I am incredibly ignorant of Asian history. This comes home to me every time I read a book set in the Eastern Hemisphere. I remember taking a class in European History in high school, but I don't think there was even one offered for Asian history. How much we are missing out on.

When My Name Was Keoko takes place in Korea during World War 2. Korea is controlled by Japan at this point in time, and has been since 1910. (Fact # 1 out of many that I learned by reading this book.) In an effort to gain more and more control over the Koreans, Japan decrees that every Korean has to change their name to a Japanese name. Sun-hee (who becomes Keoko) and Tae-yul (who becomes Nobuo) take turns narrating this story.

While the battlefields of World War 2 never come to Korea, that doesn't mean their lives are unaffected. The Japanese take their food and metal for resources, and conscript their young men and women into the work force. And always, they suppress Korea's identity and culture. Sun-hee and Tae-yul are both incredibly brave in their own ways as they seek to stay true to who they are.

This is a very powerful book. Being told from the point of view of children makes it even more so. If you are looking to learn something about Korean history or if you are looking for an entirely different perspective on World War 2, you can't do any better than to read When My Name Was Keoko.​ 

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

It takes a lot for me to rate a book five stars, so I don't have very many of those recently. Here are some of the books I've read this year and enjoyed immensely (even if they didn't quite get a five star rating).

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (You may see a theme with these first three. The Chronicles of Prydain is one of my favorite series from when I was a kid. I decided to reread them this year, and I am loving them just as much now as I did when I was eleven.)
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (My review of this is going up on Thursday, but you can already tell that I liked it because it's on this list!)
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert (This series with Beatrix Potter as the main character and talking animals is simply delightful.)

Cress by Marissa Meyer (If you haven't already discovered how amazing this series is for yourself, you should. Soon.)
The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein (An island where the things you read about come to life? Sign me up!)
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall (These characters are so much fun.)
So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson (Books about books are always amazing, aren't they?)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Breathtaking writing. Simply spectacular.)​

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I enjoyed spending time with my family and my husband's family. The best part, though, was the morning's church services full of music and good news!

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (This was a reread, since it's my book club book for next month. I was surprised by how much I had forgotten of the details in the year since I read it the first time. But I know I enjoyed it just as much the second time around!)

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (I'm only 40 pages in, and I've already learned a lot about Korea during World War 2. This is a great book so far.)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Almost there! I've read 1,260 out of 1,361 pages. One more week should do it!)

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (This is the last book on my to-read list for March, so I hope I can squeeze at least some of it in before April!)

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May your day be filled with family and friends and the opportunity to worship. Praise the Lord for His victory over death!

I'm not even going to try to give this book a typical review. I just finished it this morning, so I haven't had time to process it all. Even with time, I'm not sure I could come up with a coherent opinion. So instead, here are a list of some thoughts I had about this book:​

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it. And I respect it for its accurate portrayal of a gritty life in Naples. Was I intrigued enough by Lila and Elena to read the three other books in the series? Someday, for sure. Do I need to run out right now and devour them? No, but I do look forward to entering their world so completely again sometime down the road.

Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books

This week's topic is "Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While." I feel like I tend to talk about my favorite books over and over, so this is a chance to explore my bookshelves and see what gets neglected. These are books I love but read before I starting blogging, so they haven't gotten any love on Smiling Shelves yet:​

Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder (This is nonfiction, following one teacher's experience in an inner-city school. I discovered it at a book fair when I was in fifth grade, and I think I can honestly say it was one of the things that was instrumental in inspiring me to become a teacher.)
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart (A true story of finding your niche in Paris by discovering the local piano store. As a pianist and European traveller, this book hit all my sweet spots.)
Sandition by Jane Austen & Another Lady (Sanditon was an unfinished manuscript that Jane Austen left behind when she died. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have completed it, but the version I love best is by "Another Lady." She truly lives up to Austen's wit and characters.)
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (While the idea of being a vet kind of grosses me out, Herriot's naive charm and pure British atmosphere is what sells this book. If you want to live in the Yorkshire countryside of 50+ years ago, then you only have to read this series.)
​The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (I know Marie Rutkoski is quite well-known for her YA series The Winner's Trilogy, but she also wrote a children's series that is fun and awesome and much less well-known.)

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God by Lee Strobel (Apologetics is one of my passions, and Strobel's books provide expert testimony as to why God makes more sense!)
The Once and Future King by T.H. White (The story of King Arthur. One of my all-time favorite books. If you haven't read it, you should! Soon!)
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (Telling about the life of Michelangelo, this book is historical fiction at its finest.)
Christy by Catherine Marshall (Can you imagine going to teach in the rural areas of the Smoky Mountains one hundred years ago at the age of nineteen? I couldn't, which is probably why this book is so fascinating to me.)
Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea (I have a strange obsession with the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the perfect book to feed that obsession.)

It's Holy Week! This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, not only because of what Jesus did for us, but also because I'm a musician. I love all the special music we use to celebrate Good Friday and Easter. It makes for a bit of a crazy schedule, but next week is spring break so that gives me some time to recover. (Although maybe not much, since it's almost April and time for baby to arrive!)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (So many things to do! I only got through one book this week - barely. But it is just as good as everyone says. I'm sure I'll read the rest of the series someday.)

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (So much fun!)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Getting closer - 1,155 out of 1,361 pages read now!)

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (The April selection for the Reading Together book club. I'm trying to get a jump on things!)

Farmer Boy is the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's future husband, Almanzo, as a child. It was interesting to see the similarities between the two. There is still a lot of time spent describing the food they ate (it made me hungry), as well as all the work they did to survive. The differences were pretty interesting also. Since Almanzo's family lived near a town, they weren't in pure survival mode. There were stores that were still a bit of a trip away, but decently convenient. And they had neighbors to visit with - even a parlor in which to receive them!

What struck me most, though, was the innocence of Almanzo. He was a nine-year-old boy. I teach fourth grade, so I'm fairly familiar with nine-year-old boys. They're not like that anymore. It was refreshing to see Almanzo treat his parents with such respect and obedience, even when he got up to some boyish shenanigans. I think this is one of the reasons why the Little House books are still so beloved. They not only give us a picture of a lost time;​ they give us a picture of a lost childhood innocence.

Back at the beginning of the month, I shared my list of books I'm hoping to read in March. I'm doing surprisingly well so far. I have 5 of the 8 read, and I've started on the sixth. I don't want to repeat that list in this post, so this is a list of books I'm hoping to get to read sometime in the next couple of months.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Our next book club book)
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (And I thought I'd read the sequel, as long as I was at it.)
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (The April book for the Reading Together Book Club)
Winter by Marissa Meyer (I can't wait to finish this amazing series!)
On the Banks of Plum Creek ​by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The April book for the Little House Read-along)

Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart (I'm in the mood for some nonfiction, and I've been eyeing this one on my shelf for awhile.)
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan (I'm trying to read the books I buy this year.)
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein (He has become one of my auto-buy authors. I'm excited to read his newest book!)

It's starting to feel like spring here in Michigan! The weather is warmish, and it rained all day Sunday. It's so nice to be able to go for a walk again. Also in my weekly highlights - I finally gave in and bought an adult coloring book. I only have half of one picture completed so far, but it has definitely renewed my love of coloring!

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (Love this series!)
The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park (Our March read for the Reading Together book club.)
Fairest by Marissa Meyer (It's always interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at the villain.)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (After two months, my hold finally came in at the library!)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (I crossed over the 1,000 page mark this week! I have now read 1,050 pages out of 1,361!)

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (This is actually a reread for me, but it's our next book club book. I remember really enjoying it the first time around, so I certainly don't mind reading it again!)