I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan over the weekend. This book was thoroughly absorbing. I have always been interested in Chinese literature, especially footbinding. I do however consider this a "girly" book. The theme of the book wraps around two women and their inner worlds. I, being a woman, found it fascinating. Though, I found it strange that the husbands’ names were never mentioned (except once Lily calls her husband by his name) and we never find out the names of Lily or Snow Flower's sons. It goes to show how women were valued in that time and in that society.
The writing was very crisp and clear. It was easy and absorbing to read. I didn't want to put it down, as I always wanted to know what was going to happen. The emotion in the writing was beautiful. It tore at the heartstrings and was actually quite sad in the end.
Beautiful, beautiful book.
Next up:
Rumspringa
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Dogs Who Found Me
I just finished Dogs Who Found Me by Ken Foster. This was a quick read. If you love dogs, you will enjoy this book. You really understand how the author feels about his dogs and the dogs he just seems to randomly find. Foster is very honesty and realistic about his and other people's relationships with dogs. The stories were sweet and touching. It makes me angry to read about all these people who are able to just abandon dogs. It also made me wonder now if I starting paying more attention I might see more lost dogs. People can be so selfish sometimes. It wasn't the most exciting thing I have read lately, but I enjoyed it.
I did start The Known World, but after 30 pages, I had absolutely NO IDEA what was happening. I couldn't keep the family trees and bloodlines straight. It was definitely one of those books you really really have to pay attention to while you are reading. I couldn't do it. Maybe I will pick it up again some other time.
Next Up:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. (I am already LOVING this book!)
I did start The Known World, but after 30 pages, I had absolutely NO IDEA what was happening. I couldn't keep the family trees and bloodlines straight. It was definitely one of those books you really really have to pay attention to while you are reading. I couldn't do it. Maybe I will pick it up again some other time.
Next Up:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. (I am already LOVING this book!)
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Julie and Julia
I finished Julie and Julia. (#9)I found this book quite annoying to be honest. I found the writing style overly wordy and hard to get through. I found the author to be pretentious and a little snobby. How on earth did she have enough money to buy all of these crazy ingredients all the time, even though she was a temp? (Which was made quite clear through out the book). I also thought she assumed a lot. There seem to be a lot of skills necessary to complete such a project and somehow magically Julie knew all of them. Now, I am a cooking novice here and I just didn't quite understand all the techniques she was talking about half the time. I didn't realize it was a requirement.
Her endless ranting about her friends and "bleaders" was just plain obnoxious. Who cares about your friend Isabel or Sally or whats-her-name. Sometimes I found this book more to be about her weirdo friends than cooking. And then all of a sudden national newspapers and TV shows start calling? All because of this cooking blog? Hummm.. not sure I buy it. To me it just seemed she was bragging about it and made me dislike her even more.
But kudos to her for completing her goal. I always like to see and hear about people who follow through on things.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I also finished a Breath of Fresh Air. (#41) This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was mostly an Indian love story. But that doesn't mean I am discounting it. It was beautifully written and laid out. I liked how there was a bit of mystery to it. I loved how real the characters were. They were all very human. The author did a fantastic job of building the novella up.
I enjoyed very much the switching points of view so the reader was able to get a clear concise picture of what was happening, and not just who was initially perceived to be the main character, Anjali.
I also appreciated all of the Indian history that was thrown into the mix; The Bhopal Gas tragedy (which I honestly knew nothing about, but now thankfully I am reading up on) as well as Indira Ghandi's murder.
At first I thought I was going to be disappointed, but in the end I was not at all. Though I thought the ending was a bit lackluster.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Next up: The Known World
Her endless ranting about her friends and "bleaders" was just plain obnoxious. Who cares about your friend Isabel or Sally or whats-her-name. Sometimes I found this book more to be about her weirdo friends than cooking. And then all of a sudden national newspapers and TV shows start calling? All because of this cooking blog? Hummm.. not sure I buy it. To me it just seemed she was bragging about it and made me dislike her even more.
But kudos to her for completing her goal. I always like to see and hear about people who follow through on things.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I also finished a Breath of Fresh Air. (#41) This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was mostly an Indian love story. But that doesn't mean I am discounting it. It was beautifully written and laid out. I liked how there was a bit of mystery to it. I loved how real the characters were. They were all very human. The author did a fantastic job of building the novella up.
I enjoyed very much the switching points of view so the reader was able to get a clear concise picture of what was happening, and not just who was initially perceived to be the main character, Anjali.
I also appreciated all of the Indian history that was thrown into the mix; The Bhopal Gas tragedy (which I honestly knew nothing about, but now thankfully I am reading up on) as well as Indira Ghandi's murder.
At first I thought I was going to be disappointed, but in the end I was not at all. Though I thought the ending was a bit lackluster.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Next up: The Known World
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
A Piece of Cake
I finished A Piece of Cake last night.
This was an extremely compelling look in to the life of a woman who as see and done it all.
Want to know how to obtain and smoke crack? Read this book
Want to know how to join a gang in the drop of a hat? Read this book
Want to learn about every kind of illegal drug there is out there? Read this book
What to learn how to rip of furniture rental stores? Read this book
What to learn how easy it is for an 11 year old to become a prostitute? Read this book
Want to learn about how easy it is for an 11 year old orphan to fall through the cracks in the system? Read this book?
Want to learn how fake a resume and how NOT to keep a job? Read this book.
There were a few things I grappled with in this book. The biggest; if in fact "Cup", (as she is affectionately called through out the book) was in fact drunk, high and stoned for all most 15 years straight how on earth was she able to remember her life events so vividly? Enough so, to write over 300 pages about this time period in her life remembering names of people, places, streets, drugs with such detail that it seemed to be happening now? It was really quite odd. I would assume that anyone who spent that much time in another world or blacked out wouldn't remember anything. Although, there is rarely a mention of any actual dates in the book.
I found this book on one note completely and utterly disturbing. A portrait of how such a young girl struck by tragedy could feel through the cracks in a system that is supposedly there to help children and so quickly at that. How is it possible that this happened? How could no one believe the abuse? Is this system we have in place really that horrible?
I also found this book very hopeful. If one person really wants to take charge of their life and stays determined they can change their life around. I found my self cheering for Cup in the end. It left me with a warm feeling inside. After everything she had been through, she was able to pull herself out of it and live a productive life. There are so many people in the world who either choose a way in life Cup didn't or, who are unable to get out. This book shows it doesn't have to be that way.
Next up: Julie and Julia -- Julie Powell
This was an extremely compelling look in to the life of a woman who as see and done it all.
Want to know how to obtain and smoke crack? Read this book
Want to know how to join a gang in the drop of a hat? Read this book
Want to learn about every kind of illegal drug there is out there? Read this book
What to learn how to rip of furniture rental stores? Read this book
What to learn how easy it is for an 11 year old to become a prostitute? Read this book
Want to learn about how easy it is for an 11 year old orphan to fall through the cracks in the system? Read this book?
Want to learn how fake a resume and how NOT to keep a job? Read this book.
There were a few things I grappled with in this book. The biggest; if in fact "Cup", (as she is affectionately called through out the book) was in fact drunk, high and stoned for all most 15 years straight how on earth was she able to remember her life events so vividly? Enough so, to write over 300 pages about this time period in her life remembering names of people, places, streets, drugs with such detail that it seemed to be happening now? It was really quite odd. I would assume that anyone who spent that much time in another world or blacked out wouldn't remember anything. Although, there is rarely a mention of any actual dates in the book.
I found this book on one note completely and utterly disturbing. A portrait of how such a young girl struck by tragedy could feel through the cracks in a system that is supposedly there to help children and so quickly at that. How is it possible that this happened? How could no one believe the abuse? Is this system we have in place really that horrible?
I also found this book very hopeful. If one person really wants to take charge of their life and stays determined they can change their life around. I found my self cheering for Cup in the end. It left me with a warm feeling inside. After everything she had been through, she was able to pull herself out of it and live a productive life. There are so many people in the world who either choose a way in life Cup didn't or, who are unable to get out. This book shows it doesn't have to be that way.
Next up: Julie and Julia -- Julie Powell
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Noodle Maker
Finished The Noodle Maker over the weekend. It was just okay for me. I have been wanting to learn more about the cultural revolution in China and Asian Literature interests me. I think that my lack of knowledge on the subject hurt me when reading this book. I feel like there was a lot that went over my head. I didn't know what the "Open Door Policy" was while reading it. I could take a guess I suppose, but once I looked it up things make a bit more sense.
The stories were interesting enough, if not strange. I loved the Old Writer and the Blood Donor. I thought they were great characters. I also like how all the stories were tied together slightly by the mentioning of previous characters in the book.
All in all, it was just okay for me.
Next Up:
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown.
The stories were interesting enough, if not strange. I loved the Old Writer and the Blood Donor. I thought they were great characters. I also like how all the stories were tied together slightly by the mentioning of previous characters in the book.
All in all, it was just okay for me.
Next Up:
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Onwards.....
I finished The First Verse (sort of) on Thursday.
I was really hoping that this book would be me all excited like the Secret History did. I was sadly disappointed. The characters were a bit lack-luster for me and I really started to just not care about them. I got bored. I also didn't find it very realistic. At first the basic idea is intriguing -- using random excerpts from books to answer questions, but then it just all fell apart for me. The author could have totally made it extraordinary, but it just imploded on itself. The book just dragged on and I kept saying to myself just hurry up already! Sadly I gave up around page 200. I don't even care what happened next...
*sigh*
Then however I picked up Sickened by Julie Gregory.
I finished this book in a day and half. It was fascinating. Granted the writing style was pretty simple but also eloquent. I was amazed by the story. I love memoirs and this was no different. I just grimaced when Julie described some of the procedures she had to go through. I find it hard to believe that someone could do these things to their child. I wanted to cry when Julie went back after recovering only to find out her mom was doing it again to new children. I recently logged on to Julie Gregory's website searching for an update on the case against her mother, but was disappointed when there was nothing there. But in the end I found the book a very satisfying read.
Next Up: The Noodle Maker
I was really hoping that this book would be me all excited like the Secret History did. I was sadly disappointed. The characters were a bit lack-luster for me and I really started to just not care about them. I got bored. I also didn't find it very realistic. At first the basic idea is intriguing -- using random excerpts from books to answer questions, but then it just all fell apart for me. The author could have totally made it extraordinary, but it just imploded on itself. The book just dragged on and I kept saying to myself just hurry up already! Sadly I gave up around page 200. I don't even care what happened next...
*sigh*
Then however I picked up Sickened by Julie Gregory.
I finished this book in a day and half. It was fascinating. Granted the writing style was pretty simple but also eloquent. I was amazed by the story. I love memoirs and this was no different. I just grimaced when Julie described some of the procedures she had to go through. I find it hard to believe that someone could do these things to their child. I wanted to cry when Julie went back after recovering only to find out her mom was doing it again to new children. I recently logged on to Julie Gregory's website searching for an update on the case against her mother, but was disappointed when there was nothing there. But in the end I found the book a very satisfying read.
Next Up: The Noodle Maker
Thursday, July 26, 2007
One Year
On August 8th it will be one year since I started my goal. Accordingly, I should have read 36.5 books by then. I am currently finishing book 34. Not have half bad. If wouldn't have picked a couple of pretty long books I might have been exactly on target. I am okay with where I am at. If I keep it up, I will finish right on time.
I am about 100 pages from finishing The First Verse. It's okay. Nothing to get too excited about. I was hoping it would be more similar to The Secret History. I mean it is actually pretty similar, but it isn't getting me as excited. I should be finished shortly.
In other news, because I like projects and organizing so much, (yes, I know I am obsessive) I have decided to categorize all of my books into 25 categories. (On librarything I have more tags than that). I am going to go through ALL of my books and mark them accordingly. (Partly because my landlord is making our building clean out the basement and label all of our stuff or she will throw it out. So this gives me a chance to go through all my boxes of books down there). I might have trouble putting all the books into these categories, but I am going to try. Each book is going to be allowed up to two categories. They are as follows:
1. Memoirs
2. Classics
3. Middle Eastern Lit
4. Asian Lit
5. Latino Lit
6. Travel
7. Current Fiction/21st Century Lit
8. Beatles
9. Southwestern Lit
10. Outdoor/Nature
11. Poetry/Drama
12. African American Lit
13. Chick Lit
14. Holocaust
15. Animals/Pets
16. Misc. Non-Fiction
17. Teen/Children
18. Humor
19. Teaching/Education
20. Books/Reading
21. African Lit
22. Reference
23. 9/11 and Katrina (I know, strange grouping them together, but it was all I could think of)
24. History
25. 20th Century Lit (I know this will probably over-lap with #7 a bit)
We will see how it goes....
I am about 100 pages from finishing The First Verse. It's okay. Nothing to get too excited about. I was hoping it would be more similar to The Secret History. I mean it is actually pretty similar, but it isn't getting me as excited. I should be finished shortly.
In other news, because I like projects and organizing so much, (yes, I know I am obsessive) I have decided to categorize all of my books into 25 categories. (On librarything I have more tags than that). I am going to go through ALL of my books and mark them accordingly. (Partly because my landlord is making our building clean out the basement and label all of our stuff or she will throw it out. So this gives me a chance to go through all my boxes of books down there). I might have trouble putting all the books into these categories, but I am going to try. Each book is going to be allowed up to two categories. They are as follows:
1. Memoirs
2. Classics
3. Middle Eastern Lit
4. Asian Lit
5. Latino Lit
6. Travel
7. Current Fiction/21st Century Lit
8. Beatles
9. Southwestern Lit
10. Outdoor/Nature
11. Poetry/Drama
12. African American Lit
13. Chick Lit
14. Holocaust
15. Animals/Pets
16. Misc. Non-Fiction
17. Teen/Children
18. Humor
19. Teaching/Education
20. Books/Reading
21. African Lit
22. Reference
23. 9/11 and Katrina (I know, strange grouping them together, but it was all I could think of)
24. History
25. 20th Century Lit (I know this will probably over-lap with #7 a bit)
We will see how it goes....
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