2023 Year in Review and 2024 New Year's Resolution

Another year has come and gone.

I read and reviewed a total of 17 books this year. Just when I thought I have reached an all-time low last year with 31 books, I break my own record this year by doubling it south. It certainly is not impressive, but that's pretty much my average these days.

Year 2023 @ 17 (-14 YOY)
Year 2022 @ 31 (-14 YOY)
Year 2021 @ 45 (-5 YOY)
Year 2020 @ 50 (+4 YOY)
Year 2019 @ 46 (-16 YOY)
Year 2018 @ 62 (+10 YOY)
Year 2017 @ 52 (■ YOY)
Year 2016 @ 52 (-22 YOY)
Year 2015 @ 74 (-23 YOY)
Year 2014 @ 97

Crochet: Scarf: Chevron Scarf

This is my first serious attempt at crocheting a scarf. Did I just mention "serious"? Yes, I did. Well, that's because I have some vague impressions of a feeble attempt at doing the same, though one of a different pattern, many years ago. I think that scarf was made of double crochet stitches, and no, I cannot remember what happened to that scarf. It is most likely that I have threw it away.

I started this project on 21 Dec 2023 but didn't think that I will be able to complete it before the year is out. So, once again, I am surprised at the speed and ease of my ability to move things along. Strictly speaking, I started this project one day later, on 22 Dec, as I unraveled all that I have made - at least 21 rows - to start all over again. Expectations pile high as I intend this scarf to be a gift. So, when I deem the tension too loose or too tight, I unravel the rows. And when I feel that the scarf is not wide enough, I unravel the rows again. I think I may have unraveled at least three times before I feel satisfied enough to continue on.

This is the first time I work on a V shaped pattern. I came across this Chevron scarf pattern from Crochet to Calm: Stitch and De-Stress with 18 Simple Crochet Patterns by Interweave Editors. Crochet to Calm is a fun, easy to read book. There are inspiring pictures, interesting patterns and clear instructions on how to go about with the projects. This Chevron pattern uses single stitch and back loops to create texture for the scarf. Perhaps because I have never worked on V shaped pattern before, I find it amazing how skipping two stitches can lead to a very different look and feel of a scarf.

A scarf is an easy project to work on, one that can be completed with relatively less time as compared to crocheting a shawl. But even so, I don't think I will be crocheting more scarf any time soon, unless I have someone really special to give it to.

Review: Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton

3 stars for Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton.

I bought two non fiction books in Scotland last month - yes, two out of sixteen books altogether. I have already read and reviewed the first non fiction Cider with Rosie. This is the second one. Priced at GBP7.79 for a hard cover, it is an absolute steal. And the best part is, I cannot find any visible damage on the book, the very reason it was marked down from GBP12.99.

This book shares with us what it means to celebrate Christmas. It is in fact, a book for life, not just for Christmas. Filled with personal stories, it offers good advice for slowing down and staying calm to enjoy the Christmas magic during the festive season.

Perhaps it is the timing or the season in one's life, I find that chapter 6 on honoring the melancholy resonates the most with me. Indeed, grief is a part of life, and sometimes life can be hard, and hard to understand. As quoted, according to Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, "Loneliness is a feeling people experience when the relationship they have do not match up to those they would like to have. When this feeling persists it can have a negative impact on wellbeing and quality of life."

On the theme of loneliness, the author shares some really good tips on how to deal with it. Loneliness is often invisible. Most people will not tell you that they are suffering. As such, we cannot tell someone else's emotional experience, and it is not just during the Christmas season, it could be any time of the year - the shadow of loss, the beating heart of sorrow, the searing pain of loneliness and the full ache of wishing things are different. We can only help to reduce the pain of loneliness and elevate spirits by being kind to one another.

If I ever read this self-help book a second time, I hope I will feel differently when I come to chapter 6 again.

Crochet: Shawl: Classical Attitude Shawl

We all need a break from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Yet, I have not felt the need nor the mood to start a new crochet project in the first half of this year. It was only in late October, due to the state of my mind at that point in time, that I felt I am badly in need of doing something repetitive and meditative. On 22nd October 2023, I picked up my crochet hook, took out my big skein of gradient cotton yarn and embarked on this repetitive meditative journey. A self-healing journey, or so I hope.

Since it has been such a long time I last crochet, I find myself at quite a loss to begin with. For a start, I have difficulty remembering how to do a magic ring. In the end, I turned to YouTube videos to help me get started. The good thing is, once I have the magic ring completed, I find myself picking up momentum and ready to brave through at the speed of a freight train. Oh, scratch that, I exaggerated. But the truth is, I am glad to have decided to crochet again. Crocheting a shawl is both fulfilling and rewarding. Not only do I get to have a beautiful piece of practical end product, I get to enjoy the peace and calm and meditative effect of the process.

I thought it will take me many months - at least three months - to complete this lovely shawl due to the many inevitable interruptions here and there. Yes, I brought this project along with me to Scotland in November for two weeks, hoping to be able to spend some time on it while on vacation. In the end, I hardly crochet while I was there except on my flight to and back. So you can imagine how surprised I am that I managed to complete this pastel colour shawl last night - 18 Dec 2023. All in all, it took me four days shy of two months to complete this project, and before the year is out. I am indeed very pleased with myself.

This Classical Attitude Shawl is a work of art - simple yet elegant. It is brilliantly created by Hobbii and available for free download at their website Classical Attitude shawl. The pattern is designed to provide both familiarity and variety to keep the person working on it relaxed and entertained at the same time. If you are looking to crochet a shawl with a meditative stitch pattern but one that is not so repetitive as to be boring, this is the one for you.

Review: Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

4 stars for Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee.

I bought a total of sixteen books from my vacation to Scotland last month, mostly from secondhand bookstores in Edinburgh. Cider with Rosie is one of them books that I lugged back home from afar.

While holding the book and contemplating my purchase, I thought the author is a girl until I read the short introduction after the cover page. Then I started to wonder if author Lee's wife is someone by the name of Rosie. I decided there and then to buy the book, to read for myself and find out in good time.

The book is a recollection of early boyhood. Laurie Lee's account of his childhood is full of joy and gratitude for youth in a rich and sensuous world located in a remote Cotswold village. The writing is welcoming and fresh, of an era and landscape that has mostly vanished from today's world. Each sentence tells of first hand account mingled with the sense of hearing, touch, sight and smell. It is a heartwarming and wondrous record of a life lived.

Having finished Cider with Rosie, I can't help but consider if I want to pursue his two other autobiographies in the same series: As I Walked Out One Midsummer (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). But when I turn my head to look at my collection of books, I see the rest of those fifteen recently-bought books waiting for me, and I tell myself, I better read those first.

Review: The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

5 stars for The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld.

This is an overdue post. I meant to write my review and post it right after reading, but as usual, things do not always turn out the way we want it, and so, this turns out to be a really late post.

The Enchanted is a dark story about men on the row waiting to die and a woman who is assigned the job of death penalty investigator. Though the tale borders on the theme of death and can be unsettling at times, it is a joy to read this book as it is filled with lyrical descriptions of this so-called enchanted place. To quote "When you walk on death row, you look for the light. Any light." The writer also expressed emotions in an an imaginative and beautiful way. To quote "the sound of freedom is like the wind in the trees, the splash of water hitting the pavement, the gentle caress of rain on your face and the sound of laughter in the open air." The books talks about death, not just the dead but a deeper kind of melancholy about what happens when a person dies. To quote "How odd it is, that the dead weigh more than the living. You would think it would be the opposite, but it isn't. I think it is because souls give bodies lightness and air. When the soul leaves, the body has nothing left and is desperate to return to the earth. That's why it's so heavy."

The story is brilliantly crafted with the first person narrator as the fly on the wall - the quiet unnoticed-by-all observer that sees and hears everything and lives to tell the story of what goes behind the stone walls of the prison dungeon. He is the all-seeing eyes of the inmates, guards, wardens, the priest, and the lady. Ironically, the inmates are the ones with names such as York, Striker, Arden. The rest of the characters are given generic names such as the priest, the lady, the warden.

Death penalty investigation is labour intensive as it takes months to locate ancient records, to track down witnesses from decades before, to uncover the truth of a crime. There is much mystery lurking behind the inmates awaiting execution and the author knows how to get the reader hooked with delicious anticipation by peeling off the layers piece by piece to get the truth out.

The story builds steadily and the plot - I won't say it thickens, because to me, that is not exactly what happens - develops in its own unique way. I savor every drop of word that forms sentences to bring to life a whole new sensation of reading.

A powerful and enchantingly beautiful novel.

Review: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

3 stars for Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa.

This is a tale about the value of kinship, the magic of reading and the power of books that bring together people from all walks of life, and to a smaller extent, the meaning to living.

Set in Jimbocho, Tokyo, the story of living in a bookstore with unlimited access to books is every booklover's dream. How I wish the same for myself, that I too, have a wild, carefree and unconventional uncle who owns and operates a secondhand bookshop, one where I get to work and live in at the same time. It will be a dream come true.

Though the story revolves around a bookstore and books, it is not a story just about manning a bookstore and selling books, it is also about relationship managing, networking and connecting to people. There are obvious parallels between doing a book business and living a life. The author works to draw a parallel between the two, to be connected to people through books. There is the joy to be had in connecting to someone we have little or nothing in common with through books. There are also the wonders of being connected to secondhand books, to be given the chance to experience encounters or connections that transcend time, to be a part of that bookstore where readers can feel the quiet flow of time.

To quote "Even though we think of it as an independent business, what matters in the industry more than anything are the relationships you have with people. I guess that's probably true of the world in general."

Besides the theme of relationship dynamics, the author also explores perspectives and possibilities. People's frame of mind change over time and so do their views on living life on their own terms and on values that feel true to themselves - the search for meaning in life and what one truly wants. Through the characters, we have glimpses about living life, about seeing the world, and about exploring a whole range of possibilities out there.

To quote ".. I don't know, maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it."

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is not the most ideal story for me, but it is definitely a refreshing one with a gem of a book cover. The paperback with rows of upright books gracing the cover make a lovely addition to my bookshelf.

And yes, I will love to have a Morisaki Bookshop, one where I can call my own.

Review: Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith

2.5 stars for Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith.

I cannot remember how I came to add this book onto my reading list. But I do remember why the book captures my attention enough for me to add it to my ever-growing list of books. The story revolves around two men and to a certain extent, a woman. Both men are related to the woman, one is the father, the other, the husband. Here comes the interesting part - the woman is dead, and the father accuses the husband of murdering his daughter. Now, the million-dollar question is, is the father right in his accusation? Or is the husband innocent? The only way to find out is to, well, read the book.

The book is about friendship, forgiveness, managing grief and moving on after a death. I will say it is not a story I enjoy reading thoroughly. Perhaps because I already have some ideas on the overall plot, I find myself forming certain expectations based on what little I know, and when those expectations are not met, I am disappointed. Or perhaps this story is just too direct to the point of uneventful. There is pretty much nothing fanciful or exciting in the plot development, instead, an overdose of nitty gritty details.

Those Who Walk Away has been on my list for at least 3 years. Now I am simply glad to have finally read it and to walk away (or rather, strike it off my reading list). For those who love simplicity and ambiguity in a story, well, this may be the book for you.

Review: Lottery by Patricia Wood

4 stars for Lottery by Patricia Wood.

In the midst of watching and rewatching Chinese drama series, I decide that I still want to do some reading. Deep down I know my reading progess will be slow but it does not bother me so long as I know I am still reading. I have no idea what I want to read, so I just randomly scroll to a collection on my kindle and click on it. I laugh out loud when I saw that the book I have so randomly chosen is one titled Lottery.

Initially, I wasn't sure if Lottery will make a good company, but it turns out that my worries are extras. The book makes an excellent lunch time buddy as the characters - Perry, Keith, Gary, Cherry, Gram, Gramp and even those so called cousin-brothers - come alive and leap out of the pages to accompany me on a great many lunches. Perry and his first person narratives never fail to perk up my lunch break. Gradually, his voice and his simple outlook to life turned into a kind of quiet strength for me.

As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, I start to worry if I will ever finish reading this book. Yes, it does feel as if I am taking forever to read this book since I read mostly during weekdays lunch time. Now I have my answer and I know it can be done because reading is just, well, reading. The story will come to an end some day, even if it takes me as long as three months.

Lottery is both a happy and sad story. The protagonist, Perry, is a simple man. And because he is a simple man, everything he sees and does is processed in a different way. And because of that, life becomes so much simpler. And happier. I would say, Perry in Lottery is the thinking cap to a happy life. And oh yes, I learn a new word from him in this book. Perry likes the word "echt" and it keeps popping up throughout the book - it means real, genuine, authentic.

Lottery is a great story. This is echt. This is true.

Review: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

Did Not Finish A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson.

I did not expect this, but the fact is, at 40%, this book has joined my limited repertoire of Did Not Finish. Still, I will like to say something, hence posting this short review.

This Young Adult fantasy novel is remarkable in its originality. I am lulled into reading the book on the promise that it involves art-based magic, romance, and murder.

True to its word, there is the combination of all three in the aforementioned, and then some. The protagonist, 18-year-old Myra Whitlock, possesses the unique ability to alter reality with her painting. She does portrait painting with a wondrous touch of magic healing. Because of this rare ability, she is offered a highly challenging job, one of its kind. To accomplish what she is tasked to do, Myra needs to unravel a mystery. And in seeking the truth, romance happens in its most unexpected form.

In truth, I have nothing against this book, the characters and the story. I know for sure, if I am to read this book at a different stage in life, I will have latched on to the story and not let go. It is a beautiful enchanting story where there is a hero and there is a heroine.

I like to think it is a matter of time and space that I am unable to finish reading the book. Still, this is a good story and one that I will recommend to read.

Review: Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh

Did Not Finish Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter book 1) by Nalini Singh.

While deep in the throes of urban fantasy novels involving vampires and lycanthropes, I decide to try the Guild Hunter series. This series has fifteen books written to date and if I am not wrong, is still an ongoing series. So, if the story is my cup of tea, I will have no worries on books to read, at least for a long while.

The protagonist is this book is a 28-year-old vampire hunter Elena Deveraux. The unusual thing about the vampires here is that, they are not the exotic powerful sexy vampires protrayed in most books, but rather, they are slaves to angels, the price paid for exchanging their mortality for servitude. Elena is tasked with an odd job this time, instead of a vampire, she is to track an Archangel..

I can't say much more about the story and the writing as I give up reading at the 15% mark. I can only say that the story is not my cup of tea. It is sad because there goes my fifteen potential reads. I hope this is not a sign that I have grown too jaded to enjoy a murder mystery amidst steamy sexual tension in urban fantasy novels.

Review: Blood Enemy (Underworld #2) by Greg Cox

2 stars for Blood Enemy (Underworld book 2) by Greg Cox.

Having enjoyed Underworld thoroughly, I move on to the next instalment in the series almost immediately after the concluding chapter in book 1.

Blood enemy is still very much a story about the shadow war fought by immortal creatures of the night, vampires versus werewolves. But the focus is different. It is a story before Underworld and bulk of it is about Lucian's love interest, Sonja. It is the reason for the rise of the lycans against their vampire masters. For countless generations, the vampires oppressed the lycans, condemning the wolf kind to never-ending servitude. This book sheds light on why the household lycans defect from the vampire's castle and flock to join Lucian and his army to oppose the coven.

Sad to say, I did not enjoy reading Lucian and Sonja's love story. While the writing is good, the story gets stale after a while.

Still, credit is given to the author for connecting this book back to the main story, where there arises the search to find a way to match the staggering power of the vampires Elders, the search for some secret, hidden away in the very origins of the two races - vampire and lycan. In closing, we are given a sneak preview as to how the ultraviolet ammunition - the glowing blue cartridge that seems to be infused with encapsulated sunlight - that we see in book 1 comes about.

Review: Underworld (Underworld #1) by Greg Cox

5 stars for Underworld (Underworld book 1) by Greg Cox.

Never once in my life have I ever thought that there will come a day where four yet-to-be-written reviews stare right in my face. Initially it is just one, then it becomes two. And then, it doubles up and becomes four. The more I procrastinate, the higher the number. It just doesn't get better, does it? Somehow, I feel the need to explain what happened, at least for my own sake. So.. well.. drama CLJ happened. For those who know me well, I am never into soap opera or what you call drama chasing. But this time, I have it bad. I am hooked. Suddenly, all my free time seems to disappear into thin air. I have time for nothing else. Though I will say drama chasing is similar to staying up late to read a really good book, it is also in a way different. Drama chasing is more tiring, it zaps not only my time, but my energy as well. The worst is, I am not done swooning over it yet - I am rewatching this drama TV series. Action speaks louder than words. It goes to show how much I adore this particular drama. To add on, I am also spending a tremendous amount of time - hours on end - doing finger exercises on its OST piano collection. I don't know how much more time I will be investing on drama CLJ and/or anything related to it. But I know it is only a matter of time I will get over this drama thing, in fact, any good drama given sufficient time. And when that day comes, I will go back to reading. Always. Without fail. For now, I just want to get the four reviews out of the way, so I can go back to swoon in peace over the characters, the settings, the songs and whatnots in this newfound favourite drama of mine.

Underworld. This is a rare one where I watch the movie first, then read the book.

Having watched the Underworld movie years ago, I feel a surge of excitement as I am about to embark on my journey to relive Underworld - in my mind's eyes this time - all over again, to meet Selene, Michael and all the rest of the wolfish and vampiric characters. In fact, I mentally prepare myself that the book is going to be very different from the movie version as movie script writers are known to dramatize.

To my surprise, the Underworld movie followed closely to the book, right up to the scenes, the settings and even the speeches. It is unexpected. As I read the book, I stop intermittently to rewatch the movie. Suddenly I find myself catching a lot more of the story details than my first viewing of the movie. For example, when I first watched the movie, I am only aware that the characters are fighting and running around in the scenes. With the book reading, I see all the finer details amidst the fighting and so much more. The book is well written and helps bring everything together in vibrant clarity.

Set in the ancient city of Budapest, the Hungarian capital, a human is caught in the middle of a covert war that has been raging for the better part of a thousand years… a blood feud between vampires and lycans. Older, more powerful lycans such as Lucian, the most feared and ruthless leader of the lycan horde, are now able to change form at will, no longer tied to the moon. They are becoming a greater threat to the vampires and the Death Dealers. (Death Dealers are an elite squad of vampire warriors that hunt down the surviving man-beasts and kill them off)

Towards the end of my reading, I find it strange that almost all the conversations in the book echo the words spoken out loud in the movie, so much so that it seems as if it is the book that takes after the movie, not the other way round. Finally, I decide to consult Google and have my suspicions confirmed.

Underworld is a 384-page novelization of the movie of the same name written by Greg Cox and released by Pocket Star on September 1, 2003. The book contains scenes that were changed during filming, or which were never included at all. I also discover that this was actually mentioned on the book cover which I have never bothered to take a good look at.

P/S: Novelizations are, in essence, book-length descriptions of movies, typically written not by the author of the screenplay. They are the complete opposite of the more familiar practice of turning a book into a movie.

For those who have never watched or read the Underworld series, I will recommend reading the book first then the movie. Because no matter how one feels about it, there is this major flaw on watching the movie before reading - the reader's imagination is compromised.

Review: Freaks: Alive, on the Inside! by Annette Curtis-Klause

2 stars for Freaks: Alive, on the Inside! by Annette Curtis-Klause.

This review is overdue. I should have posted it two weeks ago, but I didn't look forward to writing it, so I keep procrastinating until I am almost done with my current book and can wait no longer.

Not only does it seem to take forever for me to sit down and write this review, I feel like it is also taking me forever to read the book. Truth is, I did not like the story much.

This book is about a group of performers who use their unusual physical difference to trade for a means of livelihood. It is also a story of these human oddities trying to find their self-esteem and worth in the midst of their search for identity and a sense of belonging.

While I have all the respect for unusual people who against the odds, fight and create lives for themselves, make the best of what they can to earn a living, have family and children, sorry to say, I find it difficult to like this fantasy of a story weaved with these people as a focal point.

Review: The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis-Klause

4 stars for The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis-Klause.

This is a story about family, friendship and dealing with life-changing events. The main characters are Zoe, a 17-year-old girl whose mother is stricken with cancer, and Simon, a 300-year-old vampire who, turned at the age of nineteen, still looks like a young adult.

The first half of the story is slow moving, uneventful and overly filled with repetitive thoughts of loneliness and how Zoe feels about her family and facing off death that I almost wanted to stop reading for good. I am glad that I did not give up as the second half of the story is where the plot thickens and there is even an unexpected twist.

To put it simply, Silver Kiss is a story about the dying, the undead and the living. I was all ready to give it a 3-star rating until the plot twist and ending change my mind. The bittersweet end to the story is just so right.

Review: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis-Klause

5 stars for Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis-Klause.

I have finally read this Young Adult Fantasy novel - Blood and Chocolate. Some of you may find the title kind of weird, but not for me, simply because the book has been on my reading list for more than fifteen years. I never get down to reading it for the reason that the hard copy cannot be found in the library in those early pre-ebook days. I can still feel the frustration I felt then when I could see that the book was showing as available in the library system, yet it was nowhere on the shelf where it was supposed to be. In the blink of an eye, years passed, but the book has never been forgotten.

Blood and Chocolate is a story about identity, family ties and friendship. Though written in third person point of view, the story focuses mainly on 16-year-old Vivian Gandillon who feels torn between two worlds - the wolf part and the human part of her. The sweet courtship between Vivian, the werewolf girl and Aiden, the human boy, reminds me of how it feels to be young all over again.

This standalone novel with supernatural elements and forebiddden romance is a highly addictive story. The world building is fantastic and the story well paced. Not only that, the author uses imagery to create lyrical emotions such that the pain of hiding one's true identity from a different world is as heart wrenching as is revealing it. Then there is the suspicion, mistrust and discord in the pack that keeps me on the toes. There are also more than a few heart stopping moments which I do not foresee coming from a book written in the 90s.

A human boy and a werewolf girl. Homo Sapiens against Homo Lupus. To the werewolves, the human is considered an incomplete creature who has only one form, yet the shifters have to learn to live with them - to quote "Homo Sapiens is everywhere, they outnumber us, and Homo Lupus must live beside them. As much as we might crave to, we cannot kill them." - and at the same time, fear for their lives. To quote "Homo Sapiens can be very attractive. The need to dominate is bred into us, and they are easy to dominate. It’s seductive, this power over them. And they’re so fragile, there are those you almost want to protect. But they’re dangerous. They’re desperately afraid of things they can’t understand, and there’s more of them than us. They can’t fight us fairly so they gang up on us with fire and blades, or betray us from the shadows with silver bullets."

Can there be good ending between a werewolf and a human? Is it possible? Read the book and find out for yourself.

Just so you know, this wolf-kind of story is my cup of tea.

Review: Demeter's Tablet (Nia Rivers Adventures #2) by Ines Johnson

3 stars for Demeter's Tablet (Nia Rivers Adventures book 2) by Ines Johnson.

While readers visit China and learn about ancient Chinese history in book 1 Dragon Bones, we are transported to Greece this time to acquire a knowledge of the Ottoman Empire. Greece was under Ottoman rule for over four hundred years.

In this book, the protagonist, Nia Rivers goes on an adventure to investigate the mysteries of an ancient cult that promises everlasting life. The rumors of the cult went back for hundreds of years - it invited all into its ranks, rich and poor, male and female, philosophers and slaves. The rituals that the initiates undertook to get into the cult had never been revealed. All any outsiders knew was that, once accepted, the initiates were promised everlasting life, riches, and knowledge. Basically, Nia's job is to search for the missing tablet that depicts the sacred rites of this group, if it ever is true and can be found.

As with most, if not all Greek stories, this book involves not just the Olympians, but also their Titan parents. While it is interesting and exciting to read about Greek mythology once again, I cannot help but feel that something is missing. I find it hard to pick up the book to continue reading after each and every break. The gist of it is, I do not look forward to reading where I last leave off. I think the reason is the issue with Nia's memory loss. She is constantly trying to recall her past, to regain anyone and everyone's past that has been lost to her. Though she is visited by time-lapsed visions, they are not enough to reveal the person she is or used to be. Her inability to recover her lost memories grates on my nerves after a while.

Nia is an immortal that remains forever unchanged physically but mentally ancient. But the real story behind is still much unknown as the author dangles a carrot in front of readers to entice reading. This is where I get put off - too many missing pieces to the puzzle. And based on whatever is revealed of Nia, it all points to a promiscuous lifestyle in her past which for the life of her, she cannot remember. It gets tiring reading such a story. I am going to stay away from this series, at least for some time.

Review: Dragon Bones (Nia Rivers Adventures #1) by Ines Johnson

4 stars for Dragon Bones (Nia Rivers Adventures book 1) by Ines Johnson.

This book comes recommended by an author in the newsletter that I receive every now and then. I thought to give the book a try since it has been such a long time when I last read an Urban Fantasy novel. To tell the truth, I am not much impressed by the book title and cover. So, it comes as a surprise, when I got hooked to the story right from page one.

The protagonist in the book is a certain Dr. Nia Rivers, Doctor of Antiquities, who has a love of Greek history. She makes her living in ruins all over the world as an archaeologist.

After reading chapter one, if I didn't know better, I will have pegged this book a general fiction on Archeology because nothing in the story indicates that this is an out-of-the-world tale, at least not in chapter one or two. But having known for a fact - based on the recommendation - that this is an Urban Fantasy story, I am excited to read on to discover more. True enough, in no time, there comes subtle hints to indicate that Nia Rivers is not a human. To quote "I took off after him, my powerful legs eating up the ground much faster than any human runner could manage." If not for the recommendation by the author I followed, I would not have ventured out into this book at all.

The story, about immortals and their secrets, is well balanced in terms of action and romance. Interestingly, the book covers a fair amount of Chinese history. It is quite an eye opener for me to read about the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty and the Xia Dynasty. I even googled in a bid to learn more about this part of the Chinese history - The Shang Dynasty lasted from 1600 to 1046 BCE, and the Zhou dynasty took power around 1045 BCE. It was one of the longest running dynasties. Most historians believe the Xia was a small tribe in ancient China that had thrived for a brief period before the more well-known Shang Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty was the first of many ancient Chinese ruling houses, thought to exist from around 2070 BCE until 1600 BCE. Yet the actual existence of this dynasty and culture has been debated. Given that the existence of the Xia dynasty is debated, the Shang dynasty is sometimes seen as the first of the China's dynasties.
 
Now that I have read Dragon Bones, I am keen to continue with the adventures of Nia Rivers, to see where she will bring me to next.

Review: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

4 stars for Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

This book has been on my reading list since the middle of last year. If not for my book club's upcoming discussion in February, I doubt I will read it any time soon. For that, I am glad. This is a good story.

The book is a darkly comic look at society expectations, social pressure and conformity. The story revolves around a 36-year-old woman, Keiko Furukura, who works in a convenience store. Through Keiko, readers are told what is acceptable and what is not in the so-called normal world where there is no room for exceptions and where exceptions get eliminated quietly. From page one to the last, we see how Keiko absorbs the world around her and morphs from the person she is to one that the society expects her of. It is both amusing and sad to see the world through Keiko - amusing because she lives in her own world where black means black and white means white, and sad because she tries so hard to try to blend in with society that she loses sight of who she is.

As the author is a Japanese, the book very much reflects the Japanese culture and way of thinking. A good example is how Keiko views herself as not just an individual responsible for herself but to society as well, for the reason that she works in the convenience store. To quote "Sixteen years ago I learned from manager #2 that my pay covers the basic requirement to manage my life so that I’m fit for work. I must get enough sleep before going to work.”

There are also truths of life to learn from this book even if some of them are what I already know all along. The thing is, seeing them put in words, elevate it to a different level. One good example is on the theme of change. A customer commented that the convenience store never changes. Yes, the store is the same but yet to Keiko, it is not. To quote "The same items had always been in their places, but they were continually being replaced. Maybe it made sense to say the store never changes." Another example is people are continually changing according to the world around them. The changes may be subtle but they are there. To quote "I absorb the world around me, and that’s changing all the time. Just as all the water that was in my body last time we met has now been replaced with new water, the things that make up me have changed too. When we last met a few years ago, most of the store workers were laid-back university students, so of course my way of speaking was different then."

This book is well written and easy to read. There is pretty much nothing to dislike. My only gripe is, reading a novel that is originally written in Japanese and subsequently translated to English, something or many somethings - be it culture, mannerism or way of expression - are bound to be lost through the translation. Interestingly as well as ironically, the translator chooses not to translate the Japanese way of saying I-understand-what-you-are-saying from "Hai" in Japanese to "Yes" in English. For people who are not familiar with the language difference, it will have been a disaster in understanding, as "Hai" in English is used to express grief, horror or regret.

Truth be told, I have never paid much attention to convenience stores or the people who work in them. Having read the book, I now see these stores in a different light. This book offers not only a bird's eye view on convenience stores, but also the finer details of how a worker of one such store can gain vital information - about customers in the store and expected business volume - simply through listening to sounds, observing behaviors and checking the weather. The detailed descriptions and observations offered in the book are so realistic and practical that I wonder if the author is writing from own experience, having worked long term in one such convenience store before.

Though it is never explicitly mentioned in the book, the protagonist, Keiko, clearly displays the symptoms of autism - finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling, getting very anxious about social situations, and finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on her own. As such, it makes me really curious as to how the story will pan out, especially when Keiko increasingly is in dire need of assistance. In the end, I feel that the author does a brilliant job in concluding the story. Its ending is one which I am sure sits well with Keiko, the Convenience Store Woman.

Review: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

5 stars for Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

My first book of the year is a random book that I chose to read on a whim. It is one of five books that I purchased from POPULAR bookstore chain during my December vacation to Melaka. Prior to this, I have no idea who Jerome K. Jerome is as I have never come across any of his books before. I bought this book for two reasons. One, priced at MYR15.00, the book is a steal. Two, the book jacket broadcast that this is a book that has never gone out of print since it was first printed in 1889!

The book is about three men (to say nothing of the dog), Jerome, George and Harris, taking a two-week boat holiday on River Thames from Kingston to Oxford. The story starts off as any other book can be expected to - uneventful. But as I read on, I begin to understand why this book is so widely touted despite its seemingly simple plot. The more I read, the more I enjoy the story. It is simple. It is funny. It is entertaining. It is hilarious. It is a joy to read.

At the beginning of each chapter, there is always a short paragraph that summarizes the happenings for that chapter. Interestingly, it is a summary that tells the reader everything yet nothing. As such, it makes a great chapter synopsis especially for readers like me who is ever wary of spoiler.

The thing to be enjoyed while reading this book is not in the narration of the main story about the three men in a boat, but rather the many side stories that branch out in the course of the protagonist telling his main story, as his thoughts wander and drift in and out. It is these side stories that make this book so wonderfully entertaining. This is as the saying goes "It is not the destination but the journey that matters."

I share the same sentiments with regard to the little everyday topics that are mentioned in the book. One such is the weather forecast that is never accurate. To quote "It forecasts precisely what happened yesterday or the day before, and precisely the opposite of what is going to happpen today." As a result, no one likes to be foretold the weather. To quote "It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand."

Another example is empty cabs do not appear when you are waiting to hail one. To quote "it is a street where, as a rule, and when they are not wanted, empty cabs pass at the rate of three a minute, and hang about, and get in your way."

Then there is an amusing case about the protagonist's view on the value of art treasures of his time versus the past and future. To quote "Why, all our art treasures of today are only the dug up commonplaces of three or four hundred years ago.... Will it be the same in future? Will the prized treasures of today always be the cheap trifles of the day before?" What follows next is the protagonist's take on the value of a china dog ornament in two hundred years' time; it is so comically worded that it sends me into fits of laughter.

Another excellent example is the maze incident at Hampton Court. I will not quote anything here for it is too long a many pages to quote. But I will say, it is definitely a hilarious maze experience by Harris, one of the three men in the boat. It is a must-read near the end of chapter six. I shall stop with this last example as there are simply too many to bring out here. Well, the few examples I listed down may not seem funny to some of you here because they aren't read in context. So, what I am trying to say is, you have got to read the book.

Besides the entertaining narratives of the river adventure, there are also history to be learned as well as additional knowledge on some quaint, old-world inns up the River Thames. This book is, after all, written with the original purpose of advertising travel by describing the journey and scenery on the River Thames. In the end, the author's lighthearted narratives took over the descriptions to become a slice of life.

I cannot be more glad to have bought Three Men in a Boat and even more so, kickstart the New Year with this delightful book that says a lot without really saying a lot. I hope this first book of the year is an indication of what the Year 2023 has in store for me - all things lighthearted, smooth sailing and easy-going.