Forgive me for gushing, but it's been a while since I've read such a wonderful book, that I won't be able to help myself. Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka was different than I expected. It is a small book, but is jam packed with beauty.
It is a meditation on the experience of a group of Japanese brides coming to America in the early 1900s. We follow them on their journey and then through various successes and disappointments of life up to the internment camps of WWII. It is told with such honesty and yet such delicacy for these women who lived and loved and lost so much.
Otsuka shows the passage of time with the changing of seasons in a way that is beautiful and makes you forget the individual suffering of these women for a moment.
Overall, this small book is one I would highly recommend.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Close Your Eyes
Amanda Eyre Ward's books are the kind of stories that I can read in a few days. They pull you along and don't let you put them down. Close Your Eyes was no different.
After her mother is murdered in their home and their father goes to jail, Lauren grows up unable to trust in love and relationships. Meanwhile her brother, Alex, believes in his father's innocence and will not give up proving he did not kill their mother.
As Lauren suffers from panic attacks, she is pulled into the story of her mother's death and eventually we uncover the truth.
After her mother is murdered in their home and their father goes to jail, Lauren grows up unable to trust in love and relationships. Meanwhile her brother, Alex, believes in his father's innocence and will not give up proving he did not kill their mother.
As Lauren suffers from panic attacks, she is pulled into the story of her mother's death and eventually we uncover the truth.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Sense of an Ending and The Last Brother
The last two books I read felt similar and yet very different, so I decided to give them one post.
Since Julian Barnes' book The Sense of an Ending won the Man Booker prize in 2011, it has been on my to read list and I got a chance to read it over Christmas break. Barnes is a master storyteller, carrying us through the years to bring understanding and meaning to the death of a friend. Tony Webster is a man in his 60s who has lived a full life since boarding school including a career, family, divorce. Now retirement, Tony receives a small gift that makes him revisit those years during and after boarding school and the loss of a friend.
While you read looking for an answer, it is the relationships between the characters and the desire to have life make sense that is the real gift of this small novel. By the end of the story, you don't really get the ending tied up in a nice bow, but you do get a sense of an ending.
The second book is The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah which is also a small yet jam packed novel. Set on Mauritius in 1944 it is the story of love and loss. Nine year old Raj tells of life on this island, isolated from the reality of WWII but full of its own troubles. After losing his two brothers, Raj, his mother and his abusive father relocate to another part of the island and it is there that Raj meets a blond haired boy, David. David is a Jewish refugee being held in the prison where Raj's father works.
Language and culture are transcended as Raj and David bond and become brothers. A beautifully told story that will stay with you long after you put it down. I highly recommend this book.
Since Julian Barnes' book The Sense of an Ending won the Man Booker prize in 2011, it has been on my to read list and I got a chance to read it over Christmas break. Barnes is a master storyteller, carrying us through the years to bring understanding and meaning to the death of a friend. Tony Webster is a man in his 60s who has lived a full life since boarding school including a career, family, divorce. Now retirement, Tony receives a small gift that makes him revisit those years during and after boarding school and the loss of a friend.
While you read looking for an answer, it is the relationships between the characters and the desire to have life make sense that is the real gift of this small novel. By the end of the story, you don't really get the ending tied up in a nice bow, but you do get a sense of an ending.
The second book is The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah which is also a small yet jam packed novel. Set on Mauritius in 1944 it is the story of love and loss. Nine year old Raj tells of life on this island, isolated from the reality of WWII but full of its own troubles. After losing his two brothers, Raj, his mother and his abusive father relocate to another part of the island and it is there that Raj meets a blond haired boy, David. David is a Jewish refugee being held in the prison where Raj's father works.
Language and culture are transcended as Raj and David bond and become brothers. A beautifully told story that will stay with you long after you put it down. I highly recommend this book.
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Too Much Happiness
I have admired Alice Munro's writing for a while, so I was eager to read her latest collection of stories Too Much Happiness.
The first few stories were wonderful I particularly found Dimensions, Wenlock Edge and Free Radicals some of the best of Munro's stories. Each started out ordinary but then took a twist I wasn't expecting.
However, when I got to Woods and Too Much Happiness, the two last stories in the collection, I wasn't as impressed. I was especially surprised by Too Much Happiness since it is the title story. It was just a little unclear and jumped around too much - and I think there was a typo of the name in two places in my edition which just distracted and confused me.
I would still recommend this collection, and her others.
The first few stories were wonderful I particularly found Dimensions, Wenlock Edge and Free Radicals some of the best of Munro's stories. Each started out ordinary but then took a twist I wasn't expecting.
However, when I got to Woods and Too Much Happiness, the two last stories in the collection, I wasn't as impressed. I was especially surprised by Too Much Happiness since it is the title story. It was just a little unclear and jumped around too much - and I think there was a typo of the name in two places in my edition which just distracted and confused me.
I would still recommend this collection, and her others.
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Man in the Woods
I read A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer many years ago and still remember loving it, so when I came across one of his newer books, Man in the Woods, at the library, I picked it up.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Never Knowing
Chevy Stevens is a new mystery writer who is often recommended to me based on my reading and browsing history on Amazon and other sites, so I was excited to find Never Knowing at the local library.
Stevens is a great mystery writer and I have found her story staying with me for weeks after I completed the novel. I didn't pay too much attention to the plot recap when I picked up the book, so I was a little thrown when I started reading and found that the story is about an adopted woman who searches for her biological mother and then figures out that her father was a serial killer and rapist.
The story is told through a series of therapy sessions in which the adopted woman, Sara, recounts what is happening as she learns the truth and her biological father reaches out to her and she develops a relationship with him in order to help capture and stop him. Riveting and frightening, it was like watching a great episode of Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds.
I have Stevens' other book, Still Missing on my shelf, but it is written in the same format of therapy sessions, so I feel I need a little more time before picking up a book with such a similar format.
Stevens is a great mystery writer and I have found her story staying with me for weeks after I completed the novel. I didn't pay too much attention to the plot recap when I picked up the book, so I was a little thrown when I started reading and found that the story is about an adopted woman who searches for her biological mother and then figures out that her father was a serial killer and rapist.
The story is told through a series of therapy sessions in which the adopted woman, Sara, recounts what is happening as she learns the truth and her biological father reaches out to her and she develops a relationship with him in order to help capture and stop him. Riveting and frightening, it was like watching a great episode of Law & Order SVU or Criminal Minds.
I have Stevens' other book, Still Missing on my shelf, but it is written in the same format of therapy sessions, so I feel I need a little more time before picking up a book with such a similar format.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid was the November book for my (former) book club in Charlotte and I am so glad it was and that I read it. When I read about this book when it was first published, I think I had the impression that it was about something altogether different.
Set at a cafe in Lahore, a nervous American stranger encounters a Pakistani man who tells the story of his life and experience in America, before and after September 11th. But it is about more than being a Pakistani in America after the terrorist attacks, it is about an ambitious, smart young man looking for success and love.
This is a short novel, that flows beautifully along.
Set at a cafe in Lahore, a nervous American stranger encounters a Pakistani man who tells the story of his life and experience in America, before and after September 11th. But it is about more than being a Pakistani in America after the terrorist attacks, it is about an ambitious, smart young man looking for success and love.
This is a short novel, that flows beautifully along.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Swamplandia!
Karen Russell is the writer-in-residence at Bryn Mawr , so I wanted to read Swamplandia! before her reading/appearance this month.
Swamplandia! is an alligator attraction in Florida owned by the eccentric Bigtree family. Sadly, Hiola Bigtree, mother and main attraction at Swamplandia! dies of cancer and as the book opens we find the family and the park in trouble.
The three Bigtree children - Kiwi, Osceola and Ava - struggle to continue to support their father and the park while mourning the loss of their mother and growing into teenagers on a remote island.
The book comes to a climax as Kiwi and the Chief leave the island (separately) to help the park and Ossie ventures off to marry her ghost boyfriend with Ava following behind through the swamplands with a stranger called the Bird Man to rescue her. Much goes awry and I feared for the young Ava, but Russell keeps you reading through the perfect mixture of worry and great writing.
Swamplandia! is an alligator attraction in Florida owned by the eccentric Bigtree family. Sadly, Hiola Bigtree, mother and main attraction at Swamplandia! dies of cancer and as the book opens we find the family and the park in trouble.
The three Bigtree children - Kiwi, Osceola and Ava - struggle to continue to support their father and the park while mourning the loss of their mother and growing into teenagers on a remote island.
The book comes to a climax as Kiwi and the Chief leave the island (separately) to help the park and Ossie ventures off to marry her ghost boyfriend with Ava following behind through the swamplands with a stranger called the Bird Man to rescue her. Much goes awry and I feared for the young Ava, but Russell keeps you reading through the perfect mixture of worry and great writing.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Powell's Holiday 2011 Catalog
Powell's released their Holiday Guide for 2011 today and they have some good ideas (mostly hardcover).
For anyone shopping for me this holiday, The Tiger Wife and The Cat's Cradle are two of the top books on my list :)
http://www.powells.com/holiday/2011/
For anyone shopping for me this holiday, The Tiger Wife and The Cat's Cradle are two of the top books on my list :)
http://www.powells.com/holiday/2011/
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Marriage Plot
When I heard that Jeffrey Eugenides had a new novel coming out I pre-ordered it, so that I could read it as soon as it was released. The Marriage Plot arrived during fall break - perfect timing and I read it that week.
The story begins on graduation day at Brown University in the early 80s. We follow Leonard, his girlfriend, Madeleine, and Mitchell, who has a crush on Madeline, back through their college years and then the year after college. Learning how they all met and about their family and college experiences.
Madeleine's class on semiotics and interest in Victorian literature and Mitchell's exploration of religion read like a dissertation or class lectures on the subjects. Maybe it's because I'm in graduate school, but I didn't want to learn anything. I just wanted to enjoy the characters and the story.
There were parts of the novel that I really enjoyed. Eugenides can bring characters to life, making you feel like you are living their life and feeling what they feel. Leonard, one of the three main characters, suffers from bi-polar disorder and I felt his moments of mania and his moments of depression. I felt less connected to Madeleine and Mitchell. And it was clear that Eugenides was recounting some of his only experiences at Brown.
In the end, it was an interesting story but I don't think I will be recommended this book to many others.
The story begins on graduation day at Brown University in the early 80s. We follow Leonard, his girlfriend, Madeleine, and Mitchell, who has a crush on Madeline, back through their college years and then the year after college. Learning how they all met and about their family and college experiences.
Madeleine's class on semiotics and interest in Victorian literature and Mitchell's exploration of religion read like a dissertation or class lectures on the subjects. Maybe it's because I'm in graduate school, but I didn't want to learn anything. I just wanted to enjoy the characters and the story.
There were parts of the novel that I really enjoyed. Eugenides can bring characters to life, making you feel like you are living their life and feeling what they feel. Leonard, one of the three main characters, suffers from bi-polar disorder and I felt his moments of mania and his moments of depression. I felt less connected to Madeleine and Mitchell. And it was clear that Eugenides was recounting some of his only experiences at Brown.
In the end, it was an interesting story but I don't think I will be recommended this book to many others.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Brat Farrar
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey was the book selection for my Charlotte book club. Even though I can no longer attend, I am trying to keep up on the reading. I figure it's a good way to ensure I'm still reading for fun during grad school.
I had not read one of Tey's mysteries before, so I am glad I had this opportunity. Tey wrote most of her novels after WWII, so there is something sweet and innocent about her mysteries compared to today's gore and psychotic crime tales.
Brat Farrar is a young man who is convinced to impersonate the presumed dead Patrick Ashby in order to gain access to his estate. His plans are complicated by Patrick's twin brother as well as his confused and curious sisters and Aunt.
It wasn't hard to figure out the mystery, but it didn't take away from the reading of the novel.
I had not read one of Tey's mysteries before, so I am glad I had this opportunity. Tey wrote most of her novels after WWII, so there is something sweet and innocent about her mysteries compared to today's gore and psychotic crime tales.
Brat Farrar is a young man who is convinced to impersonate the presumed dead Patrick Ashby in order to gain access to his estate. His plans are complicated by Patrick's twin brother as well as his confused and curious sisters and Aunt.
It wasn't hard to figure out the mystery, but it didn't take away from the reading of the novel.
Monday, August 22, 2011
E-readers Part II
Even after my previous post on e-readers, I ended up being gifted a Kindle. I am starting grad school and thinking that it could be helpful and convenient tool for my text books, I decided to give it a shot.
I opened it and within 20 minutes was wishing I had left the box unopened. I hated it! There's no way to say it more nicely. I had trouble with the keys (tiny for my big fingers), had trouble reading the screen and couldn't tell what page I was on. Plus I found the Kindle store annoying.
I was planning to try to return it, but ended up finding a friend willing to buy it off me (cash goes a long way as a grad student!) and happily passed it along.
For now, I will stick with the old fashioned paper and ink. I may get left behind, but for now that's okay.
I opened it and within 20 minutes was wishing I had left the box unopened. I hated it! There's no way to say it more nicely. I had trouble with the keys (tiny for my big fingers), had trouble reading the screen and couldn't tell what page I was on. Plus I found the Kindle store annoying.
I was planning to try to return it, but ended up finding a friend willing to buy it off me (cash goes a long way as a grad student!) and happily passed it along.
For now, I will stick with the old fashioned paper and ink. I may get left behind, but for now that's okay.
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle
I picked up The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey after it was recommended by Nancy Pearl on NPR as part of the summer reading list.
Set in Trinidad, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is a story about love, marriage, colonialism, race and so much more. It is set up in three sections, starting with the present and then going backwards to trace Sabine and George Harwood's arrival and early years in the country.
Something about that set up was confusing to me - I knew what happened in the end, but didn't have the context to understand why and then when I had the context I forgot some of the details of what happens.
I think it would have been better to stay in chronological order so that there wasn't any question of what was happening and why.
But overall Roffey tells a story that details life in Trinidad, the fall of colonialism, the rise of a democracy and corruption and race relations throughout.
Set in Trinidad, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is a story about love, marriage, colonialism, race and so much more. It is set up in three sections, starting with the present and then going backwards to trace Sabine and George Harwood's arrival and early years in the country.
Something about that set up was confusing to me - I knew what happened in the end, but didn't have the context to understand why and then when I had the context I forgot some of the details of what happens.
I think it would have been better to stay in chronological order so that there wasn't any question of what was happening and why.
But overall Roffey tells a story that details life in Trinidad, the fall of colonialism, the rise of a democracy and corruption and race relations throughout.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession
I picked up The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession by David Grann not long after returning from a trip to the Amazon river basin in Peru.
I was intrigued by a story of a lost city in the Amazon after seeing Machu Pichu (there could be something even greater?) and when reading the first few pages of Grann's book was hooked. It ended up being slow going at points, but I was pulled along by the wonder of El Dorado.
Grann is exhaustive in his research of Percy Fawcett who in the early part of the century disappeared in the Amazon in his quest to find El Dorado. Numerous Fawcett hunters followed suit and I feared the author would be the next victim.
After hearing about the conditions Fawcett and his party experienced during their trips in the Amazon - maggots in their skin, constantly biting mosquitoes, risk of malaria and other diseases, I was thankful for my insect repellant with lots of Deet and guides during my trip. Plus I was able to be a little more thankful for the experience and that I came out safely.
I was intrigued by a story of a lost city in the Amazon after seeing Machu Pichu (there could be something even greater?) and when reading the first few pages of Grann's book was hooked. It ended up being slow going at points, but I was pulled along by the wonder of El Dorado.
Grann is exhaustive in his research of Percy Fawcett who in the early part of the century disappeared in the Amazon in his quest to find El Dorado. Numerous Fawcett hunters followed suit and I feared the author would be the next victim.
After hearing about the conditions Fawcett and his party experienced during their trips in the Amazon - maggots in their skin, constantly biting mosquitoes, risk of malaria and other diseases, I was thankful for my insect repellant with lots of Deet and guides during my trip. Plus I was able to be a little more thankful for the experience and that I came out safely.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Everyone I know is reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, but it had been on my list for a while (since my sister asked for it at Christmas) and I'm glad I was able to borrow a copy from a friend.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks traces the history of the HeLa cells - cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks and then were used to study and find cures for all sorts of diseases.
Skloot does a great job making the science digestable and weaving in the story of the Lacks family. She is fair to everyone - doctors, the family members - even when some bad stuff was going on and clearly put a lot of time and energy into tracing every part of the story.
I learned a lot while enjoying myself and would recommend this book to friends (I already have).
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks traces the history of the HeLa cells - cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks and then were used to study and find cures for all sorts of diseases.
Skloot does a great job making the science digestable and weaving in the story of the Lacks family. She is fair to everyone - doctors, the family members - even when some bad stuff was going on and clearly put a lot of time and energy into tracing every part of the story.
I learned a lot while enjoying myself and would recommend this book to friends (I already have).
Monday, June 20, 2011
State of Wonder
I loved State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I love Ann Patchett. It reminded me of Bel Canto. It swept me up from the minute it started and while I was left with questions and the themes were familiar, I want to read it again, right now.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
A Visit From the Goon Squad
I've read two of Jennifer Egan's other books and had read good things about A Visit from the Goon Squad, so I was excited when it came out in paperback.
However, as I started reading the novel, I remembered the feeling I had with the other two books - like you are the straight-laced dorky kid in school who is getting a glimpse into the edgy world of the too cool for anything ordinary kids. And I, for one, like not to feel that uncool.
Egan introduces a new voice in each chapter and though they are all connected it is sometimes so tangentially that takes some work to put it all together. None of the characters are all that likable - not Benny, the aging rock producer or Sasha, the kleptomaniac assistant turned artist mom or any of the other characters who crossed their paths over the years.
And the last chapter set in a paranoid post-9/11 New York was disturbing with its bleak, Big Brother-like descriptions.
If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, I would recommend this book. If you want to retain the illusion that you are cool, you might want to skip it.
However, as I started reading the novel, I remembered the feeling I had with the other two books - like you are the straight-laced dorky kid in school who is getting a glimpse into the edgy world of the too cool for anything ordinary kids. And I, for one, like not to feel that uncool.
Egan introduces a new voice in each chapter and though they are all connected it is sometimes so tangentially that takes some work to put it all together. None of the characters are all that likable - not Benny, the aging rock producer or Sasha, the kleptomaniac assistant turned artist mom or any of the other characters who crossed their paths over the years.
And the last chapter set in a paranoid post-9/11 New York was disturbing with its bleak, Big Brother-like descriptions.
If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, I would recommend this book. If you want to retain the illusion that you are cool, you might want to skip it.
Under the Banner of Heaven
After reading The 19th Wife, I wanted to read more about Mormonism and polygamy so I picked up Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer.
Krakauer gives the history of Mormonism and particularly how fundamentalists broke off to create sects where polygamy is still practiced. He frames it around the brutal murders of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter by he fundamentalist brothers-in-law.
The story is well told and he expanded on history that was touched upon in The 19th Wife giving a broader understanding of the faith. However, I was left with a bad taste about fundamentalist Mormonism. I know not all Mormons are like this, but the extremism and using religion as an excuse for violence was disturbing.
At one point, Krakauer asks one of the brother's convicted of the murders how he is different from the 9/11 bombers (both believe they have been told by God to act and murder) and his answer is basically that he is listening to the true Prophet, they were listening to a false prophet.
Makes me afraid for the future of our country and world.
Krakauer gives the history of Mormonism and particularly how fundamentalists broke off to create sects where polygamy is still practiced. He frames it around the brutal murders of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter by he fundamentalist brothers-in-law.
The story is well told and he expanded on history that was touched upon in The 19th Wife giving a broader understanding of the faith. However, I was left with a bad taste about fundamentalist Mormonism. I know not all Mormons are like this, but the extremism and using religion as an excuse for violence was disturbing.
At one point, Krakauer asks one of the brother's convicted of the murders how he is different from the 9/11 bombers (both believe they have been told by God to act and murder) and his answer is basically that he is listening to the true Prophet, they were listening to a false prophet.
Makes me afraid for the future of our country and world.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Madonnas of Echo Park
The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse begins with an author's note leading you to believe that the account to follow is a semi-autobiographical account.
Skyhorse takes us through the lives and years of the Echo Park neighborhood, introducing a new character and voice with each chapter. He weaves together the history of a community and families that are sometimes far-fetched, sometimes touching and sometimes sad which together gives you the feeling of being an insider.
This is Skyhorse's first novel and I look forward to more from him. Sadly though, the author's note in the beginning was all part of the fiction.
Skyhorse takes us through the lives and years of the Echo Park neighborhood, introducing a new character and voice with each chapter. He weaves together the history of a community and families that are sometimes far-fetched, sometimes touching and sometimes sad which together gives you the feeling of being an insider.
This is Skyhorse's first novel and I look forward to more from him. Sadly though, the author's note in the beginning was all part of the fiction.
Monday, May 09, 2011
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill was our May book club selection.
While Julia and Luna's story is a touching one, the writing is terrible. I wanted to read this book and be inspired but Hill comes across as flighty, a lousy story-teller and very uninspiring.
While Julia and Luna's story is a touching one, the writing is terrible. I wanted to read this book and be inspired but Hill comes across as flighty, a lousy story-teller and very uninspiring.
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