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Anxious People

4/24/2021

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Author- Fredrik Backman
Humor, layered plot, redeeming characters
​Bestseller

I've read a few Backman books-- A Man Called Ove, Beartown, My Grandmother asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry-- but Anxious People is my favorite and I think it may be his best.  Yes, it has a humorous style and quirky characters, but Backman weaves this story so well that you're cheering for everyone-- the bank robber, the cops, the hostages.

The storyline-- after a failed bank robbery attempt, the would-be-robber takes a group of random (emphasis on random!) people hostage at an apartment showing. Each has their own set of issues and anxieties, including the officers sent in for the rescue.  

As with all Backman novels, there is a deeper sentiment in play... characters come to an understanding, grievances are put aside, life is renewed, faith is restored. But these messages are subtle, leaving the reader with a satisfied smile when the last chapter is finished. 

UPDATE: Anxious People was a selection for our book club. ​Only three of us finished the book! People found it too quirky, not a traditional storyline, too many characters seemed daffy. I loved it for the author's depth and understanding, the themes, and how everything comes together in the end, making sense of the daffy, quirky, unusual storyline.  So read to the end for the reward of a layer themes and great writing.  



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Take What You Can Carry

4/18/2021

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Author- Gian Sardar
One on best books I've read this year.
Worth your time!

1979, secretary (aspiring photojournalist) accompanies Kurdish boyfriend to Northern Iraq for a family wedding. The story is well crafted and tight, drama unfolds, the characters are multi-dimensional.   All good elements of a novel. 
What makes this novel great is the writing style and the author's ability to take the reader inside a family in Kurdistan.  We have become unsensitized to the violence in the region. Sardar makes it real and makes it personal, without making it sentimental.  

This book has all the good elements: it held my interest, I wanted to know what would happen, I cared about the people.  It helped me gain a better understanding of  the region, the people, their struggle, how death finds them.  For that, I thank Gian Sardar for with understanding comes empathy, and empathy would make everything better.

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The Rent Collector

4/10/2021

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Author- Camron Wright
Inspiring and disturbing, you will remember this book!
​If you only read 5 books this year, make this one of them.
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The story of this small family is set in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia-- it's where they scrounge for a living, sleep, prepare meals, raise their son, are robbed, beaten.  Depressing? Yes, but it's also a story of inspiration and hope, with characters who are determined and optimistic.  You many find the reading heavy through the first few chapters, but you'll likely be full of hope at the end. 

The mom, Sang Ly, wants a better life for her chronically ill toddler, Nisay. She convinces the curmudgeonly alcoholic rent collector, Sopeap Sin, to teach her to read.  Stories of the characters within the garbage dump unfold, often with sorrow, but also with support and strength of the human spirit. The plot is both enlightening and disturbing and always keeps your interest.

I don't enjoy books written by lazy authors, and Wright is not-- his use of words takes this writing to another level. Sopeap Sin insists that Sang Ly respect and appreciate literature. And Sopeap Sin would appreciate The Rent Collector, because it is good literature. 

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