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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

Books in the Bag (Sep 17, 2012)



Where Mailbox Monday meets Library Loot

It's been a really long time since I talked about any of the books I acquired or borrowed recently. I don't much like keeping track of all the books that walked in, even though I take plenty of pleasure in staring through them.

This Saturday, my husband was craving some iced tea while we were outside. I showed him the perfect place to get it - the indie bookstore right down our apartment. He smirked. Of course, we weren't going to walk out with just a $1 iced tea. I would probably have a few books in my arms and maybe a delicious coffee. Which is just what happened.

I love browsing through the huge discount shelves at the indie store. They always have something in there that I want to buy. And at almost $4, they were quite a steal, especially when we're talking about chunksters or prized books. In these stacks, I found the first part of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, which is one of my favorite graphic books. I had been looking for the books forever, but I didn't really want to spend a chunk of money on them. I also picked up David Grossman's To the End of the Land, which has been on my wishlist since I heard him talk and answer questions on BBC's World Book Club. And then I found The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, whose The Four Ms. Bradwells was one of my 2011 favorites.


I've been picking books indiscriminately from the library, some of which I know nothing about, but their cover looks enchanting or their title sounds smart. Many go back unread. But I do discover some jewels among the lot.

1. Caitlin Moran's How to be a Woman, which I'm reading right now and enjoying bits and passages of.

2. George Moore's Albert Nobbs, which has a movie based on that I didn't know about, and which I took mainly because it is a very slim book. Albert Nobbs is about a woman who disguises as a man in 19th century Ireland, and whose secret is discovered one night when he/she shares a bed with a traveler.

3. Kristín Ómarsdóttir's Children in Reindeer Woods, which is about a girl in a temporary home in a war zone, who witnesses a bunch of soldiers murder everyone around her and then kill each other. The lone surviving soldier who happens to be very troubled is now renouncing his soldier's life. I'm only a few pages in and so far it is giving me mixed reactions.

4. Gathering of Waters by Bernice McFadden, who happens to be one of my favorite authors, but I regret that I haven't read all her books.

5. Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, which was nominated for many awards last year. I don't think I'll get the time to read this one, but I hope to.

6. 12.21 by Dustin Thomason, which I picked for the husband. Yet another book on the Mayan prophecy that seems to be the theme this year. But I did notice that this one is getting better reviews than a lot of the Mayan doomsday books and movies out there.

Comments

bermudaonion(Kathy) said…
How nice it must be to have a bookstore that close! I'm starting to hear some buzz about How to be a Woman, so I'm curious about that book.
Interesting finds. I love that you lead him to a bookstore.
zibilee said…
The bookstore is the perfect place for an iced tea! I love the books you chose, and if I were you, I might just lead him back there again for an another iced tea or iced coffee! I hope you enjoy your new books!
Colleen said…
Are you a fan of BBC World Book Club too? I love their podcasts with the authors!
I've also been interested in that Children in Reindeer Woods one!
Athira / Aths said…
How to be a Woman is fun to read! I hope you check it out.
Athira / Aths said…
Exactly! What is there that you cannot get in a bookstore. :)
Athira / Aths said…
I should definitely lead him there every time we are outside, under the guise of needing more tea/coffee.
Athira / Aths said…
I don't listen to them as often as I would like to, but I loved the few podcasts I listened to. They are fabulous.
Athira / Aths said…
It is a nice book but not very intriguing yet. I'm hoping that changes.
Kristen said…
Some good looking books I haven't heard of before. Happy reading this week.
Elizabeth said…
I have read THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS...pretty good.

ENJOY!!!

Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
Athira / Aths said…
I've heard good things about Wednesday Sisters, so I'm looking forward to reading it.
fizziness said…
The only one I've read is Persepolis, and you don't need me to sell you on that.


I love the Strand bag...it's too perfect.
Kim Ukura said…
I love the discount sections at bookstores. I buy SO MANY BOOKS there, it's sort of ridiculous. Good grabs