Winter in Vancouver, the perfect time for tennis

I spent the last few days in Vancouver with some great friends. The city was sunny (surprisingly), green, full of energy and a great first taste of spring! It was the perfect setting for running, delicious meals and catching up with friends. 

Ashley and I headed out on Wednesday night, leaving behind an extremely stormy and snowy Calgary, and landed into green and beautiful Vancouver. We were there to visit our friend Sabrina who is attending law school at UBC. Her beautiful apartment in Kitsilano was the perfect setting for the weekend.

Thursday consisted of a quick morning run, an afternoon at the spa, some amazing sushi at 'The Eatery' and then a relaxing movie night. We watched Clueless which in my opinion, only gets better every time you watch it.

Friday we completed a 12km run along the beach, which was a huge success, not so much for our feet. We managed to limp back to our apartment, get our hair blown out, and head out for an eventful Friday night with Adelle and Robyn. The events included: dinner at 'Judas Goat Taberna' for some tapas, followed by a house party in Gas Town and pub crawl around Vancouver, and finally more food (pizza) for those of us who are always hungry. 

Saturday started out with a (painful) walk, brunch on Granville Island at the 'Edible Canada at the Market', successful shopping, more sushi and a tour of Yaletown, by day and by night.

The abundance of sushi, great tapas in tiny restaurants, amazing brioche for brunch, running on paths accosting the ocean and time spent with family and friends made for a wonderful holiday!

In between all the laughter and great conversation, I did manage to bring up my latest obsession, Andre Agassi, at least once or twice.

After reading 'Heavier than Heaven' by Charles Cross about a year ago I spent a good couple months listening to all of Nirvana's albums on repeat and looking at pictures of Kurt Cobain on the internet. Now I have a new obsession: tennis and Andre Agassi. It  all started after reading 'Open' early last week. 

I loved this book and now I am considering signing up for some tennis lessons this summer. And I really wish I would have been more interested in tennis about 10 years ago so I could have watched Agassi play.

The book describes Agassi's struggles with tennis from a very early age. There were a lot of surprises for me in this book: the fact that he hated tennis despite his incredible talent, the importance of the mental game during every match, the intensity of the physical pain caused by playing, the amount of detail he remembers about every match he has played, and his incredible accomplishments despite his personal struggles. I was also surprised to read about his tumultuous relationship with the media and the public about his eccentric image and behavior. 

In addition to his incredible tennis career, Agassi spent and raised millions to build a youth center and education complex for underprivileged children in Las Vegas. He hopes to give them the opportunity to pursue their education and choose their own future and career, an opportunity he never had.

I hope you find this book to be as inspiring and unforgettable as I did!

Happy reading!

Domi 

The Fabulous Imposter

Happy Long Weekend!

It has been a busy couple of weeks! My activities included:

A trip to Las Vegas with an amazing group of friends!

A puppy birthday party!

Falling in love with this puppy (teddy bear?).

And this amazing Valentine's Day gift! (For anyone wondering I chose Option #1. Ryan and I are headed to San Francisco in May, I can't wait!)

And of course I managed to squeeze in a few great reads!

I finished reading 'The Imposter Bride' by Nancy Richler, and I loved it! Unlike my friend Melissa, books about WWII are not necessarily my favorite (see Interview @mynumberonefan), but as soon as I read the first page, I couldn't put it down. 

The novel is written from a couple points of view. The first  from Lily Azerov's perspective, a Jewish woman from Poland who comes to Montreal following the war to marry a man she has never met. The second is from her daughter Ruth. Lily abandons her family when Ruth is only 3 months old. She is raised by her father and his family in a very loving home. Ruth doesn't think too much about her mother until she receives a rock from Lily on her sixth birthday. This prompts Ruth to investigate her mother's past.

As Ruth discovers more about her mother, she soon realizes that Lily was never who she claimed to be. The story of Lily Azerov's stolen identity is slowly revealed throughout this book. Many different characters have had interactions with her and it is by hearing all of their memories and stories about Lily that Ruth is finally able to piece together the puzzle of her mother's past and disappearance. 

I enjoyed this book not only for the intrigue of wondering who Lily really is, and why she left, but because every character's story is endearing and touching. Not everyone in the book lived in Europe during the war, but even those born in Canada suffered and lived through trying times. Their ability to overcome their struggles was inspiring. I finished this book feeling very positive and impressed with the strength displayed by many people throughout our lives.

I have now moved on to 'Eight months on Ghazzah Street' by Hilary Mantel, yet another gripping story! Review to follow...

Have a great weekend!

Happy reading,

Domi

Interview @mynumberonefan

Due to the raring success of my first interview, Nerd Alert (for anyone who is wondering, Ryan is currently reading "the Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan and looking forward to yet another Friday night out with his good friend Chris), I thought it was time to bring in my second guest. 

As Domiknowz's self proclaimed number one fan, Melissa was the perfect candidate for my next interview. We have shared a lot since we first met, important life lessons, a brief moment of fame as karaoke partners, a few tours of Europe (documented by some wonderful photos), and of course our love of reading. Throughout the years we have read each other's recommendations and generally had very similar taste in books. We've recently discovered (due to our disagreement over last week's review, see A Change of Pace)that my taste of books appears to be leaning towards deep (and usually depressing), while hers leans towards the historical fiction genre. Let's find out why!

Domi: Have you always been attracted to books about WWII? What is the first book of this genre that you remember reading?

Mel: I've always been really interested in history and politics, so it's no surprise that I'm attracted to stories that also touch on major historical events, and I find WWII particularly fascinating. Also, I like guns and tanks. The first book about WWII that I read was Anne Frank.

Domi: You are currently living in London and are a world traveler, do any of the places you have visited inspire you to read certain books or remind you of any you have read?

Mel: Definitely! London is amazing in terms of history, and hands down has the best war museum I've ever been to. I love reading books that are based in war time England as it's fascinating to read about how much of the city was destroyed and walking around the city now and seeing how it has transformed. I've recently come back from Vietnam and visited the War Remanent's museum in Ho Chi Minh and it was so fascinating, especially as the Americans left so abruptly so they dumped a lot of their artillery into the ocean and the Vietnamese fished it out so there are some really cool tanks, helicopters and guns on display! It's also the most disturbing museum I have ever been to and really opened my eyes to the destruction of the war on Vietnam. I had read a book called "I Love Yous are for White People" by Lac Su, which is a true story of a boy and his family who leave Vietnam after the communist party won the war and they immigrated to America and it documented his family struggles with coping in a new country that is so vastly different than the one they escaped. I now have a whole new war that I've become interest in and I can't wait to explore some historical fiction novels that are based in this period of time.

Domi: Is it true you once went on a date to the Imperial War Museum?

Mel: Yes! He asked me to suggest a place to go, so we went there (nothing says romance quite like submarines and fighter jets). When we got there he said he had never been to a museum before (seriously?) and I was the most cultured person he had met….needless to say, it was our last date.

Domi: What are your top five historical fiction picks?

Mel: My top five picks would be:
- The Book Thief
- Atonement
- The Lost Wife
- Sarah's Key
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Domi: How have the books you've read affected your outlook on the world?

Mel: I think a good book will always leave you thinking at the end of it, especially if they're written from a perspective you haven't read before. For instance, "Everyman Dies Alone" by Hans Fallada is written about WWII but from the perspective of a German family. Also, "The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusack is also written about life in Germany during the war, but is written from the perspective of Death. After reading both those books, it really got me thinking about life for Germans who weren't Jewish or Nazis and how difficult it must of been for them, and the lengths and risks they took to help out people.

Domi: Will you be reading Domiknowz s next read "the Imposter Bride" by Nancy Richler?

Mel: Obviously I will as it's recommended by Domiknowz and is about the lives of Jewish people following WWII. 

Stay tuned for my next review!

Happy reading!

Domi

A Change of Pace

Hello!

The weekend is fast approaching and I am looking forward to our annual work Christmas party. In the past, we have gone to Emerald Lake, but this year we are headed to the Banff Springs!

I am currently reading 'The Imposter Bride' by Nancy Richler and this weekend getaway will be a perfect opportunity to get some reading time in. I am loving the book so far!

Last week, my book club met and discussed our latest read, 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,' by Jamie Ford. Our discussion about the book wrapped up and we all received a few wonderful gifts (see Taking Cues from SAMCRO to find out why) before we left ;). Read below for my thoughts on our January pick.

Warning: Contains Spoilers

This novel is written from the perspective of a young Chinese boy, Henry Lee, living in Seattle in the 1940's at the height of the war. The book explores the challenges with which Henry is faced every day being Asian and living in the United States during their conflict with Japan. He is often mistaken for a Japanese boy and is mostly ignored by his white peers at school. Henry is lonely at school as well as at home, where he is forced to speak English to his Chinese speaking parents.

When Henry meets Keiko, a young Japanese girl, one afternoon in the cafeteria, his life changes forever. Amid FBI investigations, raids and curfews, as well as discrimination from their peers, the two develop a strong friendship. Unfortunately, this relationship is not acceptable to Henry's parents who's loyalty to China and the United States is unwavering. When Keiko and her family are deported to an internment camp, Henry tries very hard to maintain their relationship and promises to see her again when she is released. Unfortunate circumstances prevent Henry and Keiko's letters to reach each other, and a badly timed event severs the relationship indefinitely.

Forty years later, Henry is widowed, and he discovers items belonging to Keiko's family in an abandoned hotel, which housed belongings for countless Japanese families during their internment throughout the war. With the help of his son and daughter in law, Henry hopes to reconnect with Keiko.

So far, I have only reviewed books that I truly enjoyed, this one...not so much.

This definitely was not my favorite novel. I found the story to be superficial. If you are looking to learn more about the details of the internment of Japanese families during the second world war, you won't find many. If you are looking for a heartbreaking tale of commitment, hope and redemption, you will not find it in this novel. The book touches on many subjects, but doesn't spend enough time describing any of them for you to really feel attached. There are some touching moments and you are really rooting for Henry and Keiko to find each other, but the love story is wrapped up a little too perfectly to be believable.
The story was kind of sweet, but unfortunately it takes place on the corner of boring and glib. *Harsh*

Have a great weekend! Happy reading!
Domi

A Casual Read Far from Hogwarts

Happy New Year!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and were surrounded by family and friends. Our Christmas holidays were fantastic! We were in Calgary until Christmas Eve and then headed up North on Christmas Day and to spend a few days on the farm with Ryan's family. Some of our activities included a night out at Theatre Calgary to watch 'A Christmas Carol', bowling and feeding the cows on farm. We came back in time for our friend's wedding in Banff on the 29th and then celebrated the New Year with friends and a few heated card games.

 

One of our Christmas traditions (with both of our families), is to do a gift exchange with a few rounds of stealing. I was really excited about the gift I brought to the first exchange of the season... 'The Casual Vacancy' by JK Rowling!! I of course planned my strategy very carefully as I anticipated it to be 'the' gift of the night. To my great surprise, it only ended up getting stolen once (by me).

I am happy to say, that I do not regret my decision, and I believe my family and friends should have snagged it when they could. I was very impressed by this book. I am of course a huge Harry Potter fan, and although 'The Casual Vacancy' is quite different, I really enjoyed it.

Warning: Contains Spoilers

The story begins with the death of Barry Fairbrother, a well liked and respected man who holds a key seat on the town council. Following his sudden death, the reader is quickly informed of the strong divide in the small town of Pagford regarding the Fields. The Fields is a downscale area of town where many underprivileged members of the community live. Part of the council (previously lead by Barry Fairbrother) believe that their support can help the inhabitants of the neighborhood to become active and useful members of society. Their support includes subsidizing a methadone clinic and allowing the children of the Fields to attend the Pagford school. The other half wish to shut down the methadone clinic, remove the Fields from the Pagford Parish, and transfer its responsibility to the neighbouring town of Yarvil.

The book is told from many perspectives, but despite the many point of views, you become invested in each character's story. The diverse and colourful citizens of the town include, but are not limited to, a verbally and physically abused wife, a mother who is a drug addict and a prostitute, a social worker struggling to maintain her relationship with her teenage daughter, and troubled young students struggling to fit in with their peers.

Even though the affluent citizens of Pagford who wish to rid themselves of the Fields appear selfish and careless at first, reading about their lives, and how they were raised, made me realize it is not fair to automatically judge and discredit their opinions. Every character has a story which explains their actions and beliefs, and none are totally void of humanity. Different circumstances and life experiences shape each character and the author does a tremendous job of reminding us that no one is undeserving of sympathy or of a second chance.

This book did not leave me feeling enchanted like I felt after finishing the Harry Potter series, but I found this story which explores many hardships in our society to be very thought provoking and meaningful. To me, it displayed that regardless of how important an issue may appear to one individual, its impact on different people's lives can vary greatly.

Harry Potter fan or not, I recommend this novel!

Happy reading!

Domi