A family's struggles in Iran

The Septembers of Shiraz, by Dalia Sofer, provides a portrait of a Jewish-Iranian family whose lives are torn apart by the Iranian revolution. A gem dealer in Tehran, Isaac is arrested and wrongly accused of being a Zionist spy. It is a terrible time in Iran, when those who have materially benefited during the reign of the Shah are singled out and persecuted. Isaac suffers physically and mentally in prison, but his family suffers also, as they struggle to maintain a degree of normalcy without knowing exactly what Isaac is going through. His son had been sent to New York to school, and his daughter is too young to fully understand what is happening. Although this is a haunting story that is sometimes difficult to read, the strength of the individual family members is encouraging and inspiring.

Cold nights in Leningrad

City of Thieves is the new novel by David Benioff, who did a terrific job as the screenwriter for the movie The Kite Runner. City of Thieves shows that Benioff is a talent in his own right. The story takes place during the siege of Leningrad by the Germans in World War II. The two main characters, Lev and Kolya, are strangers thrown together in prison for minor crimes that could have major consequences (such as execution). Instead, they are spared and sent on an assignment: find a dozen eggs so that the colonel's daughter can have a cake at her wedding. Leningrad is suffering, and people are surviving in cunning and brutal ways--eggs and chickens have long disappeared. The book is the recounting of Lev and Kolya's adventures and attempts to find the precious eggs before the appointed deadline. As they fight for survival, their friendship builds and becomes a thing of beauty in the midst of horror and depravation. It's a great book.

Going down memory lane

Water for Elephants has been a favorite of book groups all around the country, so the Delphi Book Club has selected it for their August book. Sara Gruen's debut novel is about an elderly man living in a nursing home, lonely and sometimes crotchety, who spends a lot of time in the past. Jacob Jankowski has led a very interesting life, and feels frustrated that his fellow residents and nurses don't seem to get that about him. When a circus comes to town, and he begins mentioning his long-ago days with the Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth, no one believes him. Most of the book takes place during Jacob's circus days during the Depression, and lets readers into a world filled with adventure, misfortune, and romance. You'll meet Uncle Al, the unscrupulous business manager; Kinko, a bitter dwarf; Marlena, the beautiful horse-riding star of the show; and Rosie, an elephant with personality and a secret. If you'd like to join in the book club's discussion of the book, join us in the program room on August 22 at 9 a.m.

If you like books in which the land figures prominently, then you must read this book. The Floor of the Sky is a beautifully written story of a family living in the Sandhills of western Nebraska. Toby Jenkins lives on a ranch that was homesteaded by her grandfather after the Civil War. She's in danger of losing it due to overdue taxes. But the story depicted here is much deeper than that. We meet Toby's granddaughter Lila, 17 and pregnant, and the longtime hired hand, George, who seems like part of the family, and many other family members and residents of Elmyra, Nebraska. We learn about secrets held and sorrows overcome and loves lost. Read it.

Focus on Food

Most of us know that Barbara Kingsolver is an exceptionally gifted, environmentally sensitive, and socially conscious fiction writer. But did you know that she nurtures her own asparagus patch? And makes her own cheese? You can, too, and you may want to after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. This book chronicles a year in the life of Kingsolver's family, a year in which they opted to eat only food that they could grow themselves or obtain from their neighbors. There are many reasons for making this kind of choice, including eating fresher and healthier foods, and reducing environmentally harmful effects of eating food that has to be processed and shipped many miles to your table. This book is the 2008 selection for Carroll County on the Same Page, the program sponsored by the three county public libraries in which we are all encouraged to read the same book and talk about it with our friends. Several book discussions and programs are planned for the summer. Contact your local Carroll County library for more information. And enjoy reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as you snack on some healthy veggies from your garden.