Title: Rooftops of Tehran Author: Mahbod Seraji ISBN: 9780451226815 Pages: 368 Release Date: May 5, 2009 Publisher: NAL Trade Genre: Historical Fiction, Multicultural Fiction Rating: 4.5 out of 5
From the publisher’s website:
In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran’s sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari’s stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah’s secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice…
I am a huge fan of multicultural literature and have read a few books on the Iranian revolution. I think it’s a fascinating time period. What I haven’t read much about, though, is the years before the revolution, when the Shah of Iran felt the instability of his rule. He was relying more and more on the Americans and his secret police, the SAVAK, to maintain his grip on the country. Rooftops of Tehran recounts this turbulent time period through the eyes of Pasha, a 17-year-old boy.
I thought that Rooftops of Tehran was a touching novel, though it was never sappy or cheesy. I got involved with all the characters, especially Pasha and Zari. Since the novel is told in flashbacks, it is clear that the story is leading towards tragedy. Sometimes this technique is frustrating, but Seraji uses it very well in this book.
I loved the sense of community within Rooftops of Tehran. Pasha’s neighbors were all close to one another. They were united and tried their best to be happy, despite the fact their country seemed to be falling apart around them. They did their best not to live in fear. It was great, but also sad, knowing what was coming for them. Still, the novel ended on a very hopeful note!
I really enjoyed Rooftops of Tehran. It was engaging, humorous, and very easy to read. If you are looking for a book in the multicultural fiction genre but don’t want anything too heavy, this would be a great choice!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review!
I can’t believe I almost forgot to announce the winners of my Jane Green book giveaway contest!
The winner of The Beach House is: JemScout435 (number 55)
The winner of Dune Road is: LuAnn (number 17)
Congratulations! I have e-mailed both of you to let you know you won. If you get back to me by 10 PM ET tonight, your book will be mailed out tomorrow. If not, you will unfortunately have to wait until the end of July!
Title: The Devlin Diary Author: Christi Phillips ISBN: 9781416527398 Pages: 448 Release Date: May 12, 2009 Publisher: Pocket Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5
From the publisher’s website:
London, 1672. The past twelve years have brought momentous changes: the restoration of the monarchy, a devastating plague and fire. Yet the city remains a teeming, thriving metropolis, energized by the lusty decadence of Charles II's court and burgeoning scientific inquiry. Although women enjoy greater freedom, they are not allowed to practice medicine, a restriction that physician Hannah Devlin evades by treating patients that most other doctors shun: the city's poor.
But Hannah has a special knowledge that Secretary of State Lord Arlington desperately needs. At the king's Machiavellian court, Hannah attracts the attention of two men, charming courtier Ralph Montagu and anatomist Dr. Edward Strathern, as well as the attention of the powerful College of Physicians, which views her work as criminal. When two influential courtiers are found brutally murdered, their bodies inscribed with arcane symbols, Hannah is drawn into a dangerous investigation by Dr. Strathern, who believes the murders conceal a far-reaching conspiracy that may include Hannah's late father and the king himself.
Cambridge, 2008. Teaching history at Trinity College is Claire Donovan's dream come true -- until one of her colleagues is found dead on the banks of the River Cam. The only key to the professor's unsolved murder is a seventeenth century diary kept by his last research subject, Hannah Devlin, physician to the king's mistress. With help from the eclectic collections of Cambridge's renowned libraries, Claire and historian Andrew Kent follow the clues Devlin left behind, uncovering secrets of London's dark past and Cambridge's equally murky present, and discovering that events of three hundred years ago may still have consequences today....
A suspenseful and richly satisfying tale brimming with sharply observed historical detail, The Devlin Diary brings past and present to vivid life. With wit and grace, Christi Phillips holds readers spellbound with an extraordinary novel of secrets, obsession, and the haunting power of the past.
For me, The Rossetti Letter, Christi Phillips’ first novel, was one of those random finds in a bookstore. I picked it up based solely on the cover and the description, and I’m so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to discover that Christi Phillips was writing a sequel. When Pocket Books announced their first blog tour would be The Devlin Diary, I immediately signed up.
The Devlin Diary was a well-written historical mystery that I enjoyed. I liked the main character, Hannah, and enjoyed getting to know her through the novel. Additionally, the time period of the novel, the reign of Charles II, is a time I don’t know that much about. Therefore, I feel like I learned a lot from this book.
I also liked visiting with Claire Donovan again. She was my favorite part of the first novel; I can’t really say she was my favorite part of this one as well, simply because I feel like I didn’t get to see enough of her. The focus in The Devlin Diary leans very heavily on the historical. I missed seeing her and wished that the present day storyline had been more thoroughly developed. As a result, I don’t think it’s necessary to read The Rossetti Letter before reading The Devlin Diary; Claire Donovan simply isn’t integral enough to the storyline to make it matter.
While The Devlin Diary seemed overly long in places, it was a well-thought out historical mystery. I definitely was hooked, racing to find out who the murderer really was. The novel was intricately constructed; Phillips must have undertaken a lot of research in order to write this book. I definitely recommend The Devlin Diary to any historical fiction fans!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review!
The Spring Reading Thing Challenge ended June 20, 2009, and I just realized that I haven’t done a wrap-up post for it! This is the first challenge I’ve entered that I didn’t complete. I think I was a little too ambitious in the number of challenges I signed up for in 2009!
I managed to complete 9 out of 15 books on my list, but I’ve only posted reviews of 4 of them so far! The other reviews are scheduled for July.
Read: 1) Such a Pretty Fat – Jen Lancaster [review] 2) Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood – Ann Brashares [review] 3) Orange Mint and Honey – Carleen Brice 4) I Was Told There'd Be Cake – Sloane Crosley [review] 5) Whistling in the Dark – Lesley Kagen 6) Nearlyweds – Beth Kendrick [review] 7) The Book of Lies – Brad Meltzer 8) Stupid and Contagious – Caprice Crane 9) Falling Out of Fashion – Karen Yampolsky
To Read: 10) Dear American Airlines – Jonathan Miles 11) The Spanish Bow – Andromeda Romano-Lax 12) The Lying Tongue – Andrew Wilson 13) Hollywood Car Wash – Lori Culwell 14) Three Junes – Julia Glass 15) At a Loss for Words – Diane Schoemperlen
Did you finish reading all the books on your spring reading list? If not, why not?
Nope, I didn’t read six. Part of it was because I focused a lot on review copies this spring, and all of these were books on my TBR shelf that weren’t review copies.
Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along?
I stuck to my original goals. I think changing the list (unless there are extenuating circumstances, like I can’t make it through a book on the list because I hate it) takes away the “challenge"!
What was your favorite book that you read this spring? Least favorite? Why?
Off this list, my favorite was probably a tie between The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer and Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster. Least favorite was Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen because I just didn’t find it interesting.
Did you discover a new author or genre this spring? Did you love them? Not love them?
A lot of these were new-to-me authors. As far as who I love, I will be keeping a very close eye on Brad Meltzer’s future work!
Did you learn something new because of Spring Reading Thing 2009 — something about reading, or yourself, or a topic you read about?
Yes, even I can’t read everything I want to read in a set time frame!
What was your favorite thing about the challenge?
Getting through books on my TBR shelves, rather than going straight for review copies! I really should have gotten through this entire list, but I’m glad I didn’t kill myself trying!
I can’t believe that I leave for Oxford on Tuesday! I spent most of today packing, though I really should have been studying. Hopefully I get a lot done tomorrow! I can’t wait to leave, I am very much looking forward to this trip.
I am currently giving away autographed copies of Dune Road [review] and The Beach House[review] by Jane Green. This giveaway ends today, June 28. [entry page]
Books I’ve Read this week:
Censoring an Iranian Love Story – Shahriar Mandanipour
A Secret Alchemy – Emma Darwin
The Grand Sophy – Georgette Heyer
A Disobedient Girl – Ru Freeman
Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam – Gilles Keppel
Title: The Marriage Bureau for Rich People Author: Farahad Zama ISBN: 9780399155581 Pages: 304 Release Date: June 11, 2009 Publisher: Putnam Adult Genre: Multicultural Fiction, Contemporary Fiction Rating: 4.5 out of 5
From the publisher’s website:
What does an Indian man with a wealth of common sense do when his retirement becomes too monotonous for him to stand? Open a marriage bureau of course!
With a steady stream of clients to keep him busy, Mr. Ali sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs. Ali and his careful assistant, Aruna, look on with vigilant eyes. There’s the man who wants a tall son-in-law because his daughter is short; the divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can’t seem to sell himself; and a wealthy, young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect. But although his clients go away happy, little does Mr. Ali know that his esteemed Aruna hides a tragedy in her past—a misfortune that the bureau, as luck would have it, serendipitously undoes.
Bursting with the color and allure of India, and with a cast of endearing characters, The Marriage Bureau for Rich Peoplehas shades of Jane Austen and Alexander McCall Smith but with a resonance and originality entirely its own. Farahad’s effortless style reveals a country still grappling with the politics of caste, religion, and civil unrest, all the while delivering a shamefully delightful read.
When I first heard about The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, I thought it sounded like a really charming book. I was confused, though; virtually everything I had read about the book compared it to Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. How is a book set in India about a matchmaking services comparable to a mystery series set in Botwana?
The answer is that both books are delightfully simple reads about life in a foreign country. There is no central event or dramatic occurrence in The Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Instead, it’s about the simplicity of every day life in India as Mr. Ali builds his matchmaking business. That’s not to say this novel is mundane in any way. Instead, the uncomplicated nature of this book is what makes it so appealing.
I also loved the social undercurrents that The Marriage Bureau for Rich Peopleexposed. While it is a book without pretense, it manages to discuss all kinds of social issues. India is a country that is experiencing a multitude of changes right now. The traditional aspects of society are clashing with the Western ideals that Indian youth are adopting. This book presents this social dilemma in an irresistible way.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Marriage Bureau for Rich People. The characters were very well-written and appealing, and I loved the premise. Every time Mr. Ali made a match, I felt his satisfaction and happiness. This is a fascinating yet straightforward book that is a complete joy to read. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review!
Title: The Way Home Author: George Pelecanos ISBN: 9780316156493 Pages: 336 Release Date: May 12, 2009 Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company Genre: Contemporary Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5
From the dust jacket:
Hidden beneath the floorboards in a house he's remodeling, Christopher Flynn discovers something very tempting-and troubling. Summoning every bit of maturity and every lesson he's learned the hard way, Chris leaves what he found where he found it and tells his job partner to forget it, too. Knowing trouble when he sees it-and walking the other way-is a habit Chris is still learning.
Chris's father, Thomas Flynn, runs the family business where Chris and his friends have found work. Thomas is just getting comfortable with the idea that his son is grown, working, and on the right path at last. Then one day Chris doesn't show up for work-and his father knows deep in his bones that danger has found him. Although he wishes it weren't so, he also knows that no parent can protect a child from all the world's evils. Sometimes you have to let them find their own way home.
The Way Home is the most powerful novel yet from the electrifying George Pelecanos, whose work has been compared to that of Dennis Lehane and Richard Price, writers "who push the boundaries of crime writing into literary territory" (New York Times). As profound and engrossing as Pelecanos's work as writer and producer on The Wire, The Way Home is an unforgettable novel of fathers' hopes and sons' ambitions, of love, drive, and forgiveness.
I have never read anything by George Pelecanos, nor have I watched the show The Wire, for which Pelecanos used to write. I’ve heard good things about him and his books, but never really put a priority on reading them. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy them – they seemed a little too gritty for my tastes. When my brand new book club picked The Way Home as our first read, I was really happy. I like book club picks that force me to read outside my normal genres.
I have to say, The Way Home really impressed me. As I was reading it, I was thoroughly impressed by Pelecanos’ writing ability. He writes incredibly smoothly; though his subject may be jarring, his prose never is. He also really knows how to build suspense without creating that ball in the pit of your stomach. I enjoy suspenseful novels, but don’t really like it when you absolutely know something bad is going to happen because of heavy-handed hints. Pelecanos is a master at making sure the reader doesn’t really know what is going to come next; it’s a fine line, and he walks it very well.
I’m so glad that my book club forced me to give The Way Home and George Pelecanos a chance. While I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to pick up more of his books (I was right about them being gritty), I’d definitely like to read more of his books in the future!
I was lucky enough to attend a Carlos Ruiz Zafon author event on Saturday night at the DC bookstore Politics & Prose. I was happy to see that the signing was full – it was standing room only and about half the bookstore was filled! I was lucky enough to get a seat, but the setup of the event was poorly done – they did it in a conversational style, so Zafon was sitting down. However, the stage wasn’t raised high enough so you could only really see the author if you were in the two front rows. As a result, I don’t have any pictures from the event!
Zafon was incredibly interesting. He talked a lot about his background and his writing process. He wrote a few YA novels before writing The Shadow of the Wind – I wonder if they will be released in English anytime soon? I’d love to read them. He also informed us that The Shadow of the Wind was the highest selling Spanish language book in recorded publishing history. (He made it very clear that Cervantes’ Don Quijote was published before they kept track of such things).
Another thing I found very interesting was the fact that Carlos Ruiz Zafon has composed soundtracks to both The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game. Whenever he ran into a wall in terms of his writing, he would start writing music in order to get around his writer’s block. The soundtracks aren’t available commercially, but you can download them for non-commercial use. I was in disbelief at his genius, especially considering the soundtracks are very good.
I found the signing to be very interesting! Here are pictures of the autographs I got:
Title: The Widow’s Season Author: Laura Brodie ISBN: 9780425227657 Pages: 320 Release Date: June 2, 2009 Publisher: Berkley Trade Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery Rating: 4.5 out of 5
From the back cover:
Sarah McConnell’s husband had been dead for three months when she saw him in the grocery store.
What does a woman do when she’s thirty-nine, childless, and completely alone for the first time in her life? Does it mean she’s crazy to think she sees her late husband beside a display of pumpkins? Or is it just what people do, a natural response to grief that will fade in time? That’s what Sarah McConnell’s friends told her, that it was natural, would last a season, and then fade away.
But what if there was another answer? What if he was really there? They never found the body, after all. What if he is still here somehow, and about to walk back into her life?
I wasn’t sure what to make of The Widow’s Season when I first picked it up. Is it a mystery? A ghost story? Is it the story of a man who couldn’t face his life anymore, who chose to run away? What exactly is the premise behind this novel?
Since finishing the novel, I realized that there is no answer to that question – that’s the beauty of The Widow’s Season. The novel is filled with uncertainty, with questions. Like Sarah, the reader is never quite sure what is going on. Are the things we are seeing real? The ambiguity present in this novel makes it an engaging read that is difficult to put down.
Brodie’s writing style adds to this vagueness. Her prose is simply beautiful. It gives The Widow’s Season a real literary quality that readers will appreciate. It’s a novel about loss, about what it means to come to terms with death. At the same time, it’s about healing and love. As Sarah stumbles through her life, trying to come to terms with what has happened, it’s hard not to sympathize with her and feel her pain. In many ways, she is completely numb; that only adds to the uncertain quality present in the novel.
I really enjoyed reading The Widow’s Season. It was a very unique novel that was incredibly well done. I highly recommend this book to any fans of women’s fiction, or any literary fiction lovers looking for a quick read.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.
So I was hoping to spend this week before leaving for Oxford relaxing and reading as many books as possible before I leave. Of course, real life got in the way! It turns out my reading load for my Oxford classes is pretty heavy – I just got the syllabi yesterday. They are actual Oxford classes taught in just three weeks, which means they will be a lot of work in a very short amount of time. As a result, I’ve bought some of the books I need to read for class and am planning on trying to read them before I leave (next Tuesday).
So, what does this mean in terms of blogging? I am planning on finishing the review books that I am currently reading, but I don’t think I’ll be starting any new ones. I will post reviews for all the books I have read, but if you are an author/publicist and I haven’t read your book yet, I probably won’t until I get back in August.
In terms of blog reading, I’m not going to be reading/commenting on other blogs until I get back. If I have time, I will continue to read and comment for the next week, as well as while I’m there. However, that isn’t likely – I’ve been told that I won’t have regular internet access while I’m at Oxford. I’m hoping that isn’t true, but if it is, I think I’m going to take advantage of being disconnected from the world!
Title: Die for You Author: Lisa Unger ISBN: 9780307393975 Pages: 368 Release Date: June 2, 2009 Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books Genre: Mystery, Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5
From the publisher’s website:
Isabel Raine thought she had everything–a successful career, a supportive family, and a happy marriage to the man she loved. Then one ordinary morning, her husband, Marcus, picks up his briefcase, kisses her good-bye, and simply vanishes.
That day, all her calls to him go straight to voice mail; the messages she leaves at his office go unreturned, too. Panicking after finally receiving a call from his cell phone in which all she can hear is a man’s terrified cry, Isabel calls the police. But they aren’t interested. Men leave, they tell her. They leave all the time. Desperate to find her husband, Isabel races to his office. But instead of finding him, she finds herself in the middle of an FBI raid. Hours later, she awakens in the hospital with a severe concussion and a homicide detective by her bedside waiting to question her about Marcus Raine–the real Marcus Raine.
Now the only thing Isabel knows for sure is that her husband of five years is gone. Where is he and who is he are questions no one seems able to answer. But Isabel will not rest until she discovers the truth about the man she loves, even if it means risking everything–including her own life.
Lisa Unger has become one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors. She writes suspenseful and engaging books that keep you up late into the night. Though sometimes they aren’t the most realistic of books, they are meticulously crafted and ridiculously fun reads. Die For You is no exception – Unger has written a very appealing novel that is very enjoyable to read. Though it isn’t quite as engaging as her other novels, it is more realistic.
The best part of Die For You is Isabel. Often in books such as this, I don’t understand why the heroine has to “go it alone,” why she can’t just try to work with the police to figure out what is going on. In this case, I knew. First, the affront was personal – it was her husband, her life, her marriage that had been a sham. She needed to understand why. Also, she didn’t totally cut out the police officers, which I also appreciated. She actually was pretty smart about the whole thing.
There was a lot going on in this novel, but it wasn’t really hard to follow. That being said, I had no idea where it was going. Lisa Unger is incredibly creative with an exceptional imagination. I also loved how she managed to build suspense, especially with the disjointed storytelling. It was enough to spur the story on, but not so much that the reader became annoyed with foreshadowing.
Die For Youis a worthy entry into the mystery/thriller genre. If you are a fan of Harlan Coben or Laura Lippman, give Lisa Unger a chance. She definitely does not disappoint!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.
Welcome to the Thursday Tunes! Each week, I will showcase music, whether new or old. Hopefully you will find something that interests you here!
This week, I’m featuring the British rock band Remy Zero, who have a similar sound to U2. I am simply dumbfounded at the fact that Remy Zero didn’t become a sensation when they were together – their album The Golden Hum is absolutely amazing. If you’re a Smallville fan, you might recognize the band’s name – they wrote the theme song for the show, “Save Me.” “Out-In” is my favorite songs off the album, as well as one of my favorite songs of all time. The Golden Hum can be purchased from the Amazon MP3 Store for $9.99.
Beth Kephart, who has been a real friend to the book blogging community, released her latest book yesterday called Nothing But Ghosts. Our goal as book bloggers is to drive sales of this book up! I’ve already bought the book and sent my receipt to Amy – head over there and check out the amazing things they are doing! Plus there are prizes, and who doesn’t like prizes? The book drive ends June 30.
I know a lot of us have limited book buying budgets, but this is such a great way to prove once and for all how much influence book bloggers have on sales! I know people are getting more and more interested in YA, this is a great way to show it. I was thinking of adding an incentive of my own, such as people who cc: me on their receipts to Amy will be entered in a special book giveaway drawing, but the fact is I just don’t have time to have another drawing before I leave in 6 days. So all I can offer is my pleas – get over there and buy the book!
Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Author: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows ISBN: 9780385341004 Pages: 304 Release Date: May 5, 2009 Publisher: Dial Press Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4.5 out of 5
From the back cover:
January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
I have heard so many wonderful things about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that I was almost nervous to actually pick it up and read it. At the same time, I knew I wanted to read a very special book as my 200th book of the year, so I decided to go ahead and give The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a chance. I was hoping it would live up to my high expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed. This wonderful little book is an absolute joy to read!
I wasn’t sure about the epistolary format of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society– the entire thing is written in letters. However, I was surprised to see that there was still very good character development. Because Juliet gets to know the main characters through letters, I felt like I got to know them right along with her. Additionally, the letters made for very easy and relaxing reading. In some ways, it was simpler than reading a full novel.
I also loved the vivid imagery of the island of Guernsey. The description of life there during World War II, when they were occupied by the Nazis, is very eye-opening, though sometimes difficult to read. However, it is never burdensome; these letters always have light and hope at their hearts.
The small island community of Guernsey is difficult to resist. I can completely understand why Juliet falls in love with the life and people there. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Societyis a sweet, engaging, and well-written book that anyone, regardless of age or gender, would enjoy. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.
Title: Shanghai Girls Author: Lisa See ISBN: 9781400067114 Pages: 336 Release Date: May 26, 2009 Publisher: Random House Genre: Historical Fiction , Multicultural Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5
From the publisher’s website:
In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.
As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.
I’m a big fan of Lisa See, though I’ve only ever read Peony in Love. I’ve heard such great things about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but simply haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, though it has been sitting on my shelf for some time. When I first heard about Shanghai Girls, I knew I wanted to read it, though I was hesitant – it was a departure from her other books, set in the United States during the World War II era. I wasn’t sure if it would live up to her other novels. Happily, Shanghai Girls is a well-written and engaging novel that I thought was a great read.
Lisa See’s writing is as smooth as ever in Shanghai Girls. She writes about the most horrible events with an even-handed tone, making the burden a little easier to bear. I’m glad that she didn’t shy away from making the novel as real as possible. While it was sometimes hard to read, I feel like I learned a lot.
I really enjoyed the portrayal of sisters in Shanghai Girls. Pearl and May have a solid bond, though it is tested over and over again throughout the course of the novel. Sometimes their relationship can be petty, but underneath it all, they are sisters. They love and protect one another. Often, they misunderstand each other but their connection never wavers.
There are definitely some horrors depicted in Shanghai Girls, things that are difficult to read about. The Japanese invasion of China is brutal, and what Pearl and May are forced to endure is disgusting and tragic. When they finally arrive in America, they experience unhappiness of a different kind – they come face to face with the racism and prejudice inherent in the society of that era. It’s hard to read, but very eye-opening.
Shanghai Girls is another great novel from Lisa See. I really admire the sheer amount of research she puts into her novels, creating a vivid environment full of rich historical details. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review!
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.
Think Jen Lancaster was always “like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?” (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn’t know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life—and wardrobe—before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.
The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).
I’m a huge fan of Jen Lancaster. I love her snarky, sarcastic wit and the ridiculous things that seem to happen to her. I think it’s great how she manages to twist every situation in order to find the humor within it. I recently reviewed her third novel Such a Pretty Fat [review] and really loved it.
I had a lot of trouble deciding on how to rate Pretty in Plaid. Is it as funny as her previous books? Definitely. If anything, Lancaster’s writing has gotten better over the years. The stories are very amusing, though it is a little strange when she talks about herself in the first person at the age of 8. While reading Pretty in Plaid, it’s easy to forget that it is a memoir, rather than a book written by a novelist.
My problem with Pretty in Plaid is that it’s so different from Lancaster’s previous memoirs. Each of them covered a limited amount of time and had an overarching storyline that kept the reader hooked. Pretty in Plaid, however, seems to be a catch-all. It covers Lancaster’s entire life, up to Bitter is the New Black. As a result, it is a series of essays loosely grouped by the common theme of clothing, rather than a solid memoir. That’s not to say that Lancaster’s writing style and sense of humor doesn’t work for it; it definitely does. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. As a result, I didn’t find it quite as engaging as her previous books.
Still, Pretty in Plaid is a worthwhile read, especially if you haven’t read Lancaster’s books before. If you have read her memoirs and loved them like I did, definitely read this book. Just don’t expect it to be like her three previous memoirs. I am looking forward to seeing what Lancaster does next – I’d love to see a work of fiction from her!
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.
Well, this weekend has been an eventful one so far. Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival, which was a lot of fun. Then we went to Artomatic, which is a sort of amateur artists exhibition forum. After that, we went to a Carlos Ruiz Zafon signing (which was great, of course – I’ll write a separate post on that later), tried a new restaurant that turned out to be amazing, and then went stargazing with an amateur astronomers society. Very full day, but a lot of fun!
I announced on Friday that my review database (which can also be accessed through the tabs at the top of the screen) is up. This is a database of all the reviews/posts I’ve done. The book reviews are sorted by rating, by author’s last name, and by genre. Additionally, you can use the Google search box in the top sidebar to find a specific review. I hope it turns out to be useful!
I’m currently giving away autographed copies of The Beach House [review] and Dune Road [review] by Jane Green. This giveaway ends June 28. [entry page]
I leave for Oxford one week from Tuesday – I can’t believe it’s coming up so soon! I have a lot to do to get ready for the trip. I only hope that Blogger gets advance posting fixed before I leave, otherwise I am in trouble!
Welcome! I’m Swapna Krishna, and this is where you’ll find my book reviews. Feel free to look through my review database. I also host the South Asian Review Database and run the South Asian Challenge, which promote the authors and literature of the region.
I do accept books for review, but please take a look at myreview policy before pitching me a book. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Title: Rooftops of Tehran 
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