The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant tells the story of a young woman in Florence in the late 1400s. She is well-educated and an artist which is unusual for women in that time. Her desire is to be alone to study and draw but societal conventions and her family’s position determine that her fate be either marriage or the convent. When Florence is threatened by the French army, she is forced
to make a quick decision on her future.

With the invasion looming, the city’s clergy is preaching that the sinfulness and profligacy of the people have brought them to this terrible moment in their history.

The citizens are in fear of the conflict and their possible damnation in the afterlife. The sermons are full of ranting against the bad influence of art, secular learning and pleasure. This topic is rather timely so it added extra zing to the book.

Big Mouth is a young man who is funny, well-liked and talented. He also craves the attention of his friends. He gets into trouble one day during lunch for making a joking comment about being violent at the school and is reported to the principal. The experience of his interrogation by police and being ostracized once he returns to school has a profound effect on a boy who seemed content with his world. And now that world is turned upside down because of his big mouth.

Ugly Girl is a young woman who is a loner, athlete and the voice of reason during the school’s crisis. She overhears the boy’s comments, knows the context of the conversation and makes the decision to speak out so the truth will be known. She remains apart from the ebb and flow of high school life and shields herself in the persona she created called Ugly Girl. She is smart, unswayed by the opinions of others but is not content with her world. Her world, too, is eventually changed dramatically because of the events that open the book.

I was very impressed that the author handled a lot of issues that impact high school students – school violence, body image, peer pressure, family relationships, depression, etc. – in a deft manner without being preachy or melodramatic. The topics are introduced via conversations or the action of the novel in a natural way that makes all of the events wholly believable and the characters convincing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thought-provoking book and would recommend it to all adults – young, old or anywhere in between.

The Time Traveler’s Wife adeptly evokes the longing caused by separation, the power of memory and the sweet pain of love.

Jorge Amado’s conspiratorial storytelling style was very appealing. He made me feel that I was sharing all the secrets of his joyfully irreverent and lusty romp through Salvador de Bahia, Brazil during Carnival. I learned a lot about the history and culture of Brazil from reading this book and I do think I will be picking up another book by this author.

Lost In Translation made me feel as if I were a stranger in a strange land like the main characters, Bob and Charlotte. It was a film that immersed me in a relationship outside of the normal routines of life. It was a quiet film that stays with me for days after each viewing.

The Good Earth deals with the universality of the struggles and experiences of family as we witness the changes and challenges endured by an extended family in pre-revolutionary China.

Not much is known about the life of Peter Bruegel but the author, Rudy Rucker, did a lot of research to create a fictional account of the places and events that inspired the artist. The descriptions of Renaissance Europe, particularly Antwerp and Brussels, are vivid and haunting. I knew very little about the artist so it’s wonderful to learn about his life and work in such an entertaining fashion.