Book 50 Dreams from My Father **** by Barack Obama

An amazing book, original and fresh look at race in America.   Obama's life story up until he became a senator.   A clear insightful look at the boy, the youth, the young man, who could have ruined his life many times, or followed the path of his family members, for the most part, not successful, with many problems of their own making and imposed by circumstances.   His portraits of his grandparents, father, and many other family members are full of insight.  The only blurry figure is that of his mother. 

*Dun's Lists

Restaurants:
Salade de Fruits --- 1551 W. 7th --- great food, very casual, cash only, must speak French a little.   The lasagna is the best I've ever had (and I don't like lasagna).
Crave -- 2951 Main --- lovely garden, lots of egg dishes all day, service comme ci comme ca, food uneven, great Mediterranean turkey sausage, bright yellow egg omelet.
Burgoo --- 4434 W. 19th -- for $22, the most amazing spinach salad, and small beef bourguignon. 
Plaisir Sucre --- Fabrice is fabulous and these are bar none the best croissant aux almandes.
T Room --- try to Almond Brioche --- amazing.
Terra Breads --- Grape bread is astounding.


Misc.:
Society de Francophone --- 1551 W. 7th -- French videos, French classes
Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks --- 2nd off Burrard --- fabulous store, cooking classes, staff actually make their own bread, yogurt etc.   Cheesemaker from Agassiz has demonstrated.   Online newsletter.
Moricotta --- 4429 W. 1oth -- great pottery and linen from Italy and France.   Love the soaps and lotions.   La Cucina line.   Lots of great linen tea towels from Ireland, Russia, and Lithuania.   Toilet bags and shopping bags in great prints.  
Keen's Shoes --- you can walk 18 hours and you won't even notice.

Food:
Les Amis du Fromage -- 2nd off Burrard.   Great cheeses generally.   Clochette with ash, and Reggiola --- quite disappointing.
Benton Brothers Fine Cheese --- 2401 W. 41st --- amazing goat cheese from Loire Valley, creamy and pungent.

Plants and Gardens:
WIG --- 6151 Thorne Avenue, Burnaby --- wonderful succulents, pots, and lots of gorgeous flower colour, lovely late summer light.
Mandeville --- great selection of garden furniture, twig trellis and arbors.


Movies and TV:
Secret in their Eyes *** Argentinian film, mystery, excellent acting, story.
Mad Men --- I am a convert, addictive, very very high quality writing and acting.   Amazing period detail.   I am stopped dead by the authencity of the references.   One example -- the first vending machines.   Ours at GWL were for cigarettes.  

Book 49 Talk to the Snail * by Stephen Clarke

Funny, sharp, depressingly negative about the French.   Learned a lot, especially French.

Book 48 Style Chic* by Paula Reed

Repetitive, but lots of good advice and lots of photos, esp. of older great looking women.   Hurrah for us.

Book 47 The Secret The Power**** by Rhonda Byrne

A powerful book, following on The Secret's huge success.  I found the Secret changed by life, and The Power, helped me deal with my negative thoughts, and change relationships almost immediately.   You have to replace any bad feelings with thoughts of what you want.   Once you do that, what you want will happen.   Every time you have a bad thought, you delay getting what you want.   And don't feel bad about having negative thoughts.   Anyway, already today, there is a marked improvement in my relationship with a close friend.   What I wanted from her I am now getting without having to do a thing.  

Book 46 Sarah's Key **+ by Tatiana De Rosnay

This was an emotionally tough one, especially right after The D-Day Dodgers.   There are so many amazing stories that haven't been told yet from that war, that still haunt and compell us today. 

This book has two stories, one of Sarah, a 10 year Jewish girl, rounded up in Paris in the infamous Vel d'Hiv or Velodrome d'Hiver, and from there sent to a death camp.   She has hidden her brother in a secret attic, locked him in, and cannot get back to rescue him.   The other story is about Julia, a writer assigned to cover the 50th anniversary of the round up, and what she uncovers about Sarah.   The story of Sarah and Julia's unravelling of the mystery are very well told.   The writer is a great story teller, and you will not put this book down once you start.  

De Rosnay does a fair job of showing how the Nazis manipulated the French population and the Jews into cooperating with their diabolic schemes, a rather elaborate plan to keep people trusting, hoping and terrorized, by increments, starting with propaganda, and then suddenly  it's all too late.

I didn't like the romance novel writing style in which much of the story of Julia is written, e.g. pages written to explain and justify rather silly behaviour, and I don't like the two stories in one book approach.  I understood the characters' motives and actions most of the time, but they are a little too special, larger than life.  I wanted to strangle Julia for putting up with her husband and her pregnancy seemed too contrived to fit the theme of children.    

The story that is not told is that of the French police who did the horrible deed, including running the camps, how they were persuaded to, tricked and manipulated into, or eager to carry out the plan .  Some heroic and kindly French people who helped at huge personal risk play parts in the book.  France has now acknowledged its role in the death of 76,000 of its Jewish citizens and erected a monument listing all of their names. 

How can the population stand by and do nothing?  I have only to remember the poor ragged Indians who came to beg at our farm when I was a kid.   Why did we do so little?

Book 45 The D-Day Dodgers The Canadians in Italy 1943-1945 **** by Daniel G. Dancocks

This is a fabulous book describing the experiences of the Canadian in the WWII in the Italian Campaign.   I read it in preparation for a study tour of Italy, and the battlefields, and cemeteries, so my focus was on geography.

Dancocks covers the movements of divisions and regiments, and many stories of individual experiences, not leaving out any names of military units, individuals, and the houses and hamlets and riverbeds they fought through.   He outlines the promotions, demotions, and medals won and why.   Inspite of or because of this much detail, each paragraph is riveting and highly visual --- I could see the movements of the men ande how they won each inch of ground.

Dancocks includes some analysis of the reasons the Allies beat the Germans, and a little more political commentary --- I wished for more.   He mentions the writings and opinions of other historians and the diaries of those present, and so presents all sides.  I would have like more perspective, such as the relative manpower, and more background about the Italians, and better and more maps.  

Despite the horrible tactical mistakes and very poor leadership at times, the Canadians eventually won every battle target they were assigned.   It is hard to conceive of how brave these men and women were as there were many casualties and conditions were harsh.   

Fans of history and war, read this one.   I am giving it 4 stars due to originality, great research, and good story telling.

Book 44 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest* by Stieg Larsson

Good summer read, just to find out what the fuss is about.