Book Review - American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Title: American Born Chinese
Author: Gene Luen Yang  
Year: 2008
Page: 240    
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult  

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Possibly 

Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
As alienated kids go, Jin Wang is fairly run-of-the-mill: he eats lunch by himself in a corner of the schoolyard, gets picked on by bullies and jocks and develops a sweat-inducing crush on a pretty classmate. And, oh, yes, his parents are from Taiwan. This much-anticipated, affecting story about growing up different is more than just the story of a Chinese-American childhood; it's a fable for every kid born into a body and a life they wished they could escape. The fable is filtered through some very specific cultural icons: the much-beloved Monkey King, a figure familiar to Chinese kids the world over, and a buck-toothed amalgamation of racist stereotypes named Chin-Kee. Jin's hopes and humiliations might be mirrored in Chin-Kee's destructive glee or the Monkey King's struggle to come to terms with himself, but each character's expressions and actions are always perfectly familiar. True to its origin as a Web comic, this story's clear, concise lines and expert coloring are deceptively simple yet expressive. Even when Yang slips in an occasional Chinese ideogram or myth, the sentiments he's depicting need no translation. Yang accomplishes the remarkable feat of practicing what he preaches with this book: accept who you are and you'll already have reached out to others.



Why did I pick this book?
Heard about this from Bibliofreakblog. Since I am Asian, I am interested in reading books on Asian-American. I wasn't born here though, so I am not quite an ABC (American Born Chinese), but still.

My thoughts:

• This is aimed for young adults, and I thought it was done quite well. I think I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read it as a young adult, when I was still searching for my identity (my family moved to Australia when I was a teenager), whereas now I think I've figured out who I am... so the message isn't quite as powerful to me

• There were 3 stories intertwining in the book - I was a bit bored at first by the opening story which involved the Magic Monkey (a famous Chinese fable), but in the end I could see why it was included. I also felt that for those who have some Chinese background would appreciate the story more - apart from Magic Monkey, there were a few other Chinese sayings in the book that just seems to make more sense if you know about them -- while this book can be enjoyed by anybody, but it probably would be appreciated by ABC more (or people like me who grew up in a different culture). I could relate to the characters

• While I like Shaun Tan's drawings better, I think the author's style fit well with this story. 

Rating:    3.5 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult

Book Review - Labor Day: A Novel by Joyce Maynard

Title: Labor Day: A Novel
Author: Joyce Maynard   
Year: 2009
Page: 256  
Genre: Fiction 

New to me author? Yes  
Read this author again? Maybe 

Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library (Thank you inter-library loan! My library doesn't have it)

Summary (from amazon.com):  
In her sixth novel, Maynard (To Die For) tells the story of a long weekend and its repercussions through the eyes of a then 13-year-old boy, Henry, who lives with his divorced mother, Adele. On Labor Day weekend, Henry manages to coax his mother, who rarely goes out, into a trip to PriceMart, where they run into Frank, who intimidates them into giving him a ride. Frank, it turns out, is an escaped convict looking for a place to hide. He holds Adele and Henry hostage in their home, an experience that changes all of them forever, whether it's Frank tying Adele to the kitchen chair with her silk scarves and lovingly feeding her or teaching the awkward, unathletic Henry how to throw a baseball. The bizarre situation encompasses Henry's budding adolescence, the awakening of his sexuality and his fear of being abandoned by his mother and Frank, who are falling in love and planning to run away together. Maynard's prose is beautiful and her characters winningly complicated, with no neat tie-ups in the end. A sometimes painful tale, but captivating and surprisingly moving.

First Sentence:  
It was just the two of us, my mother and me, after my father left.

Why did I pick this book?
Tales of Whimsy said "this book hurts but it hurts good." - I love a sad story, so how can I resist? Btw, if you haven't been over to her blog, you should pay a visit! I love her reviewing format :)

My thoughts:

• I really like the cover of the book. I think it portrayed the story really well. 

• The book wasn't as sad as I thought it'd be and the plot was a bit simplistic and predictable for me. I have to remember this is "Labor Day: A Novel" (and not a thriller...) so it's more about the characters than plot (to me anyway). For some reasons, it reminds me of T-Bag from Prison Break but I think T-Bag was a more complex / multi-dimentional character, and also sadder... 

• The book is told from a teenage boy's perspective. Since I don't have a son or any brothers, I still think his voice was quite authentic

•  Cooking was mentioned a bit in this book - it may be my favorite part :)

• The author also has a different writing style - for all dialog, there is no quotation mark, and took a little getting used to (see 2nd and 3rd quote for examples - I didn't quote them for this reason. I just liked the insights given)

Quotes:

Some people make all these explanations first when they give you the answer to a question that might not reflect so well on them (a question like, where do you work, and the answer is McDonald's, only first they say something like I'm really an action or I'm actually applying to medical school soon. (p20)

What makes you think that person you never even met is any worse off than us? I asked her.
Because I have you, she said. Marie doesn't. (p46)

One thing he would tell me, though, he said, had to do with babies. Not that he was any kind of expert, but for a brief while, long ago, he had cared for his son, and that experience more than any other had taught him the importance of following your instincts. Tuning in to the situation with all your five senses, and your body, not your brain. A baby cries in the night, and you go pick him up. Maybe he's screaming so hard his face is the color of a radish, or he's gasping for breath, he's got himself so worked up. What are you going to do, take a book off the shelf, and read what some expert has to say? p66

Rating:  3 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading 

Book Review - The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Title: The Arrival
Author: Shaun Tan  
Year: 2007
Page: 128  
Genre: Graphic Novel

New to me author? Yes  
Read this author again? YES!
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? Earth...  
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):  
Tan captures the displacement and awe with which immigrants respond to their new surroundings in this wordless graphic novel. It depicts the journey of one man, threatened by dark shapes that cast shadows on his family's life, to a new country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which creates the sensation immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new language and way of life. A wide variety of ethnicities is represented in Tan's hyper-realistic style, and the sense of warmth and caring for others, regardless of race, age, or background, is present on nearly every page. Young readers will be fascinated by the strange new world the artist creates, complete with floating elevators and unusual creatures, but may not realize the depth of meaning or understand what the man's journey symbolizes. More sophisticated readers, however, will grasp the sense of strangeness and find themselves participating in the man's experiences. They will linger over the details in the beautiful sepia pictures and will likely pick up the book to pore over it again and again.
 
First Sentence:  
n/a - it's wordless.

 
Why did I pick this book?
Read many GREAT reviews of this book. Wasn't sure if I was going to pick it up after trying some graphic novels earlier and didn't like them. But saw some other drawings done by this author and really liked it, so thought I'd give it a chance   

 
My thoughts:

• Wow. I LOVE his drawings - very detailed, amazingly realistic, and full of emotion. 

• Calling this a graphic novel almost seems a bit insulting. His drawings are definitely a work of art. Something you can tear out from the book and frame it and hang it on the wall.

• When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, you can definitely use this phrase to describe this book - and there are many pictures in this book, and without any words! I can't imagine the time and effort the author put into it (not to say that it doesn't take an author a lot of time and effort to WRITE a book... but typing something out seems easier than drawing something out!)

• I could definitely relate to the story, having been a migrant TWICE. No where near the same experience as the story in the book, but the emotions you feel when leaving your family behind is the same nonetheless. 

• 4.5 Stars instead of 5 - only because I haven't felt the need to buy this book for keep... (yet?) Told you it's hard for me to give out a 5!

Rating:   4.5 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading 

Book Review - The Dead-Tossed Waves (Forest of Hands and Teeth, Book 2) by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves (Forest of Hands and Teeth, Book 2) Carrie Ryan
Author: Carrie Ryan
Year: 2010
Page: 416
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult, Dystopian   


New to me author? No
Read this author again? Possibly
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US   

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):    

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves. 

First Sentence:  

The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going.

Why did I pick this book?
Well, since I read the first book (The Forrest of Hands and Teeth), and some blog reviews said the 2nd book is better, I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't dislike the first book to not read the 2nd one.

My thoughts:

• I do like this better than the first book - I like the protagonist, Gabry, better - I could relate to her more. Plus it also answered some of the unanswered questions from the first book.

• However, I didn't like Gabry as much towards the end of the book, she seems more "fluffy", but maybe again I'm showing my age and not thinking how teenagers feel!

• The names in this book (e.g. Catcher, Cira, etc are more unusual than those in the first book - Marry, Harry, Travis). I think because it's set in a different era - I won't explain how this book is related to the first one, you'll find out soon enough in the first few chapters, and my suspicious was confirmed :)

•  Also guessed correctly some of the other plots. The ending again set up for a 3rd book, which we know will be coming out next year... 

•  Still like the Hunger Games better - not just the storyline but the writing as well. I found sometimes I skimmed pages in these 2 books just to find out what happened. I do like this series better than Twilight though.

• Also like the cover, I think it suits the story

Rating:    3.5 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult

Book Review - The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Author: Carrie Ryan
Year: 2009
Page: 320
Genre: Fiction - Young Adult, Dystopian 


New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Mary knows little about the past and why the world now contains two types of people: those in her village and the undead outside the fence, who prey upon the flesh of the living. The Sisters protect their village and provide for the continuance of the human race. After her mother is bitten and joins the Unconsecrated, Mary is sent to the Sisters to be prepared for marriage to her friend Harry. But then the fences are breached and the life she has known is gone forever. Mary; Harry; Travis, whom Mary loves but who is betrothed to her best friend; her brother and his wife; and an orphaned boy set out into the unknown to search for safety, answers to their questions, and a reason to go on living. In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel.

First Sentence:
My mother used to tell me about the ocean.

Why did I pick this book?
I kept seeing this book on different blogs. Wasn't particularly interested in reading it since I am not into the whole paranormal/supernatural genre. I read the review from Confessions of the Unpublished and decided I need to read it since she had such a strong reaction to it :)

My thoughts:

• I wasn't sure if I'd like this book since it's about zoombie... after reading it, I didn't mind how the zoombie are presented in the book - they are there for a reason, and nothing too creepy (not that I mind creepy books... in fact, I probably like creepy books if they are done well, but it just seems like most YA nowadays are about zoombie and vampires and werewolf and half-human-half-beast...)

• I thought the book was okay, I don't love it like I do The Hunger Games, but I don't hate it either. It definitely left a lot of questions unanswered though, and the ending was left wide open for a sequel (yes it's in fact a 3 part series... so apart from all the paranormal characters, most YA are now a series, and are involving some kind of a love triage!)

• I actually didn't really like the protagonist, Mary, much. She seemed almost irrational and I just didn't really get her. 

• I probably would've been on the fence about continuing with the series, had it not been the very good reviews of the 2nd book... since my library has both books at the same time, I borrowed both, and read the 2nd book right after this one (see next review - The Dead Toss Waves)

• I borrowed the hard cover version (which is the first cover shown above, the more bluish one) and I like that better than the paperback one. I think she looked more like Mary. The paperback girl looked kinda weird.

Quote:

And I wonder if there was ever a crueler world than this one that forces us to kill the people we love most. (p277)

I could have been content. Maybe even happy. But fulfilled? (p286)

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Young Adult

Book Review - Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Title: Rework
Author: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson  
Year: 2010  
Page: 288
Genre: Non-Fiction - Business

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Yes
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? US but can be anywhere
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf.

Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you'll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don't need outside investors, and why you're better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don't need to be a workaholic. You don't need to staff up. You don't need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don't even need an office. Those are all just excuses.

What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You'll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.

With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs they hate, victims of "downsizing," and artists who don’t want to starve anymore will all find valuable guidance in these pages. 

First Sentence:
We have something new to say about building, running, and growing (or not growing0 a business.

Why did I pick this book?
While I have a full time job, I also have a small photography business. I am taking a sabbatical from it right now because I want to just take a break as it takes time away from my family, and our house is still a mess since we moved in almost 3 years ago because I hadn't time to finish taking down the wall paper and paint and declutter and clean... I first heard about the author's website 37signals.com through work, and then heard they have a book out, which Seth Godin endorsed "Ignore this book at your own peril." Since I'm deciding which direction my small biz should go, I thought I'd read some business books to help make an informed decision.

My thoughts:

• This is an easy read - meaning the authors really believe in making it simple and clear and easy to read. I finish it in a couple of hours.

• I actually found myself doing a lot of what they are saying, so it is good to hear the confirmation and of course the authors articulate much better about the reasons behind what they recommend, whereas my reasons were just guess work and how I wanted it work for me with no research to backup any of it... having said that, my business is no where near as successful as their business! Mostly because I am not doing everything I need to do (knowing I need to do) due to time... and having a photography business is definitely A LOT more time than clicking the camera. Trust me.

• As the author said on p9, "this is a different kind of business book for different kinds of people -- from those who have never dreamed of starting a business to those who already have a successful company and running." - as I mentioned, the writing was simple and clear, and not full of jargon so it's not a boring book. Every chapter is rather short. Some of their suggestions are quite anti-traditional (no business plan, ignore the competition) but it definitely makes you think what is suitable to your business.

• For those thinking of starting a business, I'd definitely recommend this book, but I'd also recommend you to read other books too and not just solely rely on any one particular book. This book will give you something to think about, but since I am the research-type, I like reading different books on the same topic just to see the pro and con of each issue. 

• The quotes are just something to remind myself...

Quote

The real world isn't a place, it's an excuse. It's a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you. (p14)

Other people's failures are just that: other people's failures. If other people can't market their product, it has nothing to do with you. If other people can't build a team, it has nothing to do with you. If other people can't price their services properly, it has nothing to do with you. If other people can't earn more than they spend... well, you get it. (p16)

Another common misconception: you need to learn from your mistakes. What do you really learn from mistakes? You might learn what not to do again, but how valuable is that? You still don't know what you should do next. (p16)

Unless you're a fortune-teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy. There are just too many factors that are out of your hands: market conditions, competitors, customers, the economy, etc. Writing a plan makes you feel in control of things you can't actually control. (p19)

Why don't we just call plans what they really are: guesses... When you turn guesses into plans, you enter a danger zone. Plans let the past drive the future. They put blinders on you. "This is where we're going because, well, that's where we said we were going." And that's the problem: Plans are inconsistent with improvisation. And you have to be able to improvise. You have to be able to pick up opportunities that come along. Sometimes you need to say, "We're going in a new direction because that's what makes sense today." (p19)

Will this change behavior? Is what you're working on really going to change anything? Don't add something unless it has a real impact on how people use your product. (p101)

Rating:  4 Stars

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Book Review - The Push Man and Other Stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Adrian Tomine

Title: The Push Man and Other Stories
Author: Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Adrian Tomine  
Year: 205  
Page: 224
Genre: Graphic Novel

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Probably not
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? Japan
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library
 
Summary (from amazon.com):
Tatsumi's brief, disturbing stories, originally published in 1969, have a tone somewhere between contemporary short fiction and EC Comics' old "shock" comics. Each hinges on some kind of prurient or sexually twisted situation: a man's bedridden lover turns out to be a physically mutated sex slave; an office worker puts on his girlfriend's makeup and clothes and has an affair with another woman; a man who disinfects telephones for a living calls a prostitute, but can't think of anything to do but pull out his disinfection kit. Produced over a short period of time, the stories are variations on a theme of social maladjustment. Tatsumi draws marvelously evocative settings, and his stories flow with dreamlike ambiguity, speeding toward the inevitable tragedies at their ends, but his characters appear practically identical. This reinforces both the repetitive nature of his themes and Tatsumi's view of the common man's continuing struggle in a merciless world of menial jobs, impotence and abortions. Tatsumi is known as the "grandfather of Japanese alternative comics," and this is the first in a proposed series of authorized English-language collections of his work. His work anticipates American alternative comics, making it clear why American cartoonist Adrian Tomine, who edited this collection, was attracted to the work.

First Sentence: n/a
 
Why did I pick this book?
While I was browsing the Graphic Novel shelves at the library for Blankets by Craig Thompson, I checked out the other books nearby. Saw this book (and along with his two other books Abandon the Old in Tokyo and Good-Bye) and thought I wanted to learn more about Japan during the WWII era, so thought I'd give it a try.

 
My thoughts:

• I didn't finish it... I read about half way through. While they were like short stories, they just weren't interesting enough to keep me going. I probably won't take me that long to finish it all (this book, plus the other 2 books), but I have way too many other books waiting for me - I have 40 I haven't read yet - and picking up 6 more I'd reserved on Monday!

• I think part of the reason I couldn't finish is because they are short stories... I don't like short stories much in written books, so I probably don't like them much in graphic novels either. I want to know more about the characters, the plot etc, and short stories just don't do it for me. I used to like reading Japanese teenage manga, but I think I've outgrown them

Rating:

 


Did not finish

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!