"Everything of value in our world started at some point with an idle daydream. Dreaming helps us connect the dots. Dreaming is mandatory for seeing the world as it should be rather than how it is."
-Born to Blog by Mark W. Schaefer and Stanford A. Smith
Today I'm writing my thoughts about books from a small town called Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Boiling Springs is the home of Gardner-Webb University, a private Christian university that is located about 10 miles from South Carolina and about one hour from Charlotte. Boiling Springs has one traffic light, a few stores, and a few fast food restaurants. Although it's a very small town, there are plenty of things to do on campus if you're a student. There are sports, clubs, volunteer opportunities, the honors program, campus ministry programs, dances, free movies, and much more. Recently the honors program students went out of town to go ice skating and it was at no cost to the students. They had a great time. Classes often go on "field trips" to attend job fairs or to learn more about a particular field. Our daughter is a proud Bulldog, and as such has had many opportunities to learn, to socialize, and to "try something different." The honors program takes their students to cultural events such as Shakespeare-in-the-Park in Asheville, and they can also be found at a new ethnic restaurant on one of their cultural enrichment nights. GW also has a strong travel abroad program, so our daughter has had the opportunity to spend time in Paris and French Canada. Gardner-Webb is a great institution of higher learning, and I will miss it in about a year and a half when I no longer have occasion to visit the beautiful campus.
Now on to the subject of books. Last weekend I read the book, Pastel Orphans, by Gemma Liviero. I read the entire book in just two afternoons, so if you're looking for a quick read, this one might be interesting to you. This book fits in the category that I've been focusing on in the past year, the category of historical fiction. The book is set in Germany during WW II. It's about a family in which the father is a Jew but the mother is not. The two children are never told that they are part Jewish because the parents didn't want the children to tell anyone their secret. The son has somewhat dark features, but the daughter has blonde hair and can easily conceal her Jewishness. The father gets sick and so must be left behind as the mother and children leave to live with an aunt. As the story unfolds, the daughter is kidnapped by a Nazi officer and her teenage brother leaves to try to find her. He faces many hardships in his travels, but he eventually finds his sister who has been "adopted" by the Nazi officer and his wife along with other children. We learn in this novel that the Nazis often kidnapped fair-skinned children for various sinister reasons such as to further the Aryan race, to eventually become wives of Nazis, or for a number of other selfish reasons. I've seen in this book that WW II affected ALL of Europe in a horrific way, and even when the war was over, there were many problems there for a long time. Pastel Orphans brings to mind a book that I read called A Woman in Berlin. It's the memoir of a well-educated single woman who lived in Berlin during and after the war. We learn that her suffering didn't end after the war, it actually became worse. The Russians entered the city and committed atrocities against many of the Germans who were left there. You may have noticed that seem to be reading a lot of historical novels that are set in Europe during WW II, but I guess it's because I want to learn more about this era in history.
I'm currently reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, a book that is also set in Europe (London). It has kept my attention, but it's a little too early for me to adequately write a review about it. I'm also listening to the book, The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson, as I drive. More on that one later as well. I hope to start reading the book The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric soon as well, thanks to a reader who recommended it.
OK, so I've been sharing the titles of books that I've read since 1984, so here are the next 10 books on my list:
1. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
2. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
3. South Pacific Journal by David and Nancy French (David is from my Ky hometown)
4. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
5. The Moral Teaching of Paul by Victor Paul Furnish
6. Circle of Three by Patricia Gaffney
7. Flight Lessons by Patricia Gaffney
8. The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
9. The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
10. Sam Simpson: Architect of Hope by Carol Garrett
Let's keep the conversations going about books, something that we are passionate about because they enrich our lives by leading us to think, to imagine, and to dream. WE ARE PASSIONATE PEOPLE.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Melissa
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