The Happiest Refugee by Anh DoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this memoir! I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed and cried some more. Anh Do and his beautiful family touched my heart. Their harrowing journey, as refugees, on an old boat to Australia certainly put a human face to a very real issue even in current times. Those against boat people would do well to read this book.
Anh speaks from his heart as he tells of the hardships and triumphs he and his family experienced in getting to Australia and how they managed to survive once here. Ahn's mother is an amazing lady who clearly adored her children and only wanted the best for them. She worked so very hard to meet her children's needs after their father left them when Ahn was only thirteen. Life was tough and they struggled financially but the love they had for one another was priceless and saw them through a lot of difficult times. There were many happy, fun moments too and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the plans Anh orchestrated that didn't necessarily have desired outcomes. Well worth reading!
I found this book hard to put down and I would definitely read it again.
Anh Do on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGETRI81DE
He also does a show on modern Vietnam. Documentary length -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBBg0G7zOh8
One For The Money by Janet EvanovichMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
After losing her job, Stephanie Plum becomes a bounty hunter out of desperate need to earn some money. Her main mission is to find and apprehend Joe Morelli; a cop in hiding who is facing murder charges. Unfortunately for Stephanie, she also finds herself pursued by Benito Ramirez, a boxer and a madman with a brutal and dangerous lust for women. Stephanie Plum is a likeable character who finds herself in quite a few precarious situations. Some are laughable; others highly dangerous.
In truth, I wasn't overly impressed through the first couple of chapters but, to be fair, this is not the usual genre I like to read. As I progressed further into the book, I found myself hooked. It was a light, intriguing, and fun read. I plan to read more of Janet Evanovich's books so I guess that also means that I can add a new genre to my reading preferences.
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The Happiest Refugee sounds great!!! I'm definitely going to read that one!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did, Julie. :)
DeleteI love Evanovich because I find myself laughing out loud at some point in every book I've read so far (just finished the fifth one). Not my favorite genre usually, either, but I am enjoying the series.
ReplyDeleteDo's book sounds great! I had never heard of him, but he seems like a funny guy with a wonderful sense of humor.
Rita, I find myself laughing out loud through her books too. LOVE her Grandmother! lol
DeleteThat first book sounds very interesting. Will have to check out the videos you posted when I have more time as I need to hit the hay. This day has flown by and you are the only blog I've had time to visit. As for the Stephanie Plum series, I loved them! Sometimes I was literally laughing out loud. It's light, fun, easy reading. I read all the way up until the 14th book or whatever the last one was. I did feel that in the last few, she was stretching the plot just a bit -- but still, they were a lot of fun to read. Take care, Tammy
ReplyDeleteYep, the laughing out loud seems to be the norm with the Stephanie Plum series...onto the third one now. They are perfect for a break from some of the heavier, complex books that I normally read. I think her latest one is Take Down Twenty and book number 21 is due out in June. I have a lot of catching up to do.
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