Four Great Books (and one so-so) I have read while off with my foot surgery

Reading is what I was doing almost exclusively while recovering from the bunion thing. And since I love reading, that was not such a bad thing. I was lucky enough to have great friends and family who brought me their favourites:

The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson is a challenging book set in North Korea,  but well worth the time it takes to get into it.  It begins with a young Jun Do in a work camp for orphans of which his father is the boss.  His mother is just a memory stolen away long ago and soon he too is swept away to become a kidnapper, working under others on dangerous waters in the dead of night.

The book progresses through violence, love and tenderness, fear, corruption and believe it or not, humour.   Jun Do  even visits a ranch in Texas, shmoozing with politicians for a spell.   This  is a cleverly written book that gives us a glimpse into a world we have only seen for brief flashes  on television.  A world where danger is everywhere and nothing is as it seems.

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls,  by David Sedaris is what I would call a comfort book.  It is written in a series of essays which are mainly humorous,
often touching or sometimes even hurtful.  David writes on his travels, family, life abroad or just observations of day to day life.  This is the second book I have read of his and while I read his books I feel like I am having coffee with a very funny,  entertaining and often ridiculous friend. I enjoy reading about his life in France or whatever place  he happens to be discussing  I don't always agree with what conclusions he has made about people or situations but I do always laugh and look forward to his next book.

The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison  (first novel) is a tender story of three young black girls growing up in the small town of Lorain, Ohio.  It is from the viewpoint of the girls, focusing mainly on Percola  Breedlove, who prays for her eyes to be blue so she won't be ugly anymore.  The book explores the lives and relationships  of the black families in this small town, the tensions and the struggles of each character to maintain their position in the hierarchy that has been set by society.

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff 
This novel was a wonderful discovery.  Written in verse, so clever and beautiful that as soon as I finished it, I wanted to listen to it again.
(I listened to it in audiobook form)  The book, in rhyme, tells stories of a myriad of characters, each so different in personality, location and situation, yet each treated with tenderness and sometimes humour.  As it goes along you feel like you are on a riding the train that the story begins on.  Snippets of tales are flying by but you are just enjoying the ride and somehow when it is all over, you end up right where you started.

Bruce, by Peter Ames Carlin 
First off, I love Bruce.  Nothing will ever change that, but no amount of love could help me get through this book easily.  It started out great, with the struggle to find himself as a musician and the whole music scene as he grew up;  his family, band mates and girlfriends, but once it became a series of albums and tours, the interest dwindled.  I guess though, that that is what happens to musicians anyway.  They are more interesting when they have to sleep in cars,
fight for their next meal and just play for the sheer joy of it.  This book is still worth reading if you love The Boss because it is access to the man that has never been available before and is somewhat more in depth than previous bios on him.