Review: 70. The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa...

I really enjoyed Kim Dong Hwa's The Color of Earth when I picked it up on a whim, so I went looking for the other books in this graphic novel trilogy.

Title: The Color of Water (The Color of Earth #2)
Author: Kim Dong Hwa
ISBN-13: 9781596434592
Paperback: 308 pages
Publisher: First Second, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
In The Color of Water, Ehwa is now sixteen. She meets Duksam, and spends her free time daydreaming about him and about love. Is he the one for her? When his employer sees her, though, the old lech decides to set the matchmaker to pursue Ehwa's hand in marriage.

In the meantime, Ehwa's mother still pines for the picture man, as Ehwa pines for Duksam. And all of the longing, and the joy when they are able to see each other, is delicately drawn in this beautiful graphic novel.

As in The Color of Earth there's a lot of cultural nuances in The Color of Water, along with the explanations. The artwork and dialog are spare and simple, but completely beautiful. I am glad I picked this up, and will return for The Color of Heaven to find out where Ehwa's story goes from here...

drey's rating: Excellent!

Review: 57. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa...

I picked this one up on a whim the last time I was at the library, and now I'm hoping I remember where from so I can get the next two!

Title: The Color of Earth (The Color of Earth #1)
Author: Kim Dong Hwa
ISBN-13: 9781596434585
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: First Second, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library


drey's thoughts:
I love the cover of The Color of Earth, and it's the reason I even picked it up at all. Then I opened the book and was swept away by the captivating story of a little girl who is growing up and learning about love and life.

Ehwa is seven years old when we meet her, and she's found out that the villagers in her town can be cruel and thoughtless, men can be pigs, and little girls don't have the same parts as little boys... Two years later she wonders about babies, her widowed mother falls in love, and she meets a shy young monk. We follow along as Ehwa navigates her way through the changes in her body and the unfamiliar pangs of infatuation and young love.

The art is simply drawn, yet evocative of the Ehwa's feelings. There were pages where I could just tell where she was at emotionally, without reading any of the words on the page. Which would've been a pity, as the words themselves flow together beautifully. I loved the characters, I loved the artwork, and I loved the story.

drey's rating: Outstanding! I'm going to pick up The Color of Water for one of my travel reads next week.

90. City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris...

Title: City of Veils
Author: Zoe Ferraris
ISBN-13: 9780316074278
ARC: 389 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

FTC Disclosure: My copy of City of Veils was provided by the publisher for this review. I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Zoe Ferraris' City of Veils is a simple enough whodunnit--there's the victim, the victim's family and friends, and the investigators. What makes this more than just another whodunnit is its setting--in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Where women's movement and activities are limited, the police investigator's first thought is that the battered body found on the beach belongs to a housemaid--they're numerous, often abused, and without much recourse.

Then they find out that the victim--Leila--is outspoken, rebellious, and an aspiring film-maker who's been filming the not-so-pretty side of life in Jeddah. In a world where women can't do anything without a man (& not just any man, but a relative), part of the appeal of City of Veils was the figuring out of how Leila managed to maneuver herself into the situations she filmed--and whether her filming had anything to do with her death.

One of the other players in this story is Miriam, whose bodyguard-for-hire husband goes missing just as she returns from a visit home to America. The pages describing her experience at the airport (a room in the airport for Unclaimed Women!) really punctuate how different their world is from the West. And the description of Miriam's attempt to move while wearing the burka highlights how restrictive the simple day-to-day stuff is for someone who's used to much more freedom--not just in dress and verbal expression, but also in movement.

Tying Leila's death and Miriam's story together is the investigative "team"--the detective, Osama Ibrahim; the coroner's assistant, Katya Hijazi; and her friend, Nayir Sharqi. In the course of this story, Nayir's strict views on the edicts of Islam is tempered by his exposure to Osama's more balanced interpretation, and he realizes that when so much is expected of women, men must step up too.

Religion, murder, and mayhem combine into an engrossing mystery in City of Veils.

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub

TLC Book Tours: 69. The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri...

Today's TLC Book Tour is for a charming and lyrical book by Heather Barbieri--The Lace Makers of Glenmara.

FTC Disclosure: My copy of The Lace Makers of Glenmara was provided by TLC Tours for this blog tour. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

About the Author:

Heather Barbieri is half-Irish. Her paternal ancestors left counties Donegal and Tipperary after The Great Famine and worked in the coal mines of Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Butte, Montana. Her impeccably dressed maternal grandmother was a descendant of a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and instilled an avid interest in fashion in her granddaughters. Barbieri’s first novel, SNOW IN JULY (Soho Press), was selected as a Book Sense Pick, a Glamour magazine “Riveting Read,” and a Library Journal Notable First Novel. Before turning to writing fiction full-time, she was a magazine editor, journalist, and film critic. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and three children, and is currently working on her third novel. Find her online at http://www.heatherbarbieri.com/.

Title: The Lace Makers of Glenmara

Author: Heather Barbieri

ISBN-13: 9780061721557

Paperback: 268 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

drey's thoughts:
Kate Robinson has lost her mother, her boyfriend, and her fashion show was a flop. So she takes time off to clear her head--and heart--and decides to visit Ireland. Ending up in the seaside village of Glenmara, Kate finds herself bonding with the local women--and learning the art of lace-making. Before long, Kate has the group combining talents to explore ways of keeping a centuries-old craft alive.

But not everybody in Glenmara loves Kate. The local parish priest is up in arms over the lace-makers' new projects. And one of the women is leery of Kate's charms and ideas. 

The Lace Makers of Glenmara weaves a compelling tale of women and friendship, loss and love, and how sometimes things do work out, even if not quite how you'd expect it to. Pick this one up for an enjoyable and leisurely read.

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent


Challenges: 100+

55. Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda...

Title: Lone Star Legend
Author: Gwendolyn Zepeda
ISBN-13: 9780446539609
Paperback: 327 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Lone Star Legend was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
I loved Gwendolyn Zepeda's Houston, We Have a Problema, and was looking forward to Lone Star Legend. Of course, you know how things have been going for me so far this year. It got so crazy that I lost track of my TBR pile, and didn't get around to reading Lone Star Legend till recently.

Which is a shame. Sandy's story pulled me in, slowly but surely... And not because of the blogger angle, either, but because of the characters. Sandy could be somebody I know in real life. She follows her heart, and gets into trouble, but still tries to do good. Tio Jaime is awesome! I wish he was in my family!

Add this to your summer pile. You won't regret it.

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Tour: 190. The Return by Victoria Hislop...

Today's tour is for Victoria Hislop's The Return... Many thanks to Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'? for organizing the tour...

About the book:

Sonia is in Granada to celebrate a friend's birthday with a dance class. She knows nothing of the city's shocking past, but ordering a simple cup of coffee in a quiet cafe will lead her into the extraordinary tale of a family's fight to survive the horror of the Spanish civil war.

Seventy years earlier, in the Ramirez family's cafe, Concha and Pablo's children relish an atmosphere of hope. Antonio is a serious young teacher, Ignacio a flamboyant matador, and Emilio a skilled musician. Their sister, Mercedes, is a spirited girl whose sole passion is dancing. Her talent for flamenco develops, and when she meets Javier Montero, a renowned young guitarist, an obsessive love affair begins. But Spain is a country in turmoil, and in 1936 a civil war begins that will tear their family apart. For Antonio, the pull of the battle is irresistible. For Ignacio, the allure of Franco's policies causes a rift between him and his family. And for Mercedes, caught on the wrong side of the line, separation from Javier is unbearable. Everyone must take a side and choose whether to submit, to fight, or to attempt escape.

About the author:
Victoria Hislop read English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden and Woman & Home. Her first novel The Island was published by Headline Review and held the number 1 slot in the paperback charts for eight consecutive weeks, selling over a million copies in the UK. The book has also been published in over twenty languages and has also been a number 1 bestseller in Greece. Victoria was the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007 and won the Richard & Judy Summer Read competition. She lives in Kent, with her husband and their two children.

Visit Victoria Hislop's website for a reading group guide for The Return at http://www.readingcircle.co.uk/return-guide.html.

drey's thoughts:
The Return is one of those books that pull you along in its wake. Slowly. And surely. The story is Sonia's, who is dissatisfied with her lackluster life--except for the salsa lessons she takes. When she heads to Granada with her BFF Maggie, she finds Miguel, an old man who runs a cafe. Miguel starts sharing a bit of Granada's, and Spain's, history with Sonia.

And so the story is now Concha & Pablo's. And their children’s. Antonio, the idealist. Ignacio, the impish trouble-maker who takes up the art of bull-fighting. Emilio, who loses himself in his guitar. And Mercedes, who loves—who has always loved—the flamenco... and Javier, her gypsy guitarrista. When war invades Granada, their idyllic life is split and pummeled into so many bits and pieces. Can they recover? Can any of them recover?

The Return floats between history and present-day with a wistful earnestness. And your journey with Sonia as she explores a bit of the past, and realizes her path for the future, is extremely satisfying.

Title: The Return
Author: Victoria Hislop
ISBN-10: 0061715417
ISBN-13: 9780061715419
ARC: 401 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2009

Disclosure: My copy of The Return is an ARC provided by TLC Book Tours for this review.

Review & Giveaway: 189. Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo...

About the book:

Gabriella Richards feels betrayed. Between her doting father in Hollywood and her grandmother's aristocratic family in Cali, Columbia, a few facts have been carefully hidden about her mother, whose tragic death shattered a picture-perfect marriage. Gabriella, now a classical pianist, has kept one foot in her grandmother's elegant, guarded world, visiting her every year. But this trip changes everything. In a dusty closet in a faded mansion, Gabriella finds her mother's diary, written just for her. And at a party of Cali's young and hip, she meets a man she can't resist. Soon, between her mother's shocking confessions and her new lover's secretive life, Gabriella will enter a season of pleasure, pain, and awakening--as she discovers that things are not always true or false, and that the words that matter most can be the most dangerous ones of all...

drey's thoughts:
Gabriella is one of those young women who're floating through life. Her father is nagging her to make a plan for her future, to realize her potential as a pianist. But Gabriella isn't sure that's what she wants to do. And as she makes her annual pilgrimage to visit her grandmother, she promises that she'll try.

Tell Me Something True is a warm, poignant story about a daughter who finds out that her mother was not all that she thought she was. Alternating between Gabriella's and Helena's point of view, the story slowly unravels Helena's secrets, as written to Gabriella in a diary. And Gabriella has to come to grips with that version of her mother.

On the same trip, Gabriella meets and falls in love with a very not-appropriate-for-polite-company (according to her grandmother and cousin), handsome, Angel. But she follows her heart anyway. And in doing so, eventually learns that the differing version of her mother may not have been all that bad; and eventually learns that some mistakes can never be remedied.

Title: Tell Me Something True
Author: Leila Cobo
ISBN-10: 0446519367
ISBN-13: 9780446519366
Paperback: 299 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Leila Cobo on BlogTalk Radio:


Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have up to five copies of Tell Me Something True for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US and Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share: Do you keep a diary? If so, do you write down your deepest, darkest, secrets in it?
-- For an extra entry, participate in this Facebook discussion: Do you keep a diary for your kids? Did someone keep one for you?
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Every 10 people entered gets another copy in the hat, so tell everyone! =)
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST November 8th. Good luck!

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Disclosure: My copy of Tell Me Something True was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review.

Tour & Giveaway: 186. Feelin' the Vibe by Candice Dow...

Today's tour is for Candice Dow's new book, Feelin' the Vibe, the much-anticipated follow-up to Caught in the Mix and Tappin' on Thirty...

About the book:

Clark Winston nearly had a nervous breakdown after her dream man, Devin Patterson, married the other woman. The untimely death of her best friend--the mother of her niece and nephew--only added to her mental instability. Given sole custody of her ten-year-old niece, Clark knew she had to go on and did so with her therapist Dr. Kenneth Winston.

Now ten years later, Clark is the director of a Baltimore group home for girls. By stroke of luck she and Devin are brought back together through their career choices and suddenly find themselves in an affair just as intense as their early relationship. Can they make love work? Or will they decide to try again at their failing marriages?

About the author:
Candice Dow is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Johns Hopkins University. She resides in Maryland with her son and loves to travel. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Candice is the author of six novels and is currently hard at work on her next. Find her online at www.candicedow.com.

drey's thoughts:
Feelin' the Vibe is my first Candice Dow novel. And after reading it, I'm not sure if I liked the book... It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of redeemable characteristics in the characters. Devin wants what he wants, and that's it. Clark commits adultery (& Devin too, since it's not something you can do solo). And to use love as an excuse just seems to cheapen love, to me...

I have no complaints about the writing though. It effortlessly takes you through events and Devin & Clark's ups and downs. If you're a fan of the more romantic side of things, you'll like the HEA. If you're a fan of characters finding their true selves and going after it, you'll like the story. So, I guess what I really mean is, I must've liked enough of the book, character behavior notwithstanding, to know that some of you will, too.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have up to five copies of Feelin' the Vibe for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US and Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share: Do you read urban lit? If so, who are some of your favorite authors?
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Every 10 people entered gets another copy in the hat, so tell everyone! =)
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST November 1st. Good luck!

Tour stops:
10/14: Just Another New Blog
10/15: Author Exposure
10/16: Libby's Library News, Book Junkie, Metroreader: Reading One Mile at a Time
10/17: Readaholic
10/19: drey's library
10/20: Reading at the Beach, Rundpinne
Crazy Book Slut

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Disclosure: My copy of Feelin' the Vibe was provided by Hachette Book Group for this blog tour.

171. Amigoland by Oscar Casares...

About the book:

In a sleepy town nestled against the Mexican border live two brothers, Don Fidencio and Don Celestino. Aging, stubborn, and fiercely independent, they have more in common than either will admit, and an argument so old neither wants to concede. The dispute--their grandfather's alleged kidnapping in Mexico more than a century ago and the truth of their family heritage--appears destined to die with two men too consumed with the past to ever put it behind them. But when Don Celestino falls in love with a Mexican housekeeper named Socorro, she leads the begrudging brothers on a quest to end their estrangement--while they still can.

In a story full of warmth and wonder, Oscar Casares takes us on a treacherous but tender journey as the unlikely trio ventures far into Mexico and deep into the past, following their only lead: that of the lost, and possibly mythic, home of their grandfather, El Rancho Capote. As the brothers test the limits of their pride and patience, they uncover long-hidden truths both painful and redemptive, and learn it's never too late for a new beginning.

With precise, winsome prose and heartfelt humor that won widespread accolades for his story collection, Brownsville, Oscar Casares's debut novel of family lost and found radiates with the generosity and grace of a truly original voice in American fiction.

drey's thoughts:
For me, Amigoland was a slow read. Probably because it was my leave-in-the-car-so-I-have-something-to-read-while-in-the-school-pickup-line... Which meant I got to read it in 10-minute spurts. So, I forgot bits and pieces here and there. But that didn't seem to lessen my enjoyment of Oscar Casares' warm and at times funny story of two brothers who've been apart for so long they can't remember the why of it anymore.

The interaction between the two grouches was at times bitter, and at times sweet and silly. It's hard to see how much animosity existed between the two--I was quite glad that Don Celestino finally went to see Don Fidencio at the nursing home, and the visits became a regular thing. As for Don Celestino's relationship with Socorro, let's just say I didn't quite get it. But hey, at least he doesn't beat her up or cheat on her, so I guess that's an improvement from her previous relationship.

And the little adventure to El Rancho Capote? Heh. You'll have to read it for yourself to enjoy that episode of this debut novel from Oscar Casares...

Title: Amigoland
Author: Oscar Casares
ISBN-10: 0316159697
ISBN-13: 9780316159692
ARC: 360 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2009

Challenges: 100+

Review & Giveaway: 169. Evenings at the Argentine Club by Julia Amante...

About the book:

In the close-knit Argentine-American community of Burbank, California, there are rules about marriage, family, money, and success. Tradition dictates that you must stay close to those who know you best. But two young people are questioning their parents' version of the American Dream--and turning their world upside down.

All her life, Victoria Torres has navigated nimbly between her family's expectations and her own U.S.-born sensibilities. But when her successful, irreverent friend Eric Ortelli unexpectedly returns to the Argentine Club--the heart of their community--she, too, dares to break some rules. Soon secrets are spilling out of marriages. Generations are shifting in and out of conflict. And the dream of a better life for their children held so tightly by the older generation starts to morph into something new. Everything is changing . . . in a place where everything has always stayed the same.

drey's thoughts:
Julia Amante's Evenings at the Argentine Club is a thoroughly enjoyable read. At its core is a story about a young woman trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, which I'm sure many of us can relate to in one fashion or another. She also has to then convince her family that wanting to try for her dreams isn't something that goes against their traditions and values, but instead is something that should be encouraged and praised.

The Argentine Club, such as it is, reminds me of gatherings--formal or informal--when people who share a common nationality get together while in a "foreign" land. They gather to share stories, to eat together, to keep a hold of the traditions they followed when home. There is something comforting about finding others who share similar backgrounds. And Julia Amante's depiction of the events and activities at the Argentine Club evoke memories of when my family was here for one very short year, while my father was attending Air Command and Staff College, and the group of fellow Malaysians that we would get together with.

Of course, there's also drama aplenty in Evenings at the Argentine Club! Victoria's parents go through a patch, when her mother realizes that she's spent her whole life taking care of Victoria and her sister, and now has drifted away from the man she fell in love with. Her father's not blameless either, sticking to the archaic notion that a man has to provide for wife and children, without input from either. And all of them learn what it means to love each other. Perfect for book clubs looking for a fall read.

Julia will be on BlogTalkRadio today at noon CST!! Call in and chat with her!

Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have up to five copies of Evenings at the Argentine Club for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US and Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share something about Argentina, or immigrants.
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Every 10 people entered gets another copy in the hat, so tell everyone! =)
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST October 12th. Good luck!

Title: Evenings at the Argentine Club
Author: Julia Amante
ISBN-10: 0446581623
ISBN-13: 9780446581622
Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub

A Tribute to E. Lynn Harris (& 167. Mama Dearest)...

Author E. Lynn Harris passed away this past July. In his honor, Karen Hunter Publishing and Pocket Books have created E. Lynn Harris Day on 9/25/09 as a tribute to his life and his final novel, MAMA DEAREST. Fellow authors and friends of Lynn's will be hosting events that evening across the country (a full list can be found at www.elynnharris.com), and I am honored to participate in a blog tour for Mama Dearest today.

About the author:
E. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan and raised, along with three sisters, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was the school's first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorbacks cheerleader, and the president of his fraternity. He graduated with honors with a degree in journalism.

Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In 1991, he quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, which, failing to find a publisher, he self-published and sold mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was "discovered" by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and E. Lynn Harris’s career as an author officially began.

Harris went on to become a ten-time New York Times bestselling author. His work included the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and the novels, A Love of My Own, Just as I Am, Any Way the Wind Blows (all three of which were named Novel of the Year by the Blackboard African American Bestsellers), I Say a Little Prayer, If This World Were Mine (which won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence), the classic Invisible Life, Just Too Good to Be True, and Basketball Jones.

Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was also the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.

E. Lynn Harris passed away at the age of 54 in 2009, just months before the publication of his final novel, Mama Dearest.

About the book:

One of E. Lynn Harris's incomparable heroines, Yancey Harrington Braxton, is working her way back to Broadway and beyond. And this diva supreme always stirs up drama in and out of the spotlight....

New York City, you've been warned: Yancey Harrington Braxton is back. The ambitious singer and actress is fired up to move past her recent professional and personal setbacks — including an explosive romance with NFL tight end John Basil Henderson — and prove her talents are stronger than ever. After being out on tour, Yancey realizes what she really wants is to star in her own reality TV series, and she's even found a rich and well-connected lover to make it happen. There are, however, two women fierce enough to derail Yancey's plans with ambitions of their own: Madison B., a hot new bombshell taking the music industry by storm, and Ava Middlebrooks, who happens to be Yancey's own mama dearest.

Ava is out, about, and ready to reclaim her throne. Not even a stint in prison for attempted murder has curbed Ava's competitive nature, and it doesn't faze her in the least that her #1 rival is her own daughter. Ava is willing to do whatever it takes to make Yancey pay, including using Madison B. to turn Yancey's world upside-down by forcing her to confront the past...and making her comeback dreams more exciting and dangerous than she ever imagined.

Taking readers on a wild, passion-filled tour of the entertainment world, E. Lynn Harris's Mama Dearest delivers sensual thrills and electric plot twists — with one unforgettable woman of radiant star power, sexual magnetism, and unapologetic ambition at the heart of the action.

drey's thoughts:
Wow. The only other book of Harris' that I've read is Invisible Life, which knocked my socks off. This one, I wasn't so sure about... Halfway through the book, and there wasn't a single redeemable character in sight. Yancey is completely high-maintenance and witchy. And believe it or not, her mother Ava is a hundred times worse. The way these women treated each other, and others, really made me want to put the book down in disgust.

But. Slowly but surely, things start changing. And as Yancey finally realizes that her life can be what she wants--she just needs to change the how of it--Harris brings her story full circle. And you are left satisfied with the way this one ends. The second half of this book definitely makes putting up with the first half worthwhile.

Between Invisible Life and Mama Dearest, I'm sorry I didn't discover E. Lynn Harris' writing before his passing.

Title: Mama Dearest
Author: E. Lynn Harris
ISBN-10: 1439158908
ISBN-13: 9781439158906
Hardcover: 387 pages
Publisher: Karen Hunter Publishing, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Tour stops:
Found Not Lost
Rundpinne
My Own Little Corner of the World
The Brain Lair
My Reading Room
That’s A Novel Idea
Jeanne’s Ramblings
Cheryl’s Book Nook
Just Another New Blog
My Book Addiction and More

166. Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris...

In memory of author E. Lynn Harris, Karen Hunter Publishing and Pocket Books have created E. Lynn Harris Day on 9/25/09 as a tribute to his life and his final novel, MAMA DEAREST. I thought that I should also read his bold look into the life of a bisexual black man, especially since Invisible Life has been sitting on my bookshelf, on loan from a friend, since last Christmas.

About the book:

Invisible Life is the story of a young man's coming of age. Law school, girlfriends, and career choices were all part of Raymond Tyler's life, but there were other, more terrifying issues for him to confront. Being black was tough enough, but Raymond was becoming more and more conscious of sexual feelings that he knew weren't "right." He was completely committed to Sela, his longtime girlfriend, but his attraction to Kelvin, whom he had met during his last year in law school, had become more than just a friendship. No matter how much he tried to suppress them, his feelings were deeply sexual.

Fleeing to New York to escape both Sela and Kelvin, Raymond finds himself more confused than ever before. New relationships -- both male and female -- give him enormous pleasure but keep him from finding the inner peace and lasting love he so desperately desires. The horrible illness and death of a friend force Raymond, at last, to face the truth.

drey's thoughts:
Invisible Life is a very frank take on the life of a non-heterosexual black man, and the path he weaves in his attempt to reconcile his upbringing with his sexual preferences. As I read it, I felt really bad for a whole segment of the population; one that either cannot--or do not care to--face the censure from their own, where it concerns their bedroom activities. I have to say that while I do not condone putting others' lives at risk by having unprotected sex, or lying to spouses so you can carry on your affair(s), I feel for these men.

As Raymond puts it--and I'm paraphrasing, because I can't (ugh!) find it to quote it right--life is hard enough for a straight black man, why complicate it by coming out of the closet? And E. Lynn Harris' portrayal of Raymond makes him one of the "good" guys. This is a book that will make you think about identity--gender, racial, and sexual.

Note: Raymond met Kelvin his senior year in college, not law school. I grabbed the description of the book from E. Lynn Harris' website, www.elynnharris.com.

Title: Invisible Life
Author: E. Lynn Harris
ISBN-10: 0385469683
ISBN-13: 9780385469685
Paperback: 265 pages
Publisher: Doubleday, 1994

Challenges: 100+

164. The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley...

About the book:

An electrifying epic, based on the incredible true story of a Chinese princess turned spy.

Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father’s liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in Japan. Renamed Yoshiko Kawashima, she quickly falls in love with her adoptive country, where she earns a scandalous reputation, taking fencing lessons, smoking opium, and entertaining numerous lovers. Sent to Mongolia to become an obedient wife, Yoshiko mounts a daring escape and eventually finds her way back to Peking high society—this time with orders from the Japanese secret service.

Based on the true story of a rebellious woman who earned a controversial place in history, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a vibrant reimagining of a thrilling life—a rich historical epic of palace intrigue, sexual manipulation, and international espionage.

drey's thoughts:
I requested this book based on the cover--I didn't know who Eastern Jewel was, which makes me wonder if I should somehow be ashamed to not know the history of my own race? Anyway. I asked for it, received it, and read it.

I have to admit, it took me a while to finish. Not because I didn't enjoy the book, but because the subject's life--while it must have been entertaining and adventurous to her--made me feel sad that she was as exploited as she was, and how willingly she participated in her own exploitation, all in the guise of freedom. Abandoned by her own family, mistreated by her adoptive family, and married off to live in a wasteland (especially when compared to her former homes!), Eastern Jewel, a.k.a. Yoshiko Kawashima, decides to make of the rest of her life what she wants. And so she runs.

Who knows if she might have been better served by staying in Mongolia? It's a moot point anyway, seeing as how her feet were set firmly on the path she was to traverse, from the tender age of fifteen. One wonders how her life might have differed, if the women in her adoptive family would have tended to her better than they did. Or if the family she was born into, would have kept her and taught her instead of sending her off to Japan.

As penned by Maureen Lindley, Eastern Jewel's story will resonate with those who seek to overcome society's mores to live their lives on their own terms. It also serves as a precautionary tale as to the predators who are willing to assist in achieving that life, yet exact a price--one that may be too high to contemplate.

Inasmuch as this is a fictionalized account of the life of a Chinese-princess-turned-Japanese-spy, I mourn the loss of a daughter of China to China's inability to love her own daughters.

Title: The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
Author: Maureen Lindley
ISBN-10: 1596917032
ISBN-13: 9781596917033
ARC: 285 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Tour & Giveaway: 131. Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta...

Belinda Acosta's Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz is touring, and I'm excited to share this with you!

About the book:

All Ana Ruiz wanted was to have a traditional quinceañera for her daughter, Carmen. She wanted a nice way to mark this milestone year in her daughter's life. But Carmen was not interested in celebrating. Hurt and bitter over her father Esteban's departure, she blamed Ana for destroying their happy family, as did everyone else. A good man is hard to find, especially at your age Ana was told. Why not forgive his one indiscretion? Despite everything, Ana didn't want to tarnish Carmen's childlike devotion to her beloved father. But Ana knows that growing up sometimes means facing hard truths. In the end, Ana discovers that if she's going to teach Carmen anything about what it means to be a woman, it will take more than simply a fancy party to do it...

About the author:
Belinda Acosta lives and writes in Austin, Texas where she is a columnist for the Austin Chronicle. Her non-fiction has appeared in Poets & Writers, Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, AlterNet, the San Antonio Current, and Latino Magazine. She is a member of Macondo, the writers' collective launched by acclaimed writer Sandra Cisneros. She loves knitting, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, chips & salsa, mariachi (good, make your soul leap from your body, mariachi); conjunto music (todo old school), and given the opportunity, will square dance. DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ is her first novel. Find her online at her blog, Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz, and on Facebook's La quinceañera club books de Belinda Acosta fan club.

drey's thoughts:
Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz is, at its core, a story about a mother and daughter rediscovering their way back to each other. Ana Ruiz is trying to hold it together, to keep things as normal as possible for Diego and Carmen. But Carmen's not playing ball, and is downright witchy to her mom. Boy, if I talked to my mom like Carmen does here, I probably wouldn't be here blogging... Ok, make that DEFINITELY wouldn't be here blogging...

Belinda Acosta has created very real characters in this book, from antagonistic Carmen to Diego's attempts to be the man of the house. And Ana Ruiz. What a complex woman she is--so strong at the core, yet so conflicted between trying to keep doing what's best for her children, and what's good for her. Pulled into different directions by those around her, she still manages to blaze her own trail.

LOVED it. Couldn't put it down, I even guessed at what all the Spanish words meant because I didn't want to put the book down to go look the words up--that would've interrupted my reading time!

Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have up to five copies of Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US and Canada residents, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share: Did (or do) you know what a quinceañera is? Did you have one? If you did, what was it like? I didn't--to both questions. Until I watched Quinceañera, a 2006 movie about a girl, growing up, and family.
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Every 10 people entered gets another copy in the hat, so tell everyone! =)
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST August 27th. Good luck!

Tour stops:
August 10
You Gotta Read Reviews
Starting Fresh
Foreign Circus Library
Latinitas
authorslatino.com

August 11
Peeking Between the Pages
Books and Needlepoint
Bookin' with Bingo
My Own Little Corner of the World
Readaholic

August 12
Review from Here
Falling off the Shelf
Brimful Curiosities
I Heart Monster
Half Deserted Streets

August 13
One Person's Journey Through a World of Books
Booksie's Blog
Cheryl's Book Nook
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
books! reviews and giveaways

August 14
Radiant Light
The Brain Lair
drey's library
A Journey of Books
Writing to Insanity

August 15
Jenn's Bookshelf
This Book For Free
A Book Blogger's Diary
Beth's Book Review Blog
Park Avenue Princess
Bookmagic

79. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See...

Here's another book that I was absolutely thrilled to receive. After reading & loving Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, I couldn't wait to read Shanghai Girls. 

About the book:

Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are beautiful, modern, and living the carefree life in prewar Shanghai--until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides.

As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime. In Los Angeles, they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married and striving to embrace American life. Along the way there are terrible sacrifices, impossible choices, and one devastating, life-changing secret.

Lisa See's spellbinding novel follows the fascinating lives of these sisters as they struggle to survive in a strange country while bound to the ways of the old. Readers who love Lisa See's mesmerizing command of character, setting, and story will find much to cherish in the pages of Shanghai Girls.

Ah, where to start with this review? ... Pearl and May are sisters who do what every sister-pair does - try to be cool & hip, push boundaries, enjoy life; all while trying to maintain traditions. They are privileged--their businessman father has provided luxuries others cannot even fathom. And they're recognized because they're "beautiful girls" whose images are used to sell everything the Chinese girl needs to be cool & hip. So when they're essentially sold off to pay gambling debts, they don't understand. How could this happen to them? They're modern! Enlightened! Employed!

Instead of accepting fate, the sisters rebel against the decision. It's so easy to just not do what your parents want you to... Unknown to them though, going along with the arranged marriages would have made their life just that little bit easier down the road. As it is, they're caught in Shanghai when the Japanese invade, and face a harrowing journey to get out. Deciding where to go is easy--there's nowhere else but America, where their husbands await.

Once in America, Lisa See sets a scene of immigrants looking to better their lives, & the lives of their families. Los Angeles in the 30's is very xenophobic, and nobody wants Occidentals moving in next door. The solution? Why, build an area just for them, of course. We'll even call it Chinatown! Residents are resigned to the fact that the American Dream is always on the other side of the fence--either because they're afraid to attract notice due to their immigrant status, or they're turned down outside the borders...

Shanghai Girls is rich in detail--both in the characters and the setting. Pearl and May have the unfortunate fate of learning that all is not what it seems--from their languid if busy lives in Shanghai, to the reality they face once they've reached America. The layers upon layers of the sisters' lives peel back like an onion under Lisa See's knife. I was completely immersed in the communication between the sisters--because there's always volumes in what is not said, or very briefly mentioned, when you are trying to protect yourself from even the ones you love the most. It will be available next week, I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Title: Shanghai Girls
Author: Lisa See
ISBN-10: 1-400-06711-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-400-06711-4
Paperback: 315 pages (ARC)
Publisher: Random House, May 26 2009

77. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea...

Ok, I have to start by saying this is definitely one of my favorite reads for this year! What a beautifully-written book it is...

Nineteen-year-old Nayeli has an idyllic life in her little village of Tres Camarones in Mexico - she works at a taco shop, whiles away her time with her girlfriends, and daydreams about the things 19-year-olds daydream about.

One day she realizes that there are no men left in her village, except for the old, or the really young. All the in-between-ers have left, to go up north to Los Yunaites - including her father. And when the bandidos come scoping out her little town, there are no men left to protect it.

So Nayeli does what any smart nineteen-year-old girl does. *grin* She organizes a "search party" to go up north to bring home their men. What spunk! How daring! And so starts the journey of four young people heading north, for no reason that other immigrants - legal or illegal - try to cross the border for.

Into the Beautiful North is lyrical and mesmerizing in its storytelling. From the squalid conditions in Tijuana, the criminal elements preying on the unsuspecting, the people they meet when at the bottom, the people who help them attempt the border crossing... I could not put the book down at all. One of my favorite passages has to be when Nayeli is caught by the Border Patrol, and she tells her story but they can't believe it, it's so incredible. Go read it for yourself - it's out May 19th, and you can pre-order from Amazon by clicking on the cover.

Title: Into the Beautiful North
Author: Luis Alberto Urrea
ISBN-10: 0-316-02527-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-02527-0
Paperback: 334 pages (ARC)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, May 2009