Book log- January & February

John encouraged me to do a book log, so now I am two months behind.  Not a good start. :)  But a start nonetheless.  I'll use a 10 point rating system - 10 being "what a profoundly awesome read" and 1 being "couldn't even get through it it was so terrible".

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway - one of my book club reads, it is character-driven more than anything. This novel takes you into the heart of Sarajevo during the siege.  Galloway uses fictional characters to tell real-life happenings. It is slowish - but as I said, it's character-driven and that is what I loved about it. Still hard to believe this actually happened.  And the cellist?  He was real.  8.5

Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - my other book club book for January.  It read like a conversation you were having with the characters.  I have never felt the "it's just like I am right there with them" as I did with this book.  Set in South Africa in the fifties, I believe. Beautiful writing, passionate and emotional -I cried reading a passage out loud at our meeting.  Everyone should read this at least once in their life. 9.5

Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin - my efforts to educate myself in the realm of world literature.  Ok, to be honest, it was better than I thought it would be .  A novel in poem form is not something I would normally gravitate to, but Pushkin did devlop some fairly interesting characters - and he is considered Russia's ultimate Poet Laureate.  I do love the Russians for their depth and insight and Pushkin did not disappoint there.   But it was a novel-length poem, and well - it's just not my thing. I am glad I read it, but I am not sure I ever will again.  6, maybe 6.5 giving honor to it's place in history and Russian culture and influence on great writers to come.

The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus by Brennan Manning - Mannaing has a great grasp of the Gospel and that we need not be afraid of our failings because Jesus has bore the consequences of them before God. He does not hesitate to "lay it on the line" with moving stories and ancedotes to get his message across.  Jesus is not a wimp - he will pursue to the utter depths and do whatever it takes to lay claim on what's his, and when caught, one finds not wrath, but compassion, tenderness, and forgiveness.  8

 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - My Texas friends will love that he spent time in that great state setting up the Center for Medicine and Ethics at the University of Texas in San Antonio.  My Southern friends will be interested in the fact that this immigrant from India spent the first years of his medical career in Johnson City, Tennessee.  Verghese, as I said, is a doctor, which lends itself nicely to this story of twin brothers born of a nun at a mission hospital in Ethiopia.  It is their story.  My Peru friends will be able to relate a bit to the clinic having to "make do" with the scarce supplies that they have.  I will read this book again, probably several times. 9

Only the River Runs Free by Bodie and Brock Thoene -Our book club book for the month of February; I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to.  The main observation we came away with in our discussion was that it was "tidy" - too tidy for some, but I admitted that between Sarajevo and Ethiopia, Ireland was a nice break.  6.5 

Digital Photography: Master Class by Tom Ang - This is a beautiful glossy page expo.  It assumes beginner knowledge, and build on that with sections on knowing your camera, technique and art, post processing and getting creative.  It is a book I will go back to again and again.  I recommend it highly for those that have the basics of digital photography down and want something to lead them to the next level. 9