Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - a lovely story.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend: A Novel by Matthew Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't been writing reviews due to the lack of time, but this book deserves one. I just hope that my words do this wonderful story and author justice.

I constantly emphasize my idea of a good book - the ending is not that important, the characters do not have to be likable, the plot does not have to entwined, the writing does have to be complicated... As long as the book moves my heart, stirs up my feelings, makes me re-examine my life or/and my views, then it's a good book.

I've read so many books this year with a young narrative voice: The Age of Miracles, Under the Banyan Tree, Room, The Fault in Our Stars. Out of all these lovable voices, I love Budo's the best. Budo is not really a "human" child, although he looks, acts, thinks and talks like one. Budo is the imaginary friend of a human boy, Max, who's nine. Budo looks just like a human because Max has a wonderful imagination.

"I’m also lucky because I’m mobile. Lots of imaginary friends are stuck to their human friends. Some have leashes around their necks. Some are three inches tall and get stuffed into coat pockets. And some are nothing more than a spot on the wall, like Chomp. But thanks to Max, I can get around on my own. I can even leave Max behind if I want."

Imaginary friends can only be as good as their human friend imagine them to be. Some looks like robots, some are stick figures, yet others are combination of a dinosaur and a monster. They capabilities vary as well, some can fly, others go through doors, yet some unfortunate ones are stuck on a chair, since that's all their human owner imagine them to be...sitting along. So, Budo is lucky to be so human, so knowledgeable, so capable. Max teaches him and tells him everything, and Budo follows him to school. I love pondering about what Budo says in the book...

"It's strange how teachers can go off to college for all those years to learn to become teachers, but some of them never learn the easy stuff, like making kids laugh. And Making sure they know you love them. "

"There are two different kind of teachers in the world: there are teachers who play school and teachers who teach school."

From Budo's narration, we know early on, that Max is different. Max is unlike all other kids.

Max lives on the inside and the other kids live on the outside. That's what makes him so different. Max doesn't have an outside. Max is all inside."

"Max is brave.... But you have to be the bravest person in the world to go out every day being yourself when no one likes who you are...."

Budo has been around for a long time. Imaginary friends disappear once their creator no longer needs them. Many of Budo's friends disappear after a year, a few months or even a few days. Most disappear during Kindergarten year of their creator. Budo wonders where imaginary friends go once they disappear from this world, and he worries that one day Max would no long need him and he would disappear, too. He constantly worries that one day no one, not even Max, will ever remember him again.

"The whole world will go on without you. Like you were never here. And then someday everyone who knows you will be dead, too, and then it will be like you never, ever existed. Doesn't it make you sad?"

One day, something terrible happens, and Budo is the only one who can save the person he loves most. What if his decision threatens his own existence? Who is more important, himself, or Max? I never reveal the plot or ending in my reviews, and I won't do it on this review, either. All I can say is, the ending makes me cry...over and over. I will recommend this book to anyone who knows love, friendship and imagination. It's one of my top 2012 books.

This book is a tribute to all "teachers who teach" and "people who are all inside" out there.

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Making Money via the Internet, but...

Click Millionaires: Work Less, Live More with an Internet Business You Love by Scott Fox
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.
—Lily Tomlin, actress and comedienne

This is how this book begins… This book, very similar to The $100 Startup or the 4-Hour Work Week, but not quite as practical or useful. The author wanted to help you design a lifestyle business, something that works around your life style, instead of profit and growth. The kind of business, web-based, that works around you at your convenience, instead of inside a large corporation with a 9 to 5 schedule. He calls his model “Click Millionaire”, in which your business uses websites, e-commerce, digital publishing and social media to make money supporting your free life style.

The book is divided into 7 parts. The first 1/3 is basically all the reasons to get you out of your present “rat race”. The chapters were a bit redundant and full of fillers, but the theme was to tell you that you are now working to help other people, aka “your boss” to make money, which is a waste of your time and effort, so your life needs a big make-over. It’s a bit ironic that every chapter of the book ends with a link to the author’s “Click Millionaire” website, so indirectly, all readers of this book are making money for the author’s online business.

The rest of the book is a bit more useful. The author talked about creating websites, writing blogs, advertising, increasing traffic, as well as freelancing. According to his logic. People with special skills can achieve the lifestyle easier by serving a niche of the market, but normal people who know nothing do not need to despair, either. Everything you need is on his Click Millionaire website. You just have to have the right mentality and a good plan.

I’ll say this book is a bit more bluff than practical, but for desperate people who needs to make money utilizing the web. It might not hurt to give this a look, just be prepared that you’ll need the author's consultation service to proceed further…

(Thanks to AMACOM for providing a free copy through NetGalley for my review)

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Shadow of Night (A Discovery of Witches, book 2)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every so often, a book comes along. It’s everything you imagine a great fiction to be. It evokes the tremendous joy of just being able to read, to immerse yourself in a book so fully, to jump into a journey where every sense in your body is heightened, and your mind stimulated. Then the last page is turned, you sigh with sadness since you know you will not be able to find another book like this for a long, long time.

Shadow of Night is such a book.

I wrote these in my review of the first book of the trilogy:

“The author has in depth knowledge not only about history, but also science, architecture, Europe, culinary delights and wine… The book immediately reminded me of "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, since both story took me to places in Europe that I've never been and historical periods that were so enlightening…..The story will be a delight for people who actually enjoy accurate scientific, historical, culinary and geographical information. The author has a wealth of knowledge and a unique style of writing and she's willing to share.”

The review still rings true for the second installment, and more so. For readers who disliked the first installment of the series due to the slowness of the beginning, you’ll be delighted to hear that this book started right at the part where the first book dropped off, and is a thrill ride all the way to the end. You can also find satisfactory answers to most, if not all the burning questions that you had after reading A Discovery of Witches. I know it’s a gruesome wait for the second book in the series, but the wait is well worth it…this book surpassed everything I had imagined it to be.

The story begins right where the first book left off, Matthew and Diana landed in Elizabethan England, 1590, hoping to find the enchanted Ashmole 782, as well as someone to help the spellbound Diana to learn her abilities. You’ll be surprised to encounter real historical characters that came alive under Harkness’ pen. Harkness’ take on Christopher Marlowe, Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh and others were unique and creative, yet totally believable. I wrote in my review of ADoW how I fell in love with all the characters in the first book, yet I’m equally invested in all the new characters in Shadow of Night, both historical and fictional. It’s heartbroken to realize that these characters live in another space and time, and the only way I could reconnect with them is through the re-reading of this book.

If you loved A Discovery of Witches because of Harkness’ extensive and detailed descriptions of everything, you’re in for another treat. Harkness bought Elizabethan England to life using her professional knowledge and her unique writing voice: fashion, writing, architecture, food, music, writing, cooking, art, jewelries, home decors, smell of spices, and even the sound of church bells…. Be prepared to be immersed into 1600 Europe, from England to France and Prague, whether if you’re prepared or not. I recommend you to drop or finish every other book in your list to get ready for the most sensual ride in your life.

I also love how Harkness incorporated a short chapter of the present after each part of the book. It shows how Diana and Matthew’s interference with the past affects the future. Everything that we do or not do has an impact in future, especially in our loved one and family’s life. Hopefully, history is valued and lessons learned. These chapters showed us how important it is to seize the moment and live your life, because there’s no going back. A few tender moments bought tears to my eyes. Compared to ADoW, the second book is much more emotional.

Romance. Matthew and Diana in the 1600s were not without their problems. Matthew in Elizabethan era was a much more complex and dark character. The society was also less friendly for females, especially a witch with a weird accent. However, fans looking forward to more romance between them will not be disappointed. There are lots and lots of tender moments and love. It made up for what was lacking in A Discovery of Witches.

If I write anymore here, this review will become a book! I do have a few recommendations before you jump in for the journey of your life: 1) Read A Discovery of Witches first. There’s no way you could understand the plot and all the complexity of this book if you don’t know the history of the characters. 2) Many new characters are introduced in this book. Use the appendix/Guide at the end of the book to familiar yourself with them. They are divided by location, quite clever. 3) If you are going to look for a simple, easy read for entertainment, this book is not for you; but if you love history, science, Europe, art, literature, geography, religion, philosophy, (food and wine for ADoW)…then, get this book (and the first).

(Thanks for Penguin Group for allowing me to access an advance ebook for review through NetGalley. This book will be published on July 10, 2012)

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The Charisma Myth

The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“To know others is knowledge; to know oneself is wisdom.” ~Lao Tsu

Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton, Barrack Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey….What do these people have that you and I don’t? Charisma. They seem to have some special power or personality traits that attract people to them effortlessly. They attract all the attentions when they walk into a room, even without speaking. Somehow, we were taught that either we have this trait, or we don’t; so I was immediately drawn to this title once I spot it in a bookstore, and…

Yes, charisma can be learned.

Presence, warmth and power.

According to this wonderful book written by Olivia Cabane, charisma is a matter of presence, warmth and power. Presence is constantly paying attention to what’s going on when you’re interacting with people. If you are 100% involved, they feel valued and respected. One of these important skills is listening skill.

Warmth is expressed through kindness, actions and even body language. Do you think your body language has more power over the words you speak, or vice versa? You’re extremely wrong if you say “words.” Your physical comfort and mental state affect your words and body language, and people pick up messages from our body language and words that you don’t even realize yourself. Through out the author described multiple ways and exercises to get over or control your mental and physical discomfort, which will help increase personal charisma, the image that your body language and words projected.

Power is the most important and influential charisma. You do not have be an actual world leader like Colin Powell to impress people with your authority. The way you carry yourself, your body language and the way you dress and act can increase your impression and influence in others.

Not all charismatic people attract people the same way. There are all different kinds of charisma like the different kinds of personality. They can be achieved with different exercised and mind tricks and can be used on different situations. There's only one "first impression" in each event, and it's important to make it count. There are lots of exercises through out the book to help you learn the skills. Although I think they are a bit time consuming, they are actually useful.

Get the book. The wait is over. It's your turn to shine. .

The Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke

Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God by Anita Barrows
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First of all, I have to clarify: I'm not a student of the English language or poetry, so my feelings for these poems, like most of us, are truly from my personal perspective. From the those poems that we all had to read in school, and the few that I occasional encounter here or there, I have never been affected as deeply as the writing of Rainer Maria Rilke. Since Rilke wrote in German, it's a wonder how English translations of his works still affect me so deeply and effortlessly.

This edition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the release of this 135 poems by Rilke to the public, by the Insel Verlag of Leipzig. These poems Rilke viewed as private and as intimate as his prayers to God, and they also represent his true poetic legacy. Rilke was only 23 years old when he started writing the poems in this collection. He had already published three volumes of other poems prior. Although I do not know German, the translation of these poems by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy seemed and sounded perfect to me when I read each and all poems, over and over again. A truly 5-star collection. Also, do not let the title deter you...These poems do have the same resonance on your heart and soul whether if you are religious or not.

"You, my own deep soul,
trust me. I will not betray you.
My blood is alive with many voices
telling me I am made of longing.

What mystery breaks over me now?
In its shadow I come into life.
For the first time I am alone with you-

You, my power to feel."

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Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What is it like to be a Mother, a woman, a working woman, a feminist, a baby boomer...or someone who's aging, who is at the end of their life with little options? What is faith, motherhood, marriage, work, being a woman, friendship, love, life, or God forbid, death? What in our life are absolutely not necessary or important?

I used to read Anna Quindlen's column religiously, not because we have a similar life as other readers claimed (her kids are older, her career is more successful, she's happily married...), it's because no one can analyze a complex situation or phenomenon, then is also able to explain it simply yet eloquently with a dash of humor. She can see everyday situation that we encounter in a deeper sense, in which she contributed to the loss of her Mom at a tender age of 19. She explained why mortality is always on her mind:

"But the gift that some of us have been given, in exchange for terrible loss, is the gift of that knowledge."

Being able to see and feel things deeply enables her to write in a language unlike all others. Her word choices are simple although carefully chosen and perfectly arranged. Yet they strike the perfect chord in my heart. Her advices are insightful, brilliant and sad in a way. The life that all of us women have to go through...We thought we had it so perfectly planned, not to avoid mistakes, not to delay anything or miss opportunities...We wanted the perfect job, the perfect husband, kids at the right age, yet the outcome is usually unpredictable. We go through exactly the same cycle, the generation before us, and the generation after us, although many circumstances have changed, most for the better.

"I would tell my twenty-two-year-old self that what lasts are things so ordinary she may not even see them: family dinners, fair fights, phone calls, friends. But of course the young woman I once was cannot hear me, not just because of time and space but because of the language, and the lessons, she has yet to learn. It's a miracle: somehow over time she learned them all just the same, by trial and error."

The whole book is full of insightful and poignant writings like the above, I highlighted all of them so I could go back and re-read them, think about them, ponder about her words, and how similar they are to my own, and many other women in the same stage of their life.

"There comes that moment when we finally know what matters and, perhaps more important, what doesn't, when we see that all the life lessons came not form what we had but from who we loved, and from the failures perhaps more than the successes..."

She also talked about our affinity to possessions, our refusal to retire or acknowledge mortality. She explained what a longer life expectancy and better healthcare has changed our expectation of life...for both better or worse. She explained the wonder of having girlfriends, although they might be different ones in different stages of our life. She indicated that women's movement has bought us great changes, thanks to all the women before us, but we are not yet there...Everything that we encounter or to be encountered in our life as a woman is in this gem of a book. I highly recommend it to all "finely aged" women out there. However, I do think that younger women will find this book useful, if they don't see it as preachy due to their age. Finally, Quindlen said since we don't have an absolute definition of "old", she was going to give it one:

"...OLD is wherever you haven't gotten to yet."

"When I think of that future, I know that my choices will narrow, have been narrowing as surely as a perspective drawing leading the eye to the focal point. I won't be going to medical school and becoming a surgeon. I'm not going to live in Italy or learn Chinese. I may have to become more thrifty and less spontaneous, may be lonelier and needier than I'd like..."

But, as she wrote, drawing is okay, sitting in a big chair with a long book is okay, spending long hours pulling together ingredients for a stew and staying inside all day while its aroma seeps into every corner of the house is okay, eating alone while reading a book is also okay. Life is....to be continued.


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Another cute book from Kinsella

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A 5-star chick lit.

I have to confess, I always retain a soft spot in my heart for chick- and Mom-lits. Over the years, they carry me through so many life's obstacles, bumps on the road, sleepless nights, boring days and of course, book slumps. I can always count on one of these to get me out of a book slump; when reading started to become a job; when nothing on the shelf seems to be interesting...where I just want to open a book, read and occasionally laugh without thinking too much, yet still come out of the other end happier. This book did just that.

Poppy Wyatt, engaged to the most perfect guy in the world, lost her emerald engagement ring. It's not just an engagement ring, but her fiancé' family heirloom. His whole Tavish family are geniuses, intelligent and poised, and also professors with published works. To make matters worse, she also lost her phone while frantically looking of her ring in a hotel. Lucky her, she found an abandoned cell phone in a trash bin, with a name tag of someone who evidently quit her job on the spot. Hopeless and needed a phone to contact people, Poppy claimed the phone.

It turned out that the phone belonged to the assistant of a guy named Sam, an important person of an important company. Since most company emails were still forwarded to this phone. Poppy and Sam decided to temporally share the phone so she could forward him all the important stuff. The next day, out of boredom, Poppy snooped on the messages...which begins the interesting exchanges between them...To not to ruin the story for the rest of you, let just say that the book ended with Poppy's wedding, as planned.

The fun part about reading this book includes a game of Scrabble with average words of 70 points, a little mystery in between about a planted fake email, as well as lots of witty conversations (and texts) that were fun to read. I'd recommend this book to people who love "Good in Bed", "Bridget Jone's Diary", "Shopaholic" as well as books by Green, Cook and Giffin.


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She knows Paris

Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had such a fun time reading this book that I wished it went on forever…

I have no idea Eloisa James was a famous writer before I read the book. Evidently she is a wildly famous historical romance author and an English professor in a University. However, I’m glad that I didn’t know her before I read the book, since I felt like reading the journal entries of a dear friend or the advice giving by another Mother friend with children of the same age. There is no way I could have the same experience if I had known how popular she was.

After recovering from breast cancer, Eloisa took a year off from teaching and her American life, sold her house and car, and moved to Paris for a year. She moved there with her Italian husband, who is also a professor, her teen son and her 10-year old daughter. This book is a collection from her blog and Facebook posts that she had written during that journey. What made this book so fun to read was Eloisa’s wit and humor, and her ability to make every minor detail of her Parisian life interesting.

Here’s one of her passage about skinny Paris women:

“I have discovered at least one secret of thin French women. We were in a restaurant last night, with a chic family seated at the next table. The bread arrived, and a skinny adolescent girl reached for it. Without missing a beat, maman picked up the basket and stowed it on the bookshelf next to the table. I ate more of my bread in sympathy.”

A regular street scene in Paris:

“Archetypal French scene: two boys playing in the street with baguettes were pretending not that they were swords, as I first assumed, but giant penises.”

She also wrote about museums, shops, churches, schools, statues, bridges, parks, French women and men, fashion, people, sights, wonderful Parisian food as well as not-to-miss paintings and pastries. Since I’ve been to Paris before and her detailed and accurate descriptions made me miss the city terribly. Her comparisons of French and American parenting were interesting to read, and quite similar to what Pamela Druckerman wrote about in Bringing up Bebe, another book about France. Her facts about Paris were reliable and accurate; her observations of subtle differences were fun to ponder over. Reading it was like experiencing everything Parisian first hand. Overall, I think it’s a book worth reading, for both people who had been to Paris or not, although it’s kind of short due to the format.


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How not to recommend books and alienate people...

Book recommendation is an art...an art that's impossible to master.  I've always avoided recommending books to people I know, unless the person is truly desperate to find a book and is close to begging.  I dislike recommending because...there are always some people who hold a strong opposite opinion and are not afraid to remind you, or other people that your both know, over and over again.  There's nothing more discouraging to see someone else trashing the book that you truly enjoyed reading.  It's almost like being told that your child is ugly.  No matter what people say...the books you buy, the books you read, and the books you like, can be used to judge you.  Recommending books sometimes makes me feel...exposed and vulnerable.


I always think book reading is a fairly private business.  We like certain kind or genre of books due to upbringing, culture, life experiences, work and education.  There are no two people exactly alike in this world, that's why it's so hard to find someone who reads similar books as we do.  I'm envious of people who stay in the same reading group for years.  I think they have found their literary soul mate. Rating books is also a very subjective matter.  Some people give 5-stars to everything they like; others are reluctant to give even a 4-star.  I have a friend who constantly gives 2-stars to books she hates and 3 to books she likes.  On the other hand, I have a friend who always gives 5-stars, as long as she likes the book.  So much for comparing ratings...


If I really have to, I will recommend books that are well known to be accepted and loved by many different demographics.  For example:  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, DaVinci's Code by Dan Brown...or even YA favorites like The Hunger Games.  Those books never fail me.  I can hide among millions of people who also favorite the books and be invisible...

The Forgotten Garden

Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book with an expectation of reading about sisters...but at 40% of the book realized that the story was more about regrets, anger, choices, cancer and dying. It's a story about a Korean family that abandoned everything at home to immigrate here, then moved back for Dad's cancer treatment after about 20 years. The story is almost about their everyday life. The organization is a bit loose, jumping back and forth from present to the past and back, telling stories that are real in the life of the family or not. It would have had great potential if the writing is a bit more organized, characters are a bit deeper and consistent, events more believable and the changes in setting more smooth. There was nothing in this story about Asian American conflicts and struggles that one hasn't read of. The characters do not have enough descriptions or self-inspections so we could understand them more, so both the parents and the daughters ended up superficial and will not be retained in my mind after finishing the book. I do have to applaud the aunt, Komo...which is a unique character that stood out for me. I was about to abandon the book near 40 to 50%, where the two unlikeable Korean sisters were constantly fighting and bickering, their personality keep changing... I persisted to give the author a fair evaluation of the book.

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The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm the kind of person who avoid sad and depressing books when I'm not in an extremely happy and relaxed mood, which I'm not right now...so I was going to pass on this book when I found out that it's about some teenagers with cancer. I mean, come on...we all have our own real life challenges and problems, who have time to read about some 16-year-olds complaining about life being unfair, unhappy and unfulfilled? However, my daughter was introduced to Green by reading his "An Abundance of Katherines", and really liked him, so I promised her to read along. I was so glad I read this book. It has just become one of my all time favorites.

The story was narrated by Hazel, a 16-year-old girl with progressive thyroid cancer that somehow weakened her lungs so she required an oxygen tank constantly. She met Augustus (Gus) Waters, a previous basketball star that lost a leg to bone cancer, at a support group. Well, of course, they were immediately attracted to each other.

The story is not about cancer, not quite. It's about love, loss, pain, hope, fear, struggle, friends, family...everything that is dear or not so dear to us. Both Hazel and Gus are mature for their age, very wise, humorous and a tad cynical. Reading their exchanges and thoughts was such an enjoyable experience, poetic at times.

"They always list depression among the side effects of cancer. But, in fact, depression is a not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying."

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

I'm not going to reveal the ending, or the middle here...which I usually don't like to do in my reviews. I will just say that anyone with a heart will definitely get something out of this book, whether if it's joy, pain or a big hole in that heart...



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Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


My teen daughter recommended this book to me, knowing that I do not read every single popular YA book, especially ones that are being portrayed as "just like The Hunger Games" or "If you like Twilight, you would like this..." I find most YA fantasies lack originality and am sick of love triangles among vampires, wolves, witches and humans... The plain looking book cover did not help convincing me, either. I can't help wondering, after reading the book, how the blue on the cover should have been Karou's hair, not her mask. However, daughter said this book is comparable to Delirium, with equally poignant and lyrical writing. She knows I'm a sucker for those beautiful narratives and couldn't resist. I couldn't.

This book is a breath of fresh air among all the other fantasy and paranormal YAs. Yes, there's an angel and a demon, but the story idea is fresh, original and creative. The conversations and writings are thought-provoking and worth pondering long after reading.

The story begins when we encounter Karou, an art student in the midst of breaking up with her worthless boyfriend. We soon realize that she leads a double life, collecting all kinds of teeth for her adoptive Father, Brimstone, in his magical shop in the middle of nowhere. We also realize that Karou speaks many different languages, is trained in martial arts and weapons. The door of Brimstone shop could lead her to anywhere in the world, and that's how she travels for her trade. A bit later, we also learn that teeth are for granting wishes. However, Brimstone made it a point not to tell Karou anything about his trade and what he uses the teeth for.

"Well, what do you use them for?"
"Nothing, I do not wish."
"Never? But you could have anything you wanted--"
"Not anything. There are things bigger than any wish."
"Like what?"
"Most things that matter."

Karou has no idea who she is and always has a feeling that she's not whole. She looks 100% human, while Brimstone and his other helpers have animal parts and they are the only family she has...then, entered Akiva. Akiva is an angel,physically perfect and attractive, who came to destroy all the portals to Brimstone's shop, since Angels and Demons have always been at war...Akiva notices familiarity in Karou and Karou is immediately attracted to him. But why?? This book is about love and hope...and did I mention the story takes place in Prague?

"I hope, child, but I don't wish. There's a difference. Because hope comes from in you, and wishes are just magic. Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes it's own magic."

A 5-star book.



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All the Flowers of Shanghai

All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


All the Flowers of Shanghai...Before I give my review of this book, I have to clarify that I've read many books about China, Chinese Women and the Cultural Revolution. Being Chinese my self, surrounded by older Chinese women also gave me invaluable insights into the basic struggles and values of them. The bottom line is that I probably had a higher expectation for the book than most.



The story was told in the voice of Xiao Feng, as a letter to the daughter she never raised, recounting her own and her family's history. I love the beginning of the book, where Feng described her happy childhood in Shanghai during the 1930s, spending the day with her Grandfather around town, visiting public gardens, learning names of flowers in Latin and sampling street delicacies. The author's description of Shanghai, possibly in it's most delightful and successful era of history, where all fancy merchandises from all over the world were purchasable, was accurate and enlightening. I almost didn't want her simple childhood to end. Xiao Feng in this part of the book was naive, simple curious, smart, loving and forgiving. She knew that happiness does not come from beauty or wealth, but within.



I love the last 15% of the book as well, where Feng ended up in a sewing factory during the cultural revolution, being reformed and corrected by working hard and enjoying very little. There was a glimpse into the mind and functions of the Red Army members, who were barely immature teenagers themselves. Feng, in this section, did not talk much about her feelings, yet her actions showed she was loving and forgiving, too. The ending was abrupt, leading lots of questions unanswered.



Now it brings us to the major and middle section of the book, which I found unbearable, and not only because of the boring tone of her monologue and her description of mundane things over and over again. This section begins as Feng was married into one of the richest family in Shanghai, which I could not describe how she ended up without spoilers. Her husband was not good-looking, but loved and treasured her. This part should have had lots of potential for the author to develop conflicts and relationships, whether positive or negative, between Feng and her family...but no. Feng spent all her self dwelling in self-pity, repeating meaningless things around her and describing how she resists performing the marriage ritual with her husband, night in and night out. I had no idea how she transformed from the loving girl in the beginning to this materialistic, hateful, deceitful, angry, loveless and full of revenge character overnight. I did not see the causes or events leading to it. I almost stopped reading a few times to get over the torture. Her resistance of performing wife duties was a bit unrealistic and forceful as well, especially for women of that era.

All in all, there are much better books to understand China, and the mentality of Chinese women with.











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Do I Need Another YA Dystopian Novel?

Legend by Marie Lu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another dystopian YA novel recommended by daughter, after Delirium, The Hunger Games, Matched and Divergent...

Like all other YA dystopian novels written by the young and hip set, the story is told in the present sense. The chapters alternate between the voices of June (an elite, top-of-the-line military officer of the Republic) and Day (the most notorious criminal from the poor district). The story takes place in the near future in LA, where US has become a communist-like "Republic", and plague outbreaks are everywhere. The Republic is also fighting its neighboring states, "The Colonies", although very little is said about the colonies in this book. All children are giving a physical, oral and written trial/exam at 10. The passing ones will be sent to high school, college, then work in the government. The failed ones are supposedly sent to labor camp, but...

It's hard to write reviews for YA dystopias, since there are so many similar stories out with the same formula and format, but I think this one has one of the well-developed plots of all. I was captivated from the very beginning, and had to stay up late to finish it. The author was quite good in building suspense and grabbing attention with twists, turns, actions and revelations. The story is very well-constructed.

Now...the weaknesses: I think the romance is quite predictable and it also progresses a bit too quickly in the story, which lessens the intenseness that we see between lovers in other similar YA dystopias. June and Day are also a bit alike in a way - smart, tough, lonely, fast, strong, observant and quick in decision-making. I sometimes had a hard time telling them apart reading each new chapter, since they also narrated alike. Luckily the books used different fonts for each of them, maybe for a reason?

All in all, I think this book is worth reading, especially for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games. It's a wonderful thrill-ride. I'll be waiting for the second book.



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Kristin Hannah, revisited.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kristin Hannah's books have been recommended to me by a lot of friends, and I love the cover arts! (Who said we can't judge a book by a cover?) Unfortunately, I read The Night Road as my first book, and did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed works by other similar authors, namely, Picoult and Chamberlain.

However, at the persuasion of more friends, I decided to give her another chance, so I chose Winter Garden as my fluff read at the end of last year to balance the stress. I was so wrong.

The story was about two sisters, who were never loved by their Mom growing up, so each was sad and broken in her own way, yet managed to lead a quite normal and successful life as an adult. When their Dad died, they returned home, and insisted to find the answer for their Mom's sadness and alienation.

I had tears streaming down my face when I tapped the last page on my Kindle, sitting at a Barnes and Noble cafe table, with people staring at me and murmuring to each other. I was wrong. This was definitely not a fluff read and indeed something with substance. It shows us the extreme of loss and grief; the pain that come with loss when we love too much. We protect ourselves from the same pain happening to us again...by not loving.

The story also taught me a bit of history of Leningrad during WWII, although, as a Chinese with extent knowledge of communism and the Cultural Revolution, nothing surprised me under the sun. However, the story still filled me with extreme sadness, regardless of the perfect ending. So, I was wrong again by judging an author with one book. My next read will be Firefly Lane...which most of my friends loved. There's nothing I love more than stories of women friendship!





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Michael Crichton's Micro...a long awaited book.

Micro by Michael Crichton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book deserves a 3.5 stars. As I said, as a long time Crichton fan, I probably came equipped with an overly high expectation. The book started out slow, with lots of loose ends that needed to be tied together, but came together nicely at around 30%. Without giving too much away, I'd have to say Crichton's high-tech, breakthrough technology is here, as well as the thrill factor, so the book is a page-turner. The general idea of the plot was good, and the story could be easily adapted into a movie like all his other books.



What I did not like about the book, is that the characters, especially the few graduate students, blur together a bit in the beginning. I had a hard time telling them apart, and I had no idea who the main characters were, until the very end; since once I developed the liking and understanding of one, she or he gets killed off. The villain is a bit too unrealistic and inhuman.



Preston was good in given reliable and descriptive scientific facts throughout the book...but weak in story telling and character development. I was quite surprised about this since his non-fictions, "The Hot Zone", and "Demon in the Freezer" read almost like a great fictional story. However, for readers who thrive on facts, you would learn a lot about insects, plants, as well as toxins in this story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I think all Crichton fans should read it, but wait for the price drop first.



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