CHOP IT UP | Icy Sparks by Gywn Hyman Rubio (VIDEO)

CHOP IT UP: Pawper to Pedigree by Angel M. (Video)

CHOP IT UP | Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert (Video)

Elizabeth Peters' Laughing Mummy Case

By this book we’ve established that British socialite turn Egyptologist, Amelia Peabody, is a wife and mother.  A series told in her first-person narrative, it's clear this life change is an adjustment of sorts.  Especially from the solitary life she led in the first book.  Now Amelia, her husband Radcliffe, and their four-year-old son heighten the thrill of her adventures.  As well as comedy.

As for the third book, The Mummy Case, Amelia’s infamous archaeologist and Egyptologist husband has been invited to a pyramid excavation.  Or, to be clear, he’s prompted dispatched to sniffle among the rubble of an abandoned excavation.  Somewhat at arms length, archaeologist in his profession never really wants him around.  He’s known as the “Father of Curses,” and is thus better left on the outskirts of any great discovery.  

Angered by this, Amelia’s husband decides to take on the "rubble" task anyway.  Gathering his wife and son, he ships his family out of England and into Egypt.  There may be nothing in and on this barren excavation handed to him, but he’ll make do to prove something to the rejecters of his talents as an archaeologist.  He has his pride and dignity after all, as well as a crew of shaky–but fiercely loyal–crewmen.  

But matters get choppy when his wife starts snooping around the crime scene of an antiques dealer she recently visited, for a scrap of papyrus.  Then an excavated Mummy case goes missing.  A suspicious Christian fellowship begins banning citizens together in the nearby village, but with their own secrets of abuse to hide.  An equally suspicious gang made up of Egyptian men are boiling for a fight to kick the fellowship out of their village.  And, eventually, Emerson, Amelia, and Ramses find themselves buried in the well of a pyramid.  While a killer runs loose covering his tracks.

Sounds like a lot, right?  Well, it’s an adventure that shouldn’t be missed!

Catch Rita Mae Brown's Cat

So what exactly is going on in Rita Mae Brown’s Cat as Cat Can, book #10 in her popular Mrs. Murphy pet detective cozy series?  Well, as always with these books, the story opens up with the change of seasons; in this particular entry, it’s finally spring again.  And with spring comes the blossoming of special events in the small town of Crozet, Virginia.  This spring, it’s time for the residents to get dolled up for the annual Dogwood Festival.  Meanwhile, strange occurrences are happening around town.  And with Crozet’s postmistress, Minor “Harry” Haristeen, somewhere in the middle of said occurrences. 

It started with a dead woodpecker found on her back porch.  Before one of her cats could take the bird’s corpse into its claws, Harry snatches it up.  Because of the bird's uniqueness, she plans to take it to a local taxidermist.  And, while going about her business, Harry then finds her friend, Miranda Hogendobber, in the midst of a hubcap robbery.  Miranda walked into a local grocery store, and walked out to find someone swiped her hubcaps in a blink.  Considering the hubcaps' worth, Miranda, Harry, and Deputy Cynthia Cooper make way to the local salvage yard first.

But then the bodies start piling up.  It began with one of the owners of the salvage yard turning up dead, and follows with the taxidermist Harry visited only days before with her dead woodpecker.

Believing the two deaths are connected, Harry investigates.  And as she gets closer to the killer, her team of pets have to stay miles ahead of her to keep her safe.

No Rest for the Alt

Okay.  So let’s get a little into Madelyn Alt’s No Rest for the Wiccan, book #4 in her A Bewitching Mystery series.  For starters, it took me reading the third book two years ago to finally say, “Hey, I’m interested in this.”  But to be clear, I picked the series up in the fall of 2008.  So I’m a hot mess when it comes to consistency.  But, dammit, for whatever reason I want to read this cozy mystery series.

But enough of that.

No Rest for the Wiccan has the series witchy sleuth, Maggie O’Neill stuck in many situations.  Outside of her back-and-forth love triangle drama, it appears her older sister, Mel, and nieces have found themselves tormented by a ghost inhabiting their home.  And with Mel, the beautiful and overly-spoiled sister, attempts to employee her peculiar sister (who happens to work in a magic shop) to exorcise said ghost.  A reluctant Maggie more or less entertains her “amazing” sister.  It isn’t until an accident crushes the family does Maggie step in with the help of the N.I.G.H.T.S. ghost-hunting team she belongs to.

Now if that wasn’t enough, Maggie also finds herself unraveling a local murder.  During another rubber-necking session with her cop boyfriend, Tom, an interruption call comes in on his raid.  Considering he’s on call, Tom takes the message.  It appears a body is hanging from one of the conveyor systems inside of a local grainier.  Disobedient of Tom’s orders, Maggie takes it upon herself to ask the wrong questions at the wrong time.  Leading her into the throats of marriage, insurance, family, and murder.  Oh, and fire!

But you know what?  FORGET THE MYSTERY AND LET'S JUST GET INTO THE REAL ISSUE!  (Probably best for those who've read the series.)

Wittig's Witches!

Okay.  So in China’s second investigation, Witches' Bane, rumors of witches and devil worshipers have taken over the small town of Pecan Springs, Texas.  These rumors are exacerbated by the suicide of a local teenager and homeless individual.  So the townsfolk are on edge and, most sincerely, this includes a local religious group led by Reverend Billy Lee Harbuck.  Harbuck has taken it upon himself to put an end to the madness, beginning with rounding up his followers to picket the local metaphysical gift shop propertied by China Bayles’ best friend, Ruby Wilcox.  The hitch is that the gift shop and China’s herb shop are connected.  Thus, of course, infecting both Ruby and China's businesses.  The situation and local stirrings get worse when a wealthy socialite named Sybil Rand is found murdered in her home.  The catch, one of Ruby’s athame blades are stuck in her body.  Further investigation uncovers the Death tarot card and a voodoo doll in Sybil’s possession.  With the walls closing in on Ruby, China, alongside her ex-cop boyfriend Mike McQuaid, set out to prove Ruby’s innocence.  Particularly before the whole town loses its damned mind!

Why I'm SUDDENLY in Love with China, Herbs, Wittig Albert...

So listen (err, read) to this: I’m addicted to Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles cozy mystery series.  (Say that three times fast.)  Such revelations shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though.  Those who frequent this blog has seen me profusing this through a few past posts, since picking up the second book in Albert's series for #MarchMysteryMadness.  

Nonetheless, my infatuation happened kind of incidentally.  I just happened to pick up China's first case, Thyme of Death, at a used bookstore.  The purchase was a recourse to another on-going series I was reading.  But I was missing an entry, and it wasn't available in store.  However, seeing Albert’s sleuth is a herbalist/ex-lawyer located in the syrupy Southern town of the fictional Pecan Spring, Texas; I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into as I stood there reading the blurb, after the book caught my attention a stack high from where I stood.  

Approaching middle-aged woman with an interesting name.  "China Bayles" has a kick-ass ring to it.  Ex-lawyer now herbalist.  Hmm, I sniff some interesting parallels.  No children.  Little family to call upon.  Dating.  

Rubbing my chin and deep in thought, I asked myself: Was China going to give me cool lady tease?  Will she serve me candor and dry wit with an "over it all" attitude about life (my spirit was calling for this, by the way)?  Or was she going to be a stuffy planter?  Someone stuck in a straw hat while carrying a basket as she pooh-pooh'ed around keeping her hands marginally clean while solving murders (I need a girl who's willing to break glass to get into an office)?  In either case–given the series' herbalist hook–I kind of suspected finding a body in somebody's kitchen garden would eventually ramp up the fun.  So I took the bait and went to McDonald's for some fries.

Walker's Jubilee | Me and Vyry Had a Fight

I’m super, super behind on my Final Thoughts regarding the books I’ve read.  Like, behind.  As far back as my February reads.  I kind of left off with Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, and it’s where all my written thoughts stalled out.  It’s a tough book to breakdown and shape my perspective around.  And it's also increasingly difficult to do with more than a few months stacked between now and my reading.  And that’s okay.  That’s cool.  

Nonetheless, to break it down, Jubilee chronicles the story of a bi-racial slave named Vyry; Vyry’s story travels through the South’s Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction years.  In the beginning of Vyry’s story, her slave master–and consequent father–comes rushing to his slave mistress' (Vyry's mother) deathbed.  One outcome of this death pulls Vyry closer to her father’s home.  Here she becomes a house slave and witness/bearer to his wife's mistreatment, and Vyry's half-sister's obliviousness to the running circumstances.  Nonetheless, though however torturous of the exploits, Vyry’s given small cycles of grace by her father.  Even if his moments of kindness inflames his well-aware wife.  And she's a lady who has no problem excising her power and control over other slaves.

Kwan's Rich Girlfriend

"Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians, is back with a wickedly funny new novel of social climbing, secret e-mails, art-world scandal, lovesick billionaires, and the outrageous story of what happens when Rachel Chu, engaged to marry Asia’s most eligible bachelor, discovers her birthfather.

On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancé willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore’s It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia’s most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it’s like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich."

~ China Rich Girlfriend from Goodreads

Hear me out, folks.  On everything I love, I wish I had more to say about Kevin Kwan’s China Rich Girlfriend.  I really, really do.  However, I don’t.  Or at least have much to expound on about my minuscule disappointment with the book.  A disappointment brewed by the contrived connectivity with each of his characters’ story threads.  Including threads developed completely from the core cast (Nick and Rachel).  So it's kind of strange when I think about how much I loved his previous book, Crazy Rich Asian.  I guess I assumed too much going into his second book.

Nevertheless, after reading China Rich Girlfriend in January, I couldn't find the right words on how I felt about the book.  Good or bad!  So months later, my resounding complaint is still that contrived connectivity issue.  It's like a wall I can't climb.  It's all I think when I recall my experience.  Which has lead me to this late post.

The Brotherhood of J. D. Robb

(Disclaimer: This post may be meant for readers of the series.)

All right!  Let’s get into this one.  J. D. Robb’s In Death #42, Brotherhood in Death.  The book where we finally get into Dennis Mira's story–including more “cuddle” talk about him.  Which, to be frank, is annoying sometimes.  We get it.  Dennis Mira is a dreamy, gentle-hearted and harmless man of a certain age who wouldn’t hurt a fly.  Now with that said.  I do like how–after all these years–Robb gave us a book unwrapping pieces of his character's past.

But before I get into all that, let’s set the book up.

Like any J. D. Robb book, the premise is pretty simple.  In Brotherhood’s case, Dennis and his cousin, Edward, were meeting a real estate agent.  It's time to address and settle an agreement on their late grandfather’s West Village brownstone.  Having grew up in the home, Dennis wants to keep it.  Yet Edward is ready to sell–with his former position as a powerful senator apart of the negotiations.  This leaves Dennis preparing a defense.  

Edward is calculating and tactful, and it’s those characteristics that left him dead in the brownstone.  It may seem random, but the truth is Edward's past came back to snuff him out.  Unfortunate for Dennis, he discovers the body upon entering the brownstone.  And is swiftly hit over the head by Edward's killer, only to awake with the body of his cousin missing.  Lucky for him, in his back pocket resides New York homicide Lieutenant, Eve Dallas. 

Sweeping the brownstone leaves little forensic clues for Dallas and her team.  Yet, that’s where her billionaire husband Roarke comes in handy.  Though through an illegal search, Dallas uncovers some interesting details around Edward’s life.  Particularly around his years at Yale University.  A time where he formed a pact–a Brotherhood–with a string of other recently missing or murdered powerful men around New York.  Of course, this leaves Eve Dallas and her team to draw the connections.

Someone–or many–are knocking these men out one by one.  And leaving Dallas to clean up the mess.  Yet, what she discovers asks who are the true victims in this case?  Corrupt men like Edward Mira?  Or the vengeful souls plucking him and his Brotherhood down, spurred by vigilance?  Or is it justice?

And that’s how Brotherhood in Death is set up.  Now turn away if you haven’t read the book because I’m about to spoil the hell out of it.  It’s a blog post, not the New York Times review.  So those who’ve read or don’t care, let’s talk about Brotherhood in Death.  I only made this choice because writing my thoughts out were just too damn vague.  So I had to lay it all out to make sense.  It’s sort of like trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

!...SPOILER WARNING...!

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl | Part One

"In what has become a landmark of American history and literature, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl recounts the incredible but true story of Harriet Jacobs, born a slave in North Carolina in 1813. Her tale gains its importance from her descriptions, in great and painful detail, of the sexual exploitation that daily haunted her life—and the life of every other black female slave. 

As a child, Harriet Jacobs remained blissfully unaware that she was a slave until the deaths of both her mother and a benevolent mistress exposed her to a sexually predatory master, Dr. Flint. Determined to escape, she spends seven years hidden away in a garret in her grandmother’s house, three feet high at its tallest point, with almost no air or light, and with only glimpses of her children to sustain her courage. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, she finally wins her battle for freedom by escaping to the North in 1842. 

A powerful, unflinching portrayal of the brutality of slave life, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl stands alongside Frederick Douglass’s classic autobiographies as one of the most significant slave narratives ever written."

~ From Goodreads

I tried to think up the right approach to writing my thoughts on Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.  The multitude of topic threads available to weave seems… well… endless.  Should I even try to stretch each thread out, I don’t believe I’ll ever get anything sown.  Which will leave me further procrastinating the creation of a post.  Nonetheless, as a slave narrative/autobiography, the book takes readers through Jacob’s courageous experience growing up a slave in North Carolina.  Her intimate voice recounts years underneath the thumb of the obsessive and suffocating father of her adolescent owner.  (By rights and a will, Jacobs became the property of a young girl.)  As well as the complications she faces crafting (though severely daring and frightening) her escape to New York.  How she managed to survive her story is almost unbelievable.  Epic and mind-blowing–if you will.  I won't spoil it, but just the thought of her measures gives me phantom pains synonymous with osteoarthritis symptoms.  Still, given the era and desperation of our ancestors, I can picture and welcome such extremes clearly. 

As a slave narrative, Incidents serves the traditional makeup within this area of African-American literature.  The familiar conversations on abolitionism and humanitarianism takes much of the lead.  Followed shortly by the wind of Christian beliefs slaves shielded the violence and horror of racial oppression from.  Or attempted to, anyway.  On the same Christian token, it also give parallels to the religious hypocrisy slave owners proposed to reason with their actions.  (A disgusting thought that turns my stomach each time some slave owner attributes God’s will to shackling a race to harvest tobacco.)  Tie in the book’s footnotes illuminating historical facts/events; Incidents dances into each of the familiar slave narrative elements without missing a beat regarding its purpose.  

And yet, there’s something entirely different and unique about the book.  On the surface, it’s the story of the lengths an enslaved woman will take to hold on to her family in a world designed to rip her from them for profit.  Which is where the sympathetic edge to her slave narrative lie.  And I mention that because slave narratives’ primary focus was to create awareness, via the intimate streams of blunt and dark realities individuals faced within this grotesque system.  And Jacobs served on all fronts.

But so much aside, I really found Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl a critical and necessary read.  And one where I’d like to answer the discussion questions provided by the book in the third half of this post.  However, before, I want to add a few of my favorite quotes/passages in the second half.

PART TWO: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Favorite Quotes/Passages

PART THREE: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Discussion Questions

The Reviving Recourse of King's Revival (Lots of R's There)

"A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs -- including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town. 

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties -- addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate -- Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings. 

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe."

~ Revival via Goodreads 

It’s been a long, long time, Mr. King.  A long, long time since I’ve picked up a book of yours and read it.

Okay, okay.  With all the singing and lyricism out of the way, today I want to bring up Stephen King’s Revival.  It's a book I finally got to after taking a year-long break from King.  If you’re wondering why I took a break, it had a lot to do with the funky taste I swallowed after reading 2014’s Mr. Mercedes.  A funky taste further inflamed after reading his Richard Bachman book, The Running Man.  There’s a clear and recurring reason why I took the King break.  And it had a lot to do with King going into race and over-emphasizing the black anti-stereotype.  I won’t get into it, though.  Just know two back-to-back commentaries on each halted me for a year.  When I get to the point where I feel as if an author is exploiting the use of racial and homophobic slurs a little too unnecessarily often, I get in my feelings.  Done through character or not, it sends my alarm bells ringing.  

Yet, between Mr. Mercedes and Running, I enjoyed Mr. Mercedes' crime-fiction thriller-esque storytelling.  Even as far-fetched and elementary as its (optionally racist-ass) villain was.  So issues and all, it was a decent read that had the misfortune of The Running Man following close behind it.  (The Running Man did far worse on slur-control.)  However, considering Mr. Mercedes is the first in a trilogy, I finally believe I'm ready to make my way through the proceeding entries.  Thanks to my stepping out on faith with Revival.

Revival did its job.  I walked into it with apprehensions, and came out transfixed by its story.  Resoundingly, I’m happy to report King applied the “n” word (yes, I don’t care to use it) once and in a plausible context. 

Nevertheless, what stood out most was King's commentaries and themes.  (Also what I believe was a semi-discreet nod to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.)  Either way there’s much more commentary on religious dedication and the belief in God soaked into Revival.  Some of which I found myself actually agreeing with, and some more debatable.  There's also the commentary on placing value on thriving to live, while accepting our eventual death.  And it's the search for Death that really drives the book.  When the questions of what happens when we die hasn’t produced a concrete answer for the protagonists, King takes them (reader included) straight to its twisted source.  And if the panicked psychology and neurotic longings of his characters don’t shake you up, the end will.  Well, marginally.  I found it a little questionable and dubious (creatively speaking), but an interesting approach to the afterlife.

For me the best part of Revival were the chapters centering Jamie Morton’s childhood and family.  While boring to some, it’s here where I attached myself to the story and reacquainted my love of King’s writing.  Well, in honest retrospection, I almost felt like someone else wrote those chapters.  Whereas King handled the last chapters of the book.

Anyway.  Enough of my vagueness.  Revival revived my taste for more King.  That I can say.

1Q84 | Aomame X Tengo | BOOK 1

Oh, boy.  Oh, joy.  Oh, what-the-Hell-I-like-this-book.

I decided to open 2016 going after my bigger books.  This includes omnibus editions containing a set of series entries of some sort.  Which is exactly where Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84 lies.  Containing a total of three books, I recently wrapped up the first entry.  And have yet the precise words to describe the experience.  I don’t think there any concrete words.  Yet, not to suggest I didn’t enjoy the experience–because I did.  And a lot more than my previous–and introductory–reading of Murakami’s Dance Dance Dance.

I just don’t know exactly how to put the experience into words.  So perhaps a quick summary would get my thinking juices flowing.  Or one could hope.

So here’s what 1Q84 is about.  Which is only right for me to walk you through this summary alongside myself.  The little synopsis/premise I collected previous to picking the book (over a year ago) were kind of misty on its direction.  The book itself throws all these terms at you to describe your approaching experience.  Romance.  Mystery.  Fantasy.  All to name a few.  And it’s all those descriptions–in some gradient of each over another.  But I found those descriptions useless, for those grappling with engaging with the book.  To me, the book is a surreal reading experience.  One you have to take in without–I guess you could say–a concrete overture to rely on.  Funny how many Japanese writers put me in this frame of mind after venturing through their books.

The story alternates between two third-person narratives.  Of course they'll eventually float into the same literary space of Tokyo, 1984.

Partner, Let Me Update You | 2015 Books & Thank You (VIDEO)

2015's 6 FINAL READS ~ PART 2

All right, friends.  I’m back with the second half of my 2015’s 6 FINAL READS.

4.     Young Miss Holmes, Casebook 3-4 by Kaoru Shintani

I finally, after over a year, sat my ass down to finish reading this volume of the Young Miss Holmes manga series.  And it was fantastic.  I believe I stalled for so long because of the eight-part The Hound of Baskervilles case Christie investigated.  Somewhere in the middle, I lost interest in the case.  Only to find myself enthralled by it during my re-introduction.

But let me back up a little, for those who aren’t familiar with Kaoru Shintani’s Young Miss Holmes.  It’s quite simple: ten-year-old Christie is the protege of her uncle, Sherlock Holmes.  Endowed with his sense of chief intelligence (how theatrical of a description?) as her uncle, Christie spends her time running around England solving murder mysteries.  And a variety of murders she encounters–almost freely.  You see her parents are in India, so she’s aided by a pistol-toting maid named Ann Marie.  Likewise, her servant, Nora, tags along on Christie's adventures.  Though mostly unassuming, Nora stashed a forked tongue whip underneath her petticoats.  

Ann Marie & Nora DON'T PLAY
when it comes to Christie!

Christie’s curious and precocious nature aside, I find these characters bring much of the action and humor.  I perk up whenever Anne Marie or Nora unleashes her respective attacks, in the face of protecting her charge.  It’s equally entertaining watching Christie’s sneaky shenanigans and off-color comments aimed at her "protectorates."  But don't get Christie wrong.  She does bring her guardians trouble, both from her willful behavior and slick mouth.  However, Christie cares deeply for the two.  She's as protective and loyal to them as they are to her.  And this is further shown in the two chapters dedicated to sharing the history of Nora and Ann Marie.

And it’s these two chapters I felt highlighted this volume.  Nora’s chapter follows her life as a gypsy-slave, before finding solace under the care of Christie’s parents.  As for Ann Marie’s story, we get a glimpse into her tragic childhood growing up in America.  Shintani takes us all the way to post-Civil War Georgia, and on into the racial strife during the time.  And you wouldn’t believe what he came up with.  Then again, it may not come as a surprise given the context.

So the list goes for teenage sleuths:

1.  Martha Grimes' pre-teen amateur sleuth, Emma Graham.

2.  Alan Bradley’s sharp-thinking ten-year-old sleuth, Flavia de Luce

3.  And Kaoru Shintani’s ten-year-old Crystal "Christie" Margaret Hope.

It's interesting how each series is historical–in a sense.  Graham takes part in the 60s, whereas de Luce's a full decade ahead.  As for Christie, she's a 19th century girl.  And I can't wait to get into the third and final volume.  I just love this kind of shit.  Smart girls solving mysteries and kicking grown men ass!  Or at least getting them locked up by the law.

5.  Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

Here’s another book I wish to dedicate an entire blog post toward.  But I’m sticking to my year-end wrap up here, as much as it pains me to hold back my thoughts.  You see, I want to write more on the book for a variety of reasons.  More so from the conversations generated by Rodriguez.  

He uses a stream of socially-conscious and opinionated essays to piece together his autobiography.  Some of his opinions may appear debatable, but I lean a little toward thought-provoking.  I’ll break down the subjects he addresses later.  But for the sake of holding myself back, I’ll drop a quick summary of the man.

Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory recounts life as a Mexican-American living in Sacramento during the 60s to 80s.  His story unfolds life as a child understanding a total of 50 English words.  This leads him to a Roman Catholic school for his early education, where his teachers have concern for his inability to grasp English.  Their suggestion is for his parents to speak more English around him, and so they do.  

However, this early circumstance stirs the beginning of Rodriguez's life story.  As a child, he begins to differentiate language and cultural differences between himself and his white classmates (as well as neighbors).  Which language and culture was more acceptable?  Which was correct for him?  His questioning leads to trouble, and a doubtful perspective of his Mexican parents.  Determined to control his future he learns to assimilate to American life.  Of course via its academic system.  This, in turn, causes Rodriguez to find himself distant from his Mexican roots.  To further his troubles, he relays the strife he faces by not finding acceptance in the exchange.  Instead of appearing as a successful middle-class American, he’s haunted by the “minority” label.  A label he rejects as the use of affirmative action grants him professional opportunities.  This troubles Rodriguez–and for obvious reasons.  Still, he never manages to escape his label.

There’s plenty to consider from Rodriguez’s commentary, expressions, and opinions on his inner grapples.  Or more so the Mexican heritage he bypassed in the divide between his aspirations.  Furthermore, he takes apart his religion during the "Credo" essay.  And I kind of recognized his salty view in that arena.  

Nonetheless, it wasn’t until the final two essays that I truly woke to his voice.  When he falls into the subject of his complexion and “minority” labels, I started to connect with his anguish.  Though I smirked as well, seeing how he was the one who denied much of his heritage/culture in the chase for a middle-class "seat."  Which he gained successfully, only to find himself alienated in the processes.  The final essay on his profession ties up his story, and the isolating conclusion of his struggles.  Closing the book comes his epilogue, featuring the silence he endures from his now disconnected parents.

Moving and kind of whiny in all the right areas, I have to give credit how Hunger of Memory drew me into the deep complexities of immigrant children struggling with assimilation and ambition.  And I honestly have to say–I get it.  Not one to toss aside my own background, I do understand what its like to ache for better.  Or to long for a life beyond your parents' road.  But like many things of that nature, it comes with a cost.

6.  A Mind to Murder by P. D. James (Adam Dalgliesh #2)

All right.  All right.  I can’t say too, too much about this book for a very important reason: I skipped toward the end.  Don’t judge.  Don’t laugh.  Just hear me out when I say I started the book in the spring of 2014 and only now decided to finish it up.  Now I managed to get through 100 pages–back then.  And the book is only 240-or-so pages.  So I figured my new, determined and focused attitude would sail me right through this.  Besides, I enjoyed James’ first Dalgliesh book enough to come this far.  With the expectation of moving further into the series.  So I came pumped and ready to go.  Then almost instantaneously, I got that familiar dry and dull buzz from over a year ago.  James is so meticulous of a crime fiction writer that I found myself soaked too deep into her time frames and mathematics.  I say that as opposed to her crime and character.  So.  I skimmed lightly toward the final 40 pages and tread on to the finish line.  And that’s just the way the damn cookie crumbles.  Judge those who may, but after a year, I consider this a FINISHED READ.

With the intentions of getting the third book somewhere in the unforeseen future.  Cross all fingers.

Nonetheless, since I’m finished whining, I’ll “remind” everyone what happens in this books.

Via Goodreads!

BHAM…

"On the surface, the Steen Psychiatric Clinic is one of the most reputable institutions in London. But when the administrative head is found dead with a chisel in her heart, that distinguished facade begins to crumble as the truth emerges. Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and quickly finds himself caught in a whirlwind of psychiatry, drugs, and deceit. Now he must analyze the deep-seated anxieties and thwarted desires of patients and staff alike to determine which of their unresolved conflicts has resulted in murder and stop a cunning killer before the next blow."

And that's it my friends!  My 6 FINAL READS of 2015.  But remember to please leave your comments on your 6 FINAL READS OF 2015 down below.  I'm currently powering my way through Haruki Murakami's monster, 1Q84.  I'm tackling this one a year later, with the intent of going after my large books this year.  And there are plenty to keep me company.  

In case this is the last post before New Years: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!  Keep READING, DRAWING, AND LIFE'ING.  

Wait.  I think I have another post in me.

2015's 6 FINAL READS ~ PART 1

It’s time to go ahead and tidy 2015 and my fluxing reading ADHD on up.  So what I want to do is a rundown of the final six books I’ve read this year–unless I can squeeze in one more.  (Another Rita Mae Brown Mrs. Murphy mystery is looking mighty good right about now.)  Some of these books I’d like to dedicate an entire post toward.  And they really, really deserve one.  But this will have to do, as there are more books and posts ahead for 2016.  So let’s get started.  Let me share with you the six books I’ve unofficially wrapped the year with.


1.       Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

Calling from the highest mountain to the deepest sea, this books deserves a full post.  I finished it mid-November where it immediately fell into my favorite reads list of the year.  Published in 1968, it's an autobiography of the author's experience growing up in rural Mississippi.  As well as how her childhood turned her into a prolific Civil Rights activist.  

To elaborate, Anne Moody came from tenant farmers on a Mississippi plantation.  Not one to find comfort in her upbringing, she had unconventional expectations for herself.  Many of which she expressed to the point of becoming problematic to others.  Still, she had enough drive for better for her family and the African-American community.  And she would see the drive realized.  

The first half of the book chronicles Moody's growing ambition for change.  She takes readers on her journey through her humorous and desperate childhood.  Then moves into her high school years and college life, where you get her relatable life events.  I found this half of the book builds the identity of Moody, molding her leader and activist nature.  Though I found her just a touch self-absorbed underneath some subjects of conversation.  Particularly her academic comparisons with other students.  Nonetheless, her childhood and young adult journey provides the foundation for the remaining half of the book.  Because the second half showcases Moody's immense contribution to organizations such as NAACP and CORE.  

Years seeing this picture, I never knew the story of the courageous
woman (and others) behind this sit-in.  My mouth dropped.

And it's interesting because the second half's direction was almost unforeseen to me.  The book switched focus, with nuggets of Moody's personal life sprinkled between her activism.  When I picked up the book, I had no prior knowledge of how prolific the author actually was.  I would even wager to cry "blindsided."  But moved by the intimate story behind her voice.  It’s so easy to recognize Civil Rights leaders such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King.  So how often do we recognize those who took action in smaller (though no less powerful) integral efforts?  Moody withstood protests, sit-ins and death threats.  She rallied for Mississippi residents to vote and start political change.  Even as an entire community appeared petrified of retaliation from empowered white leaders circling their community.  She questioned her resolve a number of times–to the point of collapsing.  Yet, she kept going.  

Just an all-around intense, courageous, and emotional read; powered by historical black leaders and events.  One day I’ll have to go back and fully flesh out my thoughts on the book.  In the meantime, a "thank you" will suffice if this book hasn't hit your radar yet.  (More on ANNE MOODY'S biography)

2.       Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (Midnight, Texas #2)

Book two in Harris’s Midnight, Texas Trilogy.  I started on its May release, but didn’t actually complete it until November.  Why?  Because I was so bored with it.  Or I couldn’t snap into engagement mode all the way.  When I made the decision to dedicate myself to Day Shift, I enjoyed it enough to breeze right through happily.  Now I can’t say it was all that exciting by its end, and I can’t say it was all that uninteresting.  God.  I’m really up and down about this one. 

Anyway, what I will say is I’m still a fan of Harris’s work and do look forward to the final book in the Midnight, Texas Trilogy.  I wish I had more to share.  Yet, I think that five-and-a-half-month break kind of took whatever glory or upset I have.  I just can’t pick the book apart.  I’ll make up for it when the third book comes next May.  In the meantime, maybe its Goodreads page can serve you some interest.  Sorry, guys.  I have nothing.

But take this one thought with you:  An eccentric cast of characters with secrets and murder on the mind.

3.         Tempted Champions (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5 #3) by Yvonne Navarro

Okay.  We know I live and breathe for Buffy.  TV show.  Comics.  TV tie-in books.  I’m there for it all.  Eighteen years (where the HELL did time go?) and counting.  Sadly, I wasn’t there for this book.  It’s another book that took me five and a half months to complete.  Sad, sad days.  What made me pick up this book in particular had a lot to do with Buffy facing a vampire who once was a slayer named Celina.  I’ve always, always wanted to ride into that avenue of discussion.  What would the vamp-slayer be like?  How would Buffy take her on? 

Now I like the character of Anya all right.  I really do.  We're alike in more ways than one.  But as it concerns this book–which dropped loads of angst of her pondering death versus immortality–I just couldn't Anya anymore.  Adjacently, I just didn’t care for Buffy's struggles after awhile.  I laugh at the thought, but seriously found myself gurgling along with this one.  I will say Buffy’s final confrontation with Celina made up for much of my disinterest.  During their heated battle, I was living for the barbs and shared introspection.  While trading blows, the two squared with what it took to be a slayer/hero versus the darker colors of a predator.

I’ve recognized this in the past but, having spent time shifting through these tie-ins, I only enjoy the Buffy-centered books.  The books where her slayerness–in some form or fashion–is addressed in a new, challenging way.  Those books that really look into what it means to be a slayer, through Buffy.  This book served, but it was that damn Anya storyline (no hate or shade to her) that irritated the whole experience.

All right my friends!  Stay tuned for the second half where I share the last (unofficial) three books I've tied the year over with.  What were the six or so books you left 2015 with?  Leave all your comments below!

Goodreads Year in Books | List of 10 FAVORITE READS OF 2015

Goodreads Results 

MY 10 FAVORITE READS (SEE LABELS FOR LINKS TO EACH BOOK'S RELATED POST)

My goodness.  There’s so much I can say about the year 2015.  A uniquely challenging year?  Absolutely.  I definitely feel like this was a year filled the hurdles to leap over–in both my reading and personal life.  However, personal stuff aside, I read a little less this year than last.  Right out the gate I started the year having taken down six books in both January and February.  My reading slumped heavily in March and April, but picked up in July.  August brought a new burst of readings where I took down either five or six book (too lazy to look up).  The rest of the year was steady.

I love reading.  I love books.  I love reading what I want and falling into a story.  And I can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store.

Did you reach your reading goals this year?  What were your favorite reads?  Share in the comments below!

Buffy Volume 3 Gets Personal

Romance.  Romance.  Romance.  Repeated romance.  That is–though nowhere near wholly true–what Buffy, the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Volume 3 contains.  Just glancing at the cover art above, you can guess who all couples this volume's romance.  So, yes.  That’s Buffy and Spike getting back together.  A touch, touch-touch old and echo-ish from their blossoming (and tumultuous) relationship from the TV show.  I would even stretch to tag it as (fan?) service for those die-hard aggressives who ‘ship the two.  The only reason I wouldn’t is because of the characters’ history.  So it only seemed appropriate these two finally just… well… committed!  It’s the current situation, and unfolded in classic Buffy on psychological-trekking psychedelics style.  Obviously that’s the selling point/highlight of this volume. 

Only, that’s not all the bustling romance.

Xander of Dawn’s relationship comes to another tier or resolution.   The ghost of Xander’s former, Anya, continues to make her “psychoanalysis” appearance via Xander’s consciousness.  So that web of character commentary and growth comes together leaking from the show.

The same goes for Willow’s lighter situation with a demi-god.  Andrew continues to come to terms with his sexuality–I think.  Something about him seems back-and-forth.  Didn’t he recognize he was gay before?  Or maybe that’s just us watchers/readers picking up the signals.

Aside–but not-so aside–the romance comes the reemergence of Olivia's character.  A character in which I want more from.  And has since she appeared on the TV show.  As a woman of color, I ask the writers move her into the inner circle pronto!

As it goes for Season 10's story arc, Buffy and the gang are still working out their issues with writing the rules of magic.  Despite the arc's motion taking a slight backseat in this volume, it’s still present and carrying the characters' motives.  To me, I still find season ten's arc contained and undeviating.  Unlike a few aggravating moments in seasons past where the writers threw chum buckets filled with plot threads out to sea (see what I did there?).  No ma'am.  Season 10 still makes sense!  Thank God these guys got a grip on its reins.  

Nonetheless, adjacent to Buffy and friends' quest comes a new super bad seeking the rights to magic.  Along with another demon connected to vampires in a way I refuse to give up as a spoiler. 

Buffy Season 10 still f'ing ROCKS!  Demons.  Gore.  Comedy.  Character.  And romance.  God bless the child.