gvlee
Oakville Public Library
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Added Jun 07, 2019
Etta and Otto and Russell and JamesEtta and Otto and Russell and James, Book
by Hooper, EmmaBook - 2015Book, 2015
Added Apr 28, 2019
Comment:
By the author of Our Homesick Songs.
This book seems sweet and tender, going into the past of the 83 year old protagonist as she wanders off on a journey from Saskatchewan to Halifax by foot. But the pace is super slow and I didn’t have the patience for the meandering style. The central conflict, if there is one, had not yet revealed itself by page 26. I stopped there.
Verdict: Slow, nostalgic story about 3 farm children and the dog, James. Maybe one to try again another day.By the author of Our Homesick Songs.
This book seems sweet and tender, going into the past of the 83 year old protagonist as she wanders off on a journey from Saskatchewan to Halifax by foot. But the pace is super slow and I didn’t have the…
The Boy in the Striped PajamasThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas, BookA Fable
by Boyne, JohnBook - 2007Book, 2007
gvlee's rating:
Added Jan 26, 2019
Comment:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a children's novel in which Bruno, the 9 year old son of a high ranking Nazi Commandant, must move to Auschwitz when his father is posted there. Bruno does not understand why there is a fence between his new house and the camp; he does not understand who lives in the camp and why they must all wear the same striped pyjamas. One day, Bruno meets Schmuel, a 9 year old boy on the other side of the fence. The two strike up a friendship and meet whenever they can on their respective sides of the fence, to chat. Bruno continues to be ignorant about the conditions on Schmuel's side of the fence. After a year, Bruno's unhappy mother convinces her husband to let her and the children move back to Berlin. Bruno breaks the news of his imminent departure to Schmuel. They make a plan for Schmuel to bring a set of "pyjamas" to their next meeting, so that Bruno can put them on and slip under the fence, to help Schmuel look for Schmuel's missing father, as an adventure to mark their last day together. While Bruno is in the camp with Schmuel, many of the prisoners are rounded up, including Bruno and Schmuel, and are herded into a long, air tight room. Presumably, they are gassed to death. Bruno and Schmuel hold hands in the gas chamber, to the last. Bruno's father figures out what happened and becomes a broken man. When the Nazis are defeated, he goes willingly as a POW.
The story is shocking in its ending, all the more so because of the innocence of Bruno as he narrates his experience. The author does not pretty up the story, despite the fact that this is a children's book. Bruno's father is presented as a complex man, one who was a patient father, and who was kind to the maid, Maria, in paying for her mother's hospital and funeral expenses, and then taking her in as a maid when she had nowhere else to turn. Yet, he has ambitions to rise in the Nazi party. The mother, similarly, is loving towards her children, but she drinks heavily and has an affair with a young soldier.
Verdict: Horrifying depiction of Auschwitz told from the standpoint of the innocent 9 year old son of a high ranking Nazi officer. 4.5 stars out of 5.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a children's novel in which Bruno, the 9 year old son of a high ranking Nazi Commandant, must move to Auschwitz when his father is posted there. Bruno does not understand why there is a fence between his new house…
gvlee's rating:
Added Jul 17, 2018
Comment:
Puddin' is the sequel to Dumplin'. The main character recently won a Blue Bonnet pageant and wants to maintain a close friendship with girls she became friends with at the pageant. The writing itself is well done, but there is no conflict or tension in the plot. And it is goody-goody to point of nausea. I am guessing this was written for a very young audience. The author doesn't spell out bad-ass; she uses asterisks for the 2 "s"-s. Plenty of teen books are riveting reads for adults, but this ain't one of them.Puddin' is the sequel to Dumplin'. The main character recently won a Blue Bonnet pageant and wants to maintain a close friendship with girls she became friends with at the pageant. The writing itself is well done, but there is no conflict or…
gvlee's rating:
Added Jun 19, 2017
Comment:
Teen romance. Bailey meets Alex online. She moves to live with her divorced Dad and meets Porter. After the initial predictable part in which she hates Porter, she then falls in love with him. Then, it turns out that Alex and Porter are--gasp--the same person. Quel surprise! Huge drama ensues because Porter thought she was cheating on him with Alex. Happy ending. I felt like the author manufactured a lot of unnecessary drama, and that the characters over reacted to a degree that wasn't authentic. However, it was a cute story and the author was skillful enough to keep me reading right to the end.Teen romance. Bailey meets Alex online. She moves to live with her divorced Dad and meets Porter. After the initial predictable part in which she hates Porter, she then falls in love with him. Then, it turns out that Alex and Porter…
gvlee's rating:
Added Mar 22, 2017
Comment:
Katie desperately wants to make it in the world of marketing in London. She reinvents herself, hiding all traces of her West Country life and accent. Her boss, Demeter, is brilliant but comes off as uncaring. When Katie is laid off, she gives in to her father and step-mother's pleas to help them start up a glamping business on the family farm. Katie does an outstanding job with the marketing and business plan and the business takes off. When Demeter turns up as one of the guests, Katie learns that Demeter's life is not as perfect as she had imagined it to be. Furthermore, Demeter is about to be fired. Katie delves into the situation and finds out that Demeter's supposed job mistakes were set up by a trio of office workers who didn't like her. All is rectified and Katie ends up getting hired back, this time as a creative director. A romance between young partner Alex and Katie spices up the plot, and the tension between Katie and her dad is resolved in a subplot. Katie learns to be true to her own self and her not-so-perfect life, instead of pretending that she leads a glamorous city life. Typical Kinsella fun. The dad in this book takes on Shopaholic's personality. A good escape read.Katie desperately wants to make it in the world of marketing in London. She reinvents herself, hiding all traces of her West Country life and accent. Her boss, Demeter, is brilliant but comes off as uncaring. When Katie is laid off, she gives in…
gvlee's rating:
Added Nov 01, 2016
Comment:
This was Kent Haruf's first novel. The main character is Edith, but the narrator is the son of the man who loved her. Edith was born to a farming couple in Colorado. Her father was a cruel tyrant. When the wife dies young, all the housework falls to Edith, in addition to her farming chores. Her younger brother, Lyman, is also worked to the bone. Both children are removed from school at a young age to work the farm. Years later, when the narrator, who is their neighbour, proposes marriage to Edith, the father chops off his sole remaining finger to show Edith that she cannot abandon him since he is so handicapped. Edith had already decided that she could not leave her brother to bear alone the burden of their father. When WWII breaks out, her brother, with Edith's blessing, leaves to enlist. He does not return for 20 years. Edith does her duty by her father for the next 11 years before he dies. The brother finally returns 9 years after the father's death. Edith and he have 6 happy years living together on the farm. It is later hinted that they had an incestuous relationship, having been forbidden by their father to form friendships with anyone. The reader is led to understand that the two siblings had to take comfort any way that they could, under their father's brutal and restrictive regime. Lyman then begins to experience progressive dementia. At this point, the siblings are near 80 years old. When Lyman gradually becomes incontinent, increasingly incoherent, and uncontrollably violent at times, Edith is unable to manage him, and yet cannot bear to put him in an institution. After 9 months of deliberation, she executes a plan: She makes Lyman a wonderful candlelit meal, dressing him his best clothes, then puts him to bed, locks all the doors, and sets the house on fire, setting herself on a rocking chair in the living room to await their fate. Unfortunately, the neighbour's dog alerts the neighbour to the fire and the two siblings are rescued. Lyman dies of smoke inhalation that night, but Edith lives and will be put on trial. The book ends while Edith is still in hospital, recovering from the fire. The narrator concludes that Edith should not be tried in court; she acted on duty and love her whole life and setting the fire was a release for both, not a crime. My question is, how did Edith possess such a strong moral fibre, such a sense of duty, when she could not have been taught to think that way by her tyrannical father? Perhaps her meek mother somehow impressed on her the importance of honour and duty before she died? This is a bleak novel and indeed is about the ties that bind, making it impossible for Edith to seek a life of her own. The neighbour was also bound to Edith by his lifelong love for her, which he passed down to his son, the narrator.This was Kent Haruf's first novel. The main character is Edith, but the narrator is the son of the man who loved her. Edith was born to a farming couple in Colorado. Her father was a cruel tyrant. When the wife dies young, all the housework…
gvlee's rating:
Added Jun 20, 2016
gvlee's rating:
Added May 05, 2016
Comment:
A book about Alice and Max, two 16 year olds who have dreamed about each other in their sleep since age 9. When Alice transfers to a new school and meets Max in person, each is shocked to realise the other is a real person. A bumpy romance ensues. Classified as teen fiction, I would say the maturity level is more suitable for tweens. Parts of the plot are way oversimplified and some characters are very uni-dimensional. I think I would've enjoyed this as a 12 year old reader.A book about Alice and Max, two 16 year olds who have dreamed about each other in their sleep since age 9. When Alice transfers to a new school and meets Max in person, each is shocked to realise the other is a real person. A bumpy romance ensues.…
Added Sep 12, 2015
KingsmanKingsman, Blu-ray DiscThe Secret Service
Blu-ray Disc - 2015Blu-ray Disc, 2015
gvlee's rating:
Added Jul 04, 2015
The Dolphin WayThe Dolphin Way, BookA Parent's Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy, and Motivated Kids Without Turning Into A Tiger
by Kang, Shimi K.Book - 2014Book, 2014
gvlee's rating:
Added Jun 07, 2015
Comment:
I agreed with everything the author said, but there's not enough practical advice. This book is more about the philosophy of not micromanaging your kids' lives. I need more tangible tips on how to negotiate tricky situations. However, the writing was good and the author came across as very likeable.I agreed with everything the author said, but there's not enough practical advice. This book is more about the philosophy of not micromanaging your kids' lives. I need more tangible tips on how to negotiate tricky situations. However, the writing…
gvlee's rating:
Added Feb 27, 2015
gvlee's rating:
Added Feb 27, 2015
gvlee's rating:
Added Jan 05, 2015
The NotebookThe Notebook, DVD
DVD - 200-?DVD, 200-?
Added Dec 21, 2014
Confessions of A ShopaholicConfessions of A Shopaholic, Book
by Kinsella, SophieBook - 2001Book, 2001
Added Dec 14, 2014
The IT CrowdThe IT Crowd, DVDSeason 1
DVD - 2009DVD, 2009
gvlee's rating:
Added Dec 10, 2014
gvlee's rating:
Added Oct 26, 2014
Comment:
A novel set in 1956, when the Russians move in to suppress the Hungarian revolution, is told ostensibly in the voice of a 9.8 year old boy whose family must flee Hungary to relative safety in Paris, where is great aunt lives. Much of the book is spent in meandering philosophising. Along the way, the reader learns of atrocities that were endured by the boy's family, who are Jewish, during WW II. In the end, the boy's older brother dies in Paris' sewer underground, likely killed by thugs. It is a seemingly random, pointless death. The ending points to the family's eventual immigration to Canada. I finished this book because the subject deserves much respect. If you like a lot of tangential discussion and speculation about philosophy, this is the book for you.A novel set in 1956, when the Russians move in to suppress the Hungarian revolution, is told ostensibly in the voice of a 9.8 year old boy whose family must flee Hungary to relative safety in Paris, where is great aunt lives. Much of the book is…
gvlee's rating:
Added Oct 25, 2014
Comment:
A fair effort for a first time novelist, but still not worth the time it took to read. Amateurish character development. I must give the author credit for creating enough interest in the story line for me to keep reading, in order to find out the truth. A young woman fakes her own disappearance in order to frame her former best friend for her murder. The best friend finds out it's a set up. In the very end, BFF convinces faker to commit suicide, which faker does. Lame.A fair effort for a first time novelist, but still not worth the time it took to read. Amateurish character development. I must give the author credit for creating enough interest in the story line for me to keep reading, in order to find out the…
gvlee's rating:
Added May 20, 2014
gvlee's rating:
Added May 20, 2014
Now You See MeNow You See Me, Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc - 2013Blu-ray Disc, 2013
gvlee's rating:
Added Mar 22, 2014
gvlee's rating:
Added Jun 13, 2013
gvlee's rating:
Added Mar 31, 2013
Comment:
I read this trilogy in junior high. My 11 year old daughter just took it out and I stole it from her to re-read it. It's just as good and juicy now as it was then! Excellent sci-fi dystopian future novel. My teen aged son enjoyed, it, too.
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