Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.
Fiction
2001 Knopf
Finished on October 1, 2001
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
After a year away at college, military brat Bernadette Root has come “home” to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, to spend the summer with her bizarre yet comforting clan. Ruled by a strict, regimented Air Force Major father, but grounded in their mother’s particular brand of humor, Bernie’s family was destined for military greatness during the glory days of the mid-’50s. But in Base life, where an unkempt lawn is cause for reassignment, one fateful misstep changed the Roots’ world forever. Yet the family’s silence cannot keep the wounds of the past from reemerging . . . nor can the memory fade of beloved Fumiko, the family’s former maid, whose name is now verboten. And the secrets long ago covered up in classic military style–through elimination and denial–are now forcing their way to the surface for a return engagement.My Original Thoughts (2001):
Reminiscent of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Funny and touching. Got a little slow partway through, but still very enjoyable.
My Current Thoughts:
I haven't read anything else by Sarah Bird, but I do remember enjoying this one. She has written several novels, as well as a couple of nonfiction works. Her most recent release, Last Dance on the Starlight Pier sounds like it has possibilities.
As always, I am impressed with you posting books you've previously read. It's such a great way to update your blog, keep a record of your past reads, and reminisce about past reads.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I have a stack of reading journals in which I kept brief notes on the books I read twenty-some-odd years ago. It's fun to re-record those thoughts on my blog & Goodreads. Now I need to decide if I should throw all those journals away, since I now have the notes recorded in two separate places.
Delete"Reminiscent of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" grabs my attention. I love that book!
ReplyDeleteJen, wasn't it a great book? I should re-read it someday...
DeleteI read this one many years back and also read The Gap Year by her. She's an Austin author and I saw her at one library event way back too. I have not read her latest books, but I also read a sort of essay book she wrote called 'A Love Letter to Texas Women'. It was fun.
ReplyDeleteKay, I think I remember you mentioning her many years ago. I think I heard about her from a coworker when I was working at Borders in Fort Worth. The essay book sounds entertaining!
DeleteOne of my real life friends, Erin, is also a reader, and she recommended Sarah Bird to me many years ago. Bird's an Austin-based writer, so the subjects of her fiction are often ones I am familiar with.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I first heard about this book & author when we were living in Fort Worth, TX.
DeleteI like the sound of this one! I think she lives in Austin too so I should read something by her!
ReplyDeleteYep, she's a Texas gal. You should give this one a try, Iliana!
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