Tag: rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan

  Posted at 6:10 am by Laura, on February 19, 2018

  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

  Publisher: Anchor Books
  Published: May 2014
  Genre: contemporary, women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9780345803788
  Rating: ★★★★

  When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees on a summer in Singapore to visit her boyfriend’s “traditional” Chinese family, she expects the trip to be relaxing, if a little dull. She has no idea…

  Nick’s childhood home is a palace. He grew up riding in more private planes than cars. He and Rachel will be attending the wedding of the year. Oh, and Nick just happens to be one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors — and his formidable mother isn’t so sure Rachel is the right one for him.

  Rachel is under the impression she’s jetting off to Singapore with her boyfriend for the summer — something fun between semesters of professor life. Little does she know, his family is wildly, outrageously, crazy rich, and they have their own set of standards for this mystery girl he’s bringing home.

  I loved this. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen’s satirical novels, imagine her sassy, snarky, sarcastic commentary in a modern setting and you have Kevin Kwan. The extreme detail put into the characters’ seemingly superficial lives was hilarious. Everyone played a role in this novel, from Nick’s mother, to his cousins, to Rachel’s BFF from college, to passersby in Singapore. Toss in the [admittedly very little] research I did on Singapore lifestyle and culture, and holy crap this book [seems to] nails it.

  I mean, come on. Look at this quote. (From the mind of a guy I think is Nick’s cousin by marriage.)

  “But then his parents were always so selfish. Sure, they raised him and paid for his education and bought him his first apartment, but they failed him when it came to what was truly important — they didn’t know how to flaunt their wealth properly.”

  These people. My goodness. It was brilliant.

  Among all of this extravagance are three down-to-earth characters: Astrid, Nick, and Rachel. Astrid is Nick’s cousin, and she lives the high life as well — but she knows enough about heartache, budget cuts, and experience-over-materials that you can’t help but like her frank and honest character. Nick is one of those “I’m wealthy but I don’t flaunt it” types, living in a small apartment in NYC and living paycheck to paycheck rather than dipping into an account overflowing with decades of family coin. You’d think he’d be the spoiled type, but he wants nothing to do with the family money despite wanting to please his mother and father. And finally, Rachel. Our normal, totally average, super funny, head-on-her-shoulders Rachel, who is just trying to wrap her brain around all the crazy superficial things going on around her and Nick on this trip. You can’t not love her. She’s such a refreshing voice.

  In the end, though, even the most surface-level characters had depth to their motivations and desires. For example, Nick’s mother claims she’s not happy her son never told her about his dirt poor, possibly-a-gold-digger girlfriend and that’s the only reason. But as the story progresses, it digs deeper: she’s concerned the girlfriend’s background, her family ties, honor, values, tradition. She mentions money as an excuse to not like Rachel, but so much of this novel has threads of Asian family expectations and values. It’s an excellent cultural read.

  I should’ve read this book sooner — like, the day it published. I can’t wait for the film!

  This qualifies as book 1 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street” by Karina Yan Glaser

  Posted at 6:35 am by Laura, on January 9, 2018

  The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

  Publisher: HMH BFYR
  Published: October 2017
  Genre: middle grade, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780544876392
  Rating: ★★★.5

  The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.

  The five Vanderbeeker siblings adore their home in Harlem. It’s close to their parents’ work, it’s close to school, their best friends live nearby, all the coolest people (the mailman, the baker, their elderly neighbors next door) greet them each day — what’s not to love? Well, The Beiderman — Mr. Beiderman, as Dad keeps reminding them — is not too great. He’s not letting the Vanderbeekers renew their lease, and he’s kicking them out of the building before Christmas!

  This book is, in many ways, a love letter to Harlem, to neighborhood camaraderie, to homes that are more than a space to live in with a roof over your head. It’s a great story about family and perseverance, silly antics, imaginative and creative children, friendship, and neighborly love. Even though it’s set during the Christmas season, it’s perfect for any time of year.

  The siblings believe The Beiderman is a crochety old man because he has never known joy in his life. So what he needs this Christmas is some good ol’ cheering up — and that’ll make him renew their parents’ lease. They come up with all sorts of clever, funny, and silly ideas, from bringing up tea to delivering scheming notes a la noir crime, to delivering a kitten in a box to playing a violin with such passion and determination it makes the man cry.

  The Beiderman’s history comes about in pieces, fitting together like a puzzle till the very end with the violin music, and — like most Grinch/Scrooge tales — a change of heart and understanding of character. It’s a good, heartwarming story, bound to be a favorite for middle grade readers. There’s a character for everyone in here!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: holiday, genre: middle grade, review, rock my TBR

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 3:30 am by Laura, on September 18, 2017

  The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Published: January 2017
  Genre: middle grade, mystery, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★.5
  Summary: The Wollestonecraft Girls embark on their most important case yet–the famed dinosaur fossil hunter Mary Anning is being blackmailed. Her precious dog has been snatched and the kidnappers are demanding that Miss Anning authenticate some fake dinosaur bones up for auction at the British Museum in order to get him back. Ada and Mary have just three days to track down the fossil fakers, find the dog, and save the integrity of science! The game is truly afoot in this quirky caper involving blood-sucking leeches, an asthmatic pug, smoke bombs, secret elevators, diabolical disguises, and wicked word-play.

  Mini Review: I love middle grade detective fiction, and the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series is no exception! Featuring Mary Shelley and Ada Byron as little girls (anachronistically), with partner in crime Charles Dickens, they solve what appear to be little instances of crime (stolen dog) but are actually major connections to criminal rings (there’s a clever Moriarty character cropping up!). The books were originally inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens’s protege, Wilkie Collins. Now they are taking on a life of their own and it’s so thrilling to watch! I highly recommend this series for little history nerds, fierce feminists, readers with quick wit and sense of humor, and little detectives in the making. See reviews for The Case of the Missing Moonstone and The Case of the Girl in Grey.

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  This qualifies as book 12 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

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  A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Published: January 2015
  Genre: young adult, gothic, science fiction
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls. Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

  Mini Review: This book gave me graduate thesis flashbacks. I spent a whole year immersed in gothic literature (classic and YA) with a fine tooth comb, loving every second of my nightmares that followed. A COLD LEGACY continues the “twist on classic gothic novels” trend Shepherd began with The Madman’s Daughter by following the Frankenstein narrative. The other two books worked as parallels to the inspired classics, but this time the characters meet Dr Frankenstein’s descendants and friends, who want to continue the “cold legacy” of his experimentation. Scottish moors, creepy children, reanimated corpses, oh my! I appreciated the parallels to the original narrative, and found all the high drama twists and turns appropriate to gothic fiction. Juliet’s internal battle and her devotion to two boys continued (and I was so over it in Her Dark Curiosity), but the final chapters left the reader with a solid ending and hope for the remaining characters.

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  This qualifies as book 13 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, mini review, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Map That Leads to You” by JP Monninger

  Posted at 4:36 am by Laura, on July 13, 2017

  The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger

  Publisher: St Martin’s Press
  Published: June 2017
  Genre: contemporary, romance
  ISBN: 9781250060761
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Heather Mulgrew’s world is already mapped out: she is going to travel abroad with her friends after college, come back to a great career in September, and head into a life where not much is left to chance. But that was before an encounter on an overnight train introduces her to Jack, a passionate adventurer who changes the course of her journey and her life.

  Throwing Heather’s careful itinerary to the wind, they follow Jack’s grandfather’s journal through post-World War II era Europe: Vienna, Budapest, Turkey–exotic places that serve only to heighten their feelings. As September looms, Jack urges Heather to stay with him, to keep traveling, to give in to the romance of their experience; Heather convinces him to return to the United States.

  Jack has a secret that could change everything. And Heather’s world is about to be shaken to the core.

  Heather and her friends have their summer trip across Europe, and their lives, completely mapped out after graduation. She will be moving to NYC in September in a dream job position just as soon as she completes all the paperwork. While on an overnight train to Amsterdam, a stranger from Vermont named Jack pegs her for exactly who she is, and it makes her question how she’s approached everything, including the fun and carefree moments, in her life. Heather tosses her careful plans aside and joins Jack on his adventure through Europe, following in the footsteps of his grandfather’s journal written at the end of WWII. But what makes them rattle most is what happens after: after this trip, what’s next for them and their relationship? Jack’s not telling Heather something, and it’s big enough to shake all of her carefully laid plans.

  Everything I love and feel about travel is packed into this book. Surprising moments of philosophy (the kind of discussions I thoroughly enjoy, especially when traveling) and pondering on life. And then the ultimate travel fantasy: finding that person to love and cherish, who sees you at your best and worst and knows you better than anyone else because of all that travel brings out of you…wow. I don’t have much to say about this book except that I dog-eared several pages with great quotes. I’ll present a few of them here in lieu of a review.

  ~

  On Family

  “He was from a dairy farm in Vermont. That’s the puzzle. I have a hard time imagining him here in Europe, just poking around. He had a big soul, Grandma always said. ‘He breathed through both nostrils’ was her phrase for it.”

  On Life and Love

  “What’s the opposite of a romantic? I’ve always wondered.”
  “An accountant, I guess. A person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

  “Dad, I don’t know for sure what it all means with Jack. I love him. I know that. And I think he loves me. I know some of the timing may be a little awkward, but there’s always a glitch, right? Isn’t that what you say? Life is one long fight against glitches? Well, I’m starting this new job, and I will give it everything. I promise you that. But Jack counts for something, too. We could postpone everything, tell ourselves what we experienced here doesn’t count, but you didn’t raise me like that. You didn’t. Life doesn’t happen someplace in the future. You said that. You said life happens here and now, and it’s a fool’s bargain to let something good go now in the hope of something better at a later date.”

  On Faith

  “She is a young woman who has been asked to hold in her womb and arms the divine. What I admire about this statue is the ambivalence. You can see she is charmed by the child. See him? He is playing with a brooch on her cloak and not looking at her exactly, and her hip is out. I love women’s hips, especially when they’re poked out. See? Poked out to hold her child, who is the salvation of the world, and it all rests on a woman’s hip. But inside all that majesty is this small, timid woman and her beloved child. That’s why this statue kills me. I’ve read about it over and over, and now to see it…you know, there have been many transformations here in front of Our Lady. People have been converted in a single instant by one glance at her. I know, I know, I don’t believe much of it myself, but, Heather, I believe in the human need to believe, and this is the embodiment of that.”

  On Books

  “A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place, like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember that feeling you had on the train when you were young. It’s like a little island in time.”

  “Have you ever heard someone say that books are places we visit and that when we run into people who have read the books we have read, it’s the same as if we had traveled to the same locations? We know something about them because they have lived in the same worlds we have lived. We know what they live for.”

  ~

  A beautiful novel on love, friendship, and the places that shape the course of our lives.

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  This qualifies as book 11 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: travel, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Like a River Glorious” by Rae Carson

  Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on July 10, 2017

  Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

  Publisher: Greenwillow
  Published: September 2016
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062242945
  Rating: ★★★

  Lee Westfall survived the dangerous journey to California. She found a new family in the other outcasts of their wagon train, and Jefferson, her best friend, is beginning to woo her shamelessly. Now they have a real home—one rich in gold, thanks to Lee’s magical ability to sense the precious metal in the world around her.

  But Lee’s Uncle Hiram has survived his own journey west. He’s already murdered her parents, and he will do anything to have Lee and her talents under his control. No one is safe. When he kidnaps her, she sees firsthand the depths of his depravity.

  Lee’s magic is changing, though. It is growing. The gold no longer simply sings to her—it listens. It obeys her call. Will that alone be enough to destroy her uncle?

  Lee, Jefferson, and their wagon train settle down in Glory, California, staking their claim in this territory and protecting their land from other squatters and hell-raisers. The group knows of her ability to sense gold, and they do their best to hide their good fortune from outsiders. But Uncle Hiram hears of Lee’s rising fortune, and will stop at nothing to take her hostage and make her work for his mine. Her magic is growing into something more, and Lee attempts to find a way to save herself and the workers, and destroy Hiram and his mine with her new abilities.

  There may be spoilers contained in this review if you have not read the first in this trilogy, Walk on Earth a Stranger. 

  I finally finished the second book in the Good Seer trilogy. It took a while to get through, partly because everything felt hunky-dory perfect in the first third, and partly because it was difficult to see all the hardship, racism, sexism, cruelty, and misogyny. But I’m still interested and invested in this historical Gold Rush fantasy, and I’m looking forward to Into the Bright Unknown in a few months! (Plus, come on, look at these covers.)

  The first third of the novel, the wagon train decides to settle together on a large plot of land they divvy up among themselves. It’s neat to see how they interact with one another, creating their own miniature town with each person pulling their part of the work. It’s not all perfect — weather, attacks, accidents all happen — but the decisions they made together was almost too quick and conveniently agreed upon. No one seemed to have qualms with anything. However, I did like that they took Lee’s secret in stride, and really rally around her when Hiram’s thugs show up and create mayhem.

  The mine is a totally different story. This shed light on another rarely touched upon aspect of American history. I wanted to look away, but I knew I couldn’t. It’s important. We have to know how people were wrongly treated. Indians, blacks, Chinese laborers, everything they went through is true and very cruel. But it happened. I don’t know how Lee was able to hold back her anger — I was bursting with hatred (and a lot of ick-factor chills from Hiram — ughhhh). Lee handled it all so well, and the heist with the secret group in the miners was incredibly epic.

  There is still a bit of a romance plot in here, and still quite minor. But even still, the love between Lee and Jefferson felt natural, and I really like how they came to their decision at the end of this book. It felt perfect and authentic for them, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes in the next book.

  I’m expecting some more on the romance line, an interesting turn of events with California becoming a state, something happening with Hiram thwarting plans in very dangerous ways, fantastic magical growth and skill for Lee, and positive directions for each member of the wagon train. Let’s see what’s in store in a couple months…

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  This qualifies as book 10 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “This Adventure Ends” by Emma Mills

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on June 19, 2017

  This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

  Publisher: Henry Holt BFYR
  Published: October 2016
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781627799355
  Rating: ★★★★

  Sloane isn’t expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that’s exactly what happens.

  Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera’s twin brother and the most serious person Sloane’s ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins’ late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins’ lives.

  Sloane was something of an outsider in New York, and she liked it just fine. But she attracts the attention of Vera, a smart and glamorous social media star, and her twin brother Gabe, a rather broody and sarcastic boy. Soon enough she’s enveloped into their friend group, one with code words and intimate social gatherings and intense loyalty to one another. When Sloane finds out about the twins’ mother’s death and the importance of her artwork, she takes it upon herself to find the most important painting of her collection and return it to the twins’ home.

  Emma Mills never fails to make me laugh with all the self-deprecating humor and sarcasm, and she never fails to make me think more deeply. Her characters are smart and well-written, and I thoroughly enjoyed this friendship story. The emotional drama in the story was valid in their appearance, development, and resolution, and the strong bonds of unconditional love and respect was deeply moving. It’s not all hunky-dory for this cast of characters, but it’s never too woe-is-me and never too happy-go-lucky. It’s just right.

  Though we’re by Sloane throughout the novel, I was invested in all of the characters. Vera’s energy is such a pull, a light in Sloane’s life as she adjusts to Florida life. Gabe may be serious and grouchy-looking most of the time, but he’s immensely loyal to his friends and will do anything for them and their happiness. Remy is an honest and heartfelt guy, deeply emotional and unwavering in his faith. Aubrey is standoffish at first, but she’s not in any way bitchy (which I greatly appreciated) — and you know exactly why she acts this way around Sloane. Even Sloane’s father, a Nicholas Sparks-type author of women’s romance, is hilarious and supportive and has the best — the best — obsession with a werewolf TV show and dives deep into the fandom and fanfiction world.

  If contemporary character-driven stories are your thing, Emma Mills is definitely the author to read and follow. And, if you haven’t already, you should read her Jane Austen-inspired debut First & Then as well! Friendship, loyalty, art, and weekend adventures abound in this novel, and I cannot wait to read more from Mills!

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  This qualifies as book 9 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Secret Life of Violet Grant” by Beatriz Williams

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on May 10, 2017

  The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams

  Publisher: Berkley
  Published: May 2014
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780425274842
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Fresh from college, irrepressible Vivian Schuyler defies her wealthy Fifth Avenue family to work at cutthroat Metropolitan magazine. But this is 1964, and the editor dismisses her…until a parcel lands on Vivian’s Greenwich Village doorstep that starts a journey into the life of an aunt she never knew, who might give her just the story she’s been waiting for.

  In 1912, Violet Schuyler Grant moved to Europe to study physics, and made a disastrous marriage to a philandering fellow scientist. As the continent edges closer to the brink of war, a charismatic British army captain enters her life, drawing her into an audacious gamble that could lead to happiness…or disaster.

  Fifty years later, Violet’s ultimate fate remains shrouded in mystery. But the more obsessively Vivian investigates her disappearing aunt, the more she realizes all they have in common—and that Violet’s secret life is about to collide with hers.

  1964: It all begins with a suitcase sent to Vivian Schuyler’s new (new to her, at least) apartment. Originally addressed to a Violet Schuyler, Vivian is determined to figure out who the owner of the suitcase is, what happened to her, and why she seems to be erased from the family tree. Thankfully the Schuylers are littered across the society pages, which Vivian as full access to at her Metropolitan job. 1912: Violet Schuyler, analytical and clever, arrives in England to study physics at university. A charming, older professor agrees to take her on as a student. All seems to be well till it leads to a disastrous marriage and a quick move to Berlin. As Europe draws closer to war, a British army captain enters Violet’s life, and makes her question everything.

  Williams is a new-to-me author and I have a feeling I’ll be reading more of her work soon. Especially if she has some snappy, quick-witted characters like Vivian, and startlingly contrasting characters like Violet.

  Vivian made me laugh out loud, and I enjoyed her spunk, her forwardness, her jokes, and even her tender-hearted moments with work friend Margaux. The back-and-forth soap opera drama with Dr. Paul, though wild and spinning, was enjoyable to read as well. You can really see her beginning to let down her walls. Violet, on the other hand, was such a studious, unemotional sort of character, experiencing her own coming-of-age in a rather cruel way thanks to the men in her life. It was wonderful to watch her blossom. Toss in Lionel, the British army captain (…or is he?), and you’re in for an awakening.

  One of my favorite things (in an “ah, interesting!” way) about this novel is the way sex and sexuality was viewed 50 years apart. On the one hand, it was excellent fodder for juicy gossip, but most would never discuss what was happening behind closed doors. By the 1960s, people were forward in admitting their experience, taking safety precautions with birth control, etc. Imagine how Vivian and Violet would have turned out if they lived in the other’s time frame.

  Though there are some ick moments (I won’t even begin to discuss Violet’s husband), the novel propels forward with such momentum, you don’t even realize time has passed. I am sporting a rather alarming sunburn thanks to this novel! Williams captured my attention and held it tight from beginning to end, and I can’t wait to begin another of her books!

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  This qualifies as book 7 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Outrun the Moon” by Stacey Lee

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on April 12, 2017

  Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

  Publisher: Putnam
  Published: May 2016
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780399175411
  Rating: ★★★★★

  San Francisco, 1906: Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from the poverty in Chinatown, and an education at St. Clare’s School for Girls is her best hope. Although St. Clare’s is off-limits to all but the wealthiest white girls, Mercy gains admittance through a mix of cunning and a little bribery, only to discover that getting in was the easiest part. Not to be undone by a bunch of spoiled heiresses, Mercy stands strong—until disaster strikes.

  On April 18, a historic earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying Mercy’s home and school. With martial law in effect, she is forced to wait with her classmates for their families in a temporary park encampment. Though fires might rage, and the city may be in shambles, Mercy can’t sit by while they wait for the army to bring help—she still has the “bossy” cheeks that mark her as someone who gets things done. But what can one teenage girl do to heal so many suffering in her broken city?

  Mercy Wong is eager to make something of herself and help her family out of Chinatown. In order to do so, she needs to attend St Clare’s School for Girls. Getting into the school is the first of many hurdles, and Mercy is nearly unprepared for what’s in store within the school’s walls. But when a disastrous earthquake rocks San Francisco, destroying the city and setting it alight, Mercy and the other girls do their best to set up a temporary encampment at a nearby park and make the most of what they have. Mercy can’t sit by and watch the world burn — but what can she do to help ease the pain of her crumbling home?

  Once again, Stacey Lee steals my heart and shares another important story. Important in American history, important in Chinese-American culture, just all around important. She delivers it with such artistry and storytelling mastery. I’m blown away.

  Mercy is one fierce, independent, determined young woman. She wants to make something of herself so that she could also assist her family and help them out of poverty. The Wongs, like most Chinese-American families in Chinatown, would otherwise face the inevitable cycle of poverty just because of their race and location of their home. Mercy consults a businesswoman’s book to help her navigate the “white ghost” language, social structure, and business in a fair and structured way. No one could lawfully question her otherwise if she’s playing by their rules. But in order to do so, she needs to attend an all-white, very prosperous, all-girls school. The struggle is real, folks.

  Race is a common theme throughout the novel, and one that is demonstrated without pushing an agenda. This is how things were then — and it’s painful and honest and difficult to take in — and likely how things are still now. We can learn from our history, and Lee does an excellent job of saying such by showing us the conflicts, triggering the reader’s emotions and reactions. I, for one, wanted to punch the living daylights out of so many white characters; meanwhile, Mercy held her ground with strength and poise. I admired her.

  To end on a light note, I was touched by the affection between Mercy and Tom, another Chinese-American boy with aspirations to fly. They love one another, you can feel it in their interactions, and they set out for their goals with the other in mind to share in the dreams and success. Though this isn’t a romance per se, it’s beautiful.

  This book is about Mercy’s journey to achieve her dreams while fighting through adversity, and experiencing this journey with a close group of schoolgirls in the middle of a very traumatic moment in history. Open it and take the journey in another’s shoes. Find compassion. Be inspired.

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  This qualifies as book 6 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Son of the Shadows” by Juliet Marillier

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 27, 2017

  Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

  Publisher: Tor
  Published: 2002 (first published in 2000)
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780765343260
  Rating: ★★★★

  It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more–and less–than they were before the change.

  It is left to Sorcha’s daughter Liadan who will take up the tale that the Sevenwaters clan is destined to fulfill. Beloved child, dutiful daughter, she embarks on a journey that opens her eyes to the wonders of the world around her…and shows her just how hard-won was the peace that she has known all her life.

  Liadan will need all of her courage to help save her family, for there are forces far darker than anyone chould have guessed and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family’s peace–and their world. And she will need the strength to stand up to those she loves best, for in the finding of her own true love, Liadan’s course may doom them all…or be their salvation.

  Liadan is the beautiful younger daughter of Sorcha and Red, legends in their own fairytale story of the Sevenwaters clan. She loves to assist her mother with herbs and healing, speaks telepathically with her twin brother Sean, and attempts to rein in her older sister Niamh’s wild ways. But turbulent times crash into the family just when all seems to be well, and Liadan is trapped in the middle of an ancient prophecy. She is determined to make the right choices for her family, but with every step she takes her course appears to bring them further into darkness.

  SPOILER ALERT
  Events pertaining to Daughter of the Forest are within this review.
  SPOILER ALERT

  The second book in the Sevenwaters series is just as breathtaking, beautiful, and magical as the first, featuring another strong female protagonist who draws upon strength of the mind and spirit rather than physical qualities to combat her enemies.

  Liadan is a fierce and stubborn chatterbox, and she will tell you what she thinks of your decisions and actions if she believes it will improve your character or the family. She’d be a good friend to have around — patient and loving, while still practical and headstrong. She’s a great blend of Red and Sorcha, and that makes her flawed. While Sorcha is still one of my favorite characters in literature (right up there with Jane Eyre!), she was almost too perfect. Liadan makes loads of mistakes, to the point where it really does seem like the family is doomed. She is observant, aware of her mistakes, aware of how people treat her and how she treats others, and how sometimes similar situations and others’ reactions to them can be hypocritical. Take this, the family’s reaction to Liadan’s pregnancy:

  I was aware, constantly, of how different this was from Niamh’s experience. For my sister there had been the cold disapproval, the harsh censure, the shutting out, the hasty, forced marriage. For me there was simply acceptance, as if my fatherless child were already part of the family at Sevenwaters.

  While Son of the Shadows was entertaining and fantastic, and Liadan was an excellent character on her own, I had a hard time getting into the romance. It felt more like a means to an end for me, and less epic and profound as I was led to believe. Much of Liadan’s motivation and decisions were stemmed from this love, so I was pretty miffed by how central of a role it played when I wasn’t convinced of it.

  The prophecy from the first book is becoming a reality in this one, and it leaves the reader hanging, ready to read book three to see what happens next. There was more about the curse and the characters that come into play (such as, ah-ha!, the son of the shadows), more strategizing and skirmishes, more storytelling and culture. Sorcha was on a quest, separated from her family; Liadan is in the thick of it, a key player in the prophecy and all it entails.

  This qualifies as book 2 of 9 in the Flights of Fantasy / Gabaldon-and-Marillier challenge.

  This qualifies as book 4 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: romance, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Miniaturist” by Jessie Burton

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 13, 2017

  The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

  Publisher: Ecco
  Published: July 2014
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062306814
  Rating: ★★★★

  On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

  But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

  Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

  Nella arrives in Amsterdam eager to begin her new life as a wife to Johannes Brandt, an incredibly successful merchant and member of the VOC. While he seems kind, he’s rarely home and hardly notices her presence. Nella is left with her harsh and hypocritical sister-in-law, Marin, and the two unusual servants. Johannes knows Nella is struggling in her new role away from home, and presents her with a cabinet house in the exact replica of their home. Nella seeks out a miniaturist to fill this home, but what the miniaturist delivers is eerie, unexpected, and seems to send warnings to Nella of what’s to come.

  The synopsis suggests there’s a suspenseful mystery here (who is the miniaturist, and how does he/she seem to know what’s going on in the Brandt household?), and while there is an element of that, the story is more about morality and social justice, and a young woman’s bildungsroman in a time when few had roles outside of being a wife and mother. Amsterdam was the capital of commerce, and though the Bible is toted about as law, few people seem to follow its rules: be poor, give often, do not be proud, do not worship idols. But in a place that thrives on its riches from business and trade, it is difficult to be that pious Christian the reverend urges his flock, come fire or damnation.

  The Brandt household alone is a contradiction to society. We as readers are Nella, naive to the city and an observer in the family dynamics. We have Johannes, who is a good man, a great businessman, and a “poor” husband (rarely home and attending to his wife). There’s Marin, his pious sister who is as wicked sharp and she is contradictory, claiming sweets are poor for the soul yet hiding away candies in her small room. Otto, Johannes right-hand man and servant, a free black man in a city only familiar with slaves. Cornelia, at first judgmental and somewhat off-putting, but genuinely sweet and open, a confidant for Nella. Who are these people and what are their secrets? The secrets are…devastating for the family, and in turn alter the city’s business as well as the views of religion and morality.

  Though the last 50 pages were a bit lackluster (all the secrets are out), it still fell into the realm of a soap opera: you just can’t stop reading and having everything confirmed! The novel is entertaining, and is full of book club-worthy discussion topics, especially sexuality, gender roles, racism, marriage, and religion. I’d go into it here but then I really would spoil the novel…

  The Miniaturist was far more accessible of a read than I expected, and not as magical as I thought it would be. It was certainly suspenseful, sometimes downright creepy, but for a slow burn of a novel it was a very compelling read.

  .

  This qualifies as book 3 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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