Book Blog #278: Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

Title: Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Author: Jamie Ford

# of Pages: 297 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, this is the unforgettable story of a young boy named Ernest, set during the 1909 Seattle world’s fair called the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo. It is a time when the magical wonders of technology on display at the expo future seems limitless. But for Ernest, a half-Chinese orphan who found his way to America through a last desperate act of his beloved mother, every door is closed. A charity student at a boarding school, he has never really had a place to call home. Then one day, his wealthy sponsor announces that if a home is what he wants, then that is what he will have: Ernest will be offered as a prize in the daily raffle at the fair, advertised as “Healthy boy to a good home for the winning ticket holder.” The woman who “wins” him is the madam of a notorious brothel who was famous for educating her girls. He becomes a houseboy in her brothel and is befriended by the daughter of the madam, as well as a Japanese girl who works in the kitchen. The friendship and love between these three form the first real family Ernest has ever known.

Review: What started off as a slow, confusing read turned into a real page turner. 

This is the first book I've read by this author, so I didn't know what to expect. At first I was put off by the back-and-forth between the 1900s and the 1960s. Ford throws the reader headfirst into Ernest's life and Gracie's memory loss which made it difficult to really get into the book. However, as the story progressed, Ford did a good job of tying the "present" and the past chapters together as the story of Ernest and the two loves of his life unfolds.

I was experiencing some minor deja vu with the structure of the book, and then I realized it was because of the striking similarity with The Notebook. I would say that Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a MUCH better love story despite sharing a message of being able to love two people at once. 

This book read like a tragedy to me, with the main characters barely staying afloat with the support of each other in a world that was not kind to people like them; prostitutes, orphans, immigrants. I loved being able to see into Seattle's past, into the Garment district and the hypocrisy of many high-standing people at the time. 

Overall, a good, captivating, and quick read. I would recommend this book.

Book Blog #277: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney

Title: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools

Author: Philip Caveney

# of Pages: 338 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Adventure, Humor

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: The Lord of Laughter, The Monarch of Mirth—if only the bumbling 17-year-old Sebastian Darke could be a successful jester like his father. The problem is, Sebastian’s not funny. But after his father’s death, with no choice but to beg in the streets, the half-human, half-elf teen sets off with Max, his father’s slightly cynical Buffalope, to offer his services as a jester to King Septimus of Keladon. On the way, they meet Captain Cornelius Drummel, small in stature, but the fiercest of fighters. The three rescue the fair princess Kerin, who’s being held captive by brigands, and happily escort her home. If only Sebastian knew the kidnapping was engineered by the evil King Septimus!

Review: The key to enjoying this book is to not take it too seriously. 

Yes, the plot is predictable, but as the saying goes, "it's about the journey, not the destination."Sebastian, Cornelius, and Max form a group of unexpected adventurers, and there is plenty of humor as they work to protect the princess from the evil King. The whole story was very Princessbride-esque to me, although with significantly less romance. The dialogue might not seem entirely natural, but this is fine for a book that is considered a comedy!

Despite the illustrations throughout, I would recommend this book to early YA readers and above. It's a light, quick read (and a lucky find hidden amongst my other books; I'm not sure exactly how I got this book but am glad to have read it).

Book Blog #276: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

 Title: Fifty Shades of Grey

Author: E.L. James

# of Pages: 515 (ebook)

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Chick-Lit

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Review: This was actually....better than I expected.

I know it's not saying much since my rating is two stars (in reality it's somewhere in between one and two stars). I heard a lot about this book throughout the years because of all the hype and even attempted to read this book back in 2017 (my impression of the first 50 pages was so bad that I had to stop reading). 

Let's start with what I didn't like about Fifty Shades of Grey. 

The characters

The characters are cliché (rich, attractive man meets ordinary and innocent girl? Far from original). Perhaps this is to be expected from a book that started as a Twilight fanfic, which was painfully obvious even with the changes James made to make her cast of characters more "original." The story takes place in Washington, her mother (who is divorced from the person Ana considers to be her father) lives in a state with contrasting weather, and Ana is giving her space to be with her husband...does this context sound familiar? At one point, Ana even refers to a character as a "glorious, pale-skinned vamp" (447) which might be an innocent (although strange) description if not for the book's origin. 

I actually got a little emotion while reading this book. "Because Christian and Ana's relationship is so romantic?" you might ask. NO, their relationship is so toxic and abusive. I practically weep thinking about all the horny middle-aged women getting off on this unhealthy relationship. 

The dialogue

The dialogue is repetitive, awkward, and sometimes cringe-y. The reader is suppose to believe that Christian is this intimidating, eloquent man who speaks beyond his years (which, by the way, would make a lot of sense if he was a 100+ year old vampire...), but his dialogue doesn't meet this description. Most of this book is him repeatedly telling Ana to eat and stop biting her bottom lip. It gets old. 

What was even more distracting is how James insists on using the word "behind" to refer to someone's butt. Once I noticed (and once you get passed the first 20% of the book, boy do they mention their "behinds" a lot), it drove me insane; to me, "behind" is an awkward, polite way to refer to someone's butt. After everything Christian and Ana have been through, there's no need for such verbal restraint.

The genre

This book is DEFINITELY well classified in the romance chick-lit genres, and it has everything working against it because I am not a fan of chick-lits (although I will say that this is better than Jennifer Cruise's Bet Me). This is the first erotic I've read, so I'm not sure how much sex is enough sex for people who are seeking out an erotica, but honestly I felt like there was less than I was expecting. It's the worst of both worlds: people who are here for the plot (anyone?) would think there is too much sex, people who are sexually frustrated(?) don't get enough. 

So what saved this book from 1 star?

There was an interesting subplot of Grey's potentially abusive past (one that the reader doesn't get much insight to in this book) that can be used to explain (although not justify) his abusive behavior in Christian and Ana's relationship. I think this additional complexity (to an otherwise simple book) kept me interested in hopes that we would be able to learn more about how his past has affected his current sexual behaviors.

Honestly, the 1 star rating is also reserved for books that make me angry that I read it. Although this book was poorly written, I didn't feel pissed off while reading Fifty Shades of Grey. It didn't take that long to get through this book, and I was feeling like reading a quick, easy-to-read romance (the cheap stuff that causes you to lose brain cells rather than gain them). I'm not sure how well this fit the "romance" bill, but everything else seems to meet my qualifications.

Would I recommend this book? Nah.  Even just to understand the mainstream hype? Not worth your time. 

Book Blog #275: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Title: Small Great Things

Author: Jodi Picoult

# of Pages: 480 (hardback)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Drama

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

Review: I wavered a long time between giving this book three and four stars. 

Similarly to Picoult's A Spark of Light, Small Great Things addresses the relevant, hard hitting problem today of racial discrimination. Most of her book is full of pointed messages/lesson regarding racial discrimination. At the end of the day, her characters are merely a means for her to deliver her message on racism (and the different ways it can manifest itself). While the book's lesson is an important one, the challenge for the author is to execute this mission while still writing a story with characters and dialogue that seem realistic. Unfortunately, this is not always the case; at times, Small Great Things read like a Grey's Anatomy episode whenever the characters have their structured, politically correct conversation on controversial topics. 

A big problem with her A Spark of Light novel was the POV switching - too many perspectives, and each switch made me wish I could read a different character's POV instead. Small Great Things has first person POV switching. Some of the less desirable aspects were still present; Picoult would go over the same scenes from a different perspective, and the reader learns nothing new from this new perspective. However, what was better in this book is that Picoult limited the POVs to three characters: Ruth, Kennedy, and Turk. With the exception of the parts where the perspectives overlapped too much, the POV switching actually well for this story. All three characters come from different walks of life: an African American nurse living in a white world, a white public defender who believes she doesn't see race, and a white supremacist. Their internal thoughts were valuable in contributing the plot and the message, so although I generally don't enjoy books with POV switching, I didn't have too many complaints in this case. 

Because there are only three perspectives, this book does a better job at developing the characters. Each major character had a larger slice of the book compared to A Spark of Light, which left room for more personal moments (that are meant to build context/character rather than directly attribute to the plot) to be included for each. I felt more connected with each of the characters, which made me more emotionally invested.

In Picoult's author's note, she recognizes that this book will be heavily scrutinized; how can a privileged white woman write a black woman's story? I am not in a position to judge how accurate her depiction of a black woman's life is, whether the medical/law aspects are realistic. However, I do believe she wrote a book that presented it well to her target audience: the white community "who can very easily point to a neo-Nazi skinhead and say he's a racist...but who can't recognize racism in themselves" (Picoult 460). Many people do not realize what passive racism is, and Picoult does a great job at bringing this to light through Kennedy. 

Overall, I thought this book was a good read. I would recommend this book if this is a topic you are interested in reading more about. However, if you are looking for an escape from the stresses and injustices of the world, this is not your book. 

Book Blog #274: K-pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

 

Title: K-pop Confidential

Author: Stephan Lee

# of Pages: 336 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Candace Park knows a lot about playing a role. For most of her life, she's been playing the role of the quiet Korean girl who takes all AP classes and plays a classical instrument, keeping her dreams of stardom-and her obsession with SLK, K-pop's top boyband-to herself. She doesn't see how a regular girl like her could possibly become one of those K-pop goddesses she sees on YouTube. Even though she can sing. Like, really sing. So when Candace secretly enters a global audition held by SLK's music label, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her to go is all but impossible ... although it's nothing compared to what comes next. Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world.

Review: Despite being a k-pop fan, I would never have read this book if I didn't receive it as a gift. I'm just not the target audience for this; K-pop Confidential dives into many young fans' fantasy of being a normal girl turned K-pop star. K-pop has its own set of lingo, and Lee does not hesitate to use it generously throughout the book. Although Lee includes a dictionary of vocab words for those less familiar with the lingo, it's clear that this book is best suited for those who can appreciate how well versed/researched Lee is in the K-pop world. 

However, the best books will appeal to those even outside of the target audience. With the cringe-y (but perhaps accurate) teen dialog peppered with (non-K-pop slang), it just wasn't my cup of tea. Romance is innocent and surface level despite being crucial to the plot. 

The best part of this book was how it allowed readers to peek into the life of a K-pop trainee. Many people don't see what happens behind the scenes and how difficult it is to become an idol, how strenuous and at times inhumane their training is. I would have loved to hear more about Lee's experiences interviewing people in the industry have attributed to what he ended up depicting in this book; this could have served as a powerful wakeup call as to what is going on in the idol industry and brought it above being a shallow, wish-fulfillment book for K-pop fans. 

I would recommend this book to diehard K-pop fans who want a quick and fun read. Otherwise, your time would be better spent on something else.

Book Blog #273: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

 

Title: Born a Crime

Author: Trevor Noah

# of Pages: 201 (ebook)

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Humor

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Noah was born a crime, the son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Review: I've watched Trevor Noah on The Daily Show and seen clips of him on Youtube. One of the things that always stood out to me was that he was an amazing storyteller. Even on the most difficult topics, he can spin them into something lighthearted/comedic. But most importantly, it makes people listen. 

I've only read one other comedian's autobiography before this (Ellen's Seriously...I'm Kidding), but Noah's just hits different.  His narrative is infused with humor, but humor is not a central part in this story. Growing up half black, half white in South Africa gives Noah a whole set of struggles that many people wouldn't expect from someone hosting The Daily Show: an unconventional and (at times) dysfunctional family, abuse, racism, to mention a few. But this best part is that it never seems like Noah is telling use these stories to gain sympathy; he is just telling his story as he remembers it and even includes analogies to help Western audiences understand each situation he describes. No matter what life threw at him, he seemed to be able to roll with the punches.

My favorite parts of his book were when he talked about his mom. I loved hearing how strong and independent she is and how they interacted during the ups and downs of his childhood. There is this charming push and pull between mother and son; Trevor being naughty and his mother correct his behavior through tough love, letters, and religious backed arguments. 

This book is not written chronologically. Rather Noah takes a topic from his past and tells the tale all the way through, sometimes reiterating parts of stories already told or hinting at stories yet to come. As a monologue, this is a great format, but in book format I would have preferred if he did not skip around his timeline so much. Although his casual writing style, I felt like I could not immerse myself into his story with him jumping around so much. 

Overall, a very good read. I would definitely recommend this book; it has exceeded expectations and is a quick read!

Book Blog #272: The Locksmith's Daughter by Karen Brooks

 

Title: The Locksmith's Daughter

Author: Karen Brooks

# of Pages: 566 (paperback)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Rating:★★★☆☆

Synopsis:Mallory Bright is the only daughter of London's most ingenious locksmith. She has apprenticed with her father since childhood, and there is no lock too elaborate for her to crack. After scandal destroys her reputation, Mallory has returned to her father's home and lives almost as a recluse, ignoring the whispers and gossip of their neighbors. But Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster and a frequent client of Mallory's father, draws her into his world of danger and deception. For the locksmith's daughter is not only good at cracking locks, she also has a talent for codes, spycraft, and intrigue. With Mallory by Sir Francis’s side, no scheme in England or abroad is safe from discovery. But Mallory's loyalty wavers when she witnesses the brutal and bloody public execution of three Jesuit priests and realizes the human cost of her espionage. And later, when she discovers the identity of a Catholic spy and a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom, she is forced to choose between her country and her heart.

Review: I'd like to first applaud Brooks for all the research she put into this book. This was one of the only times where I bothered to read the author's note all the way through because she goes through what sources she used and how she even went so far as to visit the locations that were used in the story. 

This book was a slow start; I ended up reading this book in two chunks; the first two hundred pages, then months of a break, and finally finishing the last three hundredish pages this weekend. The main aspect of the book to blame for this (and one of the reasons why its rating is missing two stars) is the author's laborious writing style. The beginning of the story dragged, and while the latter half of the book was more interesting, the plot was predictable. 

There were many events (i.e. revelations Mallory has from a certain experience, spur of the moment decisions, etc.) that seemed acts merely as a plot device rather than naturally flowing from the current direction of the plot, character development, etc. I'm a sucker for cheesy romance and therefore was a sucker for the romance parts of this book, but it was cheesy nonetheless. 

I have seen some label this book as a thriller; it is definitely not. Historical fiction and romance are the most accurate genres. In fact, if you are looking for a book about spycraft, I would look elsewhere. The focus of this book is not on the skills she learns under Sir Francis's employment but rather her personal growth, so those interested in "codes, spycraft, and intrigue" would have better luck with a different book.

Another surprising aspect were the descriptions of physical and sexual assault. Unlike many other books I have read, this book does not glaze over such occurrences and describes some encounters with more detail than I was expecting. 

Overall, although I enjoyed some aspects of my book, my time would have better been spent reading something else. I would not recommend this book.

Book Blog #271: Educated by Tara Westover

Title: Educated

Author: Tara Westover

# of Pages: 334 (hardback)

Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis: Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard. Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Review: This book was not what I was expecting at all.

I knew the basic premise; Mormon girl is born into a radical family, doesn't get a formal education, and then somehow she is able to go to college and excel academically. As per the title of the book, I assumed it would be a story focusing more on the struggle of being able to achieve higher education without any formal education. However, I was surprised to find that the struggle she focused on was with her family, being able to separate her goals and beliefs from her family's, and becoming her own person. 

I wavered between giving this book four stars or five. Initially, I was set on giving it four stars because while the story she was telling was interesting, it was a bit of a slow start; a lot of character development for each member of Westover's family and setting the scene with her parents' radical beliefs. What made me give it the final star was how gripping the rest of the book was; I couldn't put it down today. When Westover grows older and less complacent to her parents, it is easier to empathize with her. I felt STRESSED for her, and every family conflict she described made me feel the frustration, sadness, and fear she must have been feeling. Whenever a book makes me feel like this, I applaud it. 

Several times while I was reading this book, the song Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story from Hamilton (I know this might sound irrelevant but bear with me). With all the gaslighting she endures from the people she is suppose to love and trust, Westover is using this book as an opportunity to reclaim the narrative. Everyone involved seems to be an unreliable narrator, Tara included (and she admits this herself throughout the book), and although Westover does her best to compile different perspectives together to form as close to the truth as possible in the story of her life, the reader is left to try to decipher what really happened and to make their own evaluations of each person's character. 

One thing I really loved about this book is no one seems truly bad to the core. In the end we are all human, and Westover recognizes this. Even the people who have had a overall negative impact on her life (effectively, the antagonists of the story) did not necessarily have bad intent. Even those with bad intentions had their good moments.

Something I wanted more of was a deeper dive into the relationships she formed/strengthened after she got into college. There seemed to be many people who supported her in finding herself (i.e. friends, professors, relatives), but their character development was weak. Additionally, there were many lines that were paraphrased, but I questioned whether lines were more eloquently stated in this book than reality. For written correspondence, it would have nice to get the direct quote because words/syntax can real reveal who the speaker is and what their character is.

Overall, it was very much worth the read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested.

Book Blog #270: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 

Author: Suzanne Collins

# of Pages: 517 (hardback)

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Review: This is the prequel no one ever asked for.

I was surprised to see that this book existed. Another book in The Hunger Games series? But like any wildly successful series, those involved in making this book come into existence probably couldn't let a good thing just end. 

When I was scrolling though the reviews, I was apprehensive to give this book a shot. The good reviews seemed to be hardcore Hunger Games fans who hadn't even read the book yet. The bad reviews were evidence of the worst case scenario: the book was unfinishable for some. However,  after finishing, I don't think it's as bad as people say. I was even tempted to rate it four stars because I was fully immersed at the end. Here's why I decided to only give it three:

1. There's a lot of fluff. A lot of eating, a lot of characters introduced with little significance. This book didn't have to be as long as it was (and it was undoubtably made longer by the repeated inclusion of mentor and tributes lists and song lyrics).

2. Snow's character development throughout the book could have been more convincing. We all know how this book is going to end (assuming the reader has read The Hunger Games series). President (Coriolanus) Snow is not exactly a likable character in the main books. What makes the premise of this story interesting it that it takes the reader back to when Coriolanus Snow was 18, a time when he was no more or less evil than any other person just entering adulthood. He's presented as our protagonist but some how has to become the antagonist that is present in The Hunger Games series. I was expecting to be able to sympathize with Snow and understand how his life events turned him into the man he eventually became, but the execution of this change (or revelation) of his character felt too sudden. 

If you are a hardcore fan of The Hunger Games series and were already excited for this book, go ahead and give it a read. I was a big fan of the main books, but didn't have much interest in reading this book other than out of curiosity on what story there was to be told in a prequel. I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I needed to read this book either. Would only recommend to those who are genuinely interested. 

Book Blog #269: Don't Make Me Think Revisited by Steve Krug

Title: Don't Make Me Think
Author: Steve Krug
# of Pages: 200 (ebook)
Genre: Nonfiction, Design, Business
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In this 3rd edition, Steve returns with fresh perspective to reexamine the principles that made Don’t Make Me Think a classic-–with updated examples and a new chapter on mobile usability. And it’s still short, profusely illustrated…and best of all–fun to read.
Review: Short and funny!

Event though it's been several years (time for the fourth edition?) since Krug released this version his book Don't Make Me Think (Revisited), the examples he uses throughout the book are still very relevant today. With fun footnotes and plenty of visual examples, Krug makes an otherwise boring topic on web usability interesting and enjoyable.

Some of the points Krug makes might see obvious/intuitive. They probably are, but these book highlights this points so they are top of mind if you are ever faced with the problem of web design/usability. While this might not be the most interesting book you'll ever read, it's so short that it's a nice one to at least skim if this is relevant to you.

Book Blog #268: Gook Luck Life by Rosemary Gong

Title: Good Luck Life
Author: Rosemary Gong
# of Pages: 288 (paperback)
Genre: Nonfiction, China, Cooking
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Good Luck Life is the first book to explain the meanings of Chinese rituals and to offer advice on when and how to plan for Chinese holidays and special occasions such as Chinese weddings, the Red Egg and Ginger party to welcome a new baby, significant birthdays, and the inevitable funeral. Packed with practical information, Good Luck Life contains an abundance of facts, legends, foods, old-village recipes, and quick planning guides for Chinese New Year, Clear Brightness, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, and many other festivals.
Review: This book is better suited to be used as a reference text rather than read straight through. Since the text is exactly how I imagined it would be, I'm giving it four stars (it wasn't the most joyous read, but it was short!).

Gong covers a lot of topics that people less familiar with Chinese American culture may wonder about. She is casual and puts all the information in an easily digestible format; a story of the Chinese lore behind the tradition here, a recipe associated with the holiday there, etc. Overall, pretty insightful, but it would be best to pick and choose the sections that are relevant for the time period/situation. Also a little outdated as the book is a bit old; there's a list of "upcoming years" and their associated animal (i.e. year of the rat), and the last one on the list is for 2020. However, aside from this trivial information, all the other information seems fine!

Book Blog #267: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Title: Ask Again, Yes
Author: Mary Beth Keane
# of Pages: 390 (hardback)
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Illness
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne—sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
Review: Overall a solid read, but definitely not a happy one.

Mary Beth Keane has written a gripping slice-of-life story about two families who's lives inevitably become intertwined. However, unlike most slice-of-life stories, Keane tends to quickly fast forward through the happy/funny parts and skips right to the big challenges and struggles.

I found myself tearing up several times because the characters reminded me of relationships I have with loved ones in real life, and it made me think a lot about what I have to appreciate in my current situation and what I may have to face in the future as I build new relationships and strengthen old ones.

There were only a couple of issues I had with this book. There was third person POV switching, which didn't bother me at first but became more frustrating as the story went on. Keane seems to use this third person POV switching to maintain the "grim" tone of the book (so if some characters are experiencing a happy time in their lives, the author might write from a different character's perspective who might not be having such a rosy time). The other problem is sometimes the characters seem to be portrayed in an emotionally disconnected way, which made some of the characters feel unrealistic.

One thing I do love about the book is how no character is truly bad; most people are trying their best, and some are definitely trying harder than others. It sends a good message to show that some people can go through severe hardships but still work on rising above and bettering themselves.

I would recommend this book!