Operation Paperback on Facebook

The troops like to read, too.

Tonight, I'm taking a look at a list sent out by Operation Paperback.  It's a wish list of books that members of our armed forces would like to read, and I thought you all might be interested. I know that there are so many wonderful non-profits out there, but here's another one to consider.  Our troops are in different parts of the world -- in the cold or heat, from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan and everywhere in between. They'd like to read some of the good books out there that you and I are fortunate enough to be able to go to the store and easily pick up, or check out at the library.  Thanks to them, we have options.



So here's what a typical list can look like.  And if you want to participate, go ahead and sign up to contribute the next time around.  I'm sure it would be appreciated.

• A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard  [on 3 lists]
• Art of War by Sun Tzu [on 4 lists]
• Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose [on 3 lists]
• Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson [on 3 lists]
• Battle Leadership by Adolph Von Schell  [on 2 lists]
• Caine Mutiny [on 2 lists]
• Constitution of the United States  [on 4 lists]
• Ender's Game by O.S. Card  [on 2 lists]
• Face of Battle by John Keegan  [on 5 lists]
• First to Fight  [on 2 lists]
• Flags of Our Fathers [on 3 lists]
• For the Common Defense by Millet and Maslowski  [on 2 lists]
• Killer Angels [on 4 lists]
• Lincoln on Leadership  [on 2 lists]
• Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer  [on 2 lists]
• Red Badge of Courage [on 3 lists]
• Savage Wars of Peace by Max Boot  [on 4 lists]
• Soldier's Load by S.L.A. Marshall  [on 2 lists]
• Starship Troopers [on 2 lists]
• Supreme Command : Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime by Eliot Cohen [on 4 lists]
• This Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach  [on 3 lists]
• Village by Francis West  [on 2 lists]
• We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Moore and Galloway  [on 4 lists]
• Sudoku and word search puzzles
• The Sookie Stackhouse series
• Children's books to distribute to the kids in war-torn countries
• Contemporary fiction and romance
• Biographies, political thrillers

Happy Reading,
Coffee and a Book Chick

Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner surprised me.  The first forty or so pages, while beautifully written, were a tad tough to meander through at times.  But then, oh then, all of a sudden, and at some point I can't recall, I was quite happy -- it pulled me in and although it's a quiet and contemplative story, it was really quite interesting and I felt at home with it.

Edith Hope is a romance writer who writes under another name -- she's accomplished, but to be honest, she writes about feelings and events that she's never sure she'll ever have, or at least have forever.  She's withdrawn, and doesn't fit with her "friends."

Edith is sent away from "civilized" society in London to a quaint and quiet hotel in Switzerland following a scandal that it has been deemed should not occur amongst polite and learned men and women.  While there, she encounters a sad variety of characters that initially seem almost so uninteresting, that they are interesting.  Eventually, you are drawn into each one, into their nuances, their sad or internally destructive personalities. While one character, Mrs. Pusey initially impresses upon Edith that she is kind and lovely, it soon becomes evident that she's really just lacking in the same things that most of the hotel guests are without as well -- after all, why are they all sequestered in this hotel, away from family and friends, during a quiet time of season?  It seemed to be that they all were suffering in some way.

Do not expect a flurry of events in the winner of the Man Booker Prize of 1984.  Expect instead a quiet discussion, a studied review of a writer's perspective of those she meets and interacts with, amidst the background of an incredible hotel.  There is not a hurry from one thing to another.  It is a slow exercise of evaluation and word usage to describe each scene, moment, person.  Could it be considered tedious and boring to some?  Perhaps.  Could it also be viewed as deceptively pleasing, slowly building the undercurrent of anticipation for something, something brilliant and cunning to breach the water line and unfold its secret?  Yes.

At times, it was a bit humorous, but I found it to be an overall sad book, about people who were sad and who either were forced to be in exile by others, or simply had nowhere else that they could go.  It's an insightful and thoughtful novel on love, loss, and regret.  Although I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, I would say that if you like a quiet novel that delivers an introspective view on one's own life, then this sad little beauty is a book for you.

Every word is quotable in this beautiful and very short book, but this one I found delightful:

He was a man of few words, but those few words were judiciously selected, weighed for quality, and delivered with expertise.  Edith, used to the ruminative monologues that most people consider to be adequate for the purposes of rational discourse, used, moreover, to concocting the cunning and even learned periods which the characters in her books so spontaneously uttered, leaned back in her chair and smiled.  The sensation of being entertained by words was one which she encountered all too rarely.  People expect writers to entertain them, she reflected.  They consider that writers should be gratified simply by performing their task to the audience's satisfaction.  Like sycophants at court in the Middle Ages, dwarves, jongleurs.  And what about us?  Nobody thinks about entertaining us.

I look forward to reading more Anita Brookner novels.  Particularly when I learned from Thomas at My Porch that Ms. Brookner is now in her eighties and has written a book a year since her first published fiction novel in her early fifties.

Other fabulous book bloggers said this:
Carol's Notebook
Vintage Reads
Savidge Reads

Happy Reading,
Coffee and a Book Chick

National Geographic, Sam Kittner

To all those in the blogging community who celebrate the holiday, Happy Hanukkah.

The History I Should Know More About
Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is an eight-day celebration which commemorates the reclaiming of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century by the Maccabees from the tyrannical monarch led by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.  He was not quite as compassionate as his father when it came to the Jewish religion.  His father permitted the faith to be practiced, but his son outlawed it, and when his soldiers came to Jerusalem, the murders of thousands occurred.  The soldiers then moved to the Second Temple and further defiled it by setting up statues of Zeus and sacrificing pigs.

Judah Maccabee and his small group rose up against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and was able to push them out of Jerusalem.  The Second Temple was then cleansed and the Menorah was lit.

When they went to light the candelabra, they only had enough oil for one day, but by a miracle, the oil lasted for eight days.  The Menorah holds nine candles -- eight for each night that the oil lasted, and the 9th (center) candle that represents the shamash (servant) candle.  The shamash candle is used to light the others, one on each of the eight nights.

Did you know that Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew?

This picture to the right is from my honeymoon to Italy last year, and the Arch of Titus depicting the Menorah.  You can see a Menorah being carried by the Roman soldiers which was part of their stolen spoils of war of the Temple of Jerusalem.  When I came across my picture tonight, I was reminded of a book I read last year that covered the Arch of Titus and this particular relief in detail. 

If you enjoy thrillers that include history, culture, and religion, set in stunning locales of both Italy and Jerusalem, I highly recommend Daniel Levin's The Last Ember.  I had a chance to meet Daniel Levin last year at our local independent bookstore (he was also introduced by Steve Berry of the Cotton Malone series). Levin had such wonderful insight to share on the research for this book, and the room was spellbound by his stories.

From the website
An Italian antiquities squad discovers a woman’s preserved corpse inside an ancient column. Pages torn from priceless manuscripts litter the floor of an abandoned warehouse. An illegal excavation burrows beneath Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, ground sacred to three religions.

Jonathan Marcus, a young American lawyer and a former doctoral student in classics, has become a sought-after commodity among less-scrupulous antiquities dealers. But when he is summoned to Rome to examine a client’s fragment of an ancient stone map, he stumbles across a startling secret.  The discovery reveals not only an ancient intelligence operation to protect an artifact hidden for 2000 years, but also a ruthless modern plot to destroy all trace of it by a mysterious radical bent on erasing all remnants of Jewish and Christian presence from the Temple Mount.

Daniel Levin has created an anxious page-turning thrill ride through legends and rumors, faith and culture, and it's one that I absolutely could not put down.  The Last Ember -- it will not disappoint.

Happy Hanukkah,
Coffee and a Book Chick

Oh, my.  I'm signing up for a challenge.  But it feels so simple to sign up now when it starts in a month and I have the entire year to complete it.  I believe that I can do this, but I may need a gentle nudge and support from you all.  Would you care to join me?

I am going to try for somewhere between the levels of Hard Times and Desperate Remedies.  A lofty goal, yet I hope I can succeed.  I haven't quite decided on which books I'm going to read -- perhaps you can suggest your favorites for me?

Hosted by words, words, words, here are the details:

This challenge will run from 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011.
Participants can sign up at any time throughout the year.

Read your Victorian literature.
Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901. If your book wasn't published during these particular years, but is by an author considered "Victorian," go for it.  We're here for reading!  Also, this can include works by authors from other countries, so long as they are from this period.

Literature comes in many forms.
There are so many Victorian reads out there, including novels, short stories, and poetry.  One poem doesn't count as a "book," though.  Instead, pick up an anthology instead!

Choose your books.
List your books before you begin, or pick up titles along the way.  It's up to you!  You can review them if you choose to, but it's not necessary.  If you don't have a blog, that's fine!  Link to a Facebook, or a page somewhere where you can list what you've been reading.  If you can't link up, no problem - feel free to just comment and enjoy.

Spread the love.
Post the reading challenge on your blog - make your own post(s), or stick the button on the side of your page.  The more the merrier, after all.  Let's build a big community of Victorian literature lovers!

Choose from one of the four levels:
Sense and Sensibility:  1 - 4 books
Great Expectations:  5 - 9 books
Hard Times:  10 - 14 books
Desperate Remedies:  15+ books

Visit words, words, words' site and consider joining the many bloggers who have already signed up!

Happy Reading!
Coffee and a Book Chick