Review: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Dreams of Joy / Lisa See

Published May 31st 2011 by Random House.

There’s a strange story about how I got this book.  I was browsing a message board for something and on the bottom right side of the page, there was something like, “Take this survey and get a free book!”  I was skeptical but a free book is a free book so I took the survey.  I was expecting the freebie to be an ebook or some random self-help or business book but I was surprised that they gave the respondent choices.  More surprising were the titles of the books.  I remember seeing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that Lauren Conrad book, and one of those Chicken Soup for the Soul books.  And then there’s this one.  I picked this one from the bunch, filled out the form, and totally forgot about it.  I don’t even remember how long it took from the time I took the survey until I got this book in the mail.  My mom just placed it on my bed one afternoon; she’s used to me getting free books in the mail anyway.

I have to say, this is one of those “judge a book by its cover” choices.  While I am familiar with Lisa See, I have not read any of her work.  I’ve seen the movie version of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan though.  I was drawn to the Chinese-style drawing on the cover and I was intrigued by the blurb at the back.  I had no idea it was a sequel to another book so I went into this blindly, right where the first book, Shanghai Girls, left off.

Joy is at a crossroads in her life.  She’s 19, in college in Chicago, living with her extended family in Los Angeles Chinatown.  She just found out that the woman she called ‘mom’ was really her aunt, and ‘auntie May’ was her biological mother.  The man she called ‘dad’ recently took his life while his invalid uncle lay dying.  So full of idealism, she flees to China to find her biological father and fight for what she believes in.

China in the 1950s was ruled by Mao Zedong and his “Great Leap Forward”.  Communism blinded everyone, made them think that doing silly things such as kill sparrows and melt their cookware to make machinery will make China “the best country in the world”.  Joy finds herself with her birth father, Z.G. Li shortly after arriving to the country, losing her identity in the process.  Pearl Chin, the woman who raised her, followed Joy to China in hopes of finding her and bringing her back to the USA no matter the cost.

Being raised in Los Angeles, Joy experiences culture shock which is quickly remedied by falling in love with a country boy.  She follows her heart and finds herself disappointed that what she believed about China was far from the truth.  Meanwhile, Pearl does some soul-searching of her own.  In her path leading to Joy, she finds bits and pieces of her old life and ties off the many loose ends that she left when she and her family fled to the US.

This is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read.  I was very impressed by the writing, how well-researched it is, and how sincere it felt.  It was so compelling that twice I almost missed my stop at the train.  I could not put it down.  Along the lines of Haruki Murakami and Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, Lisa See is very good at painting a picture so realistic yet magical at the same time.  You can feel Pearl’s pain and Joy’s determination, I rooted for the both of them throughout the entire book.

It evoked a rather strong reaction from me.  I was outraged, sad, even shocked at some of the things that happened in the book.  I felt sorry for Joy.  But at the same time, I wanted to say “that’s what you get for not listening to your mom”.  We all had that defiant and idealistic phase in our lives so in a way, I understood where she was coming from.  I just did not agree on how far she took it.  I wanted Pearl to succeed.  Her love for Joy and for those around her was so strong that you can hold it in your hand.  She loved everyone and she deserved all the love in the world.  I preferred Pearl’s parts in the book a bit more than Joy’s though.  Those had more compelling and likeable characters while Joy was surrounded by people who I wanted to go away.

Also, it was a nice touch that a part of this book happened in Los Angeles Chinatown.  One of the trains I take has a stop at LA Chinatown.  During the time I was reading this, it made my day a bit brighter every time my train stops there.

I don’t see it as a “coming-of-age” novel exactly.  Instead, it is a journey through life.  Parallel journeys by Pearl and Joy, mother-daughter, through a country they both longed for.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation: A very good look into the Asian culture.  Beautiful visuals and excellent writing transports the reader to old China.

Get your copy here.

Review: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter / Seth Grahame-Smith

Published March 2nd 2010 by Grand Central Publishing.

I finished this book about a week or so ago and only now am I posting my review for it.  I know, I’ve been so behind but this is just in time for the movie adaptation that is coming out next week starring Benjamin Walker.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is a fictional biographical novel by author Seth Grahame-Smith.  If his name sounds familiar, he also wrote another “parody novel” entitled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, is often lauded as one of the greatest U.S. presidents.  Up to this day, his iconic speeches are being quoted by politicians and scholars.  His assassination made him a martyr and remains one of the darkest days in American politics.  But what was he before all that?  Is “honest Abe” really the man we believe him to be?

A Mr. Henry Sturges approached the author (yes, he wrote himself into the book serving as the narrator) with a stack of diaries that start with these words, “This is the journal of Abraham Lincoln.”  Sturges asked him to read them and write something that “finally tells the whole truth” about Lincoln.

I remember when I saw the trailer at a movie theater, the audience were laughing after reading the title.  And I don’t blame them.  Abraham Lincoln and vampires are two things that look strange together.  The guy sitting behind me said, “Really?  Try saying that with a straight face.”  And I admit, when I first heard of this book, I had the same reaction.  But as more and more parody novels populate the literary scene, this one doesn’t seem that silly anymore.

Unlike other mash-ups, this book includes historical facts — quotes, photographs, correspondence — and weaves the vampire hunting in between them.  It is very well-researched.  Of course, don’t take things too seriously; the book itself doesn’t.  Remember, it is a parody and it is meant to be enjoyed as such.  I did not study here in the USA therefore, I may not know honest Abe as well as a lot of you but I still enjoyed it.  The fictional events made perfect sense with actual events.  The book is written in a way that it seems more like reference material than a fiction novel.  The author also showcased what a brilliant writer and public speaker Lincoln was by including parts of his speeches and letters in the novel and constructed the storylines around them.

I must say, I loved reading this book.  In fact, I may put it as one of my favorites.  Abraham Lincoln felt so alive and real.  It never came across as absurd to imagine the 16th President slaying vampires with an axe or going on missions to rid the earth of these dark creatures.  I was excited to see the movie adaptation because of the superb cast it has but after reading the book, I am looking forward to it so much more.

Rating: 5/5.

Recommendation: If you like parody novels, this is definitely one of the best.  History buffs will enjoy it too.

Get your copy here.

Review: Ten Rules for A Call Girl by Allison Leotta

Ten Rules for a Call Girl / Allison Leotta

I cannot let my blog’s first anniversary pass without posting a review.  (I’m running on PST.) Actually, I am behind five books already.  Reading’s been fast moving but the reviewing part takes a bit more time.

But I was browsing the Kindle store and I happened upon this free Kindle short story.  Ten Rules for A Call Girl.  The title and the cover definitely drew me in.  And it’s free!  Click on the cover art to get your own copy.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Beautiful Georgetown undergrad Caroline McBride almost has it all—a loving fiancée, a promising academic career, and a college life of fabulous parties—but she can’t afford it. When her father becomes ill, plunging her family into debt, she reluctantly agrees to meet Madeleine, the madam of a high-end escort service. Catering to the most powerful men in D.C., Caroline can make more money in one night than in a month at her part-time college job. And no one has to know. All she has to do is follow the madam’s ten simple rules.

It is a prequel to the author’s second full length novel called Discretion.  It follows Caroline McBride on her escapades as an escort girl, or a professional “girlfriend”.  There are many cliches going on in this story – poor college girl living a double life; she gets into the business at her roommate’s recommendation; they get a rather high profile client; and of course, she has a boyfriend on the side.  But you know, it all works.  The sex scenes were pretty graphic but not trashy.

As I understand, the author was a federal prosecutor specializing in sex crimes.  So she knows what she’s talking about.  The writing came across very solid and real.  I connected with Caroline and the dilemma that she was running through her head.  It was fast paced and you really feel a sense of urgency and danger; Caroline living a secret double life and trying not to get caught.

Based on this, I will definitely check out the author’s other works.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation: It is a quick coffee break read and it gets your blood going.

Happy Anniversary, Reading Good Books!

Thank you so much for sticking with me these past twelve months. I hope the books I am featuring here are interesting to you. I also hope that the reviews are entertaining and informative.

I wish I could do something special – a giveaway, a freebie, an author interview – but life is happening faster than I can read.  I will try to do more in the coming weeks and months and I hope you come along with me.

Here’s to many more good readings to come!

Quotes: Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

“We’re all fools,” said Clemens, “all the time. It’s just we’re a different kind each day. We think, I’m not a fool today. I’ve learned my lesson. I was a fool yesterday but not this morning. Then tomorrow we find out that, yes, we were a fool today too. I think the only way we can grow and get on in this world is to accept the fact we’re not perfect and live accordingly.” (The Illustrated Man)

——-

Rest in peace, Mr. Bradbury. 

I picked up The Illustrated Man because upon hearing about it on an episode of Criminal Minds.  I ended up liking it very much.  I thought it was imaginative, thought-provoking, and definitely one of the best collections of short stories that I’ve ever read.

June is Audiobook Month #JIAM2012

Happy June!    I hope May was good you all of you.  It certainly was for me.

Did you know what June is Audiobook Month?  I didn’t.  Thank you,  GoodReads, for informing me about this.  I love audiobooks.  I think it is a good option for getting your reading done when you cannot physically crack open a book.  Some of us go to school and/or go to work and at the end of the day, we’re just too tired to do much else.  I can certainly relate to that.  Before getting a job, I had all day to read.  But now, my reading time is reduced to hour-long train rides.  No bueno.

But I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to plug on my earphones and zone out the rest of the office.  Thank goodness for Spotify and Talking Classics for being readily available for free online.  (Also, I have been enjoying the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas through Spotify.)  I can always load up an audiobook on my iPod/iPad/nook if I can’t find it online.  I found that whenever I listen to an audiobook at work, time seems to fly by faster.

Over the years, I have accumulated a fair share of audiobooks, both CD copies and mp3 files.  Like a true collector, I have both Generation Kill and One Bullet Away on audio.  OBA is narrated by its author, Nathaniel Fick, which makes it so much more awesome that the book already is.  Patrick Lawlor reads GK and it is probably the most listening fun I’ve had.  Other titles in my collection are Room by Emma Donoghue, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris, and The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner read by Tom Hiddleston.

There are so many places to get audiobooks.  Bookstores have a special rack for them.  I got my OBA CD set on eBay.  And of course, the Internet.  Ever since the popularity of iTunes and portable mp3 players, authors have released audio versions of their books alongside hard and digital copies.  Some are read by the authors themselves, some read by actors, and there are also books read by a whole cast of characters.  It is so interesting to hear how the words are acted out.

If you have not tried an audiobook, now is a good time to start.  There are many places to get free audiobooks, especially for classics.  I’ve already mentioned Talking Classics on Spotify.  Here are some other sources:

• Books Should Be Free
• Librivox
• Thought Audio
• … and of course, Google is your friend.

So, have you heard any good books lately?