Whimsical.nu

The Girl on Fire going through fire: a Mockingjay review

I'm talking about: Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay coverI finished Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay the week it went out. Mockingjay is the third and final book in Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy, which follows Katniss Everdeen in the dystopian country of Panem. The Capitol forces the twelve Districts to obedience, and one way they do this is to force each of the districts to send a boy and a girl each year to take part in the Hunger Games: a fight to the death in an arena filled with horrors (as if having 23 other people hunting you for sport isn’t horror enough).

The verdict

The book is gripping and well-written, and I found myself nodding emphatically at some phrases and events that happen in delight at just how Collins pieced together the story and brought her characters to life. However, the epic scale of the war going on, and everything that is happening all around Katniss, soon detracted from the book. I enjoyed the first part immensely; the latter half, I felt I was just barreling along to get to the next scene, and the next scene, and the next scene.

The things that I loved about Katniss changed, necessary changes for the story, but this–along with the limitations of the first person narrative–detracted from my enjoyment of the latter half of the book. So many things happened, especially in the latter part of the book, that I felt more and more distanced away from the characters. I also felt that some story threads didn’t end right: I don’t have a problem with endings that don’t go the way I would like them to be, but if it’s right, I still enjoy the ending. These didn’t feel right.

Mockingjay certainly won’t be my favorite book of the series: I think that the first book, The Hunger Games is still the best book of the series, hands down. I always finish what I started, though, and Mockingjay does deliver well.

So what exactly went on?

There were two things that harmed the latter half of the book for me: Katniss, and Gale. Yes, separate, not together: I agree it was right that Katniss should have ended with Peeta. But that’s about it in terms of what was right about the ending.

Katniss did not feel like Katniss when I needed her to be Katniss. Who is the Girl on Fire? Brave and courageous, maybe reckless; someone who did things, who made things happen, who didn’t roll over and play dead. But where was she, in the last part of the book?

  • She was fainting in the middle of action.
  • She was being prodded along the wave of the war, doing this and doing that.
  • She was almost completely zoned out in the end. In the end! Where we needed her!
  • We had to come to terms with her choosing Peeta when we only had Peeta with us for half the book, and the real Peeta for only an eighth of the book.

I mentioned earlier that the first person perspective of the book harmed the ending for me. I understand why Katniss was zoned out and unable to Get Things Done. But coupled with her numerous fainting/zoned-out moments in the rest of the book, us having zombie!Katniss during the ending just didn’t help things along for me. How do I associate wife!Katniss with Girl-on-Fire!Katniss? There is nothing to bridge the two together; they are very different people. “Reader, I married him” endings are tricky, and this just failed to end the book with the right note for me.

Second, Gale Hawthorne. Oh, Gale. It’s alright that you didn’t get the girl, you can have me instead because you are awesome as you are, anyway. I didn’t agree with some of the things Gale did and pushed for in the book: his take-no-prisoners attitude was certainly troubling. But it was war, and nobody is perfect–I like my heroes and heroines that way. Did it mean he was a abhorrence? Not at all.

But the way Gale’s storyline ended–could you have emasculated him even more?

Gale said that the only thing he had going for him was his ability to keep Katniss’s family alive. He doesn’t get the girl, but he doesn’t get even that? Not one shred of dignity left? If it’s to be a “lesson” against having “fire, kindled with rage and hatred”, it was ill done. Making harsh decisions during wartime does not make you a monster.

Also, he was given such a high profile throughout Mockingjay; he has a lot of page-time, and he really shines clear and bright through the pages. And then, in the end, what do we have of him? A cop-out of an ending. A brief cameo of his emasculation. And then a gossipy mention by Greasy Sae about him “in a fancy job”. There is nothing else. I could almost see the scorn dripping from the pages. He wasn’t even given death: death was too good for him, he should have a “fancy job”.

I agree that Katniss and Peeta together was the right ending. If both boys had to live, then Peeta was the right man for the job. But Gale being written off the way he was, and Peeta not being Peeta for most of the book, coupled with the less-personal feel of the latter half of the book just dragged the book down for me in the “like” factor.

(Disclaimer: I like Peeta. I think he is a dear, sweet boy. I was distraught about his hijacking, and if he had ended up not reclaiming his right mind, I would have been just as indignant about his storyline as I am about Gale’s storyline.)

What about you? Did the book end on a high note for you, or did you feel as I do?

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Kinokuniya haul, 4 April

My Kinokuniya foray last weekend was probably the most successful Kinokuniya trip to date. I came away with the following goodies:

  1. The Dark is Rising Sequence, by Susan Cooper – I picked up Over Sea, Under Stone over the weekend (a BookMooch find!) and was quite thoroughly hooked, hence even though I’d prefer getting the books individually, when the second book wasn’t in stock and the rest didn’t seem like it would hold out much longer, I didn’t hesitate; I took the compilation. Hence the whole sequence looks like a “proper” long fantasy book for me now, being quite thick and in small print to boot. I’m not really complaining; I pretty much got the whole set at less than S$10 per book.
  2. Lord Sunday, by Garth Nix – It’s in the same edition as the rest of my Keys to the Kingdom books, albeit in hardcover. I don’t mind; I’d been looking for this for a good while and it was the only copy on the shelf. I wasn’t going to pass it up.
  3. The Fall of Gilead, by Stephen King/Robin Furth – squee! Next installment of the Dark Tower graphic novels. The artwork is still superb, but the story is even more chilling and depressing. Well, it is the fall of Gilead after all. While parts of the previous two issue compilations we know about from Roland’s memories in the books, this part of his history is something quite new. We know some things–like the grapefruit tricking Roland into shooting his mother sort of thing–but we don’t know a lot more, like what happened to Cort, to the gunslingers, and to everybody else. It’s painful to read for all the death that comes, thankee sai, but very riveting.

Three books I’ve been looking for, or waiting for…and they were all there for the taking. EBIL LAFF.

(In other words: hello! I need to get back to blogging. A bit of a website layout tweak is in order, methinks.)

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Half of The Hunger Games Trilogy

So I’ve been obsessing a bit over The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, both by Suzanne Collins. Alright, I held off for a long time. Jerome talked about it from time to time, until I finally caved and bought the audiobook of the first book. After all, he caved and tried one of my favorite escapist YA books (Sabriel, by Garth Nix), so I figure I should give this a try.

Well, I stayed up all night before my flight back home to the Philippines to finish The Hunger Games audiobook; and then yesterday I was finally able to buy a copy of Catching Fire from Kinokuniya and I curled up to read it at around seven. I finished it at midnight. And I even attempted to draw them. (Operative word: attempted. I haven’t drawn in ages!)

Peeta, Katniss and Gale (quick sketch)

Peeta, Katniss and Gale (quick sketch)

I’ve read all the snarls about how it’s just basically Battle Royale, how it was a “ripoff”, and all that. Maybe it was; I haven’t read the former and I can’t recall any book I’ve read so far which follow basically the same plotline (of at least the first book). Maybe so, but that doesn’t detract from the sheer enjoyment of this book. From the overwhelming urge to keep listening, to keep turning the page, to find out what happens. The direct, no-nonsense writing fits well with the book; and the audiobook, read by Carolyn McCormick, is also commendable.

Who am I kidding, I just want to know what happens to Gale! :D Unlike some other heroines I can name (*cough* Makino Tsukushi *cough*) who I hated for a while because of all the shuffling, I actually understand, and aren’t annoyed with her confusion between Peeta and Gale. I like Peeta very much, he “got there first” with the bread, and I worry for him; but well, I’d take Gale any day ;)

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

I do wonder what’s going to happen to Peeta. Katniss is a figurehead, that’s true; but Katniss was right when she said that Peeta can sway people with his words. He’s emotionally strong, has commendable principles, has that charisma and wit that ignites feelings in people; he would shape up to be a fine leader after the revolution, for sure. I don’t want him to die, even though I know is death will also anger and fuel the people in Panem because of his sheer goodness. But if he doesn’t die, what happens to Katniss and Gale?

See, I think Gale is the right man for Katniss. He’s from the same background, and they know each other infinitely more than Peeta and Katniss know each other. They work very well together, and are evenly matched. It’s not to say that I think Peeta’s a “wimp” next to Gale, because he’s not; in a way, he also works well with Katniss because he complements her, he’s strong where she’s weak and vice versa. And really, there is just nothing to not like and admire in Peeta.

But this is Katniss we’re talking about. A girl who’s like Makino Tsukushi, like Alanna of Trebond. Let’s say Peeta lives, and is catapulted into leading the new world, or being groomed for it: a life in the spotlight, of placating other people, of politics, is not for Katniss. She would be powerless to go out and about, be active, hunt. That isn’t a life that’s altogether suited for her character. She would hate it.

It’s all conjecture, of course; I don’t even know if Peeta lives, and if he will be a leader if he does. If he didn’t die with the force field malfunction, President Snow would keep him alive to undermine Katniss. And Katiss would still endeavor to rescue him, which is only right. And then what? She’s right that she needs him; he’s her Hanazawa Rui. But I don’t want Peeta to endure Katniss getting married to Gale; and I don’t think Peeta’s like Jonathan of Conte who’ll fall in love with someone else.

August can not arrive soon enough.

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Sea Monsters and Austen

While at the bookstore over the weekend (a day at Orchard Road cannot be complete without going to Kinokuniya!), look at what I found!

Sense and Sensibility and Sea MonstersSense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities. As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels? This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen’s biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It’s survival of the fittest—and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love!

Of course I couldn’t resist picking it up. I also found the deluxe edition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which boasts of 30% more zombie mayhem, so I certainly couldn’t pass that one up. I pre-ordered the first edition of the latter off of Amazon and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever ordered from Amazon, no doubts about it. I don’t think I’ve talked about P&P&Z here before (possibly only in my journal), but any Austen lover must have it. It’s so irreverent it’s hilarious! If this one is 50% as fun as P&P&Z, it’s bound to be a good read.

S&S isn’t my second-favorite Austen novel (that goes to Persuasion) but it’s also pretty close; and the Colonel as a sea monster? Oh too much to resist! I’m still debating whether I’m going to bring both or just S&S&SM (that’s a whole lotta Ss!) back to the Philippines while on holiday. Holidaying with sea monsters and zombies sounds quite fun. ;)

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On the Nine Bright Shiners

I’ve been re-reading a lot of the Old Kingdom trilogy (by Garth Nix) recently, a chapter or two (or ten) before I sleep. I seem to always, always gravitate towards it when looking for a nice comfort read. None of it is a “comfort book” by any means, but it’s just really nice to get back to. To escape to.

That said though, one of the things that continue to fascinate me even with multiple readings are how the Charters and Shiners and everything is woven together, and the stuff we don’t know. It’s quite provocative, keeps me thinking and trying to piece everything together, but I never seem to get everything down pat.

(Warning: quite spoilery!)

So we know that there are the Nine Bright Shiners, the first seven of which created the charter and whose power is also in the bells. Five of them gave themselves up to the charter, and two gave up most of their powers but kept their consciousness (more or less) intact. This coincides with the nursery rhyme first encountered in Sabriel:

“Five Great Charters knit the land,
Together linked, hand in hand.
One in the people who wear the crown,
Two in the folk who keep the Dead down,
Three and Five became stone and mortar,
Four sees all in frozen water.”

From what the Disreputable Dog says, as well as their journey down the well in Abhorsen’s House, we know that the two Shiners who still have some form of consciousness in the Old Kingdom are Kibeth (the Dog herself, the Walker) and Astarael (the being down the well, the Sorrowful). Which means that the five Shiners who gave themselves up would be Ranna the Sleeper, Mosrael the Waker, Dyrim the Speaker, Belgaer the Thinker, and Saraneth the Binder.

Now comes the confusing part. Did the five mix up their powers (like in a huge vat) and then partitioned it to five and infused their (collective) powers into the Great Charters? Or did they put their powers into a specific Great Charter, thus having that Charter take on a couple of their strengths? The latter seems likely, as from the book we see that when the Dog barks, the dead and Free Magic constructs walk, synonymous with her title, “the Walker” (she also likes walks, too). However, if this is the case, why did Hedge call the Abhorsen “Astarael’s Get”? If Astarael retained consciousness (which she did) then she can’t be one of the five Shiners who gave themselves up to the Charter.

Obviously the next step would be to look at the symbolism of the Bloodlines representing the Five during the second binding of Orannis in Abhorsen, but even this can be a little vague. During the second binding, we have:

  1. Ranna, represented by Touchstone (King)
  2. Mosrael, represented by Sanar and Ryelle (Clayr)
  3. Kibeth/Dog, who stood for herself
  4. Dyrim, represented by Ellimere (future Queen)
  5. Belgaer, represented by Sameth (Wallmaker)
  6. Saraneth, represented by Sabriel (Abhorsen)
  7. Astarael, represented by Lirael (Remembrancer, Abhorsen-in-Waiting)

Since Lirael says that there will be a bell which speaks to the person for the binding, we can assume that the bell speaks to the Charter in the wielder’s blood. This looks good especially for the Sabriel/Saraneth pairing; and to a lesser extent, Mosrael for the Clayr (waking dreams/prophecies) and Belgaer for Sam/the Wallmaker (the Thinker, creating things). It even makes a bit of sense that Lirael stands for Astarael. But Ranna/Dyrim is a puzzler. Touchstone says that Ranna speaks to him as it’s “appropriate” given that he’s slept for a long time; and, both Touchstone and Ellimere has the Blood of the Crown.

However, given that in the “supposed” timeline (before Kerrigor messed it up), Touchstone was not going to be the King, maybe we can safely say that Ellimere’s blood is stronger in terms of representing the Crown. Since Two of the Great Charters are the Wall the the Stones, which do Ranna and Belgaer stand for? I’ve read (not entirely sure of the origin) that the other Wallmakers became Charter Stones themselves. Does that mean Sameth/Wallmaker/Belgaer = Charter Stones?

Shiner Title Charter representation Second binding avatar
Ranna Sleeper Charter Stones? The Wall? Touchstone
Mosrael Waker Clayr Sanar/Ryelle
Kibeth Walker - -
Dyrim Speaker Crown Ellimere
Belgaer Thinker Charter Stones? The Wall? Sameth (Wallmaker)
Saraneth Binder Abhorsen Sabriel
Astarael Sorrowful - Lirael

But that still doesn’t explain why Abhorsens are called Astarael’s Get, and which of the Charter specifically received Ranna and Belgaer’s power. There must be something here I’m missing. Maybe the prequel/sequel to the current trilogy will shed some light into this?

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BookMooch trial run

So with the number of books on my shelf–and some duplicates, really–I thought I’d finally give this BookMooch thing a try. I’m never really able to throw my books away, it is just too cruel, really. And it would certainly be nice to be able to give these books to people who actually want them. So I’m giving this a shot. If anyone else if on there, I’m angelamaria on there; feel free to add me.

I’ve already listed a couple of books I have on hand to send off, and gotten a request for one of them too. This is quite exciting! I have yet to add books to my wishlist, tsk tsk. But I’ll get my wishlist populated at some point. It’s difficult when some of the books I’m looking for are stuff in a particular edition!

That said, their website could certainly use a bit of…sprucing up. I’ve been searching high and low for some way to get the books I’m listing on there here on W.nu, but their website is a bit of a maze. I finally find the widgets page–and the widgets leave much to be desired. I finally find the API page, but there is no API for getting books in someone’s inventory! I finally stumble on my inventory page and saw the unobtrusive RSS icon. I will have to see how well I can use that information. (Sadly, there is no “condition” field in the RSS. But that’s the field I want! Sob.)

Now. Do I add the books I have that sadly I don’t think I’ll ever get to read? Hrmm.

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Books and reading meme

Books books books!

Books books books!

It’s an old book meme, but what the hey, everything is a cycle ;)

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?

I love trade paperback. I will go for mass market paperback over hardbacks as well; hardbacks are heavier and just generally clunkier than the others, which I dislike.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders?

Never ‘been in a Barnes & Noble store, sadly. So I will instead make a choice between: Borders, Kinokuniya, Page One and Popular/Harris, which are the biggest bookstores in Singapore (if I’ve missed any, let me know :O!). I’d have to say Kinokuniya, although I think I am biased because I am a member (yay discounts!) and they have lots of manga (granted, I don’t read a lot of manga, but still!).

Although frankly, I will go inside any book store and enjoy myself just as much.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark! I used to dog-ear as a child, but not anymore. Actually, I hardly ever bookmark, too; or if I do, I use stuff like scrap pieces of paper lying around. Usually, I just repeat the page to myself, and go off; I don’t mind if I reread a bit of what I’ve previously read (while skimming to get to where I left off), as it helps refresh the memory as well.

Oh wait. Putting down a book? What’s that?

4. Amazon or brick and mortar?

Brick and mortar! Really only because it’s usually cheaper, as there’s no shipping involved.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

Oh my. Neither! I arrange my books a number of ways, really; I first segregate by general genre, which usually mean:

  • Nonfiction
  • Classics
  • “Real” fiction (har har)
  • High fantasy, or any fantasy not included in…
  • Children’s/YA fantasy
  • Manga

(Recently I’ve had a number of books with magical realism in them, and naturally they fit in between the “real” fiction and fantasy books.)

After that, however, I group together roughly by author/series/height. For authors that have some books in another of my genres, I usually try to keep them closest to that boundary, but keep his/her books together as much as possible. And yes, height. Height is important. Having books roughly sloping downwards from left to right on my bookshelf looks very pretty.

6. Keep, throw away, or sell?

Keep, or give away to people. That said, I really have a couple of books that I should give away or something. Maybe I’ll take another stab at bookmooch, or just post on this blog.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it?

OMG. Keep! How, oh how can you toss the dust jacket?!

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it?

Ew, remove to read. It will get all wrinkly!

9. Short story or novel?

Usually novels, but I enjoy short stories a lot as well. I should actually look for short story anthologies more.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

Ohh, tough one, but I’ll go with Harry Potter. Lemony Snicket is oodles of fun, though!

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?

Stop when tired, mostly because when the chapter ends I usually just need to know a liiiiitle more… and I never get to the end of it. So I just end up stopping when I can’t read anymore (i.e., I need to do something NOW, or I can’t keep my eyes open, or…shock horror, if the book bores me.)

12. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?

Ooooh tough one! Tougher than Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket. I like both, but “It was a dark and stormy night” is much more gripping. “Once upon a time” definitely won’t sway me, though. I love me my Lloyd Alexander and CS Lewis.

13. Buy or borrow?

Buy! For unknowns I would rather borrow, but usually also end up buying them in the end.

14. New or used?

Depends on how “used” is “used”, so generally new, or looking-new.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?

The books I get are usually recommendations or products of browsing; I look at reviews only when I’m interested enough in the book to possibly buy them. Recommendations are a given; as for browsing, I love pretty covers and interesting titles.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger?

Both are fine, as long as it’s the right ending for the book. Things don’t need to be resolved to be RIGHT.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

Any! I can (and will) read at any time of the day I feel like reading. Recently, however, that’s mostly at night.

18. Stand-alone or series?

Either! Series books, if they are good, are absolutely fun. They can be a little more stressful though, as I have a complex about finding individual books in a series in the same edition as all the other books I have. T_T I actually have a couple of duplicates because I *couldn’t* wait until the proper edition is out, but bought it later on when it became available.

19. Favourite series

This is torture! Let’s see. I love Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles because while it’s simple and enjoyable, it’s full of beautiful insights. I love C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia for pretty much the same thing, with an emphasis on how it mirrors my faith. I love Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga for the sheer scale, magnitude, and depth of the piece; it’s truly epic. I love Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy because it’s damn enjoyable; Yoko Kamio’s Hana Yori Dango for being absolutely fun and absolutely heart-wrenching at the same time; the Nancy Drew series for memories! There are plenty more but I should stop ;)

20. Favourite children’s book?

I’d say a cross between the Chronicles of Narnia, and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. I have not read the latter in years, but it remains close to my heart. And the only reason I’m not including Prydain Chronicles in this list is because I’m actually unsure if it’s classified as for children or for young adults. I would enjoy either at any age!

21. Favourite YA book?

Again with the fine line between children’s books and YA books. So I’ll just pick among those that I’m rather positive is YA. Hmm. I’ve been staring at my bookshelf for a while now, so I’ll just pick the first one that came to mind: Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy. They’re a bit dark, hence more suitable for young adults. (Don’t ask me to pick which in the trilogy!)

22. Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?

It would be difficult to define “nobody”, so I’ll just pick two books that I don’t hear a lot of people mention: Arlene J. Chai’s Eating Fire, Drinking Water, and F. Sionil Jose’s Ben Singkol. Most literate Filipinos would probably have read at least one of the two; they’re both set in the Philippines and are both fabulously written.

23. Favourite books read last year?

Oooh. Let’s see, from my list last year:

  1. Celestine Hitiura Vaite’s Frangipani (I love magical realism, and the story is fabulous)
  2. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series (like the overall story; yes, I cried too, but could really use better writing)
  3. Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series (which I’ve yet to finish! sob. want rest of the series plz!)

24. Favourite books of all time?

I’m not even gonna try. But I need to give special mentions to a couple not yet included in the post, like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. And oh, oh, Janet Fitch’s White Oleander. And Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. Oh, must include Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, and of course Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy. And Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone. And Jude Deveraux’s Remembrance, as well as Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. And–okokok. Stop.

25. What are you reading right now?

Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I actually have a draft entry on it, but I can’t seem to finish it. Er, both the book and the entry. I’m trying!

26. What are you reading next?

Lyndall Gordon’s Charlotte Brontë: A Passionate Life.

27. Favourite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?

I actually have difficulty with recommending books to people, of any age, unless I know more about the person or they specifically ask me with details on what sort of book they’re after (and sometimes I still have difficulties!). Books are quite personal entities to me, and everyone has a different way of reacting to books and stories in books.

So, I will cop out and pass on this question! Next!

28. Favourite book to reread?

This changes at various points in time. Right now, however, I seem to keep coming back to any one of The Old Kingdom Trilogy. I’m really glad I brought them along when I moved to Singapore.

29. Do you ever smell books?

Of course! I love the smell of new books. :D I refrain from smelling old dusty books because, seriously, who wants dust up their nose?

30. Do you ever read Primary source documents? Like, diaries or letters?

If you’re talking originals, or copies without any commentary on them (like, stuff to look up in libraries and whatnot), then no, I haven’t. I am quite interested in them however, when it comes to certain people I take an interest in, like favorite authors (Charlotte, Jane), popular heroes (Rizal), etc.

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The Art of Undressing

I recently read The Art of Undressing, by Stephanie Lehmann, which I got at a book sale last year. I’m not really into chick lit, but this was quite enjoyable, and I did a second reading after I finished.

The story revolves around aspiring pastry chef Ginger, who has to deal with: her outrageous ex-exotic dancer mother named Coco; her culinary school instructor Jean-Paul chewing her out every class; her distant father and thirteen-year-old step-sister; and what to do about Tom in class who seems to send out mixed signals, when he seems spoken for by the teacher’s pet?

Reading that paragraph again, it sounds so horribly superficial. That paragraph does the book no justice, because for all the outrageousness of some of the characters, they feel quite real and likable (except when they’re supposed to be not-likable). It’s hard not to like Ginger, and to not feel a connection with her as she battles her low self-esteem as a result of being overshadowed by her flamboyant, liberal, and sexy mother (especially when your own boyfriend seems to prefer her, too). Almost oddly, I did like Coco as well, who has such exuberance and vivacity that it leaps through the page and makes you forgive her for overstepping every so often.

The lightness of the book also comes with gold nuggets inside, as it’s not only a story about Ginger coming into herself but also about accepting people, living your life to the fullest, and determination in the face of opposition.

One thing I also enojoyed in this novel is Lehmann’s writing style. I’ve never read any of her other books, admittedly, but I found the writing and the personalization of the characters interesting and pleasurable, putting me in that tenuous space between knowing I am an observer of their lives and being right there in their lives and sharing their thoughts and emotions. The balance was well-done, and the writing unique enough to make it stand out to me. I so love distinct writing styles!

Observe:

I guess I should’ve warned Tom that I was spending the evening as a woman. Because when I opened the door to the apartment he stood there in the hall and gaped at me like I was an alien from outer space. Come to think of it, from a Martian’s point of view, I was an alien from outer space. I certainly felt like one.

“Hi,” I said. “Are you okay?”

“Wow. Is that you?”

“Theoretically.”

“You look different.”

I couldn’t help but respond with a tone of dread. “I know.”

He didn’t look thrilled, or not thrilled, just confused. … “You look great,” he said. “I just have to adjust.”

“Don’t bother. I’m not about to do this every day.”

I was somewhat aware that this was not the sort of thing one was supposed to say when one was presenting oneself in a new, supposedly better light.

That there is definitely something that would probably happen to me in real life, with the odd remarks and the odd thoughts floating around. It makes the book quite alive, outlandishly alive. I’d definitely recommend this book, especially to chick lit readers, but even to those who just want a quick enjoyable read.

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BTT: Libraries

Today’s Booking Through Thursday is about libraries:

Whether you usually read off of your own book pile or from the library shelves NOW, chances are you started off with trips to the library. So…what is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have you any funny/odd memories of the library?

My earliest memories of libraries were all in our school library in the Philippines, when I was in grade school. As a kid who would finish Nancy Drew mysteries within the two or three hours it took to drive home from the city with a new book, the library was the only place I could satisfy my search for more and more Nancy Drew books to read. They had an old collection, usually the Grosset & Dunlap Pc library editions.

Sometimes I went there to just look around. I read everything from encyclopedias to children’s books (when I was younger, the children’s section had a small rug and floor pillows!). It was a quiet place where I could just mill around. I loved looking at my full library card, a dull yellow, with all the date stamps and the librarian’s signature on each return. It was usually wrinkled by the end of the school year, the corners folded. That is, unless I had to get another card.

One of the odd memories I have of our school library was seeking its peace and quiet with my best friend after a particularly “stressful” afternoon which included a secret admirer declaring himself. But, who should be there, but the guy I had a crush on, asking me what happened with The Talk.

My response: a rather loud, squeaky “What?!“

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This week’s stash

There was an unexpected 20% off sale at Kinokuniya today, and I’m extremely glad I went. :D I found out only when I was paying for my stash. I’m almost insanely glad I did go ahead and got a lot of books, and am slightly sad I didn’t get another Hanadan volume to grace my shelves. But that’s okay–I shouldn’t spend too much on books. I shouldn’t! This week alone, I bought ten books. Four from the Carrefour books sale, and six from Kinokuniya.

I got these books at $5 at Carrefour:

All four are books I wouldn’t really buy at their usual prices, as I am always a bit skeptical. But they looked rather interesting and were in alright quality, so hey, why not? The stash from Kinokuniya were certainly more interesting for me:

I already bought Nix’s Mister Monday during my last trip to Kinokuniya, and finished it last night (easy, exciting read! Will review sometime), hence I went ahead and bought all the next ones. The available Superior Saturday was in a different edition, so I didn’t get it.

The best thing is, Breaking Dawn is also in tradeback! Like the rest of my Twilight Saga books. Squee! I haven’t started reading yet, because I’d like to finish Isabel Allende’s Zorro first, and Breaking Dawn is a thick book :P No spoilers please! I realize it disappointed a lot of people, but I’d really like to make my own opinions.

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