Schami, Rafik "A Hand Full of Stars"

Schami, Rafik "A Hand Full of Stars" (German: Eine Hand voller Sterne) - 1987

Rafik Schami is a Syrian author who has lived in Germany for almost 35 years. He writes in German but has never forgotten his native country and his stories are mainly about that. In this book he tells the story of the son of a baker, well, the young boy tells the story himself, about his problems of growing up but also about the political problems in his country and how he gets involved.

I think Rafik Schami has written part of his own life, he himself is the son of a baker and started writing at a very early age. The fact that the protagonist tells his own story, leads even more to this assumption.

In any case, this is a wonderful story about growing up as well as about the situation in Syria. If you read this, you will notice that the situation has only grown worse in the 25 years since its publication, and I think it would help a lot of people rethinking their opinion about the refugees that come to our countries because they have nowhere else to go anymore. We can learn of the situation in a country where democracy is a foreign word, where people can just get picked up by the police for no reason at all or for something that we all take for granted.

Great read.

I have read two of Rafik Schami's books, so far, but will add more, that I am sure of:
"The Calligrapher’s Secret" (Das Geheimnis des Kalligraphen) - 2008
"Eine deutsche Leidenschaft names Nudelsalat: und andere seltsame Geschichten" [A German passion called noodle salad: and other strange stories]. This one is only available in German, he talks about all the little things that only a foreigner would notice in a host country. I loved these stories just as much as those about Syria.

From the back cover:

"Amid the turmoil of modern Damascus, one teenage boy finds his political voice in a message of rebellion that echoes throughout Syria and as far away as Western Europe. Inspired by his dearest friend, old Uncle Salim, he begins a journal to record his thoughts and impressions of family, friends, life at school, and his growing feelings for his girlfriend, Nadia. Soon the hidden diary becomes more than just a way to remember his daily adventures; on its pages he explores his frustration with the government injustices he witnesses. His courage and ingenuity finally find an outlet when he and his friends begin a subversive underground newspaper. Warmed by a fine sense of humor, this novel is at once a moving love story and a passionate testimony to the difficult and committed actions being taken by young people around the world."

Book Quotes of the Week

"To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry." Gaston Bachelard

"I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books." Jorge Luis Borges

"I know every book of mine by its smell, and I have but to put my nose between the pages to be reminded of all sorts of things." George Robert Gissing

"It is pleasanter to eat one’s own peas out of one’s own garden, than to buy them by the peck at Covent Garden; and a book reads the better, which is our own, and has been so long known to us, that we know the topography of its blots and dog’s-ears, and can trace the dirt in it to having read it at tea with buttered muffins, or over a pipe...." Charles Lamb, letter to S.T. Coleridge, 11 October 1802

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them." Mark Twain, attributed

Find more book quotes here.

Scott, Mary "The Long Honeymoon"

Scott, Mary "The Long Honeymoon" - 1963

Another book from the favourite author of my teenage days. These simple stories about a life on the other side of the world in a time before I was born still fascinate me.

In this case, there is Lee who marries the farmer Andrew and they hope to have a quiet life on their farm. However. Many of their friends take them up on their invitation to visit them and the life is not as quiet as they had thought it would be.

As always, Mary Scott puts a lot of humour into her stories, there are the usual neighbours, both nice and, uhm, not so nice, the former student friends who start a Shakespearean theatre group in the middle of nowhere, the helpful Maoris without whom the community couldn't survived. Like all her other stories, a nice and pleasant read.

From the back cover: (translated) "Honeymoon with obstacles
Living on a farm, riding over large paddocks, swimming in the beach surf - that has always been the wish of city girl Lee Connor. When she marries the young farmer Andrew Marsden, her dreams become reality. Full of expectation, the young couple moves into the old house, which belongs to the farm shortly after the wedding.
Lee and Andrew hadn't been stingy with invitations on their wedding to visit them on the farm, and this carelessness takes its revenge soon. After a few days, the first guests appear: the snobby Lawrence with his counterpart Grant, Miss Connor from Ireland, Lee's only aunt; even Andrews capricious cousin Sally arrives full of curiosity.
Lee is doing everything possible to ensure a pleasant stay for the farm guests. But the hopes for a nice honeymoon for Lee and Andrew dwindle from day to day."

Unfortunately, Mary Scott's books are out of print and only available second hand. I have heard in the meantime, that you can buy some of them as eBooks.

Kristof, Nicholas; WuDunn, Sheryl "A Path Appears"

Kristof, Nicholas; WuDunn, Sheryl "A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity" - 2014

I read "Half the Sky. How to Change the World" by the same authors and couldn't wait for this book to appear. So, I bought the first copy I could get my hands on. Usually, I don't mind whether I get the US American or the British edition but in this case I wish I would have checked whether the British one would have been different. Or would have at least given some more European links.

Don't misunderstand me, this is a fabulous book, so many great causes that the couple draws our attention to and what we can do to help those unfortunate people either on the other side of the globe or even next door who only need a little money to change their life for the better. Unfortunately, most of the addresses given in the book are for Americans who give US Dollars.

But that is the only complaint I have. After all, it is a US American book, probably written mainly with US American readers in mind.

The authors have done some great research, as I had already experienced in their former book. What it comes down to, in a nutshell, if you want to donate money, find a cause that you consider is worthy and make sure you give it so that this money really makes a difference to someone. The authors make us understand that even a small donation can make a big change. Or if we don't have money that there are still things we can do, volunteer or write, for example.

So, even though the last part of the book is not very helpful for me, I still have learned a lot. How I can find an organization that I want to support, what I can do in order to help where I think help is needed most. They also underlined that any help is helpful, no matter how small.  So, research for the right charity, just as if you want to buy a new gadget, check what the charities do and whether you like what they are doing, don't just throw money at something and think you have done a good deal, if you know where your money goes to, it is so much better. And don't just look at how much money they spend on advertising, check how much money is raised and goes to the cause in the end.

An informative and inspirational book. Well done, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"With scrupulous research and on-the-ground reporting, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore how altruism affects us, what are the markers for success, and how to avoid the pitfalls. In their recounting of astonishing stories from the front lines of social progress, we see the compelling, inspiring truth of how real people have changed the world, underscoring that one person can make a difference.
A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face today. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future."

The authors won the Pulitzer Prize for their reports about China in the New York Times. They also have started a foundation, read more about it here: "Half the Sky Foundation"

Mantel, Hilary "Wolf Hall"

Mantel, Hilary "Wolf Hall" - 2009

If you like historical fiction at all and haven't read "Wolf Hall", yet, you should that put on top of your list. This is such a great novel about Thomas Cromwell and all the other people that played an important part in the life of probably the most interesting king among all the kings of England, Henry VIII. Hilary Mantel tries to look behind the curtain of the throne, of the court, of the royal family.

I think it is highly interesting, all the little tidbits of the life of people during the Tudor time. I hardly knew anything about the background, about Thomas Cromwell's childhood, his life. Also all the intrigues behind the divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the subsequent wedding to Ann Boleyn, truly worth looking into.

This has encouraged me to read further, to explore that part of history more. That's what I always love about a book, if it awakens my interest in a subject.

It's not always an easy read and I would have loved a better family tree in the book but all in all, a great novel, a chunky book, just the way I love them. I ordered the follow-up "Bring up the Bodies" right away and hope to read it soon.

I'm also looking forward to watching the TV series. Damian Lewis as Henry VIII? Should be fantastic.

Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize for "Wolf Hall" in 2009.

From the back cover:

 

"In this simply one of the finest historical novels in years, the opulent, brutal world of the Tudors comes to glittering, bloody life. It is the backdrop to the rise and rise of Thomas Cromwell; lowborn boy, charmer, bully, master of deadly intrigue, and, finally, most powerful of all Henry VIII’s courtiers."

Hawkins, Paula "The Girl on the Train"

Hawkins, Paula "The Girl on the Train" - 2015

Before I started reading this book, I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not. If I would have have to make a guess, I probably would have thought I might not like it.

So, I was quite surprised to find that I did like it. A lot, actually. I am NOT a fan of mysteries, thrillers, crime stories, chick lit, and this has a little of all of them. The girl on the train looks at the people in the gardens while she passes them by. It's interesting to see how much she can see from the short glances she gets. Makes you think whether you can spin a story from every glimpse you get from anybody's life.

Anyway, the story was well written, full of suspense (although it is easy to guess what happened but you are not a hundred percent sure). Rachel, the protagonist, leads a bad life, she's an unemployed alcoholic. The way her life is described makes you realize how empty such a life can be.

I wouldn't say this was the best book I read last year but it certainly had something.

From the back cover:

"Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough.
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…"

Book Quotes of the Week

"Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one." Augustine Birrell, Obiter Dicta, "Book Buying"

"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read." Gilbert K. Chesterton

"In reading, a lonely quiet concert is given to our minds; all our mental faculties will be present in this symphonic exaltation." Stéphane Mallarmé

"With some cards, you pay interest. With library cards, your interest pays you." Susan Rinehart

"TSUNDOKU: Leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other unread books." Japanese. From "Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Catalog of Beautiful Untranslatable Words from Around the World" by Ella Frances Sanders.

Find more book quotes here.