Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel, by Rita Ciresi

Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel by Rita Ciresi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are some books that I reread on a regular basis, whether yearly, biyearly, or...

It had been several years since I last read Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel by Rita Ciresi, and figured it was time for a reread. I had forgotten how pleasantly quirky the book is.

Angel Lupo tells the story of growing up in an Italian household, a household that she and her sister Lina would discuss, even as they tried to outrun some of their memories. What was the most hideous thing in their Catholic household? The seashell-studded crucifix? The strange things that their parents brought on a trip to see the Statue of Liberty? Questionable relatives?

Once they've moved out, things really get interesting, with Lina on the verge of divorce, while Angel debates marrying the wrong man. It ends with a hospital stay, and questions of how the sisters cope.

Is Rita Ciresi's book Sometimes I Dream in Italian: A Novel worth reading? Most definitely.

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Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It seems difficult to go more than a month without hearing about books being banned from school shelves and reading lists. It's gotten to the point where there's even a Banned Books week. The idea of banning books made me realize that it was time for me to reread Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451.

This dystopian novel, written in 1953, describes a future in which all books are banned, and burned. The book follows fireman Guy Montag and his disillusionment with his job and society.

Early in the book, Guy is returning from work - a job where he and his fellow firemen - burn books, as well as the houses that they are hidden in. He meets one of his neighbors, Clarisse, a young woman who loves books and questions everything she sees. This sets him wondering about books to the point where he takes a book from one of the houses he, and his crew, must burn.

After meeting Faber, an old man who remembers books well and loves them, Guy becomes a fugitive, fleeing after his crew is sent to burn his own house. After watching his house burn, he then points the flame at the others in his crew, then goes on the run, eventually falling in with a group of book loving fugitives.

What happens next? Read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and find out.

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