The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince was recommended to me by Father Edmundo Zarata from the church community I am part of. He said that this book is a very simple and short but has a very deep meaning. I began reading and feel in love with it is such a cute story yet captivating and very interesting how the author has written a story from a child's point of view. Even though, it is a very short story every word counts. I began reading it and could not stop.There seems double meaning to everything and the author I believe has done a good job for the reader to be able to connect with the scenarios and people the little prince comes across.

Interview with Sarah

This is an interview I had with Sarah about Germinal:

What impacted you the most about the book?

For me, the vivid, naturalistic description of the characters' lives and struggles was touching and provocative.  I appreciated Zola's attention to detail, including how he portrayed the characters and their lives through their speech, descriptions of their living and working environment, and their relationships to each others.

How old were you when you read it? 

I read the book about 10 years ago, when i was in my mid twenties.

Did the book change your perspective on anything in any way?

Reading the book helped to have a new awareness of the lives of the poor in France in the time period the book was written.  

What was your favorite part in the book?

I can't remember a favorite part.  I vividly remember the opening scene and the author's description of fired onions as the only food available for a family of people who worked all day like slaves in the coal mines.  I also remember the golfing scene for some reason, though i can't remember the relevance of it the story over all.  I thought it was cool to learn about that part of the history of golf, since now golf is obviously a sport associated with the elite, but i guess it wasn't always.

Why did you read this book?

I believe that somebody recommended the book or the author to me as one i might like.  I did love the book.  For me it was captivating, and I remember reading in a matter of days, though it is a long book.  I really hope you enjoyed it and that it inspires you to continue to read!

Germinal by Emile Zola

Germinal by Emile Zola was recommended to me by Sarah Rodriguez. When I asked her if she could recommend me a few books she said she was already thinking of a few books for me. Germinal is a great old English book around the 19th century in France, the story is basically about mine workers being exploited by the owners and captains. Entienne which is the main character starts our as a new mine worker and with little education begins to try to make a change with the system since all the mine workers families live a very poor unhealthy lives. I am around half way done with the book and even though it is sometimes hard to understand, I love how the author has narrated the whole story by always describing great scenery and going into depth with each of the characters. I also feel like there are many stories or parts in the story, the author describes the same scene sometimes twice but from different angles or characters.