Book Review: The Martian

Oh, hi there! Um, I haven't done a book review, or blogged regularly in awhile. Sometimes, life just gets a hold of you and you want to live in the moment. Or, you have a lot of intense things happening and you don't know what to say. Or you're lazy. Or, all of the above.

But, after I posted some pics of Hong Kong {and am preparing posts about my  trip to Cambodia and Vietnam} I realized that maybe I was ready to blog again. So, here I am.

{Source: Goodreads}

The Martian, by Andy Weir, is kind of sci-fi, and kind of not. Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead and left on Mars as the 3rd Mars landing mission is aborted due to technical problems. The only thing? He's not dead. 

That's maybe not a great thing considering that a) nobody knows this because his comm system fried itself,  b) he has to figure out how to survive long enough for NASA to rescue him and c) he has to figure out how to get in contact with NASA in the first place.

This novel was awesome. I couldn't put it down. It hit all my sweet spots for novels: science, space, journals, NASA. I really enjoyed the characters and how Weir interpreted that NASA would handle this crisis, and I loved how it all played out via Earth, Mars, and the astronauts still in space during the ordeal. Reading the last few pages of the novel was tense....really tense. It was just like watching an action movie with everything going on. Timing was critical and Weir wrote it extremely well. I felt incredibly satisfied when I finished this novel.

I absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who: is an engineer, likes science, likes space, enjoys sci-fi, or just likes a good novel. You won't be sorry!

Book Review: And the Mountains Echoed

Well, hello Book Club Friday, visitors. I haven't linked up in a looong while, mainly because I haven't felt like writing. But, never fear, I HAVE been reading. I picked up And the Mountains Echoed maybe a few months ago, and put a "starter" version of this post into my post list, but never finished it. So, here's the final entry for Book Club!

I was a big, big fan of The Kite Runner and and even bigger fan of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni. So, when And the Mountains Echoed came out I put myself on the wait list at the library immediately. I finally got tired of waiting and ended up buying it from Amazon.

{Source: Goodreads}

The plot of the story is split. The  novel begins with a father telling his kids a story. We meet a brother and a sister, and learn a little about their lives in a small, rural town of Afghanistan. What follows is an extraordinary story. The kids are split and sent follow drastically different life paths. Meanwhile, war comes to Afghanistan and the people and places they knew are changed. 

I have to say, I wasn't wowed. It was good. Hosseni is a great author and this novel had some good characters. But, at times, I felt like it moved slowly and I had a hard time staying with it at some points. I also got really confused, sometimes, about who was who, so then I had to go back and read to remember who everyone was.

That being said, if you enjoyed his other novels, you should read this one. It is powerful. As an American who has never been through the uncertainty that war brings it's easy to forget how simple our lives really are. This narrative is a strong reminder of how the world functions for many of it's inhabitants and how as humans we can be more aware of the impacts we make on others.

What books have you read lately?

To catch up on what I've been reading, visit me on Goodreads or my Pinterest Books board.

Also, here are the top 10 books that have stayed with me.

My Top Ten

People often ask me what my favorite book is. That, friends, is an impossible choice. I like so many of them and so many have had an influence on my reading habits, and frankly, my life. So, when my cousin Samantha challenged me to list my top 10 books on Facebook, I thought it was a more manageable list than just 1.

In no order, here are the books that have influenced me the most or stayed with me in some way:

1. The Mists of Avalon; Marion Zimmer Bradley: This novel was one of the very first fantasy novels that I read where women were the heros and the strong ones. Still one of my favorite series.

2. Outlander; Diana Gabaldon: One of the kids I babysat had a mom who was a big reader, and when she found out I read some of the same stuff she did, she told me I should read this novel. I put it off for awhile and FINALLY picked it up last January. I ended up reading the whole series straight through {thank goodness the library had all of them for my kindle}. Now, I gush about this novel {and series} any chance I get. You can read my review here. Run, do not walk, to the bookstore to buy the whole series. Then ensconce yourself in a flurry couch with some coffee, and tell your friends you won't see them for a few months. They're THAT good.

3. The Red Tent; Anita Diamonte: Again, with the strong women! This is a biblical fiction novel about Dinah, a sort of foot-noted character in the Tanach. The story really illustrates the type of society we could have where women take care of each other. It was an awesome read.

4. The Giver; Lois Lowry: I love dystopian novels, and as far as I am concerned this one is the best. I read it twice before I *had* to read it in 8th grade. I couldn't get enough. It simply doesn't compare to other novels. It is the best one.

5. The Little House on the Prairie; Laura Ingalls Wilder: I secretly wanted to be Laura when I grew up. And, to some extent I have. I can bake bread from scratch {and cook for a crowd}, I love being in the woods, I'm practical with money, I'm a teacher. I'm not very good with livestock, but we can't have everything in life!

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; JK Rowling: Let's be real, the whole series should be here, but the last one was the most poignant for me. I do re-read the whole series once every few years, and I'm due another re-read {the last one was when I first came to China}. Harry Potter is my childhood.

7. The Sleeping Beauty Series; Anne Rocquelaire: You know what I really love about this series? It's erotica written by a woman for women. It's intense and full of fantasy and wonderful.

8. Ender's Game; Orson Scott Card: I got this novel first from a friend in high school {hi, Ben!}. I kinda took his and he had to buy a new one. I've now read most of his series and they're pretty solid in the way of science fiction-y spaceship novels.

9. The Chosen; Chaim Potok: Reading this novel was the first time I laughed out loud at a novel {that I remember}. It was just so....Jewish! The mannerisms, the stuff I recognized from my own life, it was all there. I never realized how a novel could connect me so much to my own background and identity.

10. The Cry of the Kalahari;  Mark and Delia Owens: I read this book as a freshman in high school and, really, I devoured it. The Owenses sold everything and made their way to Africa to study lions in Botswana. I read the sequel, also, and it was fantastic!

11. Flow; Mihayli Csikszentmihayli: Well, I cheated and added another one. Flow basically guided my entire thesis and it's not really about sex at all. Czikszentmihayli argues that a flow experience is one where we lose track of time and everything around us, and it's used quite a lot in recreation theory. It's highly readable, and fascinating.

And, of course, there are many more. So, some honorable mentions go to: The Time Traveler's Wife; Wuthering Heights; Shanghai Girls; Monique and the Mango Rains; The Host; My Life in France; The Boxcar Children series; The Babysitters' Club series; Into the Woods; The Lemon Tree; Ready Player One; The Queen's Fool; The Children's Book; The Uncoupling; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; Pillars of the Earth; Island of the Blue Dolphins; The Forgotten Garden; A Wrinkle in Time; The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  

And, let's not pretend this is all of them. Just what I could remember when I went through my Goodreads list!


What books have stuck with you?

Book Review: Ready Player One

I love The Big Bang Theory. I love that this show has made being a nerd "cool," and I love that they portray geek-y stuff as just one of those things that people like. I'm sure part of the love is because I am also a geek, and though I don't know *everything* the boys do on the show, I follow their science jokes and Star Trek problems. 

So, when I heard about the novel Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, I knew I had to read it. The novel takes place some time in the future, where there are increasing problems like famine, war, disparity, genocide, and, in the case of the US, corporate-ization of the political process {sound familiar?}. 

{Source: Goodreads}

The one thing that everyone has to keep their mind off of all of these problems is OASIS a virtual reality world where you can choose your avatar and live the life you can't live in real life {IRL}.  OASIS was created by a man named James Halliday, and when he dies, he announces to the world that he has hidden 3 keys and 3 gates in the OASIS. The first one to find them all gets his fortune and ownership of OASIS.

What follows is an engaging story about a teenager's quest to not only find the keys and gates, but also to beat IOI, a corporation who cheats their way through the game to acquire the rights to privatize
OASIS.

Y'all, I LOVED this novel. I loved the political commentary on how powerful corporations have and could become {and on the danger of living permanently online, all the time}. I loved that the protagonists were the quiet geeks, the ones that many of us pay no attention to because they like "all the weird stuff." I loved that to defeat the game, Hailliday required those working on solving his puzzles to know about what he loved: Star Trek, manga, science fiction movies, Monty Python, old video games, 80's bands etc. It kind of reminds me of being in high school in tech theatre.

If you are a geek, if you know a geek, if you just want a great novel and you kinda like Big Bang Theory.... read this novel. You won't regret it!

What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Ape House

Can I be honest about something? I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and loved it. I remember loving it. I don't remember what it was about, really. Oops. But, I knew when I was wandering around Page One in Sanlitun in Beijing {my once-every-two-months bookstore trip, y'all} that I needed to read Ape House. 

{Source: Goodreads}

The story starts with a married reporter named John Thigpen who is writing a story about the residents of the Great Ape Language Lab. There, he meets Isabel Duncan, one of the research scientists at the lab along with Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani and Makena. These 6 are bonobos, a highly intelligent species of Great Apes capable of intimate relationships and communicating via Sign Language.

After his return home, the lab is bombed, the bonobos are sold, and we follow John and Isabel as they not only work to locate and rescue them, but also to handle the myriad of issues in their personal lives.

The thing I loved about this novel was anything to do with bonobos. I find it simultaneously fascinating and horrifying that we have such intelligent creatures on this planet and that we treat them so poorly. I like Gruen's depiction of this particular research facility and the in-depth ways that she created the bonobos with personality.

However, I could have done without all the side drama such as: reporter job drama, and my-wife-is-moving-to-LA-and-getting-a-boob-job drama, etc. Yes, some of these side stories added to the bonobo plot line, but frankly, there was enough to follow with the potential terrorist angle, the bonobos being watched on a porn channel drama and I-have-a-skeazeball-boyfriend drama. The other little side tidbits could have been integrated a little bit better to make it less noticeable.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. It was quick, well-paced and easy-to-read. It could use some work on making the plot a little more seamless, but in general it was a solid read. Out of 5 stars, I give it 3.5.



What have you been reading lately?

Book List: 2014 January & February Edition

I've been something of a reading fiend this year, already. If I'm honest, I've been going through some challenging personal things, and though I'm always attached to some book or another, I read more when I have things I need to figure out. There is just something about being in a fantasy world that relieves a lot of stress and takes the pressure off for awhile. So, here's what I've been reading:

1. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon; Well, I loved this novel. I loved it so much that I'm busy devouring the series. Please don't mind me as I hide in my apartment for the next few months. OK, it's not *quite* that bad but I am definitely hiding in Starbucks and staying up late to read these novels.

2. American Savage, Dan Savage; I feel kinda bad saying this, but I don't like this one. I mean, nothing is wrong with it. I generally agree with most things Dan Savage says, but I bought this book after watching a lot of Dan Savage YouTube videos, and well, it's the same stuff. It's worth a read if you haven't really read or watched Dan Savage before {he's a sex advice columnist with some interesting opinions on sex and monogamy}, but there wasn't anything prolific inhere. Check it out from the library.

3. Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon; The first novel in this series follows Jamie and Claire. This one follows Claire who is looking for evidence of people she knew at the time she came back from the past, and to a much lesser extent, her daughter Brianna. She discovers that Jamie survived the battle at Culloden, and goes back to find him. We're privy to the details of the search, the marriage Claire had with Frank, and  Claire's final decision to go find her love. A wonderful sequel!

4. Voyager, Diana Gabaldon; Out of the four novels I have read in this series, this is my least favorite. Claire goes back to find Jamie, and they end up sailing all over the place, getting caught up in smuggling and other sketchy ventures, witchcraft in Jamaica, etc. I still loved the characters, it was still a fast-paced novel, but it seemed out-of-place for some reason. Jamie is such an earthy figure that it seemed really odd for him to be sailing around and running into trouble. I enjoyed the next book much more.

5. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin; I reviewed this book here, and I wasn't sold. It had some nice ideas, but I thought the author was whiny.

6. The First Sinners, Kate Pearce; Just a run-of-the-mill erotic novel. This one is the prequel to a new series by Kate Pearce called The Sinners Club. Based on this book, the series should be interesting, though this particular novel didn't have a lot in the way of plot.

7. Sleeping in Paris, Juliette Sobanet; Where to begin? The idea behind this novel was great: an American moves to Paris and starts a new life after she finds out her fiance is cheating. I don't like the main character's attitude towards men, but I think that's part of the growth of this character and there are the requisite happy endings by the conclusion of the novel.

8.  Weak at the Knees, Jo Kessel; I had mixed feelings about this one, and most of them are due to the attitude of the main character and infidelity. You can read my review here.

9. The Shoemaker's Wife; Adriana Trigiani; Oh, how I adored this book! It is everything I love in a historical fiction novel: well-written, great characters, a sentimental story. Yes, it has it all! We follow two characters who originally meet when they are young in Italy, but independently emigrate to the United States. It's a rich, complicated story that made it tough to put down. I definitely recommend this novel.

10. The White Princess; Philippa Gregory; Honestly? This one wasn't her best work. The story line works, but I felt myself growing annoyed with the characters. It reminds me of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenox.  You know how everyone grew impatient with it because Harry was angsty and whiny all the time? Yeah, that was my issue with this book, as well.

11. One Night For Love; Mary Balough; Before I read this novel, I read it's sequel, A Summer to Remember. Both are great {even the second one can stand alone} and follow the usual historical romance plotline: lost love, someone wants to marry someone who is not their social equal, etc. Both novels are cute and easy to read. Solid choices if you read historical romance.

12. The Magpie Lord; KJ Charles; This is one of those novels that combines a whole lot of things into one. There's historical romance and fantasy {witchcraft and magic and the like} and intrigue and mystery. It moves pretty quickly {I read it in a day} and there are a few surprises along the way which keeps things interesting. A word of warning: this is a m/m novel, meaning that the pairing is of two men. So, skip it if that's not your thing.

13. 1984; George Orwell: Believe it or not, I did not have to read this in high school, and we didn't even touch it in my Science Fiction Literature class in college. Weird, I know. A lot of folks herald this as a prolific, well-written novel. I don't necessarily think it was an excellent novel, but I do think it is a powerful essay on information control and trusting our government. I happen to live somewhere that the media is state-owned, and you can definitely see the difference in the way information is disseminated. There is also a stark difference in how people regard the government and the things I know about their country that they simply do not.

14. Drums in Autumn; Diana Gabaldon: I loved this one! Claire and Jamie have settled in the new world and try to decide whether to stay with Jamie's aunt on her plantation or to start their own homestead with tenant farmers. They end up choosing the later and we follow their progress on that front. In a {sort of} parallel timeline, Claire's daughter, Brianna, travels into the past to find her mother. She is followed by her beau, Roger. This eventually creates a big mess, and the plot line gets very exciting. It was worth the last novel to get to this one. Jamie is back in nature, and it's really fun to watch how the characters progress.

So, what have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Weak at the Knees

I was pretty excited to read this novel. I won it at a giveaway over at Shoshanah's blog, and it seemed like it would be right up my alley. I was disappointed. I liked it, but there are some things I wish the author or editor would have been a bit more careful of, and there are a few story lines that I have some issues with.

{Source: Goodreads}

Weak at The Knees by Jo Kessel starts off by introducing our main character,  Danni Lewis. She is in a long-term {like 8 years, long-term} relationship with Hugo, but she's unhappy with how things are going. She doesn't feel a spark or passion-filled love, she says. Then, the unthinkable happens. Her best friend, Amber, dies of an anuerysm.  Amber's last words to her are that she thinks it's best if Danni leaves Hugo and finds someone that makes her fall madly and passionately in love with him.

So, she leaves for France to be a youth guide for a ski-resort. She meets some attractive men, sleeps with a few, and then falls in love with a married ski-instructor named Olivier du Pape {he is pretty dreamy, I will admit}. And here's where I really fell off the boat. Danni and Olivier date, discuss ending Olivier's marriage, and she doesn't really feel any guilt about this until something else scary happens toward the end of the novel.

As a side note, you probably know from reading my blog, that I'm sex positive and generally non-judgmental. Some people have open-marriages. Some people have no problem with their husbands or wives having other partners. It's NOT a choice I think I'll ever make, but it's not my business what other people do. On the other side, I also get that sometimes things happen, like you meet someone and you fall head-over-heels in love with them and you're married. I absolutely do not believe in "THE ONE" and can imagine that for a few people, maybe a few "ones" cross paths at the same time.

But, I have a serious problem with cheating. Adults who find themselves in the above situations have options on how to handle these things. And, rather than dealing with that by either not speaking to this woman or honestly evaluating his marriage and being honest, he cheats. And, Danni knowingly dates a married man. More than all of that, though, Danni isn't a particularly likeable character. She's whiny in a "my great life is hard" kind of way, and it definitely feels like she needs to do some growing up.

Now, all of that aside, I did like the theme of taking chances, chasing dreams, etc. If Amber wouldn't have died, Danni would not have decided to work in the Alps and missed a lot of great experiences, man-issues aside. And, I think it's important that we all remember how precious our time is and how important it is to things we want to do.

What about you? What have you read lately?

Book Review: The Happiness Project

Let me start by saying that self-help and inspirational books tend to be a mixed bag for me. I like memoirs and some of the "stunt" memoirs variety {the author did something for a year and then wrote about it}, but some I really don't. For example, I really enjoyed My Year With Eleanor and Eat, Pray Love. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy The Happiness Project.

{Source: Goodreads}

This book is about Gretchen Rubin, who wakes up one night and decides that while she's happy, she could be happier. So she embarks on a year long project to make herself even happier than she already is.

Before I tell you why I just couldn't get into this one, I want to preface by saying that I can somewhat relate to Ms. Rubin. She focuses on a different thing each month and works to fix the little things that can cause unhappiness: snapping at loved ones, accumulating too much clutter, etc. This is something I try to do in my daily life and I believe that as good humans we ALL try and do these things.

But, and this is a big one, I didn't like Ms. Rubin's attitude. She comes from a place of a lot of privilege, and frankly fits very well into the stereotype of the wife that every man is afraid he's going to marry. She self-admittedly snaps and argues with her husband {and her family and her friends} about everything {including one notable scene where she argues that her husband's life is DOOMED and nothing anyone else can say will make it better}. More than that, I found the book poorly researched. She makes lots of claims about happiness, and why people are happy, but doesn't really cite her sources, not even to throw out, "this entity did a study and found that...." No, it's more like, "they say that...." I have a problem with that. Either have a research component or don't, but if you include one, don't just throw random numbers and statistics out there.

I was sad that I didn't like this one as much as everyone else seemed to. I was ready to like it, and in the end, I found myself slogging through page after page.

For those of you who read the book, what did you think?

Linking up {late! sorry!}!

Book Review: Outlander

I have been under a book rock, lately, y'all. I finally started reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It keeps me up at night. Despite how much I've loved some series like the All Souls Trilogy, I haven't stayed up all night and eschewed work to read in quite a long time {honestly, maybe since Harry Potter}. I find myself distracted in the middle of writing lesson plans and washing dishes. I have to know what's going to happen from chapter-to-chapter, and book-to-book. At one point, I was getting ready to go to work early to catch up on some things and something happened that delayed my departure by an hour. "I don't have time for these plot twists," I cried!

{Source: Goodreads}

The story begins in a bed and breakfast in Scotland, and follows the couple Claire and Frank Randall. It's after the end of the Second World War, and these two were separated for a few years, right after they were marries. They spend some time exploring the country-side, mapping genealogy, and doing couple-y things {*wink}. One morning, Claire goes out to explore a set of stone circles called Craigh-Ne-Dun.....

...is sucked into the past where she not only has to escape the British Army {the soldiers she encounters are not nice}, but she meets {dreamy} Jamie Frasier and his family and is taken back to Castle Leoch of the MacKenzie clan. After a few more plot bumps, she is married to Jamie as a matter of convenience. His name and family will protect her from an evil British officer, and give her more standing in a time when {and country where} she doesn't belong. Though she plans to run away to her own time, she grows to deeply love Jamie. Though they travel widely later in the series, this opening novel is full of good, old-fashioned galavanting around the Scottish country-side in kilts {oh, and there is plenty of detail on THAT}!

I just finished the 3rd book, Voyager, and the 4th is waiting on my Kindle. The weirdest things happen to this pair, but I love how they can handle anything. It helps, of course that Jamie is a total dreamboat: kind, courageous, intelligent {he's a polyglot}, loyal, strong, handsome, and fantastic in bed. Oh, and he's a red head. Yum. This series does it all for me.

What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Shadow of Night

Remember when I read A Discovery of Witches and I said it was great and I couldn't wait to read the second one? Well, I didn't wait to read the second one. In fact, I read it almost immediately after I finished the first one and if this is possible, it was better than its predecessor.

{Source: Goodreads}

Shadow of Night picks up right where Discovery of Witches ended. Diana and Matthew have traveled back to Elizabethan England to search for not only the manuscript Diana found in the Bodlian Library, but also to find a mentor to help Diana figure out magical powers.

As expected, this does not go nearly as smoothly as Diana and Matthew would have hoped and all sorts of problems occur including Matthew's betrayal by a wishful would-be lover and someone accusing Diana of being a witch. If you throw in drawing Queen Elizabeth's ire and the general issues that come with actually being a witch and living in 1590.

This novel was a natural one for me to love. I adore historical fiction, I like historical romance, and I've been extremely into fantasy lately. Also, this novel is about a book. Yeah, I have a thing for books about books. I also really like Harkness' characterizations. She takes historical figures, sometimes shadowy figures, and not only seamlessly develops a persona for them but also weaves them into her super natural universe. She's fabulous!

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches

Just when I think I've read the BEST historical/magical/vampirical novel, another great one comes out to dethrone the last one I read. I've seen Discovery of Witches around for awhile {as in, before I came to China, awhile} and I finally checked it out from my library {yep, my library in the U.S. Seriously, bringing my Kindle here was the BEST decision I ever made}.

Goodness, y'all, I am hooked. Hooked, I say. It combines everything I love in a novel: historical fiction, romance, magic, and books. Yes, please!



The story follows two main protagonists: Diana Bishop, a young witch and historian who inadvertently calls up a powerful book from the Oxford library, and Matthew Clairmont, a scientist and centuries-old vampire. The two cross paths as vast numbers of witches, vampires and daemons become interested in the alchemical manuscript she happened upon. They end up falling in love, a major violation of the ancient rules the govern the creature world.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a fantastic story that is highly reminiscent of Anne Rice's finest vampire novels. The characters are well-developed and the plot is well-paced. I especially enjoy the little mysteries surrounding Diana, her powers, her parents, and how all of this connects to the hostility that surrounds her when she calls the text from the stacks. Harkness has done a good job of feeding little tidbits to her readers and leaving juicy clues. However, none are big enough that you can really figure anything out until she does it for you.

If you're into anything resembling fantasy or historical fiction, I urge you to pick up this novel. It is most definitely worth your time.

What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: The Children's Book

It is no secret that I love big books. I really do. I prefer long sagas with intricate plots that seemingly go nowhere. Some of my very favorite novels hundreds of pages long. Examples include: Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet,  The Mists of Avalon, by, and  The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova.

{Source: Goodreads}

The Children's Book,  written by A. S. Byatt easily fits into my list of favorites. She weaves a tale of a family spanning from the Victorian Era during a major upheaval period for the world: World War I. In this novel, we follow the family of Olive Wellwood, a children's book author who writes a small book for each of her children, her family, and their extended social network.

Through Mrs. Wellwood's stories, we see love, joy, betrayal, friendship, and any number of other emotions. We watch the children grow up, the men go off to war, and the evolving relationship between adults whose friendships are more complicated than many realize. We witness heartbreak in an open-marriage, and distrust from children who discover that fact. We watch as a main character is betrayed beyond what he could have imagine, and by the person he trusted the most.

What I love about this novel is that it is real. For the same reasons we all watched Downton Abbey are why I love this novel. It is a full plot, and the intricate connections between people's life stories are engrossing. It shows us that despite what our history books tell us, the problems we face today, and which seem so prevalent in modern society are not really such new problems. It is an illustration of this journey that we call life, and is impeccably detailed by Byatt in a mesmerizing way.

You'll most certainly need some time for this novel, but the time is worth it. Byatt has created a masterful narrative full of well-developed characters and rich prose. You won't be disappointed.



What have you read lately?

Book Review: Wuthering Nights

It's been awhile since I've been disappointed in a smutty novel. I'm pretty easy-to-please. I don't analyze them too much {hence why I liked 50 Shades and a lot of people did not} and don't take them too seriously. I like strong male characters who are considerate and reassuring but also know what they want. I like seeing the female characters be swept off their feet but not in a "helpless" sort of way {for example, she is charmed but is vocal about what she wants and what she doesn't want}. I must see that a scene is mostly biologically accurate, that it is consensual and that it is safe.

This one ticked none of those boxes for me. The thing is, I should have predicted this. I've always loved Wuthering Heights as a novel, but it certainly has it's own dark themes to contend with. If you mix that with what is supposed to be an erotic romance, well, you set yourself up for non-consent, non-erotic power plays and all kinds of anger and emotions. That is exactly what happened in this novel.

The premise is exactly what you'd expect. The plot follows the original one of Wuthering Heights and adds in erotic scenes at opportune times and where, when reading the original, you can imagine that something else could have or just had happened. And yet, given the sworn love between the two main characters where there is potential for loving, consensual erotic encounters, you see Heathcliff using sex as a power play against not only Catherine, but also against many of the other characters including his wife. Although you get the sense that the author was trying to show Heathcliff as dominant, he came off as abusive.

And that brings me especially to the smut part, especially the light BDSM. The characters in this novel are not strong enough to portray a responsible BDSM relationship. Catherine is spoiled and wants things her own way. Heathcliff is abusive. Nelly is weak in some ways, though not in others, but is under the influence of all of them for unknown reasons. And, frankly, I have a problem with the consent issue. In some situations, like 50 Shades of Grey, you have what is implied consent {and although there is debate on that, I've written my position on why the novels weren't really abusive}. That is, one character really wants to be with another but is unsure of what she wants and the second character is lightly persuasive and brings the first one to realize that yes, she knows what she wants and THIS is what she wants. OR, you also have situations where one scene appears non-consensual but it was clearly discussed beforehand that this is part of the scene and that the characters know each other well and/or are operating under some strict rules. That was not present in this novel.

In general, it was just really hard to get through. I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes and shaking my head. If I were you, I'd definitely give it a pass.



What have you been reading lately?

What I Read 2013: Part One

Well, I'm behind. I haven't really been keeping up with my book lists, and you can tell that I've been generally lazy by what I've read. Smut, Smut and...a few other non-smut books. But, mainly smut. Here's what I read from January to June!

The Undoing of a Libertine; Raine Miller: This one fits well into my standard "romance" file. It's period, it doesn't have any kind of non-consensual nonsense, and it's cute. A solid choice.

An Introduction to Pleasure; Jess Michaels: See the description I gave for The Undoing of a Libertine.

Saving Fish From Drowning; Amy Tan: Amy Tan is one of my new favorite novelists. She writes well, has nicely flowing storylines and great characters.  I read Saving Fish From Drowning while I was traveling to Thailand for Spring Festival and was racing to finish it before I had to get off the plane so I wouldn't have to wait to see what happened until after we found our hotel. Here is my full review for this novel.

Oxygen; Carol Cassella: I picked this one up in a hostel in Phuket and went through it almost entirely on the beach. This story follows Dr. Marie Heaton, an anesthesiologist whose young patient dies on the table. She's named in a malpractice suit, and we follow her as she examines her procedures, her conscience, and her heart to come to terms with what's happened. There's a small "twist" at the end, but honestly, I saw it coming. A solid beach novel.

The Lemon Tree: An Arab and a Jew in the Heart of the Middle East; Sandy Tolan: If there's one thing I've learned in my travels, it is that there is no simple explanation for anything. I was raised Jewish and presented with a certain "factual" account of all the goings on of the Middle East and Israel. I have some good Muslim friends with the same experience, except their "facts" were opposite mine. This book is a really great bridge between those two stories and, I hope, a good start to what could be a meaningful and productive dialogue.

For Desire Alone; Jess Michaels: Again with "see my review for The Undoing of a Libertine.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking; Susan Cain: I really enjoyed this book. Some of the things in it made a lot of sense and were pretty self-affirming for a book worm like me. You can see my full review here. 

Secrets of a Summer's Night; Lisa Kleypas: We all know I love Lisa Kleypas. She's a great romance novelist, and her stories are generally consistent. This novel starts The Wallflower series about 4 young ladies in London who are looking for husbands during the season. Over the course of the novel {and series} each of these women finds her true love. In this story, we follow Annette, a woman who must find a husband to help support her family. Blah, blah, blah, yes, but just the thing to read when you want some mush and don't want to think very much.

His Perfect Passion; Raine Miller: Typical man-wants-mysterious woman plot line. Cute, romantic, fast, but not a whole lot of development going on there.

It Happened One Autumn; Lisa Kleypas: This is the second book in The Wallflower series and follows Lillian, an American who came to England to find a titled husband but is having a hard time fitting into London society.

Devil in Winter; Lisa Kleypas: The third book in The Wallflower series. This one follows Evangeline, the quietest of the group, who has been held hostage by her evil relatives.

It Happened One Spring; Lisa Kleypas: The final installment in the Wallflower series follows Daisy, Lillian's sister. Daisy's father has told her that she *must* find a husband soon, and has arranged a suitable match for her. As expected, this is not received well!

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto; Julia Child: After reading My Life in France {side note: can you believe that was one of my very first book reviews on this blog?} I've always wanted to know more about Julia Child and her life. She was one of the reasons I so desperately wanted to move abroad {ahem, I expected to move to France. Or Italy.}. This work is a compilation of the letters between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, close friends and confidants over decades. It can get tedious, but it also shows the power of written correspondence and gives us a glimpse of two extraordinary women. A full review is here.

The Joy Luck Club; Amy Tan: Oh, I love Amy Tan. Her writing reminds me very much of Lisa See in how she combines American stories with Chinese ones in an intricate tale for her readers. You can read my full review here.

The East, the West and Sex: A History of Erotic Encounters: Richard Bernstein: This was a little dry, especially if academic discussion of sex and the history of sex is not your thing. Obviously, it is mine, and I found it quite interesting and easy-to-read, but many of the reviewers on Goodreads couldn't get through it . Bernstein discusses colonialism, sexual cultures, and how the two have mixed to create this sort of exotic stereotype of foreign women, and the expectations that they will fulfill western male fantasies. And honestly? The stories ring true.

Ricochet; Xanthe Walter: Smut. Smut. Smut. Xanthe is a fanfiction writer who recently self-published her own novel. This one is m/m and is mostly for folks who liked 50 Shades of Gray.

Stranger in My Arms; Lisa Kleypas: Imagine: your {mean} husband vanishes while in the Navy, you're forced to live with your husband's family in a decrepit old cottage and suddenly, your husband comes back! Except now, he's romantic, considerate, caring, and great in bed. Hmm. Something doesn't seem right, but can you complain? A good story from Lisa Kleypas, as always.

Ruins; Orson Scott Card: This is a continuation of Card's novel Pathfinder {here is my review of Pathfinder}. I really like this series and am excited for the third installment {although, the internet does not seem to have any information on when that might be released. Darn you, internet!}.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; Jacqueline Kelly: When I was home in April I visited a family I used to nanny for and the mother loaned the book to her sister while I was there. I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle, and I'm glad I did. This novel depicts small-town Texas life pretty well {it's set in the early 1900's, but really, things haven't changed that much} and is full of rich descriptions of one girl's journey to make scientific history. That might be overstating it a bit, but we do follow Calpurnia as she and her grandfather try to earn naming rights for finding a new species. At the same time, Calpurnia is navigating the confusing world of becoming a young woman in a society that has quite specific expectations for women. A fun a little read, and worth your time.

The Hangman's Daughter; Oliver Potzsche: I've been seeing this one pop up everywhere and I finally bought it from Amazon on a whim. It is a story of intrigue, mystery, and small-town politics, in an era where being on the wrong side of the politics gets you burned with hot oil or worse. Some of the details are pretty gruesome {nails being pulled out, fingers being broken, entrails being scattered, that sort of thing}, but the story is excellent, as are the varying plot lines. I'm excited to read the second one in the series.

Improper Relations; Julianna Ross: This is a cute little smutty romance. Basic plot: Hannah is a poor relation who is shown love and tenderness by her deceased husband's cousin. He gives her lessons in pleasure, she falls in love, he falls in love....Not a whole lot of literature in this one, but a fun novel for the beach {or, even better, a boring airplane!}.

A Short History of Nearly Everything; Bill Bryson: I love Bill Bryson. I cannot say that enough. He is a fantastic non-fiction writer who, while not as openly hilarious as AJ Jacobs or David Sedaris, has a fun dry sense of humor. In this work, Bryson details the scientific history of life, the universe and everything {but, not the number 42}. We start with the Big Bang Theory and move through chemistry, atoms, physics, math, plate tectonics, evolution, astronomy, etc. He details not only how things work, but how science works. That is, just like anything else, science is full of misconceptions, dead-end trails, and politics. If you're a science nerd like I am, you should read this book immediately.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children; Ransom Riggs: When I first saw this book, I'll admit, I found it creepy. I thought it would be scary, I thought I wouldn't like it, and so I ignored it. But, it just kept popping up everywhere. So, I downloaded it. I'm glad I did. The story starts with the death of the main character's, Jacob's, grandfather. It is ruled as a robbery by police, but he knows something happened and goes on an adventure to find out. The result is a discovery of a different place, time, and group of people that all of us can only imagine. These people all have different abilities and are being hunted and we follow their story as they fight for their very survival. I cannot wait for the second book in this series to come out!

Mr. Churchill's Secretary; Susan Elia MacNeal: This series is essentially the adult answer to Nancy Drew {or, in my case, Cherry Ames}. Our main character, Maggie Hope, is an American/British dual-citizen who is in England at the start of WWII to handle some family business. Then, the war breaks out and we follow her as she is placed as a secretary in Winston Churchill's office. But, being a simple secretary is not enough for this feminist! She continues to investigate murders, find her long lost {and presumed dead} father, and generally kick up a fuss. This is not a terribly deep or thought-provoking novel, but it is certainly quick and fun!

Princess Elizabeth's Spy; Susan Elia MacNeal: The second novel in the Maggie Hope series. After her spy training, she is sent to tutor the Princess Elizabeth and generally keep an eye on things. She has to deal with a chauvinist boss {ugh, I hate those}, snotty courtiers and small princesses. This is a cute read, just like its predecessor.

The 19th Wife; David Ebershoff: I've always had an interest in other religions. When I was younger I wanted to be Amish. And a nun. Seriously. It follows that I really love fiction about religion. Recently I've been drawn towards Jewish-themed fiction {for obvious reasons}, but I saw this one and was intrigued. This novel has a dual-plot line. It offers speculation of the many wives of Brigham Young and follows the murder trial of the main character's mother. She is one of many wives to a husband in a fundamentalist off-shoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and she is accused of killing her husband. Her son, the narrator, was kicked out of the church for {basically} getting too old and being a threat. The second plot-line follows a woman who grows up during the early days of the LDS church and ends up married to {and divorced from!} Brigham Young. An interesting, fast-paced novel.

Eyes Wide Open; Raine Miller: I jumped back on the smut bandwagon for this one! It is a continuation of her Blackstone Affair series. This time, Ethan and Brynn are trying to plan a wedding while a person from Brynn's past is planning something creepy. There's a lot of controlling male dominance in this one. It's not abusive, but at times I would get cranky at the novel for it. As always, though, Raine Miller writes a pretty good love scene, though her verbiage could use a bit of work. I swear if I read "essence" or "core" in smut one more time.....

The Secret Keeper; Kate Morton: Another fabulous novel from Kate Morton. You can read my full review of this one here.

Room; Emma Donaghue: I liked this one. You can read my review here.

Whew! That was a lot of reading {and a lot of work writing, too!}. Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Any recommendations for me?

Don't forget, you can always see what I am reading by following me on Goodreads and Pinterest.

Book Review: Room

I've been seeing this one around awhile. Everyone and their mom has read it, and almost everyone gave  it rave reviews. Yet, I wasn't fussed. I didn't feel the need to run out and buy it. But, then, I visited a friend of mine in Beijing, and saw this sitting on her shelf. She mentioned that she was done with it, and that I should feel free to borrow it. I'm glad I did.

{Source: Goodreads}

Room tells the story of Jack and Ma who live in, well, Room. Everything Jack as ever known has been in Room. Jack and Ma's day is centered around a schedule, and Jack interacts with things in Room like Toilet, Dresser, Wardrobe, Track, etc. Sometimes, they watch TV, which Jack believes is make-believe and the TV shows depict people on other planets. Throughout the narration {which is done by Jack} we come to realize that Jack and Ma are being held captive by a kidnapper, Old Nick, and that Jack's mother has been here for longer than Jack has been alive. As conditions worsen and Old Nick becomes more and more unpredictable {and Jack gets older, and bigger - too big for room}, Ma comes up with a plan to help them escape.

This novel is a fast read owing mostly to the narrator. Seeing captivity through the eyes of a five year old is enlightening and heartbreaking all at the same time. You're simultaneously appalled and amazed: here is a little boy who knows nothing else and think that this is normal. He's seemingly well-adjusted given the circumstances, but Ma locks in in Wardrobe at night when Old Nick "visits." When you realize what that means, that Jack hides in a wardobe and counts the "creaks" of the bed, it's pretty awful.

In general, I found Jack to be a frustrating narrator. He argues with his mom, he asks weird questions, and sometimes I wanted him to just do what he's told! However, I think this adds to the book. How many five year-olds do you know that aren't exasperating at times? And then, you remember at this little boy's situation, and you realize just how strong Ma is to not only have made a life for herself and Jack in Room but to also have made a daring escape plan. All of this with a typical five year-old who is full of energy and questions. Remarkable. Donaghue did a good job with this one.

What have you read lately?

Book Review: The Secret Keeper

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It's been awhile since I blogged regularly, nevermind posted a book review. Life has been busy, and I have been  lazy relaxing and enjoying lounging around my apartment, hanging out in coffee shops, and sipping beer. In the midst of all this relaxation, I finished a book that I started reading back in October.

{Source: Goodreads}

The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton was not a book I always wanted to finish. Although Morton was, and still is, one of my favorite writers, the beginning of this book was unbearably sad. She starts the novel with a memory from our main character, Laurel. When she was 16 years old, Laurel witnessed her mother murder a man. No one has spoken of this incident since it happened. Now, her mother is dying, and this story follows Laurel's journey to find out the truth.

Morton is a master at dividing narratives and at connecting multiple storylines. Although we watch as Laurel searches for clues into her family mystery, we also see portions of this story through the eyes of various characters, some who we know, and some who we think we do. The novel is written so that the detectives among us might be able to figure out the end result, but that readers who choose not to think about it can still be surprised. I figured out most of the story by the end, but was still shocked by the final twist.

I am so, so glad that I continued to read this novel. It took me months to feel ready to continue, and I wish I would have done it sooner. You cannot go wrong with author, and this is her best work.

Book Review: The Joy Luck Club

I know everyone and her mother has read this book. It seems to just be one of those books that everyone reads in high school or college or whenever. I never did. Now, I'm sad I waited so long. Like Lisa See, Amy Tan is a master story teller and I find myself looking for more and more of her stories.

{Source: Goodreads}

From Goodreads:

In 1949 four Chinese women-drawn together by the shadow of their past-begin meeting in San Francisco to play mah jong, invest in stocks, eat dim sum, and "say" stories. They call their gathering the Joy Luck Club. Nearly 40 years later, one of the members had died, and her daughter has come to take her place, only to learn of her mother's lifelong wish-and the tragic way in which it has come true. The revelation of this secret unleashes an urgent need among the women to reach back and remember.

We follow four families, or more accurately four mother-daughter pairs on their journeys through emigration to the United States, marrying, having daughters, and generally living life. This novel gives a shared experience and shows inter-generational conflict that is often common among new American families. Through the Woo, Hsu, Jong, and Huang families we learn that life is not always what it seems and that our parents often have more insight into life than we give them credit four.

What I love about this novel is the way Tan weaves so many different perspectives into a narrative that culminates during the time of the novel. We follow four mothers, the members of the Joy Luck Club. We see them leave their family homes, sometimes forcibly, escape from Japanese forces during WWII, lose children and face heartache. We remember the childhoods of their daughters who want nothing more than to be like every other American teenager. We see the balance {and sometimes, the failure to balance} of these two perspectives, and we end the story with Jing-mei Woo in Shanghai.

If you are a fan of Lisa See or similar authors, you will enjoy this novel.



What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: As Always, Julia

I love Julia Child. I love that in a time where women got married, had babies and lived in suburbi she got married, traveled the world, had no kids, and wrote an amazing cookbook. Reading My Life in France inspired me to seriously think of living abroad {of course, I envisioned myself living in Europe or somewhere equally romantic, but, I digress}.

This book is a compilation of the letters written between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, Julia's pen-pal and longtime friend. We follow Julia as she travels the world with her husband who works abroad for the U.S. State Department. These letters detail not only the development of her famous work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but also her experiences with McCarthyism, writing for an American audience obsessed with 'being modern' and taking the work out of every household chore. Through Julia and Avis, we have a glimpse in an America on the verge of political, social, and gastronomic change.

I will be honest: I took me awhile to finish this one. It is long, detailed and doesn't really have chapter divisions. However, the picture these letters paint is worth the time and effort. Julia and Avis discuss fascinating cooking methods, and it is wonderfully interesting to read of the inner-political workings of the 50's. With McCarthyism at full force, Julia and Avis show us the climate, and also the little heard about opposition to him. Of course, we also follow Julia through he journey to write and publish her book first with Houghton Mifflin and then through Knopf publishing. That in itself would be enough for one book.

I most appreciate that this book has brought Julia Child to life. Of course, her own memoir did a remarkable job of this, but that was unavoidably planned, outlined and edited. This book gives you the sense of being a fly on the wall and hearing all that Julia and Avis shared with each other. In effect, that is what you are doing. You read the happiness, frustration, elation, melancholy, and all the raw emotion in-between.

This book is a treasure that I cannot wait to finish devouring. If only I didn't have to work, write articles, and generally have a life outside of books!



P.S. I'm not a huge fan of this new Pinterest embedding system. I'll work on a new way to post pictures of book covers for books I read.

What I read: Winter 2012 Edition

Well, I'm late {reeeaaallly late} getting this post up. The end of the year was...hectic and emotional, and everything in between. That isn't an excuse, perhaps, but it is a reason.

But, this is better late than never, I hope!

Here is how I finished off my Book Year of 2012:

72. Lady Sophia's Lover; Lisa Kleypas: Let's be honest. I read this a few months ago and don't remember a whole lot about it. I can honestly say, though, that I love Lisa Kleypas, her novels are always well-written with some pretty fiery scenes. You can't go wrong with any of her novels.

73. Worth Any Price; Lisa Kleypas: I remember this one a bit more than Lady Sophia's Lover. A gentleman is hired to find a noblewoman who has run away. Nick, the main character of the novel, begins this job as he does any other-without any care for the young woman he is being paid to seek. Of course, because this is a romance novel, he learns that there is more to the situation, they marry, fall in love, the usual. In all, a good romance novel, a good diversion, a solid choice.

74. Reflected in You; Sylvia Day: I did not like this novel. I did not like the way she portrayed her characters. I did not like it at all. You can read my review here.

75.-78. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; J.K. Rowling: Obviously these were a re-read {for the who knows which time!}. I still love these novels as much as I did when I first read them.

79. Naked; Raine Miller: I love Raine Miller. She is my new romance author love. She's like Sylvia Day, but I like her characters better. This novel is predictable but enjoyable: the heroine who is independent, the hero who is handsome, rich, and powerful and sweeps the heroine off her feet {though, the heroine does put up a considerable fight}. A solid choice.

80. Traitors of the Tower; Allison Weir: It's no secret that one of my favorite eras of history to read about is the reign of King Henry VIII and Elizabethan England. I love books about Anne Boleyn and Bloody Mary and everyone of this time. This book gives an in-depth analysis of the seven people, three of whom had been queens of England, who were sent to the tower and beheaded. This was a quick read {I read it in an hour or so at a Starbucks} and gripping. It is an essential read if, like me, you cannot get enough of this era.

81. Remarkable Creatures; Tracy Chevalier: This was a rather enjoyable novel. You can read my in-depth review here.

82. Sacred Treason; James Forrester: I loved this novel. Set in 16th century England, we follow Clarenceaux, a Catholic in fear of persecution. One night, a friend knocks on his door begging him to hide a manuscript for him. What results is an intense story of intrigue, secret societies and a life and death chase. I could not put down this novel. I love spy/secret society/intrigue novels, and this one was wonderful. It was fast-paced, the characters were fairly realistic, and I just really enjoyed it. If you like The Da Vinci Code style novels, you'll like this one.

83. All In; Raine Miller: This is the sequel to Naked. Everything I said about that novel is true for this one.

84. The Maze Runner; James Dashner: I definitely jumped on the Young Adult dystopian band wagon after The Hunger Games. This novel was a good addition to that category. There was definitely a cliff-hanger at the end of it. One of these days I'll get around to reading the other two in this series, but to be honest I don't feel as if I have to read them right this second. It's a good novel, but not a rush-to-the-bookstore-and-buy-the-next-novel kind of book.

85. Stardust; Neil Gaimman: I found this one in my favorite foreign languages bookstore in Beijing. I was craving a fun fairytale style novel and this one did not disappoint. It's as magical as the movie, a gentle story that is perfect to read in bed or in a coffee shop with a cup of hot cocoa. As usual, Neil Gaiman has provided us with a wonderful story!

As always, you can follow my current reading schedule on Goodreads and my book board on Pinterest {icons on the right hand bar}. What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Quiet

I've been having something of an identity struggle lately. I know part of this is because I live in China and already feel a bit isolated. I know part of it is that I live and work with folks who are far more social than I am. But, a recent experience left me feeling completely awful about myself and the fact that I really *do* prefer to be by myself a lot of the time. When I hang out with folks I far prefer quiet bars, coffee shops, restaurants and parks to crowded clubs, noisy streets, and parties. If folks decide to go out at 10:00pm, I 'm already asleep.

Often, I feel as though I'm my own worst enemy. That I should change and be a night-owl who enjoys lots of people around her. I've been told that this is the only way I will make friends or find a partner.

Then, I read Quiet. 

Source: goodreads.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Susan Cain, the author, asserts that in the United States we reward outgoing behavior. Businesses are built on extroverted networking, people believe that the most outspoken are the most intelligent, and the  squeakiest wheel often gets promoted.  Yet, according to Quiet, it is assumed that around 50% of the population are introverts.

Some characteristics of introverts: small groups of close friends, needs alone time, works better alone than in groups {or at least needs alone time to plan and organize thoughts before collaborating}, generally likes reading and solitary pursuits. Sound like anyone you know?

Of course, this is a generalization. Many introverts can be extroverted when needed, or in certain situations. In a classroom I am extremely extroverted, both as a student and a teacher. I am an outgoing manager and challenge course facilitator. Around people I know well I'm loud. But, I still value the time when I go home and sit by myself in my apartment or a park bench, getting lost in a novel.
For one of the first times, I felt validated as an introvert. I realized I don't have to change who I am to be successful, make friends, or have fun. Could I broaden my horizons a bit? Who couldn't? There are always ways to improve and be more social, but there's no need to feel inadequate.

If you are an introvert, know an introvert, manage introverts, are partnered with an introvert you should read this book. Cain presents us with interesting anecdotes, powerful statistics, and a nicely written narrative. She often states the same things twice and the book can get repetitive, but overall this was a valuable book that I highly recommend.