Monthly Archives: March 2011

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday. What are you reading? is a meme hosted by the lovely Sheila over at Book Journey. It’s also a meme that I need to start doing consistently since my reading is almost nonexistent right now. I’m in the middle of a ton of books but rarely finishing any of them in the past few weeks. With the TBR Dare coming to a close Thursday night, I’m still six books away from my goal of 25 books read off my shelves. There’s still time.

Last week I read:


Embroideries by Marjane Strapi

The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Rain School by James Rutford

Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton and Raul Colón

Book Lust To Go by Nancy Pearl

Chew Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice by John Layman

So that’s one book of non-fiction, three graphic novels, and three children’s books. That is such a sad amount of books. All three of the graphic novels were my favorite reads of the week. The graphic novel adaptation of The Odyssey is so good that I now want to read the original. Chew is so different from any graphic novel that I’ve read, while Embroideries has a great subject matter: the lives of ordinary women.

This week I’m hoping to read/finish:

Drive by Daniel Pink (re-read)

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

Some Friend by Marie Bradby

The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson

Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance by Lloyd Jones

The Grimm Reader: The Classic Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Maria Tatar

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candance Fleming

Listening to:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I don’t plan on finishing The Grimm Reader or A Game of Thrones this week because of their length. I expect Amelia Lost, Keeper, and Some Friend to be short reads so I think I can manage all of this.

What are you reading this week?

Review: Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

Embroideries

Marjane Satrapi

Translated from the French by Anjali Singh

144 pages

2005

Pantheon Books

Source: Library copy

I love Marjane Satrapi’s work. Her first book, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is a masterpiece.  Whether she’s talking about her childhood or about an uncle who was determined to die after the loss of a beloved instrument (Chicken with Plums), Satrapi’s subject matter is always one that really doesn’t disappoint. In Embroideries, the author writes about the lives of women, their thoughts, and dreams.

It’s only after an afternoon meal and once the men go off for their naps, that the women of Satrapi’s family along with various neighbors get together to talk. Gossip about other neighbors and friends is mixed in with tears and laughter as the women discuss arranged marriages versus marriages of love, the cultural pressure that’s placed on a woman to stay a virgin until marriage, and more.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

This is a book of woman’s stories. It’s not a book about war or death. It’s not about living in a conservation society or oppression. It’s more than that. This book is about the everyday lives of women and how they navigate around the things that happen to them. Satrapi’s grandmother was married three times, a cousin was married off to an elderly general at the age of thirteen while a neighbor’s husband ran off with their wedding gifts right after they were married. These stories aren’t any less important than the stories that we consider to be the stories of men who set off to change the world and such.

The author really knows what she’s doing because the close atmosphere that, as a reader, I felt as I read about these women’s lives.  I didn’t feel like a reader but like someone who was sitting in the same room as the characters and listening to all the stories. This is a book that deserves a place in my permanent library collection.

Once Upon a Time V

It’s that time of the year again! Time for Carl’s excellent Once Upon a Time challenge. It started March 20th and ends June 20, 2011.  Nothing says spring like the start of this challenge. I wasn’t going to write a post about this challenge but after Kelly’s excellent post of potential reads, I thought I should write my own post about the pool of books I’m choosing from.

My quests:

Read at least five books that fit somewhere within the criteria.

 

Read two non-fiction books that treat any of the four genres covered in this challenge.

Who can resist a good movie?

Last but not least of my quests:

I have read some great short stories so far this year, so this is the perfect quest for me.

Last year I’m trying to read as many of books from my tbr pile as possible, so the books that I’m going to read from this challenge will mostly come from my shelves.  Here’s my list of possible reads:

  • The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
  • Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
  • Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan
  • The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
  • The Wild Things by Dave Eggers
  • Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
  • The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
  • The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson
  • The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  • Bone: Rose by Jeff Smith
  • American Gods by Neil Gaiman (re-read)
  • Chew Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice by John Layman
  • Bloodroot by Amy Greene
  • The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht
  • A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliot
  • The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier
  • The Beastly Bride edited by Ellen Datlow
  • Trickster: Native American Tales
  • BB Wolf and the Three LPs by JD Arnold
  • Bayou Vols 1 and 2 by Jeremy Love
  • The Grimm Reader: The Classic Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated by Maria Tatar
  • “The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles” by Kij Johnson

I also found out about a few more books that I’ll probably add to the pool later on in the challenge. Have you joined the Once Upon a Time Challenge this year? Is there a book, short story, or movie that you’re looking forward to reading or viewing?

 

 

 

Review: The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing by Darina Al-Joundi

The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing

Darina Al-Joundi with Mohamed Kacimi

Translated from the French by Marjolijn De Jager

Publication Date: March 2011

144 pages

Feminist Press

Source: Personal Library

My philosophy of life was very simple. I was convinced that I was going to die at any moment, so, hungry for everything, for sex, drugs, and alcohol, I doubled my efforts. I always had a bottle of whiskey in my bag, a pack of cigarettes, and a candle that I would light on the sidewalk on the corner of Makhoul Street where I would spend hours by myself. I wanted to take a sexual revenge. I made love like a madwoman, with anyone anywhere. Although I felt nothing I’d do it under porches, on the gravestones of the orthodox cemetery, on the beach, in showers, in cars, and especially in the bathrooms of bars. With a brutality that left no room for desire and even less for any feeling.

As a child, Darina Al-Joundi was raised by a very liberal father and a mother who’s strong and caring but who also stays in the shadow of her husband. As a result of her father’s influence, mother’s silence, and the ongoing civil war in the country, Darina grows up trying to rebel against all the horrors she witnesses: murders, starvation, and bombings. She rebels but with mixed results: three marriages by her mid-twenties, a bad reputation in her city, but the knowledge that she is more than her surroundings.

When I first started reading this book I thought it was really disjointed. One minute the author would talk about Beirut, the next a prank that she pulled on her grandmother which resulted in her first spanking. But as I kept reading I realized that the structure of the book is intentional. The first thirty years of Darina Al-Joundi’s life was chaotic. Her father was a man who thought that religion was the root of all evil and taught the author and her two sisters to never join a religion. He would rather they do anything else but that. He was raising his children in an extreme way: there was no discipline, the girls’ first cigarettes and glasses of liquor came from him, and their mother had almost no say. Al-Joundi was wild from the start and became a woman who tested her limits all the time.

The reader doesn’t have to know anything about Lebanon to follow the story – the author fills in the blanks about the years of war that ravaged the country and damaged its inhabitants,

It felt strange to walk the city streets without the militia shouting and the noise of bullets. It would take just a few days for the city’s [Beirut] features to be completely transformed. Everyone was so eager to turn the page, to forget the 150 thousand who had died for nothing. The snipers, the gunmen, the assassins melted away into the crowd in no time. An army of assassins vanished into thin air with a wave of the magic wand called amnesia. . . Everyone had turned the page very fast, without reading it. The Lebanese disposed of their war history like a dead body.

The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing is a memoir that shocks while also making the reader nod in agreement about Al-Joundi’s journey. You could call this memoir a war story but it’s so much more than that. It’s also the coming-of-age tale of a woman who refuses to be anyone but herself.

Sunday Salon: Spring is here

Good morning! It’s the first day of spring and right it’s raining in SoCal. I don’t mind. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons while spring and summer are two seasons I don’t get along with. To me there’s nothing better than curling up on a rainy day with a good book and a cup of coffee while wearing a great sweater.  The only good thing about spring is Easter. My family’s pretty secular so Easter is more of a holiday where we give books than anything else.

The tradition started when I was a child and my mother would fill my Easter baskets with mostly Baby-Sitters Club books and very little candy. I didn’t really mind about the candy because I always received just enough to eat while I read the latest adventures of the BSC.  So now I do the same thing for my children.

Blogging News

Did you know that Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is coming up? April 9th is the date. Usually I would start picking out my stack of books to read but I think I’ll wait until a few days before the event to put a stack together. I’m sure a moody reader that I’m sure whatever I pick now, I’m not going to want to read during the event.

I wrote a post yesterday about how you can help with the read-a-thon.

Indie Lit Awards 2011

I signed up to become a voting member for this year’s Indie Lit Awards. The awards is hosted by Wallace at Unputdownables. Book bloggers from all over the blogisphere nominate, read, and vote for their favorite books in several categories. I’m a member of the Poetry category and I’m can’t wait to see what bloggers nominate in September.

So now I’m off to enjoy this wet weather. I’m currently on a non-fiction reading binge. I’m currently re-reading Daniel Pink’s Drive, The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things off and Start Getting Stuff Done by Piers Steel, Book Lust to Go by Nancy Pearl, and Nerds: How Dorks, Tweebs, Techies, and Trekkies Can Save America by David Anderegg. I just finished reading The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing by Darina Al-Joundi. It’s a memoir about Al-Joundi’s chaotic childhood, adolescence and adulthood in Beirut as the daughter of a poet. It really made me think about the long-term effects of war on a population and its culture.

What are you reading today?

 

The Read-a-thon Needs Your Help!

As you guys probably already know, Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon is coming up. On April 9, 2011 people all over the world will set aside several hours to do one of their favorite things: reading. The purpose of the event is not to read as much as we can in twenty-hours but just to enjoy ourselves. It’s not every day that people can easily set aside long stretches of time to read. There will be tons of encouragement going on via Twitter, Facebook, and blogs.

One of the great things about the event besides the fun of mini-challenges and all the encouragement is the chance to win prizes. This year I’m on the prize committee for the event and I need your help.  If you have any new or gently used-books and ARCs that you’re willing to donate for the read-a-thon, can you please do so? You can also donate gift cards to online book vendors.  I’m asking for books/gift cards and also for donors to be willing to ship their books domestic or international. It’s up to you. As much we all enjoy this event, prizes  are really the frosting on the cake.

If you can’t donate books you can still help. Spread the word about the upcoming read-a-thon. The earlier that people know about the event, the better they’re able to set aside time during the event to participate. That way more people can join in the fun. Writing a blog post or mentioning the event on Twitter or Facebook will really help. You can also become a prize angel, which are people who are willing to donate money so that international participants can  have their prizes shipped to them.

If you’re willing to donate books/gift cards or become a prize angel, please email me at 1330vblog at gmail. Thank you from all of us on the prize committee.

Thoughts: The Invisible Line

The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White

Daniel J. Sharfstein

396 pages

The Penguin Press

Source: Publisher

 

“The difference between black and white was less about “blood” or biology or even genealogy than about how people were treated and whether they were allowed to participate fully in community life. Blacks were the people who were slaves, in fact or in all but name; the rest were white. Jordan Spencer’s community could accept him as an equal as long as he never forced them to acknowledge his ancestry. As long as he was one of the crowd, people could forget what made his family different.”

This is just one of several passages that I marked in Sharfstein’s The Invisible Line. The author traces the lives of three families: the Gibsons, the Spencers, and the Walls. All three families went from being classified as black to white through the generations. The quote above comes from the early chapters about the Spencers, a family who lived in eastern Kentucky in the early 1800s. Not much is known about Jordan Spencer’s early life but he was possibly some kind of kin to George Freeman, a black man who was a respectable member of a small community in Kentucky. After moving to Kentucky to live with Freeman, Jordan decides to pass as white even though he has dark skin. At the time Kentucky was a place that required all newly freed slaves to leave the state so as not to encourage slaves to attempt escape and so that whites wouldn’t have to think of freed slaves as equals.

Jordan Spencer used to paint his hair red to appear more “white”. For the community it didn’t matter to them that he didn’t look white but that his behavior was considered white. To my amazement, the outlook of the community was something that was happening all over the South. People were ignoring the skin color of their neighbors if they possessed land, owned slaves, or just “behaved” white.

I found The Invisible Line to be a pretty interesting read. When I think of passing, I usually think of people who left everything behind, including family, to become white. I never thought about people who passed not by the color of their skin but because of community standards. Also interesting was reading about the effects that this kind of denial has on an individual and later generations. There were a few parts that seem to drag but overall the book is engaging.

Nebula Award Nominee: “Ponies” by Kij Johnson

“Ponies”

Kij Johnson

Published by Tor. com

Publication Date: January 2010

The invitation card has a Western theme. Along its margins, cartoon girls in cowboy hats chase a herd of wild Ponies. The Ponies are no taller than the girls, bright as butterflies, fat, with short round-tipped unicorn horns and small fluffy wings. At the bottom of the card, newly caught Ponies mill about in a corral. The girls have lassoed a pink-and-white Pony. Its eyes and mouth are surprised round Os. There is an exclamation mark over its head.

The little girls are cutting off its horn with curved knives. Its wings are already removed, part of a pile beside the corral.

Barbara, a young girl, and her pony Sunny are invited to a “cutting out” party by a group of popular girls from school. The two want more than anything to have friends but what’s involved may be more than they can handle.

I can’t tell you anything else about the story without spoiling it. I can tell you this: even though “Ponies” is only four pages long, it packs a punch. I know that some of you don’t read short stories or fantasy but this is a story you really should read. I first read this story last week and since then, I’ve re-read several times. “Ponies” is easily on my “best of 2011″ list.

The great thing is that the story can be read in its entirety on Tor.com. You can also read the comments that follow the story. Everyone has their own theory about the meaning of the story but I think the story can be applied to the cruelty we experience as children and also as adults and how willing we sometimes are to do anything to fit in.

Have you read any of the stories or books nominated for the 2010 Nebula Awards? If you read “Ponies”, what do you think of it?