I have tried to be faithful, but too many of life's temptations have lately seduced me away from creation and toward consumption. I've been reading in a frenzy, taking scarcely a breath to pause between. When I can't get my nose into a book, I am doggedly studying Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Bizarre to say, I am addicted to studying Mandarin! If there are any other Mandarin speakers/writers/study-ers out there, please let me know! I have a hanzi vocabulary of about 300 characters, with a total word vocabulary of maybe closer to 400, and can just now begin to understand some very basic readings.
At the moment I am almost finished with War by Sebastian Junger and struggling to gain some traction in the first 100 pages of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Today I head back to the library to pick up a copy of A Visit from the Good Squad they are holding for me. I have unread library copies of The Satanic Verses and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close at home, and seeking a copy of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to read before the movie comes out (next week!). Did you see that the two leads are played by South Korean actress Gianna Jun and Chinese actress Li Bingbing? Yay for authentic casting, and not resorting to Zhang Ziyi yet again.
All of this rambling to say, I haven't written any book reviews in awhile. It seems like such a vain endeavor - hoisting my opinions into the internet abyss. To make up for lost time, here are the books I have read since reading Matterhorn, and some brief responses. If we are friends on Goodreads, then this is redundant.
Still Life With Rice - Holy cow. Ajummas are badass.
Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging - If you want to see how a book can be completely awesome and still put you to sleep every single time, read this one. Every sentence was so true and validating, and yet I could barely stay concious to enjoy it.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't - My work mentor assigned this to me. The first few points have the most punch, and about halfway through the book you get the feeling you've read this all before somewhere. Worth the read, some great insights (mainly in the first 1/4), but certainly not life-changing.
What is the What - Honest, courageous, and important. I learned so much. My favorite was the last paragraph, reminds me how important storytelling is - especially true storytelling. There's not a short blurb I could write that would do this one justice. The description calls it heartrending and astonishing - in my opinion it starts from there and intensifies.
The History of Love - I didn't think I would love this book until the final moments. The narrative dragged on and, though the characters were charming and their voices compelling, they didn't really capture my imagination. About the time Bird began his narrative, I started to really care about the characters, I wanted them to find their answers and have some satisfaction. By the end I was completely smitten with Leo, and cheering Alma Singer on her quest. Well done.
Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language - I really enjoyed this book. it is straightforward and relatable - 2 things that Zhongwen and Zhongguo culture are not (at least to Americans). Having visited China and now studying the language, Dreaming is a fun anecdotal look at how one must understand both the people and the culture in order to really grasp the language. Highly recommended to anyone studying Zhongwen or has an interest in Chinese culture. Don't expect it to be an intellectual or literary powerhouse and you won't be disappointed.
A Moveable Feast - I find that, as I get older, I enjoy Hemmingway more and more. Can't explain it.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro/The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber - Read comment above. Hemmingway.
In the Absence of Sun: A Korean American Woman's Promise to Reunite Three Lost Generations of her Family - As much as I loved Still Life with Rice, I really really did want to love this too. But it was just. so. boring.
Lone Survivor - phenomenal.
Jane Eyre - Bleh. It is an artifact and, in my opinion, should be treated as such. There is something to be learned from this novel when viewed in historical context, but has limited relevance or usefulness outside of that purpose. I found Jane to be nearly intolerable, eclipsed only by Mr. Rochester's repugnance.
The Vision of Emma Blau - Ursula Hegi's storytelling is magical, which I first discovered in Stones from the River. Unforunately, the epic nature of this novel made the plot a bit tedious for me by the last 1/4 of the novel. I found myself disengaging, after being saddled with just a few too many characters, a timeline too broad and and a plotline that continually paced up and down. Hegi's lyrical way with words was the saving grace of this novel. There were many moments of light clarity, but the overall effect was dark and heavy for me.
Wide Sargasso Sea - Mr. Rochester is an asshole. I didn't like him in Jane Eyre and could never quite understand why. Thankfully Jean Rhys spelled it out for me. Suffering through Jane Eyre was almost worthwhile just to give this novel its context, for it is the context - everything not written in these pages - that makes the tale so much greater than it is alone. The novel is good. As an anecdote to Jane Eyre, it is great. Opposite in every way, and tremendously better in my opinion.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Read this for my Chinese bookclub. Everyone told me the story is sweet, which should have set off some warning alarms for me. It probably was very sweet, but that is not a quality I value in novels so my review is harsh. In the first 50 pages the author, who is about my age, made two references to technology that didn't exist in 1986 - the internet and mass-produced music CD's. That killed my willful suspension of belief and made drudgery of the rest of the novel for me.
At Home: A Short History of Private Life - I love this type of geekery. Bryson has a way of plucking cold, dry facts from the history books and retelling them in a human and endearing way.
Zeitoun - I loved two of Dave Egger's other books (Heartbreaking Work and What is the What), and I have seen the glowing reviews here so I really wanted to love this one too. Unfortunately, this book was flat for me. The story is shocking and awful, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel shocked or awed. Abdulrahman Zeitoun is depicted as too perfect, Kathy is too self-righteous, and I never felt a connection with any part of the story. It was good, but disappointed when compared with my expectations.
