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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

Friday Finds -- June 25, 2010

Friday Finds Hosted by MizB at Should be reading, this meme asks you what great books did you hear about/discover this past week?

I spent two solid days looking through Graywolf Press' catalog, for the upcoming Spotlight Series tour. So most of my finds are from that catalog. Since many of you may have done the same, I included only one such book in this week's finds. The rest I found during my innocent hikes through the webosphere. :snort:


Last weekend, Kai and I read Leviathan together, and I realized that I was actually enjoying steampunk fiction more than I expected to. So when I read about this book in Omnivoracious, I just had to add it! Plus, its ebook version is available, and Hobbes (my nook) just may be adding one more to his kitty.
Imprisoned aboard a zeppelin floating high above a steampunk metropolis, greeting card writer Harold Winslow is composing his memoir. His companions are the only woman he has ever loved and the cryogenically frozen body of her father, the devilish genius Prospero Taligent.

Amidst a world where deserted islands exist within skyscrapers, where the well-heeled have mechanical men for servants, and where the world of fairy tales can be built from scratch, Harold Winslow heads toward a final, desperate confrontation with the mad inventor. And all the while, he is an unwitting participant in the creation of the greatest invention of them all -- the perpetual motion machine.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

I forgot where I saw this, but was even more aghast that I hadn't heard of this before. I'm guessing many of you must have read this. I did read a snippet of this book on Google books, and although it's written for children, I found myself getting warmed up to the story and the writing.
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated". Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

Pocketful of Names by Joe Coomer

This is one of the very fascinating books I saw in Graywolf Press' catalog. And you gotto believe me when I say fascinating, since almost all the books were just that. I had a tough time narrowing my choices, and eventually headed to the library to read a little bit of each book to finally decide on that.
Inhabiting an island off the coast of Maine, left to her by her great-uncle Arno, Hannah finds her life as a dedicated and solitary artist rudely interrupted one summer when a dog, matted with feathers and seaweed, arrives with the tide. The dog quickly endears himself and easily adapts to Hannah's schedule, but he is only the first in a string of unexpected visitors. He is soon followed by a teenager running from an abusive father, a half sister in trouble, a mainland family in need, and a trapped whale. Now in the midst of a community that depends on her for support and love, Hannah faces new emotional challenges as a series of family secrets are uncovered, each one more alarming than the last.

Comments

Anonymous said…
They all look great but I'm really liking the cover of the first book. Nice finds!

I mailed the book to you - should be there next week :)
bermudaonion said…
Number the Stars is wonderful.
I have never seen any of these books! Great find :)
Aarti said…
I read Number the Stars as a kid and while I don't remember it, I do remember really enjoying it. I hope you get a chance to read it soon!
Marce said…
You always find ones I haven't heard of.

I saw this and wanted to share with you, a review

http://alexia561.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-dream-of-perpetual-motion-by.html
Tales of Whimsy said…
The last sounds sweet and sad all at the same time.

Have a beautiful weekend :)
I haven't read Number the Stars, either! But it's such a classic. I've got to read it.
Jess said…
Number the Stars is a classic -- I hope you enjoy it.
Bellezza said…
I often read Number The Stars to my class. It's my favorite Lois Lowry novel, and I hope you enjoy it as well. Such suspense!
I own Pocketful of Names but haven't read it. Number the Stars sounds good.