2016 Reading Challenge discussion

title/ author

"Ocean of Words" is a collection of stories about Chinese Soldiers fighting during Chairman Mao's leadership. It was interesting to learn a little about Chinese culture.

A MercyBy Toni Morrison... slave culture, not my favorite read but some interesting insights.

I read The Moonlit Garden by Corina Bomann,
A lot of the narrative takes place in early 20th century Sumatra.
It was interesting to learn about the Dutch influence and the Minangkabau matriarchal society. I really like the parts that focused on Rose Galloway, a famous violin protege and how she navigated between the Western world and her childhood in Sumatra.

But for the most part the book dragged and was a chore to read.

The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton. It's set in Kenya, and is about an American woman who gets involved with a mobile library that goes to semi nomadic settlements. It was interesting to read a bit on Kenyan culture.

Snowflower and the Secret Fan

I read this book set in 19th century China and I learned a lot about the traditions of the time, especially foot binding. It was a very engaging story about two girls of the time period and their lives. A good read!