Are You Hungary?

Degrees of Courage by Shari Vester
Published: June 19, 2012 by Mill City Press, Inc.
I couldn't help but be intimidated when this book arrived on my doorstep. The book was huge, and I wasn't quite sure how I would find the time to read it. I always was pretty positive this wouldn't be one I would enjoy, and with so many pages ahead of me I thought I was in for a long ride. But then I started reading, and actually found myself pleasantly surprised.

Degrees of Courage tells the story of 3 generations of women living in Hungary from the early 1900s to the 1970s. I knew nothing about Hungary's going into this, and while I wouldn't call myself an expert nowt, I know far more than I ever would have expected. Of course a lot of this is do to sections that went into detail about events in Hungary's history that read almost like a textbook. Part of me understands why it's there, after all I'd imagine most people going into this don't have a background on Hungary, but I thought it was a little much. I think that with slightly less information it would have made an even bigger impact, since with so many details a lot of it got lost.

But while I did enjoy getting to learn about Hungary, it was the story of the women I really enjoyed. Each one has such a unique story, and I thought it was interesting to see what changed from generation to generation and what stayed the same. Part of me does think this story could have worked broken up into books about each one, but even so I found the way the narration flowed from one to the next almost seamless.

I am glad I stuck this one out, since overall I enjoyed my time spent with this (and trust me, there was a lot of time there). I definitely wouldn't say this is a light read, but if you're at all curious about Hungary's history in the 20th century I would definitely recommend this.

3.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.

Whose Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf

The Wolf of Wall Street
I'll see Leonardo Dicaprio in pretty much anything he's in. (Just reference my reviews of J. Edgar and Django Unchained.) So I knew no matter what I wanted to see this. Even if I was a movie I probably wouldn't have gone to see otherwise.

Yes, it was over the top. But that was definitely the point of it all, and Leo did it justice. It was just a hard movie to watch because everyone in it is such an awful person. Even the FBI agents, who are the good guys here, are shown as having a depressing, doldrums life compared to the excess in Leo and his friends'.

Is this a movie you need to run out at see? Probably not, especially if you haven't seen it by now. But it's still one I'm glad to have seen, at least so now I know what everyone else was talking about.

I'm Going Back to Cali

I realize that posting has been quite light these past few days, but I do have a reason behind the madness. I spent last week home in California, and am only now getting back into the swing of things. Looking back on our trip, we actually didn't do a whole lot. Instead it seems everyday were we spending the day catching up with a new relative. And most times it was over a delicious meal. So I can't help but share a few shots from some of those delicious California meals.
One of our first nights we went out for pizza at Michael's Pizzeria. This was their Caprina E Carciofi, which has pesto, artichokes, goat cheese, and I believe potatoes.
One food item I always try to make happen on trips to California is fish tacos. You just can't really find them in Louisiana. This time I had them at the Huntington Gardens, and while I wouldn't necessarily list them on my all time favorite fish tacos, they were pretty delicious.
While in California, I had my first taste of a cronut, which is a cross between a donut and croissant. While it was really good, I can't say it quite lived up to my expectations for them.
Another California staple I always try to make happen is good, simple Mexican food. This was a shredded beef taco at Super Mex. It's kind of funny because it really only is meat, cheese, beans, and lettuce, but it's something that really doesn't compare to Mexican in Louisiana.
For something new to me, we went to The Iron Press, whose specialty is waffle sandwiches. I had their chicken pesto, which was a lot of fun.

This won't be my last post on California, but without doing a lot and just spending time with friends and family I actually don't have a ton of photos. But sometimes, that's exactly the type of getaway I need.

When you spend time at home are you sometimes surprised by how little you go out to do?

January Blog Love

I'm excited to announce my newest sponsor Carolynn of Kitty Adventures.
Kitty Adventures
Each month I like to spotlight my favorites posts from my sponsors, and honestly had a hard time doing so this month because there were so many posts I thought should be here. So while I'm listing these three posts as my favorites for the past month, I highly recommend you check out all her other posts that I wasn't also able to highlight.

Our Biggest Fight

"My husband and I have been married for just over a year now! Isn't that exciting? I've definitely learned a lot in this year. One thing I've learned (and knew, before marriage) is that communication is extremely important. But after marriage, I've re-learned that communication isn't just important, it's crucial! Without it, hilarious and amazing misunderstandings abound! One person says something, and then the other person totally does not understand the premise or even the words, causing the message to be totally twisted and misinterpreted. If you are in any sort of relationship, I'm sure you can relate."

Here Today, Gnome Tomorrow

"He arrived looking rather cute. I let him hang out on my bookshelf for awhile and watch all the shenanigans that my husband, friends, and family participate in. I even played a prank by hiding him..."

Knitting Storage

If you want to look into sponsoring From L.A. to LA, be sure to check out my sponsor page.

What are your favorite posts from around the blogosphere this past month?

Mailbox Monday (61)

I didn't have a chance to post last week for Mailbox Monday, which you can definitely tell with the amount of books I'm sharing this week. I can't even remember the last time I had a mailbox this big. But alas, picking up so many books also means I have to manage to find the time to read them as well.
From Paperback Swap
A Wild Affair by Gemma Townley
Years ago I read Genna Townley's The Importance of Being Married and thought it was awfully adorable. But I didn't realize until recently there was a sequel. Hopefully when I read it, the parts of the first I've forgotten come back to me, and I enjoy this just as much.

For Review from France Book Tours
Marie Antoinette's Head by Will Bashor
The is a non-fiction book about Marie Antoinette's hairdresser. I always seem to enjoy non-fiction books I read, but never feel like I read enough of them. So I'm definitely excited to get into this.

For Review from TLC Book Tours
Three Souls by Janie Chang
Another type of books I enjoy, but seem to rarely read, are books that take place in China like this one. It's a historical fiction and seems to have a touch of fantasy, which makes me really curious.

At The River's Edge by Mariah Stewart
Last year I read two others in this series and really enjoyed them both. There's some so comforting about romance-y novels like this. Yes, you know exactly what to expect in them, but sometimes, that's a good thing.

Won from Beyond the Aisle
A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller
When Heather read this book, I couldn't help but be intrigued, which is why I was so excited when I won her giveaway. This is a YA historical fiction that takes place in London in the early 1900s. From everything I've heard from Heather I'm really going to love this one, so hopefully it lives up to my expectations.

From my Mom
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
I know so many bloggers who really seemed to enjoy this one, so when I saw it sitting with my mom's books I couldn't help but bring it back with me. Knowing how many others felt about this one, I'm hopefully that I feel similar, even though it isn't necessarily the type of book I'd read otherwise.

Borrowed from my Brother
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
My brother read this recently and absolutely loved it, and he wanted me to read it as well. I have read a few Barbara Kingsolver books, and while it has been a while do remember enjoying them.

Have you read any of these books before? And what did you find in your mailbox this week?

Post Holiday Blues {Giveaway}

I feel a little bit like things are starting to settle down and get back to normal, but I'm not quite sure I'd like it. Part of me wishes I could hit rewind and start over from my birthday reliving all of October, November, and December. Unfortunately, that isn't quite possible, but I do have something that will hopefully help you transition back to reality. I'm happy to let you know I'm participating in Dara's January giveaway at Not in Jersey, and hopefully a few prizes will have you ready to take on January!

Myself, and her other sponsors, have come together to giveaway to offer a range of prizes including a $30 gift card to Target or Starbucks (your choice!).

You could also win a canvas from Easy Canvas Print, a company I'm obviously found of since I ordered my wedding canvas from them.
In addition, you could win an LED Teeth Whitening System from Smile Brilliant and copies of Is God Real or Pretend? by Jennifer Horsman and Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics. To enter please use the rafflecopter form below, and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

From the Pacific Theater

The Gods of Heavenly Punishment by Jennifer Cody Eppstein
Published: January 13, 2014 by W. W. Norton & Company
Originally Published: March 11, 2012
Through the years I've read a lot about WWII, except I think this is the first I've read that dealt with the war in Japan. Which is a bit ironic in a way, because my own grandfather fought in Japan in WWII. While I've always known that, I've never given much thought to what it must have been like, or what actually happened there till reading this book. (Again ironically the B-52 Mitchell bomber, which my grandfather flew in, is flown by one of the characters in this book.)

My grandfather (front row, center) in Okinawa, 1945The book starts with two chapters before the war, the first in New York and the second in Japan, that set the scene for what's to come. In these chapters we meet 5 specific characters, and from then on each following chapter focuses on a specific individual and how the war has impacted them. But each time we're only given a window into a single, short moment, and it's only together they tell an entire story.

It is an interesting way to tell a story, and while it could be confusing, I thought it flowed beautifully. There are parts you you almost expect, but that's because it's written in a way that it builds towards something specific. And while you don't leave the story with everything tied up in a pretty bow, you did at least by the novel's end have a feeling of completeness about each of the characters.

From my grandfather's WWII mementosI think this book spoke to me in so many ways, partly because of my family history, but also because I've been to Japan. I'd recognize certain districts of Tokyo that I'd been to and recall them in my mind. Except what I didn't realize till later is that Tokyo was almost destroyed during the war, so the Tokyo I visited in 2008 has almost nothing left from before the war.

There is a bit of sadness and awful events in this, but that should be expected in a book about a war. Instead though, the part that brought me to tears wasn't a moment of sadness, but at the novel's close when a character looks back on an almost perfect moment, before everything changed, before the war.

5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.