Peony In Love – Lisa See

Set in 17th-century China, See's fifth novel is a coming-of-age story, a ghost story, a family saga and a work of musical and social history. As Peony, the 15-year-old daughter of the wealthy Chen family, approaches an arranged marriage, she commits an unthinkable breach of etiquette when she accidentally comes upon a man who has entered the family garden. Unusually for a girl of her time, Peony has been educated and revels in studying The Peony Pavilion, a real opera published in 1598, as the repercussions of the meeting unfold. The novel's plot mirrors that of the opera, and eternal themes abound: an intelligent girl chafing against the restrictions of expected behavior; fiction's educative powers; the rocky path of love between lovers and in families. It figures into the plot that generations of young Chinese women, known as the lovesick maidens, became obsessed with The Peony Pavilion, and, in a Werther-like passion, many starved themselves to death. See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, etc.) offers meticulous depiction of women's roles in Qing and Ming dynasty China (including horrifying foot-binding scenes) and vivid descriptions of daily Qing life, festivals and rituals. Peony's vibrant voice, perfectly pitched between the novel's historical and passionate depths, carries her story beautifully—in life and afterlife.) I must say that I loved the first Lisa See novel that I read (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) and had high hopes for this one, and was severely disappointed. It just rambled on and on (SPOILER) even after the main character dies. Uggh. After the beautiful writing of "Snow Flower", it was hard to read this-- it was simply missing too much - in terms of explanations, background details, character development, and tying together really choppy scenes, that it felt amateurish, trite and unmoving.

The Sleeping Doll -- Jeffrey Deaver

(Kathryn Dance, an investigator with the California Bureau of Investigation, returns from Deaver's The Cold Moon (where she was a secondary) in this post–prison break pulse-pounder. Dance is the lead cop handling the escape of psychopathic killer Daniel Pell, dubbed "Son of Manson" by the press for his "family" of young runaways and his most horrendous crime, the murders of computer engineer William Croyton, Croyton's wife and two of their three children. The only child left alive, nine-year-old Theresa, is known as the Sleeping Doll. Pell, charismatic and diabolically intelligent, continually eludes capture, but Dance, a specialist in interrogation and kinesics (or body language), is never more than a few suspenseful minutes behind. Dance is nicely detailed, and procedural scenes where she uses somatic cues to ferret out liars are fascinating. The book sags in its long middle, but toward the end Deaver digs into his bottomless bag of unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers wide-eyed with surprise, and leaving them looking forward to more of the perspicacious Dance.) Typical Deaver. He brought back a secondary character from his last novel and makes it work for the most part. I didn't think it moved as seamlessly as his Rhyme series but it's not bad for the first novel of a "spin-off" series that will be alternated with books about Rhyme and Sachs. If you like the Rhyme/Sachs series, you'll probably like this.

New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts (24-20 final--Pats W)

Two simple thoughts....

A. The Colts are much better than I thought/hoped they were, and are right on par with us.
B. That was some of the worst officiating I've ever seen.

(Wes Welker --4-yard touchdown pass from Brady in the second quarter and a 55-yard non-touchdown bomb in the fourth quarter that ignited the comeback)

I love this little guy. He's really becoming a go-to for Tom when they positively need a quick good catch!

Visiting Life – Bridget Kinsella

--When a friend who taught creative writing at a maximum-security prison asked Bridget Kinsella to read the work of one of his best students, she readily agreed. As a publishing professional, Kinsella was used to getting manuscripts from all sorts of sources. Who knows? she told herself. Maybe I can help this talented inmate get his work published. She had no idea that her correspondence with a convicted murderer serving life without parole would lead to a relationship that would change her life forever. Why in the world would anyone get involved with a prison inmate?

In this beautifully written, brutally honest memoir, Kinsella shares how she stumbled into a relationship with a lifer and became part of a sorority she never thought she’d join. Over the course of three years, she spends time with and ultimately befriends the wives, girlfriends, and mothers of some inmates at Pelican Bay. On this unexpected journey, she learns of the hurdles, heartbreaks, and hopes they have for their relationships as she experiences a connection with someone who helps heal her own wounds. (It's not bad, kinda sappy and I hate that)

Helpless—Barbara Gowdy

-- Nine-year-old Rachel Fox has the face of an angel, a heart-stopping luminosity that strikes all who meet her. Her single mother, Celia, working at a video store by day and a piano bar by night, is not always around to shield her daughter from the attention—both benign and sinister—that her beauty draws. Attention from model agencies, for example, or from Ron, a small-appliance repairman who, having seen Rachel once, is driven to see her again and again.
When a summer blackout plunges the city into darkness and confusion, Rachel is taken from her home. A full-scale search begins, but days pass with no solid clues, only a phone call Celia receives from a woman whose voice she has heard before but cannot place. And as Celia fights her terror and Rachel starts to trust in her abductor’s kindness, the only other person who knows where she is wavers between loyalty to the captor and saving the child. Will Rachel be found before her abductor’s urge to protect and cherish turns to something altogether less innocent?
Tapping into the fear that lies just below the surface of contemporary city life, Barbara Gowdy draws on her trademark empathy and precision to create a portrait of love at its most consuming and ambiguous and to uncover the volatile point at which desire gives way to the unthinkable.(It was a good premise, but the ending was crap! Totally not plausible)

Yeah so sue me

I've been slacking on the posts lately.  Its not that I've been overly busy either, I mean seriously-- I found time to organize my spice drawer (yes, a full drawer--and not one of those wimpy small ones either..this is like dresser size!). I think it's just that I don't know what I want to write...do I want to write about the lameness of my day to day? The recipe I made for dessert?

Blah.

Bad Monkeys –Matt Ruff

-- "Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder.

She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—"Bad Monkeys" for short.

This confession earns Jane a trip to the jail's psychiatric wing, where
a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy—or playing a different game altogether. What follows is one of the most clever and gripping novels you'll ever read." ( I loved this!! It was
twisty and turny and just made me want to keep reading until the very end, and even then I was like..I want more!! I am definitely going to pick up more of his stuff!)