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.

2022 Year in Review and 2023 New Year's Resolution

Another year has come and gone.

I read and reviewed a total of 31 books this year. Not very impressive, but that's pretty much my average these days.

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