How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

His first two novels established Mohsin Hamid as a radically inventive storyteller with his finger on the world’s pulse. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia meets that reputation—and exceeds it. the astonishing and riveting tale of a man’s journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, it steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over “rising Asia.” It follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on that most fluid, and increasingly scarce, of goods: water. Yet his heart remains set on something else, on the pretty girl whose star rises along with his, their paths crossing and recrossing, a lifelong affair sparked and snuffed and sparked again by the forces that careen their fates along.
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.

This is a well written book, there’s no denying it. Obviously, the writer knows what he is doing and he’s earned awards and nominations for his works. All that said, I didn’t particularly like this book. We just didn’t click.

The writing, in its sparse, mostly narrative fashion, reminds me a bit of a modern Hemingway, which might be the problem, since I’m not a huge fan of said author. It is too cold and clinical for me, even when it’s trying to get across a bit of emotion. This novel fits into the same mold. Even though the author tries to submerge us in the book by using the second person (rarely successful, and in my opinion, not worth the effort), we still feel too detached from what’s happening. We don’t bond with the protagonist, we don’t even know his name, and it’s hard to feel for any of the other people he interacts with because they don’t come across as wholly believable. The spark is just not there.

The plot is another issue I have with this book. I just don’t see much of a point in it. I’ve read other books very similar to this, so it’s not a matter of originality. When I finished it, it left nothing behind in my head. It’s one of those books that I’ll forget in a few days, which, really, is probably the best clue I can give you as to whether it’s worth reading or not. I’m sure many of you will enjoy it; it just wasn’t for me.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



From The Interrogator's Notebook by Marin Ott

"'Look at how often Vera and I argue.'

'That’s because you’re ungrateful,' Vera said.
'Don’t forget mean and ornery,' Norman added."
pg. 16

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.



I'm reading NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. I've only just started it, but it's going pretty well. The writing is not as great as Stephen King's but it is somewhar similar in style. The synopsis sounds great, very freaky, so hopefully the rest of the book won't disappoint!

Follow Friday

We always talk about books that WE want. Let’s turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?


One that sticks in my mind is The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. I gave it to my sister for the December holidays, mainly because she is a picky reader, someone who likes the quirkier books and this one seemed right up her alley. She hasn't read it yet, and I haven't either, so I don't know if it was a good choice, but it seemed right at the time.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

This is probably one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Everything about it is so beautifully, so cleverly done that it’s hard to find what to praise first.

Let me start with the characters. Since this is literary fiction, the characters are obviously the most important aspect of the novel. Eva, the narrator and Kevin’s mother, is an incredibly real person, someone you can identify, despite some of her personality’s nastier aspects. Her voice bursts through the pages, someone as indomitable as her son, Kevin. Speaking of him, he’s the other fabulous character in this book. We see him through his mother’s eyes, so we of course have a biased view, but even through that lens we see someone fascinatingly complex. Despite his many, many faults, he is someone the reader gets to know and empathize with.

The writing is just fabulous. The story unwinds itself slowly as the pages turn, revealing little by little the tragedy that overtook Eva’s life. It is so cleverly written, giving us just tastes of the truth, hints of what’s to come. It might be literary fiction but it keeps the reader at the edge of his or her seat like a thriller.

As if you couldn’t tell by now, I recommend this book to everyone (except younger readers, of course, since there are pretty graphic images of both a violent and sexual nature). This is one that just must be read.

 

 

 

 

 

The Office of Mercy by Ariel Djanikian

Weaving philosophy and science together into a riveting, dystopian story of love and adventure, The Office of Mercy illuminates an all-too-real future imagined by a phenomenal new voice in fiction.

Twenty-four-year-old Natasha Wiley lives in America-Five—a high-tech, underground, utopian settlement where hunger and money do not exist, everyone has a job, and all basic needs are met. But when her mentor and colleague, Jeffrey, selects her to join a special team to venture Outside for the first time, Natasha’s allegiances to home, society, and above all to Jeffrey are tested. She is forced to make a choice that may put the people she loves most in grave danger and change the world as she knows it.

This is a post-apocalyptic novel which really sounded better than it actually was. I was truly hoping this one was going to be one of those books that knock you over with its originality, but all I got was the same old ideas rehashed.

We’ve all read at least one of these after-nuclear-war, after-a-zombie-attack, or in this case, after-the-Storm, novels. Something horrific happens on the planet and the human races struggles to stay alive. Well, in this version, the humans in North America have formed America-Five (which implies there are more of them, though we only get the vaguest of hints that there actually are other countries out there). The plot started out pretty nicely, with a good sense of claustrophobia and tension, but it soon unwound into a bit of a mess. The characters are poorly developed, with barely any background that the reader can sink her teeth into, and the twists in the storyline can be seen a mile away.

The writing is fine, though it’s nothing spectacular. There’s no real voice behind the words, so it comes off as something very neutral, and sometimes, dull. Ultimately, that’s what I found: that the book was dull, and purposeless. Most of the characters remain the same. There’s not growth or development that we can really see, which makes you wonder why the hell did we bother to read the book in the first place.

There are a lot of post-apocalyptic novels much better than this one, so I’d choose something else.

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?



Currently, I'm reading The Office of Mercy: A Novel by Ariel Djanikian
















And The Interrogator's Notebook by Martin Ott


















I just finished reading paper airplane by Kersten L. Kelly. You can read my review here.

















Next, I'll probably read NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Paper Airplane: Unique Tales from a Mile High by Kersten L. Kelly

In this tumultuous, distinctive memoir, Kersten L. Kelly looks back on the most influential individuals that she encountered while flying through the clouds. Confined in a small vestibule for hours, Kelly identified an opportunity for learning and growth by chatting with the fellow passengers around her. After a few life changing conversations and unforgettable emergencies, she put the in-flight magazines to rest and never looked back. She recalls life lessons from perfect strangers about love, family, perseverance of dreams, and humility through a series of brief anecdotes all taking place on airplanes. Selfless philanthropy was discovered, long-term friendships bonded, and talents unveiled. The book proves the phrase “you never know what you will learn on an airplane” over and over again. Every chapter will capture the mind and sometimes the heart of anyone who jumps into this collection of humanity at its best. The personalities present in this book assimilate with the intrinsic characteristics all readers can relate to. With a raw authenticity stemming from old notes in a ragged journal, Kelly delivers a personal reflection of unique tales from a mile high.

 

This is a wonderfully different anecdotal collection about the author’s travels on an airplane and the people she’s encountered. From the moment I read the synopsis I was taken in by the rather unique subject matter. Yes, we all travel and we all sit next to people who might talk to us, but do these conversations cement themselves in our minds?

There’s a lovely sense of wit throughout the collection. It’s not witty in the aggressive manner that some other non-fiction books can be, instead making us chuckle and nod as we recognize our own thoughts and ideas. The writing is kept straight forward, with each chapter representing a different story so that you can pick and choose if you’d rather not read all of them at once.

The anecdotes themselves were very entertaining. Yes, they’re mainly conversations, but they are intelligently transcribed so that the reader doesn’t find them dull in any way. The only thing I have to say is that some of the chapters with lots of statistical information would have been a bit better if the data had been reduced a little. It was just a bit distracting.

I do recommend this one for all lovers of non-fiction and memoirs, as well as those of you who like to read literal short stories.

 

 

 

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.


Right now, I'm reading The Office of Mercy by Ariel Djanikian. It's definitely interesting, though not as original as some of the other post-apocalyptic fiction I've read. There are some predictable elements, but the questions the book poses about what we think of as mercy and suffering definitely make up for some of its faults.

Follow Friday

Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a “few things”. – Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker


Dear Lord Voldemort,

I hope you haven't taken offense at my rather familiar tone, and if so, please don't hunt me down for it (just assume I called you You-Know-Who, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named). I'm mainly writing to say that your perseverance is inspiring; I mean, really, years and years of plotting and being generally evil 24-7 is truly admirable. I can't imagine maintaining that kind of fury through, what, eighteen years.

If you read this before you attack Hogwarts, then, may I offer a bit of advice? I wouldn't trust Snape too much; he's a bit on the shifty side. Oh, and have you ever heard the expression "playing possum"? That may seem a bit left-field, but I'd keep it in mind if I were you. Just a thought.

If my advice does make a bit of difference in your whole scheme's outcome, would you let me come and pet your snake? And that's not an euphemism for anything; I really want to meet Nagini.

 Hope this reaches you in time.

Your humble admirer,

Power by Theresa Jones

Thousands of years after the battle between the angels, when Lucifer was defeated by Michael in the Heavens, the war is still being fought on Earth by the humans who have their Power, the Angel’s Power.

Allison Stevens is a 21 year old single mother who gets thrown into the middle of this battle when Damien, the Leader of the Rising, decides to hunt her down and kill her because he fears she is the descendant prophesied to save the world.

David, a member of the Order, takes Allison under his wing in order to show her the ropes, and hopefully groom her into being the one they have been waiting for. The only problem is that they start to grow more attached than a teacher/student relationship should allow.

But that isn’t all. Damien wants to open the Seven Seals and bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to Allison to not only save herself and her family, but save the world, all while trying to keep her heart from breaking.

No problem… right?

What stood out for me in this book, which to be honest could have been like every other novel of this genre out there, is the creativity that fills these pages. From the carefully crafted world-building, to the characters which read as wholly real, this book does manage to stand apart from the bunch.

Allison, the protagonist was my favorite character, and the one I felt was most developed. She manages to progress through the book, so that we really see a change by the end of it. This is what we always want to see in a character: that the journey has been worthwhile. The other characters are interesting and well done, but Allison is the one we really bond with.

This is a fun book that will keep you reading well past your bedtime, so I do recommend it, especially to all of you who love paranormal romances.

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


Currently, I'm reading We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
















And The Office of Mercy: A Novel by Ariel Djanikian















I just finished reading I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. You can read my review here.

















Next, I'll probably read Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 
From We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

"Although the infertile are entitled to sour grapes, it's against the rules, isn't it, to actually have a baby and spend any time at all on that banished parallel life in which you didn't."

pg. 12

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.


I just started reading We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. This is one beautiful book. It's not an easy read, because it deals with subject matter that is a bit tough to swallow, but it is such an honest book. A fabulous read so far.

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother, Thomas, entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable. . . .

One of the most acclaimed novels of our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous, heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.

This is such a complex, beautiful book that it’s hard to really give a sense of what it leaves in the reader. This is one of those books that will bring up so much as you read, putting you in situations you’ve possibly shied again from thinking about before. That’s what a good book is meant to do.

This is definitely a character driven novel, so we get to know our protagonist, Dominick, pretty much inside out. To be honest, most of the time, he’s not a nice person, he’s not likeable, but what he is, is wholly human. He leaps off the page with all of his issues and struggles, biases and anger that take up so much room in his being. It’s fascinating to watch him slowly shift as the book goes on. I loved that although he does get to a better place at the end of the book, it’s a believable level of stability. So many books out there force their protagonists into a “happy ever after” ending that usually feel off to the reader. Nothing is that simple in real life, so why should we believe it is in books?

Another extraordinary part of the book is the amount of interweaving Mr. Lamb does between the different generational stories. We see history repeat itself, even if the characters don’t, giving the novel so many hidden layers. The symbolisms, too, are beautifully done. The idea of wholeness represented with one rabbit turned to two and then back to one; the idea of a twin becoming not just one part of a whole, but an actual whole person. It is beautifully done.

I highly recommend this book. It is a heavy read in the sense that there are some difficult moments to read, but it is absolutely lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

This was an interesting book with some good moments and a more original premise than a lot of other young adult books out at the moment.

The writing is on the simple side, so don’t expect it to change your life or anything of the sort. It’s just a fun book that you can read in an afternoon. The plot is, as I said, pretty different, though not unique, so at least it brings a bit of fresher air to the genre. There are some holes in the plot, though. I’m sure this is the first in a series, but some things should have been explained a bit more thoroughly for them to make the impact on the reader that the author wanted. For example, we don’t really know much about Zen, the love interest. Actually, we know nothing more than that his mother works for the same people who created Sera. We have to take it on faith and a few rather dull flashbacks that they had any kind of relationship at all. This is the whole insta-love issue made up to look like something fancier and more complicated than it really is.

Sera, at least, is a somewhat interesting character, who at least tries to do her own thing. She doesn’t really succeed too much, and has to bow her head to other people’s instructions, but at least she tries.

This was an easy, quick read. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is fun, so take that into considerations as you pick it up.

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?





Currently, I'm reading Unremembered by Jessica Brody

















And I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb














I just finished reading The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler. You can read my review here.

















Next, I'll probably read Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne