)...What else is better than to read, on the couch? This what we're doing right now, ignoring the cold and the wind. I just finished 
How to Be an American Housewife, about a 
Japanese young woman who married an American Navy Medic after WWII, trying to start new and better life in the United States. The story is about herself, her family, the clashes of two completely different cultures, the challenging relationship between her and her American born daughter, and the misunderstanding between her and her brother. The first 1/2 of the book was narrated by the main character, Shoko, while the second 1/2 was narrated by her daughter, Sue. I enjoyed reading this family's saga in two different narrative voices, which is found commonly in Jodi Picult's books. At times, this story also reminded me of a favorite from long time ago, The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan, which was also about Asian moms and their American born daughters. The ending was bittersweet. It left me wanting more, especially more about Sue, and her young yet wise daughter Helena. Margaret Dilloway did a surprising good job on her first book.
Coincidentally, I'm jumping right back into the same time period reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
, by Laura Hillenbrand, which landed on many best book lists of 2010. Anyone who had read her book Seabiscuit: An American Legend (Special Illustrated Collector's Edition)
, knows what a talented writer she is. This is a story about Louie Zamperini, a juvenile delinquent turned Olympic track runner, crash survivor, POW, then army hero. My friend told me some chapters can be hard to tolerate, but I'm ready with a box of Kleenex right besides me. I'll let you know how I like it. Merry Christmas, everyone!
How to Be an American Housewife, about a Japanese young woman who married an American Navy Medic after WWII, trying to start new and better life in the United States. The story is about herself, her family, the clashes of two completely different cultures, the challenging relationship between her and her American born daughter, and the misunderstanding between her and her brother. The first 1/2 of the book was narrated by the main character, Shoko, while the second 1/2 was narrated by her daughter, Sue. I enjoyed reading this family's saga in two different narrative voices, which is found commonly in Jodi Picult's books. At times, this story also reminded me of a favorite from long time ago, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, which was also about Asian moms and their American born daughters. The ending was bittersweet. It left me wanting more, especially more about Sue, and her young yet wise daughter Helena. Margaret Dilloway did a surprising good job on her first book.Coincidentally, I'm jumping right back into the same time period reading Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
, by Laura Hillenbrand, which landed on many best book lists of 2010. Anyone who had read her book Seabiscuit: An American Legend (Special Illustrated Collector's Edition), knows what a talented writer she is. This is a story about Louie Zamperini, a juvenile delinquent turned Olympic track runner, crash survivor, POW, then army hero. My friend told me some chapters can be hard to tolerate, but I'm ready with a box of Kleenex right besides me. I'll let you know how I like it. Merry Christmas, everyone!
I love the book recommendations!
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