The Twelve Little Cakes
Registered by JudySlump612 of Minneapolis, Minnesota USA on 12/10/2010
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
9 journalers for this copy...
Ooh, I'm kind of sorry to be giving this one up. It's the memoir of a dancer in the Czech National Ballet, but the focus is less on dancing than the childhood of an irrepressible girl growing up under communism. I can't guess how Dominika performed as a dancer - my guess is, pretty darn well - but as a writer she's an absolute pearl. Her vivid story is by turns, laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreaking, and unexpected, but always interesting. I was sorry when I came to the end.
But that's just one person's opinion. What did YOU think about this book? I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, then take a moment to post your comments here - it's free, and you can be anonymous if you like. When you're done with the book, please share it with others so it can continue its journey. Everyone should have the fun of finding a new free book!
But that's just one person's opinion. What did YOU think about this book? I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did, then take a moment to post your comments here - it's free, and you can be anonymous if you like. When you're done with the book, please share it with others so it can continue its journey. Everyone should have the fun of finding a new free book!
Journal Entry 2 by JudySlump612 at Biographies and Memoirs VBB, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, December 11, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (12/11/2010 UTC) at Biographies and Memoirs VBB, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Placed in JennyC1230's Biography/Autobiography/Humor/Memoirs Virtual Book Box
This book is in the Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox.
If you have found this book, welcome to Bookcrossing and thank you for taking the time to let us know about its journey. Feel free to enjoy the book and pass it along to a friend, neighbor, family member or co-worker, or simply leave it somewhere for another lucky reader to enjoy as you did! This book isn’t your type of read? No problem, don't feel obliged to read it, just be kind enough to help it on its journey. If you join, please use my name as your referring member: JennyC1230.
Sending to Dvg from the Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox.
Delivery Confirmation #03100480000228210294
Sending to Dvg from the Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox.
Delivery Confirmation #03100480000228210294
Arrived safely in New Jersey today beating in the anticipated snow storm! I am looking forward to this read very much. I have read a couple of blurbs in magazines about it and am so glad that I will be reading it shortly...I will let it rest and warm up a short while though while I finish a library book. =) Thank you for including me in the VBB! =)
I was sorry to see this story come to an end. It started out lovely and continued to be a entertaining story about Dominika's childhood. Dominika continued to have a wonderful outlook on life even through some hard times. I really enjoyed reading this story and think that anyone who picks it up will have few smiles, chuckles and a touch of insight into a period of time in another country. I think it was simply a beautifully written work and I thank the author for sharing a piece of her life with us.
Reserving for the Bio/Memoir VBB heading back my way.
Reserving for the Bio/Memoir VBB heading back my way.
Released 12 yrs ago (6/24/2011 UTC) at by mail, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book is being sent to JennyC1230 for the VBB: Virtual Biography/True Crime/Humor Bookbox.
I know it will find a new reader who will be excited about discovering its story. Happy Travels little book and Happy Reading to future readers!
I know it will find a new reader who will be excited about discovering its story. Happy Travels little book and Happy Reading to future readers!
Caught for my bookbox: Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox.
Thanks for sending the extra books!
Thanks for sending the extra books!
Sending to oliviapoolside from the Virtual Biography/Auto-Biography/Humor Bookbox Enjoy the books!
Thank you for sending this. I am looking forward to reading it.
I love this book!
So many memoirs are about people's rotten childhoods, the many variations thereof.
This book is the opposite. Dominika lives in a dysfunctional country (Communist Czechoslovakia) but she lives in a wonderful family who love and treasure her, and she herself spreads sunshine everywhere she goes. Her father was such a source of strength, love and optimism, her mother no less so in a different way.
Also, a lot of memoir writers don't write that well. Dominika Dery writes with such pathos, a purity, love and a great sense of humor. Her family really shows that happiness comes from within and that obstacles can be met with optimism.
My 11 year old read this before me and told me what a great book it was. She was right.
So many memoirs are about people's rotten childhoods, the many variations thereof.
This book is the opposite. Dominika lives in a dysfunctional country (Communist Czechoslovakia) but she lives in a wonderful family who love and treasure her, and she herself spreads sunshine everywhere she goes. Her father was such a source of strength, love and optimism, her mother no less so in a different way.
Also, a lot of memoir writers don't write that well. Dominika Dery writes with such pathos, a purity, love and a great sense of humor. Her family really shows that happiness comes from within and that obstacles can be met with optimism.
My 11 year old read this before me and told me what a great book it was. She was right.
I'll be sorry to give up this book! But I am making it available in the non-fic VBB. Someone else will get a chance to love it.
Sent to waterfalling as her pick in the non fic VBB
Arrived safely with today's mail. With all the excellent recommendations, I look forward to reading this.
Quite enjoyable read about scenes from a childhood in a setting I am not familiar with. Though very much from the child's eyes' point of view, the stories were a delight with an innocence and optimism that won me over.
Sent to someone who had this on her wish list.
Thank you for the RABCK.
What an absolutely enjoyable book. Dominika tells the story of her childhood in a positive light when her story could have been told with a slice of pessimism. Everything from the relationships (or lack of) with her grandparents, her father's crazy ideas, how the locals shunned her family for not being part of the communist party - Dominika could have told a "poor me" story. But rather, she sees the best in every situation, makes light of what could be seen as problematic, and doesn't dwell on the negative.
I applaud Dominika's parents for raising such a well-rounded positive individual. I have some Dominika's in my life and I only wish I had more.
I applaud Dominika's parents for raising such a well-rounded positive individual. I have some Dominika's in my life and I only wish I had more.
giving to dabercro
I really enjoyed this book and Dominika's story. This definitely wasn't the story I expected to read of a childhood growing up in a communist country.
Reserved for the bookstogive General Literature VBB.
Journal Entry 23 by dabercro at ~ Bookstogive's General Literature Virtual Book Box, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Friday, July 29, 2016
Released 7 yrs ago (7/28/2016 UTC) at ~ Bookstogive's General Literature Virtual Book Box, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to tabby-cat-owner in AZ.
I received this in the mail from dabercro of Clinton, Iowa. I selected it from the General Literature VBB organized by bookstogive.
Thank you for sending this book to me, dabercro. I look forward to reading it.
Thank you for sending this book to me, dabercro. I look forward to reading it.
This book was a delight to read. There were so many hard times that the family experienced because there refused to sign a document stating that a return to Soviet-style Communism would be an improvement over the "Prague Spring", a brief period of liberalization which was crushed by the Soviets in 1968. There was very little complaining when unfair and cruel situations were encountered again and again by this family. The innocence of childhood was woven throughout these memoirs as these memoirs tell about the first ten years of the author's life. At the end of the book, the author and her family took a small disastrous vacation in Poland. I did not know until I read this book that the Soviets punished Poland after the country tried to organize unions under activist Lech Walesa. Even though the farms of Poland produced a lot of food, all the food was taken by the Soviets and the Polish people were basically starving as punishment.
Journal Entry 26 by tabby-cat-owner at The Lives They Lived Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, January 25, 2024
Released 2 mos ago (1/25/2024 UTC) at The Lives They Lived Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book is going into "The Lives They Lived Bookbox", a bookbox of Biographies and Memoirs. The bookbox is traveling to GoryDetails of New Hampshire.
I'm claiming this well-traveled book from the Lives They Lived biography/memoir bookbox. (Waves hi to the previous journalers!)
"A year before I was born, I started turning up in my mother's dreams." This is how the book opens, and it immediately made me glad that I chose it from the bookbox.
Dery's writing style is quite lovely, descriptive of both place and emotion while being lively and enticing. Tidbits of lore such as the Czech "little god", details of life under the Communist regime with its bureaucratic red tape, the warmth of her family - I was drawn in to her world.
Little bits like this one stood out:
"By the mid-eighties, communism was like an old dragon that would occasionally crawl out from its cave and eat someone for dinner. As long as it wasn't you the dragon was eating, you could live with the sound of screams in the distance. Which was precisely what we did until the Velvet Revolution."
And in contrast with that level of darkness, the charming details of Barry, the family dog - a huge Saint Bernard who was a famous film star in his own right. (I spent a fair amount of time worrying about Barry; turns out he does meet his end, but in a gentle way after a long and happy life.)
Not all of Dominika's family memories are happy ones, but overall she seems to have taken delight in life whenever she could. "This was the country of little cakes and sausages. This is the memory of my childhood.... We had each other, and plenty of love in our hearts."
Dery's writing style is quite lovely, descriptive of both place and emotion while being lively and enticing. Tidbits of lore such as the Czech "little god", details of life under the Communist regime with its bureaucratic red tape, the warmth of her family - I was drawn in to her world.
Little bits like this one stood out:
"By the mid-eighties, communism was like an old dragon that would occasionally crawl out from its cave and eat someone for dinner. As long as it wasn't you the dragon was eating, you could live with the sound of screams in the distance. Which was precisely what we did until the Velvet Revolution."
And in contrast with that level of darkness, the charming details of Barry, the family dog - a huge Saint Bernard who was a famous film star in his own right. (I spent a fair amount of time worrying about Barry; turns out he does meet his end, but in a gentle way after a long and happy life.)
Not all of Dominika's family memories are happy ones, but overall she seems to have taken delight in life whenever she could. "This was the country of little cakes and sausages. This is the memory of my childhood.... We had each other, and plenty of love in our hearts."
Journal Entry 29 by 
GoryDetails
at Little Free Library, South St. #69 in Concord, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, February 27, 2024
GoryDetails at Little Free Library, South St. #69 in Concord, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Released 1 mo ago (2/28/2024 UTC) at Little Free Library, South St. #69 in Concord, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it![See other recent releases in NH here.]
Released for:
** 2024 Wine+Food challenge **
** Released for the 2024 Keep Them Moving challenge. **
