Book 42: A Tale for the Time Being

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

 

I had seen several positive reviews for this novel, and thought it sounded like something I would enjoy.  An author, Ruth, discovers a journal on the beach of her remote Candian island shortly after the earthquake and Fukushima power plant disaster in Japan.  While her community expects to eventually find items swept away by the tsunami on their shores, it seems too soon for this piece to be one of those things.

 

The journal turns out to be the writings of a teenage girl in Japan.  Born in Japan, Nao grew up in California until her father lost his job, and they had to return home.  Except that to Nao, California is home, and Japan is a large unknown entity, where she quickly becomes the target of bullying.  She is behind on school, and generally does not fit in.  Her father spirals into a great depression as he has a hard time reconciling his failure and previous success.  As the journal begins, it is obvious that Nao wants to end her life, but first she wants to document her buddhist great-grandmother's life, a woman she didn't know existed until they were back in Japan.  Her great-grandmother is a great character, and one of the few people that Nao feels a connection to. Nao's  journal never quite gets around to telling Jiko's story, but instead she provides a deep look into her life.

 

The novel switches back and forth between Ruth and Nao, and while I generally didn't have any issues with Ruth, I was always in a hurry to get back to Nao.  However, Ruth decides to read the journal at a slow pace, basically only reading as much as she thinks Nao wrote as a time so there is lot of switching back and forth between the two characters.  Ruth's sections discuss much about the impact of globalism and climate change on the environment which I actually find interesting since it's a topic that I'm drawn to/terrified by.  However, there are also points where Ruth is a bit irritating and dense.  For example, at one point in the story she gets mad at her husband about his reaction to something in the journal, because she completely missed a very obvious point.  Ruth is a writer suffering from very bad writer's block after a successful novel, and towards the end some weird things start happening.  I had one idea for why that might be, but that's definitely not where it went.  Ozeki instead decided to go a bit metaphysical with her resolution.  It didn't work for me at all.  However, besides some weird things at the ending that I would have preferred resolved in a different way, I really enjoyed this book and read it in a day or two.

 

It's not perfect for me due to the ending, but there is a lot that is well done and I would definitely give it a shot.  Also, the author's husband's name is actually Oliver so I felt like much of that section was probably a bit semi-autobiographical or at least inspired by their lives.

Book 41: Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

 

I wrote and published this on the Cannonball Read site on 9 April.  Just finally caught up with all my other reviews so I could post it here and stay in chronological order.  Also check out Malin's review - she also loved it.

 

I pre-ordered this book back in January, so when I got home yesterday, this book was waiting for me.  I was both incredibly excited to start and nervous - this year hasn't exactly been a good one when it comes to satisfying conclusions (see How I Met Your Mother, and everyone's reactions to Allegiant, a book series I never started).  Of course, I actually enjoyed Days of Blood and Starlight as much as, if not more than, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I shouldn't have been worried since the series already avoided the dreaded yet almost normal dip in quality between books 1 and 2.  Now, I admit, I may be being a bit less critical because I love the series, and Taylor didn't mess up in the way some others did, but I really, really, really liked this novel.  Was it perfect and flawless?  No, but I really liked where the story and the characters ended up, and it was an emotional ride - there were definitely a few moments in the book when I was just thinking, "noooo" and "wait, so that means ..."  So overall, well done!

 

The last novel left things in a dark place but with some hope ... there was the possibility of the remaining rebel chimaera uniting with the Misbegotten, the bastard angel regiment, and Akiva and Karou were actually in the same location.  However, Jael had led a army of angels to Earth, and given that humans see angels and think "messengers of God," this was not exactly good news.  At this point, the chimaera are still facing extinction, the most evil angel is in charge, and the war might be expanding to Earth.  So definitely a dark starting point for a final novel!  And the thing is Taylor figures out a great way to plot and end her novel without it seeming out of character or out of nowhere.  Everything that happens has been alluded to in previous novels so nothing that happens can be dismissed as contrived or weak story telling.  I hadn't read a single review before reading this, so I don't want to spoil or give anything away which is why I'm being super vague here.

 

Taylor finally gives us answers about the Stelians, the angels Akiva's mother came from, and it is a very good background.  We also get the history by means of a different character, and the events that happened over a thousand years ago were the ones that made me go, "but that means this is even more tragic and sad because ..."

 

Surprisingly, Taylor actually introduces a completely new character in this novel, and her chapter even opens up the book.  While at first, I didn't find myself all that engaged with her story, and was kind of curious how she was going to play in, Taylor tied it all together perfectly!  I still could have passed on Eliza's super annoying co-worker.

 

While the novel goes dark places and pulls at emotions, Taylor brings quite a lot of the whimsy and lightheartedness back.  She balances the moods incredibly well, and doesn't overuse Zuzana and Mik.  I also really liked that even though we finally get resolution to Akiva and Karou as they face their feelings and whether there is such a thing as redemption, the love story doesn't take over the whole story nor are we dragged through a long triangle.  Akiva and Karou confront their feelings and their loyalties, while acknowledging the importance of their duties.

 

I think this was a great ending to the series.  I still wish someone would magically find a thurible with Brimstone's soul in it (that's not a spoiler, it's been established that he is gone-gone in previous novels), but it's the losses that make this series so poignant and powerful.  I loved her choice not to tie everything up in a ribbon as well.  This chapter of Eretz's history has ended, but that doesn't mean everything is over.  Taylor could very well choose to set another trilogy in this world, potentially with different characters, or she could stop it here, leaving the reader in the knowledge that the fight continues and life goes on.

Book 40: The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

 

This is one of those novels that's been languishing in my stack of unread books for long enough that I can't remember when I got it.  Probably while I was living in the Richmond, VA area, but I won't make any guarantees.  For a book that's been sitting around for anywhere from three to four years, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it - especially since I wasn't even sold on the beginning and it took me a while to get into it.

 

Towner Whitney left her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts several years ago for California, and hasn't returned.  She's recovering from a surgery when she receives a package from her beloved great-aunt Eva, and soon after there is a call that she's missing.  This leads to Towner's return to the town and the family she has been avoiding for a long time.  Towner warns us from the very beginning that she lies and should be viewed as an unreliable narrator.

 

It takes a while for everything to fall into place, but once the tale gets going, Barry ties things together in intriguing ways.  Towner has a dead twin sister and a strained relationship with her mother, who is a recluse on an island.  Her mom supports victims of domestic violence, who make lace on the island and sell it through many of local stores to the tourists.  Towner's family has a tradition as lace readers, using lace to see visions and make predictions though she has been avoiding this gift since she had a vision as a teen that turned bad.

 

I really enjoyed the ways Barry described Salem, the mix of tourists and locals.  Another prominent character is Calvin, a fundamentalist preacher or cult leader, who has a history with the Whitney family.  While at first the novel offers little explanation, putting the reader in the middle of a cast of characters whose relationships aren't always obvious, Barry slowly reveals the past, why Towner has avoided her past for so long and slowly shows why it is so important for Towner to face her demons.  I also liked Rafferty, the cop that is first part of the investigation of Eva's disappearance.  Since he wasn't a local, he doesn't know all of Towner's history, and provides a different view of the situation.

 

I just realized that one of my recent reviews is of Splintered which had a promising beginning and then lost momentum.  It was nice to discover the opposite of that in this novel as I became more invested the more I read, discovering more about the characters and their pasts.  I also became so wrapped up in Towner's narration that I forgot about her early warning about her lies, thinking of her as the normal one in a town of eccentrics.

Book 39: The Eye in the Door

The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker

 

This is one of those books where I get why it's acclaimed and award winning, but I didn't really enjoy it that much.  Granted, I'm not sure if these novels are meant to be enjoyed since I would definitely classify them in that literary fiction category that's more about teaching than enjoying.  However, even within that, I can't say the novel particularly moved me.  I thought it was dark and oppressive but in a way that actually turned me off from the novel.  It isn't a very long novel but it took me over a week to read because I never felt the desire to keep going.

 

Like the first and previous novel in this trilogy, Barker explores the psychological affects on the men fighting in World War I.  Dr. Rivers and Billy Prior reappear, though the focus has shifted a bit since the majority of the narrative takes place in London.  Billy Prior and another man have been released from the asylum, and have been reintegrated into life, though they obviously are still haunted.

 

While the previous novel dealt with famous historical figures, this one focuses more on fictional characters though Barker adds in more historical events, including a threatened expose of gays and lesbians in Great Britain.  She also devotes a great deal of time to exploring the Pacifist movement in Great Britain, using a childhood friend of Billy Prior to connect the two narratives.  Prior is very torn on his feelings because he certainly sees the bravery in his friend's stance and standing by it, but he can't help but think of how much worse the men at the front have endured.

 

I think maybe I would have liked this more if I was less knowledgeable about the subject.  Since I don't really like the characters (they just seem very flat to me), I think the main draw would have been the subject matter.  However, I've already read a nonfiction piece of pacifism in Great Britain during World War I (To End All Wars) so it's not like I was even gaining much insight into a new topic.  I already have the last book in the trilogy, and it is one of my goals to read at least twelve World War I books this year (or one per month), I am going to finish it out.  Maybe the next one will be a better experience.

Book 38: Splintered

Splintered by A.G. Howard

 

I never really got into the Alice in Wonderland thing as a kid.  Apparently, when I saw the Disney movie, I started crying because it scared me so much (honestly, I can't say this surprises me - I used to hate Ferris Bueller's Day Off because the film made me anxious because I was afraid he was going to get caught - plus, he was skipping school! ... now of course, I enjoy it for the comedy it is).  Of course, I know the basics - rabbit hole, Cheshire cat, caterpillar, Mad Hatter etc. though I do get confused once we hit the royalty.  Is there a queen of hearts and a red queen?  Or is that the same person?  I also never read the Lewis Carroll poems/book, and it is only more recently that I've had a bit of an interest in Alice related things, starting with the novel Alice I Have Been, a fictionalized account of the real Alice's life and her family's relationship with Charles Dodgson.  I've also seen the Tim Burton film which I thought was pretty but not really that engaging.

 

Anyway, as a result of my half-familiarity with the source material, I could pick up on the obvious references to Carroll's Wonderland but I'm sure there were things that simply flew over my head.  I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one but I am not actually sure how much of that is due to Howard's original ideas and how much of that is from the preexisting world she is writing in.  Certainly, I liked the premise, and the first half of the novel had me hooked.

 

Alyssa Gardner, the narrator, is descended from Alice Liddell, of Alice in Wonderland fame, and as one can imagine this has led to a certain amount of teasing in school. However, Alyssa has also inherited the family madness that led to her grandmother's death, and her mother's placement in an asylum.  Like the other women in her family, Alyssa can hear bugs and flowers speaking to her.  It actually serves as the inspiration for her art, as she makes mosaics of dead bugs to keep it under control.  However, as the novel continues, Alyssa starts witnessing things that make her realize that she and her mother aren't mad - they really can hear the bugs speaking to them, and Alice really went down a rabbit hole a hundred years ago, leaving the women of her family cursed for the things she did in Wonderland.  In order to save herself and her mother, Alyssa realizes she must go to Wonderland and fix what Alice did.

 

So far so good, right?  Alyssa is shown as a relatively capable and sarcastic protagonist in the beginning who is willing to go on an adventure.  Unfortunately, she has a crush on her neighbor and best friend Jeb, and while he is a bit overprotective and irritating in reality (he considers himself one of Alyssa's best friends but is dating her biggest bully and wants Alyssa to play nice), Alyssa ends up bringing him along to Wonderland with her, which may have been the worst plot decision ever for this novel.  When Alyssa is first exploring Wonderland and discovering the same potions that Alice did in the rabbit hole, the reader can barely relish the experience because Jeb keeps interrupting and saying they need to go back home.  I guess that's one of my faults.  I tend to get irritated with characters sometimes when they don't just go with the flow and accept the adventure even though it is an entirely reasonable reaction because well, I'm reading a fantasy novel and I know the adventure is going to happen so let's just get to it and stop protesting so much - plus at this point, the novel as already dealt with Alyssa's earlier disbelief.  I don't need two scenes worth of Doubting Thomases.

 

Once they are in Wonderland and thoroughly committed to the quest, Jeb becomes a crutch for Alyssa as she basically becomes a passive damsel in distress in need of rescuing.  Instead of a resourceful heroine, she just tags along on her own adventure.  Jeb continues to be obnoxious and overprotective, except more so.  It certainly doesn't help that Howard develops a love triangle between Jeb, Alyssa and Morpheus (a moth/the caterpillar from the original) as Morpheus volunteers himself as Alyssa's guide to Wonderland.  Morpheus was an interesting character, but his presence made Jeb a controlling chauvinist and distracted from the overall story.  Now, I really get what Howard was trying to do - Morpheus is supposed to appeal to Alyssa's dark, wild side while Jeb is the protective, sweet boy next door that she's had a crush on forever, but instead Jeb just comes off as a douche.  I honestly think the pull between light and dark would have worked for me more if Jeb had not been in Wonderland so I wouldn't have had an opportunity to realize what a tool he was.

 

While the novel started out as a page turner for me, by the end, it had really slowed and I actually felt like it dragged.  I think the main reason for this is the novel got bogged down and drowned in the love triangle.  Instead of describing Alyssa's adventure, I just felt like it kept describing her feelings for different boys and how they made her feel when they kissed her.  I was a bit curious about the sequel, but a few people mentioned loving Splintered and being annoyed by the lack of plot in the sequel as it's all about the love triangle.  Basically, it sounds like my issues with Splintered amped up to the nth degree which is unfortunate because I really liked the initial set up of this novel.

 

 

Book 37: Redeployment

Reployment by Phil Klay

 

I usually shy away from military related books, and short story collections, so I'm still a bit surprised I even picked this up since it fits both of those categories.  I'd seen it mentioned on one of those Amazon Editors' Picks lists, and when I saw it at Barnes and Noble, I started reading the first few pages just out of curiosity.  One reason I was slightly more interested in this one than other military novels is that one review had said that this collection might have a hard time appealing to civilians since it doesn't change up the language much or anything.

 

Having said that, I thought the collection was rather well done, and rang true even if I couldn't relate to many of the details or the specifics.  To be honest, I think that's another reason I am not that drawn to military books.  I never feel like they tell my story, and to be honest, a book about my deployments would be rather boring.  I was in a PLS company and did convoys on one, and during the other I had a staff job - I had long hours, but my actual job was predictable and as safe as you could possibly get in a war zone.  However, there were a few stories that actually did remind me of some of my experiences.

 

The one that comes most specifically to mind was the story told from the perspective of the Foreign Service Officer.  I wasn't in a civil affairs unit or anything like that, but much of my second deployment was focused on partnering with the Iraqi Army units in an advise and assist role.  As a result, some of the things definitely rang true since I remember my Soldiers complaining about the fact that we kept teaching them the same things, they totally knew what they were doing, and in some cases, our systems wouldn't work because they had their own.  I also a meeting with one particular Iraqi leader which basically turned into him giving us a laundry list of things they wanted - of course, we couldn't legally give him any of the things he requested but it shows the difference between what we were able to offer and what they actually wanted for themselves.

 

Honestly, I just enjoyed seeing the names of places I'd been mentioned in writing, such as Al Asad, Taji, Anaconda/Balad, Ramadi and even Istaqlaal (I was based in the first two, and brief stops or convoys to the others) as well as seeing other recognizable places and names.  Klay was a Marine and most of the stories are from the perspective of Marines, so the acronyms weren't always familiar.  Then again, if you talk to a Field Artillery guy in the Army and a logistics guy, you are already dealing with two slightly different cultures and vocabularies so that's not exactly a surprise.  As far as how well it reflects how people feel after combat and their experiences, I can't judge but it mostly rings true or at least conforms to what we think people must feel based on other books that have been published about the last decade of war.

 

2014 Summer Book Challenge Sign Up

I'm behind on posts and have not been getting as much reading done as I'd like (thanks a lot, grad school!) so of course it makes sense to sign up for another reading challenge!  Don't judge me, Malin!  However, my term is almost over, and I'm only taking one course over the summer and I think I have a good idea of what the work load will be since it's currently scheduled with a professor I've already had.  Plus, the challenge is from 1 May through 31 August, and during that time I am taking around 30 days leave from work and going on a cruise so I should totally have reading time!  (I'm also moving and deploying but minor details - plus, what else am I going to do on a plane ride across the Atlantic.)

Anyway, I stumbled upon Megan's blog when she was hosting her fall reading challenge last year, and even though I didn't sign up for that one, I've been following it ever since.  And I already have books at home that should help me complete this challenge (some of them I actually just got Monday when my mom took me to Barnes and Noble for my birthday and had me pick some books out).

As you can see, my list is still very tentative and I haven't completely made my decisions since a few of them have more than one option.  Anyway, here are the topics and my choices.  Also, the first five people done get to suggest a category for the next reading challenge - I don't know if I will be one of the five but I totally already have two ideas for what I would suggest!

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long. - Will probably depend on what I do for the last category - a few of them involve books in series that I actually need to read a few books to reach first.

10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born. - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around. (You must have at least 150 pages left in the book to use it for this category.) - Hood by Stephen Lawhead, Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore. - The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell

15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List when you begin reading it. - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (8), Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (2), The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (16), Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (14)

15 points: Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe. - Serena by Ron Rash, Palisades Park by Alan Brennert

15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge. (Yes, you will have to wait until the first check-in to choose this book! So no one will be able to finish this challenge in only one month; sorry!) - I'm hoping I can use one of the ones that I already have listed in the bestseller list for this since I already own the books and all and figure that one would have the most overlap between bloggers.

20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title. No other words will count—including kids, offspring, etc.—so please don’t ask. :) - Son of a Gun by Justin St. Germaine, Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire or The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014. (Here are 16 ideas to get you started, but I know there are plenty more options.) - If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Serena by Ron Rash or Monuments Men by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter

25 points: Read a book written by a blogger. (Submitted by Jessica of The Tangerine.) - Jack by Shannon LC Cate, The Purity Myth or Why Have Kids by Jessica Valenti

25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir. - I Don't Know Where You Know Me From by Judy Greer, Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles. - Girl in Translation and Out of Oz - In and Out? Any Which Way But Dead and Living History - Dead and Living?; Brain on Fire and Miracles on the Water - are Fire and Water antonyms or would that be fire and ice? Monuments Men/Lion Among Men and Dangerous Women - Men and Women? City of Lost Dreams/Number9Dream and The Truth of All Things - Dream and Truth?

 

A friend of mine gave me the books from Maguire's Wicked series for Christmas (we'd seen the musical together in December).  I already the first one years ago, but that's why they are showing up a lot here.  Also, a few books could work for different categories - I can't use them for more than one category of course, but I haven't decided yet which one I want to use them for - it's all going to depend on my mood at the time.  Fortunately, we are also allowed to switch the books as we go if we end up changing our minds later about how we categorized something.