Ode to the Library

I have loved reading as long as I've been able to identify what a book is for. I remember going to the Folsom Library with Aaron when I was in middle school--he would drive us over and I don't recall him ever rushing me. He'd get his nose in a book somewhere while I'd happily peruse the young adult section. I always ended up with a nice stack of books to take home.

Once I started high school, we no longer went. I had a little more income of my own, so I bought more books. My card was lost at some point. I moved here, there, and everywhere. I grew up, got a job, and bought lots of my own books.

It was only a few months ago that it occurred to me to get a library card again.

I don't have a tremendous amount of time to spend in libraries, perusing...but here's the most glorious part: the Sacramento County Library system is all online. So I can request a book, and when it comes in, I can pop in to get it on my way home from work.

Yesterday, I was out running some errands--a dental cleaning, gas for the car, a stop to buy deodorant--and on my list was to stop at the library to pick up a book they had on hold for me. I decided to go in for a bit, and ended up in the children's section, reading three books I found of the Cinderella story...but in the Hmong culture, in ancient Egypt, and Mexico of the 17th century.

Later in the day, I got to chatting with my dad about taxes--all the upcoming changes and what it means for me as a single-income homeowner. It remains to be seen if it will affect me all that much. Talk turned to what our taxes pay for, and I told him, "One thing I'm very glad to have--my library."

Think of it--books galore, books I want to read, available to me at no cost. All I had to do was show proof of address to get my card, and it's good at any branch in Sacramento County. And with everything being online, I don't have to go out of my way to get any particular book--I can simply request it be sent to Antelope for me when it is available. When it arrives, I get an email notification, and off I go to pick it up.

Marvelous!

And libraries aren't just books anymore--they are community spaces with free internet access, meeting rooms, and events. My library has yoga one Saturday a month, and currently has a community tapestry weaving project set up next to the entrance. I even saw a sign where people can check out games to be played in the library. It has current periodicals and newspapers, and DVDs. It was quiet this morning, but I've seen it busy and bustling with people. It is a warm, safe, clean place filled with resources and knowledge. It is a community treasure and out to be treated as such.

It saddens me that library funding is often cut, when these are places that communities should gather, where children should be encouraged to go for books. When did schools and libraries stop being so important to us? Isn't it a tragedy that they did?

Chaos

Most of the time, I hate disorder in a big way. My desk at work, backed up to my colleague's is a hilarious study in Neat Freak vs. OMG Where'd I Put That. I'm the Neat Freak. I have folders, binders, bins, labels...yeah, I'm that person.

So stepping into Almost Perfect Used Books in Roseville can either be hugely rewarding, or hugely frustrating, depending on my mood and/or how much time I have. I love a good book store, and this one has something like a gazillion books. 

Don't believe me?

This is the kid's/young adult section, two years ago. Now
it's even MORE crowded with books on the floor.

The books are pleasingly organized into sections--contemporary romance sits apart from historical romance...but they're in completely different parts of the store. The only problem is, that's where the organization stops. They've run out of shelf space.

So again, it all depends on my mood. Most of my visits are simple in-and-out visits to drop off a bag of books to add to my trade account. When I have the time and patience, however, I like to dig out my mining gear and do some digging.

Of course they carry this poorly-written nonsense...which
was a staple of my preteen years.

Not just "plays" or "poetry," but a whole section devoted
to the Bard himself.

I find this whole "let's fanfic the hell out of Mr. Darcy"
thing slightly overdone.

They have so many books they sell random ones in paper bags.

With trade credit, I usually walk out of there with a nice stack of books, and I spend under $2 because I'm only obligated to pay tax. Today I left with six books, one of which was "cash no trade," so I spent $16 for one hardback and five paperbacks (one of which I could buy for my Kindle for $6, but essentially got for next to nothing today).

Unless I'm dropping off books and leaving immediately, I never expect my trip through Almost Perfect to be quick. For starters, there are simply so many books to peruse. And secondly, when I do get tired of digging, the line for the one register is usually a few people deep...though "register" isn't the right word for it. See, nothing in Almost Perfect is computerized. 

You read that right.

They use a calculator and a tablet of receipts. 

Credit is kept track on about 10 Rolodexes that are crammed full (and yes, perfectly alphabetized). They take cash and check, but no cards of any kind. 

This is the "pending" stack of books to be processed into
inventory.

And somehow, no one minds. Maybe we put up with the slow line and the slightly-harried husband who runs the cash box because there's something rather comforting about being in a place where you have an actual conversation during the transaction, rather than staring at a card-reading machine. Maybe it's the ambiance of being surrounded by the smell of books, or knowing that the woman who runs the whole operation knows exactly where to find any book you might want. 

You just wait in line with your ridiculously large stack of books, and happily wait for your turn, knowing you're going home with far more books than you'd dare buy in one trip to Barnes and Noble. 

As for what I bought today:

The Secret of Sarah Revere by Ann Rinaldi

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

The Places In Between by Rory Stewart

Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess)

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons 

Outlander

I've been an unabashed fan of romance novels for years, ever since the first time I snuck a read of a total bodice-ripper at my grandmother's house as a young teen. In high school, my friend got me stuck on the likes of Jude Devereaux, which led to LaVyrle Spencer, Nora Roberts, and many, many more.

These days, as vampires and werewolves and self-publishing takes over the genre, my tastes have narrowed. I mostly enjoy the feminist-friendly heroines and whip-smart dialogue of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Tessa Dare. My romance reading has slowed somewhat, as I explore "regular" literature, travel and non-fiction, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Hey, I just like to read.

The "Outlander" series has been on bookshelves since the 90s, and I have, a couple of times over the years, picked them up and read the description on the back. Then, for whatever reason--possibly thinking that 800+ page books can't be all that easy to follow--I put them back and moved on to other books.

Then, last weekend, I noticed ads and trailers for a TV series to be based on the books. And, while I've known, all this time, that the books rely heavily on dudes in kilts, and I love me a dude in a kilt, it took seeing the ads, with a very fine young man...in a kilt...for me to show any interest in Outlander.

Of course, Starz, a subscription-only station, is making the series. In a clever move designed to get everyone hooked on the show and subscribing to the channel, they put the whole first episode online, free. So I watched it.

And holy men in kilts, it was really good.

This was Saturday night, and I decided right away I ought to buy the book. I usually prefer to read actual books, but in this case, I wasn't about to get dressed and make the 10-mile trek to Barnes & Noble, so Kindle Edition it was. I started reading, and Lordie. I couldn't stop.



Warning!! From here on out, spoilers abound. Read at your own risk.




The book is not perfect. I mean, it's not Shakespeare. And one complaint I've seen a lot is that it relies on some violence too much, with one husband-beating-wife scene and another excruciating man-on-man rape scene. As a feminist who thinks about how women and romance are portrayed in popular culture, I understand some of the concerns about the violence. Though it must be said that Claire, after being spanked (with a belt) by her back-in-time Scottish husband Jamie, makes things fairly miserable for him to the point where he promises to never raise a hand to her again. And, while the 21st Century woman reading the book cringed at his high-handedness and his reasons for punishing her in the first place, there's a part of my brain that acknowledges that in 1740-something Scotland, husbands beat their wives for far less. It's not pretty. I don't love reading about it. But it's a reality.

As for the man-on-man rape, I'm not entirely sure it did anything to move the plot forward, aside from proving--again--how much Jamie loves Claire, that he'd take it. Perhaps there might have been another way.

If the violent parts of the book are a turn-off, they're no match for the romance and adventure. I almost cried when Jamie, having just been told by his wife that she actually comes from the 1940s, not only decides to trust her and believe her, but takes her back to Craig Na Dun, the stone circle where her whole adventure began...then gives her the choice to stay or go.

Her 1945 husband, Frank, is nice and all, but come on. Who's going to say no to Jamie and his kilted sexiness? Or, you know, his shirtless sexiness as Claire stitches a gunshot wound in his shoulder?

The books are obviously full of drama and melodrama on an epic scale; Outlander itself is over 800 pages, and the subsequent books are comparable in length. I just downloaded the second book, Dragonfly in Amber, to my Kindle this afternoon and started reading it. Anxious to see how Claire and her daughter by Jamie ended up in 1968.

I will likely read all eight books over the next few weeks, dragging Kindle or paperback (I intend to switch over as soon as the used bookstore is open, as it was closed today) with me to the gym, around the house, etc. I won't quite take it to school because, well, you know, I have an actual job to do when I'm there. It wouldn't do to neglect that by camping out in my beanbag chair with my book.

I have a feeling I'm in for an emotional roller coaster over the next seven books. Friends who read the series long ago have told me, "Keep reading!!" And so I shall. I'm also going to keep watching the series, already renewed for a second season after only one episode aired. Having seen the characters before ever reading the book, I now imagine them looking as they do on screen--definitely not a bad thing, especially in the case of Jamie/Sam Heughan. I'll just leave you with one last picture of his soulful gaze and finish this post up. I'm only on Chapter 4 of Dragonfly In Amber, and I have an early wake-up tomorrow.

Isn't It Romantic?

I haven't blog-reviewed a book in quite some time, but I read one yesterday that left me with so much to say, and I have an afternoon off to sit here and say it. I mean, there's only so many Emergency Kittens tweets I can re-Tweet, after all.

I read Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire in one day; it's the kind of book that moves quickly (and also, alas, the kind of book where you can skip whole paragraphs and not get lost). It tells the love story of Abby and Travis, through her eyes. Abby is Sandra Dee, a "good girl" in a pink cardigan with the sassy (and enabling/victim-blaming/slut-shaming) best friend. She meets Travis, the tattooed, brilliant and popular fighter in an underground fighting ring on their college campus. He also happens to be a fan of the one-night stand. 

Let's just pause for a second and take all this in.

So of course, Abby wants nothing to do with Travis, but Travis insists. And Abby...just can't help herself. Swayed by the stalkerish tendencies of this tattooed demigod, she starts to fall for him. "But we're just friends," she insists to everyone, even as she (platonically) sleeps in his bed every night for a solid month while dating a guy who gives her a diamond bracelet for her birthday after knowing her for all of two weeks.

Well, of course her dating another guy (named Parker, natch, 'cause rich white guys who are competing with tattooed bad boys in these books are always named Parker or Harrison or Preston or some such once-was-a-prestigious-surname-so-Mummy-and-Daddy-stuck-me-with-it name) makes Travis massively jealous, so he alternates between sulking/brooding (cue the swooning!) and being a completely sociopathic madman who threatens guys who so much as look at Abby the wrong way. And when the woman who has repeatedly told him, "Yeah, I sleep in your bed but we're just friends" (or something like that) gets caught kissing her rich boyfriend, Travis responds by bringing two women home for a one-night-stand on the couch that Abby has to listen to.

What a gentleman.

I could go on and on, but honestly, the book just gets worse. When these two idiotic heroes finally have sex, Travis sighs and tells Abby, "That was your last first kiss." She (understandably) freaks out and leaves, so Travis, being a rational man, trashes his apartment and lashes out at his roommate and roomie's girlfriend (who happens to be Abby's BFF, are you keeping up?).

Basically, to answer the question in the title of this blog post, No. No, it isn't romantic. It's not a romance novel, it's a recipe for every unhealthy relationship that has ever happened.

Anyway, the reviews on Goodreads are almost overwhelmingly five stars because this kind of crap is what we get sold to us as being romantic. Edward Cullen hanging out in Bella Swan's bedroom all night, staring at her is "romantic." Women going back--again and again--to men who show signs of terrifying jealousy (Travis, at one point, hits a man in the face for flirting with Abby in a bar...while her face is inches away), is "romantic." A nineteen-year-old heroine running off to Vegas to marry this dude (yes, this is how the book ends, and also with her getting "Mrs. Maddox" tattooed on her stomach) before she's even had time to explore the world is "romantic."

Then there's the whole good girl/bad boy thing. What makes Travis a bad bet as a boyfriend is not his tattoos (I know plenty of true gentlemen, very clean-cut, who are tatted like crazy, nothing "bad" about them, they just like body art), but his jealousy and his tendency to manipulate and stalk Abby. Abby dresses like a "good girl" and tries to cultivate a reputation as being so well-behaved and sweet, but she's incredibly rude to her dorm roommate for no apparent reason. Her treatment of Parker is also questionable, stringing him along, only to dump him for Travis. Twice. (It could be argued that Parker is stupid to even waste his time dating someone who shares a bed with another man every night for a month while they're dating but I'm going to give him a pass just this one time.)

Anyway, there you have it. I am not writing about the book to give it more attention (I mean, if you think this sort of story sounds romantic, by all means, read the book and love the hell out of it), but rather to rant about how it's perfectly acceptable to find a book about an abusive, controlling relationship to be oh-so-romantic...just as people think Edward and Bella are romantic, or, to go back even further, Cathy and Heathcliff. Allow me to malign a "classic" novel and say that I loathe Wuthering Heights precisely because it is about two of the most selfish, cruel lovers I've ever read about. 

Isn't it romantic?

No! 

2013 Book Review #7: The Language of Flowers

Mom picked up The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh for her book club, and after she read it, handed it to me, insisting I would love it. She was very right.

The book is told through the eyes of Victoria Jones, who has spent her life in foster care and group homes. Now eighteen, she is on her own in a world that doesn't want her any more than she wants it. From the book's description:

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Diffenbaugh tells a tremendously sad story with depth and empathy; Victoria is not always a loveable protagonist, but you can't help but continue rooting for her even as she tries to push everyone away. Her decisions, always made out of desperation, are often not the "right" ones by most people's standards; however, I felt sympathy for her, as the book veered back and forth between her life in the present and her past as an unadoptable foster child.

To talk too much about the plot would be to give away more details than I want--the plot twists and turns in such a way that any little detail is potentially a spoiler. But I whole-heartedly recommend this book, because it was impossible to put it down. Even as I wanted to scream at Victoria, I still wanted to see things work out for her. Even better, the ending of the book didn't wrap everything up in a pretty little bow, but rather showed that Victoria was making small steps in her attempt to let people into her life, and heart.

Just read it. Trust me.

2013 Book Review #6: Garden Spells

I'm finally gaining some steam in my goal of reading/reviewing 25 books this year. My reading has slowed down because most nights I fall into bed wanting nothing more than to turn the lights out and sleep. I've been giving myself more time to read lately...this makes me happy.

Garden Spells is the third book I've read by Sarah Addison Allen, and, like the previous two, I really enjoyed it. All of Allen's stories take place in North Carolina, and are like cotton candy--made of sugar, light as air. Allen's characters all have some sort of magical quality about them--in Garden Spells, Claire Waverly understands how plants and foods can influence people, and runs a successful catering business based on that.

Garden Spells starts off a wee bit on the slow side, but once the plot picks up, it's almost impossible to put down. There are descriptions of domestic abuse as one character escapes a violent husband, so trigger warning to anyone who may have a hard time reading such things. But mostly, the story of the Waverly family revolves around the subtle magic of the garden behind their home, complete with an apple tree that tells the future and causes mischief at every turn.

Previously, I've read The Sugar Queen and The Girl Who Chased the Moon. All of Allen's stories are similar in their use of magic and their setting, but each stands on its own--it's impossible to mix up characters from one book to the next, and I never feel like I'm re-reading a previous book when I start a new one. I'm definitely making a point of reading her other books...but first, I've a stack of about a dozen books I want to get through!

2013 Book Review #5: The Joy Luck Club

Before I start, just a note...I finished this book about a month ago, but before I wrote the review, my niece passed away and I had too many other things on my mind. I'm finally getting around to it now.

So, in my ongoing quest to read and review twenty-five books this year, I picked up a large stack of books at a local used book store that was closing down. Everything was 25 cents, so when I saw The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, I grabbed it before anyone else could.

I have vague memories of when the movie came out, some time in the 90s. I think I even tried watching the movie when it came to video, but it was lost on me then. Now, however, it's a different story.

The Joy Luck Club tells the stories of four Chinese mothers who immigrated to the United States, and their four daughters, born and raised American, with only passing knowledge of the traditional ways their mothers knew. Each mother went through considerable hardship which drove her from China; all they wish for their daughters is opportunity and a happier life. The daughters, in turn, tell their own stories of growing up with their traditional Chinese mothers, and all the ways in which they didn't understand how their mothers viewed the world.

The book is presented in sixteen vignettes, grouped into sections of four that represent the four directions on a mah jong table. The stories of the daughters sometimes overlap, as the four girls grew up interacting with each other in San Francisco, while the mothers' stories remain separate.

If I had tried reading The Joy Luck Club fifteen years ago, I might not have enjoyed it, but with my more recent fascination with Chinese culture, I found it incredibly engaging and interesting. However, it's not only a story about Chinese people--it's a story about mothers and daughters, and it is this theme that makes the story truly shine. Any woman can relate to the trials and triumphs these mothers and daughters experience together, with their generational and even cultural differences. In the end, what matters most in a mother-daughter relationship is the unconditional love a mother gives her child, no matter how it is presented.

Amy Tan put together a gorgeous book that reads very quickly and keeps the reader engaged in the stories she is telling. I am glad I took a chance on The Joy Luck Club; and in future, I may read some of her other offerings.

2013 Book Review #4: The Sugar Queen

A few months ago, I spontaneously purchased The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, and I was enchanted. Allen's witty writing and engaging characters had me hooked, as did her penchant for adding "everyday magic" to her stories. I eagerly added everything she's written to my wish list, and recently started reading The Sugar Queen.

The Sugar Queen tells the story of 27-year-old Josey, a woman who punishes herself for a bratty childhood by living with her elderly mother in the role of a servant, one who never complains. Her one source of joy is the delivery of the mail each day, for she has a hopeless crush on the mailman, Adam. Her safe world comes crumbling down one day, on the discovery of a local waitress, Della Lee Baker, in her closet--the same closet where she hides a vast cache of junk food and romance novels from her disapproving mother. As Della Lee encourages her to come out of her protective shell, Josey's world changes--for the better. She befriends a local sandwich shop owner, Chloe, and involves herself in the world more, even facing up to Adam and finding her way in matters of love.

I admit, I did not start off loving this book as I did The Girl Who Chased the Moon. I realize now that this is because of my own history and biases--I, too, used to hide in endless sweets and romances, so the Josey I was presented with early in the book was not someone I really wanted to know. She reminded me, too painfully, of how I used to deal with the world--with retreat, hiding and shame. However, as she came out of herself, began participating more in the world around her, I related to that journey, and I began to like her more. Funny, how a character in a book can provoke such a strong reaction simply by being similar to the reader.

As the book progressed, I had a harder time putting it down. Addison uses little touches of magic to add charm to the story. Books that follow a woman around, giving advice. Coffee pots that spontaneously boil when passion is found between two people...little touches that make the book not just another quirky romance, but a story with depth and feeling. I very much enjoyed it.

I have another Allen book in my large stack of waiting books (much like one of the characters in this one, I seem to have books choose me, rather than the other way around), which I will read soon.

2013 Book Review #3: Insurgent

Fresh on the heels of reading Divergent by Veronica Roth, I was anxious to move on to the next book in the trilogy, Insurgent. Eager to find out what happens next for Tris and Tobias, I launched into this one, hopeful it might give more background information than its predecessor.

I was disappointed...Insurgent, while entertaining and engaging in its way, was also a rather annoying series of twists and silly dramas that didn't add to the story, or the plot of the trilogy. Always, in this series, the whole point of it all seems just out-of-reach. I can't quite figure out why I'm supposed to care that these people are fighting, because...well, it seems that they don't know why they're supposed to care.

In the end, these books seem disorganized, as though the author has no idea where she's going, and is letting the plot unfold as she types. I'll give the third book a read, because I want to see what happens, but I can't categorize these books with, say, The Hunger Games (another YA dystopian trilogy) or the incredible Harry Potter series, which is well-known for the planning and plotting that author J.K. Rowling did before ever even scribbling out most of the books.

I haven't much to say, really, but I did promise myself I'd review 25 books this year, so...here you go. ; )

2013 Book Review #2: Divergent

A few weeks ago, one of my teenaged voice students handed me a book after our lesson and said, "I remember you mentioned liking The Hunger Games. You might like this one, too." I thanked her and took the book home, putting it on my night stand to read when I finished River Town.

The book was Divergent by Veronica Roth. Set in Chicago in the future, it tells the story ofsixteen-year-old Tris Prior:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. --Amazon

I'll start by mentioning that I read this book in about six hours, staying up until nearly three in the morning because I didn't want to put it down. The story is gripping and exciting--that said, it is not a perfect book. There could have been more background information about why the society is the way it is; instead, we are simply thrust into the story very quickly, with little understanding of why it is such a big deal when a child leaves the faction they grew up in.

As far as female heroines go, Tris is better than, say, Bella Swan from the Twilight series. However, she, too, has her flaws--at times her back-and-forth between loyalty to her friends and selfishness are almost enough to induce whiplash.

The negatives aside, I enjoyed Divergent for what it is--young adult literature, easy entertainment, and a story that's fun to lose yourself in. Of course it is part of a trilogy, and of course, a movie is in the works. I'm already reading the second book, Insurgent...so expect a review soon.

2013 Book Review #1: River Town

One of the intentions I set for this year was to read and review 25 books. Time for personal reading has dwindled in my life (sadly) as I fall into bed most nights and fall asleep pretty quickly. Being able to sleep well is fantastic, don't get me wrong. It just cuts into my pleasure reading. I haven't gotten off to the greatest start--we're rapidly approaching March and I've read a whole two books; but I've read, and I'm fulfilling my wish of blogging about them. So here goes with Book Review Numero Uno.

Several months ago, I read Peter Hessler's "Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China" in an attempt to gain a better understanding of Chinese history and culture. As I wrote in my review of that book,

I rather expected to walk away from this book knowing more about China's cultural identity...and I suspect that Hessler himself hoped to understand better after writing this book. We both remain unfulfilled in that regard, as it turns out that China, for all its differences from the United States, is much like our home country--it has no one defining cultural identity, and is a large, geographically-isolated nation comprised of people from many cultures and ethnicities.   

While I was left with many of my original questions about China, I very much enjoyed Hessler's portrayal and at once set out to buy a copy of his first book, "River Town: Two Years On the Yangtze." Hessler taught English in the city of Fuling for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer, learning the often confusing ins and outs of life in China's Sichuan Province. I was particularly interested in reading this, as my students from last summer were Sichaunese, from the province's city Chengdu.

Hessler has a very unique style--at times he seems almost removed from his subject, like a scientist observing a large experiment, but there are moments of tenderness and humor that emerge to show he honestly became part of Fuling, making friends and carving out a life there as he learned Mandarin and became more comfortable navigating a city in which he was one of only two Americans.

I particularly enjoy Hessler's format for putting his books together--he has the typical chapter format, which moves in a chronological order, but he sticks essays between them that bring life to his subject. In River Town, he highlights local landmarks and people in these essays. These are constants in an ever-changing city and country.

If a reader gets anything from Hessler's books about China, it is that his writing only captures a moment in time--China changes so quickly that it is impossible to write about it without the book quickly becoming a portrait of a past time. Indeed, within a few years of Hessler's stay in Fuling, the Three Rivers Gorge dam project was completed, the Yangtze flooded, and whole cities were left underwater. Fuling itself changed as the lower parts of the city were flooded out.

I found River Town both engaging and informative; while it took me several weeks to read it, I never felt like I was struggling with it, or bored. I found myself understanding a little more about China and its people...this will help me should I have the opportunity this summer to work with Chinese exchange students again.

If, like me, you are interested in learning more about a fascinating, ever-changing society, I recommend both River Town and Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler. 

Oracle Bones

As I was working with sixty exchange students from China over the summer, it occurred to me that I knew very little about their country and culture. Of course I love some good (Americanized) Chinese food and I can even somewhat manage chopsticks without getting my dinner down my shirtfront. I've seen Yao Ming play basketball and I can easily waste hours playing Mahjong on Facebook. I even know that "nihau" (nee-how) is "hello."

Three weeks with these teenagers, however, showed me that I know nothing about China. I was amazed to find that my students had no idea what Disneyland, or Mickey Mouse, is. They were amazed by their American counterparts and the sort of I-own-the-world mentality that teens here have. While they were familiar with Adele and Taylor Swift and a select few other Western pop stars, most American music was as foreign to them as about 99% of Chinese culture is to me.

After they left, I immediately got on Amazon and started looking for books about China--not long histories about the Shang or Qing dynasties, not another endless horror-filled look at the old practice of foot-binding. I wanted a book that would teach me something about modern China--it's culture, it's world view. I found Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China.

 Hessler is an American journalist who first traveled to China as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English in a remote province. Later, he would find himself in Beijing, and Oracle Bones is his account of this period of time, with some references to an earlier book he wrote about his experiences as an English teacher in Fuling (River Town: Two Years on the Yangtzee).

The back cover description says,

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes. 

Oracle Bones chronicles modern-day life in China through the eyes and ears of a foreign journalist who befriends and listens to Chinese citizens from every walk of life. Hessler has a distinctive voice--never dry, always engaging and with a certain compassion for his subjects that shines through. These are not just people he encounters, but people he cares about.

I rather expected to walk away from this book knowing more about China's cultural identity...and I suspect that Hessler himself hoped to understand better after writing this book. We both remain unfulfilled in that regard, as it turns out that China, for all its differences from the United States, is much like our home country--it has no one defining cultural identity, and is a large, geographically-isolated nation comprised of people from many cultures and ethnicities. 

Of particular interest to me was the recurring story of Polat (a pseudonym), a Uighur man living in Beijing who eventually found political asylum in the United States. My previous assumptions about China held that all Chinese people were of the same ethnic group, spread out over a large mass of land; this is not true. As in any large country, the population is comprised of many ethnic backgrounds, and not all of them necessarily wanted to be part of the "mother country" to begin with.

As I read Oracle Bones, I marked my place with a metal hooked bookmark given to me by one of my Chinese students in August. As I read about China's newish role in the world market, I would gaze at the bookmark, thinking how strange it is that I am, on a daily basis, surrounded by things made in China and yet I know so little of the people who made them.

The book is long, at 458 pages, but Hessler's style makes for a fast read. He orders the book chronologically through modern times (approximately 1999-2002), with inserted "Artifacts" that tell the story of the ancient oracle bones and the trouble China has had facing modernization versus their ancient past.

Should you read it? Yes, if you like reading about other cultures and enjoy travel narratives (which this book is in some ways). If you like authors like Bill Bryson and Tony Horwitz, you might enjoy Hessler, though he approaches his subject with less humor and more wry observation.

Rail Tales

When I joined Sac Choral Society last August, I was immediately and warmly welcomed by many people, but one person stood out. Brian is welcoming and friendly to everyone, and genuinely cares about other people. He sent me a friend request on Facebook, and often before rehearsal, he'll mention that day's awesome run I had, or congratulate me on my progress at the gym.

A couple of months ago, Brian published a book--a collection of anecdotes he's collected over the last few years of riding Sacramento's Light Rail trains to work each morning. In his attempt to reduce his carbon footprint, he rides the train every day, and he encounters the best and the worst of humanity on a regular basis...and the weirdest.

Yesterday, he had a book signing at a coffee shop in Midtown, so I thought it would be nice to drive down and show some support. Brian was happy to see me, and I am now the proud owner of a signed copy of Rail Tales.

Signing

Brian is also an ace photographer and took all of the pictures that
are featured in the book.

There is a Kindle edition of the book available. Take a look at the preview on Amazon--Brian's stories are funny, touching, and an excellent snapshot of Sacramento. We may not be the biggest city, or as glamorous as many of our California counterparts, but we have a certain charm.

And don't forget to "like" the Facebook page for daily anecdotes!

Sunday Review

It's been ages since I've done a Sunday Review!

I've recently read two books that warrant a mention--Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay and Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Both books go back and forth between World War Two and modern-day, and both books center around the horrors that Allied countries helped to inflict on two distinct races of people.

Sarah's Key spent some time on the New York Times Best-Seller list; I've seen it on display at Target and Barnes and Noble for so long, and I was intrigued by it, but never committed to buying it until December, when I bought it as a Christmas present for Mom. I figured she would probably enjoy it, and I could borrow it when she finished--a perfect gift, right? A book that a mother and daughter can share.

The story starts in July 1942, in the heart of Paris, where Sarah, a 10-year-old Jewish girl, is rounded up with her parents--by the French police, not the Nazis. The incident, known as the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup, is a little-discussed incident in French history that tends to be loosely passed off as a Nazi horror, but was, in fact, perpetrated by the French police. Sarah, in a desperate attempt to save her 4-year-old brother, and convinced that she will be returned home later in the day, locks him in a secret cupboard in the bedroom of their Paris apartment, keeping the key with her as the rest of her story unfolds.

The book alternates chapters between 1942 and 2002, the 60th anniversary of the roundup, which is covered by an American journalist living in Paris. Julia Jarmond is approaching middle age, married to a charming but difficult Frenchman and raising her preteen daughter. They are set to move into her grandmother-in-law's recently vacated Paris apartment as Julia researches the tragic circumstances surrounding Vil' d'Hiv, and suddenly, a stunning connection between Sarah and Julia's in-laws comes to light.

Sarah's Key is heartbreaking and unforgettable, and it was difficult to put down. It's not an easy read, emotionally, but if, like me, you are fascinated by the World War Two era, it's well worth finding a copy. I enjoyed de Rosnay's writing style, especially the back-and-forth between the two time periods, as it made the horrors of Sarah's story jar even more against the life that Julia lives in modern Paris.


Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet takes place in Seattle, going back and forth between 1942, when Henry Lee is a 12-year-old Chinese boy befriending and falling for Keiko, a Japanese classmate, and 1986, when he is a middle-aged man reeling from the death of his wife and being revisited by old memories of the terrible injustice that was the internment of Japanese-Americans.


Ford takes the reader through not only the horrifying reality that thousands of innocent Americans were rounded up and taken from everything they knew to live in ramshackle camps, but also the tensions that existed between Americans of Chinese and Japanese descent, the strong sense of family honor that can cause a man to disown his son for having a friend from the Japanese part of town, and an innocent love between to young children through a dark chapter in American history.

Both Sarah's Key and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet are thoroughly readable page-turners. For those who have a difficult time reading about the Holocaust, I advise care when deciding whether or not to read de Rosnay's book--simply because the story is so heartbreaking.

I read these books one right after the other, and it was interesting to read about the same time period from two completely different perspectives--a ten-year-old Jewish girl witnessing first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust and a 12-year-old Chinese-American boy navigating the racial tensions of being Asian in the United States at the time of the internment. Both stories vividly portray how war and its politics can destroy the innocence of childhood, and both deliver profound messages that encourage the reader not to forget the darker side of our history.

Fangirl Moment

And it's not Keane-related!

My favorite romance author, Julia Quinn (what could make this Keane-related is that Jesse has a wife named Julia Quin...heh) posted on Facebook tonight, and a bunch of people replied, including Yours Truly. And Julia singled me out for a comment!

A little bit of background--the Smythe-Smith family is a recurring "joke" in many of Julia's books. They give a musicale every year that is so horridly bad (they all have tin ears and no musical talent whatsoever) that no one in the ton ever really wants to go...and no one ever dares miss it.

This year, one of the beleaguered Smythe-Smith girls, Honoria, finally got her own novel (the one pictured as Julia's avatar). It's one of my favorite JQ books yet! Anyway, the following transpired on Facebook a few minutes ago, and I'm sitting here quietly giggling.

In Search of Jane Austen

I finally figured out how to export posts from my now-defunct blog "The Anxious Traveler" and import them into my main blog (that is, this one). So from time to time, I may post some of my better posts from "The Anxious Traveler" just for kicks. This is one I wrote in 2008.

Pride and Prejudice has been on my list of favorite novels ever since I read it in high school. It is a wonderful story, written by a writer whose life fascinates and mystifies so many. We don't even know what she really looked like, but many people agree that Jane Austen ranks as one of the greatest English-language writers.

In my two extended stays in beautiful England, I made a point of seeing Jane's world as much as I could. Alas, I haven't yet made it to Chawton, her final home and the place where most of her published works were either written or extensively revised.

In 1999, I made a pilgrimmage to Jane's grave, at Winchester Cathedral.


The tomb of Jane Austen.

Second to Chawton Cottage, one of the best places to learn about Jane Austen is to visit the lovely city of Bath, in the western part of England. Bath was, in the distant past, known as Aqua Sulis, and it was home to the now-famous Roman baths. At the time Jane lived there, however, the baths were still undiscovered under hundreds of years of development.

It is said that Jane hated Bath. She was a country girl at heart, and while she enjoyed dancing, she was happier at a country ball than in the high-society affairs of the city. She lived there for about five years, until the death of her father.

Today Bath boasts the wonderful Jane Austen Centre, a home very much like the one Jane herself lived in while in Bath, complete with authentic furnishings, decor, clothing, and other items.

I have visited Bath three times, to visit, respectively:

1. The ancient Baths;

2. The Fashion Museum of Bath, and of course,

3. The Jane Austen Centre.

Aside from being an important stopping place in the search for Jane Austen, Bath is simply a beautiful, interesting city.

Sunday Review: Water For Elephants

It's been a while since I've done a Sunday book review. But last night (this morning, really) I stayed up far too late because I could not put down Water For Elephants until I knew what happened next. And after that, and after that, and...you get the idea.

Water For Elephants spent some time on the New York Times Best Seller List. Written by Sara Gruen, it's the story of Jacob Jankowski, told through his eyes as a "ninety or ninety-three" year-old man (he can't quite keep track of how old he is). He is widowed, living in a nursing home, and unsatisfied with where he's ended up in life. When the circus comes to town and sets up across the street, it makes him go back to the days when he, as a young man, worked a traveling circus, the fictional Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show On Earth, run by the sadistic Uncle Al. It is the summer of 1931, and Jacob, after the recent deaths of his parents, is looking for a way to survive the Depression. Because he was educated as a veterinarian at Cornell, he lands a job as the vet in charge of the circus menagerie.

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. (Source: Sara Gruen Web Page)

I've passed this book on many a shelf at many a bookstore for the past couple of years, always thinking I ought to give it a read one of these days, but never committing to it. There were always other books I wanted to read first, before giving an untried story by an author I'd never read a go. Finally, last week, I saw a new paperback version at Target. I threw it in the cart. That night, I started reading--and it was a very quick read after that.

Ms. Gruen brings to life the desperation of the Depression, and the brutality and "survival of the fittest" mentality of the traveling circus life. It was not a romantic life--it was grueling, dirty, and with the more cruel circus managers, one's place was never a sure thing. The glamour and romance projected on circus posters was a thin mask that hid the sometimes ugly underside of the life. All of this is captured brilliantly through Jacob's experiences, dealing with the mercurial August, befriending the downtrodden roustabouts and defying, at every turn, the caste system in place in a traveling show.

The magic of Water For Elephants truly comes from its characters, both animal and human. Jacob's story shows the reader the heights of cruelty that man can reach. Circus manager Uncle Al "red lights" men who are no longer useful to the show, having them literally tossed from a moving train, sometimes even from a trestle bridge to their deaths below. August, the animal trainer, ruthlessly beats Rosie the elephant when she will not perform for him, and later, his wife when his own jealousy gets the better of him.

Yet among the cruel men, there are good people. Jacob is forced to share sleeping quarters with Kinko, a dwarf who works as a circus clown. Initially, Kinko hates Jacob, but a powerful friendship is forged and Kinko, now allowing Jacob to call him by his given name, Walter, helps Jacob hide an old circus hand, Camel, who has been partially paralyzed from drinking Jamaican Ginger.

Though Marlena is a central character in the story, she remains almost two-dimensional. We see her as Jacob sees her--beautiful, kind, scared, in need of protection. Perhaps this was Gruen's intent; for us to see her through the same lenses that a man in love would see her through. This is not to say that she is a simpering flower; no, Marlena holds her own in the world of Benzini Brothers.

The book is by no means predictable; some of the most important events in the story are also the most shocking, and the story doesn't necessarily progress as the reader might think it is going to. I don't want to spoil any of the plot points for people who haven't yet read this, so I hesitate to say too much. I will say, however, that the ending was satisfactory--the realists of the world may complain things work out too easily, but after all of the struggles of the characters, one does wish them a happy ending.

My one complaint, however, is a slight lack of development in certain important character relationships, most especially that of Jacob and Rosie the elephant--I only wish Ms. Gruen had given the reader a little bit more time with just these two characters, so that we could witness the growth of trust that happens between man and elephant. Jacob's love of Rosie seems to just happen, without any exploration of why these two lost, downtrodden souls might have found comfort in each other.

I look forward to reading other books by Ms. Gruen, especially if they are as entertaining and engaging as Water For Elephants. The highest compliment I can give a book is to lend it to my mom, write a blog about it, and keep it on my bookshelf instead of taking it to the used bookstore. Consider this book complimented.



Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Bandwagon, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Mar-Apr), 1959. Front Cover.

Source: Circus Historical Society



Water For Elephants has been made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. It will release in April, and I, for one, can't wait to see it brought to life on the screen.

Almost Perfect

While I was up at Mom and Dad's house last week, Mom and I visited our favorite used book store in Roseville. Almost Perfect Books is one of those places that has about a gazillion books. So many books, they don't have enough shelf space for them.

On the one hand, I love this place because there are so many books. On the other, my inner neat freak goes absolutely bananas the minute I walk in the door and I'm overwhelmed within about five minutes. I simply can't stay long in this store without wanting to scream, "BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE ANYTHING IS?!"

They are also not computerized. They keep track of people's store credit using index cards. I don't know how they do this. (How did we survive in the Dark Ages, otherwise known as the 1990s? Pre-Internet?) I just know that they do not have computers, only calculators. It boggles my mind.

Anyway, last time, I snapped a couple of surreptitious pictures--you probably think I'm exaggerating about the clutter. I assure you, I'm not.

The whole store is like this. This is just the kid's section.

Though I complain about the mess, I do love this bookstore. I never walk out without at least one book to read.

Just don't ask me where anything is.

Books, Books, Books

I can remember a lot of books in my childhood. I was read to, and I enjoyed reading to myself as I got older.

Of course there were Dr. Suess books. I have an early memory of the book Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo Le Sieg and pretty much every Berenstain Bears book that was available in the early-to-mid-80s. I was very much into Richard Scary and his pencil cars and apple vans. Lowly Worm and Huckleberry Cat made me happy (and Mom, too, I think).

As I got a bit older I started reading more chapter books, like Bunnicula and it's many sequels. I enjoyed books like James and the Giant Peach and the poetry of the immortal Shel Silverstein.

For Christmas when I was nine, my aunt sent me a box set of Judy Blume books: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Starring Sally J. Friedman As Herself, and the best one of all, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.

I had the book Free To Be You and Me, and remember enjoying it for the poems and songs.

In the late 80s, came the inevitable fascination with the popular series books of the time: Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, The Babysitter's Club, The Saddle Club.

I went through the "must have a horse!" phase (never did get a horse) and read every horse story I could get my hands on--the above-mentioned Saddle Club series, a series called Thoroughbred, Misty of Chincoteague, Black Beauty, and a slew of lesser-known horse stories. If it had a horse on the cover, I'd give it a try.

I loved books as a child. Not much has changed, there.

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starts on Monday, and I'm thinking of joining the fun this year.

You may have noticed from this very blog that I can certainly churn out a lot of words--both meaningful and not-so-much, and I think, without a full-time job in the way, I could easily churn out 50,000 words in 30 days. The whole point is not to have a ready-for-publishing novel, but simply to write a novel. Instead of putting if off as something to do "someday," do it now!

I have some ideas floating around. Maybe I'll write them down and see if I think they've got enough meat to turn into something more. One idea? A woman's journey through weight loss to a stronger body and more ability to love herself, quirks and all. People say, "write what you know." It's a place to start, anyway.

Oh, and the tentative title? Wild and Absolutely True.