The Woman who Lost China by Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang

But routine brought acceptance of her fate

Why I read this book?

I got this book with the LybraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review. I asked for the book since I really loved books settled in places I've never been to visit them in my mind (for now)

What's the book about?

The book tells us the story Wen Manying, a woman born in the early 1890's right before the first Sino-Japanese War in continental China. Through her life, she will be witness of War, Revolution and Exile while not only she but the China she loved changes.

What about the main character?

Manying is the younger of 2 kids, with an elder brother. She is very sweet bordering with submissive, but I believe that given the dates when the book is settled is also part of how a woman "was supposed to be". She is someone that puts others before her often, especially when it involves her family. I have to say, it didn't read to me as a strong character, but mostly, as I said, as a witness that tells us what she saw but never really took action of her own will.

Final thoughts

This book had a very beautiful premise...but sadly for me it didn't deliver. The story has a lack of flow between the different stages of her life and, albeit normal for telling someone's life, there are a lot of time jumps that for me felt very abrupt, with no transition some times. The dialogs in general lacked something; somehow the dialogs seemed unnatural, fake.  I've read other books set in a similar time period and the dialogs didn't felt this way. On the other hand I certainly like the cover and the timeline and list of main characters at the end. I was doing a genealogy tree myself since the lives became a bit intricate, but I wish I would've noticed before this was already there to help me put. I also have to say, without giving away any spoilers, I did not see the end twist coming. 

Riches never last more than three generations

D'autres vies que la mienne by Emmanuel Carrère

Si l'on savait à quoi l'on s'expose, on n'oserait jamais être hereux [If we knew at what we are exposing ourselves, we would naever dare be happy]

Why I read this book?

It was given to me by my aunt's husband. I always do my best to read and most of all appreciate the books people like to share with me since when I share a book it is because it meant a lot to me, it touched me somehow, and I assume this is the case if they are sharing this with me.

What the book is about?

This is a first person voiced book. Carrère tells us 2 stories: 1 of a family who lost their child after the Tsunami in 2004; and then the death of his partner's sister after being sick with cancer. The telling takes us through different characters life stories; a heartfelt, non-fiction book that wraps you with words from the beginning of the book.

What was the thing I liked the most? 

For a somehow sad book, it was a fast paced book. But the thing I liked the most would have to be the way the author gives a voice to his characters 

What about the main character?

Could I say that the main character is death? Loosing someone? I feel that even though the book tells us the story of the 2 Juliettes they are not the main character, but mostly the way their loved ones dealt with them being gone. If so, then the main character is always present and beautifully written, even painfully so.

Final thoughts

You know how sometimes you are not in the right moment to read a book? I believe that I read this book in the right moment. Not summer, mind you, is a bit of a bummer story for the summer. But you see, someone in my family was diagnosed with cancer, and luckily for us she is now in remission for the next 5 years. But it was a hard moment for all of us. If I would've read this last year with the diagnosis being fresh I would've hated it, just because I was sad. But now, I can read it and actually see the beauty in the way the author shares the pain of others; the pain I felt when my mother died is the same pain I can feel from the daughters that lost their mom; the feelings are transmitted with the exact words necessary, not more not less. I find Carrère extremely courageous to take into this project but also the people who accepted sharing their pain, their lost; something that for me can be so private that I do not see myself being able to do what they did. 

La pire défaite en tout, c'est d'oublier, et surtout ce qui vous a fait crever [The worst defeat of all, is to forget, and mostly what made you die]

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Why I read this book?

I finally joined Audible you guys, and with all the hype about the series I figure, why not spend my first credit in this book? 36 hours of fun that's what I bought!

What's the book about?

You probably guessed by the title, and the TV series and the Simpson's movie...but basically, there is a town that has been locked in by an invisible dome. In less than a week, the pressure of being isolated, mix with not so pure intentions by the "powerful" people in town, gives us a dangerous cocktail of human behavior. 

What was the thing I liked the most? 

I liked the way people changed, or rather show their true colors under pressure, and how King portrayed this changes in a way that the images were completely vivid. The book was read by Raul Esparza, and I really liked him as a narrator. At first I had a bit of a problem getting used to his different voices.

What about the main character?

I think is hard to pin point a main character in the story, but the characters that have a main role are very well written; the "good" ones will make you feel empathy towards them easily while the "evil" ones will make the bile build up in your throat each time they get away with stuff.

Final thoughts

I've completely forgotten how Stephen King testing human nature. Take a small town and put an "evil" force lurking and you have a stew of madness. And he is good at writing this. The book gets under your skin faster than you realize it; I'm not sure if it being an audio helped me to get into the story so fast, but it wasn't a bad thing, I can assure you of that. Before this, I read It and Desperation, but I don't think I liked the stories as much as I did with this one. The fact that you have SO many characters that are taking an important role kept me on my toes, wanting to know what happened to every single one of them. I sort off see the end coming, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less. There were some lines of the story I wished would've gotten more of a closure, and that's what stopped me from giving it a 5. 

Ringworld by Larry Niven

Why I read this book?

This was the July official pick the Sword and Laser Bookclub.

What's the book about?

The book tells us the story of an unlikely group selected to go far in the unknown space and study a new world, if you want, that has been built by some other entity. The known space, threaten by a wave that will reduce everything to nothing and this just might be the perfect option to save several life forms.  

What was the thing I liked the most? 

It would have to be the world construction. The author was consistent with the language and environment construction in itself. 

What about the main character?

Louis Wu is a 200 year old guy, kept alive and young thanks to a plant derivate that the human species found years ago and that apparently almost everyone uses. He has lived a lot and through the years has developed a liking for being alone and far away traveling. He is supposed to be a smart and full of knowledge person, but it didn't read that way to me; he read mostly like someone full of himself.

Final thoughts

I didn't like the book...I didn't like a lot of things of the book. Teela Brown, the only main female character is portrayed as an airhead, ridiculous way of thinking, no logic at all...ugh! just frustrating. Louis, as I mentioned, is just full of himself and doesn't really bring much to the picture to be honest with you. I read someone's review saying that it was funny...really? I didn't see it, but maybe is just me. Also it was so slow!!!! I'm not a diehard Sci-Fi fan, but I expected some more action. During the first 100 pages of the book (about 30% of the book) they not even talk about Ringworld at all, is just the recruiting of the team that might be going on an expedition, but will they?. 

That said, I can see how this is a very influential book; as I said, the author is very creative with his world construction and even with language construction. I believe that probably, because this book makes part of a series, it works as just an introduction to the world. Unfortunately it did not make me want to continue the series.