Tag Archives: racial tension
1 comment | tags: 0.5 star, adam schnell, book review, books, fiction, fooooood, godawful, have some more wine, icky, italy, magical realism, racial tension, that is not natural, the fuck is this the fuck was that, tomato rhapsody, worst books read in 2011 | posted in Lists, Words, Worst Books Read in 2011
Best Books Read in 2011
2. The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction by Susan Ketchin
The Christ-Haunted Landscape takes its name from a quote by Flannery O’Connor: “I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.” Having grown up in the South, this rang true. Rarely do I spend so much time thinking about a book while reading it or take 5 months to do so. Comprised of interviews with and excerpts from the works of 12 authors, this book reminded me of where I am from. I recommend it to anyone interested in writing or in the interaction between beliefs and reality.
Original Review
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
4. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
5. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
7. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
2 comments | tags: 5 stars, appalachia, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, christ-haunted, christ-haunted landscape, culture, down south, essays, favorites, heard about on public radio, non-fiction, racial tension, re-read potential, recommended by a friend, religion, review, short story, south, susan ketchin, writing & literature | posted in Best Books Read in 2011, Lists, Words
6 comments | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, bosnia, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, haggadah, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, museum, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review, sarajevo, sarajevo haggadah | posted in Best Books Read in 2011, Lists, Words
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review | posted in Words