A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous (Non-Fiction)

This book was first published in 1959, then reissued in a new (and supposedly better) translation in 2001. It is the diary of a woman in her 30s, written in 8 weeks between April and June 1945. She describes the final days of the Third Reich and life in Berlin with the Russian soldiers. It is an intimate account of what happened to this woman and her neighbours. She spares no details, from the catastrophic night when she was gang-raped by several soldiers. In the days that followed, she sought out the highest-ranking Soviet officer in the area and made herself available to him, describing the arrangement as "sleeping for food." After the first rape, she seems to shrug off her own suffering and shows no signs of self-pity. In graphic detail, she describes the stench of buildings, the lack of food, the behaviour of her neighbours as they crowd into the basement. It is a very personal glimpse into the effects of war on the daily lives of civilians.

Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet (non-fiction) by Xinran Xue, 2006

Chinese journalist Xinran Xue, author of Good Women of China: Hidden Voices writes this epic love story, based on a true story. She travels 4 hours to meet Shu Wen, a woman who has crossed the border to China from Tibet. Through her interview with her, she tells the story of Shu Wen and Kejun, two young doctors married for less than a hundred days during the cultural revolution when Kejun joins the army and goes to battle in Tibet. Shu Wen learns of her husbands death but does not believe he has died and left her and so she starts on a twenty year journey to find him. She joins his regiment, searches twenty long years walking through Tibet, living with a Tibetan family, learning Tibetan lifestyle, culture and finally discovers the truth about her husband, and his death by sky burial. It is a very moving book, revealing, humanistic and reads very easily, like a novel. I enjoyed it, and would recommend as a good read on a very different view of Tibetan culture.

Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (non-fiction)

Regrettably, I won't be able to attend the February meeting. My dad is doing his next round of chemo and I'm planning to got to New Brunswick next week for 3 weeks. I also have to miss the Chinese New Years dinner. The nice thing about the blog is that I can still tell you about my book!

I read the Orchid Thief which many of you may have read. A bizarre story about a strange man who is convicted of attempting to steal rare orchid species from a swamp in Florida that is a nature preserve. He is involved with the Seminole tribe that inhabits the area. The book provides a glimpse into a world of collectors who are obsessed with these plants and the book is as much about obsession as it is about the orchid thefts.

The setting is a very important part of this story as Orlean gives vivid descriptions of her own trips into the swamps. I found the book to be a little too descriptive which slowed the pace. The most interesting part of the book was the storyline about the Orchid Thief and I kept hoping she would return to it. Instead the book is filled with descriptions of the other orchid people, historical facts about orchids and the Seminole tribe and lots of other filler.

This book would undoubtedly appeal to orchid lovers and perhaps other gardeners. It would also be of interest to people who like to read about interesting or quirky characters. I liked the book but certainly didn't love it. It was made into a movie which I haven't seen and reading the book didn't make me any more inclined to do so.