I found a solution for my next-book indecision. When I’m having trouble deciding what to read, all I have to do is pull a title out of this kimchi jar. Voilà! Problem solved.
What are you currently reading?
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Brief synopsis (back cover): When prototype models for a dream-invading device go missing at the Institute for Psychiatric Research, employees soon learn that someone is using these new machines to drive them all insane. Brilliant psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba—whose alter ego is a dream detective named Paprika—realizes she is in danger. She must venture into the dream world in order to fight her mysterious opponents. Soon nightmares begin to leak into daily life and the borderline between dream and reality grows unclear. The future of the waking world is at stake.
Rating: ✈ Travel companion
Long story short: Science fiction and mystery are two of my favorite genres, and I really enjoyed the way they intersect in this book. Other things this book does well:
- It is convincing. The new technology that allows people to enter each other’s dreams is legitimized in the book in the form of buy-in from the scientific community. Even without their endorsement, the concept is weird and “out there” enough to be believable. Also, considering the book was first published in 1993, it has aged well.
- The plot moves along. Though a little slow at first, it picks up about a quarter of the way in and is a thrilling ride till the end.
- It offers some social commentary. While it focuses on the challenges of scientific research, asking questions like Who is research for? and Can you have research for research’s sake?, it also explores the way in which we treat mental illness and therapy.
Some minor critiques:
- There is some sexual exploitation and violence. However, it is not necessarily gratuitous; that is, it speaks to characters’ mindsets and serves as an explanation for their motivations.
- There are a lot of characters. Not quite Game of Thrones style, but at times still distracting.
My next step is to watch the anime movie based on this book that came out in 2006. Have you read the book or watched the movie? What did you think?
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir
by Kai Cheng Thom
I’m not even close to finishing my 2017 reading challenge, but I’m already looking forward to next year’s! One I’m thinking about following is the 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, but I’d love to know what else is out there!
Brief synopsis (Goodreads): Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was.
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell. Stories about a boy who lives with wolves, great storms that evaporate into thin air, fireflies that make phosphorescent honey, and a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it.
There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.
Rating: 🌴 Island collection
Long story short: It’s not every day that I spend precious study hours reading for fun (okay, it’s most days, but usually not the few before a midterm).
This book has everything I enjoy in a good story: a new and unpredictable plot, suspense, interesting and relatable characters, and vivid imagery. It’s also one of those books that I simultaneously wanted to finish and hoped it would never end (to be honest, I’m a little sad that it did).
Since it’s past my bedtime, I’m only going to add: go read this book.
For my reading challenge, I need a book recommended by a librarian. If you are a librarian or know one, please send suggestions my way!
Hi fellow readers and bookworms! We’re well into July now, and how time flies! School and work have kept me pretty busy, but I’m grateful for all the reading opportunities I’ve had this year. Since it’s summer, I think this is a good time to pause for a moment and reflect on my progress.
I’m working through a category reading challenge with an added twist: in January I promised myself that I would read harder. This year that means reading more books by women and/or people of color (POC), and being mindful of how those specific voices are presented (or not) in every day life (i.e., trips to the bookstore, what people around me are reading, etc.).
Brief synopsis (Goodreads): National Book Award finalist Cristina García delivers a powerful and gorgeous novel about the intertwining lives of the denizens of a luxurious hotel in an unnamed Central American capital in the midst of political turmoil. The lives of six men and women converge over the course of one week. There is a Japanese-Mexican-American matadora in town for a bull-fighting competition; an ex-guerrilla now working as a waitress in the hotel coffee shop; a Korean manufacturer with an underage mistress ensconced in the honeymoon suite; an international adoption lawyer of German descent; a colonel who committed atrocities during his country’s long civil war; and a Cuban poet who has come with his American wife to adopt a local infant. With each day, their lives become further entangled, resulting in the unexpected—the clash of histories and the pull of revenge and desire.
Rating: ✈ Travel companion
Long story short: I really enjoyed The Lady Matador’s Hotel. The plot is slow-moving, but that works in the book’s favor, since the characters are far more interesting and are ultimately what make the book a compelling read. In addition, the writing is charming; it has a poetic cadence that juxtaposes provocatively with the occasional gore and violent imagery.
If you’re on vacation or at the beach, I recommend picking it up! Keep reading for a more in-depth review:
Continue reading “Review: The Lady Matador’s Hotel by Cristina García”
As summer quickly approaches—yay!—I’m working on kicking my reading challenge into high gear. I’ve been slowly making my way through the 52 books I want to read, and hope to knock out most of them in the next four months. I’m also looking forward to connecting with friends over books, something I’ve been sorely missing.
To that end, I’m inviting you all to write book reviews to post on my reading blog. I don’t have a huge number of followers, so if your goal is exposure this might not be the best forum, but it’s a fun way to flex your writing muscles and share what you’ve been reading. No rules really, except that you keep things polite and professional.
If you’re interested, let me know!
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