weekly geeks 16: This week’s theme is to pair up with another Weekly Geek and interview each other about a book.
Each of you should name a book you’ve recently read. If you’re completely caught up on reviews, name an old favorite you’ve never posted about. Your partner will ask you interview-style questions about that book.
My partner is Kim from Page After Page
Her book is The Blue Star by Tony Early
Bookworm: 1. What is The Blue Star about? What made you read this book?
Kim: The Blue Star by Tony Early is the sequel to Jim the Boy, which is why I wanted to read this one. It is every bit as good as the first one.
The story is about Jim, now 6 years older than in the first book, a senior in high school during 1941....Just as the United States hovered on the verge of WWII. It is about the struggles he has as a young man, trying to always do the right thing, while wrestling with the fact that he is in love with a young girl, who lives up on the mountain who is engaged to a boy a year older than Jim, who has already joined the Navy. The Blue Star itself refers to the service banners which families of servicemen hung in their windows during WWII.
Bookworm: 2. Do you need to read Jim The Boy first? Or can you just read The Blue Star and still understand what is going on in the story?
Kim: You can read this book alone, but it will be a richer storyline if you have the background of the first book too.
Bookworm:3. What did you like most about this book? What did you like the least?
Kim: I like the character of Jim--he reminds me of a real boy, not unlike my own sons, and not unlike what they would maybe have been like if we were living in that era. The Uncles in the story are great, supportive and compassionate in a gruff, bachelor kind of way. I also really like the pace of the story and how the relationships are carried along.
There was nothing I did not like!
Bookworm:4. Tell us a bit about the author. Will you read more of their work?
Kim: Tony Earley has written a couple of other books, one of which was Jim the Boy, where this story begins. I most certainly will read other things by this author, and in fact I am hoping for a 3rd Jim book to come out. He does end this one with that being an option, it appears. Earley has a very sparse prose style, which makes the book stand out to me-not overly wordy, yet was able to bring a tear to my eye a couple of times.
Bookworm:5. What is your favorite line, quote or event in The Blue Star?
Jim started, then smiled a little for the second time that morning." What makes you think I'm in love with Christine Steppe?"
"If you were any more in love with her, we'd have to bury you."
"Being in love never killed anybody."
"You know that ain't right. Being in love is like getting run over. Sometimes it kills you an sometimes it don't."
"I don't care if it's fair or not. Wishing somebody dead is a terrible thing, a sinful thing, and wishing they would burn in hell is even worse. I want you to be a better man than that."
"But I'm not a better man than that."
"You have to choose every minute of every day. As soon as you don't, you're lost."
Bookworm: 6. Who is your favorite character in the story?
Kim: My favorite character is of course Jim--he is such a real character and I found myself sympathizing with him and cheering him on through his teen angst, as he struggles to grow up.
Bookworm: 7. How would you rate this book? Would you recommend it?
Kim: I give this book a 10 out 10 and would definitely recommend it--especially to readers who like books set in the pre WWII era, or who like stories set in small rural towns.
Bookworm: The book sounds interesting Kim!
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My book was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
. I read this book last year and really enjoyed it.
Kim: 1. Why is this one of your favorite books? I assume you like it well enough to recommend, but why?
Bookworm: Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorites because it's just such an interesting story. The storyline took hold of me from the beginning and I couldn't put the book down.
Kim: 2. Is this book character driven or plot driven?
Bookworm: The book is a bit of both I think. Set in the 1930's in Japan, it is a story about a girl named Chiyo, who lives in a fishing village with her mother, father and older sister. Their mother is very ill, and their father sells the girls off to a man who takes them to Tokyo. The sisters are separated and Chiyo goes to live in a Geisha house. Chiyo grows up to become one of the most famous Geisha in Japan.
Kim: 3. I have this book on my tbr list, but haven't gotten around to it for several years. I think it just seems intimidating--is it hard to get into, or does it grab you at the beginning?
Bookworm: I think you might enjoy this book. It takes off from the start. There's heartache, struggles and plenty of drama involved.
Kim: 4.Are there lots and lots of characters, or just a few main ones?
Bookworm: There's alot of characters involved, but a few main characters that are an important part of the plot. The funny thing is, the man that the main character Chiyo picks in the end, is not the one I wanted her to choose.
Kim: 5. What is YOUR favorite line/lines or quotes from this book.
Bookworm: Theres some great lines in this book, heres just a few:
“We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in on direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.”
“Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however, we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper.”
“I can see you have a great deal of water in your personality. Water never waits. It changes shapes and flows around things, and finds the secret paths no one else has thought about-the tiny hole through the roof or the bottom of a box. There’s no doubt it’s the most versatile of the five elements. It can wash away earth; it can put out fire; it can wear a piece of metal down and sweep it away. Even wood, which is its natural complement, can’t survive without it being nurtured by water. Those of us with water in our personalities don’t pick where we’ll flow. All we can do is flow where the landscape of our lives takes us.”
Kim: 6. Has this author written more and if so what? Have you read anything else by him?
Bookworm: I don't think Arthur Golden has written any other novels, but if he does, I will read them. He's an excellent writer.
Kim: Have you seen the movie and if so, how does it compare to the book?
Bookworm: Yes, I did see the film. It was very well done. But the book is so much better. You really get a feel for what the characters are going through when you read it. And you also get more details on Japanese culture in the book. Kimono's especially are explained in detail. The daily life of a Geisha fascinated me, everything from their training, clothing and thier rituals is explained fully in the book. For example, to become a Geisha is a priveledge, and these girls are chosen then sent to a school to train for years. I had no idea this is what being a Geisha was like. I never really knew what Geisha were, but reading the book, you get a better idea of how these women live.
