Fashionista Piranha

Going on hiatus - in case you hadn't figured that out yet ^^;;

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:39 GMT

So the fact that I can count the number of times I've updated during this past month on one hand should make this no surprise to anyone, but school has me a little overwhelmed during these final weeks.

Regular updates on the blog should resume on December 12th, 2009 at the termination of the quarter.

Sorry guys! The blog's not abandoned, it's just buried under a pile of papers!

Doodle of the Day: Twilight

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:56:03 GMT

So for one of my art classes, we had to draw a postcard to mail to a classmate. Our teacher said it should be cute or funny or something fun!

Here's one of mine:

That actually sums up my whole Twilight reaction really, really well.

Giveaway #12: Sorrow Wood by Raymond L. Atkins - WINNERS

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:20:20 GMT

Congratulations to E. B. in Alabama for winning a copy of Sorrow Wood!

I'll be mailing that out to you ASAP! Everyone else, keep your eyes open for the next book giveaway!

Review: The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:15:25 GMT

The Teahouse Fire

by Ellis Avery

When Uncle Charles decides to commence missionary work in Japan, his niece Aurelia is taken along, leaving her dying mother back home in New York City. Aurelia soon runs away, even though she is unable to speak Japanese and knows little of the culture, and soon joins the household of a tea ceremony master as a servant. The master’s daughter Yukako takes Aurelia under her wing, and as Aurelia’s puppy-like adoration grows with time into a deep love – nearing obsession – for her mistress. As Japan modernizes, the tea house faces extinction unless it can convince the rapidly Westernizing society that the ancient traditions of tea ceremony hold a place in the heart of Japan.

I went back and forth about how I feel about this book. It had a great plot idea. Using the eyes of an American girl makes it easier for the reader to enter in the world of the Japanese, and it’s a bit of a cheat for the author, too – any tendencies toward exoticism in Avery’s depiction of the Japanese can be “hidden” behind Aurelia’s 19^th-century thoughts. The clash of cultures, both on the personal level, like Aurelia and her new Japanese surroundings, and on the world stage with the conflicts brought about by Westernization gave the author a lot of interesting ideas and attitudes to with which to weave a great story.

Avery’s decision to mix Japanese into the narrative wasn’t very successful. If one knows little or no Japanese, it can be confusing, and I think it didn’t aid the process of drawing me into the world of the book because I would have to interrupt the narrative to think “Wait. What does that mean?” It was interesting to see how Aurelia processed the foreign tongue, and slowly made it her own.

The biggest problem in the novel, by far, was Aurelia’s relationship with Yukako. Aurelia’s constant, obsessive love and attention to her mistress was disturbing, to be honest. You know some guys just don’t feel comfortable around gay guys because they’re convinced the moment they let their guard down, the gay guy is going to try to jump their bones? It’s an irrational, silly fear – obviously just because someone is gay does not mean they’ll be attracted to *every* member of the same sex – but let’s face it: it’s out there and many people have it. This book does not help that misconception at all. Aurelia nurses a crush on Yukako for years, and the moment Yukako does ‘relax’ around her, Aurelia does try to kiss her and pull her mistress into her arms, even though it’s clear Yukako is not interested.

Also, the epilogue was contrived and stupid. It tied things together too neatly in order to create an unbelievable happy ending. Homosexual relationships may have been more acceptable in the 1920s, but I'm pretty sure that interracial relationships were not, given the anti-immigration laws passed during that decade.

The language and imagery of the book was beautiful. I loved Avery's descriptions of silk kimonos and the minutae of the tea ceremony. I could taste the grassy matcha, feel the smooth surface of the lacquered boxes, and imagine the delicacy of the flowers used in the tea room. If the book had just had these lovely images, and had left the disturbing, obsessive one-sided relationship of Aurelia/Yukako out, I'd have been so much happier with the novel

Totally Off-Topic: Steepster.com

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:48:19 GMT

So I a reader that munches. Nothing makes me happier in the winter than curling up with a good book, on the heating vent with a blanket, a plate of cookies or grapes and hot tea within arm's reach. (I may have mentioned this before.)

I bring this up because I was recently exposed to an addictive new website called Steepster.com, which is a Twitter-like site for tea fanatics. Registered members log cups of tea as they're brewed or bought, and review blends from companies around the world. It seemed like a perfect site for me, because I am constantly drinking tea, enjoying it, and promptly forgetting what was in my cup and where I purchased it.

It's bad for my wallet, I admit. Reading other peoples' reviews of teas makes me think "Gee, I want to try that!" and before I can stop myself I've gone to the company website to see how much the tea costs and where I can buy it. I'm especially fond of flavored oolongs, and thanks to Steepster I've found a half-dozen to buy when my next paycheck comes in.

Anyway. I associate tea-drinking with reading. They go nicely together, like peanut butter and jelly or marshmallows and chocolate. So by extension, other readers might also be tea-drinkers, and some of you might LOVE this site if you knew it existed. So now you do! You can thank me later.

PS - http://steepster.com/fashion_piranha (If you wanna read some reviews.)

Giveaway #11: The Virgin's Daughters by Jeane Westin - WINNERS

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:03:44 GMT

Congratulations to T. L. in Indiana and N. P. in Oregon!

They will each be receiving a copy of 'The Virgin's Daughters' in the mail :D

Review: Guardian of the Flame by T. L. Higley

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:57:30 GMT

Guardian of the Flame (Book 3 in the Seven Wonders series)

by T. L. Higley

When I first heard that Christian fiction author T. L. Higley was writing a series of book centering on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, my first thought was “How do you work the Christian angle into a story that predates Christ and doesn’t directly involve Biblical figures?” The first two books of the series focused on the Colossus at Rhodes and Pyramids of Giza; this latest addition stars the Lighthouse at Alexandria.

The Guardian of the Lighthouse protects the ships steering in and out of the harbor from her perch high above the city. Yes, you read that correctly; the guardian is named Sophia, an educated woman who has held the position since the death of her husband many years ago. She is wealthy and powerful, a friend to the beautiful Queen Cleopatra, but instead of living in splendor Sophia hides at the top of her lighthouse, isolated from the rest of the world. When Julius Caesar and his Roman legion sweep into the city, Sophia is forced to accept a group of soldiers into the Lighthouse as her “guests.” They are led by the handsome Bellus, a soldier who fascinates Sophia because he is learned and witty, constantly refuting her belief that all Roman soldiers are brutish killers. Unfortunately, she’s already harboring several refugee scholars, who are working to complete the invention her husband created before he died. If they’re found, they’ll be killed or forced to work on machines of war for Caesar. As conflicting loyalties and her own desires wage within Sophia, the city of Alexandria also prepares for war as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra consolidate their power over the greatest nation of Egypt.

It took me a while to ease into the story, which jumps around the heads of its main narrators: Sophia, Cleopatra, and Bellus. In the beginning, their stories are connected – Sophia is Cleopatra’s former tutor, for example - but their lives don’t really overlap, and until these various plots start integrating the novel doesn’t flow smoothly. As Sophia is gradually pulled from her self-imposed isolation she becomes less of a tyrannical harpy, which is good because she is a REALLY difficult character for much of the book, making it hard to emphasize with her. Other characters remain distant throughout the novel. In the final chapters I didn’t feel like I had seen any change in Cleopatra’s character, for example, even though the political machinations around her would have surely affected her. The characters’ internal thoughts are often dry, but their interactions with each other were often fun. Sophia’s verbal sparring with Bellus, or her motherly grumbling with her servant Ares often led to some of the best scenes in the novel.

Overall, I’d say this is slow reading. It’s not a slow novel – stuff is constantly happening, what with political intrigue, secret inventions and bloodthirsty soldiers running everywhere – but the characters are constantly analyzing events, and I think this helps create the drag on the story.

Now that Christian angle I was so curious about was pretty forced. A Jewish scholar named Sosigenes introduces Sophia to the teachings of his One True God, which is fine and dandy. Sophia was a woman who sought knowledge, after all. But the historical inaccuracy of Sosigenes’ “Judaism” pretty much killed this story arc for me. To my knowledge conversion has never played a big role in Judaism, and certainly it would not have done so at this time in history, but Sosigenes is very actively proselytizing his faith. Instead of an honest depiction of an ancient conversion from pantheism to Judaism, we have anachronistic Christian conversion, which is a pity, because I would have been extremely interested in reading how a woman like Sophia would fit herself into the Jewish traditions of the day.

I love the idea of a book series revolving around the Seven Wonders. I did enjoy the book enough that I may pick up the other books in the series. If you are a Christian who likes romance and aren’t a stickler for historical accuracy I do think this would be a good book for you. (That may seem like a terribly narrow niche market, but there are a lot of women I know who fall into it.)

Lists: 10 Comic Book Series You Need to Read (even if you don't like comics) Part II

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:48:52 GMT

10 Comic Book Series You Need to Check Out (Part Two)

Part One can be found here.

Part One was a little heavy on the manga/Japanese comics. This wasn't intentional, but it wasn't surprising, either. I do read a lot of manga, because it's cheap and easy to find, but it's not all I read, so today we'll try to have a more even distribution.

I tried to limit myself to just ten titles, but a couple of extra titles might have snuck in at the end.

In no particular order:

FOR "ONCE UPON A TIME"...

Fables by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham
Monthly issues: running since 2002
Graphic novels: running since 2003
Plot: Hidden in the heart of bustling New York City is a secret neighborhood. Normal folks, like you and I, are unable to enter; powerful spells have been set up so that when we come near, we suddenly remember urgent appointments elsewhere or feel urged to take a different route. But the immigrants who live in the apartments of Fabletown are just as magical as the spells that keep us out. They're Fables, exiled from their Homelands by a powerful Emperor who looms as a constant threat to their security here. There is a war going on, a war of magic and intrigue, and the final outcome is anyone's guess as these immortal beings move between worlds in a never-ending battle.
Why I like it: Ever wonder what happened after 'happily ever after?' Snow White, Prince Charming, King Cole and Bluebeard are just a few of the famous literary figures living in Fabletown, but their charmed lives don't exactly follow the fairy tales we know and love.  Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham have done a fantastic job of updating, blending and recreating the stories wegrew up on. Spin-offs like Jack of Fables have really added to the overall mythos of the Fables universe, which has expanded from the 'fairy tale' characters of the first volume to include 'Arabian Nights' and 'Americana' worlds, tapping into folklore from around the world.

FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIRS...

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
Original release: 2 volumes, 1972-1991.
This series has gone through several incarnations, first as a serial work in RAW magazine, then as two volumes, and now it's usually printed as a single book. I almost didn't put this on the list because it is most often found as a single volume now, but Maus did begin as a series so here it is.
Plot: Maus is told in a series of dialogues between Art Spiegelman and his father, Vladek, and is the story of Vladek's life in the 1930s and 1940s, when he lives under the control of the Nazis and eventually ends up in Auschwitz, separated from his wife and family. The young Vladek is resourceful, clever and heroic, a sharp contrast to the old man Art interviews, who is paranoid, controlling and drives Art crazy. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, Art Spiegelman's Maus is probably the most highly acclaimed graphic novel of the 20th century.
Why I like it: It's really, really good. Spiegelman fully utilized the graphic novel medium to tell his story in a way that was compelling, even to those who normally can't stand comics. The peoples of the book are represented by different animals - Jews are mice, Germans are cats, etc - and there's a lot of symbolism in the design of individual panels, making this a popular book to use in school. (I personally got to analyze the hell out of it for one of my English classes, and I still liked the text afterwards. In my opinion, you need a strong story to make that work.)

FOR FANTASY...

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Because really, did you think I was going to make it all the way through a list without mentioning Neil Gaiman?  That's just crazy talk!
Original monthly run: 1989-1996
Plot: Morpheus, King of the Dream World, is released from imprisonment and must regain his power. First he must take back his kingdom and regain the magical tools he uses in his office as Dream, and later he sets about retrieving runaway dreams and setting past wrongs right. It's a little hard to summarize the series, because there isn't a really visible overarching plot that I can talk about without revealing spoilers, and there are a lot of short stories mixed in.   Hmm...this is the series that launched Gaiman's Endless franchise, and at this point there must be dozens of spin-offs and one-off comics, books, toys and other projects.
Why I like it: It's awesome.
Uh...that's all I got. Great storytelling, great art, fantastic characters. It was very adventurous in the way that the story was told, and in a world dominated by 80s-era superhero comic books The Sandman was absolutely unique. It got a lot of women reading comic books and really helped inspire stores to find shelf space for "alternative" comics. I think. What would I know?  During the comic's original run I was too young to read it, so this is just me talking outta my butt. But I really do think The Sandman helped open a lot of doors.

SPEAKING OF COMICS THAT OPENED DOORS...

The Collected Works of Rumiko Takahashi
OK, this is a little different, and I know a lot of you are probably going "Huh?" But when I think about the rapid rise of manga's popularity over the past decade among the general populace, I think the artist that may have had the biggest role in that is Rumiko Takahashi.
One of the first major Japanese series widely available in America was Ranma 1/2. Heck, at the time Ranma was pretty much the face of Viz Media. They printed Ranma comic books, dubbed Ranma DVDs, and produced countless posters, t-shirts and toys. In the late 90s, it was one of the few manga you'd find at big stores like Barnes & Noble. Popular with boys and girls, Ranma 1/2 really helped push manga into comic book stores (for a while it was even printed in single monthly issues, like American comic books) and showed that translating Japanese manga for American audiences could succeed.
If Ranma 1/2 pushed Japanese graphic novels into the comics industry, another one of Takahashi's series, Inu-Yasha, pushed manga into the mainstream. It's been extremely popular, with the anime running on Cartoon Network and the manga series consistently selling extremely well.
Why I like it: *shrug* Maybe I'm giving Rumiko Takahashi too much credit. But she's a solid writer who creates funny, entertaining stories. When you go to anime conventions, there are always plenty of people dressing up as her characters. She has a very enduring fanbase. While I wouldn't necessarily single out any one of her series for being mind-blowing amazing, she's an author worth checking out. IN America several of her stories have been released, including the series Ranma 1/2, Inu-Yasha, Maison Ikkoku, her Mermaid saga and parts Urusei Yatsura as well as several short story collections.

FOR FANS OF "CLASSIC" LITERATURE...

Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower
Original montly run: running since 1998
Graphic novels: running since 2001
Plot: Drawing on sources as varied as Homer's epic Iliad and the plays of Shakespeare, Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze series tells the story of the Trojan War. There are no gods and goddesses directly interfering with events; the story is told with as it would have played out in history. Thetis, for example, doesn't seem to be a supernatural nymph, but a sort of priestess, and Chiron isn't a horse-legged centaur. The gritty reality of this most famous story is painsakingly researched, and created with beautiful black and white art.
Why I like it: The art's gorgeous, and it's really interesting to see how Shanower has combined the many legends and myths surrounding the Trojan War and combined it with what can be ascertained from the historical record. That said, the slow release of the graphic novels drives me batty.

FOR AN INTRIGUING NEW SERIES...

Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga
Original Japanese edition: not sure, unfortunately
American release, published by Viz: first volume published in August
Plot: Set in the Edo era, Ooku is an interesting alternative history of Japan. A mysterious disease wipes out the men; after two or three generations only a quarter of the male population's previous size remains. Women have taken over the positions of power; they are the heads of households and government leaders; even the Shogun is now a woman. Men have become so rare that only the wealthiest families can afford a husband, and desperate women will pay exorbitant prices for a chance to get pregnant. But the most beautiful and the most clever men are sent to live in the palace harem of the Shogun.
Why I like it: It's such a simple idea, really: take men away from a country like Japan, where men dominated every aspect of daily life, and what happens? But it's fascinating to see how Yoshinaga plays with her culture's past, and how Japanese society changes and evolves. It did annoy me that the speakers use Ye Olde English, with 'thee' and 'thou' sprinkled all over. It doesn't flow smoothly from the tongues of the speakers. But the role reversal creates a surreal "what-if" story to enjoy.

Other titles that almost got put onto the list, but didn't quite make it (again, no particular order):
Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by P. Craig Russell
Zot! by Scott McCloud
Elfquest by Richard and Wendy Pini
something by Frank Miller, but to be honest I've never actually read any of his books. (Yes, I know. I suck.)
Persepolis by Marjane Satropi
Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm by Yukito Kushiro

Lists: 10 Comic Book Series You Need to Read (even if you don't like comics) Part I

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:41:57 GMT

10 Comic Book Series You Need to Check Out (Part One)

I read comic books. I read a lot of comic books. But you'll notice that I don't really review them that often. It's not that I consider comic books to be less of an art than "book" books, or that graphic novels are so different from novels that they can't be featured in a book blog. Most graphic novels aren't stand alone stories - they're usually part of a series - and I just haven't figured out the best way to review them. Should I look at each volume individually? That would be difficult, since each volume typically ends on a cliffhanger and you're left with an incomplete story. Should I review a series only as a completed whole? Does that mean I would have to wait until all 30+ volumes of the series is released? That could take decades. Should I, then, batch the volumes? Maybe review 3-5 volumes at a time? Try and review them by plot lines?

I have no idea what the proper solution would be, so my way of dealing with it has been to mostly ignore graphic novels in this blog unless it is a single volume, self-contained story or collection of stories. But over the years I've stumbled across some really fantastic books, so after some thought I've picked out ten series to showcase. Some of them have ended, while others are still churning out new books at a regular pace. I've tried to include that information when I can. I don't want to say this is a top-10 list, exactly, just some of my favorites that I think cover a decent variety of topics and writing styles.

In no particular order:

FOR HORROR FANS...

Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki
Original Japanese edition: 10 volumes, 1990-1995.
First American release, published by Tokyopop: 12 volumes, late 90s-early 2000s. (out of print)
Second American release, published by Del Ray Manga: 8 volumes, 2007-2009.
(Note: I read the Tokyopop translation, so I use the names that they created for the characters. If you read the Del Rey translation, it is closer to the original Japanese.)
Plot: On a quiet night, mysterious aliens come to earth and begin stealing the bodies of humans by taking over their brains. The creatures then take over the lives of their host, while secreting devouring normal humans in a brutal bloodbath. However, one of these parasites fails in his mission: when he attempts to enter the body of Shinichi Izumi the teenager stops him, and instead of taking over the brain the alien is stuck in Shin's arm. (In Japanese, the parasite was called "Migi" because he took over Shin's right arm; in the Tokyopop translation, the pages were flipped so he appeared to take over Shin's left arm, so he was called "Lefty." I think Del Rey kept the name "Migi" but I'm not sure.) Shin soon realizes that other parasites are behind the gory murders around the world, and wants to stop them, but Lefty has little interest in protecting the human race. But other parasites see Shin's awareness of their existence as a threat, and he and Lefty become everyone's favorite target.
Why I like it: This is one of the most violent and graphic comic collections that I own. It's also one of the best. There's a lot of great black humor and the story is fantastically compelling.

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino
Original Japanese edition: 10 volumes, 1995-1998.
American release, translated by Tokyopop: 10 volumes, 2003-2005.
PSoH: Tokyo Japanese edition: running since 2005
PSoH: American release: running since 2008
Plot: When you're looking for a rare or unusual pet, only one shop can help you: Count D's specialty shop in Chinatown. Whether your creature is mythical, mystical or just plain strange, D is sure to have it. Just make sure to follow the care instructions that the Count gives you. So many rumors swirl around the shop that a detective from the LAPD has been assigned to track the Count's moves and find out what he's really selling...and why so many of his clients end up dead.
Why I Like It: Akino draws from a variety of sources for the pets in Count D's shop. One episode might involve a rare animal tied to a Chinese legend; another might be as simple as a pet dog for a lonely girl. The greater mystery of Count D's shop builds with each story, and it just gets weirder and weirder. I wasn't too crazy about the way the series ended, so I was quite happy when it was later announced that a sequel series, called Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo would be released. So far six volumes of the new series have been released in Japan.

FOR INTELLECTUAL SUPERHEROES...

Promethea by Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, and Mick Gray
Original "monthly" run: 32 issues, 1999-2005. (Release schedule was really irregular, so monthly's quite a stretch, actually.)
Graphic novel collection: 5 volumes, 2001-2006.
Plot: Gosh, how to summarize this series? It was just all over the place. I guess the most basic plot would be that after researching a character called 'Promethea' through her various literary appearances, Sophia Bangs becomes the latest incarnation of Promethea. Initially she fights monsters and demons with the magic of her own creativity (Promethea becomes whatever her creator imagines her to be) but as the series continued, the battles quickly fell to the wayside and became an exploration of life, death, symbolism, mythology, metaphysics and apocalypse.
Why I Like It: This is one of the most complex and experimental comics I've ever read. Moore and the artists took the traditional comic book medium and twisted it, squished it, crumpled it up and threw it back up again. The story is just all freakin' over the place. I mean, it can be a hard read. Some of the stuff that gets talked about just whooshed right over my head the first time. But it's just a magical journey the whole way. I don't care if V for Vendetta and Watchmen get all the glory; as far as I'm concerned, this is Alan Moore's best work.

FOR FASHIONISTAS...

Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa
Original Japanese edition: 5 volumes, 2000-2004.
American release, translated by Tokyopop: 5 volumes, 2002-2004.
Plot: Yukari is just an ordinary high school student, sick of her mundane life. She goes to school and studies hard, but surely that's not all there is in this world? When a group of strange fashion designers from the local art school ask her to model for them, she initially rejects them because she's too busy, but when their mysterious leader George asks again she's instantly smitten, and agrees. With her new friends Yukari begins to open up, and begins to learn about her own dreams and desires as she plunges into the new world of creativity and passion.
Why I Like It: OK, I know that it sounds like totally lame chick lit, but the series is about so much more than that. Through the clothes and the make-up, you're really watching Yukari's growth as she stops following the expectations of her controlling mother and begins to find her own way of doing things. The art is gorgeous and distinct, several steps beyond the usual "anime" style that comes out of Japan and much closer to the figures drawn by fashion designers. Another fantastic series by this author is Nana.

FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FANS...

Red River by Chie Shinohara
Original Japanese edition: 28 volumes, 1995-2002.
American release, translated by Viz: running since 2004. Final volume projected for release in 2010.
Plot: Yuri was just an ordinary girl until a spell cast by Queen Nakia, Queen of the Hittite Empire, pulls her into the past to be used as a sacrifice. Yuri escapes, and through a series of adventures earns a reputation for being an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar. She falls in love with the crown Prince Kail, but their love is opposed at every turn by the machinations of Nakia. Many of the characters, like Kail Mursili in Hattusa and Nefertiti and Ramses in Egypt, are real people from the historical record, but of course their lives have been altered to aid the storytelling.
Why I Like It: The ancient civilizations of the Egyptians, Hittites, and Mitanni are brought to life in the Red River series, which also went by the name Anatolia Story in Japan. While there are tons of novels about the Egyptians, the Hittites are rarely found at center stage, and it is really interesting to see their world brought to life. I would love to know more about the research Shinohara did in preparation of this story, but if she's said anything it's all in Japanese.

Cantarella by You Higuri
Original Japanese edition: running since 2001
American release, translated by Go! Comi: running since 2005
Plot: The Italian Renaissance was a time of flourishing culture, and one of the greatest families at the time was the Borgia. Rumors dogged the Borgias both during their lives and the centuries after, and one of the favorite targets was Cesare Borgia and his sister, Lucrezia. A bastard child of a wickedly ambitious man, Cesare's soul is bargained to the devil in exchange for his father's elevation to Pope. Despised as a child, and alienated even as an adult, Cesare is constantly in danger of losing his soul to the demons at war inside him, who have waited since birth to devour him.
Why I Like It: I'm a sucker for historical fiction, and while this story can be quite melodramatic at times it's just a lot of fun. Higuri uses very delicate lines to create her characters, and her devotion to portraying the rich elegance of the Renaissance makes the pages a visual feast.

...OK. This was supposed to be a 'quick' update, but it's taking a lot longer than I expected. The remaining four comics - possibly with one or two bonus titles tossed in - will have to go up on Thursday.
I also didn't expect the list to be dominated by so many Japanese series. Hmmm. That's interesting.

Feel free to add your own "must-read" series in the comments, guys!

Giveaway #12: Sorrow Wood by Raymond Atkins (TSS)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:21:02 GMT

Win a copy of Sorrow Wood!

My full review of 'Sorrow Wood' can be found here.

Plot Description: When the charred body of a promiscuous, self-proclaimed witch is discovered at a farm called Sorrow Wood, nearly everyone in the sleepy town of Sand Valley, Alabama, is drawn into the case. As the murder probe continues, a multitude of secrets are revealed, including one that leads back to the rock castle home of Wendell Blackmon, Sand Valley's police chief, and his beloved wife Reva. The town's inhabitants ruminate on the true meaning of commitment, love, death, hope, and loss as they delve deeper into questions such as Who was this woman? Where did she come from? and What did her presence mean to Wendell, Reva, and the townspeople of Sand Valley?

This contest is open to international readers!

We will be accepting entries until the evening of October 31st, 2009.

--

There are a variety of ways to enter (if you've entered in my contests before, feel free to ignore this - nothing's changed):

1. Leave a comment in this entry, but make sure I have a way to contact you! (NOTE: IF LEAVING AN E-MAIL ADDRESS PLEASE USE ONE YOU CHECK FREQUENTLY. At least half of the addresses I've contacted re: winning previous contests have not sent a response!)

2. Go back to my old reviews and comment on them. Each comment (one per entry) will get you another entry in the drawing.

3. Comment on future reviews as they come out - I update Tuesday, Thursday and at least once on the weekends.

4. Mention this contest in your blog; leave a comment somewhere on fashion_piranha with a link so I know that you did.

5. Mention this contest on some other public place - a forum, your website, whatever! Again, just leave me a link so I know where you did.

6. Add a link to your blog roll / links page / whatever you call it to Fashionista Piranha!

7. Sign up for the Fashionista Piranha Book Blog mailing list by sending a blank e-mail to fashion_piranha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

8. If you're on Livejournal, get another entry by friending fashion_piranha If you're already my friend, then you'll automatically get the entry when you comment here so don't worry about un-friending and then re-friending the journal. :-p

Good luck everyone!

News: Powell's Books is celebrating 15 years on the web with massive giveaways!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:51:49 GMT

Powells.com turns 15!

After fifteen years online (hard to believe, isn't it?) Powell's Books is celebrating with a fantastic sweepstakes! From October 15th through October 30th, they're having a sweepstakes with daily prizes, and an ultimate prize of $1500 in books! It's pretty a rad way to thank the customers and have fun! Be sure to check it out!

Click here to enter the sweepstakes and read Powell's daily highlight of the 15 Things That Make Us Powells.com.

Random Ranting: Trying to find a place to read at school is hard!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:11:55 GMT

Why is it so hard to find a good spot to read?

My current school schedule has me on campus all day Monday and Wednesday, with three long breaks. Two are for one hour, and the last one is two and a half hours long. So ever since the first day of classes, I have been on a quest to find a nice place on campus to read.

Since I live in California, the weather is usually gorgeous, and I try to read outside when I can. The main quad of the campus and the cafeteria are off-limits because they are just far too noisy. There are benches scattered all over the school, but during peak hours (10 am – 3 pm) it’s nearly impossible to find any empty one to sit on. I guess I could share a bench with someone – they’re pretty wide - but I always think it would be awkward, like I’m intruding on *their* private space.

The library would seem to be the obvious solution. But my college library was planned to minimize student time inside it, I think, because the chairs are horribly uncomfortable and the temperature is slightly warmer than chilly. It’s that disagreeable feeling that makes you pull on a sweater, and then ten minutes you’re too warm so you take it off, and ten minutes later you’re cold so you put it on again. It’s a thoroughly unpleasant place to spend an extended period of time.

Lately I’ve just been going back to my car. There’s a comfort in the privacy of my own little cubicle, isolated from the rest of the campus. But a Honda Civic is small and cramped, and staying hunched in the back seat makes me feel like a fetus all balled up inside Mommy. I want to stretch, and there’s literally nowhere for my arms and legs to go. I end up getting out of the car and walking off cramps anyway.

The other spot I like, but can never seem to snag, is down in the main campus center. There is an overhanging walkway where students eat and hang out, and underneath is a quiet little ledge that you can sit on. The noise from everyone else doesn’t seem to sink down to this ledge, so you can read quite peacefully. The last few weeks, though, there’s someone else occupying it whenever I walk by.

Review: Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:57:37 GMT

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

So how many of us, after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, threw the book across the room and declared “I could write that book better than she did?”

A lot of us, yes?

But how many of us actually turned around and actually wrote our own paranormal teen romance? Not quite so many, right?

Well, it is my personal theory that this gut reaction is exactly the impetus that led Becca Fitzpatrick to write her debut novel, Hush, Hush.

We have two students in high school, Patch and Nora. Patch is a tall, dark and handsome transfer student who meets Nora when they are assigned to sit together in their biology class. (Seriously? Since when was biology the class to pick up chicks?) Nora, our clumsy, bookish heroine, finds Patch mysterious and sexy. She’s attracted to him, but she knows she shouldn’t be because

A/ he’s a douche

B/ he’s dAnGeRoUs

It turns out Nora, despite being skinny and rather nerdy, is like candy to all the hot guys in her school. In addition to Patch’s ~~sexual harassment~~ flirtations, Nora has attracted the attention of Elliot, another transfer student with a mysterious past. Soon, she feels like she’s being stalked…even when she’s alone in her own bedroom. Torn between her desire for Patch and her fear of his status as a fallen angel (which she figures out with the help of Google, naturally), will Nora make the ultimate sacrifice for love?*

* No, really. Do you think she will?

If this book was, in fact, written in response to Twilight as I suspect, then Becca Fitzpatrick succeeded because Hush, Hush is a superior novel in so many ways.

First of all, Nora has friends. In fact, she has a best friend, called Vee, and they do everything together - Shopping, homework, talking about boys, you name it. When Nora is with Vee, she acts like a normal teenager instead of some preternaturally mature mini-adult. It also gives Nora credibility as a lovable heroine because you can see this friend trying to protect her, making sacrifices on her behalf, and if Vee thinks Nora is this great, maybe it’s reasonable for these guys to find her so special, too.

Second, the characters think about sex. A lot. I mean, they’re freaking teenagers, and they have hormones oozing out of every pore. The chastity of Edward Cullen is frankly bizarre, and it is a relief to see a hero and heroine so aware of their desire to do it, even if they never actually get that far.

You’ll notice that I don’t really talk about the whole supernatural arc this book. That’s because it really doesn’t come up for the first two-thirds of the book. You’ve got this gorgeous guy who knows stuff he shouldn’t and seems to alternate between horny and threatening, and it’s pretty obvious something spooky is happening. But Nora is just uncertain enough of things that there’s a possibility that she’s just going crazy. Once the Big Reveal has taken place, however, the action suddenly ramps up and minor characters suddenly become major villains. It’s not unexpected but it’s very sudden. The mythology behind the angels/fallen angels in this book is weak and a bit confusing.

The writing is decent. I was constantly reminded of the plot of Twilight as I read it, but Fitzpatrick can actually write decent dialogue and create realistic character relationships. Like I said at the beginning, it is as if the author took the first few chapters of Twilight and spun it in her own direction, successfully creating her own story and universe. It's not a rip-off by any means. But I do think that if one read the first novel in Stephanie Meyer's series and Hush, Hush back-to-back you'd pick up on more than a few parallels.

The ‘hero’ Patch is a manipulative bastard who plays mind games with Nora, sometimes playfully teasing her and otherwise outright threatening her. Nora suffers from Dumb Horror Chick syndrome; she knows that she shouldn’t open that door/look behind that shower curtain/fall in love with that jerk but she does it anyway. Patch’s personality change towards the end of the novel isn’t very convincing, given how he’s acted for the previous three hundred and fifty pages. I think fans of Twilight and supernatural thrillers will enjoy this very much, but I don’t think it has a lot of crossover appeal.

PS – The ARC (advance reader’s copy) I read does not have the same ending as the final published version of this book. I think only a few sentences were changed, but I haven’t seen a the hardcover in stores yet so I haven’t confirmed.

Review: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen, Ben Winters

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:34:56 GMT

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

by Jane Austen, Ben H. Winters

First off, I have just got to say that I think Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters deserves to win Cover of the Year award. I just love it. There’s a poster of it hanging on my wall. It’s so cool. I just love the tentacle face.

Plot description of Sense and Sensibility, courtesy of Amazon.com:

In her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen presents us with the subtle portraits of two contrasting but equally compelling heroines. For sensible Elinor Dashwood and her impetuous younger sister Marianne the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centered fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, while Marianne's unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerously susceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men. Through her heroines' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women's lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

In the monster update, the Dashwoods are now sent to live on an island full of mysterious steam vents and aquatic horrors. Sir John is now a semi-retired adventurer who kidnapped his wife from her Islander tribe and forced into marriage; she is forever scheming of ways to escape to her homeland. Sub-Marine Station Beta, located under the sea protected by a huge dome, is the center of English society. Sea witches devour their husbands and cast curses that cause tentacles to sprout from the faces of their victims. The evil menace of angry swordfish and enraged octopi must be fought off every few pages.

While the first Quirk Classic, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was only about 15% new content, S&S&SM clocks in at a whopping 40% tentacle-curling action. That’s a lot less Austen, so I was a little worried that it would hurt the story. I think that having more of the story reworked made ‘sea monster’ insertions flow more organically from the text. It was less obvious exactly where Austen ended and Winters began, because the Verne-esque additions still matched the sound and style of the original story.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t find the book that entertaining. I mean, part of the problem is S&S itself. I always thought it was a novel with serious pacing issues, with too much pining and sighing for absent lovers. When they were adding in the scales and the tentacles, I don’t think enough judicious cuts were made to Austen, so even with several fights added for variety the plot still drags. The end, too, seems hastily cobbled together and gets rather messy as pirates and Lovecraft references compete for attention.

The critique of Britain’s colonialism through the characters of Lady Middleton, Mrs. Palmer and her mother – all of them Pacific Islanders forcibly removed from their homes and brought to England as the wives of their captors – was a little too cheeky for my tastes, but it was an interesting idea to bring to the story. In fact, I think that would be my summarizing statement: there were a lot of interesting ideas brought into Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. You will probably get a laugh or two out of the book, but overall the story lacks unity and development. It lacked the freshness of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but whether this is due to rushed production, a weaker Austen source, too many attempts to touch on undersea mythos or a combination of the above is something I just can’t decide.

Review: The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:04:40 GMT

The King’s Rose

by Alisa M. Libby

Catherine Howard is a member of one of the most powerful families in England, but she spent most of her life far from the King’s court in London. At Lambeth Palace she enjoyed more freedom and romantic liaisons, but now that she is fifteen her family has decided that the time has come for Catherine to be useful. She is brought to court to join the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, but when Henry VIII falls in desperate lust with young Catherine, his fourth wife is quickly brushed aside. One royal wedding later, Catherine Howard is the Queen of England, but her position offers her little comfort or power. Her former acquaintances flock to her, threatening to reveal the indiscretions of the past if Catherine does not provide them with positions at court. Her family continues to control her actions, especially through Jane Rochford and the Duchess of Norfolk. Worst of all, Catherine has fallen in love with Thomas Culpepper, and their flirtation could bring the wrath of the king down on the entire court.

Henry VIII’s fifth queen, who was married to him for less than two years, is given a sympathetic portrayal in Alisa Libby’s novel. Catherine’s biggest fault is that she’s a teenager. She lacks the cleverness to navigate the complicated adult world of Henry’s court, and her inexperience in worldly affairs means that she cannot be a true political power. Her family makes it clear that if Catherine cannot hold the king’s attention, they’ll drop her like a stone…as they did with her cousin, Anne Boleyn.

This reminds me of something I liked about the book. When she is in moments of stress, Catherine is often haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn, although whether this phantom is the spirit of Anne or just a hallucination brought on by Catherine’s panic is never quite clear. I thought that Anne’s life would be something that Catherine would naturally fixate on, given the parallel lives the two women led, but this is the first novel about Catherine that really brought that into the narrative. It also highlights Catherine’s uneasiness with her position; while Anne was groomed for her role and motivated by her own vaulting ambitions, Catherine never particularly desired the throne.

Like Anne, Catherine also desperately needed to provide Henry VIII with an heir. Since she was young and healthy, there was no reason she shouldn’t bear a son, but as the months go by and Catherine still isn’t pregnant what little power she possesses begins to slip away. She’s clearly trapped, and even the extreme measures she takes to buy time only serve to condemn her to her ultimate fate. She’s a very tragic figure, this Catherine Howard; by all accounts she was utterly average and didn’t have the intellect, cunning, or ambition to survive the Tudor court. Yet at the end of her brief life, she was able to pull herself together enough to make a ‘good end’ on the scaffold, when more experienced courtiers descended into madness.

I think this is the third or fourth book about Catherine that I’ve read this year, and so far it is my favorite. I think it would appeal really well to a teen audience, since the readers would identify with Catherine’s struggles, but there’s enough drama and intrigue to delight adults too!

Review: Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey (TSS)

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:22:41 GMT

Winter’s Child (Once Upon a Time Series)

by Cameron Dokey

Winter’s Child is the newest addition to the teen Once Upon a Time series, a collection of fairy tale retellings. The series began in 2002 and has been printing two or three stories every year since. The stories selected for transformation range from traditional tales like Snow White and Cinderella to more unusual choices, like The Magic Flute and the lives of Pocahontas and Anastasia. Winter’s Child sets out to re-spin Han Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen.

Grace and Kai have been best friends forever – how could they avoid it when they grew up next door to each other? They played together by day and in the evenings, Grace’s grandmother would tell them legends about the Winter’s Child, an immortal princess from the land of ice and snow cursed to undo the damage wrought upon the world when her mother smashed a cursed mirror filled with fear and released its damaging shards throughout the world. When the old woman dies, Grace and Kai have only each other for companionship, but Kai’s marriage proposal – a perfectly logical step – is shot down by Grace’s desire for freedom. When the Winter Child shows up, Kai eagerly decides to accompany her on her quest. Grace immediately sets out to follow them, and finally experiences the adventure she’s been craving.

The book is set up into thirteen ‘stories,’ following the format set forth in the original Snow Queen. Grace, Kai and Deidre the Winter’s Child alternate as storytellers. The first half the book sets the stage very well; Deidre’s life is told in the fantastic style of fairy tales while Grace and Kai live in a gritty poverty. The Christian elements of Andersen’s tale have been removed, too, grounding Kai and Grace in a difficult world with little hope of divine intervention. But it gets a little awkward around Kai’s departure, because the Winter Child is a radical departure from the Snow Queen. Whereas the Snow Queen is a beautiful enigma whose motivations are known only to herself, Deidre is a teenager who has been lonely for many years, trapped in her sixteenth year until her quest is complete. She acts just like a teenage girl with her first crush. She’s giddy, she’s hopeful…she’s not sad. Over and over, we’re told her name is ‘Sorrow’ and that names match their owners perfectly, but she rarely seems as icy or as unhappy as we’re told she is.

When Grace is following Kai and the Winter’s Child, the story gets a little disconnected. An old woman tries to distract her, and she is captured by a band of thieves. These are both part of the original tale, so they had to be included, but we rush through the scenes so quickly that it feels like they were added to complete a checklist of important points from The Snow Queen. The ending, too, wraps up too quickly and too neatly, with a last-minute character addition to ‘fix’ the developing love triangle.

This is the first book I’ve read in the Once Upon a Time series, and it intrigues me enough that I want to check out more of the series. Although the plot has its weak points, Winter’s Child is true to the fairy tale genre and a fun way to re-imagine The Snow Queen.

Review: A Prisoner of Versailles by Golden Keyes Parsons

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:02:51 GMT

A Prisoner of Versailles (Darkness to Light Series, Book 2)

by Golden Keyes Parsons

This is the second book in Golden Keyes Parsons’ Darkness to Light series, and in my opinion is not a book that can stand alone. I read the first book in the series, In the Shadow of the Sun King, earlier this year, and much of the action from that story is referenced here. However, there isn’t a lot of explicit plot rehashing, so while you can follow the narrative thread of A Prisoner of Versailles without reading the first book, much of the character history/development will be lost.

WITH that caveat out of the way, on to the review! A Prisoner of Versailles picks up life with the Clavells as they prepare to leave Switzerland and journey to the New World. Unfortunately, a spy has been reporting their plans to King Louis XIV, who just isn't ready to give up on Madeleine. Whether his love for her is truly the affection of their youth or a stubborn insistence to get what he wants could make an interesting debate. His soldiers interrupt their preparations and force Madeleine and her oldest son Philippe to return to the court of Versaille as 'forced guests,' and Madeleine must slide back into her flirtatious court manners to protect her family. But even her charms cannot protect Pierre Bovee, the man who rescued her husband despite his own love for Madeleine, from the wrath of the Sun King...

Like 'In the Shadow of the Sun King', Parson's sequel follows the conventions of much Christian fiction. The main characters, all of them Huguenots, insist on sticking to their beliefs when it would be so easy to give in and conform to Louis XIV's demands to 'convert' back to Catholicism. This determination and dedication is admirable. Madeleine is the only exception; misfortunes pile up around her and she angrily turns her back on God, but even this is smoothly remedied by the end of the book.

I think that’s the major problem with this Darkness to Light series, and Christian fiction in general. From a literary standpoint, it really helps kill the suspense when you know your main characters will always eventually be saved from doom by the grace and goodness of God. When a major character from the first novel was killed off early on, I thought, “Oh boy! There might be some drama in this one!” but the rest of the story followed a predictable course, with all the major plot lines neatly tied up with Godly intervention whenever needed.

I saw the book described as a 'religious historical romance' and I think that sums it up rather succinctly. It's very definitely written for a Christian audience, and will appeal to those historical fiction fans who like a little faith mixed in with their reading. I read it in a single day, so it is very fast-paced, and fans of the first book will delight in continuing the adventures of the Clavell family.

Discussion Question: Penguin Classics

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:15:24 GMT

According to Penguin Classics, there are ten classic books that everyone MUST read. They are the essentials of literature, and they are:

- Dante's Inferno
- Thoreau's Walden
- Sophocles' Oedpius Rex
- Kafka's Metamorphosis
- Melville's Moby-Dick
- Shakespeare's Hamlet
- Homer's Odyssey
- Austen's Pride and Prejudice
- Bronte's Jane Eyre
- Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Walden = really? Maybe I need to re-read that book, because I do not remember it being anything fantastic.
Also, I thought Metamorphosis was stupid. Sure, it's an interesting little story I guess, but meh. He's a bug. WHATEVER. But I'm just a pleb. What would I know?

You can enter a contest to win all ten of these fine publications from Penguin Classics here. Just describe why you like your favorite book from these ten titles.

I've read all ten of these stories at one point or another, although in the case of Homer and Dante I may have technically read a comic book version. Heh. I may have also failed to complete Walden, if I'm being completely honest. If I were to make my own Top-10 Classics, I'd take out Walden & Metamorphosis and replace them with...hmm...
- Cervantes' Don Quixote
- Huxley's Brave New World

I actually was thinking of adding Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath but he's already got a book on that list, and Of Mice and Men is pretty good, too.

What do you consider to be the Top Ten Must-Read Classics?

(Also, if anyone decides to enter that Penguin Classics contest, let us know which book you chose to write about, and what you said!)

Review: Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:03:01 GMT

Cleopatra’s Daughter

by Michelle Moran

Cleopatra Selene was raised as a Princess of Egypt, and for ten years enjoyed the wealth and beauty of Alexandria under the rule of Queen Cleopatra. But now her mother is dead, and Selene and her siblings are the prisoners of Octavian. After he murders her oldest brother, Caesarion, Octavian decides to take the other children back to Rome as his “guests”, to be raised in the household of his sister. En route, Selene’s youngest brother Ptolemy dies of a fever, so the only relative she has left is her twin brother, Alexander Helios.

The twins are kept busy in their new home, with classes in the morning and entertainments in the evenings. Selene’s talent with drawing eventually leads to an apprenticeship with a master architect, a highly unusual position for a girl, even a royal one. She and Julia, Octavian’s only daughter, become friends and happily study, shop, and watch races with Alexander and Marcellus, Octavian’s heir to power. But Selene’s life is far from stable; her position in Octavian’s political chessboard is unclear. Will she and Alexander one day return to Egypt, married off or killed? Meanwhile, all of Rome wants to know the identity of the mysterious vigilante called the Red Eagle, who is undermining Octavian’s rule by freeing slaves and leaving scathing indictments of the government posted all over town. In a Rome seething with political unrest, can the young prisoners of Octavian hope to find peace?

Michelle Moran’s greatest strength has been her ability to conjure up the sights and sounds of ancient cities, and plant the reader square in the middle of them. The excitement and clamor of Rome’s marketplaces is vivid. I can smell exotic spices from the East and bright fabrics flutter in the wind. The roar of the crowd as they watch a trial of two hundred slaves fills my ears. But not all the scenes depicted could claim the glory of Rome. The choking smoke of a burning building makes me cough. The piteous, weak whimpers of dying infants that have been abandoned are heartbreaking. The evocative language of this book is just wonderful, even if the scenes aren’t.

I did not enjoy the plot quite as much as I did in Moran’s previous two books. There were two main reasons for this. First, while there is a romantic thread running throughout the story, Selene’s eventual match seems to come out of nowhere. There were little hints in the narrative, so I came to suspect who she would end up with pretty early on…but the way she and her man came together was so sudden it felt a little squashed onto the end. Second, the story ends when Selene is fifteen years old. That’s fine and well, but in the Afterward she mentions that Selene married and ruled Mauretania for twenty years. Dude, I want to read THAT story! It sounds fascinating. (Psst – sequel!!!) But the fact that I want to keep reading about Selene beyond the end of Cleopatra’s Daughter is a pretty strong indicator that these little problems did not get in the way of drawing me into the story.

Because the heroine is very young, Cleopatra’s Daughter is being marketed to both an adult and teen audience. Some of the scenes might be a bit graphically violent for younger teens, but I think of them have become so acclimatized to violence that it won’t bother them overmuch. As for historical fiction/historical romance fans, this is one of the books you must pick up this fall. It’s entertaining and exciting and a great escape!

Review: Hannah: Daughters of the Sea, Book 1 by Kathryn Lasky

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:27:19 GMT

Hannah: Daughters of the Sea, Book One

by Kathryn Lasky

Plot Description from Amazon.com:

Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea.

Hannah is a fantastic re-imagining of mermaid mythology. Normally, one reads of a fish girl who chooses to go on land to pursue true love or adventure, but in Kathryn Lasky’s new book the situation is reversed, with a ‘normal’ girl feeling irresistibly pulled toward the sea.

The story has the same mythic/magical rhythm as a classic fairy tale, and Lasky created beautiful imagery with her words. She also provided an extremely memorable villain in Lila, the daughter of the wealthy household in which Hannah works. Lila is unbalanced and cruel, and she has an unnatural, unhealthy attachment to her white cat Jade. Her bond with the feline mimics Hannah’s own relationship with the sea, but while Hannah draws strength from the ocean Lila seems to veer toward anger and madness. I finished this book in a single sitting. I’m many years out of the ‘tweener’ audience this book was written for, but I thought it was quite an enjoyable read.

I did have a huge pet peeve with the book, though: see that description from Amazon.com I posted at the beginning? There is no indication in the plot of this book that Hannah is part of a mermaid family. If the book cover didn’t tell mention that this was the beginning of a series, I think I’d be left unsatisfied at the end. Why was Hannah on land in the first place if she was a mermaid? How did that happen? Sure, we’re told in the plot summary that Hannah is one of three sisters separated at birth, but that isn’t actually in the narrative of this book! So even though I really liked Hannah I was also a bit irritated. The next book in the series better have some answers!

(Also, the cover is weird. The story is set in the early 20th century, but the girl standing in the puddle looks waaaaaaay too modern. But that's not the fault of the author.)

Review: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin (TSS)

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:03:37 GMT

Baking Cakes in Kigali

by Gaile Parkin

Angel Tungaraza is the eminent baker in Kigali; if you want a good-looking cake, no one else will do. Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary or wedding Angel will decorate a cake to any theme. With a smile and sympathetic ear, she coaxes the life stories out of her clients with promises that she is a ‘professional somebody’ who will keep their words confidential. Always filled with good intentions, Angel becomes the figure around which her community revolves, acting as confidante, matchmaker and miracle worker as her cakes and sunny attitude work to heal a community torn to shreds by war and disease.

Angel’s well-named, since she acts as the guardian angel of her entire community. When she suspects unhappiness in the wife of a CIA agent, she suggests the woman start teaching her illiterate neighbors to read and write to fill up her days. When a prostitute living in Angel’s complex is cheated of her rightful wages, Angel tricks the man into giving her the money so that she can pass it on to the one who earned it. She is always dispensing advice in a grandmotherly way. But Angel has her own problems, too. Both of her children are dead – her son carried off by AIDS and her daughter’s death under mysterious circumstances – so she must raise her grandchildren. The relationship with her husband is strained by the grief they feel at the loss of their children. Although Angel has the wisdom to help everyone else, she is unable to sort out her own life’s dark secrets.

Most of the people in her book are immigrants. She lives amongst CIA agents, UN officials, university professors and refugees from other nations. Everyone’s a little bit broken, like the country itself, but they embrace life and share their mixed cultures with each other.

The book did get off to a bit of a slow start. I remember thinking as I read the first chapter, “Yikes. This is going to be a looooooong book.” Luckily, the story picks up the pace after a few chapters¸ and from there it was a smooth journey through the warren-like rooms of Angel’s apartment complex. In fact, towards the end of the book things got a downright hectic as the many characters began to converge and their separate narratives began to intermingle. It even got confusing as so many individuals had been introduced that I had trouble remembering who was who.

I don’t know much about the modern states of Africa. Heck, I don’t know that much about historic Africa. But what little I have read always seems tragic and horrible, like Achebe’s Things Fall Apart*. It was really refreshing to see a novel that, while acknowledging the tragedy and horror of Rwanda’s past also showed that people are strong, and their passion for life undiminished in spite of many hardships.

* Man, if you ever want to read a downer of a book, Things Fall Apart is the way to go.

Discussion Question: Back to school, back to textbook spending...

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:28:59 GMT

My college is on the quarter system, so we just started our fall session this week.
I was happy to be back in school, because the sooner classes start the sooner they'll be over. Plus, I had really been looking forward to Intro to Archaeology and History of Art: Post-Impressionism through Today.

But this brings me to my semi-annual bitching about textbook prices. I actually got off pretty lightly this time around, because I only had to buy two of my books:

History of Modern Art by H. H. Arnason, $70 used
Archaeology by Brian M. Fagan, $42.50 new
Accounting Principles by Jerry Weygandt, already owned from previous quarter
Statistics: Understanding Uncertainty by Frank Soler, already owned from previous quarter
Total price tag: $112.50

That is really freakin' cheap for one quarter. I'm lucky. But I'm also a little bitter, because about two-three weeks after I had ordered my textbooks on Amazon.com the prices suddenly dropped significantly. I could've saved some money if I'd just waited 'til the first week of class, instead of ordering before school started to ensure I had the textbooks when classes began. Grrrr.

So students (or parents footing their childrens' bills) - how much did your textbooks set you back this fall? What are you studying?

Review: The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:01:53 GMT

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel

by Maureen Lindley

Product Description from Amazon.com:

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.

Quit after about 120 pages.
This is just AWFUL.

In The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel Maureen Lindley has managed to take the life of a real Chinese-princess-turned-Japanese-spy and turned it into a tawdry jumble of sexual escapades and self-centered whining. To take a life as interesting as Eastern Jewel’s and render it into little more than a celebration of Oriental exoticism is disappointing, to say the least.

The first major problem is Lindley’s narrative doesn’t quite ring with authenticity. Her descriptions of people and places have a strange detachment; objects and clothing might be detailed exquisitely but people and their personalities come across as flat and two-dimensional. I feel like there were very few attempts to understand the Chinese, Mongolian and Japanese cultures, and really bring them to life in the novel. Instead, Asia serves an exotic background that enables the author to unleash one sexual fantasy after another.

Eastern Jewel, later called Yoshiko in Japan, is too modern and too European in her ideas, so that one has to wonder how this personality would come about if she was raised first in a Chinese palace and later in a lax-but-still-thoroughly-Japanese household. She doesn’t make sense in her settings and surroundings. She insists from the very first page that she is unique, an individual, an outsider, and different from other women. This book, supposedly a memoir she wrote while jailed for spying, has Eastern Jewel showing off her “worldliness” and sense of style, and it comes off as both arrogant and annoying. For example, as she speaks of servant:

“Every day I sent her to the market for fresh flowers, as I hated to see even the smallest sign of decay on the lilies and the sprays of orange blossom that I favoured. I cared nothing for the extravagance and in any case I think that Miura sold on the day-old flowers to the nearby hotel that rented its rooms by the hour. As far as I was concerned she was welcome to the few coins she made from the transactions. I have always thought it a good policy to be a generous mistress. Envy and deprivation are the enemies of loyalty, after all.”

Oh yes, that generosity is the freakin’ epic. Somehow, I just don’t feel convinced that Eastern Jewel is the giving cultivator of beauty she imagines herself to be. Instead, she comes off as picky, spoiled, and utterly obnoxious to be around. It’s really hard to get into a character who thinks she is so wonderful and wise, and also refuses to see any flaws in her approach to life. If I can’t warm up to the character, and the plot has been shoved so far behind the main character’s personality that it barely appears…well, I just can’t enjoy the book.

Review: Dark Secrets, Vol. 1 by Elizabeth Chandler

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:32:38 GMT

Dark Secrets, Vol. 1

by Elizabeth Chandler

For several years in junior high and early high school, young adult suspense/supernatural books were virtually all I read. Authors like Lois Duncan, Caroline Cooney, R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike were devoured most voraciously. Had I been a few years younger, I’m certain Elizabeth Chandler would have been prominently featured on my bookshelves, but as her books seem to have been released after I’d moved onto other genres I was unaware of her writing until I received a copy of Dark Secrets Vol. 1 through Amazon’s Vine Program. Dark Secrets appears to be a reprint of two earlier novels, Legacy of Lies and Don’t Tell.

The two stories are short; I read both of them in a single afternoon while waiting for a bus. But I was quite pleased with them. The atmosphere is deliciously creepy in Legacy of Lies, in which a teenager named Megan is called to her grandmother’s house and discovers the family’s past is far more twisted and tangled than she ever imagined.

Set in the same town, Don’t Tell followed the daughter of a senator as she returns to the home in which her mother drowned seven years before. The death was extremely suspicious, and the peculiar events that preceded her mother’s death begin to repeat in Lauren’s life. Lauren soon becomes convinced that she will repeat her mother’s fate if she fails to uncover the identity of the person who killed her mother.

Both stories end with a ‘twist’ ending, naturally. The first story caught me by surprise; the second one I had figured out the twist about halfway through so I didn’t enjoy it as much. There’s a definite formula to this genre, and as I read I was filled with nostalgia** for my youth and the delight I felt when I first started reading similar novels. I don’t think I’d enjoy Dark Secrets quite as much if I hadn’t spent my early teens reading the Fear Street sagas of R. L. Stine, because the books are very short and definitely follow a set pattern. But I do think teenagers will still enjoy these stories, and adults like myself who remember V.C. Andrews or L.J. Smith with a certain fondness will appreciate a return to teen suspense in the pages of Dark Secrets.

** Nostalgia is a very powerful thing! Sometimes it inflates my opinion of a book's quality ridiculously. Keep that in mind :-p

Contest #10 Winner!

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:12:13 GMT

The winner of Philippa Gregory's The White Queen is Kiri in California :) Congratulations and enjoy the book!