Deluged With Books Cafe

It’s my third novel of Susan Vreeland and I believe I’m not stopping anytime soon. Known for her portrayal of women artists like Gentileschi and Carr, in Lisette’s List, Vreeland veered away from that premise. Instead of depicting an artist’s life, she draws the few infamous artists’ personalities through the memories of an old man who is adamant to share his past to his young grand daughter-in-law. Not quite as riveting as her other books. Still, there are things to be engaged on. Lisette’s List displays a dynamic portrait of a small town in Vichy France before the tumult of the Second World War and its residents. Pascal’s little dribbles on the personas of infamous artists he met when he was young allows for a fascinating glimpse of their art life and philosophies. Lisette and I didn't warm up instantaneously to each other but through her list, there was a gradual connection as she comes into her own and grows fond of her quirky neighbors. There's a scatter of sor...

One perfectly normal Monday, Jemima Ashton receives a letter that will change her life. She finds out there are no records of her existence in the UK system and her birth certificate appears to be a forgery.  With an imminent investigation happening, she is out on a quest for answers leading her to her late mother Stella’s past and everything she had ever known about herself and her parents is turned upside down.   Portrait of Stella is a tale of a woman’s search to discover who she is, of old family secrets and a history wrought of disparity. Spanning from the tumultuous years of the Second World War to the dawning changes of early twenty first century, Jemima’s journey takes her to an abandoned vineyard where a shocking surprise awaits her. In short, it reads like a vintage family saga but with a dash of modern writing style.

Words have convoluted themselves in my mind only to leave me utterly speechless. This is the beauty of The Book Thief. It is one of the few books one must read at least once in a lifetime. It is the time of Herr Fuhrer . In the narrow streets of Molching, Liesel Meminger learned what a young girl like her could to live under the gaze of her foster parents, unruly neighborhood kids, the German sky and Hitler: stealing books. Meanwhile, Death is kept busy gathering out souls as the sky shifted colors on every impending death before his very eyes. Thus begins this story as told by Death about this little book thief who, at first, could not know how to read. As she learns to read, under the help of her accordion-playing foster father, and the words start to make sense in Liesel's mind, she has yet to know what stealing books will bring her unto. There are books I have mentioned before that breaks my heart into pieces, but not of ripping my soul in two. This book is but one. D...