Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

I almost did not want to review this book because I have seen the film so many times I didn’t think I’d be able to read the book objectively. I was right…

Without the context of my world literature class, where I have been learning about many things Japanese, I may not have enjoyed the small references in this book as much. I believe the movie does the book justice — there are only a few differences, none of which seem major.

Ziyi Zhang is gorgeous.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of watching the film or reading the book yet, Memoirs of a Geisha is just that — it’s the telling of a girl (Chiyo/Sayuri) who was sold to be a geisha and her trials, tribulations, triumphs. It also focuses heavily on her obsession with the Chairman (I won’t give his full name, in case some of you don’t know). She bases her entire life on maneuvering to get closer to him.

I love the way that I feel immersed in Japanese culture when I read this book. All the little things really add up to make it a pleasurable experience. Every character seems extremely realistic, and nothing feels out of place. I can tell Arthur Golden spent a long time researching geisha’s every day activities to give this story the depth that it has.

If you enjoyed the movie, or are interested in geisha and Japanese culture, you should definitely read this book. It’s very similar, but with added depth and detail. It moves along quickly and does a great job of making you want to invest your time in the characters.

Five Dances with Death: Dance One by Austin Briggs

Through the program Adopt an Indie, I was able to receive a book from an author that published his novel through Helvetic House. I was very excited to get involved in this, and I’m sure it was fun for the authors, as well. If you wish to know more about this program, visit my post:

https://realmofreviews.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/adopt-an-indie-has-authors-left-to-adopt/

Adopt an Indie month is occurring again in February of 2012, so if you are interested in being involved as a writer, a reader, or a blogger, feel free to sign up! It was a fun experience.

I received Austin Briggs’s novel, Five Dances with Death: Dance One. I was almost immediately struck with the unique feel he gives to the book. It’s centered around an Aztec village, Tlaxcala, where a man, Angry Wasp, has lost his daughter to a warring tribe and is trying to get her back by any means possible.

Adopt an Indie book

I loved the idea that death was present throughout the novel. It wasn’t depressing or dark, but simply a fact. I also really enjoyed the setting and the realistic feel of it. You can tell that Briggs has the knowledge necessary to write a story about the Mexica people — it never felt like a gimmick, or like that was the focus of the story. It was merely a richly interesting setting in which he told the story of Angry Wasp. The game of bean-throwing (the actual name eludes me at the moment) was especially intense. Briggs expertly creates tension and release between the characters.

Although the story was compelling, some of the dialogue felt a little trite. I enjoyed most of the Moonwalk People’s language, some of it felt a little haughty. I found this odd seeing as they were supposed to be the savages — perhaps that was the intention, that they were trying to appear better than they were. There were also a few misused words, where an editor with a sharp eye and a heavy hand could have fixed. Although, for a self-published book, it was well done.

The setup to this story was brilliant, and I was drawn in immediately. It’s ending was satisfying enough to interest me in reading the next book. The only problem I had with this novel was the middle — at times I desired to put it down or to skip ahead to see what happened in the end. It seemed like the plot shied away from what I really desired to know, and focused on the politics of the many tribes. I’m sure this will interest some, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Overall, this book was well detailed and interesting because of it’s uniqueness and sincerity of setting and character development.

Stay tuned for an interview with Austin Briggs about the Adopt and Indie program and about his book, Five Dances with Death: Dance One.

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

Disgusting, disturbed, gross, horrifying, insane, weird, wonderful. There are many ways I would describe Diary, these are just a few. For anyone who has read Palahniuk before, this probably comes as no surprise. I did enjoy this book, but was also definitely put off by it. If I were to recommend it, it would be with great CAUTION. Know what you are getting into before you read it.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I will do my best to avoid spoiling any major plot points for those I haven’t scared away from reading this novel.

I love his covers, they are so interesting. The white front lifts up and the back of it reads, "Where do you get your inspiration?" in black and white with the same font as the cover.

This book is set up as the diary of a middle aged woman named Misty Marie (Kleinman) Wilmot. She went to art school, met Peter Wilmot, her future husband, and dropped out when she got pregnant. They moved to Peter’s hometown of Waytansea Island. This is almost a dream for Misty — she has always been painting and imagining living in a wonderfully big, beautiful house. She was attracted to Peter’s ‘old’ wealth and his strange jewelry — big brooches and necklaces made of fake sparkling rubies and diamonds.

However, where the diary starts off, Misty is miserable. Her husband tried to kill himself, and failed. He is now in a coma, which leaves her with lots of debt, a low-end job at the Waytansea Hotel, a young daughter, Tabbi, and Peter’s mother to take care of. This lends a bitter tone to the novel. Waytansea Island is running out of money, all the old money is not going to last for much longer, and Misty is not dealing with it well. As she says,  “A couple drinks. A couple aspirin. Repeat.” It really is a miserable, bitter, almost angry (although Misty is a little too cowardly to be angry) book.

I think that’s where I can’t go any further. I will say that this novel is riveting. I could barely put it down, I was so interested in finding out what happened to Misty and why Peter had written mysterious, threatening messages on all the summer homes he dry-walled. Diary draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end.

Again, I would only recommend this a huge caution sign. If you don’t like strange books, if you don’t like Palahniuk, if you don’t like conspiracy theories, if you don’t like hearing about bodily functions, if you don’t… I could go on… then be warned that this book might not be for you. For anyone who this doesn’t apply to, or who likes to read books that challenge their views, then this IS for you! I personally enjoyed it quite a bit. Although it grossed me out on occasion, that didn’t bother me or deter me from finishing. The story is so compelling that even if I was disturbed, I could not stop myself from finishing.

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Though Persepolis is actually broken into two novels, I purchased the ‘complete’ version and will review it as such.

I really enjoyed this — it only took me four days to finish it. In fact, I almost didn’t want to review it, because I was unsure what I would say. This was such a wonderful story that it feels like Marjane is talking to you and only you. It is told comfortable and matter-of-factly. The pictures really do help tell the story, and without them, I think I would have felt lost and a little outside of the story. Satrapi makes you feel like you’re an insider, like you understand her, which now, I feel like I do.

Another great cover -- I just love simplicity and especially books without live pictures.

She easily outraged me against what the Iranian government was doing and was restricting her to do. I related to Marji in a way that I did not expect or imagine. I loved the character and I am truly glad that I bought this book. One of my favorite parts about Marji is that she is quite logical. When faced with new obstacles or experiences, she always thinks… “Once again, I arrived at my usual conclusion: one must educate oneself.”

Marji is what you might see as a usual teenage kid — but she has a great family backing her and teaching her valuable moral lessons. She is proud to rebel, because the Iranian government is unjust and oppressive, and her parents are proud of her. You can really see her grow and mature throughout both novels.

The first books moves smoothly into the second, which makes me doubly glad that I bought the complete version. I would have felt that I was missing out if I had to wait to finish the story.

I definitely recommend this very personal, but relatable, book. If you’re torn on buying it, I would have to say that it’s a quick read only because it draws you into the intensity of the story and the humanity of the characters. I could not put this down. I wanted to find out where Marji’s life lead her — She moved through Iran and Austria, and it was extremely compelling.

I was really hoping that I could get a hold of Persepolis, the movie, but Netflix only has it on instant. Hopefully, someone has a disc copy that I can borrow so I can review it and compare it to the novels (even though I know you’re ‘not supposed to do that’).

The Hunger Games

It has been a long time since I was moved to stay up reading a book simply because I could not put it down. The Hunger Games has reminded me why I love books so much. I bought it about a year ago because I really liked the cover. I only moved it up on my to-read list because a friend mentioned that they had just read it and it was superb. They could not be more right. Everything about this book screams ‘favorite.’

Simple, just the way I like it.

I wasn’t sure whether I would like the narration style — inner to outer narrative is something I have struggled with (writing and reading) for quite some time. Suzanne Collins masters this — the changes are made seamlessy, naturally, and interestingly.

Even the plot is perfectly done — it goes in and out of intense moments, keeping you on edge for something disastrous to happen. I never considered putting the book down to take a break. The only reason I didn’t finish this novel in one day was the need for sleep. Let’s just say I’m glad that I started this book on break, so I could really sit down and enjoy it and not have to worry about school work. I loved every minute of this book, and am even now considering picking it up and reading it again. It’s exciting to think there are more books out there about Katniss and her adventures.

I absolutely cannot wait to read (and review!) Catching Fire. Until then, I will be reading (the complete) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Five Dances with Death: Dance One by Austin Briggs.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Lost Adventures

For anyone who doesn’t know, Avatar: The Last Airbender was a show about a boy named Aang and his friends, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. They three nations (Air has been wiped out): Fire, Earth, and Water. The Fire Nation had taken over and was waging a war for domination over the other three nations. Aang is the avatar, the one who is meant to master all four elements and keep peace in the world.

In The Lost Adventures, we get quite a few fun tales about their adventures outside of what the show was able to portray. For avid fans and new readers alike, this is a great graphic novel to get into. It is separated into the same books/nations as the show, so if you are a follower of it, you will understand and enjoy the context of the short stories. If you haven’t seen the show, the group generally spends a good chunk of time in each nation allowing Aang to master that element. The graphic novel shows miniature flashbacks to let you know important plot points in the story.

Fun adventures travelling the world.

I like every adventure, but there were a few that stuck out as especially enjoyable.

In one story, the group has stopped for a rest. Aang finds a merchant who is selling a relic of the air nation, and when the rest have finally gone to sleep, he goes to check it out. To his dismay, the Fire Nation traps him when he gets to an old airbender hideout. I love the history that is put into this story. Airbender relics are something even I would be interested in — they have been all but wiped out by the firebenders.

If you recall in the show, Toph scams firebenders for money by using her earthbending skills. In this story, they have to come up with a new way to get food in the Fire Nation. Appa (Aang’s sky bison) is hungry as well, and his stomach rumbles like an earthquake. Sokka convinces the Fire Nation citizens that he’s a great beast, and that he can scare him off if they pay for his food. Sokka is in for a great surprise though, when they find that the great beast is not Appa at all…

My favorite story with Toph has to be where she fights earthbender King Bumi. He is old and quite possibly senile, and they both think they are the epitome of earthbending glory. Sokka is the referee, and I think my favorite line from him has to be, “Rockalanche! Nice!”

Overall, this is a great read whether or not you’ve seen the show. It had so many fun stories about each character that it’s also not boring for people who have watched the series many times, like myself. I highly recommend it! I also want to thank NetGalley for giving me this book to review, I appreciate it.

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

For my Women Studies class at Wartburg, I have been reading The Second Sex (Simone de Beauvoir). I will admit that it’s interesting and worth a read for anyone who is fascinated by women’s relationships with the rest of the world. However, to me, it reads like a textbook. The entire first chapter relates women to eggs and men to sperm. It was fun to tell people about, but not to read. There were even quite a few words that were new to me, which is a novel feeling in itself.

Although I have enjoyed learning about some of the topics in the book, it’s quite dry. I don’t believe I will end up finishing it. I realize that a lot of people hail this as  an amazing book, which it is good, it’s just not something you can pick up and read every day.

There were actually quite a few quotes that I thought worthy of writing down in my favorite quotes book — things like:

“Just as in America there is no Negro problem, but rather a white problem; just as ‘anti-semitism is not a Jewish problem: it is our problem’; so the woman problem has always been a man’s problem. We have seen why men had moral prestige along with physical strength from the start; they created values, mores, religions; never have women disputed this empire with them.”

I actually have to do a ‘book report’ over this book for the class. I have to decide on three major themes, relate it to our class, and talk about why I think it should be included in women’s studies classes as required reading. I personally don’t think it should be, so I decided to tell the class how it could be studied as a textbook rather than additional reading. I was considering starting off my report with one of two quotes that would give a good feeling of the attitude of this book.

An old Anglo-Saxon incantation says, “Hail, Earth, mother of men, may you be fertile in the embrace of God and may you be filled with fruits for man’s use.”

From Tertullian, whom she quotes multiple times, “Woman! You are the gateway of the devil. You persuaded him whom the devil dared not attack directly. Because of you the Son of God had to die. You should always go dressed in mourning and in rags.”

For my three main themes, I chose the ideas that women is the “Other” to man and that she was made FOR man, that marriage and reproduction imprison women and limits them, and how woman is related to nature — as I am also writing a paper on ecofeminism.

I do hope that someone finds this book interesting enough to pick up and read, though I know it’s not for everyone.

Rage: After the Impact

After receiving quite a few graphic novels from one of my favorite publishers, Dark Horse Books, I chose to read and review Rage: After the Impact.

This is the first time I've read a graphic novel as an ebook. It was interesting, to say the least.

Rage: After the Impact is an introduction story to id Software’s game, RAGE. The story follows the brief beginnings of Dr. Elizabeth Cadence’s life after awakening from sleep in a cryogenic ark. A deadly meteor, Apophis, was headed for Earth, so the government took preemptive measures and saved the lives of many who would be necessary to rebuild humanity. Approximately 5,000,000 people were killed by the meteor. As Rage indicates, “They were the lucky ones.”

Once awakened from her cryo ark, Dr. Cadence is attacked by ‘Wastelanders’ and saved by The Authority, or the new form of government in this post-apocalyptic world. Once inside the scientific facility, she senses something amiss with the research that is being done on the mutants, the humans who have supposedly come into contact with feltrite, a substance from Apophis.

Arvid Nelson does a great job of building an interesting relationship between Drs Antonin Kvasir and Cadence. I am truly interested to see where Kvasir ends up. With his new outlook… he could go anywhere. Cadence, on the other hand, I see getting into a lot of trouble due to her gung-ho attitude.

Near the end of Rage: AtI, I was reminded of Serenity, a movie based on one of my favorite (one-season) shows, Firefly. I personally love being reminded that humans are often to blame for some of the bad things in this world, and that we have many faults, greed being a large one.

This was a fantastic snippet of what I imagine to be a great story line for a video game. I enjoyed this story, and can’t wait for the full novel, Rage, and the video game from id Software to experience more of this world.