Review of 'Pao' by Kerry Young

Pao

Kerry Young

3.5*

I recently received this ARC to review and I have to admit that the synopsis on the back did not immediately capture my interest. Despite my initial disinterest this book ended up being an unexpected delight. Pao tells the story of Pao, a young boy who flees to Jamaica with his mother and brother after his father is killed in the Chinese Civil War. Upon arrival they are taken in by his father's friend Zhang Xiuquan who teaches Pao to follow in his footsteps as a mafia figure in his town of Kingston. However Pao is quite unlike the stereotypical gangster. His sensitive nature and careful strategical approaches to matters of business and the heart are modeled after the sage advice immortalized in The Art of War, written by the ancient Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun Tzu. Set against the backdrop of post-colonial Jamaica, the reader gets a sense of the changing economical and political conditions that contribute to the course and direction of Pao's life. This global and historically accurate context gives the plot and characters a realistic quality which makes this book a genuinely entertaining read.

Review of 'Beautiful Child' by Torey Hayden

Beautiful Child

Torey Hayden

4*

"Torey Hayden deserves the kind of respect I can't give many people. She isn't just valuable, she's incredible. The world needs more like Torey Hayden." - Boston Globe

"Torey Hayden gives one hope for the future of public schools, indeed for the future of the human race." - Harold Kuschner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

This book was required reading for the Accomodations & Adaptations in Early Childhood Education course that I'm currently taking. This book is Hayden's account as a special educator working with a child named Venus who did not speak or seem to hear others speak to her. Hayden's reflective and conversational style of writing made this a quick read despite the bleak and depressing subject matter. As a future teacher it is important for me to read about others' experiences working with children who have special needs because it is likely that I will teach children with disabilities throughout my career even though I am not studying to be a special education teacher. Reading Hayden's account showed me that it is not safe to assume that a child is unteachable or unreachable.



Review of 'Chocolat' by Joanne Harris

Chocolat

Joanne Harris

4*

"Part fairy tale, laden with high farce and tongue-in-cheek humor drenched with savage wit and bursts of wisdom, suffused with lush detail and finely drawn interesting characters..."  - Philadelphia Inquirer

"Harris writes with verve and charm...If Colette and Hawthorne had collaborated, the result might have been this serious delight."  - The New Yorker

I was completely surprised at how quickly and deeply I fell in love with this story and the characters within. The author's delectable descriptions of Vianne's chocolate concoctions enveloped me in a dreamy, sugar-coated haze through which I became acquainted with the townspeople of Lansquenet, France and their need to break free from the stiff confines of religious tradition and hypocrisy. Armed only with chocolate treats and generosity, Vianne and her daughter Anouk become the catalysts of long-overdue change and reconciliation that the little town so desperately needs.

The imagery of sweets and the touches of magical realism in this story reminded me very much of a Sarah Addison Allen novel. I became so fond of the characters within this story that it felt as though I were saying goodbye to my dear friends as I read the final words of the bittersweet ending of this book. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who has a penchant for all things sweet and endearing.



Review of 'Husband and Wife' by Leah Stewart

Husband and Wife

Leah Stewart

3.5*

"In this new novel by the celebrated author of The Myth of You and Me, a young mother discovers that her husband's novel about infidelity may be drawn from real life."

"Wise, funny, and sharply drawn, Leah Stewart's Husband and Wife probes our deepest relationships, the promises we make and break, and the consequences they hold for our lives, revealing that it's never too late to step back and start over."

This story is about a 35 year old mom and wife named Sarah Price, whose husband has just published a novel titled 'Infidelity.' Little did she know, the book was based on fact, and her husband's confession turns her world upside down. Coming to terms with her husband's affair forces Sarah to reexamine their relationship and take a closer look at the person she has become in the process of getting married and having children.

This story really resounded with me because I am also a thirty-something mom and wife, and so I understand how easy it is to lose yourself in those roles. When you have so may other people (kids, husband) depending on you to take care of them, it's easy to lose sight of your own needs and desires. The story itself was a bit depressing, due to the subject matter, but I identified with it and it made me think about my own life, and that made it a more personal read for me.

2011 Reading Goals and Challenges

2011 Books I Own (BIO) Challenge- created by the group The Novel Ideas on Goodreads.

(Rules are copied and slightly modified from my NI friend's blog: Through the Pages)

1. Read a total of 36 BIO in 2011 (3 per month in designated categories or titles/authors that begin with the same letter as the first letter of the month).

2. No buying new books until I've read 2 BIO. After the first 2, I can then follow the rule - read 1, buy 1 (until reading 5, when I can buy unlimited books for the remainder of the month).

3. 18 books will be set in stone before the start of 2011 - they will be put in bold italics.

4. I will finalize each upcoming month's list before the current month ends - then NO CHANGING!

The following is my list for the BIO challenge:

January

1. (1st in a series): City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

2. (wolves): Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

3. (winter): Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

February

1. (love story): Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper

2. (shortest): The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

3. (gift): American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

March

1. (war story): The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

2. (classic): Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3. (favorite cover): The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

April

1. (god or hero): Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

2. (apocolyptic): The Road by Cormac McCarthy

3. (comedy): The Gates by John Connolly

May

1. (oldest BIO): Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

2. (memoir): In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

3. (magical land): Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

June

1. (young adult): A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

2. (couple/marriage): Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund

3. (rose): A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith

July

1. (animals): The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski

2. (longest): Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

3. (America): 1776 by David McCullough

August

1. (historical): Katherine by Anya Seton

2. (A = title): The Awakening by Kate Chopin

3. (national figure): The Women by T.C. Boyle

September

1. (7 or 17th century): Fever 1793

2. (sad): White Oleander by Janet Fitch

3. (school): The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

October

1. (ghost/paranormal/horror): The Ghost Writer by John Harwood

2. (thriller/vampire): Dracula by Bram Stoker

3. (series continuation): whichever Outlander book I need to read next

November

1. (mystery): The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

2. (food/feast/famine): The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

3. (colonial America/ pilgrims): The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

December

1. (Christmas/ holiday): A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

2. (family): True Colors by Kristin Hannah

3. (guilty pleasure): A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

2011 Nonfiction Challenge - also created by The Novel Ideas

The are no rules for this challenge - the idea is to expand our horizons by incorporating more nonfiction selections into our reading for next year. I have challenged myself to read at least one nonfiction selection each month of 2011.

Here's my list of upcoming nonfiction reads for 2011:

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
• Homer's Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper
• The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
• Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg
• Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly
• The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From a State Hospital Attic by Darby Penney



Review of 'Our Kind of Traitor' by John le Carre

Our Kind of Traitor

John le Carre

3.5*

"The unrivaled master of spy fiction returns with a taut and suspenseful tale of dirty money and dirtier politics."

Our Kind of Traitor is the story of Perry Makepiece and Gail Perkins, a young, vibrant couple vacationing in Antigua, who are inadvertently thrust into the position of amateur spies when they become the trusted confidantes of Russian money-launderer, Dima. From there, Perry and Gail become involved in a scheme to secure the safety of Dima and his family in exchange for top-secret information that will expose some top officials. What follows is a whirlwind of intrigue, suspense, and action bound to make your heart race.

Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre was the first and only spy novel I've ever read, so it was not an easy read for me. It started off a little slow and I had a hard time understanding what was going on in the beginning, but once the story started moving forward and I began to understand how the characters were involved in the plot it went more smoothly.  In fact, by the end of the book I was gripping my seat in anticipation of what would happen next.

Review of 'The Rice Mother' by Rani Manicka

The Rice Mother

Rani Manicka

5*

"A 'luminous' (Publisher's Weekly), get-lost-in-another world debut novel of magic, determination, and the bonds of family."

This book was a breath-taking, sweeping family saga that gripped my heart from the very beginning and did not let go until the very last page! This is definitely going on my list of all-time favorite books!

The Rice Mother starts off with young Lakshmi who grows up poor with a hard-working mother and an absent father. In hopes for securing a brighter future for her daughter, Lakshmi's mother promises her hand in marriage to a man whom she is told is incredibly wealthy and respected. Lakshmi quickly finds out that her mother was duped, but she makes the decision to accept her lot in life and do her best to assure that her children will not have to live a life of poverty and hardship. Her best efforts are laid waste however by the Japanese invasion that claims the life of her precious daughter, Mohini. From that point on, the lives of Lakshmi, her husband, her children, and grandchildren are forever lived in the shadow of this horrendous tragedy. It is not until Lakshmi's great-granddaughter Nisha begins to uncover the shocking truths of her family do the shadows of the past finally begin to recede.

I am simply amazed that this beautifully crafted story of family ties, deceit, and betrayal is the debut novel of the author Rani Manicka. I have not read any of her other books, but I can imagine that she has struggled to reach the high expectations that this book must have set for all of her subsequent writings.