Book Shelf

The last good book I've read recently is The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  It was recommended to me by a mom at Chinese class.  The film, based on the movie, is set to begin shooting this summer and planned to be released by DreamWorks in 2011. 

The Help is a story about three different women living in the South in the 1960's.  Aibileen is a black housekeeper, warm-hearted and caring, and still grieving from the loss of her grown son to tragic accident.  Minny is another black housekeeper, the sassiest and best cook around, who often gets fired for saying too much.  Skeeter is a young white woman, who sees the inequities in the world in which they live and wants to do something about it.

Skeeter is determined to write a book telling the tales of the black housekeepers who work for the white Southern women of Jackson, Mississippi.  This is a risky project for the housekeepers and for Skeeter herself.  Can she convince any of the housekeepers to share their stories with her?  And  if she succeeds, what will be the response from her friends and the community in which they live?

Overall, this book was eye-opening and engrossing.  I would recommend it to anyone.

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I've been reading quite a few books lately, catching up on my reading while the kids are at their swimming lessons.  I had picked up A Wedding in December, by Anita Shreve, from the library's used book sale last spring.  I enjoyed it--found it to be well-written and engrossing.

This is a story of the past meeting up with the present and the choices that one makes in the name of love.  Once a close-knit group of high school friends, these men & women had lost touch with one another over 20 years ago, until now.  They're brought together again by two of their own reconnecting at their high school reunion and deciding to get married.

Bridget, now with a diagnosis of breast cancer, has rekindled her romance with Bill, splitting up his marriage and family.  Bill's daughter is confused and angry, refusing to attend the wedding.

Nora, recently widowed, owns the inn where the wedding will take place.  Harrison comes all the way from Canada alone--without his wife & kids.  He still remembers every detail of his first encounter with Nora and still regrets the things he should have said & should have done that day.

Agnes had never married and had never disclosed to her friends the reason why.  Why now, after all this time, does she feel the need to tell them the story of her deep love affair with one of their favorite teachers?  Rob arrives with his partner, Josh.  Did anyone even know that he was gay?  Jerry shows up in a limo with his icy wife, Julie, who carries a fur.  Was he always such a jerk?

And so this weekend in December, they learn things about one another that they had never known.  They rediscover one another.  Will it be another 20-odd years before they meet again, or has the course of their lives changed forever...for some of them?

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I have enjoyed reading the book Light on Snow by Anita Shreve. This book tells the story of Nicky, a twelve-year-old girl who had lost her mother and her baby sister in a car accident two years earlier.

Nicky’s father was so devastated that he decided to move from New York to rural New Hampshire in order to escape from the memories. But not a day goes by that Nicky doesn’t think of them.

One day in December, Nicky and her father were taking a long walk in the woods, covered with snow. They hear some cries and find a newborn baby lying in a sleeping bag on the ground. Where on earth was the mother? Who would leave a brand-new baby to freeze to death out in the snow? They rush the baby to the hospital and hope for the best.

News of their discovery is splashed in the papers. They become famous in their little town. Someone reads about them in the paper and comes to pay them a visit. Their lives subsequently change forever.

Overall, an absorbing read. It’s a well-written and very touching story.

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I enjoy looking at the World Cultures & History section in the Children’s area of the local library.  I recently found the book Hiromi’s Hands by Lynne Barasch. 

This book tells the story of a Japanese American girl named Hiromi, whose father worked hard to become a sushi chef in Tokyo.  After many years of training, he was given the opportunity to work at a restaurant in New York.

Eventually, Hiromi’s father was able to open up his own Japanese restaurant, get married, and have his little girl.  She went to regular school, as well as Japanese school.  She celebrated Japanese holidays and respected Japanese traditions.  She wanted to spend more time with her father and begged him to let her join him at the fish market.  Then, she began to work at the restaurant.  At first, scrubbing the floor, then making the rice, then cutting the fish.  Eventually, Hiromi began to make the sushi.  Now, she is a sushi chef, too.     

I like how the book introduces the reader to Japan and to sushi-making, while emphasizing the years of hard work and training involved in becoming a success.  The book also shows pictures of different types of sushi, what they’re called, and what they’re made of, which was fun to learn.  Overall, a lovely storybook.

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I just finished reading Sue Miller’s book The Senator’s Wife.  I was actually sad when I was nearing the end of it—I was really enjoying the writing. 

The issues raised in this book are not so pleasant--they make you pause and think.  What would you do if your husband was so charming that no woman could resist him?  & he couldn’t resist them?  How would it affect your marriage, your family, your whole life?  Could you forgive?  How many times?  Is there a line that cannot be crossed?  Where does it lie?

The story begins with a young couple, Meri & Nathan, who move in next door to the senator’s wife.  They are surprised when they notice that the senator is rarely around.  When the senator’s wife goes to stay in Paris, she asks them to water her plants and keep an eye on her place.  Meri does this, and takes the opportunity to snoop.  She reads the many letters that she finds, personal letters written by the senator to his wife.  She learns the details of his infidelities and the relationship that he continues with his wife. 

The ending of the story was such a surprise to me.  So implausible—but at the same time, somewhat fitting.  Overall, a well-written, enjoyable book.

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After having read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I was really looking forward to reading Lisa See's new book called Shanghai Girls.  I was not disappointed.

What I enjoyed most about the book is the way that it transports you back to a different place and time.  Learning about what life was like in the past for a girl living in Shanghai or in LA's Chinatown was very interesting.

This novel begins the story with two sisters, Pearl and May, in Shanghai in 1937.  They are daughters of a wealthy businessman and spend their days modeling and their nights drinking and dancing with friends.  They are beautiful, young, and naive, thinking that their comfortable lives would last forever.

One day, Baba comes home and tells them that they are to be married off.  Then, their lives change forever, as the Japanese invade Shanghai.  Mama helps them to escape, but they subsequently face one tragedy after another.

Through it all, these two sisters, with the strength of their bond and their faith in each other, manage to survive.

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I just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code.  This book continues in the same vein as The Da Vinci Code, following Harvard professor Robert Langdon as he uses his wits, knowledge, & luck to try to solve a mysterious puzzle and save his friends from certain death. 

Because of his unique expertise in symbology, Mr. Langdon is the only person in the world who can solve the Ancient Mysteries, the lost wisdom of the ages.  Can he do it before it's too late?

An entertaining book, full of history, symbols, and secret codes.  Fans of The Da Vinci Code will enjoy this book, too.

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My new favorite kids' book is called Dragon's Fat Cat by Dav Pilkey.  It was recommended by my little one's Kindergarten teacher.  The title's not so PC, I guess, but the story is just so cute & silly, and the illustrations are so adorable.

Basically, Dragon lives in a nice, warm house and one winter day hears a cold, gray cat meowing outside, sitting in the snow.  He brings the cat inside and names it "Cat."  Unfortunately, poor Dragon has no idea how to take care of Cat. 

My favorite part is when Dragon & Cat walk to the highway and pick up litter to make a litter box for Cat.  Eventually, Dragon makes his way to the pet store and leaves with everything that he needs, except...Cat!  Oh, no!  Dragon looks everywhere for Cat.  How will Cat ever make it home again? 

What a delightful book to read--over and over again! 

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I picked up this book from the library called Chinese New Year Crafts:  Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do! by Karen Bledsoe.  It's a nice collection of easy Chinese New Year crafts to do with young kids.

The introduction explains about Chinese New Year fireworks, dragons, feasts, parades, and the Lantern Festival.  The crafts include New Year Banners, Good Luck Characters, Chinese Zodiac Pictures, Paper Firecracker Candy Holders, Noisemakers, Dragon Streamer Puppets, Dragon Costumes, Red & Gold Bracelets, Ribbon Lanterns, and Chinese Papercuts. 

My little one especially liked the Chinese Zodiac Pictures, but all of the crafts in this book look fun to do.

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