Rebecca

My older sister highly recommended Rebecca to me a long time ago, but I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago. When I received my copy from the mail, I was a little disappointed and a bit hesitant to read this because of the book cover. It looked really cheesy like a Danielle Steele book... I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but people do! That's why there are book cover artists! Since this was agreed upon as our next book in our book club (comprised of two, sometimes three, people), I started Rebecca without expecting too much.

This book is told through the voice of a nameless young woman who falls in love with a very wealthy, older man. The majority of the book is spent on his estate, Manderley, made popular by his late wife Rebecca. Even though Rebecca has been dead for nearly a year, it seems as though she is still alive, her presence felt throughout the mansion, even at the edge of their property by the gray, hungry sea. Reminders of her exist almost everywhere. The heroine seems to be drowning in Rebecca's past.

I finished this book several days ago, and I find myself still thinking about that time, that world. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daphne du Maurier is a very talented writer. Her words transport you to that time period, that estate, that room, experiencing the very feelings the narrator is feeling. It started off a little slow, but things pick up. There are twists and turns that blew my socks off! Thinking about it gives me butterflies. :) It starts off being a little naive and youthful, but quickly becomes haunting, beautiful, and sometimes sinister. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm recommending it to everyone.

The Great Gatsby

I remember reading this book sometime in high school and recall thinking it was "not bad". And this being my husband's favorite book of all time, I decided to reread this great American classic a few days ago. I don't recall the story being so tragic, leaving an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Being the sucker for romance, I would prefer it to have a happy ending, but I'm sure it wouldn't be as popular if it had. Fitzgerald's way with words is truly amazing. The way he chooses to describe something may be nothing like what I would have thought. Through his eloquence, I saw ordinary things at a different perspective. There were countless times while reading where I stopped to imagine his words. I found myself thinking "wow... that's nicely written." I have to admit that in some cases, he's so eloquent, that I found some parts difficult to understand. Other than that, I thought it was a great book. I can't say that it's my favorite, but it's definitely good.

I Know this Much is True

I bought this book at an airport several years ago. This was chosen because it had Oprah's seal of approval and was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. I've never read any books from Oprah's Book Club, but just assumed it was supposed to be good... Forward to three years later, and I'm finally done with the book.

If it took me three years to finish it, it's obvious I wasn't too fond of it. I actually had to start all over again which was a pain because the whole book was rather depressing. It's about a pair of twin brothers Dominick and Thomas. The first is "normal" while the other suffers from schizophrenia. One day, Thomas hacks off his arm in a library because of the voices in his head and is immediately placed into an institution. A portion of the book takes you through the obstacles Dominick, the "healthy" twin, goes through to try to help his brother, while a large hunk of the book talks about their past growing up with an abusive step father and a mother who's afraid of her own shadow. The story of his grandfather is also told through an autobiography his grandfather left behind before he passed away. That was the most interesting part...

I find this book to be quite depressing, dark and moody. There is not one happy person in it. Happy moments can be counted one hand, and those are always crushed by something horrible that happens afterwards. Almost everyone has major mental or emotional issues. This was just not my kind of book. I like to escape to different times and places to experience adventure, romance, good humor... This book didn't deliver any of these. If you like books that are dark and depressing, this one's for you!

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

This is the story of Jesus' childhood told through the voice of his childhood best friend Biff. I am fairly ignorant of the stories told within the bible, but apparently, all of the stories that have been written only includes Jesus' birth, skips his childhood and early adulthood, and continues when he is in his 30's. I think. This book fills in this huge gap. Since no one knows what really happened in these three decades, the author Christopher Moore, fills us in and writes of Jesus and Biff's adventures during this time with a really big dose of humor. I laughed out loud several times, so it was definitely an enjoyable read. I think it was a little risky to write a book like this because chances of offending people may be pretty high, so having a good sense of humor is a must. But Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Son of a Witch did say "Lamb is hysterical, sexy, and really deeply moving: Moore performs a sleight-of-hand, a balancing act, of fiendish exactitude - not an ounce of bathos too much, not a shred of potential heresey for anyone who takes the story too seriously, not a joke-op missed." And not only was this book funny, it also brought you through adventures of ancient lands. A bit of history, a bit of humor... Sounds good to me!

Either You're In or You're in the Way

Either You're In or You're in the Way is about a pair of twin brothers', Logan and Noah Miller, adventure making a feature length film, Touching Home, with Academy Award winners like Ed Harris with absolutely no experience or knowledge of filmmaking, all because of a promise made to their dead father.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It was a very easy read, written as if they're just talking to you. It sounded very honest and it was like you were sort of on the ride with them. Different emotions were stirred through their story - humor, anxiety, love, frustration, disbelief, and so much more. I'd recommend this anyone who wants something fun and easy.

World Without End

I just finished reading Ken Follett's "World Without End" sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth". If you have read my mini-review of "Pillars...", you'll know that I absolutely loved that book and gave it 5/5 stars. I'd give its sequel 4.5/5 stars only because of one reason: I think Follett perhaps tried to tie the two books together a little too much. During the first couple hundred pages, I was constantly confused with all the characters, and the introduction of new characters seemed never ending.

So what's this book about? Like Pillars, a great deal of the story revolvs around architecture and the plague outbreak plays a big part later on. And like Pillars, the characters don't bore you. They are good, evil, conflicted, manipulative, ambitious, sexual, violent... Once you get past the insane amount of names mentioned, it's an easy read that you'll look forward to every single day. And when the end is approaching, you'll be sad that your book affair will soon be over...

Twilight Series

I found this old entry that was never published, so to my readers, my views on the Twilight series from last August...

After much resistance on my part, my friend finally succeeded into making me read the Twilight series. I'm currently on the fourth book. Overall, it's been an enjoyable read. I totally get why so many chicks dig this series. Even I was crooning over Edward during the first two books. It was written for all females (and some males) who have wanted it all, so much so that their desires can only come true in fiction. And that's one of the two most annoying things in this series. (The first is her horrible writing, but I won't get into that because you can kind of overlook that after the first book.) It's TOO MUCH!

1. Bella has horrible self esteem. She keeps putting herself down. She is convinced she is not good enough for Edward and is always afraid he'll leave her.

2. OK. We get it. Edward is hot. His eyes smolder. Kissing him makes her dizzy every time. But do you really have to mention it EVERY SINGLE TIME???

3. Does every single teenage boy in the books have to have a crush on Bella? Isn't that a bit much?

4. Her way of dealing with Edward leaving her in book 2 was ridiculous. I understand the pain, because I've certainly been there, but no one should act that way after a guy dumps her. This is setting a very bad example for young girls. They'll think it's okay to throw yourself into misery for MONTHS over a boy. That is not cool.

5.

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This posting was never finished, but I don't want to waste my time on Twilight.

Blessed Margaret of Castello

One day, I was just thinking about what would make me turn my head? First thing that came to mind was a hunchback, albino midget. Wouldn't that be a sight? But was there such a person? I was curious and had to find out. Did a quick search and didn't quite find what I was thinking, but came upon Margaret of Castello. She was born into nobility during the thirteenth century with many physical handicaps: blind, lame, hunchback, a midget and with facial deformations. Because of her parents' embarrassment of their daughter's appearance, they imprisoned her in a little cell during her childhood and abandoned her in a foreign town years later after their attempts to "fix" her failed. During her lifetime, she went through many trials and tribulations, but when she died, all of the townspeople fought for her sainthood. Her life seemed so intriguing that I ended up buying her biography. The book itself wasn't greatly written, but the story of her life was incredible. Reading about her made me want to be more patient and tolerant. (I wanted but did not become.) It's a short read and got it from Amazon for only $0.01 (plus shipping). It was well worth it.

The Pillars of the Earth

Just finished reading Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth." This book is amazing. The story takes place in England (and parts of Europe) during the twelfth century when the lands were plagued with war, lawlessness, and the growth Christendom. It's filled with adventure, love, revenge, violence... Not a dull moment from beginning to end, except some parts when he was explaining about architecture and engineering of the cathedral. This is totally recommend to anyone and everyone, unless you hate 1000 page readers.

Peony in Love

I found a new favorite book. It's Peony in Love by Lisa See. Being the nerd that I am, I am rereading the book immediately after I finished it last week. Yay! :)


So why do I love the book? It takes place during the arranged marriages and foot binding days of China. I will read almost anything about the struggles of humanity - a favorite of mine when I was little was Road to Memphis. But China really draws me in since I am Chinese. Anyway, I learned a lot about Chinese traditions and ways of thinking, some of which my family is accustomed to today. And some history too (this is partially based on factual events)! But the primary reason is because it's a (tragic) love story. What a sucker I am. It's explores common emotions - regret, passion, revenge, longing, anger, and love evolving through time. It's a sniffler (tissues recommended) with surprising twists. But since a chunk of this book is told through the a 15/16 year old girl, some may think it's quite immature. In some parts, I just wanted to slap her and make her face reality! And the beliefs of the afterworld may be a little far fetched for some.

But if I had to sum up this book in a single word, I'd say it's "beautiful."