Book Review: A Hundred Horses

A Hundred Horses
Author: Sarah Lean
Published: Harper Collins, 2013
Genre: Middle-grade, Coming of Age
Rating: 5/5

So, a few weeks ago I went to my local bookshop The Toadstool to browse through the middle-grade reader horse novels. For years as a child, my mother brought me to this bookstore so I could by a new Saddle Club book or some other horse related novel. Even though I am now an adult, part of me still enjoys reading books about young girls healed by horses.

Nell is not too pleased about spending her spring break with her aunt and cousins on the farm. But, Nell's mom is too busy working, and maybe too busy trying to forget about Nell's father. Something important is taken from Nell by another girl riding a horse, and Nell will do anything to get back her treasure. Nell meets Rita, an older women whose husband's recent death is forcing her to sell her herd of 99 horses. The connection between Rita and the other girl, Angel, is revealed and Nell and Angel forge an unlikely friendship based on their need for affection and understanding.

There is an old truth of horse bringing people together, and this novel captures that truth in character and plot. The writing is fluid and the characters grow with each encounter and challenge they face. I would recommend this novel to horse lovers and parents whose daughters might be facing a difficult time.

Book Review: Colorless

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Author: Haruki Murakami and translated by Philip Gabriel
Published: 2014 English Edition,
Genre: Psychological Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Have you ever had that urge to buy that hardcover, but just couldn't justify spending the money on it? I was there when Colorless by Haruki Murakami was released in 2014. I really wanted to buy it, but I was short on cash and had accumulated several unread titles by Murakami. My practical side won and I decided I would buy Murakami's most recent novel when it was released in paperback. The day it came out, my inner book dork took control and I spent the next few days reading it whenever I could.

Tsukuru Tazaki is a mid-thirties bachelor spending his working days designing train stations. He leads a lonely, but not unsatisfactory life in Tokyo when he meets Sara. Over dinner one night, Sara encourages Tsukuru to explore how the collective rejection of his four childhood friends has affected his adult life. Unable to ignore the fact the wound never completely healed, Tsukuru goes on a quest to find out the reason why he was rejected and abandoned by his high school comrades. As he speaks to each one, he begins to realize they all had their secrets, desires and disappointments. Tsukuru delves into the emotions of the past and present to heal the wounds with understanding and respect.

Haruki Murakami is known for his extensive analysis of human emotions through his characters. This novel is a balanced work of art that explores the emotional and the spiritual quest of Tsukura, This novel's plot seems simple, but the intricate interior dialogue brings readers to Tsukura's fifteen-year-old plight. Murkami's dialogue is natural and flows between the characters as the emotions build with each reunion.

What is startling about this novel is how simple it makes readers question their own life. Are you hiding old wounds? Has a traumatic event that you "recovered" from still haunt you? How many of us lie to ourselves?

 For readers looking for a psychologically driven plot, Colorless is just the book for you.

Book Review: The King's Curse

The King's Curse
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: Touchstone, 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I appreciate the creative license she takes while still staying in line with most major historical facts. What I admire most about her unique ideas is her ability to weave the common threads through all the books. In her most recent The Cousins' Wars novel, The King's Curse, Gregory explored the life of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury and how her closeness to the throne leads to the highs and lows in her life.

Margaret Pole is the cousin of Elizabeth of York, queen of England. Her Plantagenet bloodlines make her a threat to the new Tudor rulers, and she is married off to the Tudor supporter Sir Richard Pole. As the years pass, Margaret finds her life affected by her continuous rise and fall of royal favor. She forms a strong friendship with the young Katherine of Spain and both are devastated with Prince Arthur suddenly dies. Margaret Pole finds herself struggling and sends her children to be raised by family members or the church. When Katherine marrieds Henry VIII, life seems to smile on her and Margaret. However, these two women will soon discover their fates are tied to a young, jovial king who will slowly turn into a petulant, temperamental man ruled by his rash anger.

Gregory successfully weaves together the ongoing "curse" that is first revealed in The White Queen and how it directly affect Margaret Pole. Readers can sense the Margaret's pride, but sensitivity to her royal blood as she makes all attempts not to draw attention to herself and her family. Gregory's ability to pull readers into the complex emotions of Margaret will widen their knowledge on humanity and how much the human heart can stand.

While I enjoyed this novel, it might not be a favorite read for those who have previously read Gregory's other novels. This novel does go over events previously portrayed in other novels such as The Constant Princess and The White Princess. However, it is worth the read to see how other royals lives depended upon the laws and favor of their king. Royals may have had the advantage of education and possible wealth, but their lives were far from their own.

Book Review: Chancey of the Maury River

Chancey of the Maury River
Author: Gigi Amateau
Published: Candlewick, 2010
Genre: Middle-Grade, Fantasy, Horse Narrative
Rating: 5/5

Anybody who has read my blog in the past knows I love horses. I especially love stories about horses and my favorite novels are usually aimed at middle-grade readers. There is a time in lots of young girls' lives they fall in love with horses. Some will fall out of love in a short time and others will fall in love for life. Much to my parents' dismay, I never stopped loving horses. My mother felt guilty, she could not afford riding lessons so she gave me what she could: books. My childhood days were filled with book like The Saddle Club, Pony Pals, Heartland and novels by Marguerite Henry.

Sometimes, I still go to my local bookshop where I browse the "horse section" for middle-grade readers. This is where I found Chancey of the Maury River. This novel is on the same level of craft writing and plot as War Horse.

Chancey is an albino Appaloosa. He has lived his life with the indifference of his owner while working as a school horse. When his owner faces a financial crisis, he is forced to fend for himself and then abandoned. At Maury River Stables he meets the first human to love him unconditionally. Claire has suffered a great loss, but through her relationship with Chancey she begins to recover. As Chancy ages, Claire learns to share him with other riders in a therapeutic riding program. She and Chancy touch the hearts of other humans and animals as they grow together.

Amateau had done an outstanding job writing this from Chancey's point of view. Chancey's interpretation of the world is authentic and reliable (from a horse's POV). The plot of this novel is well done and both of the main characters grow with each new challenge. Amateau presents accurate knowledge of horsemanship in this novel and has colorfully written images that will stay in her readers' heads.

I heartily recommend this novel for all young equestrians and adults who enjoy horse stories. It will be a book I share with my own children someday.

When you Miss Your Own Heart

Today, as I was walking up my friend's endlessly steep driveway, I stopped to admire how the recent winds how drifted the snow into layers on the snowbanks. They reminded me of the layers of uneven frosting on the first birthday cake I had baked for myself. The feeling that arose in my heart as I stood breathing in the cold air can only be described as "connectedness".

The past twenty months I felt as if part of me disappeared. I have missed writing the way I used to.
I have missed my own heart.

I never thought I'd lose myself. But I did. I lost myself between looking for a "career starting position" and trying to balance a long distance intercultural relationship.

Two people in my life have constantly been telling me to write for a long time. However, my alignment with my secret heart (muse as others would call her) has been hard to bring back. I know she is in there between the horses, history and taste of Asia I keep in my soul.

Writers, you should never neglect your muse. She is like a garden of flowers. If you stop watering your flowers, they will die. Then, you will find yourself trying to save those flowers or planting new seeds. This is not a bad thing, though. Now I can add some new flowers to my field.

I hope they grow strong with brilliant colors.

Why I walk up that steep driveway.

Book Review: 1Q84

1Q84
Author: Haruki Murakami (translated by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel)
Published: Vintage International Oct 2011 in USA
Genre: Alternate Reality, Fantasy, Parallel Worlds
Rating: 5/5

My first venture into reading Japanese literature was Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood. Since then I have the works of Natsuo Kirino, Yoko Ogawa, Koushun Takami, Yukio Mishima and parts of historical texts including, "The Hojoki" and "Essays in Idleness". Murakami's tantalizing writing style brought me into a part of Japan's creative culture beyond the manga of my childhood. My copy of 1Q84 was purchased from the Kinokuniya store in Shinjuku. Whenever I feel nostalgic, I pull out one of the books I bought in Japan and begin reading.

The year is 1984 in Tokyo. Tengo is an aspiring writer who spends his time teaching at a cram school and writing. He leads a solitary life except for a few professional contacts. When he takes on the task of rewriting a manuscript his tranquil life begins to unravel. What if what you were writing had taken place in another reality? As Tengo's world changes he constantly thinks of the young girl he loved in elementary school.

Aomame has outcasted herself from her strict religious family. She spends her days working as a personal fitness trainer and completing tasks for one of her clients. Her world converges into another realm when she steps down the emergency ladder to the street below. She is no longer in 1984.

As their narratives intertwine between the parallel worlds, Murakami created an elegant portrayal of a romance connected through time, space and human emotions. Simply by taking the human feeling of "connectedness" and molding it Murakami has created an ambitious work of literature. His narrative and character development is exquisite and readers will become more invested with each page.

This novel is a must read for those who enjoy books with a mystical element. For those who enjoy the reading realms of both high fantasy and realistic fiction, this book maintains a balance you will surely enjoy.

Book Review: China Dolls

China Dolls
Author: Lisa See
Published: Random House, June 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5

Lisa See happens to be one of my favorite Asian historical fiction writers. Her works have focused on China and the trials and tribulations Chinese women have faced in different time periods. I was excited to read her latest novel China Dolls and was pleased with the storyline, setting and the initial introduction of her characters. However, this novel didn't deliver strong character development as her other novels have.

In 1938, Grace finds herself in San Francisco's Chinatown after leaving behind her abusive father. Her desire is to find work at a nightclub where she can make a living dancing. She meets Helen and Ruby and three soon become fast friends. Helen has a dark past and lives with her traditional Chinese family and her  desire is to escape the cage and her pain. Ruby is Japanese and passing herself as Chinese in order to find gainful employment in Chinatown. The course of their lives and friendships is altered the day Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Ruby is sent to a concentration camp while her two friends continue on with their life and wonders which one betrayed her.

What I enjoyed about this novel was the premise of the story: three young oriental American determined to make their own way in the world. Lisa See's ability to bring her readers' to the historical setting is one of her strengths. In my mind, I could envision the 1930-40's streets of Chinatown and San Francisco. Her characters each have a solid, believable background which sets the tone of voice for each girl.

The reason this novel seems to fall short in my eyes is the lack of character development throughout the story. The initial friendship of the girls' seems to be motivated by the face they are all pretty and like being seen together. Even as the novel progresses, they tend to act like preteens jealous of each other's friendships like a love triangle.

What began as a possibly well-written alternating narration quickly becomes a weakness in this book. While the character's each have a developed voice the alternating chapters began to feel a bit choppy. Towards the end of the novel I felt as if I was being pushed from one character's brain to the other without much notice. Even the thought process of the characters' and their voices began to feel the same. Considering each girls' dramatic past, their voices could have been individually stronger with their psychological and physical experiences.

I would recommend this novel to those curious about the life of the Chinese in American history. Overall, this novel can be an enjoyable read, but it will not be making the reread list.

Book Review: Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio

Gaudenzia, Pride of Palio
Author: Marguerite Henry
Published: 1960, republished 2014 by Aladdin Press
Genre: Middle grade, historical fiction
Rating: 5/5

The first book I received from the Scholastic book club in first grade was Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. This book was a little beyond my reading abilities, but I tackled it anyways. I became a Marguerite Henry fanatic and started requesting all her novels for birthday or Christmas presents.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my local bookstore and was browsing through the middle-grade readers, horse stories section. Amongst the classics I read as child, I found Gaudenzia, Pride of Palio. I was shocked as I realized I had never seen this novel all the years I spent reading nothing but horse books. Needless to say, I still enjoy reading middle-grade novels, even as an adult, and bought the one copy on the shelf.

Giorgio Terni is an idealistic young Italian boy who loves horses more than anything. His goal is to ride in the Palio horse race, which dates back to the Medieval ages. As he grows older, his reputation as a rider and trainer grows until he is invited to help train potential mounts for the Palio. He never forgets the filly he saw as a boy and hopes one day to find her again. Through fate, he and Gaudenzia find each other and he knows the skittish mare is destined to win the Palio.

This novel is an amazingly balanced story about both horse and human. The historical details are accurate and delivered through fantastic scenes that help shape the story's main character. Marguerite Henry's prose is nearly poetic as she brings horses to life in the pages of her story. I would recommend this novel be read by both children and adults who love to learn about horses in history.

Book Review-Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

Tittle: Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Author: Alison Weir
Published: July 2010, Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5

Alison Weir was my favorite biographer to ready for many years as I devoured her books on the Tudors and other royals. When she broke out into the historical fiction genre with Innocent Traitor, I was pleased to discover she had written a thorough, imaginative story about Lady Jane Grey. My expectations for Captive Queen were high, but fell short for many reasons.

Eleanor of Aquitaine is nearly 30 and unsatisfied with her monk like husband, Louis VII of France. She wishes to be free of her marriage and of France. When she sees the young Henry, Duke of Normandy, she becomes inflamed with desire and ambition.They can build an empire between their countries and his future claim on England. Throughout their marriage, she gives him eight children, but her life is marred by tragedy. Henry takes mistresses and heeds the advice of his chancellor, Thomas Becket, over her counsel. The most unforgivable thing he does is he stops loving her and seeks to keep the power away from his heirs. She adores her son, Richard, and she will not allow him to be shafted of his inheritance.

This novel is a decent read,  well researched and full of emotion. However, the execution of a few craft elements left me feeling unsatisfied as a reader.

This first few chapters read more like a Harlequin romance novel. Eleanor is portrayed as a woman driven mad for sex and love instead of a strong, independent individual. Sex scenes litter the pages at every meeting, she and Henry have throughout the first quarter of the novel. Several times the narrator's POV changes in scenes which breaks up the flow of writing and the characters' thoughts. This novel should have been written in 3rd person omniscient narration. Also, the use of modern phrases and expressions is unauthentic and shows a lack of imagination during the creation of dialogue.

I would recommend this novel to people who are interested in historical fiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine. Personally, I will not be picking it up for a second read.

Getting Back with Your Muse

Two years ago, my muse and I decided to break up. I'm still not sure whose fault it was. We still got together sometimes and reminisced over a poem or an article in the Starbucks by the JRA Shinjuku station. Maybe, he felt deserted as I wrote letters to my fiance in India and produced numerous cover letters for job applications. I felt like part of me was missing. So, I asked him if we could try to write together again.

There was something I found daunting about starting to write creatively again. My muse and I were out of sync. I had to reflect and realize that I had not been giving my muse the time it needed. I no longer went to the movies alone or read poetry. Writing had become a chore associated with cover letters and resumes. I had stopped nourishing my writer's soul.

I started taking time for myself and my muse. I read books that made me want to write. I watched foreign films on Netflix that made me ponder humanity and cultural norms of other societies. I took my horse out for long rides in the forest alone. I started to claim back the part of myself that had been lost somehow along the way between family deaths, traveling and job hunting.

There are not many regrets in my life, but I do regret not writing the past two years at the volume I used to. There is nothing I can do to get that time back. However, I can share what I did with other writers to find my writing voice again.

1. Read anything that inspires you to write: books, poetry, comics, articles, reviews, music lyrics or even Facebook statuses.

2. Pull out that unfinished novel or poem and start editing it on any page. You might reconnect with the emotion that sparked the words you wrote down sometime in the past.

3. Watch movies that have depth and meaning that makes you think about the human condition and human truths.

4. Commit to a writing project with a friend as you are held accountable for your part. One of my best friends and I started a round-robin novel and use Google Docs to share and update our story file.

5. Travel to places that make your heart soar. The mountains of Vermont always make me want to sit down with pen and paper and write a poem.

6. Spend more time doing activities that move your soul and make you feel blessed to be alive.

7. Talk to other writers about what they are working on. Their enthusiasm can be a reminder of why you used to write.

8. Make a writing goal no matter how small to start off. Have one for everyday so you can get back into the habit of writing everyday.

9. Use your writer's block as a source of inspiration.

10. Take the time every day to write something everyday, no matter how short it might be.

What is something that you did to get back your writing muse when it disappeared? Did you do something to claim back your writing life that took you on a journey?

Book Review: Kings of Colorado

Kings of Colorado
Author: David E. Hilton
Published: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Genre: (Realistic) Fiction
Rating: 5/5

For a couple of years, I kept having an interest in this novel as I walked by it on display at Barnes & Noble. I finally ordered the novel after seeing it for sale on bookoutlet.com to complete my New Year's book order. Kings of Colorado is a of a more tough version of The Outsiders where friends band together to survive against their social enemies.

William Shepard is 13 the night he stabs his father for beating his mother. His punishment? William is sent to the Swope Boys' Reformatory in the Colorado mountains for two years. He will learn who his friends are and who are his enemies. He and his friends will break the horses as the guards break their spirits. In a prison filled with corruption and abuse his friendship with three boys are his only comfort. What is considered  horror will seem like child's play after they learn what Hell is. William will never come out the same boy who entered the ranch. Others who entered will never leave. 

Hilton's writing is an exemplary piece of literary fiction. He imbues every page of this novel with a strong narrative that allows the reader into William's maturing mind. His reactions and those of the other characters drives the story forward with mounting tension towards this novel's climax. Reader's of this novel will feel the characters' emotion evolve in this coming of age novel.

This novel is jarring and will leave you wondering about the emotional scars you have suffered. Perhaps, yours are small compared to what these characters will suffer through as you read.

Letters from Skye

Today I finished reading "Letters from Skye" by Jessica Brockmole for the second time. When I read a book a second time, it means I will read that book several more times throughout my life. This novel holds a special place in my heart because I am living my own modern day life version of the characters' struggle.

David Graham is an American who receives a book of poetry written by an Elspeth Dunn while recuperating the hospital. He sends a letter of admiration that sparks a love story that spans into two World Wars and two generations. Through an epistolary novel Brockmole brings the beauty and pain of falling in love through writing alive.

Nearly two years ago, I received a message on Facebook from a young Indian man asking me how I was going about looking for a job in Japan. He had gotten my email off of JobsinJapan.com and searched for me on Facebook. I replied a few days letter and told him he could send me his resume and cover letter if he wanted me to look at them. We kept emailing letters to each other but never talked on Facebook after that. I knew he had fallen in love with me even though he tried his best to hide it with the words he chose.

Part of me loved him, but I refused to acknowledge it to myself as I left to start a new life in Japan in September of 2012. One of my friends knew I was starting to have feelings for him when I mentioned him several times. After all, I talk about horses not men!

We continued our emails for several months until I forgot to reply to one with my crazy Japan life schedule. Three weeks passed and when I did not hear from him I sent him an email asking why I had written to me.

We started talking on Facebook a bit everyday after that. He told me he loved me and wanted to be with me. I thought, perhaps, he was simply infatuated with me for some reason. Okay, honestly, I thought he was nuts since we hadn't even exchanged photos.

One night I called him and we talked for three hours. The second night I called him and we talked six hours. I've called him everyday since then. We began a relationship and even decided to marry before meeting in person. We started researching how we could be together and I soon realized we were in for a long, hard and convoluted path. To apply for a fiance visa, I would need to meet an income requirement in the USA to apply to sponsor him. So, I decided to leave to Japan to look for work in USA.

It has been one year now and I am still looking for work despite my best efforts. Pankaj has been patient through this whole process. We met in March of this year in India and we got along as if we were kindred spirits meeting after a long separation. He even took me home to meet his family, and he got his mother's approval for the "American girlfriend". The American girlfriend they believed would never come.

But I did. I traveled the 7,649 from Boston to Nagpur to meet him. He kept asking me write again like I used to. Just like how David Graham kept asking his "Sue" to start writing poetry again. This is what I ended up writing.

I never will write letters from Skye Island, but I will send him letters about my horse Skye.

Book Review: Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published: Penguin, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

As a writer, I often wonder what was it like to live in a different time period. What ideals, customs, standards and threats helped to weave together the life of an individual? While I am at home writing fantasy pieces my reading passion lies with historical fiction. My curiosity to know about the past and the people that existed led me to consume various historical fiction, biographies and nonfiction books over my lifetime. When an author successfully brings tears to my eyes I know they have harnessed the deepest emotions from the well of humanity.

Lina is fifteen and preparing to attend art school over the summer. She lives in Lithuania and the year is 1941. Her father is a successful college professor who does not return home one evening. A knock on her family's door changes her life forever. The Soviet secret police rip her apart her home, her family and her life. Lina sees horrors she cannot even comprehend as her family is sentenced to forced labor on a farm in Siberia. Unable to discover what has happened to her father, Linda embeds clues through her art hoping her father will see her drawings someday. She hopes her love for her family will keep her alive as she fights for her survival and those around her. Lina will come to know heartbreak so deep that the scars will remain open wounds for the rest of history.

Sepetys is a talented, fresh historical fiction writer. Her chapters are short and powerful infused with raw emotions some humans will never experience. The atrocities of the Stalin occupation in Lithuania tore open the hearts of those affected and bled their lives into history. Sepetys emotionally-driven writing will leave her readers contemplating how Lina found the strength to survive. She will make her readers wonder how much strength do they have hidden inside themselves.

(Book #2, 2014)

Book Review: Red River Stallion

Red River Stallion
Author: Troon Harriosn
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Published: Bloomsbury (Feb 2013)
Rating: 4/5

As 2013 came to an end my friend, Kim, and I found ourselves on the verge of change. Another year had come and gone and neither of us had made progress in our writing careers. Vowing we would we would work harder to get our names in print we purchased books that cold New Year's Eve. A couple of days before Kim had sent me a link to the Red River Stallion by Troon Harrison. One year ago, I read Harrison's novel The Horse Road which brought me back to my childhood days of reading Marguerite Henry's novels like "Misty of Chincoteague" and "King of the Wind". It was these novels that started my love for books, reading and writing. Now, twenty years later, I thirst to both read and write novels like Marguerite Henry's. I ordered this novel sitting in Kim's room as we talked about our dreams to become published writers.

Amelia Ottergirl Mackenzie is an orphan left to care for her younger half-sister, Charlotte, after their mother dies. The girls are half-Cree living the life of their mother's people near a trading post of the Hudson Bay. Amelia has seen her animal spirit guide in her visions, but has never seen any such creature in the living realm. One day, she is saved by the red stallion name Firefox and forms a close bond with him, even though he belongs someone else. Firefox is the dowry a woman, Orchid, is bringing to her husband across the Red River Valley. Amelia is drawn to follow the horse's travels and discover what happened to her Scottish father. She longs to find a place where she and Charlotte belong and a place where she can thrive in her new found love of horses.

Harrison is successful in giving historical details through both prose and dialogue in her novel. The language is beautiful, eloquent and gives the readers the imagery needed to envision the historical setting. Amelia's narrative is authentic and shows her maturity while retaining the teenage voice. Harrison has researched many historical and cultural elements and has successfully written an accurate portrayal of the view a half-Indian child might have. This novel is a must-read for horse enthusiasts or those that love strong female characters.

Horses are a creature symbolic of freedom and journeys. Harrison's novel is a tribute to this Native American belief and it is found in the words of every page. I hope readers will enjoy the journey this book takes them on.

(Book #1, 2014)

Book Reflections of 2013

Sorry, my dear blog readers! After promising I would continue to regularly post book reviews after October I failed in this task. I have read many books the past few months, but these books dealt more with  self-improvement techniques. This year has been hard for me looking for a job, losing my father, and maintaining a long distance relationship, but there were novels I read that helped me through it all. There were a few stories that seemed to reach inside my soul and take out the pieces of my heart. If was as if I could lay them out and look at them and how they were shaped, sharpened and even broken. How did they fit together? Where had I left some of the pieces? Were some of the pieces going to be found along the way?

To honor these books, I have decided to write a list their titles and only say they helped me on many levels. There is something about stories and writing that has always helped me through the hardest times in my life. I suspect, it's because every time I read a novel my soul learns something new about human truths and the human condition. Humans are always changing as their circumstances change and as they have new experiences. After all, are you not different now than you were last year, last month, last week, yesterday or even an hour ago? Have you not grown and changed in ways you never thought possible?

1. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
2. A Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin
3. Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
5. Catch Rider by Jennifer H. Lyne
6. Dark World by Zak Bagans
7. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
8. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki 
9. Essay in Idleness by Kenko
10. The Secret Circle #1-3 by J.L. Smith
11. Wabi sabi: The Japanese Art to Impermanence by Andrew Juniper
12. Spirit Princess by Esther Friesner
13. Walking in the Dust by Trent Reedy
14. Ink by Amanda Sun

Thank you for reading my blog! I will be posting more regularly again from now on. As for a reading goal for 2014 I have chosen a simple one: read all of Haruki Murakami's novels. This gives me an excuse to read Norwegian Wood again!

Purchased in Japan and waiting to be read  in 2014!

Book Review: Dreams of Joy

Dreams of Joy
Author: Lisa See
Published: Random House, May 2011
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5

This is my first book review on this blog since May. It's not because I stopped reading the last five months. Actually, I have been reading more this year than I did last year. Sometimes, I see abandoned blogs and I can now understand why this happens. In my case, my hiatus is over and I am back in the saddle.

Dreams of Joy is the sequel to See's Shanghai Girls and continues the story of Pearl and May and their daughter, Joy. After learning Aunt May is really her birth mother, Pearl embarks on a journey to China to discover herself. After all, her whole life has been a lie so why shouldn't she look for her father and join the Communist Cause? Pearl follows her daughter to the mother country she never thought she would return to. They each discover a past neither of them could fully make peace with in the United States. As Pearl tries to show her mother-love is as strong as a natural mother, she watches her daughter throw herself into the Communist Cause and all the repercussions it bring to their lives.

See is a natural historical fiction novelist. Through the voices of Pearl and Joy she conveys the opposing views of mother and daughter with equality rarely seen in most novels. She makes full use of her setting and characters to bring her readers into Communist China to see the fanaticism and horror it brought to China's citizens. Though the plot may seem a bit far-fetched at times, See was able to bring her novel to a natural and satisfying end. For readers who love historically accurate novels, I highly recommend  they read the story of Pearl, May and Joy as they struggle to find their true joys.

 (Book #10 for 2013)

Waiting

I have been home for 52 days now. There are readers of this blog who have probably wondered why I never blogged about my life in Japan (or stopped blogging the last three months). I am a private person and I choose not to blog about my personal life very often. So, why did I not even write a blog about culturally significant things in Japan?

I simply did not want to. I decided to journal about my experiences instead. Those journal entries are for myself to read, remember and reflect upon in my later years of life.

While I was there I tried to learn as much as I could about Japan's equine culture. There were many weekends I spent at the racetrack or researching horse-related shrines, grounds, and musuems. I wish I could have gone to all of them, but life had another plan for me.

After eight months, my priorities had drastically changed. Sometimes, someone comes into your life in an unexpected way. You grow to love them so much, you have to make a decision that seems right for the both of you. My situation is a bit different from many couples I know. However, for the two of us, we are comfortable with how we came to be together. If anything, it is natural for us while others may see it as unbelievable. Someday, I will write about my story after I read a certain book.

Do I miss Japan?

Sometimes, but I know in my heart I made the right decision to return to the USA. After all, I had a plucky horse named Skye waiting for me.

And, yes, book reviews will be returning very shortly!

Book Review: The Fallen Angel Series (Books 1 & 2)

The Fallen Angel Series: After Eden (#1), Beloved Purgatory (#2)
Author: Katherine Pine
Published: 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Christian Fantasy
Rating: (Overall) 4/5

As we moved into the age of the digital book readers have seen a surge in self-publishing. In the past, self-published books were looked down on as "lesser" works as they, perhaps, were not of publishable quality. With the invention of the kindle, nook, and iPad a plethora of published books are now available with the touch of the mouse or our finger. While some books should never see the eyes of any reader, I have had the pleasure to read The Fallen Angel Series.

After Eden

Devi's life has been anything but normal. Since her twin brother, Kai, was abducted when they were children she has felt like half of her is missing. Living a secluded life, except for the companionship of her best friend, Devi spends a lot of her time reading and vising the used bookstore. One day, she meets the new owner and Oz is anything but normal. He is a demon, a fallen angel, and his love for the girl born without a soul will destroy him.

Devi will give anything to have her brother back. Even if it means working with the angel who took him. She will do anything to protect Oz.  Even if it means, selling herself to another demon.

Beloved Purgatory

She loves a fallen angel, is guarded by an angel, protected by demons, and both heaven and hell want her. Devi cannot escape the fact she and her twin brother are the antithesis of each other. Nor can she forget her father who lingers in purgatory as punishment for his sin. The sin of killing himself.

Unable to accept the fate her father is suffering and the loss of her brother, Devi decides to makes a drastic decision. She will sell herself to the demon Forneus if it means she can bring her father's soul to rest, see her brother, and save her beloved Oz.

Pine's  plot is highly character driven and readers will feel the gripping emotions and hollow emptiness Devi struggles with. Oz is a three-dimensional character whose background, personality, and feelings have probably found him a circle of reader fan girls. Pine's use of Christian theology in her plot and characters is unique and effective for the story she is writing. This makes her novels stand apart from the plethora of angel/demon novels released by big publishing companies.

The first book left me wanting to read more. While  Beloved Purgatory was still enjoyable, I felt as if some of the writing had been rushed and I started to feel a bit distant from the main character. A couple of times I had to read ahead until I felt the the writing drawing me back into the story again. While this was slightly disappointing, I will be reading the third book in this series when it is released.

(Books # 8-9 for 2013)

Book Review: Dinky, The Nurse Mare's Foal

Dinky: The Nurse Mare's Foal
Author: Marta Moran Bishop
Published:  Katmoran Publications (January 13, 2013)
Genre: Pets/Fantasay
Rating: 5/5

I happened across this short novel during one of my late night amazon.com horse-crazed, book searches for my kindle.  I had read about the plight of the nurse mares and foals in the breeding industry but wasn't aware the practice is still common today. Bishop's novel is not only well written but educational as it reveals the horrors of the breeding industry for race horses and show horses.

Dinky is born on a spring night. His mother tells him he will only be with her a short while and to try and remember everything she tells him. She will be forced to raise another mare's foal. When he is less than a week old Dinky is taken from his mother and forced to learn to take milk from a bucket. Then he is sent to auction where meat buyers purchase the "bi-products" of the nurse mare industry: the foals. Dinky is lucky. He is saved by a horse rescue and eventually adopted by Marta and her husband, Ken. However, Dinky's lack of social skills leads him into trouble with both his new owners and herd-mates. Dinky struggles to learn "his place" as he grows and begins to notice his humans are not always happy with him. Will he ever learn to please them?

Bishop's greatest writing talent is her ability to craft the believable first person narration in a horse's voice. Dinky's perception of humans and his surroundings is conveyed with the realistic authority needed to make this narration believable. This book will make horse owner's stop and wonder how their horse(s) are perceiving them. This novel should be read by horse lover's of any age not only for the story, but for the issue it presents. 

Should the practice of nurse mares be outlawed? By all means, this story shall convince its readers, yes. 

(Book #7 for 2013)

Book Review: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Published: 2002, Little Brown
Genre: Fantasy/Afterlife/Thriller
Rating; 5/5

Three years ago I asked one of my friends to go see the movie The Lovely Bones with me. At the time, I did not know the movie that left me with tears on my cheeks was based on a book. For some reason, I never did pick up that book even after I found out there was a novel. I did not expect to see this novel for sale in Japan. The rate at which I consumed this novel is something I had not experienced from any other novel I have read this year.

Susie Salmon is 14 the day her physical existence ends. In a hole in the earth she loses first her innocence and then her life. From heaven, which is a collection of the shards of her reality and earthly desires, Susie watches her family and friends. She also watches the man who killed her. Unable to communicate what has become of her, Susie sees her family as they splinter as they try to heal. Over the bittersweet years she sees how her death creates new connections between all those she loved and was loved by.

Sebold is writer who makes full use of the senses in her writing. Through Susie's observations and memories she stitches together a physical and emotional world where the reader cannot help but feel the hope, lost, pain and healing of the characters. I also applaud this writer for the subject matter she chose to write about and allowing herself to create this story. It is from stories like this one readers are reminded the wide spectrum of humanity between goodness and evil. I would encourage anyone to read this novel at some point in their lives.

(Book #6 for 2013)