Captain Corelli's Mandolin- Louis de Bernières

A very good book indeed! I had heard that the film was really good, though never having seen it I thought I would read the book instead. At first I wasn't too enthusiastic about the book as I found some of it quite boring and a bit confusing with each chapter jumping from a different character or situation, but after 6 chapters soon got the hang of it. I suppose most of the beginning really was to create some context. However, anything to do with war and those fine details I find excruciatingly boring and find my mind drifting into other thoughts.

Slightly disappointed at the fact that Nicholas Cage would be given the role of Antonio Corelli as he really does repulse me. So I tried not to imagine that character being Antonio Corelli in my mind.

But other than that it was a thrilling and moving read! My hands and eyes were just glued to the book and its pages. The ending was slightly predictible but not as such where the couple, Corelli and Pelagia lived happily ever after- in fact it leaves room for you to imagine what could happen next.

Definitely one I may read again in many years time or to even watch the movie.

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak

This is one book that I never thought I would end up liking. I had always seen it in the bookstore for the past year, and would always consider it, but then after reading the summary on the back, I feel disinterested in the book. It wasn't until my mom had read it and recommended reading it, that I gave it a chance.

It's about a young German girl, Liesel, who goes to live with foster parents after her own parents are sent to a concentration camp in 1939. The book is narrated by Death (yes, random I know) and follows 5 years of Liesel's life living in Nazi Germany. It took a couple of chapters to really get into it as I wasn't really sure as to where the book was going. I actually enjoyed it by the time I got to the end of the book. I had gotten so wrapped up in the story and this fictional girl's life and at times I felt quite emotional.

Really, I do seem to get quite emotional when it comes to stories about WWII. I know most people now are pretty bored of hearing these stories, fictional or non-fictional, but I find it fascinating and also disturbing that a certain race of people could be treated the way they had been. Although the story follows a German, non-Jewish girl, it still crosses over with the story of the Jews suffering under the hand of Hitler. I suppose that is what makes the story unique to others based during this era, that it brushes on the story of the Jews but focuses on a German girl who has to experience all of this at such a young age.

I may have to look into more books based around this era too. There's just so much to learn from what happened, I don't see how anyone could get bored of it.

Enduring Cuba- By Zoe Bran

This is one that I had finished last night. I was a bit unsure of picking this one out of my mom's library of books, but I thought I would give it a go. My first thought was that it was going to be oen of those boring historical books about Cuba. But actually as soon as I started to read it, it was more than just that.

Sure it gave some history into Cuba such as Velazquez and Columbus (they're the only ones that I remember at the moment!), but it gave a detailed insight into the lives of Cuban people and theire day-to-day life. Even though it was a book published in 2002, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the problems raised in the book are still around today. It is still a communist society, as far as I am still aware anyway. It's hard to keep up with politics in Hispanic countries when living in England though...

Though the strange thing is, although according to the book, people were always complaining of their lifestyle and always wanted more, they all seemed to be very patriotic and love the fact that they are Cuban. I suppose the issue at hand, is that they feel that they have nothing material-wise, not the fact that they live in Cuba. You can still love your country, but hate your government at the same time.

Actually, when thinking about it, I did watch this tv programme while at my mom's over Christmas about Cuba. It doesn't actually seem all that mmuch different to what I read from this book that was published in 2002.

Cockfighting
This was certainly one bit of the book that I didn't enjoy reading. Although I am not a vegetarian, I felt absolutely disgusted by this hobby and form of gambling and taking advantage of these animals. Though to be fair, I don't think you need to be vegatarian to care for animals. I can recall when I went to Spain in summer 2008 and watching the bull fighting. I nearly wanted to cry watching this poor animal suffer for a pointless, human sport. Yes, it may be tradition and so forth- but shouldn't we really be modernising our ways. It is 2010. Though I suppose it is a completely different country from here and not too much different fromt he fox hunting that takes place here in some places .


Loads of references on Hemingway and his timeless book, the Old Man and the Sea. I can't recall reading this book, I think I was quite young when I did and I didn't really enjoy it. Though Hemingway actually based this story on a real person, a Cuban person, LIVING IN CUBA, that he knew personally.



There was also a bit about Bran witnessing a Santeria sacrifice of a goat. It sounded just horrible. Something I hope to never witness myself.










And then of course there is Ernesto "Che"Guevara. A Cuban icon. Although not actually cuban, Che was actually Argentinian. I never knew that until watching the film 'The Motorcycle Diaries' about 5 years ago. There are tons are references to Che in the book.

I think the thing that I enjoyed the most about this book is that Cuba is somewhere that is familiar to me. I have never been there but I do know lots of people who are or whose heritage is Cuban. So for me it is a really interesting read. It's close to home as well, seeing as though Cuba is only 90 miles away from Florida!

I have just recently bought The Olive Garden: travel through Greece which is also a part of the Lonely Planet publications, as is Enduring Cuba. I'm looking forward to that one.