Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

So so so so good. Incredibly good! 

This is a story about two women that keep a friendship going from the the time they were 7 until one of the dies. The friendship starts win the early 1800's in rural China.

I really enjoyed this novel, I got a history, culture lesson and a good story.  There were certain aspects of the story that made my stomach clench, foot binding!  That was an education! I really didn't understand what was involved and the reasons why it was even done.

The story starts with Lily, in her 80's, narrating her whole life.  She says that she can now tell the story because everyone is mostly dead so she wouldn't be bringing anyone shame.  I had a hard time with the story because there was hardly any dialogue, and I love dialogue.  She tells the story of how she and Snow Flower come to be life long friends, arranged by a local matchmaker, and the whole process of being "trained" to be wives. They became laotong, life-long pairs. Their relationship is supposed to be the closest of friendships ever, with contracts written at the age of 7.

Lily grows up in poverty and is taught how to take care of a home and everything that goes wit it.  Snow Flower comes from an affluent scholar family that has great social standing.  They trade knowledge to be able to secure good matches.  This works well for both of them, but once married their lives become very different and one of their husband's family prohibits the other from socializing with the other.  Status is very important to the citizens of the villages and everyone has a role to play.

A women's role during this time is invaluable but definitely not acknowledged, by anyone, not even to themselves.  A mother will tell her daughters how worthless they are, then she goes to her husband's home and and is told by her mother-in-law that she is worthless. A pregnant woman prays that she will not have a girl because they know how hard their loves will be and also because they are worried about themselves. Her only value is to produce sons, the household believe that feeding girls them is a waste of resources.  Although this was one of the most engaging parts of the story, it was also one of the most disturbing. The relationship between Lily and her mom hurt me.  I found this to be more hurtful than the footbinding. No wonder these girls sought solace with eachother. 

I would definetly read more Lisa See novels.

So Shelly by Ty Roth



Beautiful Cover Art-Made me swoon.



As I was investigating the February list for the Debut Author Challenge, the cover for this title struck me first.  I loved the dark romance of it. I was then further intrigued by the author because he was a English high school teacher and college professor.  I figured that was why his main characters were named after romantic authors of the 16th century: Shelly, Keats and Byron...little did I know.

    The story was very scandalous and I couldn't believe that this was considered a YA title.  Really! It was a lil' on Jerry Springer side.  There was some bbisexuality, incest, molestation, terrorism, underage sex and prostitution.  And, yes, all three main characters were writers.

    It seems that lately all the books that I have been reading have not had a linear storyline.  They all go back in forth, or start in the present and then start go back, or just go back in forth throughout the book as in the case of So Shelly.

     The story is narrated by the Keats, whose life mirrors in many small details the life of John Keats, the romantic poet.  He is telling the story as it was mostly told to him. What he actually saw happen was minimal...so it wouldn't hold up in court.

    This is a modern version of the lives of the romantic poets.  It's their stories, modernized for for today, which seems to be a trend with YA authors.  There's texting, emailing, blogging and DVD's and no birth control. 

     Roth conveniently has his writers all attend the same HS.  Shelly dies and leaves instructions for the other two in case of her death.  When Shelly was alive, both Byron and Keats were friends of hers, but not friends with each other  In death, she made them work together and the reminiscing begins.

     I know I have complained about storytellers not being linear in the narrating, but I didn't mind it so much here.  I think Roth did very well.  I like that his narrator explained that he was gifted, because honestly, on of my pet peeves is when adult authors forget that they are telling the story from the point of view of a teen.

     I got a history lesson with a great story.  Bryon's fictionalized character lives up to his the real Lord, club foot and all.  I would recommend this dark and brooding story, there was a short period of about 5 pages where I lost interest, but it was a fast read because there was always something hot happening. 

    Read it!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Tessa is a teen that travels by herself to London to meet her older brother and ends up getting kidnapped.  Someone wants to use her "changing" abilities for bad.  Enter the Good guys that take her in to protect her.  I usually figure out the twists and turns in these pretty quickly, so it was great to be kept in the dark up until the end.  There is a romance triangle in the making.  Which really sucks, because really?? Only a masochist would hook up with Will.  Girls need to stop trying to save boys like this. 

Clare is setting it up to be a good series, but I just liked her Mortal Instruments characters more. I missed them when the last book was done.  With this book I was almost relieved to say good-bye.  The only one that I would want to see/hear more of would be Jem.  Everyone else I felt was just too whiny.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series.  This new series I'll see through because know I need to know what happens.  Not so much because I care about the characters. 
This story takes place in Victorian London and I think that the story was very well evolved for the time period.  I remember reading many romance novels of this time period.  The setting has a lot to do with the behaviors of the characters.  I found it interesting how most women during this time would have killed for an opportunity like Jessie's and she wanted to be a lady and raise babies.
I'm invested for the rest of the books, I'll read it when I have time, but I am not as anxious for the next installment as I am for City of Angels.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

  This story made me cringe and soar and then cringe some more.
I was hesitant to purchase the book because most reviewers didn't want to give too much away but gave me so little I couldn't make a decision. After my best friend said that I had to read, "But I can't tell you anything about it." I bought it, and I loved it.
  The settings are characters in books as well as the live characters. Without being to preachy the author educates us on the ugliness in the world around us, and what people are capable of to save themselves or others. He guides us through the evolution that his cast go through as a consequence to people ignoring the things that don't happen in their back yard.
  Although all of the characters were very rich, and thought out, I had a hard time really liking anyone in particular. There was no one that I would want to hang out with, to have a cup of coffee with or an after dinner drink, much less share a full meal. Least favorite was. Well...maybe a juice box with Batman.
  The story is spectacular and I'm glad it ended where it did. Cleave did a wonderful job telling the story from two points of view and from a women's perspectives. The last male author that I believe did an awesome job of that was Wally Lamb. The story structure was another thing that blew me away. I know I recently complained of another author using too many back-stories to tell the present story, but Cleave weaved this in such a way that it was effortless reading. It made sense to tell the story this way!
Okay, so I don't want to give too much away, but what I will tell you is that it's a story about survival.
  Little Bee: "We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived" Only sixteen and so wise…

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Let me start with : This is a good read! Yes it's YA, yes it was a lil' on th

e predictable side...but...

While I read this with two other friends, it seems that I was the only one that had the end figured out.  When I shared my predictions one of my fellow reader, her reaction completely threw me off and had me rethinking the plot.

Lonely, bullied girl Cara gets a visit from her childhood BFF that assists her in a manic makeover.  You know that as soon as a makeover is set up most of the problems will melt a way.  Not true with Choker.  Problems get worse, which is good.  The story gets sicker and more twisted and I loved it!

It is beyond creepy and therefore I totally enjoyed it.  It was a fast read made especially faster by the building tension. 

There were some editing flaws, I blame the editor.

Kudos to Elizabeth Woods on her debut novel.

3/5 Stars!

Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal

Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal

The families in this book read like any of the families that you would find at any immigrant Dominican social in New York City, Miami or Philadelphia; they are pot luck, the women, children and men are segregated, judging their friends, talking about how much you spent on something, braggin about your kids, drinking, talking about the old country and there is gossip galore. 

This back story read like so many immigrant stories, the difference is in the narrator’s coming of age/coming out saga.  It is indeed a story that will pull you in.  It brings back all the memories of how when you are 12 every single thing is such a HUGE deal, how exciting it is to have the “cool kids” at school take in interest in you.  All the angst of not yet being an adult, but knowing that sometimes you will be expected to act like one and at other times not.  His journey to sexual discovery is both hilarious and devastating.  They way that Rakesh Satyal handles the subject is wonderful.

 The narrator, Kiran Sharma, is a 12 year old school isolated by his differences from his school mates, too ethnic, artistic, and girly? Isolated by the other Indian children in his parent’s social circle, too Americanized, girly, know-it all? And even from his own parents, they just don’t know what to make of him.  The hilarity in which the story is told doesn’t take away any of the seriousness of Kiran’s plights.  You will definitely have many laugh out loud moments, and when Kiran gets into another of his mishaps you will say “that is so Kiran”.

Kiran is most definitely misunderstood, as much as he practices the Language Arts has a lot of trouble communicating with the people around him.  While the narrator is 12, it doesn’t read like a 12 year old book.  This is not YA literature.  While it sounds like he is narrating while these events are occurring, I can’t imagine a 12 year old narrating with this insightfulness. 

My only criticism to the author is that he forgets that he is narrating from the point of view of a 12 year old.  One minute he is too knowing of adults and the next clueless to why they do the things that they do.

Read it!

New Challange

I've been following two reading bloggers for the past year and take a lot of their suggestions when they rave about books.  Especially YA books.  One happens to also be an educator in a Dual Language school, so I have a certain kinship to her.

So following in their footsteps, I'm joining their 2011 reading challenge. I already convinced one friend to join me, maybe others will as well, Hint
Hint!

My friend and I have chosen on Choker by Elizabeth Emma Woods