Sarah @ North Bend Archive.

Love You Hate You Miss You is the newest book from Elizabeth Scott. 

Amy was the only one to survive the car crash. She was the one who made them leave the party. She was the one who told Julia to drive. Amy feels responsible for killing her best friend.

Amy and Julia were inseparable. Julia was one of those amazing people. She had the best attitude, the coolest outfits and knew of all the great parties. They were a perfectly matched team and no one will ever be able to replace her.

Amy's parents made her go to rehab to deal with her alcohol problems. Her perfect parents are trying to be loving and encouraging, but Amy is frustrated by their attentive support.

Surviving high school without Julia is going to be impossible. Everyone knows about her drinking problems and what she did to her best friend.

How can you apologize to someone when they're no longer here?

What do you do when life gives you the unexpected? Otto Ringling has been coasting along on his successful editing career, with the support of a loving wife and two well behaved teenagers. Tragedy strikes when his parents are killed by a drunk driver near their North Dakota farm. Otto and his sister haven't been particularly close throughout the years. He's grounded while she's more focused on cosmic energy and the power of meditation. It's not that he's opposed to alternative viewpoints; he's a liberal and open minded individual.

Differences aside, Otto and his sister decide to embark on a road trip from New York to North Dakota to settle their parents' estate. His flakey sister bails out and sends her friend, Volya Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk, in her place.

Initially, Otto finds himself being irritated and impatient with his new Zen passenger. Otto is conflicted between his comfortable existence and the potential reality of the universe. He's somewhat embarrassed by monk's outfits and habits, yet he finds himself being drawn into Rinpoche's simple teachings.

Throughout simple philosophical discourse, an unlikely friendship develops. This story is whimsical, quirky and made me smile. Breakfast with Buddha is reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with parallels on morals, life purpose and the wonderlust of the road trip. I found Breakfast to be more accessible and easier to digest. Uplifting and charming, this book puts a positive spin on the human race.

As long as she can remember, Isabel (aka Belly) has spent every summer at the beach. It's always the same people - her mom, her brother Stephen, her mom's best friend Susannah, and Susannah's two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Gorgeous beach house, private pool where Belly loves to swim, and the leisurely pace of summer vacation. Belly's grown up with Conrad and Jeremiah, but the summer she turns 16, things get complicated. Jeremiah obviously has a crush on Belly, but Belly is into Conrad, who doesn't have the same feelings. Belly meets Cam at a beach bonfire and a relationship blossoms. What happens when summer is over and everyone goes home? Belly is surrounded by boys, but struggles with her emotions, why does love have to be so hard?  The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a wonderful, new romance.

Music is everywhere in Mia's life. Her parents were rockers. She's an accomplished cellist. Her boyfriend Adam has his own punk band. She's applied to Julliard and life after high school is finally showing more potential.

But one snowy morning everything changes. Mia and her family are driving along the highway when a semi-truck collides with their car, instantly killing Mia's parents and her younger brother. Mia finds herself outside her own body, not dead, not alive, and not knowing what to do. As a ghost-like spirit, Mia spends time at the hospital, observing her own coma state. Limbo is confusing....should she join her family in the afterlife, or return to her human body? Is this even Mia's decision to make?

Life without her parents and brother would be devastating. But, at 17 years old, is she ready to give up on what the future may hold?

This is a beautifully written book, full of grace and possibilities. It's a quick read, wonderful for fans of The Lovely Bones or Elsewhere.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was the subject of scandal in upper-class Oak Park, Illinois. Edwin and Mamah Borthwick Cheney had commissioned Wright to design their home. A romance sparked between Mamah and Frank and an affair quickly blossomed. Both felt obligations to their respective families, so rather than divorce, each separated, to reunite in Europe. For years, they traveled and lived together, each inspired by their own intellectual pursuits. When they returned to the United States, they settled in Wisconsin, in Taliesin, one of Wright's structural masterpieces.

Cheney is conflicted between her desire to be with Wright, and societal expectations placed upon her. Critics of their relationship were open in their distaste for her ethical decisions. Because she was the other woman, Cheney was vehemently accused of homewrecking, more so than Wright. Her narration reflects her guilt and eventual acceptance of her choices

This novel is part historical fiction, part biography, and reflects a dedication on Horan's part to research a relatively unknown part of Wright's romantic past. Beautifully written, Loving Frank exudes a graceful flow, introducing the reader to the beauty and complexity of their illicit affair.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
 
It's 1946, and author Juliet Ashton has writer's block.  World War II has ended and she's built her journalistic career reporting on the war.  Juliet is feisty, witty and has suitors clamoring for her attention.  She receives a letter from a Dawsey Adams, inquiring about a particular author's work.  A correspondence ensues, and Juliet learns of an impromptu book club on the island of Guernsey.  Guernsey had been occupied by the Germans during the war.  Soldiers caught a group of islanders celebrating late into the evening.  The guise of a literary club helped them avoid arrest for neglecting curfew.  To avoid suspicion, they continued to meet, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was born. 
 
The islanders are ready to tell their story, and Juliet is thrilled to receive it.  Detailed letters reveal how their daily lives were affected by the occupation and how they coped with the horrors of war.  The island community banded together and pooled their resources.  Friendships evolved around a common love of the book and pleasure in each other's company.  Juliet is enthralled by their lifestyle and has discovered a topic for her new work.
 
I'm a cover snob and this one turned me off immediately.  After succumbing to friend's recommendation, I fell for Guernsey's characters, the epistolary style (written in the form of a series of letters) and its whimsical rhythm.  Cover aside, this is definitely one of my favorite picks from 2009.

                                         In A Map of the Known World, Cora's older brother Nate was killed in a car accident, and her grieving family is falling apart. The teachers and students at Nate's old high school take pity on her and she is losing her best friend to the popular crowd. But art class is her escape. Cora has a passion is for making maps -- maps of places she's been and where she wants to go. Her parents don't approve of Cora hanging out with Damian. He was her brother's best friend, and was riding with him during the accident. But Damian seems sincere, so Cora continues to see him behind her parents' back. Her art teacher encourages her to apply for an art program in London and life appears to be improving. As their romance blossoms, Cora learns of a sensitive side of her brother she didn't know existed.

Some memoirs have the ability to move you, to shake your comfort level and to make you appreciate your situation.Infidel did all of this for me. I remember hearing about this book a few years ago, and a friend recently lent it to me. I thank her for opening my eyes to a world that still exists today, outside of my line of vision.

In Somalia, under Islamic law, women can be viewed as inferior to men. Without a man's protection, a woman's honor, virtue and reputation are at stake. Ali's own grandmother used to warn her that "a woman alone is like a piece of sheep fat in the sun."

Ali's father was part of the resistance against Siad Barre's corrupt government.  He kept his family moving around Arab world in efforts to keep them safe. Ali spent her childhood attending schools in Saudi Arabia and Kenya to avoid the civil war in their homeland of Somalia. Education was strict, and adhered to Muslim ideals. Ali was an obedient daughter, a dedicated student, and yet, had an incredibly arduous childhood.

Her mother subjected her to constant physical and verbal abuse. Her traditional grandmother arranged for female circumcision to be performed her granddaughters. While studying the Quran with a private tutor, Ali was beat so badly that she required hospitalization.

Then Ali discovered books. Books that described freedom of choice. Books that told of romantic love affairs. Books that exemplified Western ideas about women's rights. Questioning her family and faith, Ali took control of her life and fled to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage to a distant cousin.

Ali took refugee status in Holland, and began working at battered women's shelters as a Somali interpreter. She was shocked to see the humane treatment of women in Europe, and amazed at the government's attitude to help its citizens, rather than oppress them.

Discovering her passion for human rights, Ali denounced her faith, and began work in the Dutch political scene for the Labor Party. She rose to a position of power as a member of Dutch Parliament, and achieved notoriety for her work for women's rights under Islamic law.

Her daily life took a drastic turn when her colleague, Theo Van Gogh, was brutally murdered for his work on a film depicting Muslim women's oppression. Threats on her life increased, and Ali was forced to go underground, and was surrounded by bodyguards. Angry letters poured in from Muslims who were outraged at the perceived betrayal of their faith.

Ali has gained international recognition for her dedication to women's rights. She authored a proclamation for women's rights under Islam in her book, The Caged Virgin.

Do you ever discover a new author and want to read everything they've written? Well, that's how I feel about Guy Delisle. He not only writes, but also is a comic artist, and his graphic novels fill a special niche in the travelogue genre.

Guy Delisle finds himself living in one of the world's most guarded and secretive cultures in Pyongyang, North Korea's capitol. Unbeknownst to me, North Korea is an animation haven, many of its artists work on developing frames in conjunction with French and Italian film studios. While working on animation projects, Delisle chronicles his observations of daily life and the state of the country. North Korea has the appearance of perfection, a noble goal in a communist society. The people are educated, and the infrastructure is stable. Not only do its citizens adhere to their government's rules and standards, but everyone seems to idolize their leaders, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Through Delisle's illustrated memoir, he gives a scrutinizing account of a closed society.

Another of his memoirs, The Burma Chronicles, follows a similar pattern of   inquisitive observation. Delisle tends to end up in remote regions. His wife receives an assignment in Myanmar (formerly Burma), through Doctors without Borders. While his wife is working on village medicine, Delisle looks after their infant son, works on his comic memoir and explores local culture. He gives interesting perspective about living under a dictatorship in a country where Buddhism thrives, and human rights are under attack.

Two recent wars give inspiration for two very disparate graphic novels - Waltz with Bashir and the Pride of Baghdad. The visual interpretation of these historical events is a powerful medium. Frank and succinct writing in both novels guide the reader through beautifully crafted and moving works. While the subject matter is gritty, they can be read briskly, leaving plenty of time for contemplation and reflection. These are best intended for mature audiences.

Waltz With Bashir by Ari Folman.

I stumbled across this gem while searching for the DVD of the award-winning documentary of the same name. Ari Folman was a member of the Israeli army in the early 1980's. His patrol was involved in the massacre of hundreds or thousands of Palestinians, yet Folman was unable to remember his personal whereabouts during the slaughter. Although his memory is faulty, he attempts to recreate his time spent in the war. Interviews with his fellow soldiers help him to fill in the gaps, as he realizes his memory may not be as solid as he once believed. The horrors of war resonate with Folman's conscious as he pieces together his past and comes to terms with his personal involvement.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian Vaughn.

When the United States bombed Iraq in 2003, civilians weren't the only casualty. This graphic novel is based on the true story of four lions that escaped captivity from the Baghdad zoo, and were loose on the streets of Baghdad. For the first time, these domesticated animals must find their own food and defend themselves against predators. The illustrations showcase the harsh, violent realities of a city caught in the mist of war. This book is not intended for weak stomachs. War is violence, and this book emphasizes how it affects all members of a society, including the animal world.