REVIEW #1
Title:Plum WineAuthor:Angela Davis-Gardner
Rating:
Recommended?Yes, if you are a woman interested in Japan
What I Have to Say:This book was a great look at what it must have been like for an American woman to be living in Japan during the Vietnam war. It was touching and heartwarming, and I managed to basically adore it despite not really liking the two main characters. I think that's saying a lot.
Summary:Bottles of homemade plum wine link two worlds, two eras, and two lives through the eyes of Barbara Jefferson, a young American teaching at a Tokyo university. When her surrogate mother, Michi, dies, Barbara inherits an extraordinary gift: a tansu chest filled with bottles of homemade plum wine wrapped in sheets of rice paper covered in elegant calligraphy—one bottle for each of the last twenty years of Michi’s life.
Why did Michi leave her memoirs to Barbara, who cannot read Japanese? Seeking a translator, Barbara turns to an enigmatic pottery artist named Seiji, who will offer her a companionship as tender as it is forbidden. But as the two lovers unravel the mysteries of Michi’s life, a story that draws them through the aftermath of World War II and the hidden world of the hibakusha, Hiroshima survivors, Barbara begins to suspect that Seiji may be hiding the truth about Michi’s past—and a heartbreaking secret of his own.
REVIEW #2
Title:The Princes Diaries 10: ForeverAuthor:Meg Cabot
Rating:
Recommended?Yes, yes, yes yes, YES!
What I Have to Say:So, I unfortunately like Mia less in this book than in the other books. She has also become a flexetarian that is flexible even for a flexetarian, which I think is ridiculous and kind of a cop out. And it doesn't really fit with her character. (And HELLO, she should have gone vegan!) But still, it was the last in the Princess Diaries books, and despite my minor complaints, it was possibly the best of them all. I feel like saying - Meg Cabot has done it again!
Summary:What's a Princess to do? It's Mia's senior year, and things seem great. She aced her senior project, got accepted to her dream college(s), and has her birthday gala coming up . . . not to mention prom, graduation, and Genovia's first-ever elections. What's not to love about her life? Well . . . Her senior project? It's a romance novel she secretly wrote, and no one wants to publish it. Prince Phillipe's campaign in the Genovian elections isn't going well, thanks to her totally loathsome cousin René, who decided to run against him. Her boyfriend, J.P., is so sweet and seemingly perfect. But is he the one? And her first love, Michael, is back from Japan . . . and back in her life. With Genovia's and her own future hanging in the balance, Mia's got some decisions to make: Which college? Which guy? How can she choose? Especially when what she decides might determine not just the next four years, but . . . forever!
7 comments:
Nice reviews.
*daydreaming of plum wine*
Plum Wine sounds like a good read - I always like contemporary stories set in Japan. I haven't read that far in the Princess Diaries series but I really like Meg Cabot's writing!
I loved the last Princess Diaries book, it was so good! Good reviews. I gave you an award here: http://anaddictedbookreader.blogspot.com/2009/10/lovely-blog-award.html!
Did you hear about the mini-challenge "Hello Japan !" ? It's hosted by In Spring it is The Dawn Your first review made me think of it, so I'm just mentionning it in case you're interested. :)
Thanks for your comment, you're welcome ! And I just realized (although I had read it before) that your "current obsession is Japan", so of course this challenge was made for you !
About French Friday, I actually thought about you when creating it (you're the only book blogger living in France I know !). Of course you can participate, that would be fun and an honor for the Newbie in me ! If you could just mention the "Hosted by" part, that would be really nice. Un peu de pub ne peut que faire du bien dans cette dense blogosphère. :) I can't wait to see what you'll come up with !
Every now and then, my eyes slide towards a Princess Diaries book. I've been telling myself I don't need them. Now I'm cracking.
I loved the last Princess Diary book, too. I think this could be my favourite one, as well as the third (when she and Michael get together, lol). The vegetarian/flexitarian thing doesn't bother me, well, actually, I didn't even notice - I'm not a vegetarian and don't like vegetarianism (sp?) a lot, so... But I loved Michael in this book. Because, honestly, what's there in Michael not to love?
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