Books Love Me – Reviews

My sister asked me, ‘Why someone your age would read this kind of book?’

True, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing is about older women who are reaching middle age or are already past that age group. But it’s still a fun, light-hearted read and I learnt more about these baby boomers.

This is the first of three novels in the Va Va Va Boom series. From the book:

The “boom” refers to the baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964. Baby boomers today, of which approximately 38 million are women, represent 28 percent of the U.S. population. Boomer women are some of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best-educated women ever to hit midlife.

When I hit 50, I’d sure love to look like Susan Anderson. Folks compliment that she looks better than women who are younger than her!

Anyway, Susan works hard to be where she has come to be. She owns a hip and happening salon in Las Vegas called Disco Diva. Customers go there not only for professional haircuts and styling but they are also nurtured and comforted by the boss herself.

Susan believes in God-cidences instead of the usual coincidences. She always looks on the bright side of things and constantly turns to her Creator for guidance and solace. With that, she’s always lending a helping hand or just being there for someone in need.

Initially, her relationship with her husband, Michael was somewhat non-existent. They rarely saw each other as they worked at different times of the day. She works during the day while he works at night. When she leaves for work, he’s only just returning home for his sleep. They only get the chance to spend time with each other during meals and on Mondays but that had to be cancelled at times.

A dilemma occurred when Susan and Michael began to pursue their hopes and dreams at the same time without first discussing everything. Finally, they agreed to go ahead with both their plans and vowed to somehow make everything work out.

Michael was building his dream home while Susan was working on having a bigger place for her salon and creating a museum to showcase her precious disco memorabilia. She had her friend and mentor, Lily to fund the entire project while roping in the help of the young and dashing Ryan Power to manage it. They also have Tina to help out with the inventory of Susan’s entire disco collection. Together, the four of them, excluding Michael, make a wonderful team.

Michael rarely drops in to help Susan with her project. Susan, on the other hand, is doing as much as she can for her husband’s and her own project. She also has to attend to customers at her salon. With so much going on, her close friends and online support group worry for her and urged her to get some rest. Will both projects be completed smoothly? Does Susan have the strength to cope with everything that’s going on?

The novel is 437 pages long but the chapters are kept short. The author also made it 54 chapters, which I suspect was inspired by Studio 54, Susan’s favourite disco in the 70s. It’s a quick and easy read, a chick lit kind of book but it’s also Christian fiction.

To avoid a long, monotonous read, there are also e-mail correspondence between Susan and her online boomer babe friends. They have never met in real life before and only communicated via technology such as the Internet, video camera and of course, the telephone.

For the first half of the book, Susan seems to be a lively and confident mature woman who carries herself well. However, I was surprised when she suddenly broke down and went completely hysterical when something unexpected happened. The sudden transformation of her character was unbelievable. Perhaps I’m not 50 so I wouldn’t know how women that age would act.

But still, it was an enjoyable read from a different perspective. I don’t always read books about middle-aged folks. Among those I remember is A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon and that was somewhat hilarious. This book somehow only managed to get one chuckle out of me. The rest of the time was purely a relaxing read. It’s also a great opportunity for me to discover more about the disco era during the 70s and 80s!

***Thanks to Audra Jennings from The B&B Media Group for sending me this book for review.

Other reviews: CeeCee, Nightreader

Jenna Fox woke up one fine day remembering nothing from her past. The 17-year-old doesn’t remember who she was, who her family was, who her friends were, where she went to school, nothing. After a year’s long coma caused by an accident, Jenna woke up trying to remember as much as she can but finding it quite difficult.

Mother provided Jenna home videos to watch hoping to trigger some of her lost memories. But all Jenna sees is a girl who looks like her doing things she doesn’t remember doing. Her grandmother, Lily, urges her to skip the rest and watch the final video, the video which was made just before Jenna’s accident. Jenna ignores Lily and continues to watch them in order. Lily is the only one who behaves coldly towards Jenna, unlike her Mother and Father who obviously dote on her.

Then Jenna also meets her neighbour and first friend post-coma, Clayton Bender, a photographer who likes to feed the birds. Her parents initially didn’t allow her to leave the house alone so Mr. Bender’s like her confidante. He may not be a typical teenager’s friend but he’s someone whom Jenna can talk to and also someone who doesn’t seem to be keeping secrets from her. Well, not that he has his own personal secrets.

Why did they move away from Boston, their home? Why stay so far away from Jenna’s doctors? Why don’t any of her old friends contact her? Why don’t her parents let her attend school? So many questions but nobody’s answering them. Lily does give Jenna a hint or two and it’s definitely not to strengthen their relationship.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is written from Jenna’s point of view so we readers are also trying to figure out the truth about everything that’s happened. Chapters are really short and abundant. There are also poems written by Jenna to reflect her feelings and emotions in the process of discovering her identity.

For me, it was slow to start with but Jenna’s relationship with her Mother and Lily are certainly intriguing. I also like the part where Jenna goes to school for the first time post-coma and was wondering how she’d interact with her new friends, given that she remembers nothing from before. Oh well, she manages well and even does a good impression on some of them. And especially one of them, Ethan.

I wasn’t totally moved by the book, it was just okay to me. It’s a quick read, with lots of short chapters and sentences along with dictionary definitions of some words. I guess Jenna doesn’t remember parts of her vocabulary too.

With numerous awards already in hand, this book is going to be turned into a movie coming from 20th Century Fox! So, who do you think would make a good Jenna Fox?

Lastly, thanks to Em from Em’s Bookshelf for I won this book from her giveaway.

Questions like ‘How would you get rid of a murder weapon without causing suspicion?’ and ‘What if you found out the tattoo on your back was worth over a million pounds?’ on the back cover of Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl could make the reader hungry for more dark tales with unexpected endings.

This book has a collection of 11 short stories, each with its own eccentricity and uniqueness. I particularly enjoyed reading some of them like Skin, Lamb to the Slaughter, Galloping Foxley and My Lady Love, My Dove. The others were all right but some of them had endings which I wasn’t satisfied with.

In Skin, a miserable old man called Drioli came across a painting in a picture gallery and was shocked to know that a boy he used to know had become a very famous painter. Drioli had requested that the boy paint a picture of a woman, Josie, on his back. Now that painting is worth a lot of money and Drioli made the mistake of announcing it to the visitors of the gallery. A few men have made generous offers for him but can they be trusted?

As for Lamb to the Slaughter, it is my favourite story! The ending was totally brilliant and unpredictable. Well, that was how it’s like for me. Who would have thought that Mary Maloney was such a smart, cunning woman? Out of the blue, her husband told her that he’d be leaving her, for what reason, we don’t really know. Mary was in a daze and went downstairs to the cellar to get a leg of lamb, presumably to make supper. Instead of putting the lamb into the oven first, she decided to whack her husband on the head with it. He fell down, dead.

In Galloping Foxley, William Perkins recalls his school days where he had to be a slave to a senior student named Bruce Foxley aka Galloping Foxley. Perkins usually encountered nothing unusual and met the same people while on his way to work. The arrival of a newbie at the train station had disrupted Perkins normal routine. He then thinks that he sort of knows the new guy and suspects him to be a former bully.

Stories such as An African Story and Beware of the Dog have military elements in them which reflect Dahl’s background in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

He also wrote a number of other short stories and you can view the list here. I also have The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of Dahl’s surprising tales!

Taking a break from novels, I’ve decided to indulge in a book of Malaysian and Asian short stories written by creative writing lecturer, Robert Raymer. Lovers and Strangers Revisited was recently voted most popular in the fiction category of the Popular – The Star Readers’ Choice Awards 2009. I’ve also gotten to know about Raymer when he contributed an article for my campus newspaper.

The title itself is captivating and I can definitely say the same about the stories compiled in the book. There are 17 stories altogether and 16 of them have been published 65 times in 10 countries. Incredible, isn’t it?

Malaysia is a multiracial country where the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, Punjabis, Kadazans, Ibans and other races live together in harmony and tolerance. Each group has their own customs and traditions and it’s fascinating to learn about them in addition to learning about ourselves.

I’m impressed with how Raymer managed to write so well about the real essence of being a Malaysian. He certainly knows and understands the various races in the country along with their customs and beliefs. Well, he has lived in Penang for over 20 years and also married a local woman. So he had time to get to know the country. Some of the stories are based on his previous experiences here.

My favourite story is The Future Barrister where a young Indian man who looks like Clark Gable gets drunk in a local bar and starts telling shocking things to a new American friend. The ending of that story made my jaw drop literally. Haha!

The story Smooth Stones also had an ironic and yet predictable ending. A Malay woman buys three “magical” stones from a stranger who claimed that the stones had healing powers. Thinking that the stones could heal her dying husband, the woman paid a large sum of money for them, which looked like they were picked up from the nearby river.

Meanwhile, in The Watcher, a grumpy great-grandfather waits for his great-grandchildren to arrive for Chinese New Year. Sitting on an old wooden bench, he recalls the Japanese invasion into the country while watching the neighbourhood children play with firecrackers. He’ll also occasionally shout out warnings to the children.

In Lovers and Strangers, a writer meets a young woman who looks and talks the same as his former lover who committed suicide. I was waiting for something creepy to happen but then the entire story spells out CREEPY!

I enjoyed reading all the stories in the book. I enjoyed reading about typical Malaysians and our habits that we overlook every day. Raymer must have spent a lot of time writing, editing, and re-writing them. I know because it’s not easy to produce a good short story that wouldn’t let the reader get bored.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who is interested in getting to know Malaysians and also Thailand (Transactions in Thai is set there). If you also need great short story samples, then Lovers and Strangers Revisited is certainly one of the best ones.

I’m now onto the third book in the Song of the Lioness series which is The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Alanna, the only female knight there ever was in Trebond has set out on a journey with Coram, her servant, in a bid to find exciting adventures and villains to fight with.

After battling with some desert raiders, Alanna and Coram meet Halef Seif, the headman of the Bloody Hawk tribe who are of the Bazhir clan. They all then return to the Bloody Hawk village where they were eventually adopted by the tribe.

But not everyone was welcoming or accepting Alanna as she walks around wearing men’s clothes and her face unveiled unlike good Bazhir women. The one who is openly hostile towards her is the shaman, Akhnan Ibn Nazzir who believes that she was sent by the devil to corrupt them all. In a later event, both of them fight where Alanna triumphs over the unfortunate Akhnan. As a result, Alanna is expected to become the next shaman for the Bloody Hawk tribe.

Besides having to worry about her duties as the new shaman, Alanna is also bothered with the evil magic in a crystal sword that she’s using and also having to train her three young apprentices to be the next shamans of the tribe. Kara and Kourrem are obedient students while Ishak, the hot-headed one who also shows extreme interest in Alanna’s crystal sword.

Let’s also not forget that Alanna is somewhat caught in a love triangle with Jonathan of Conte and George, the King of Thieves. Jon plans to make Alanna his wife while George has promised to wait for her no matter what. Jon will always be Number One in Alanna’s heart but she’s not ready to walk down the aisle.

This book was alright where we meet new characters from different cultures and customs. You can expect a lot of events happening but don’t worry, you won’t get lost in the plot. Pierce has cleverly written out the story so readers don’t confuse themselves.

So who are you voting for to end up with Alanna? Jon or George? I know that some of you know how the story ends but don’t let it out, okay? If you ask me, I’m all for George. Jon just didn’t impress me much I guess.

Can’t wait to get started on the final book, Lioness Rampant!

Buy The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (The Song of the Lioness)

Anna Hanson, 16, thinks her life is boring. She’s a prefect in school, pays attention in class, goes home, does her homework, and if she feels like it, she’ll talk with her mom for a while. Her mother suffers from stress and is unable to go to work. Anna lives with her mom while her dad’s remarried and her brother lives with him.

The story starts with Anna in class, learning about the play, Macbeth, when a new boy enters the classroom. He’s not dressed in the school’s uniform, has a shaven head and looks like he’d rather be anywhere else than there. Anna is the only person to introduce herself to him after class.

Anna doesn’t really belong to a particular group or clique in school. So when a girl from her class, Karen, invites her out for the night, she was quite happy to go. Finally, some plans with friends! She found out later that Karen was only using her as a substitute friend. She then left the club and went home, feeling that there wouldn’t ever be anyone who would genuinely want to be friends with her. That’s how she was mugged on her way home. By the new boy.

His name is Craig Ritchie but Anna calls him Ritchie. Instead of reporting him to the police, she kind of bonded with him. He told her stories of his life, his perspective of the modern world and she was utterly fascinated by them. Perhaps this boy was her gateway to a much more exciting and fulfilling life.

Ritchie and his pals are thieves. They steal stuff from other people because they feel that they deserve to do that. They are like the outcasts in society: one has been bullied, Ritchie has been ridiculed in school, abandoned by his father who left his mother, etc. So they think that robbing from rich people is like taking back what should be theirs.

And suddenly Anna pitches plans and ideas to Ritchie about how both of them can steal something from a store and later give away their ‘earnings’ to somebody who needs them. They’d steal from stores that have branches and franchises all over the world. Since these big companies are already making millions, a few lost pounds wouldn’t hurt them. Anna saw themselves as Robin Hoods. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

I am familiar with the saying ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ and I’m sure most of you have heard of that too. Well, I was wondering how these two kids will end up in the end. It is interesting to read how they tried to steal from a bookshop without getting caught. But I was skeptical. Wouldn’t they be caught on the CCTV? I doubt that the shops would leave any area unguarded especially if it’s some huge store like Borders or something.

This book does make us reflect on issues like exploitation and consumerism. You should read the part where they talk about shoes and the Third World. Who made them? How much were their wages? How much are we paying for the shoes?

All right, I thought Anna really went through an extreme transformation. Since she met Ritchie, she’s become braver and in a way, happier. But not necessarily wiser. Ritchie is also another complicated character.

I can’t say that I enjoyed this book. It was a slow start but it did pick up pace when Anna and Ritchie go Robin Hooding. I guess this book tells us that we learn things by making mistakes.

Buy Something Wicked