Customer Comments

This is an incredible story of survival, loyalty, and betrayal over decades in Vietnam. Andrew X. Pham tells the life of his father, a brilliant and gentle teacher who is caught up in the series of wars/resistance against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans, as well as the country's internal massacres. Thong Van Pham's political naiveté and bad luck bring about a shocking series of terrors that helped me make sense of the 20th Century in Vietnam. I enjoyed reading about Thong's almost idyllic childhood growing up wealthy in the countryside, his description of the towns and cities where he lived in Vietnam, and how his family and the whole country changed over time. I would have adjusted the structure of this book. Although I often enjoy non-linear stories, in this case I was confused by the order of the chapters, which relate events going back and forth in time. Having a timeline of Vietnamese history beside me would have helped, as well as a map of Vietnam.

I wanted to begin to understand Vietnam after the war, and found this amazing book at the library, covered with accolades by writers I admire-- Grace Paley, Tim O'Brien, Gloria Emerson. Although this book was published in 1995, I consider it an outstanding memoir that should be read by more people today. Lady Borton was a farmer and bus driver in Ohio, and since she was brought up Quaker, she was able to work for the American Friends Service Committee in North and South Vietnam during the war. She learned Vietnamese, and later worked with the boat people who left Vietnam. This book is about her travels and her work in three places in central and North Vietnam in the 80s and 90s. She describes her relationships with the Vietnamese peasants and workers she lives with, often telling their stories of survival and resistance during the war through her own stories about cooking or harvesting side by side with them. I loved learning about their daily lives, their families, and even hearing their names translated into English.

This extraordinary book taught me so much about the underwater world of the Pacific Northwest and thrilled me with its photos.

This sequel to Shanghai Girls is a truly amazing book. The research that went into this story is phenomenal, and the plot is gripping. Dreams of Joy is mostly set in Shanghai and the Chinese countryside during Mao's Great Leap Forward, a time of extreme idealism, disillusionment, famine, and death throughout China. I liked the structure of this novel-- some chapters are written by 20-year-old Joy, and some by her mother-- which allows for their different perspectives and experiences. It's definitely necessary to read Shanghai Girls first, though this is the stronger of the two novels. Everything that has happened in China in the past 60 years is astonishing, and Lisa See helps me make sense of it all.

Beneath Cold Seas: The Underwater Wilderness of the Pacific Northwest by David Hall is an truly extraordinary book. The author is an underwater photographer who spent decades photographing colorful tropical coral reefs, only to be astonished by the colorful diversity and beauty of the Pacific Northwest. His photographs are spectacular, revealing gorgeous and strange creatures, some of which I'd never even heard of before. The story of how he dressed and carried the equipment to compose these underwater photos is fascinating. Hall draws attention to specific creatures he especially loves, including Hooded Nudibranchs- sea slugs that look like ghostly jellyfish, the Red Irish Lord Sculpin- a red and gold rockfish that looks like its eyes are covered in glitter, and Decorated Warbonnets- silly looking fish with unusual growths on their foreheads and backs. Hall's stories about what happened while he was photographing Sockeye Salmon and Steller Sea Lions are hilarious, and they add to a rare treasure of a book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in photography, the ocean, wildlife, or the Pacific Northwest.

I enjoyed this book by Claire Dederer about learning from different yoga teachers while raising a family while recovering from her parents' separation when she was a child. I also appreciated that most of it takes place in and around Seattle, since I'm reading a lot of books set in the Pacific Northwest these days. The book is cleverly structured, with each chapter named after a yoga asana, and each chapter explores her development in yoga, the complexities of her home life, and her memories growing up, especially as all of those relate to the asana. It's a very honest book, and often very funny, as she captures the absurdity of the intense young mothers in North Seattle.

This is a really lovely book that captures the author's experience working as a chef in Burgundy, and getting to know the elderly gardener who grew all the vegetables she cooked. Amanda Hesser carefully observes the passing of the seasons and the changes brought to the garden and her kitchen. I liked reading about each month in the French countryside, what vegetables were harvested, and how she used them in her cuisine. I always like reading Amanda Hesser's food writing in the New York Times, and it was fun to read a whole book from an earlier time in her life. I also tried a couple of her recipes, and love the unusual way she baked bread with branches of rosemary pressed into the loaf. These days I read a lot of food blogs, and none are as well written as this book.

Unbroken is a fascinating story of a remarkable life. Although I had read many books about World War II, until now I hadn't read about the experience of being a POW in Japan. Laura Hillenbrand's exhaustive research about Louie Zamperini's careers as an Olympic runner and bombardier in the War of the Pacific, then his experiences barely surviving on a raft followed by horrifying daily life as a POW, create an absorbing experience for the reader. The old photographs added to my understanding of the military history, so I was glad I didn't listen to this as an audiobook. I was exhausted by the end of this book, but also grateful to have learned about everything that happened.

In The Magic of Reality, Richard Dawkins explains natural phenomena in clear scientific terms, contrasting his explanations with myths from many cultures and religions that attempted to explain them. Every chapter answers a question, including "What are things made of?", "What is a rainbow?", and "Are we alone?" He uses clever analogies to illustrate his points, and the book is also filled with gorgeous illustrations by Dave McKean that enhance the written narrative. I had heard so much about Richard Dawkins, an acclaimed British evolutionary biologist, I was eager to read this latest book. However, The Magic of Reality is really intended for a younger audience- perhaps a bright middle schooler- and at times I felt like he was talking down to his readers. Nevertheless, it does do an excellent job filling in gaps in scientific learning for adults (like me) who haven't studied astronomy since college and who never studied physics. And now I'm very curious to read more of his writing to understand more from his brilliant mind.

When I heard of the plot of Room, I knew I didn't want to read it. Then after reading all the positive acclaim, I decided to give it a try, and couldn't put it down. Emma Donoghue has created a brilliant book, telling the story of 5-year-old Jack, born and raised in a tiny shed by his young kidnapped mother, all through his own words and understanding of the world. Jack's insights and use of language are fascinating, and the story of their escape from the psychopath and reentry into the world is thrilling, shocking, and heartbreaking. Having been an elementary school teacher and administrator for over 30 years, I spent a lot of time with school psychologists, speech therapists, and child protective services. I am in awe of Emma Donoghue's research and skill in the creation of Jack, his wisdom, and his developmental struggles. This is a book I'll never forget.

This story of Hungarian Jews in Budapest and Paris before and during the Holocaust is captivating, shocking, heartbreaking, and brilliantly researched and written. I loved the characters, the detail about Andras's architectural studies in Paris, and the description of Jewish/Hungarian culture. I had read many books set in World War II, but never one that explained the complexities of all that happened in Hungary. Julie Orringer does a masterful job plotting this novel, with incredible precision. I couldn't put it down.

This is a very special book. I've long admired Maira Kalman's work in The New Yorker and her children's books, so it was a treat to read a book full of her work and thoughts. She is inspiring, because she is awed by the world, incredibly talented, childlike in her perspective, well-connected, and full of contradictions. This book is handwritten, mostly comments and questions that accompany her paintings, and also some photographs, so you can read it in an hour or so. However, it's also a book that will call you back to savor a page or a chapter if you leave it sitting around the house.

I wanted to read this book, since the author lives in Seattle, and her husband just opened a pizza restaurant that is supposed to be very good. I've read a few of Molly Wizenberg's blogs, Orangette, and enjoyed them. Although I did have fun reading this, I found it very lightweight, much like a collection of breezy blogs, which it may be. For food writing, I recommend Julia Child's My Life in France, or Ruth Reichel, or MFK Fisher. I also love reading Paula Wolfort's cookbooks much more than any blog, and Patricia Wells's friendly recipes in her cookbooks and Food Lover's Guides to Paris and France.

Although I wasn't a fan of Patti Smith or punk rock, and didn't even know she knew Robert Mapplethorpe, when I saw she won the National Book Award for this book, I was intrigued. I loved so many things about this book... her language, her long friendship with Mapplethorpe during all the changes in their lives and in this country, the growth of their creativity, the stories about other artists in NYC during the 70s. I enjoyed learning about the life of Mapplethorpe, with all the highs and lows, and seeing examples of his photography. I appreciated her references to French poets, and just checked out a library book of French poetry to finally read some Rimbaud and Verlaine, then noticed that Patti Smith had written the introduction to the new edition. I think Just Kids is a remarkable and fascinating story.

This is a beautiful book with a variety of awesome characters and a spellbinding plot woven around the bombing of Guernica. It well deserves its 2009 award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. The first half of the book establishes an idyllic setting, filled with lovely details about the trees, plants, farms, food, and celebrations of the Basque Country, and anticipation of the destruction. The second half moves quickly, and surprisingly includes joy and humor as well as the anticipated pain and devastation. A recent reading of Mark Kurlansky's "A Basque History of the World" enhanced my cultural appreciation of "Guernica," and the next thing I want to do is find a large image of Picasso's mural to study.

As a new resident of the Pacific Northwest, I was attracted to this book, which won an award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. The Douglas Fir, the Douglas Iris, and the Douglas Squirrel are named for David Douglas, along with dozens of other species. He collected and named over 500 new species for the Royal Horticultural Society in the 1820s, bringing many samples back to England to be used in gardens. Douglas was a fascinating man, incredibly energetic and curious, as he traveled often alone with his dog, hiking up mountains and paddling in canoes along rivers to find new plants for British gardens and to use the latest scientific equipment to determine the height of mountains. Douglas learned about edible forest plants by watching Native Americans cooking, and he met all sorts of characters as he hiked among remote forts and sailed to and from England and Hawaii. Jack Nisbet writes poetically, brilliantly framing the dramatic life and bizarre death of this Scotsman for the 21st Century reader. I like how Nisbet locates current place names and points out local flora and fauna that Douglas would have seen in his travels, even if Douglas doesn't mention them in his own journals. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the history and natural history of the Pacific Northwest, and to those who enjoy reading a biography of a very unusual character.

Having recently moved to the Pacific Northwest, one way I'm learning about my new surroundings is through literature. Waxwings is a joyful and painful book that tells the tale of one moment in Seattle's recent history. Jonathan Raban moved from England to settle in Seattle, and his description of the dot-com boom and the perspective of two immigrants is fascinating. The flawed characters and the details about Seattle's neighborhoods are very real, and the interwoven elements of the plot and relationships among the characters are hilarious.

I want to read everything Lloyd Jones has written. First I found Mister Pip, and now this book. He is inventive, deep, heartbreaking, and he understands the connections among people and places. I love this story, set in in Buenos Aires and two places in New Zealand, spanning a few generations and decades. It was hard to stop reading it, and I found the characters very real and the language very beautiful. The tango lessons in the New Zealand cave and the character of Rosa will always stay with me.

Having loved State of Wonder so much, I'm reading Ann Patchett's earlier writings now. The Patron Saint of Liars has a lot going for it. The setting-- a home for unwed mothers in Kentucky in the 60s-- is superb, the nuns and the history of the home are brilliant, and the plot propels the reader forward. I enjoyed getting to know Rose, Son, and Cecilia, as they each narrated part of the story, and each provided different perspectives. I wonder what inspired Ann Patchett to write about this theme, this place, these people?

After following Langdon Cook's blog for some time, I loved reading this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the complexity of foraging in Washington state, and a perfect introduction for me, a transplant to this new environment. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor, open mind, and ability to share his insights about food, ecosystems, and people. Now when I notice dandelions growing by the road, or slurp a fresh oyster at the local restaurant, I remember his adventures, and appreciate that he produced this collection. Each chapter includes a recipe at the end, and they all look good. Although I read this book to learn about foraging, the explanations about the fragile ecosystems actually inspire me to buy local, fresh produce from farmers rather than to go out and search for food items in the forest. I recommend this book to anyone in the Pacific Northwest who would like to understand more about the land and food here.

I read this book only because it was a gift from close friend I know through work, and I found it incredibly inspiring and fascinating. Eboo Patel is self-effacing and honest in telling his story of growing up Muslim in the US, and he weaves in what he learns from his friends, his mentors, and his studies, including as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. He founded an international youth interfaith organization that focuses on social justice projects, and he researched the causes of violence among youth. He is a rare individual with a very open mind and a fierce dedication to his beliefs, and his story is powerfully written. I recommend this book to everyone.