Goodbye, Camel Bookmobile

Wow! I did not see some of this coming! The romance, the future of the kids cut short . . . not to mention the life of Scarboy and his father cut short! Some aspects of the book were very predictible: Fi's all-American preachiness, the resistance of the tribe, and the tribes return to a nomadic lifestyle. I was happy to find some surprises in this novel, especially when I was only so-so on the overall writing quality and style. The end of the book became something of a page turner for a bit but in the end, I was disappointed with the quick departure of the tribe. I know getting the kids off to America with Fi might have been a bit neat and tidy but it would have been gratifying for me, none the less. I just hate that every possibility in the book ended up with a negative resolution.

I know some of you were not able to get into the book enough to finish it. Let's try The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I believe we will all be much more satisfied with this one.

A Romance in the Air?

Well, at first I thought the Camel Bookmobile was going to be pretty slow and almost completely about the silly American in a foreign land. I was surprised to find so much budding romance in the story! The interaction between Jwahir and Abayomi is interesting but not as intriguing as Fi and Matani. These make the story feel fuller and not so preachy. Do you think Masha Hamilton should have included the romances or if the relationships give the book too much fluff and diversion from the story?

Welcome to Africa!

Has anyone else finished part 1 of The Camel Bookmobile? Masha Hamilton has a unique way of jumping from character to character as the 'chapters' of her book. At first, I was slow to warm up to the book because I didn't get enough on Fiona. As I read a bit more and got to know the characters a little, though, I really started to focus more on the families that Fiona is delivering books to. I am starting to like the flow of the chapters and I am ready to see what kind of trouble Fiona is going to cause in this socio-economic area she really knows nothing about. Leave it to an American to go in thinking she knows best! Did you have another impression of the book?

Reminder - Book Bites Upcoming Meeting

Don't forget - Friday, September 24th, is the first Book Bites meeting. We are meeting in the auditorium from 4-5 pm. We will be having some fabulous cookies and coffee - so stop by to discuss Water for Elephants!

Introduction to The Camel Bookmobile - October's Selection

When Fiona Sweeney tells her family she wants to do something that matters, they do not expect her to go to Africa to help start a traveling library. But that is where Fiona chooses to make her mark: in the arid bush of northeastern Kenya, among tiny, far-flung communities, nearly unknown and lacking roads and schools, where people live daily with drought, hunger, and disease.

In The Camel Bookmobile, Fi travels to settlements where people have never held a book in their hands. Though her motives are good, Fi doesn't understand the people she seeks to help. Encumbered by her Western values, she finds herself in the midst of several struggles within the community of Mididima. There the bookmobile's presence sparks a feud between those who favor modernization and those who fear the loss of the traditional way of life in the African bush.

The Camel Bookmobile is a powerful saga that challenges our fears of the unknown. It follows an American librarian who travels to Africa to give meaning to her life, and ultimately loses a piece of her heart. In the end, this compelling novel shows how one life can change many, in spite of dangerous and seemingly immutable obstacles.

So as soon as we finish Water for Elephants - let's jump in to this one!!