Favorite book of 2010

I love books. I love to read. I come by it naturally. My mother has been a member of Doubleday Book Club since 1957 so books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I kept track of the books I read in 2010 and was surprised that I had read 17 (I don’t read much in the summer because I can’t read and garden at the same time). I will admit that some of my literary choices were quick reads, not to be compared with the likes of War and Peace or The Grapes Of Wrath - which might take me a couple of months to finish – but most were lighter and easier on my heart!
Of all the books I read last year my favorite was The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. In his debut novel, Ford takes his reader on a journey through the turmoil, chaos and confusion in the life of a young Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during the 1940’s. While young Henry Lee struggles with the desire to honor his parents and the yearning for a forbidden relationship the bombing of Pearl Harbor suddenly and severely limits his choices. This very poignant story explores the innocence of children who held captive by the constraints of their parents’ biases and the strength of their desire to attain something just beyond their reach.
I was first drawn into the story because I grew up in the Seattle area and was a little nostalgic. I fell in love with it because the story itself was simply - pure. The feelings and thoughts of the characters were full of insecurity, fear, questions, love and longing but most of all hope. The omission of sex, bad language and violence was a refreshing change, making Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet one of my new favorites! This is a book I would recommend to anyone, including younger readers.