Wild Ginger by Anchee Min I've always enjoyed reading book about other cultures. I read all of Lisa See's books not too long ago and have since been missing that cultural aspect. So I searched a bit for similar authors and was able to find this author and this book at my local library. I did like that the book took place in the late 60s early 70s in China during the cultural revolution. I liked learning about the cultural and historical aspects of this time period. Overall I wish I had started with another of Min's books because while I liked the writing I didn't particularly enjoy the plot line. A young girl coming of age during this tumultuous time and her only friend at school meet a young man that attempts to help them in this difficult time. Of course a sort of love triangle develops in a culture that does not value love at that time in history. The story was interesting enough and kept me turning the pages but perhaps I had too high expectations since I still found it to be lacking.
The Lolita Effect by M. Gigi Durham This non fiction book has been on my list for some time. The author provides her perspective on the media and it's sexualization of, especially young, girls. The author takes us through reasons why girls are sexualized and various cultural differences around the world. I liked the informative research provided, what I didn't like was that it felt like the whole book was telling us as readers we shouldn't be allowing this instead of accepting the reality we do live in. It seemed to me that she was advocating for radical change rather then education. Then at the end of the book she stated the opposite that she realized the culture and times we lived in but that by being informed users we could make choices as parents and consumers through education. It was a bit of a confusing message at least to me.
Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto- This book was not on my list but I saw the picture of the old camera on the front of the novel and the title and got sucked in to putting it in my bag. I really liked the book but it is advertised as a novel, says it on the front cover, but more so seemed like a collection of short stories to me. In any case each section is narrated by a different character but all have a love of photography in common. The stories are told throughout the 20th century with each woman having to make choices about the sacrifices she will or will not make to further herself in life. I loved reading the different stories from different years and across the globe. I loved the vivid way the author captured each characters story.
"Nothing was fixed. Nothing is any one thing really, and isn't that the beauty of it all?"
Book Four will not be blogged about.
Dupont Circle by Paul Kafka-Gibbons I picked this book up at the library simply based on the title and my recent move. Little did I know when I picked it up how timely it would be for last month. The story is told through many characters voices but all center around a DC family and several of it's members. The oldest member of the family is a judge and his wife has died and he is in need of new company and continuing to advance his career. Another set of characters is his son and his son's partner who want to marry but are not allowed to legally at the time. The judge is hearing a case about gay marriage and has to pass a decision on the case. His son and his son's partner are also the parents to two young children born to his daughter who is unable to care for them due to her prevalent mental illness. While I liked reading the book and hearing about now familiar places to me, since the book was published in 2002 thankfully the gay marriage issue has moved much further forward and hopefully will continue to do so. Because of this though, the book seemed to be timely but is really too far in the past already to be as timely today given how much this issue has changed recently. I liked the book though and do not regret reading it and it served it's purpose as far as why I took it off the shelf to begin with.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
February 5
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn I have to start by saying I threw this book on the ground when I finished reading it, that's how into I got and how frustrated I was with it. This was the first book I read by this author after repeatedly hearing from others that I must read it. It was very good. I love the author now and really respect her way of writing and leading you as a reader exactly where she wants you to go and think. This story was of a married couple who recently moved back to the husband's hometown leaving behind their former Manhattan lives. It is clear the marriage has become an unhappy one and we begin with the book being narrated by the wife and then start alternating in various sections back and forth between the wife and the husband. The wife goes missing by the end of the first section of the book and the rest of the book takes us back and forth from former days in the relationships to the present day potential murder case. Warning for this book, just as soon as you have it all figured out, guess what, you don't. Flynn is remarkable at moving you along with the book and getting you to think you've solved the mystery and then throwing huge surprising curveballs.
"And it's so far beyond fine that you know you can never go back to fine. That fast. You think: Oh, here is the rest of my life. It's finally arrived."
"Maybe that is what I like best about him, the way he makes me. Not makes me feel, just makes me."
difficult era to be a real perosn, how to be real again
Promises to Keep by Jane Green I'm not certain I understood the plot here. I get it that one of the main characters had cancer and we earn this early on and then continue on with what is happening for her and her family and friends as a result of this. That being said, I didn't feel like the book went anywhere. I understood as a reader that I was following the life of two sisters and some of their women friends. We learned about different choices woman make as far as career and children and family. But I'm still not sure what the author's message was. I like Jane Green and her novels are usually good for a quick light hearted story, but I'm starting to feel like there are a lot of repetitive story lines and not a good clear story being produced in some of the books. May need to take a break from her books.
The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center Really didn't like this book. The writing wasn't bad, or I wouldn't have finished it, but the concept was cool but then went romance novel very quickly. A young woman is pregnant and right before she is due to have the baby the baby's father, her fiance, leaves her. For awhile we watch her pick herself up and enter single motherhood with courage but then the book becomes about her next relationship rather then continuing on with her independence. Not the overall message I was looking for.
Rape A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates Loved this story. It wasn't an easy read even though it was a quick one. As someone who has heard numerous women's rape stories this fictional woman's story was hard to read through. A woman and her daughter are walking home through a park after a July 4th celebration and she is gang raped by a group of men in her neighborhood. The story tells the aftermath for both the victim and her daughter. Though justice is not served through typical court justice, the story also follows the cop who was a first responder to the scene and how he connects to the victim and her family. I love JCO and her work and this one did not disappoint.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Really growing to like this author. This novel followed a young woman returning home as a journalist after many years of being away. The young woman is a former cutter who used to carve words into her skin. She does not have a good relationship with her mother or her half sibling or step father. Her mother and her have not been able to get along well since her younger sister died many years ago. The main character has to come of age all over again in returning to her childhood roots and having to confront all that she left behind. This story was a little easier to predict then the other novel by the same author that I read, but possibly only because of my own career choices. I really like how Flynn paints the story for us as readers and how difficult it is to put down her books because of that.
"And it's so far beyond fine that you know you can never go back to fine. That fast. You think: Oh, here is the rest of my life. It's finally arrived."
"Maybe that is what I like best about him, the way he makes me. Not makes me feel, just makes me."
difficult era to be a real perosn, how to be real again
Promises to Keep by Jane Green I'm not certain I understood the plot here. I get it that one of the main characters had cancer and we earn this early on and then continue on with what is happening for her and her family and friends as a result of this. That being said, I didn't feel like the book went anywhere. I understood as a reader that I was following the life of two sisters and some of their women friends. We learned about different choices woman make as far as career and children and family. But I'm still not sure what the author's message was. I like Jane Green and her novels are usually good for a quick light hearted story, but I'm starting to feel like there are a lot of repetitive story lines and not a good clear story being produced in some of the books. May need to take a break from her books.
The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center Really didn't like this book. The writing wasn't bad, or I wouldn't have finished it, but the concept was cool but then went romance novel very quickly. A young woman is pregnant and right before she is due to have the baby the baby's father, her fiance, leaves her. For awhile we watch her pick herself up and enter single motherhood with courage but then the book becomes about her next relationship rather then continuing on with her independence. Not the overall message I was looking for.
Rape A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates Loved this story. It wasn't an easy read even though it was a quick one. As someone who has heard numerous women's rape stories this fictional woman's story was hard to read through. A woman and her daughter are walking home through a park after a July 4th celebration and she is gang raped by a group of men in her neighborhood. The story tells the aftermath for both the victim and her daughter. Though justice is not served through typical court justice, the story also follows the cop who was a first responder to the scene and how he connects to the victim and her family. I love JCO and her work and this one did not disappoint.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Really growing to like this author. This novel followed a young woman returning home as a journalist after many years of being away. The young woman is a former cutter who used to carve words into her skin. She does not have a good relationship with her mother or her half sibling or step father. Her mother and her have not been able to get along well since her younger sister died many years ago. The main character has to come of age all over again in returning to her childhood roots and having to confront all that she left behind. This story was a little easier to predict then the other novel by the same author that I read, but possibly only because of my own career choices. I really like how Flynn paints the story for us as readers and how difficult it is to put down her books because of that.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
January-6
The Group by Mary McCarthy This book was referred to in another book I was reading and I got curious about it. It tells the story of 8 women who recently graduated from college in the 1930s and shows the paths their lives begin to take. I found it to be an excellent piece of feminist literature and quite shocking for it's intended audience as it was published in the early 60s. I really related to the women each trying to find their own path and see where their lives would take them. Each of them in their own way had their own hopes and dreams and they were living in a time where it wasn't an easy task to get those wants met. It was odd to read about women in a much different era but facing many of the same issues today's women face. It was easy to relate to the idea of wanting to keep your college friends but getting lost in your career, marriage, and family choices. It was also sad to read about the challenges they faced and the loses that they endured. Overall I'm certain it didn't have the impact on me that it would have had if I had been around to read it when it was first released, but I still found it to be a great read. I also see the influence it has had on other writers who write about women's friendships throughout the life course and how they grow and change.
This is how You Lose Her by Junot Diaz This is a collection of short stories all following the main character, Yunior. There are 9 short stories all telling of/about love. The author shares stories of family love, love for one's country of origin, romantic love, and the mistakes sometimes made in romantic love and the consequences those mistakes can have. The book was a little too vulgar for my taste at times but I appreciated that it wasn't vulgar for the sake of being vulgar but as a way to explore the main character in a real way. There were stories I liked better than others but throughout I liked the authors writing style. I also think the book started strong and ended strong but I got lost a little in the middle stories. I also think since 8 of the 9 stories included the main character and the other one hinted at his involvement in the story, the book may have been better as a sequential novel rather than a fragmented short story book. The stories jumped around a bit and made it a little confusing. That being said I liked the authors style and added his other two books to my to read list.
"Okay, we didn't work, and all memories to tell you the truth aren't good. But sometimes there were good times. Love was good. I loved your crooked sleep beside me and never dreamed afraid. There should be stars for great wars like ours." Sandra Cisneros opening quote
"Ana Iris once asked me if I loved him and I told her about the lights in my old home in the capital, how they flickered and you never knew if they would go out or not. You put down your things and you waited and couldn't do anything really until the lights decided. This, I told her, is how I feel."
No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel This was an excellent book. I've gotten quite behind on my blog writing but even 3 months later I still vividly remember this book. The author narrates in such a detailed way it would be difficult to forget. The story is of an isolated Jewish town in Romania starting during WWII. The town reinvents itself in order to keep the bigger world out and is successful at doing so for some time. Eventually the two worlds collide though and the main characters face many hardships and challenges. The writing in this book was excellent and I am sad this was the author's first novel as I don't have other books of hers yet to add to my "to read" list.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick I only added this book to my never ending "to read" list after seeing the movie. I happened upon the movie by chance and I absolutely loved it and saw how it would make a great book. I think this is the first time in a long time that I liked a movie more than the book it was based on! The book is more or less the same storyline of the movie but with some key differences that really change the tone of the novel. The story still revolves around a 30 something year old man with Bipolar disorder that is getting out of a mental institution. There is still a love story in the middle of it all and also the story of the man reintegrating into society after his life has had such a dramatic change. The title is made more clear in the book and the family dynamics are explored much more as well. Overall the book wasn't bad and if I hadn't had such a great experience with the movie it may have met my expectations but since I was really counting on it being great it just didn't satisfy me as much as the trumped up Hollywood version did.
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy This book confused me. I guess it was passed on a story from some years ago and may have had more meaning if I had known what it was based on. The story follows a family visiting France and is told through several of the main characters voices. There is a young girl who is the daughter of a couple and then several neighbors and friends staying with the family. There is also a young woman who is involved in each of their lives. It was a short read but a bit confusing to follow and I'm not entirely sure what message the author was trying to convey was.
Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman This book is a collection of short stories with human characters as narrators but each story has animal characters as well which are important to each story in a unique way. The human characters are struggling and sharing their stories of the struggle they are facing. The animal characters are important to each story and for some stories bring in some happiness where there is only sadness. The reader learns unique facts about the animals as we are learning about the human characters and making connections of similarities. As both a book lover and animal lover this book was such a great read for me. It was also the first time in awhile that I read a book of short stories where I felt the author did a good job of closing the stories individually. For the most part each story had the right amount of writing to get you interested but also to give you closure where you weren't constantly looking elsewhere in the book for the character's chapter to return to be closed in a better way.
"I want to fix everything. I want him to know nothing but gentle landings. I don't want him to know that people like Louis's mom exist, that people fall into land mines of pain and can't crawl back out."
"Mother's, I believe, intoxicate us. We idolize them and take them for granted. We hate them and blame them and exalt them more thoroughly than anyone else in our lives. We sift through the evidence of their love, reassure ourselves of their affection and its biological genesis. We can steal and lie and leave and they will love us."
This is how You Lose Her by Junot Diaz This is a collection of short stories all following the main character, Yunior. There are 9 short stories all telling of/about love. The author shares stories of family love, love for one's country of origin, romantic love, and the mistakes sometimes made in romantic love and the consequences those mistakes can have. The book was a little too vulgar for my taste at times but I appreciated that it wasn't vulgar for the sake of being vulgar but as a way to explore the main character in a real way. There were stories I liked better than others but throughout I liked the authors writing style. I also think the book started strong and ended strong but I got lost a little in the middle stories. I also think since 8 of the 9 stories included the main character and the other one hinted at his involvement in the story, the book may have been better as a sequential novel rather than a fragmented short story book. The stories jumped around a bit and made it a little confusing. That being said I liked the authors style and added his other two books to my to read list.
"Okay, we didn't work, and all memories to tell you the truth aren't good. But sometimes there were good times. Love was good. I loved your crooked sleep beside me and never dreamed afraid. There should be stars for great wars like ours." Sandra Cisneros opening quote
"Ana Iris once asked me if I loved him and I told her about the lights in my old home in the capital, how they flickered and you never knew if they would go out or not. You put down your things and you waited and couldn't do anything really until the lights decided. This, I told her, is how I feel."
No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel This was an excellent book. I've gotten quite behind on my blog writing but even 3 months later I still vividly remember this book. The author narrates in such a detailed way it would be difficult to forget. The story is of an isolated Jewish town in Romania starting during WWII. The town reinvents itself in order to keep the bigger world out and is successful at doing so for some time. Eventually the two worlds collide though and the main characters face many hardships and challenges. The writing in this book was excellent and I am sad this was the author's first novel as I don't have other books of hers yet to add to my "to read" list.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick I only added this book to my never ending "to read" list after seeing the movie. I happened upon the movie by chance and I absolutely loved it and saw how it would make a great book. I think this is the first time in a long time that I liked a movie more than the book it was based on! The book is more or less the same storyline of the movie but with some key differences that really change the tone of the novel. The story still revolves around a 30 something year old man with Bipolar disorder that is getting out of a mental institution. There is still a love story in the middle of it all and also the story of the man reintegrating into society after his life has had such a dramatic change. The title is made more clear in the book and the family dynamics are explored much more as well. Overall the book wasn't bad and if I hadn't had such a great experience with the movie it may have met my expectations but since I was really counting on it being great it just didn't satisfy me as much as the trumped up Hollywood version did.
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy This book confused me. I guess it was passed on a story from some years ago and may have had more meaning if I had known what it was based on. The story follows a family visiting France and is told through several of the main characters voices. There is a young girl who is the daughter of a couple and then several neighbors and friends staying with the family. There is also a young woman who is involved in each of their lives. It was a short read but a bit confusing to follow and I'm not entirely sure what message the author was trying to convey was.
Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman This book is a collection of short stories with human characters as narrators but each story has animal characters as well which are important to each story in a unique way. The human characters are struggling and sharing their stories of the struggle they are facing. The animal characters are important to each story and for some stories bring in some happiness where there is only sadness. The reader learns unique facts about the animals as we are learning about the human characters and making connections of similarities. As both a book lover and animal lover this book was such a great read for me. It was also the first time in awhile that I read a book of short stories where I felt the author did a good job of closing the stories individually. For the most part each story had the right amount of writing to get you interested but also to give you closure where you weren't constantly looking elsewhere in the book for the character's chapter to return to be closed in a better way.
"I want to fix everything. I want him to know nothing but gentle landings. I don't want him to know that people like Louis's mom exist, that people fall into land mines of pain and can't crawl back out."
"Mother's, I believe, intoxicate us. We idolize them and take them for granted. We hate them and blame them and exalt them more thoroughly than anyone else in our lives. We sift through the evidence of their love, reassure ourselves of their affection and its biological genesis. We can steal and lie and leave and they will love us."
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