Word Lily

Words from my reading

February 3, 2010 in books, reading, word | 8 comments

A few fun words that were new to me this week:

Jackboots, via wikipedia

jackboots, n Combat boots rising to at least mid-calf, with no laces, typically a leather sole with hobnails and heel irons
page 18, The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall
“Dressed in a loose-fitting white buccaneer shirt, with a gold and purple sash strung about the waist of his black breeches, and heavy jackboots, he approached her, the silver hilt of his rapier gleaming in a ray of sun.”

baldric, n A belt, usually of ornamented leather, worn across the chest to support a sword or bugle
page 41, The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall
“Grace tore her gaze from his and stared at the gold and purple sash tied around his waist and the leather baldric cutting across his chest.”

thwart, n A structural crosspiece sometimes forming a seat for a rower in a boat
page 84, The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall
“Grace braced her oversized boots against the thwart in the wobbling boat and stared at Mr. Thorn’s outstretched hand.”
I know thwart as a verb, but as a noun? I didn’t recognize it.

faro, n A card game in which players bet on the order in which the cards will appear
page 102, The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall
“Even spending every night in his favorite taverns, enjoying his brandy and an occasional game of faro, had not lifted the burden weighing upon his humors.”
I think I should have known this one, but it didn’t come to mind right away.

More great words on my Words from my reading page.

Review of the book cited here:
The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall

What new words have you found lately?

Winners of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

February 1, 2010 in books, fiction, giveaway | 3 comments

The winners of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See are:

Sue M

and

Wanda

I’ve emailed both of them to get their mailing addresses. Congratulations, Sue and Wanda!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

January 31, 2010 in YA, books, challenge, fiction, library, reading, review | Tags: genocide, social justice, Social Justice Challenge | 15 comments

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 576 pages

Summary
The Book Thief is narrated by Death. It’s set in Germany, opening in 1939. Yes, that’s World War II. Liesel Meminger, at age 9, is taken (by her mother) to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family. On the journey, she steals her first book, even though she can’t yet read. She’s haunted by nightmares of her younger brother’s death.

Among other awards, The Book Thief was a Printz Honor Book in 2007.

Thoughts
I knew I was missing out by having not yet read this book. I started reading it in 2008, but it was during the read-a-thon, in the middle of the night, and I just wasn’t capable of reading a book narrated by Death in the middle of the night and still appreciating it. Alas, it’s taken me nearly two years to get back to it, but at least I finally have.

I found the voice of this book to be wholly unique. While most of the material wasn’t new to me (although a bit of the perspective I hadn’t read before), this was *not* just another Holocaust book. The writing is superb, achingly beautiful. (I feel like I use that phrase way too much …) I also found it quite interesting how most things are fully disclosed before they actually happen — the narrator “spoils” himself.

The characters, the bookish elements, the writing — all excellent. A gorgeous book with a heinous setting. I say setting because war is not really what the book is about. It’s a backdrop, sure, and hardly a page goes by without mention of it, but the book is about Liesel, about words.

My only complaint (and it’s a small one): The prologue doesn’t really fit the book. After I’d read the prologue, I was sort of dreading this book. But once I got past that, the story sucked me in and the pages flew by.

Although this book was first published in just 2006, I’d call it a classic. This is a book that will endure. If you haven’t read it yet, why not? Sure, it’s not exactly short, but it’s also a young adult book, so the pages fly by (well, the fact that it’s a great story helps that, too). You have no excuse. Read it.

I definitely want to read more of Zusak’s work — I’m particularly intrigued by his I Am the Messenger.

About the author
Markus Zusak lives in Sydney, Australia. Read an interview with Zusak at the Random House website.

Other reviews
Filling My Patch of Sky
Maw Books
So Many Books
At Home with Books
In the Shadow of Mt. TBR
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
A Chair, a Fireplace & and Tea Cozy
My Two Blessings
The Book Lady’s Blog
CaribousMom

Still want more reviews? Check out the Book Blogs Search Engine.

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me a link and I’ll add it here.

I checked this book out from the library.

My impetus for finally picking this book up was the Social Justice Challenge; the January theme has been religious freedom. It’s certainly not a stretch to see how this book fits that theme.

Words from my reading

January 27, 2010 in books, reading, word | 5 comments

A few fun words that were new to me this week:

fichu, n A woman’s triangular scarf of lightweight fabric, worn over the shoulders and crossed or tied in a loose knot at the breast
page 43, Tidings of Great Boys by Shelley Adina
“‘Look at the lace on that fichu,’ Carly breathed.

gymkhanas, pl n Multi-game equestrian events performed to display the training and talents of horses and their riders; in India, gymnasium
page 55, Tidings of Great Boys by Shelley Adina
“On the walls were pictures of kids from the forties at their gymkhanas, pictures of fishermen, pictures of me — but only a couple of those.”

godowns, pl n Warehouses
page 12, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
“The city has godowns where goods are loaded and unloaded, courses for greyhound and horse racing, countless movie palaces, and clubs for dancing, drinking, and having sex.”

Sampan on the Yangtze River, via Wikipedia

sampans, pl n Relatively flat-bottomed Chinese wooden boats 12 to 15 feet long
page 27, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
“Sampans — hung with ropes, laundry, and nets — cluster together like insects on a carcass.”

More great words on my Words from my reading page.

Reviews of books cited here:
Tidings of Great Boys by Shelley Adina
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

What new words have you found lately?

The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall

January 26, 2010 in Christian Fiction, books, fiction, reading, review, review copy | 3 comments

The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall, Charles Towne Belles, book 3 (Barbour, January 1, 2010), 320 pages

Earlier books in this series:
Book 1: The Red Siren
Book 2: The Blue Enchantress

Summary
Grace Westcott is driven. She’s determined to help the poor and needy in her community (Charles Towne), and save of her sisters, too. But when she’s kidnapped by a French mercenary and learns she’s to be sold to a wicked Spanish Don in Colombia, she doesn’t know what to think. She does get mad at God for putting her in this situation, though.

Thoughts
I don’t usually like reading a series out of order or a series book of any kind (beyond the first book) if I haven’t already read the previous installments. Something about the characters in this book caused me to make an exception in this case, though.

In a lot of ways, this wasn’t a book I would typically pick up — it’s a historical romance, set at least partially in the States. It’s a sea story. (I’ve read a few sea stories I enjoyed, namely Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin series, but for the most part I stay away from stories set on boats.) What drew me to this book, then? Grace Westcott’s strong drive to help the poor and save her sisters.

As a character, Grace was less than I hoped for. She fell into traps that are all too common in Christian fiction (albeit perhaps in actual Christians, too), and I quickly tired of her tirades and assumptions.

As a story, it was quite a bit better than I expected. It tackled some issues that aren’t broached enough, especially in Christian fiction.

The writing felt repetitive; the same characters were described over and over, with little change. Sometimes, a few pages after I learned something, I’d be told that same thing. I did enjoy the interspersing of French words and phrases throughout, even when I couldn’t understand all the words and they weren’t translated (which they were, most of the time).

I wish there was more white space on the pages. The interior pages feel quite crowded to me, between small margins and very little line spacing. This wasn’t as much of a problem once I really connected with the story.

All in all, some aspects of this book were pleasant surprises to me, while others were disappointing. This doesn’t normally happen to me, but I enjoyed reading the book, even though I didn’t like the main character most of the way through.

About the author
M.L (MaryLu) Tyndall has been writing for 20 years and lives in California. Her blog is Cross and Cutlass.

Other reviews

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me a link and I’ll add it here.

I received this book from the publisher.

Winner of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

January 26, 2010 in books, fiction, giveaway | 3 comments

The winner of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is:

Margie

I’ve emailed her to get her mailing address. Congratulations, Margie!

For those of you who didn’t win, have you entered my giveaway for Shanghai Girls by Lisa See?

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

January 25, 2010 in Christian Fiction, The South, books, fiction, midwest, reading, review, review copy | 2 comments

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck (Thomas Nelson, January 5, 2010), 272 pages

Summary
Jade Fitzgerald firmly believes in leaving the past in the past and instead living in the present. (Does it have any bearing that she runs an up-and-coming vintage store?) But her wedding date is nearing, and that envelope addressed to her hippy mother taunts her. She’s tempted to simply not invite Beryl, but her indecision is keeping her from mailing any of the invitations, and waiting even one more day is simply unacceptable to her mother-in-law-to-be. As it has a tendency to do, the past refuses to stay buried in The Sweet By and By and instead must be addressed to allow the characters to move forward.

Thoughts
The Sweet By and By greatly exceeded my expectations. This is not just a happy, standard Christian Fiction novel. It is happy and it is Christian Fiction, but it’s far more than that stereotype. The characters deal with real pain, real hurt, and the consequences of their past actions.

I loved the Iowa (and Southern) settings. The book had a couple surprises, which I also loved. The further into this book I read, the more I loved it.

While it’s not a stupendous, earth-shattering read, this book does gently nudge its characters (and its readers) in the direction of truth. A very quick read; the story pulled me in immediately. I have no complaints about this book — I really enjoyed reading this one.

I definitely want to read more of Hauck’s books (this was the first one I’ve read).

About the authors
Sara Evans is a country music recording artist.

Rachel Hauck has a journalism degree. She’s the author of quite a few books, including Sweet Caroline and Love Starts with Elle. Follow her on Twitter: @RachelHauck.

Other reviews
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Window to My World
4 the Love of Books

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me a link and I’ll add it here.

I received this book from the author, Rachel Hauck.

Review and Giveaway: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

January 22, 2010 in TLC book tour, blog tour, books, fiction, giveaway, reading, review, review copy | 16 comments

Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See (Random House, 2009), 336 pages

Summary
Pearl and May are sisters, through and through. They’re together in everything, all the time. Having grown up in Shanghai — “the Paris of Asia” — they think of themselves as thoroughly modern and disdain their parents old, traditional ways. They pose for calendar photos and paintings. And then what they thought impossible happens. They’re forced into a life they had rejected.

Thoughts
While on the surface, this book purports to be about beautiful girls, immigrating to the United States, Chinatown (Los Angeles) and family, in reality these things are just the stage for a tale of sibling rivalry, secrets, fear, pain, delusion. It’s tragic. Dark.

The story is vividly drawn, the history, the characters and the backdrop. It was a good book, but I didn’t enjoy it much. The book contains some brutal scenes. And while I didn’t love reading these, I didn’t really struggle. They’re surely accurate, even appropriate to include. What I didn’t like was how the characters reacted.

I went back and forth, at one point thinking the writing helped ease the pain of the narrative and at others thinking the writing exacerbated the tragedy for the reader.

In my head I was yelling at the main character probably 50 percent of the time (or more). The rest of the time I was yelling at some other character.

I didn’t love the role (however minor) that religion played in the book.

I enjoyed this book more than you’d think from reading this. I wonder, though: If Lisa See hadn’t tried for such a long tale, in terms of time encompassed, would some of the pieces be more fleshed out, more fully realized? I understand that this is contrary to some of what she was aiming for with this book, but I still wonder.

Read the first chapter of Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls.

About the author
Lisa See is the author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love. Her Flower Net was an Edgar Award nominee — I had no idea she wrote mysteries! After Flower Net come Interior and Dragon Bones. Her memoir is On Gold Mountain. She lives in Los Angeles.

Check out the rest of the TLC Book Tour stops for Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

Other reviews (most of which are more positive than this one)
She Is Too Fond of Books
Devourer of Books
Books on the Brain
Booking Mama
CaribousMom
Peeking between the Pages
A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook
S. Krishna’s Books
A Novel Menagerie

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me a link and I’ll add it here.

The publisher has offered 2 copies of the book as giveaways (U.S./Canada only) to my readers! Comment here about the book (or my review) for a chance to win.

The giveaway will end next Thursday, January 28, when I’ll randomly select a winner.

I received this book from the publisher, as part of the TLC book tour.

Edited to add: This giveaway is now closed, winners has been chosen.

Words from my reading

January 20, 2010 in books, reading, word | 6 comments

A few fun words that were new to me this week:

refectory, n A room used for communal meals, especially in educational or religious institutions
page 123, Lost Mission by Athol Dickson
“While supping in the refectory, Fray Guillermo often asked about the altarpiece.”

punks, pl n Any substances, such as decayed wood, that smolders when ignited, used as tinder, especially a chemically treated fungous substance shaped into slender, fragile, light-brown sticks
page 174, Lost Mission by Athol Dickson
“At Fray Guillermo’s insistence, smoldering punks were carried through the refectory every hour.”

paten, n A metal disk or plate, especially one of precious metal for holding the bread in a Eucharistic service
page 201, Lost Mission by Athol Dickson
“On the cloth were several objects, which Alejandro recognized as the silver chalice, paten, and ciborium from the mission chapel.”

ciborium, n A canopy of wood, stone, etc., that rests on four columns, especially one covering an altar; a covered cup for holding the consecrated wafers of the Eucharist
page 201, Lost Mission by Athol Dickson
“On the cloth were several objects, which Alejandro recognized as the silver chalice, paten, and ciborium from the mission chapel.”

pillory, n A device consisting of a wooden board with holes for the head and hands, in which petty offenders were formerly locked and exposed to public scorn; any exposure to public scorn, etc.
page 222, Lost Mission by Athol Dickson
“The neophyte was forced to stand with wrists and neck restrained by a pillory which had been hastily erected in the plaza.”

More great words on my Words from my reading page.

Review of book cited here:
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

What new words have you found lately?

Interview with Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

January 19, 2010 in Author interview, TLC book tour, blog tour | 11 comments

I was really excited to chat with Jamie Ford and learn a little bit about the man behind the gorgeous book that is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet [link to my review and giveaway].

WordLily: Which character was the hardest for you to write?

Jamie Ford: Probably Henry’s father. I have a hard time with antagonists. I guess deep down, I want everyone to get along.

Jamie Ford

WordLily: The story of your last name (Ford) and heritage (Chinese) was fascinating to me. Quoting from the book:

Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated in 1865 from Kaiping, China, to San Francisco, where he adopted the western name “Ford,” thus confusing countless generations.

And from Jamie Ford’s FAQ page:

[That man's] son, George William Ford, was an actor in Hollywood and had to switch back to make his ethnicity more demonstrative. He appeared as a bit actor and extra in numerous films as George Chung. He also taught martial arts and was a consultant on the 70s series, Kung-Fu.

Have you ever thought of changing your name back, like your grandfather did?

Jamie Ford: Interesting question. When the novel was being looked at by various publishers, that topic did come up — as though a story about a Chinese American might be more credible from an author with a Chinese surname. But I am who I am. Plus the name “Ford” now makes for a more interesting story these days …

WordLily: Ha! So true, it’s good to have an interesting story like that at the ready. How did you know your short story, “The Button” — or for that matter, “I Am Chinese” — was worth turning into a novel?

Jamie Ford: A short fiction editor read it and said, “You should quit your job and write this as a novel.” Seriously. He actually didn’t like it as a short, but loved it as a novel. I didn’t quit my job at the time, but I did tear off and write like a madman. That kind of validation is incredibly motivating.

WordLily: Wow, I bet! Having such a successful first outing, how have you dealt with the pressure (that must be) placed on your next novel?

Jamie Ford: I wallow in it. It’s good and bad. The good thing is that I’m growing as a writer. The bad is that I haven’t escaped my writerly insecurities, so the pressure is definitely there. But sitting down and losing myself in the story seems to cure a lot of ills.

WordLily: I see that your next book, Whispers of a Thunder God, is due out in early 2011. Can you give us a sneak peak? I’d also love to hear more about this YA project you’ve mentioned several times.

Jamie Ford: WHISPERS is about a Japanese student who is conscripted into the Imperial Air Army and forced to become a kamikaze pilot. He fails to complete his mission and returns to find that his wife has died. It’s about his experiences as a young man, and as an old man still in search of noble death, one that will allow his spirit to be reunited with that of his late wife. It’s another love story.

The YA project involves a forgotten property (a character) that has been orphaned. The original writer sold the rights to a Hollywood studio that later went bankrupt. So I’m keeping it mum until I figure out the rights. Stay tuned …

WordLily: Will do. [If you haven't subscribed to Jamie Ford's blog yet, why not?] What did you do before you were a writer? At what point did you begin to think of yourself as a writer?

Jamie Ford: I worked in advertising, first as an art director and later as a copywriter. But I didn’t consider myself a real writer until some of my short fiction began gaining traction in contests or small literary venues. In many ways I still consider myself a storyteller, rather than a writer of prose.

WordLily: A few general questions now. Why do you write?

Jamie Ford: Because it beats working.

WordLily: Ha! How/when did you start writing?

Jamie Ford: About fifteen years ago, though I became more serious about it maybe five years ago. That’s when I started spending all of my vacations attending writers’ conferences. And I began writing about Asian American characters shortly after my dad died. My dad was an only child. Once he passed I felt cut off from my Chinese heritage and began to explore those themes in my writing.

WordLily: What question have you always expected (or been dying to hear) but never actually been asked? And what’s your answer to that question?

Jamie Ford: I’ve expected someone to ask about the Michelle Malkin book, which was this pro-internment screed that came out shortly after 9/11 — but alas, no one has ever brought it up. My answer is that I haven’t read it, and probably no one else has either …

WordLily: Thank you so much for your time! Anything else you want to say?

Jamie Ford: Thanks for having me!

A few other interviews with Jamie Ford that I really enjoyed:

• Shelf Awareness
• 1st Books: Stories of How Writers Get Started
• Author Scoop: Another 5 Minutes with Jamie Ford

About the author:
Jamie Ford’s website and his BitterSweet blog. He’s on Twitter @JamieFord. He grew up near Seattle’s Chinatown and now lives with his family in Montana.

The publisher graciously offered a copy of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to one of my readers! Instructions are on my review post.