Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I've been struggling to come up with this post, and I'm not sure why.  I'm guessing a lot of you have read this, it seems to be going around.

First of all, this title is perfect.  It is the story of a 12-year-old Chinese American boy growing up in the International District of Seattle during World War II.  His father is a Chinese Nationalist, and has fierce allegiances, which in turn translate to fierce hatred of Japanese people.  Henry is on a scholarship at a white prep school, where he is taunted and tormented.  When a Japanese American girl (second-generation) starts working in the cafeteria on scholarship also, the two become close friends.  Their story leads us into Japanese Interment, and really captures the bitter sweetness of their friendship.

That's half the story.  The other half is Henry as a recent widower, in 1986.  He has a son of his own who is attending college.  The Panama Hotel where Keiko's family stored some of their belongs has been recently purchased, and a basement full of Japanese families' belongs have been discovered.  In these chapters Henry struggles to reconcile his old feelings of love and heartache.

I didn't mind the switching chapters at all.  There were some elements that reminded me of Amy Tan's books, just the difficulty of raising children in a different culture than you live in.  Henry's father goes from forbidding him to speak English, to suddenly forbidding him to speak Chinese.  In the course of the book, their conversations go from strained to non-existent.  In the 1986 chapters, you see how some of those communication problems have repeated themselves with Henry and Marty.

What I loved about this book is that love triumphs.  Really sad things happen, a lot.  But the characters keep trying.  Also it has a good ending.  I liked Jamie Ford's writing style, and I'm curious to see where he goes from here.  I enjoyed the historical significance of what he captured.  But for some reason, I had a little disconnect.  I liked Henry and Keiko, and Sheldon and Marty, but I didn't fall in love with them.  I read this pretty quick, but I wasn't anxiously sneaking in pages throughout my day. 

Here are some good examples of Ford's talent for writing, that also show the tone of the book:

"As he left the hotel, Henry looked west to where the sun was setting, burnt sienna flooding the horizon.  It reminded him that time was short, but that beautiful endings could still be found at the end of cold, dreary days."

"He envisioned staying at his uncle's house....and being teased by the locals for not being Chinese enough.  The opposite of here, where he wasn't American enough.  He didn't know which was worse."

"Inside had been a piece of hard candy and a quarter...The candy was so that everyone leaving would taste sweetness--not bitter.  The quarter was for buying more candy on the way home--a traditional token of lasting life and enduring happiness."  Henry is explaining the envelopes that were passed out at his wife's memorial service.

So I recommend it.  I think it's a great book, and one of the best I've read lately.  But it didn't have the impact on me that my favorite books have.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

So this memoir begins as Ruth Reichl accepts a job as a food critic for the New York Times. It is a good combination of her experiences, her reviews, and recipes. I think it is well put together and was an interesting read. I've marked several recipes to copy and try.  I think I'm trying her Spaghetti Carbonara next week.

Ruth developed characters complete with costumes, personalities and back stories in order to eat at restaurants without receiving special treatment.  In fact, she often went in disguise, then again as herself.  It was entertaining, if not surprising, to read the differences in the food and experience.


Sometimes the story is just a little too tidy and hard to believe things happened in the way they did.  As I was reading, that bugged me a few different times.  When Dan asks her to the exact restaurant she needed to eat at again, I just felt annoyed.  In her Acknowledgements in the back of the book she talks about exaggerating, combining several days into one, and changing people around.  I think if I knew she admitted that upfront I wouldn't have had problems with the less believable parts.


I loved reading her descriptions of food and the actual reviews that she reprints in this book.  She has an amazing talent for description and you really can almost taste it as you read.  Just like Gourmet Rhapsody, it made me hungary!  This type of writing is obviously her best.


"I felt the sea urchin slide beneath my tongue, as subtle and sneaky as the glow of a buttercup under your chin, and then admired the pop of the caviar as it was crushed beneath my teeth."


"The sun poured from the sky like honey, and people threw back their heads and drank it in."


The characters and story are interesting, but I just didn't feel as connected as I do in other books.  Because she is vague with time, I wasn't sure how old her son was at different times.  Carol who didn't seem like much of a player in the first part of the book is suddenly really important, and I was trying to remember exactly who she was.  The story ended up feeling a little disjointed to me. 

Her husband is bothered by her one-upping an annoying dinner guest one night and tells her she was reminding him of a line from a T.S.Eliot poem, "Garlic and sapphires in the mud."   I looked up the Quartet and it didn't seem to direcly relate.  That being said, I like the title she chose for her book, and I hope he really said that and that she didn't make it up later to be clever.


I enjoyed reading this book, I might even look up other books Ruth Reichl has written. 

I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M.Montgomery

SORRY ABOUT THE SPACING ISSUES AGAIN! UGH. I CAN'T GET MY SPACES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS TO STAY ONCE I PUBLISH.

It has been YEARS since I've read this book. I knew I liked it, but it's hard for me to remember the book when I watched the PBS miniseries so many times as a kid. I was curious to see if it would still stand up in my mind. And it did. I love this book!

My older sister had all the Anne of Green Gables books, and I'm sure she's the first one to loan me a copy. I just can't remember when I read it last. We read this for book club, and I'm excited to go see the musical in a few weeks.

So, I think the book works because Anne is such a lovable character. From the beginning her life is so tragic, you want to feel sorry for her. She talks incessantly, so she should be annoying, but she's not. I love the way she charms everyone she meets. They all end up loving her.

Aunt Josephine says, "Anne has as many shades as the rainbow, and every shade is the prettiest while it lasts....she makes me love her and I like people who make me love them. It saves me so much trouble in making myself love them."

A few of my favorite things Anne says in this book:

"Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep woods, and I'd look up into the sky--up--up--up--into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer."

I love all her talk about kindred spirits. I feel the same way, there are those people you meet and you know just know you are going to be good friends. Isn't discovering a new friend the best feeling?
"Miss Barry was a kindred spirit, after all. You wouldn't think so to look at her, but she is.....Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."

"Oh, I was so nervous, Diana. When Mr. Allan called out my name I really cannot tell how I ever got up on that platform. I felt as if a million eyes were looking at me and through me, and for one dreadful moment I was sure I couldn't begin at all. Then I thought of my lovely puffed sleeves and took courage. I knew that I must live up to those sleeves, Diana. So I started in."
This is one of my favorite passages, I actually laughed out loud.

L.M. Montgomery has a great style of write super descriptive passages without being obnoxious. My 6th grader is working on descriptive writing at school, and with all the adjectives and metaphors he's trying to squeeze in, its often painful to read. But, I appreciate what his teacher is encouraging, and I think Lucy Maud is an amazing example.

It was a pretty road, running along between snug farmsteads, with now and again a bit of balsamy fir wood to drive through or a hollow where wild plums hung out their filmy bloom. The air was sweet with the breath of many apple orchards and the meadows sloped away in the distance to horizon mists of pearl and purple. Really good, right?

When I read this as a kid I had no concept of tragic loss or sorrow. So I'm sure these next few passages didn't mean much. This time they made me cry because they are so perfectly expressed.

"It was the last night before sorrow touched her life; and no life is ever quite the same again when once that cold, sanctifying touch has been laid upon it."

"It seems like disloyalty to Matthew, somehow, to find pleasure in these things now that he has gone...Today Diana said something funny and I found myself laughing. I thought when it happened I could never laugh again. And it somehow seems as if I oughtn't to."

"We resent the thought that anything can please us when someone we love is no longer here to share the pleasure with us, and we almost feel as if we were unfaithful to our sorrow when we find our interest in life returning to us."

"When I left...my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does...I wonder how the road beyond it goes--what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows--what new landscapes--what new beauties--what curves and hills and valleys further on."

If it's been awhile since you've read Anne, maybe these quotes will put you in the mood to pick it up again. I'm so glad I did!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Every year Graham picks me out a book for my Christmas stocking. He usually picks a winner, and this year it was too.

This story is about a family, but it is told by their dog. Sound like it's going to be cheesy? I have to admit it doesn't sound like my kind of book. But Garth Stein has an effortless writing style that I liked from the beginning. Even sweet Enzo the loyal dog was believable and not talking-dog goofy.

Denny is the main character and he has raised Enzo since he was a puppy. Denny gets married, has a baby daughter, and struggles to advance his race car driving career while being a responsible husband and father. The characters are all endearing. Well, except the awful in-laws.

Sprinkled in between the story chapters are short metaphoric references to racing. I know nothing about racing, but it all makes sense in the book. Refernces like "Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end." Good stuff, huh?

This story is sad, but I promise the ending is happy, all things considered. The title is great. Denny's specialty as a driver is his ability to race well in the rain. Denny faces a lot of adversity and sadness in this story, but he stays in control and wins. I feel like that theme carries the story well.

"The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles--preferable of his own making--in order to triumph." I usually like my heroes to be very, very good, but I think this is a good point. Maybe we want heroes to be more like us.

"Denny and I worked at slowing the breathing of our hearts so we wouldn't feel so much pain." Isn't that well said, and so sad?

I enjoyed the Seattle references. Especially when they go to Denny Creek that I hiked with my kids this summer. I also liked the references of the rain, and the beauty. If you grew up here like me, you'll like them too.

I saw a question posed as to whether having the family pet narrate this book added anything to the story. I've been thinking about it. I liked the point of view, and I definitely think it allowed for a unique perspective. I think the coolest aspect was that as a reader, you feel helpless like the dog. You see what is happening, sometimes with more insight than the characters, but you can't do anything to help. You can't warn anyone, you can't speak as a witness, but you still feel the anxiety. SO I do like the chosen perspective, and I look forward to reading more of Garth Stein.

Made By Hand by Mark Frauenfelder

This is a book about Mark Frauenfelder's attempts to make things by hand. He refers to this at DIY, but includes everything from home repairs to raising chickens to building musical instruments just for fun.

At the beginning he tells about moving his small family to a tropical island in an attempt to live a more authentic life. I absolutely loved this set up and his explanation of making coconut milk (which I saw beautifully demonstrated at the Polynesian Culture Center this fall), and how it changed his life. He writes, "I promised myself I'd come up with a "coconut-day" equivalent in Los Angeles-something that would allow me to slow down, use my hands, and become more engaged with the world around me in a meaningful way." I like to make things, but I also see the value of when it's better just to purchase something at Target. So I was really intrigued by his philosophy.

"The purpose of DIY is learning to take back control of your life from outside parties." The way he used DIY as a noun kind of bugged me, but he really is approaching it as a way of life, so it makes sense. He kind of uses DIY as an attitude and approach to problem solving. I found the part where he was building an instrument and went "scurrying" around his house looking for things he had lying around that might work very relatable. There's another part where he doesn't want to have to go back to Home Depot to get the right parts, and looks around his yard for something he can use to make shift. I love moments like that when I can use stuff I have to make something new. I love it.

Now when he starts explaining all the reasons to keep chickens, I could feel myself getting sucked in. Like it was all so reasonable and responsible. I know a few families that raise chickens. But when he says, "Now that we have chickens in our life, we don't want to go back to living without them," it is not as relatable to me.

Later Mark quotes a cartoonist explaining that some tasks require that we only use half our brain, and so the other half is free to wander. He talks about how people may garden or knit to reach a kind of "unusual state of consciousness. Some people might be able to achieve it by meditating, but using your hands seems to do the trick too." This made me think of those moms who knit during their kids' baseball games, but there is absolutely truth to it in my life. I like to have a project to work on with my hands while I watch TV. I used to think out college papers while I mopped the bakery at BYU, so I really think there is something to having something to do with your hands while you are thinking about something else.

Because of his job, Mark meets all different types of people that make things by hand for all different reasons. I thought these introductions were really interesting. I especially liked his mention of Anil Dash who encourages people to use cast-off technology. Not to throw things away just because a faster or better model exists. This makes perfect sense to me, and while I do buy new things, I refuse to just upgrade just because I can. Don't you see that kind of wastefulness all the time?

Some of his ideas and attempts make sense to me, and some don't. But one of the families he meets with was particularly disturbing to me. They embrace the philosophy of "Unschooling," the philosophy of not sending your kids to school, and not homeschooling them either. It's the idea that kids are learning before they go to school, and you just keep that up. Living and learning together. The founders believe fundamentally that school is a wrong idea, and that learning shouldn't take place in a contrived space. So I kind of get those ideas, it reminded me of Whole Language. But here's where they lose me BIG TIME. The family says that their son didn't learn to read until he was 10 1/2, and only then because he was playing Super Mario 64 all the time and wanted to know what the characters were saying when their dialogue appeared on the screen. When he wanted his parents to read the words, they told him he needed to figure it out on his own, so he did. Seriously? Two things here. One, I might buy into unschooling if your child was spending their day working on the farm, building your home, or even walking through museums. But I think you are doing a grave disservice to your kids if you let them play video games all day. Believe me, mine would do just that if I let them, and sometimes I do. The author of the book mentioned that his kids might watch TV or sit in front of the computer all day if he didn't send them to school. The parents said it would happen, but then your kids would get bored and move onto something new. And Two, I couldn't help but think of all the good reading your kids would miss out on if they didn't choose to learn to read until they were 10 1/2. I think of all the things outside of books that my kids love to read. Signs, maps, instruction booklets, newspaper, advertisements. On a road trip this spring my 5 year old daughter was ecstatic when she spotted "Entering ....." signs when we crossed the border into new states. All of my kids love to read maps when we are travelling or just navigating through the zoo or Disneyland. And of course books. Think of all the fun books you would probably never read if you didn't learn to read until you were 10 1/2.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I didn't change my life, or even convince me to make changes in my life. But it did reconfirm things that I already believe. Like, there is value in making something yourself: both in the process and the end result. And we should be thoughtful in our purchasing, and not throw things away just because we can afford a new one. And educating our children goes far beyond sending them to school. I like to read books that make me think.

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Actually it has a subtitle, A True-Life Novel.

I read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls just before I started this blog, so I didn't do a review of it, but I thought it was a really good book. That was a while ago, and I had forgotten how much I like her writing style. Walls writes in a straight forward honest way that I love.

The Glass Castle was a memoir of Jeannette Walls' life growing up with parents who often chose to be homeless. Half Broke Horses is a memoir of her mom's mom, Lily Casey Smith. She acknowledges in the back that she calls the book a novel because she had to use her imagination to fill in details, and changed somethings to protect other's privacy. But the stories are real, and they are good.

Lily grows on you. She was a good woman who was humble, honest and worked hard. She made her way through trials without feeling sorry for herself. There are decisions that she makes that seem hard, but you can see how she ultimately trying to do what was best. I love that Walls wrote this book in the first person. It feels like you are listening to your grandma tell you the stories of her life.

As a teacher in one room school houses in rural areas, there are several mentions of beating and punishing kids. I hate that kind of stuff. It isn't a focus, and I know that given the time period it's realistic. But I thought I'd give you a heads up. In that same vein, there is a heartbreaking scene where Rosemary defies Lily and sneaks out to swim with boys. Lily loses control in her anger, but you feel for her as you read, "I was also plain furious with Rosemary. I'd slept next to that girl every night to protect her. I thought that I had taught her to be smarter than this." There is heartache and sadness, but also so much love. The characters are trying to do what is best.

I loved when Lily met Big Jim. I loved their marriage and how they approached problems together. There are so many great moments between them in this story.

I also loved how Lily broke horses, worked hard on her ranch, but embraced progress. She loved to drive fast in cars, learned how to fly airplanes, and loved indoor plumbing. When they had some savings, she and her husband invested in new "chompers." She wasn't vain, but she wanted to have nice teeth. I loved that. She went to a premier of Gone with the Wind, and made herself a gown out of her red velvet curtains! There's also a magical night where she hooks up electric Christmas lights to their car battery for her kids. (They didn't have electricity at the ranch.) Another example of how she wasn't afraid of modernization even though they lived without most conveniences.

Here are some quotes from the book that were my favorites:

"There was nothing finer than the feeling that came rushing trough you when it clicked and you suddenly understood something that had puzzled you. It made you think it just might be possible to get a handle on this old world after all."

"Working in those little desert towns during the war years--teaching illiterate ragamuffins how to read--I had felt needed in a way that I never had in Chicago. That was how I wanted to feel again."

"Sometimes after I finished a particularly good book, I had the urge to get the library card, find out who else had read the book, and track them down to talk about it."

"We found a beautiful site at the top of a rise overlooking a shallow forested valley--so beautiful that I knew in God's eyes it must be sacred--"

"When people kill themselves, they think they're ending the pain, but all they're doing is passing it on to those they leave behind."

These next two are quotes from Jim to Lily about Rosemary when she decides to marry Rex.

(If you read The Glass Castle, you can imagine why her mother was wary of Rex.....)

"She might not have turned out like you planned, but that don't mean she turned out wrong."

and, "Our daughter's found something she likes, this painting, and someone she wants to be with, this Rex fellow, so she's way ahead of a lot of folks."

I am planning to re-read The Glass Castle with this new perspective on Jeannette's family history. I remember Lily being in it, but I don't remember much about her.

I recommend this book!

Greetings from Somewhere Else by Monica McInerney

Why the crazy spacing issues blogger? I've re-done my paragraphs over and over.

This is another "Staff Pick" from my library. I'm guessing it might be the same staff person that picked Table Manners.

Lainey is the main character, and she has to leave her friends, family, and career in Australia to run a bed and breakfast in her native Ireland for one year.

This was an OK book. Again, I would watch it as a movie on TV. But the writing is only so, so. Especially the dialogue. For example, Lainey is thinking about a character in one of the Celtic legends and I quote, "Poor Grainne, Lainey thought. And she thought she had relationship problems." UGH, so trite.

I did find it interesting that families migrate from Ireland to Australia and vice versa. I had no idea and wouldn't have expected that this is fairly common.

What I liked best in this book is the personal growth of the protagonist, Lainey. Not in the gradual ways, like how she learned to be more domestic or recognized her romantic feelings. But she actually has this painful moment when a close friend criticises her during a dramatic scene. AND she takes it to heart, asks more people about their honest feelings, then she tries hard to improve that element of her personality. Even though I found the early development of Lainey kind of painful, full of stereotypes and unrealistic reactions, I liked the idea of someone consciously trying to improve their personality. I hope we can change what seems innately part of us.

The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek

I really liked this book. It takes place in about 4 weeks during the summer of 2008. The two main characters are half-sisters that have never lived together, but have spent a few summers together at their aunt's house. When she dies, she leaves the house to the two women, with the stipulation that they live there a month together.

It's about family, love, summertime, reading, and figuring out what you want. I think. I enjoyed it, but I wish it had been filled out a bit more. Even though some parts were slow moving, I felt that other times the character development jumped a bit. I did like the ladies relationship with each other, and I liked both of the romances.

I am inspired to re-read The Great Gatsby, because it is relevant to the story and is referenced through out.

I do recommend this book. I really liked the characters, the story was pretty good, but overall it wouldn't make any of my most favorite lists. I think it is written for adults, and there are a few f-words, but other than that it is tastefully written, and modern without being racy. I did keep imagining the ladies as being younger than they were. I felt like the author had to give the characters grown-up careers and mention them to remind us of their ages. I think early 30's.

What I did like were some very valuable points made by individual characters. So maybe Cassie's internal thoughts were the strong point.

Here are some quotes to prove my point:

"She delivered her opinions as though she'd received some divine wisdom that told her she was right, despite any evidence or logic to the contrary."

***"Later I would look back at this moment as the beginning of what I would come to think of as a sort of awakening in me, the first in a series of shifts that led me to want to write a different story for myself."

"Missing her--that physical ache in the heart that made it feel as if it could sometimes break in two--dredged up the feelings of loss over my mother from which I'd thought I'd recovered."

"We stayed up until the sun rose, talking about everything and nothing. Not since university days had I spent this kind of late night time with women, and I'd forgotten how much fun it was."

Re-reading the sections these quotes come from has reminded me how much I liked reading this story. Maybe I'm over analyzing it. I can't remember where I got the recommendation for this, anyone? Anyone read it?

***I LOVE this quote.

PS. I think this would make a great movie!

Table Manners by Mia King

***Post Edit***I originally posted this under the title of a different book by the author! Sorry!

So as I was looking for a cover image, I realized that there is actually a "prequel" to this book. It's the second book featuring the main characters. I picked this up from the Staff Picks section of my library, and had no idea.

I liked it. I think if we're looking at good, better, best, I'd rank it good. You know how there are some movies you would watch on TV, but not pay money in a theater, or even seek it out to rent? That's how I felt about this book.

It's a nice story about a nice woman named Diedre whose life seems really great, then lots of things start falling apart around her. I like how she deals with her roadbumps. I like the characters enough. I was a little annoyed with the whole idea that her boyfriend was part of this socially elite family, and that Diedre's life was being watched by gossip columnists. It just seemed a little goofy.

Each chapter has a short quote about etiquette, and I think that's what the title is referring too. But I didn't think they were anything too special.

Overall its a nice book, I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn't go out and buy a copy for a friend.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

It's been awhile since I blogged a book!

My son read this book a while back and really liked it. I vaguely remember him explaining the plot to me, but only vaguely. He checked it out to re-read from his middle school library, and I borrowed it when he finished. Because of that, I can tell you that it is labelled as AR level 5.6 and 18 points. So if your kids need to keep track of that kind of thing. I would guess it would be interesting for 4-7th graders. I hope to convince my 4th grader to read it. It is 485 pages, so it took a chunk of time to get through.

All that being said, I liked this book. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Quirky,brainy kid characters. I love them, don't you?

2. A story with enough twists and turns that it wasn't all together predictable. Including one moment when I genuinely felt exactly like the characters.

3. Good, if not unoriginal, messages about believing in yourself, working together, resisting the dark side.

4. A happy ending. Did I give it away?

A few good quotes to give you a feel for it:

"Although most people care about the truth, they can nonetheless--under certain circumstances, and given proper persuasion--be diverted from it. Some, however, possess an unusually powerful love of truth, and you children are among the few."

"What if he created a fear, a fear everyone would hold in common, a fear the entire public would share?.....Then his next step would be to soothe that fear with just the right message."

(He, of course, being the bad guy.)

"He'd never expected doing the right thing to be so hard. But it was."

And of course being religious, I loved the parallels. Toward the end, at the moment when Reynie just doesn't think he can resist the evil, he thinks of Mr. Benedict. He doesn't think he can go on, so he sends a message, and knows if it is heard and returned he can do it. And he does. The whole moment is so great.

I enjoyed the characters, the story and the writing style. I'd love to hear what you think!