Beastmomma

From goodreads:

On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

Pages: 293 (Hardcover)

Rating: 2 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

When I heard that The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender was picked as the book club selection for November, I was pretty excited. The premise of the book was interesting to me.  I am on a book buying restriction while I am in DC, so I had to wait patiently (or rather obsessively) for my turn on the library wait list.  After I finished the book, I felt so thankful that I could return the book to the library instead of having it take up space on my shelves.  I REALLY wanted to like the book and I felt so excited when I first started the book.

As the story unfolded, I realized a few things which indicated that the book was going to disappoint.  First, a lot of the pages were spent on the character development of Rose's (the narrator) mother and her brother.  With such a cool talent, I thought that she would become a more exciting character.  Second, Rose "deals" with her gift by eating food out of vending machines and feeling thankful when she can eat things that are created by machines.  I am trying to eat better which, for me, includes fewer foods that come from factories.  I was really disappointed that Rose's coping mechanism was so weak; I kept waiting for her to do something cool and interesting with her talent. 

Towards the end of the book, the last twenty pages, Rose began to make some thoughtful choices. I finally cared about what she was doing and how she was utilizing her skill in an interesting manner. During the discussion, someone said that they wished we got to read more of the story that was uncovered at the end.  I agree with that to a certain point. I wish that the book had been organized differently, so that we could spend more time with Rose as an adult navigating the world with her talent instead of Rose as a child trying to figure out what the heck was up with her mom and brother.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

Everything Austen Two: The main character, Rose, reminds me of Emma. She is curious about the world around her and concerned with helping others while not developing much herself. 

What's in a Name Three: The book has lemon in the title which is a tree that is part of the plant family. Therefore, this is my selection for the plant category.

From goodreads:

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Pages: 367 (hardcover)

Rating: 7 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

I needed a story that could sweep me away and I had heard good things about  A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  While the book was a good escape from work, I still found myself thinking hard about the role of women in society and the lack of power many women have in their lives.  I found myself wishing for a book set in Afghanistan and/or with Muslim women in which the women are empowered and successful in their challenges of the status quo (such as in The Geometry of God by Uzsma Aslam Khan).  I enjoyed the relationship between the two female characters. 

To me, Miriam's journey was about trying to create genuine relationships.  I found my heart breaking for her when she realized her father was ashamed of her and that her husband was a jerk.  I wanted to give her resources and ideas for a better life.  When her husband confessed that he was taking a second wife, I felt Miriam's humiliation.  I loved how she managed to create a relationship with Laila and Laila's children. 

I found Laila's story depressing and inspiring. Even though her father wanted her to have an education, his aspirations for her were not realized when she ended up in an abusive marriage.  I think that her relationship with her father and her role in her nuclear family gave her strength and hope that there was more out there than what existed in the space she shared with her abusive husband. Through all the abuse, I was impressed that she still had a good connection with her daughter and son.  I also loved her relationship with Tariq.  Maybe the author intended for their relationship to represent the beginning of a new era, one in which marriages are partnerships.

Finally, I appreciated that Laila carried on the legacy of her family and Miriam by creating something new.  I was touched by a scene at the end when Laila was teaching children at the orphanage. Even after such misery, she returned to her home land to help rebuild.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

• Orbis Terrarum: The author was born in Afghanistan
• Women Unbound: The book is about the relationship between two women.
• Global Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Afghanistan
• World Party Reading Challenge: The book takes place in Afghanistan which was the party destination this month!

I am finally caught up on all of my reviews.  Earlier this week, I buckled down and wrote a review of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I had finished the book a few weeks ago, but could not bring myself to write a review. You can read my review here. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and feel so glad that I can finally just focus on reading.  Do you feel guilty when you have reviews hanging over your head? 

Speaking of reading, I currently have six books checked out of the library and many are started.  I am realizing that I am not going to complete all of my challenges. The year just flew by.  I am taking a deep breath and releasing the need to finish challenges on time.  After I do that a couple times a day, I can relax and get lost in a good story.  I started reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I am engrossed in the story so far, but find myself feeling really sad at the plight of the two main characters.  I am also worried that I may end up sobbing at the end of the story.

From goodreads:

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father's antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise–she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.

Late one night while pondering whether to accept the task of recording Miss Winter’s personal story, Margaret begins to read her father’s rare copy of Miss Winter’s Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation. She is spellbound by the stories and confused when she realizes the book only contains twelve stories. Where is the thirteenth tale? Intrigued, Margaret agrees to meet Miss Winter and act as her biographer.

As Vida Winter unfolds her story, she shares with Margaret the dark family secrets that she has long kept hidden as she remembers her days at Angelfield, the now burnt-out estate that was her childhood home. Margaret carefully records Miss Winter’s account and finds herself more and more deeply immersed in the strange and troubling story. In the end, both women have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets. As well as the ghosts that haunt them still.

Pages: 406 (Hardcover)

Rating: 9 out of 10

Source: Library

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield was the selection for the first book club meeting I attended in the DC area.  My friend Karen graciously allowed me to join her book club and I was very excited to get to talk about books again.  Since I had not read a book in a few weeks, I was also excited to dive into what promised to be a good story.  I was instantly drawn into the worlds of Margaret and Miss Winter.  Parts of the book were like a love letter to readers.  I loved Margaret's description of reading and the effect that a good story has on her.  Miss Winter's description of the love she felt for stories and the pain she experienced when books were destroyed is something to which I relate.

The story had a few surprises.  I did not see many of them coming, but when I thought back to earlier parts of the book, I realized that the clues were in place.  I found myself craving hot cocoa and sharp pencils because those were two things enjoyed by Margaret.  I liked the story within a story.  As Margaret was learning Miss Winter's story, I also appreciated learning more about Margaret.  Both Miss Winter and Margaret's stories were dark and marked by loss.  I appreciated that both had a bit of closure in the end, but parts of the ending felt rushed. I wanted the end to play out as subtly as the beginning had, but I may not have stayed up extra late to finish the novel if it had moved very slowly at the end.

I wrote about the book for two Sunday Salons.  You can read my post here and here.

I am counting the book for the following challenges:

• Orbis Terrarum: The author lives in in England.
• Reading Western Europe: The book takes place in England.
• Women Unbound: The book is about the shared secrets and past of two women.
  

Even though I am very slow with completing books,  I thought it would be fun to track my reading progress each week. The Sunday Salon is  an online reading group where all the participants set aside time to read every Sunday and blog about the experience. To learn more or to join, click on the picture above.

I have developed a "bad" habit over the last few months where I finish a book and then wait a long time before I finally write a review.  I have also been stretching out the reading of many books.  For the past six months, I start a book for a book club meeting or a challenge.  When the meeting or challenge deadline passes, I put the book aside. I intend to finish the book, but I feel pressure to start the next book club selection or challenge book.  This leads to me taking a long time to finish a number of books and an even longer time to write and post a review.

How do other people manage to get reviews written in a timely manner?

My review of The Help by Kathryn Stockett is an example of my bad habit. I started the book in May for a book club meeting, then put it aside to work on finishing up the next book club selection.  I also got caught up in packing, moving, and settling into my new job. I did not get to return to the book until September when I finally finished the book during my first week in the DC area.  I enjoyed the book very much, but could not motivate to post my review.  I need to figure out a  better system because while I do not like the delay in posting book reviews, I HATE the guilt of having pending blog post hanging over my head.