Review: Benny and Shrimp

Benny and Shrimp

by Katarina Mazetti

My Synopsis

First published in Sweden in 1998 and translated to English and published in Britain in 2008, Benny and Shrimp is a short novel about the relationship between a couple who meet in a cemetery. The woman is a young widow visiting her husband's grave and the man is a dairy farmer visiting his parents' grave.

My Thoughts

Based on my very brief synopsis, you would think this book would be boring...a book about a couple in a relationship?! Not at all. I thought it was great. Quirky, fun and funny.

The man (Benny) and the woman (Shrimp) are at similar places in their lives when they first meet, both longing for love; "Shrimp" for a love lost through death, Benny for a love not yet found. The relationship between them, I thought, was so realistic. I love the part when Shrimp is talking about the things people do for love in the beginning of a relationship: "...stood in ice-cold water letting leeches attach themselves to my legs because he needed them for research." It's so true! I let my husband think, when we first met, that I was into cars. I went with him to car auctions, we drove to Bloomington for a Corvette show, I leaned over his old Corvette and listened patiently while he explained how an engine works. There were many times throughout the book where I found myself nodding in agreement. Been there, done that. And don't you love when you can relate to the characters? The author showed Benny and Shrimp experiencing typical issues such as being hurt, feeling jealous, having "butterflies," and confusion about whether or not to end it. And she did it in the wittiest, most straightforward way. Sometimes I thought, "Oh my gosh, did she really write that?" when writing about some sexual feelings and situations. I do feel the book stopped rather abruptly and left me wanting more. Sometimes that's a good thing, though. You'll have to read it to find out the surprising, "21st century" way it ends.

Thank you to Mary from Book Fan who was nice enough to send me this book "just because." I love my sweet blogging friends!

My Rating

4/5

Review: Undaunted Courage

Undaunted Courage

by Stephen Ambrose


My Synopsis

A biography about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

My Thoughts

An amazing, well-researched book that was informative but not so technical that it was difficult to read. Surprisingly, I got into this book! Ambrose wrote in a way that I felt I was with these courageous explorers as they encountered Indians - some friendly, some not - dealt with illness, mosquitoes, and bears, how they hunted for food, built canoes, rode rapids and walked miles in the snow. He was extremely thorough in his research; he spent months traveling the same trails and viewing the same sights mentioned in their journals. He does a great job of detailing the relationship between Meriwether Lewis and President Thomas Jefferson and at the end of the book included Lewis's mental illness and suicide. After the expedition, Lewis's mental illness prevented him from publishing his journals and sadly he died before doing so. Because of this, Lewis and Clark never got credit for most of their discoveries. A man named Nicholas Biddle published a book called The History of the Expedition Under the Commands of Captains Lewis and Clark, which was a narrative and paraphrase of the journals.

Awesome, awesome book. Everyone should read this. It's one of those books where you need to set time aside since it's not an easy read, but when you do put the time into it, it's really worth it.
Stephen Ambrose wrote another book called D-Day and I plan on reading that as well.

Thanks to Amos for recommending this book!

My Rating

5/5 but not because I couldn't put it down, as my rating system says, but because it was both interesting to read and I learned so much.

What are You Reading?

Is it really Monday already?

I shouldn't even be posting on this meme hosted by J. Kaye. I read ONE measly book. Actually, I'm not even finished with it.

But it's long. 500 pages. With tiny little words.

Listen to me. Excuses, excuses.

The book is really good, though. It's called Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose and it's about the Lewis and Clark expedition, which I knew absolutely nothing about. Until now. I love books that teach me something I don't know. I'm going to read another book of his called D-Day. Sometime. Not now.

What should I read next? (After I finish the one I'm reading!)

A Girl Named Zippy

Jane Eyre

Benny and Shrimp

Life of Pi

Will you decide for me?

Nothing

Hmmm, what do I want for Christmas...

Oh, nothing at all.

I have everything I want or need in life. Family. Good health. A roof over my head.

Thanks for asking, though.

No Book Challenges - My New Year's Resolution

It's so tempting to join the book challenges starting in 2010. But after going to Borders yesterday and seeing all the books there, I'm even more tempted not to sign up for a challenge. I'm tired of the one I'm doing now because I feel obligated. The challenge list on my sidebar is starting to weigh me down. Especially because there are so many books I want to just pick up at the book store and start reading!

So, I think my New Year's resolution is going to be to not sign up for any book challenges. Except...maybe one - J. Kaye's 2010 100+ Book Challenge. I'm participating in a similar one through Goodreads this year, and the only obligation is to read 100 or more books in a year. Any books you want. I don't think I'm going to meet my goal this year, since I'm only on book #80 and there are just a few weeks left in the year. That's okay though, 80 is good, and I love not feeling obligated to read certain books.

What about you? Which book challenges, if any, will you be participating in?

Book Giveaway Winners!

The winners are...

Three Cups of Tea ~ Angel

The Monster of Florence ~ Madeleine

The Weight of Silence ~ ccq

1776 ~ Busy Bee



Congratulations to all the winners. I've emailed you and will send the books as soon as you reply.


Yeah! I just love giving books away. I'll be doing just that in another giveaway soon, so be sure to stop by again.


Oh, and check out my book review below on The Dogs Who Found Me, if only for the heartwarming story of my neighbor and the dog she found who was close to death. I want to be like her. She's my hero. :)

The Education of Little Tree

by Forest Carter

My Synopsis


A memoir-style fictional novel, first published in 1976, about a Cherokee Indian orphaned as a young boy and raised by his grandparents in the Appalachian mountains during the Depression. "Little Tree," as his grandparents call him, learns all he needs to know about life through Indian traditions and simple mountain living. The grandparents are eventually forced by the state to send Little Tree to an orphanage, where he encounters prejudice and loneliness.

Interesting Note

Much controversy surrounds the author, Forrest Carter, purported to have been active in White supremacist organizations, and his claim that the book is based on childhood memories of his Cherokee uncle; when in fact his brother says there are no American Indian members in his family. The controversy includes racism and the author's intentions, stereotyping of characters in the book, as well as inaccuracies of the Cherokee language and culture.


My Thoughts


I love books like this, the kind that really make you think and that touch your heart and stay with you long after you finish them. The sentences, though short, are powerful and meaningful, the kind you want to re-read because they really "packed a punch." Mmmm, love sentences like that.

I wish I had known about all the controversy before I read the book. I would have read it in a whole new light. But maybe it's better that I didn't? This would have been a re-read for me anyway, because I enjoyed it that much, but because of what I know now about the author and all the hoopla, I'll definitely read it again while keeping all of that in mind. Makes it even more interesting!

Thanks to my friend Karen B. for recommending this book.

My Rating

4/5