Books Read: 21 and 22

Hi everyone, It has been quite some time since I last posted on my blog about the books I am reading in a year. Mostly due to senior year, but the few breaks I have had I did get some reading done. I have finished 2 books recently. I am getting close to my goal of 25, but I have very little time left, so I may just be close this time around we shall see.

I finished the book Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. Its basically her view of Elizabeth I before she became queen. Basically 2 years old until she receives the coronation ring from her sister proving that she has died and Elizabeth is the new Queen of England. It follows her learning about her mother's death, living with her step mother Catherine Parr and then switching from court, to own house, tower, court and finally house arrest. Her most intriguing theory is that Catherine Parr's husband Thomas Seymour slept with Elizabeth at age 15 and she became pregnant, but had a miscarriage. It is not exactly and well accepted theory although it is believed that Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth flirting extensively while living under the same roof and a scandal did occur that require that she leave the household. As to the pregnancy, there is no way to prove or disprove that theory. It is a very interesting book with a different twist to the story of young Elizabeth. An easyish read, but nevertheless a nice one.

The other book I have read is a biography of Joan of Arc called The Virgin Warrior the life and death of Joan of Arc by Larissa Juliet Taylor. It looks at the life span of Joan of Arc, with specific focus on her 2 years in battle, trial and death. She also examines her influence in society not just France, but Catholic Church and the world. She uses a lot of primary texts and is able to quote several people involved or influential in Joan of Arc's story. She takes away the idolized version of her and brings her down to earth as a young girl who really believed in her faith and in a unified France. She gives several interpretations of certain events or decisions Joan had made allowing the reader to decide what sounds more plausible in the story. Overall it was an amazing read and an interesting biography (for someone who usually finds biographies boring!) Definitely a good one to start out on if you have never read a true biography before.

Books Read: 20

I finished this book today and it was A Room With A View by E. M. Forster. I saw a movie of this book and that is what prompted me to read it. It is about Lucy Honeychurch, who goes to Italy with her cousin Miss Bartlett and meets several other British citizens while there including Mr. Emerson and his son George Emerson. George falls in love with Lucy and kisses her on an excursion to the countryside with the group. This upset and shocks Lucy, so she leaves for Rome with her cousin. She meets Cecil, who proposes to her 3 times before she agrees to marry him. We return to England where Lucy is with her family and her fiance. A neighbor has a house to lease and gives it to the Emersons, which upsets Lucy, but she must hide for no one knows about her and George. George makes friends with Lucy's brother Freddy and spends a Sunday afternoon playing Tennis. He kisses her again and she kicks him out, but not before he tells her that he loves her and that she shouldn't marry Cecil. She breaks off her engagement, but decides she wants to travel to Greece with other friends from her trip to Italy. Mr. Emerson makes her realize that she in fact does love George and they get married and go back to Italy, which upsets her family and friends.

This was an ok book. I am not sure I liked it all that much, but I wouldn't say I hated it. I'm not sure I like this author's writing style. However, I may not like it as much because it was written for that period's audience (early 1900s) and that was a very different audience than today. It is a short book, so it is pretty easy read overall.

Books Read: 19

Another book I have finished recently is Why She Married Him by Myriam Chapman. It is the story of a young Russian Jewish woman named Nina, who has moved to Paris with her family in order to avoid the revolution happening in Russia. She mets a man named Abraham (older, but also Jewish and from the Russian empire), who is a Social Democrat, like herself, but he is a harsh and serious man. They court for awhile and eventually get married, to everyones amazement. The story begins with their wedding night, which shocks Nina and she begins to reflect over her life at how she came to this point. It goes to their courtship and how they met and their difficulties as a couple. It moves further back to the very beginning of Nina's life, how her parents met and her growing up in Russia. The dangers of being hunted in Russia for being Jewish during the Social Democratic movement, which Nina was involved in as a small child. This prompted their move because her mother was worried she would be sent to Siberia. They end up in Paris with another family they were friends with in Russia. This family has a son, who is about Nina's age named Sasha. They grow up together and fall in love, but Sasha's family has moved to New York and he wants to join them. He promises he will write to her and return to Paris for her. However, two years pass and she does not hear from him and then she mets Abraham. By the end of the novel we find out that this story is about the author's grandmother and this is based on her manuscript.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought that set up was interesting. I liked the reflective, looking back set up of the story. It helped that every time there was a change in period there was a page saying theme and year period of that section and each chapter had month and year too. I'm not entirely sure I got the "answer" to why she married Abraham, but it was still an enjoyable and fun read.

Books Read: 18

I have finished several books recently and now am getting around to writing about them. The first was The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hathorne. I actually bought this book when I was in junior high and could not get into it. It was a bit easier for me to read it now that I am much older. Although, I still had some difficulty with the language. The story is about the House of Seven Gables in a small town in Mass. It follows the story of the family (Pyncheon) that built it and lived in the that house for many generations. It is cursed because the original builder of the house stole the property from a poor farmer, who later was hanged for witch craft (he cursed the family before he died). The day the house was finished the builder of the house was found dead. Since then the relative that resembled this particular family member died in a similar fashion. The story goes on about the current family member that lives there, old maid Hepzibah Pyncheon, later her brother Clifford Pyncheon, and finally Phoebe Pyncheon ( a young distant relation to the family). There is a feud with the more successful part of the family, Judge Pyncheon, who is trying to take the house from the members currently living there and find the old document that proves the Pyncheon family owns an extensive piece of land in another part of the country, but he resembles the original Pyncheon and dies according to the curse. The only person who knows where this document is would be Clifford, once Judge Pyncheon dies moves with his sister to a nice country home in this family land and Phoebe stays in the house. The story goes back and forth between present time and the history of the Pyncheon family and you gain more information about the history of the house.

I would say that the concept is interesting, but it was not one of my favorite books to read. I thought it would be more like a mystery novel, but it was more like a historical novel, which is not necessarily a negative. I was not a fan of the writing style. I found it very difficult to follow the story and there was a lot of unnecessary information given to me. I felt like there were moments when the author was rambling and not sticking to the story at hand. I have his other book the Scarlet Letter and hopefully that will be a better read than this one.

Books Read: 17

I have finished The Space Between Us by Thrity Imrigar. It is set in India and looks at the lives of two women and how even though they are of a different social class how their lives are the same. Bhima is a servantL illiterate and uneducated. She is taking care of her granddaughter since her daughter and son-in-law died of AIDS. She is trying to get her educated so that she can have a better life, but she becomes pregnant, which is one of the major controversies of the story. Her husband has left her and took her son with him after an accident at his job in a factory. The other woman is Sera, a wealthy housewife who Bhima works for. She has been widowed after several years of being physically abused by her husband. Her pregnant daughter and son-in-law live with her. She has been helping Bhima educate her granddaughter and throughout her lifetime. The books goes through their past lives to show how they ended up in this situation and the present day.

I liked this book only because it was interesting to see the cultural aspects of India. I felt that there wasn't really a point to the story and there was no easy way to end it. I definitely did not like the ending. There was no final resolve nor was there any sort of choice for the reader to decide how they wanted it to end. I felt like it just ended after the climax. I didn't mind the back and forth between present and past because I felt the transitions worked in the story. Overall, a good book to read if you are interested in learning a bit about the culture of India, but definitely not a good one for plot.

Books Read: 16

I have no finished The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. It is about this young girl who grows up during the Ren. in Venice and loves paintings and art. She is educated and very smart, but her world gets torn apart by Savonarola, a priest who is against art and women being educated. She is forced to marry herself to an older man, which ends in shabbles. However, she manages to survive and is able to explore her passion that she has had to keep hidden.

This was a pretty simple book. Not too complex of a plot or writing style. I thought it got a bit too graphic at bits and could have been written in a more interesting manner. Not a bad book to read for the summer since it is pretty relaxing. I do not have a whole lot to say about this book since it was so short and simple. If you enjoy Ren. Italy and paintings and an easy read its a good book. I may not read anything else by the author, but I am glad I picked this one to read because I believe it is one of her better ones.

Books Read: 15

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and I could not put it down! It looks at the last 33 years in Afghanistan from the viewpoint of two women, whose lives eventually come together in the middle of the novel. It is a great book about the hardships these women face individually as well as together against there husband. The book starts off with Mariam's childhood and her naivety about being an illegitimate daughter to a wealthy businessman til your 15th birthday. When her mother dies she is forced to marry a man from Kabul and at first everything seems to be alright, but after several miscarriages Mariam's life is very difficult and sad. Then the book shifts to Laila, a girl who lives down the street from Mariam and her husband's home. She grows up with her friend Tariq and eventually when they are both much older realize they love each other. However, life in Kabul has become unsafe due to the shootings and killings between warlords. Tariq family leaves and Laila's parents are blown up and she is saved by Mariam and her husband. She learns from a man that Tariq died on a refugee camp and agrees to marry Mariam's husband, so that he has two wives and hopefully Laila will produce children. She has a daughter which puts the husband against her and soon Laila and Mariam bond together and they are both seen as the one and the same to their husband, even after Laila becomes pregnant again and gives birth to a boy. They struggle against his anger and beatings together as their world is been torn apart by war and the restrictions of the Taliban. I won't say to much else, because I don't want to give away the endings because it is amazing.

I absolutely loved Kite Runner and I heard this book was just good and they were right. I loved reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. I really hope he writes another book because I think he is a fantastic author. They stories and lives of the character is so different from my own that I can't help, but be sucked into the difference and interesting aspect of the lives of these people.

Books Read: 14

I finished Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. A classic that most people know, so I will not sum up here. I will however talk about some of the differences I found from the movie, which surprised me from reading the book. First, Scarlett actually has one child from each of her two previous marriages, Wade and Ella. I can understand why the movie did not have this, it made the loss of Bonnie much more dramatic since it was Scalett's only child in the movie. However, her distress over losing her figure after have one child loses its validity when she actually has 3 in the book. Another is Rhett's final line is different in the book than in the movie and that was weird because that line is so famous with this story and its not even correct with the original story. Although, I do understand why this book is a classic, it is really good. Its long, but so hard to put down because it is just that good!

Books Read: 13

I have finally finished The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. It is about this American woman, Isabel Archer, who comes to England with her Aunt to experience freedom and independence. She is pursued by an American, who has been interested in marrying her before the book begins. As well as an English Lord she meets while in England. She becomes close with her cousin, who is also in love with her, but refuses to try and marry her due to their family relations. Isabel meets a friend of her Aunt, Madame Merle, who arrives at their home while her uncle is dying. They become close friends and after her uncle dies, she receives a large inheritance and begins to travel to Italy. While there, Madame Merle introduces her to Gilbert Osmond, a poor but a gentleman with a young daughter. During their time together Madame Merle convinces him to pursue her and eventually convinces Isabel to marry him. The rest of the book is about their marriage and the struggle between individual beliefs and the old society. I won't say anymore and give the ending away!

For classic literature, this is a fantastic book. There are lots of twists in the plot and I feel better written than many books I've read from this time period. It is very different from other books with strong heroines that seem to have a destiny that is a struggle and full of hardship. That is probably why I enjoyed it slightly more than other books of this period with similar themes. They are still good, but this one is slightly more interesting because you don't know exactly how it will end. With other books you do know how it will end. I am planning on reading more books by this author because I think he has a good writing style and has interesting way of presenting the same topics in a different way.

Books Read: 12

I have finished with Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Since most people know this story I'm not gonna really summarize, but I did watch the Disney movie to compare. It combined both stories, which I'm pretty sure almost all Alice movies do. There were obviously some missing aspects, the Duchess character, the chess theme and characters attached, Cheshire cat as a much less prominent role, and some of the poems or recitation were adjusted. However, I did find that the Cheshire cat in the movie sings the first verse of the Jabberwocky poem throughout the movie, plus there were references within the movie such as tulgey wood and mome raths. The unbirthday reference is made by Humpty Dumpty not the Mad Hatter and March Hare. The trial is also a bit different in the movie, but it keeps the story consistent in the movie, so I prefer it. The book was fun to read because I could see clear overlap with the movie. Sometimes reading it I could hear word for word scenes from the movie. It just reminded me of childhood and that made me happy. I wanna see the Tim Burton version now to compare it with the Disney to see which is more accurate depiction of the book. The live version created a few years ago makes a lot more references to the book with the Duchess, gryphon, and mock turtle which the Disney movie does not have. Overall, very enjoyable and quite hilarious for an adult to read. I'm not quite sure how I would feel about a child reading this/reading it to my child. However, it is certainly amusing for me as an adult knowing the story and the movies as a child.

Books Read: 11

I finished Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner. Its a pretty simple historical fiction about a girl, Alexandrie, from a small town in France who learns ballet in order to become the lead ballerina of the Paris Opera and financially support her poor family. She cleans the dance studio near her home in order to pay for dance lessons and eventually becomes good enough to audition in Paris. She auditions and makes it, but must prove herself in order to improve her status at the Ballet. However, while at the ballet she learns about the dark doings after the performance, known as post-performances, which involves certain dancers "entertaining" some of the rich patrons of the ballet-most are older dancers (25) who were unable to become mistresses or become the lead ballerina. This horrifies Alexandrie who only wants to dance (and hopefully become the lead ballerina) and fall in love and marry. She meets an artist who comes to shows/rehearsals to draw the dancers, it is Edgar Degas. Alexandrie is intrigued by him and eventually becomes his model. A wealthy American Mr. Taylor buys his first pastel of Alexandrie and she becomes a hit to create a dancer series with her. During her modeling sessions she becomes more in love with Degas, but he seems to be giving her mixed messages. One was asking Alexandrie's rival Cornelie, the current lead ballerina, who attempts to take Degas away from Alexandrie. In addition, during this time Alexandrie is also moving up in the dancing line up, while being pursued by a man named Julien, who wants her to become his mistress. In the middle of the novel the Franco-Prussian war happens and the opera closes and many of the patrons go to war or leave the country. The girls at the Opera house bond over this and support each other through the times until the surrender of the French.

When the war ends the patrons return and Alexandrie takes up modeling again for Degas in his bathing series. During this time, Cornelie dies and the search for a new lead ballerina comes to 3 finalist, Alexandrie included. Tensions grow as Alexandrie wants to stay with Degas, but Julien wants her to be his mistress and the Ballet Opera pushes her to do this in order to receive a large donation. However, Alexandrie throws it all away in hopes that Degas will be with her. Degas rejects her, not because he doesn't love, which he does, but because he doesn't feel like he can sufficiently support her or deal with his need for isolation to create his art. She is devastated and because of her rejection of Julien she has a negative mark during the race for the next lead ballerina. Alexandrie loses the race and turns 25, she decides to become involved the post-performances instead of leave the Ballet, since this is her only means of financial support. The first night Mr. Taylor pays for her services and asks her to marry him. She does and moves to America. The final chapter is set several years later when Degas has been admitted into the Louvre and Alexandrie returns to France to see it. She realizes Degas's bond over her has ended and she returns to her life in America.

This was a pretty simple read and a nice easy book to enjoy. The plot was not complex and the writing style was simple. However, I love Degas, dancing and I took a class on Dance history where they talked about the Paris Opera during the late 1800s, so it was enjoyable for me. I enjoyed how the author broke the story into Acts like a performance-I found that very clever. Although, I enjoyed this book it is not a book to pick up if you are new to any of these topics, but if you want an easy read and enjoy these topics you may enjoy it as well.

Books Read: 10

I have finally finished Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It is his biography about how he got involved at building schools, especially for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His family were missionaries in Tanzania, building schools and a hospital and later he goes on to become a emergency medic in CA during the 90s and takes the late shifts order to take climbing trips all around the Bay during the day. He manages a trip to Pakistan to climb K2, one of the most difficult mountains to climb. He does this in honor of his sister's death from epileptic seizures, but fails. On his way down he becomes lost and runs into the small village of Korphe, whose children share a teacher with another village and have school outside and use sticks to write in the dirt. Mortenson become inspired to raise money to build a school for Korphe. He talked to a man in Pakistan to figure out how much he would need to build a school and developed a blue print before leaving. When he returns home he begins typing 580 letters via type writer to famous people and organizations. Only one responded, Dr. Jean Hoerni, the man who started the silicon chip and developed most of the silicon valley. He donated enough money for Mortensen to build a school, in addition, a group of students donated pennies to his cause and gave him enough to fly back to Pakistan. He returns and starts getting the supplies he needs, but has many obstacles in his way. Getting the supplies, getting it to this isolated region, and dealing with many other village chiefs who also want schools built trying to steal his supplies. When he does make it the village requests a bridge first in order to make it easier to get in and out of the village. Mortenson helps them build this bridge and after much work and effort he finally builds the school for Korphe. With this development Dr. Hoerni creates the Central Asia Institute and puts Mortenson as the director and they create a board dedicated to building schools in Central Asia, especially for girls. Several other villages in Pakistan put in requests for schools and soon villages in Afghanistan too. Several events such as border war in Afghanistan and 9/11 affect Mortenson's work, but he managed to create hundreds and thousands of schools all over this two countries working with government officials and terrorists. His goal is to promote education and hopefully prevent more schools that create extremists to develop.

This was one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. This man was just interested in building a school for this tiny village and it turned into this amazing path of building schools in a region very hostile towards Americans and create a new and better image of Americans. It also shows a very different perspective of what has going on in Afghanistan after 9/11 and after America got the Taliban out and how America was unable to fulfill its promises of rebuilding Afghanistan. Its a book about an amazing man doing amazing things and people should definitely read it.

Books Read: 9

After this blog I will be completely up to date and hopefully I can keep more on track with my blog entries. This is post will be on Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. This is a coming of age story of Maggie Tulliver a independent and wild child. She is the younger of two child and she idolizes her older brother. Her older brother, Tom, enjoys punishing her whenever she gets into trouble. The novel centers around their complicated relationship of Maggie wanting unconditional love from her brother Tom, but Tom's reserved and realistic nature conflicts with Maggie's wild idealized ideas. His father owns the Mill, by the river Floss, that they live on and who wants a better life for his son so pays for a special education by a famous Pastor, which Tom hates, but when Maggie visits him enjoys all the books and knowledge available there. She makes friends with another pupil of Tom's, a hunchback of a rich father named Philip Wakem based on their mutual intellectual and emotional interests. He forms a strong attachment to the young Maggie during her visits. During the last few years of Tom's education, his father becomes bankrupt and Mr. Wakem buys the Mill from him, creating strain between Philip and Maggie. Tom returns to work in a business and help his father buy back the Mill. However, during Maggie's time in social isolation due to their poor conditions she renounces the world. In the middle of this dedicated new philosophy she is reunited with Wakem and they meet in secret to share books and intellectual conversation. Philip confesses his love to Maggie and she eventually gives a mutual feeling of love. Tom discovers these meetings and puts an end to their connections. After a few more years passing, in which Mr. Tulliver has died without achieving his goal of retaining his Mill. Lucy, Maggie's cousin, invites Maggie to stay with her for awhile and Maggie meets Stephen Guest, Lucy's suitor and assume fiance. During the leisurely time they spend together Maggie and Stephen become attracted to each other, against their will. However, Lucy finds out that Maggie was once in a relationship with Philip Wakem and reintroduces them, since Stephen and Lucy are also friends with him. Philip has rekindled is love for Maggie, but Maggie has become more interested in Stephen and questions her first attractions to Philip. Maggie and Stephen accidently elope by taking a boat onto the Floss, which was meant for Maggie and Philip planned by Lucy. They neglected to pay attention to how long they were rowing and ending up taking passing boat back to Mudport. Where Stephen proposes he and Maggie elope together. Maggie is conflicted between her love for Stephen and her previous contract with Philip and Lucy. She rejects him and returns home, where she is turn rejected by her brother, who hears of her "elopement", but she is forgiven by Lucy and Philip. Maggie is then sent into exhile to live with a clergy man, but her exhile is ended when the river floods and she takes a boat out to Tom to save him. He climbs into the boat, but they both end of dying during the flooding and they are found clasped in each other arms. They are buried side by side and visit by Philip and Lucy and Stephen, who are married. The story ends with a quote, "In their death they were not divided"

I also loved this book, but it is a bit more of a challenge to read compared to Jane Eyre. There were many interesting discussions we had around this book. Such topics were the suggestion of incest in the story, especially in the end scene. Another topic I found interesting in this book was the constant references to arms from beginning to end. There are lots of suggestions as arms as a sexual reference, which isn't very common, but used in very interesting ways. Another suggestion was as a way to connect to people. I think people who know they enjoy classic literature should read this book, but it is not a quick pick up book. It is intellectually stimulating and therefore not a book one can relax and not pay attention to while reading. There are so many great details that could be missed if one is not paying attention. Still a wonderfully written book!

Books Read: 8

Next blog update!! Still trying to catch up, but making progress by writing about Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I read this book for Victorian Literature and Culture. Its a long novel so I will do the summary in three paragraphs. It's about a girl named Jane Eyre who lives with her maternal uncle who dies very soon after her own parents die (missionaries) and the abuse she receives from her Aunt and cousins. Finally, she is sent off to boarding school, Lowood Institution-a charity school, where she becomes educated and makes friends with a girl Helen Burns. However, due to the abuse and neglect of the benefactors of the school conditions are poor (little food, cold rooms, old beds), because of this typhoid fever runs through the institution killing many of the students, including Jane's friend Helen. Finally, they are exposed for their abuse and a new building and conditions improve.

Time moves on ahead and Jane has become a teacher at the school, but moves on to become a governess at Thornfield Manor to Adèle Varens, a young french girl adopted by the master of the house from his former french dancer mistress (not his) after she abandoned her. Jane meets the master of the Manor, Mr. Rochester, while walking and spooking his horse, which forces him to fall off and hurt is ankle. When she reaches the manor she discovers that he is the head of Thornfield Manor. Mr. Rochester becomes interested in Jane and has her keep him company. However, several strange things happen in the house: strange laughter in hallways, burning Mr. Rochester's bed, and a guest named Mason is attacked. Later on Jane receives word that her aunt has had a stroke and goes to stay with her-she learns that she has an uncle John Eyre, who has been trying to find her, but lives in Madeira. During this time Jane realizes that she is in love with Mr. Rochester, but is worried he will marry Blanche Igram. However, he professes his love for her and they become engaged. However, the night before the wedding a strange woman comes into Jane's room and rips up her wedding veil, which Mr.Rochester explains away as one of the servants being drunk. We later find out at the wedding ceremony that Mr. Rochester is already married to another woman (reason for the all strange behavior) a crazy madwoman he keeps locked in the attic. Jane is devastated by this and runs away.

She almost dies of starvation when she is rescued by a Pastor, St. John Rivers, and his sisters, but she hides her true identity from them. She stays with the Rivers family for many months and teachers at a local charity school. Jane becomes friends with the sisters, but find St. John too reserved for her. However, he opens up to her and confesses his difficult love with Rosamund Olivers, a wealthy benefactress, but he cannot marry her due to his call as a missionary and how she will not accept such a life. St. John figures out Jane's true identity through a letter saying that her uncle, John Eyre, died and left her with a large inheritance and she also finds out that he is also the uncle of St. John and his sisters. Overjoyed to have found a family, Jane splits her inheritance equally among her new cousins. Afterwards, St. John proposes marriage to Jane, because she would be a good missionary wife, but Jane at first refuses though over time she is convinced. Until the last minute when she "hears" Mr. Rochester calling for her and she goes to Thornfield to see if Mr. Rochester is well, before she leaves for India. She finds Thornfield Manor burnt to the ground and learns that Mr. Rochester's wife burned it down and committed suicide. Mr. Rochester tried to rescue her, but lost his sight and right hand in the process. Jane is reunited with Mr. Rochester at his other estate and although worried she will be repulsed by him, assures him of her love. He proposes again and the live together-he recovers his eyesight just in time to see his first born son.

I know that is a very long summary, but the book was so good and there were so many interesting details I DIDN'T WANT TO FORGET ANYTHING! I really enjoyed this book. I had so many interesting discussions about it in class such as, how Jane and Mr. Rochester's wife are "the same person" or two sides of the same coin. We also discussed the theme of imperialism or colonialism throughout the book, which plays a major factor in a lot of the events that happen within the book. I would recommend this book as an interesting read, especially those who are interested in England or Victorian culture because this is a good book for that.

Books Read: 7

It has been a long time since I have updated! SORRY! It's been a very busy semester, but I have read 3 books since my last post and I'm gonna do each individually. First, Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith. I started this over winter break and didn't get to finish it until Spring Break. It is basically the story of Margaret York the sister to King Edward IV of England. Set during and after the War of the Roses and follows Margaret's life as a political pawn for her brother. She falls in love with her brother's brother-in-law Anthony Woodville (brother to Elizabeth Woodville married to Edward IV). They keep their love a secret since he is already married and she is promised to marry Duke Charles of Burgandy-a man more interested in war than women and has only one daughter by his first marriage. Their marriage is a bit rocky at first, but in the end they come to have a mutual respect for each other due to Margaret's quick wit and ability to understand politics. They never have children. The book continues on with the the lovers wanting to be together, Charles off to war constantly, and dramas that happen in everyday life at court-or between family members. The book ends with Charles having been killed in battle and Margaret and Anthony coming to an "understanding" of their future marriage. However in the Author's Note she explains that the love affair between Anthony and Margaret is fictional, it turns out the Anthony marries again, but to another women. There is some historical evidence that they might have been in love, but its not very convincing.

I personally enjoyed this book, even though the major theme of the story is a fabrication. As long as one understands that, which I did due to my mother informing me after she read the book, I was able to just enjoy the author's ability to tell the story and not get got up afterwards in the "fabrication" of the whole novel. I definitely loved the historical context of the novel, but that tends to be my favorite genre, historical fiction. Enjoyable read if that is the typical genre one likes, definitely not the best representation of the genre. Overall, it's a pretty simple and enjoyable read.

Books Read: 5 & 6

I have been a bit slow in updating my reading accomplishments. Now that I am at school I will not be doing as much free time reading, but I am taking a literature course-Victorian Literature and Culture. I have already finished 2 books for that class and will talk about both of them in this blog: The History of Mary Prince and Hard Times by Charles Dickens.

The History of Mary Prince is an autobiography of a woman named Mary Prince who was a slave in the British Caribbeans, she is freed when she is taken to England by one of her masters. She relates the horrible treatment of slaves and her own personal experience of being beaten by her masters, as well as other slaves. She also talks about working as a house slave and a slave in the field-specifically the salt fields. She is separated by her family at a young age. Her last master allows her to get married to a free black man, but takes her to England where she is free (no slaves on British soil). Eventually her owners push her to leave them of her own free will. However,if she is not freed from her master she cannot leave England to go to her husband. The story ends with her and the abolitionists trying to help her gain her freedom.

This book was an amazingly influential book in changing the course of British legislation. Two years later, slavery was abolished in British colonies. There were some interesting choices made in the writing style of this book. It was written by dictation-much of the writing was written in much better English than a uneducated slave would have. They was also no mention of rape or sex in general-except when people suddenly become pregnant (Mary's mother and a fellow slave Hette). Although this book was detailed in the beatings it was very watered down for the British public so that they would not be put off by a graphic description of life as a slave. They wanted people to be just upset to start being active abolitionists.

Its a very simple but interesting read. It has supplementary material to gain more context about the text and its influence on British society. It is a very short read and very different from what one reads about American slavery. I personally enjoyed the book as a historical depiction of life in British Caribbeans as a slave and how this book affect the history of British legislation towards slaves in the colonies.

My next book that I finished was Hard Times by Charles Dickens. It is set in a fictional town of Coketown (supposed to represent any town in England). It is a town focused on machines and facts. An important figure in this is Thomas Grangrind-school master later government representative is the spokesperson for this belief in Facts only-no fantasy or wonder. He teaches his pupils this system as well as his children. His friend Bunderby is also part of this society-is the owner of the bank and a factory of workers in the town. His daughter Louisa attempts to get out of this system by talking to Sissy Jupe (a student and taken in by Thomas Grandgrind, who is from the circus) about fantasy stories and life in the circus. She is soon married off to Mr. Bunderby. His son Tom Grangrind rebels against his father and has a gambling and drinking problem. Finally, through a series of events, Thomas Grandgrind has a change of heart and realizes the importance of emotions and fantasy.

I had trouble truly seeing some of the sarcasm of Dickens, but I understood his position and sympathy for the factory worker and his fear that the society is become too focused on machines and technology. It makes me wonder what people in the Victorian era would think of todays society, especially the Silicon Valley, where I'm from. Everyone is involved in the technology field-people want the latest gadget and use computers, phones, and other means to stay connected with people and what is going on with the world. I would be greatly interested to see if Dickens thinks our society has become immoral due to the obsession with technology.

I do not think this would be a book for everyone unless you know you like Victorian literature, classic literature, or Dickens. Other than that you probably shouldn't read it. I happened to enjoy it, but I tend to enjoy Victorian literature. It isn't my favorite book, I think I would enjoy his other works more like Christmas Carol or Tale of Two Cities.

Books Read: 4

I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston a few weeks ago. This story centers around a Janie Crawford an African American woman and her different lifestyles with the 3 men she was married too. She tells this story to her friend Phoebe, who will tell it to the rest of the community of Eatonville. She was forced to marry Logan Killicks, an older man who owns a farm nearby, because her grandmother does not want her to turn out like her mother. Janie believe marriage should be about love, but Logan just wants someone to help around the the domestic work on the farm. Janie is unhappy in this situation and runs off with Jody or Joe Starks to Eatonville. Joe organizes the people of Eatonville and becomes Mayor, store owner, and postal worker for the town and makes Janie work in the store for him. Joe wants her to be a trophy wife not participating in the social life of the town. When Joe passes away, Janie becomes independent and is besotted by suitors, but ends up running away with a drifter/gambler named Vergible Woods or Tea Cake. They move to the Everglades to work planting and harvesting of beans-Janie finally has the marriage of love that she wanted. A hurricane hits the everglades and while Janie and Tea Cake are escaping the catastrophe, Tea Cake is bitten by a rabid dog while trying to save Janie. He contracts the disease and tries to shoot Janie, but Janie shoots him with his shotgun in self defense. She is tried for murder and while her black male friends oppose her, the white females support her and eventually the all white jury acquits her and she gives Tea Cake a large funeral. She ends up moving back in Eatonville.

I thought this book was alright. I had a lot of trouble understanding the writing style. Zora Hurston wrote exactly how the people talked back then, but it was difficult for me to read it and understand what they were talking about. For example, "tators" were portatos, which took me a few sentences to figure out. I enjoy the authenticity of it, but I did have trouble following the conversations because of that. The general plot was somewhat interesting, but nothing I could really get sucked into. I wouldn't strongly recommend nor strongly not recommend this book. It's a decent read if you are looking for something short and not too complex. However, just giving a heads up on the difficulties there are with the language.

Books Read: 3

I have finished another book: Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia by Sheila and Lisa Himmel. This book documents the struggles and pain that happens to an individual with an eating disorder and how that affects the family. This book is particularly original because the mother is a food critic for the San Jose Mercury News and food is a large influence on the family. It discusses the daughter's development from anorexia in high school and development of bulimia in college. It goes back and forth between the daughter's experience and the mother's (they start the paragraph with their names so you know when it switches). It gives a hopefully but realistic message at the end of the book about recovering and ways to help someone who has an eating disorder.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be honest and straight forward about the realities and horrors of having an eating disorder-not just for the individual but the family as well. I found it useful as a book for people who are studying psychology, and are thinking of working with eating disorders. They talk a lot about psychologists and psychiatrists who were not helpful and how they did not make her (the daughter) feel comfortable and be non-judgmental of her. However, if the therapist and the client do not click, then the client probably won't make any progress. As a person hoping to become a therapist and possible work with eating disorders I found it an important reminder of these essentials to therapy. On another note, my other favorite part of the book was the fact that it was set in the Bay Area-in a town right next to mine: Palo Alto. I found I could relate to the story more since I as able to recognize places and understand the cultural references.

I would recommend this book either for people who have dealt with (or are dealing with) eating disorders, psychologists who are thinking of working with eating disorders, or those who know someone who has an eating disorder. It does not sugar coat the experience and shows the brutal truth of eating disorders. It is well written and definitely and interesting and enjoyable read. My next book is Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith.

Books Read: 2

I have just finished Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. She wrote about teaching western literature during the revolution in Iran that started banning western books or westernized culture. The new regime wanted to purify their culture and revert back to more conservative ways-such as only reading pure islamic books that promote their political and religious views, women wearing the veil, women can only be with men who are their father, brother or husband etc. Due to these new laws Azar resigns from teaching because she does not want to wear the veil-however she eventually goes back to teaching at a slightly more liberal university where she has to wear the veil, but is allowed to teach western literature. Eventually, she leaves that job as well and goes underground with 8 of her female students to teach a class on western literature. The book is broken up into parts based on the books she teaches. The first is Lolita by Nabokov, Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, Daisy Miller by James, and Pride and Prejudice by Austen. Eventually the limitations placed on her as a woman in a conservative Muslim culture are too much that she moves to the States with her family. There are two things I observed while reading this book. One: I know very little about the history of Iran and it's culture. Two: I learned about my own quick judgments about places and people I do not know about and how I should be more aware of this.

While reading this book the author consistently refers to the time before the revolution (or the war with Iraq-which I did not know happened!) when things were more liberal. The veil was not required. Women could be around men that were not related to them and there was much more of a western influence on the society. The author had spent much of her teen years abroad in England, Switzerland, and United States. However, I did not know that Iran was every a cosmopolitan city that one could visit. My views have been shaped and molded through the currently turmoil happening in the Middle East. I believed that Iran was always a conservative and restrictive country where women were submissive and they all hated the western world (especially the United States). Clearly, from reading this book that has not always been the case-and that is probably true for many of the countries in the Middle East.

My second observation happened while reading a specific chapter during the section on the Great Gatsby. Many of the students in the Muslim Student's Association (revolution supporters) were upset at the inappropriate material being presented in the book. Apparently, in muslim society writers are keepers of the moral code (which I was not aware of). The author decides to make a point with her students by putting the book on trial-one particularly outspoken student is the prosecutor and another slightly liberal student is the defense lawyer and a quieter less political student is the judge. The prosecutor's opening speech was what bothered me the most-he was saying things like, "The whole of American society deserves the same fate (death). What kind of a dream is it to steal a man's wife, to preach in sex, and swindle." He refers to America as "land of the Great Satan". I must say I got quite upset while reading this book. As an American I never supported nor ever will support adultery and just because I have read books on it does not indicate that I have supported. Then, I got to thinking-I've judged him and many people from the Middles East as conservative, violent, and submissive (women-especially those I see wearing a veil). In light of this I cannot judge this man for judging my culture when he has never been to the States, just like I cannot judge his culture for having never been to the Middle East.

I dealt with similar feelings while being abroad this summer in Denmark. Being angry with Americans for having no clue about the country of Denmark (some have thought that it was the capital of Sweden-among other things) and Danes believing all Americans are fat and lazy. We all have judgments and stereotypes of other cultures, but no one can truly judge a culture until we have been in and observed it ourselves. With this I hope that I will become more aware of my judgments and stereotypes of other people's culture.

I really enjoyed this book and allowed me to see into a culture and a country I had very little knowledge about. I think it would have been more interesting if I had read all the books that were discussed because I would have had a deeper understanding of some of the plot references and analysis about the books. However, I do have some great book ideas now! Next book to read on the list is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

First book of the New Year finished! Books Read:1

Well I have finished Great American Speeches. Overall, I throughly enjoyed going through the history of our nation via famous speeches. Some I found better than others, but I did learn a lot more about our history through those speeches. Many I recognized because they are quoted so often (Give me liberty or give me death, I have a dream, Nixon resignation speech etc.). Others I recognized from AP US History (Cross of Gold Speech). And others I had never heard of, but throughly enjoyed reading anyway (Mark Twain: The American Press and Mario Cuomo: A Case for the Democrats: A Tale of Two Cities etc). I learned several things from reading this book. One: History repeats itself-A LOT. Two: our nation has gone through some difficult and scary times. And three: many speeches that were made in this country have great quotes that should be remembered, especially during this time of unease in the States.

History repeats itself. This is a common phrase said frequently in our society. I believed it, but never really grasped how completely true that saying is. While reading many of the speeches I heard familiar phrases that I have been hearing a lot today. We need to work on health care, save the environment, problems with social security, housing market, unemployment, civil rights, wars in foreign nations, and mistrust in our government. While some of these may be more obvious than others (wars, mistrust, unemployment, civil rights etc). I was surprised by others. In a speech by George Meany called Labor Day Message made in 1953, he speaks about the problems of the age. Many of these problems sounded familiar to me-millions unemployed, people unable to pay for houses, millions with out health care, social security and war in Korea. What took me off guard was that when I learned about the 1950s was Korean war and the suburban home life and perfect American lifestyle. If this was made in the 1930s-I would not have been as surprised. What I have realized is that in 50 years the government hasn't been able to solve anything. We are still dealing with unemployment, housing prices, HEALTH CARE, and foreign wars. It really shows you that history does in fact repeat itself-and often!

There have been many difficult periods in our nations history. Revolutionary war, civil war, 1930s depression, vietnam war, and cold war. Somehow throughout all these periods we managed to get through it. Reading about what these people had to say during this times of turmoil gives me hope that maybe we will pull through our current crisis. Yeah we are still solving problems we've been debating for many, many years now, but maybe we will finally come up with a solution. Who knows? However, reading this book has made me more optimistic for the future than I have been in awhile. I hope I am right!

Lastly, there are many quotes in this book that I would like to share because they moved me or I found them interesting. Some you may recognize and others maybe not. Either way there are five that are my personal favorites:

Sojourner Truth: On Women's Rights 1851

"Nobody helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place. And aren't I a woman? ...I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns, and no many could head me. And aren't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man...and bear the lash as well. And aren't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen them most all sold off into slavery, and when I cried out with a mother's grief, none but jesus heard me! And aren't I a woman?"

Mark Twain: The American Press 1873

"It has become a sarcastic proverb that a thing must be true if you saw it in the newspaper. That is the opinion intelligent people have of the lying vehicle in a nutshell. But the trouble is that the stupid people- who constitute the grand overwhelming majority of this and all other nations- do believe and are molded and convinced by what they get out of a newspaper, and there is where the harm lies."

Franklin Delano Roosebelt: First Inaugural Address 1933

"Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort"

John Gleen Jr. The Flight of Friendship 7 and the Space Program 1962

"As our knowledge of the universe in which we live increases, may God grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely"

Mario Cuomo: A Case for the Democrats: A Tale of Two Cities 1984

"that a society blessed as ours, the most affluent democracy in the world's history, that can spend trillions on instruments of destruction, ought to be able to help the middle class in its struggle, ought to be able to find work for all who can do it, room at the table, shelter for the homeless, care for the elderly, the infirm, hope for the destitute."

Those are my personal favorite quotes. I hope you enjoyed them. I recommend this book for those who enjoy American History and want to read about it from a primary source. It will give you a new understanding of your history classes.

My next book will be Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia by Sheila and Lisa Himmel. I am borrowing it from my mother who borrowed it from a co-worker. This book should be interesting for me on a personal and academic level. It's about a mother food critic (and a family who is focused on food) dealing with a daughter who has anorexia. It promises to be a good read.