The Seventh Day: A Novel by Yu Hua

The first time I picked up this book, I read the first chapter and put it back down because it creeped me out. A story narrated by a dead guy? Not for me.

But eventually, I was drawn back into it, curious to find out what happens. The story as told by Yang Fei was compelling enough to keep me reading through until the end. It is a slow-moving book, following Yang Fei as he travels through the Land of the Unburied after his untimely death in a restaurant fire. Those who do not have enough money for a proper burial or cremation are destined to stay in the Land of the Unburied, where they roam around aimlessly.

Yang Fei had a strange beginning. His birth mother popped him out in a railway car toilet which dumped the baby straight onto the railroad tracks as the train kept moving, and he was raised by a station attendant who became his adoptive father. The two lived together for the rest of their lives.

Without giving away too much of the story, Yang Fei (the deceased) meets up with many interesting people he had known or had some connection with on the other side as he moves through the Land of the Unburied. Each person has a story, and the stories are woven together through Yang Fei, while also telling the larger story of the extreme social class system in China and the sorrowful lives led by those in the poor class.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - thank you!

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

While browsing the bookstore in Denver’s airport, the title of this book jumped out at me, as I have been studying Buddhism for years. I picked up the book and read the back cover. A road trip book! Even more fun.

Merullo takes us on a journey from New York to North Dakota with Otto Ringling and his unlikely companion, Volya Rinpoche, a famous maroon-robed monk and friend of Otto’s fortune-teller sister, Cecelia. Otto is an editor of food books, married with two teenagers, who has a pretty nice life. He is traveling to North Dakota to settle the estate of his parents. Otto takes the scenic route across the country, stopping each day for some “American fun” so the Rinpoche can see what it’s like to live here. The places they stop at are real, like the Hershey Chocolate Factory. There is a big focus on the food they eat, as Otto is a food editor. Each day they try a different culture’s cuisine, which I felt was symbolic of the different views of various religions discussed. Along the way, the Rinpoche teaches Otto about Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and other beliefs, never really calling himself a Buddhist. The message is that all religions have the same basic premise – kindness. We see Otto transforming from angry skeptic to a kinder, gentler Otto as he and the Rinpoche become friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are several LOL moments, and the characters are real and believable. The story is of family, caring, love, and awakening. Don’t be scared away by the title.

NaNoWriMo 2014 - I did it!

With one day to spare, I made it to 50,000 words - 50,374 to be exact! Today I wrote over 4,000 words to finish NaNoWriMo, my first one. Now I will left my draft sit for a few days before I begin editing. It wasn't easy with a full-time job and two side jobs, but I made it. I conquered NaNoWriMo!

The Glassblower by Petra Durst-Benning

This was a Kindle First free book and looked like the most interesting of the four that were offered. It is a historical family story/romance set in Germany during the Victorian era. The three Steinmann sisters, Johanna, Ruth, and Marie, are left alone when their father, Joost, dies unexpectedly. He was a glassblower, as are most of the men in the town of Lauscha. The three sisters have no work experience but a neighboring glassblower hires all three of them out of pity. Johanna soon gets fired for mouthing off, but finds a job in another town with a really creepy boss. Ruth "falls in love" with one of the boss's sons, and Marie discovers she has a lot of talent for designing and decorating glass objects.

The book follows the three sisters as they grow into adulthood and learn to take care of themselves. There is some sex, and a pretty disturbing sexual assault. The book is obviously very well researched as far as the glassblowing industry, and shows women in a positive light for the most part. Ruth is a bit of a doofus though and makes some terrible choices.

Maybe something was lost in the translation, but the book didn't really draw me in. It was interesting enough to keep reading, but not emotionally engaging. It is very well written though.

NaNoWriMo Week 2

One week down for NaNoWriMo, and I have 18,767 words so far! I am still ahead of the diagonal line that gets me to 50K by November 30. And, just a few minutes ago I finally figured out how I'm going to reach the climactic moment in my story. I had been struggling with how to get there since I'm writing in first person POV. But as I was making up stuff today, it just fell into place. Yay!!!

I know week 2 is going to be harder to stay on task - but as long as I write a little every night I should be OK. The weekends are for catching up. And if I do fall behind, I have four days at Thanksgiving to make it up. This is definitely doable!

NaNoWriMo Starts Tomorrow!

I am excited to be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this November. This is something I've "said" I was going to do for years, but time is a-wastin' and since I'm pushing a very big, round number next year, I am doing it! My novel is outlined, character sketches done, Scrivener purchased - I am ready for the starting gun at midnight tonight! Wish me luck!

To Dwell in Darkness by Deborah Crombie

Because I had an interview scheduled with Deborah Crombie, I went straight from her first book to her latest book to get an idea of her writing. I can tell you that Crombie's writing has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 15 books (which I intend to read, every one of them, in proper order).

The first book, A Share in Death, was very good - a classic murder mystery with interesting characters, a good storyline, perfect setting. But in To Dwell in Darkness, the plot is much more intricate, with several separate storylines going on that are all neatly tied together in the end.

Duncan Kincaid and his assistant, Gemma James, are now married with a family, including children, dogs, and a mother cat with her kittens that one of the kids has found.

Kincaid is investigating a bombing at St. Pancras Station in London, where a man was burned beyond recognition and Gemma's friend and colleague, Melody, was a witness. The investigation focuses on a group of protestors who all live together in one flat, supported by one college student. It takes some time to even identify the deceased, and the investigation takes many twists and turns as Kincaid and his assistants work through the clues.

As Kincaid is working on this case, Gemma is investigating the mysterious death of a 13-year-old girl.

And all the while, they have time for family dinners, interaction with the children, and even trying to find homes for the kittens.

The book moves along at a nice clip, and you don't want to put it down until the mystery is solved. It is no wonder Deborah Crombie makes the best-seller lists with each new release. I am looking forward to the next one!


Find my interview with Crombie here.