I know this may come as a shock to you all, but I have only read five books this month. And I imagine your shocked because I'm writing two posts in one evening. Why this is so is simply answered, because I spent some leisure time in the States and did not find the time to read through any prose (except on the flight from Tokyo to San Francisco). And as my sister presented me with a couple of DVD sets, I found myself being entertained visually by Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern with their programs, "No Reservations" and "Bizarre Foods" respectively. And I'm currently reading another food related title - another gift from my sister (even though I requested it) - a hardcover version of "The Devil's Picnic" by Taras Grescoe. So, y'all will have to forgive me for the choices this month.
1. SHARK'S FIN AND SICHUAN PEPPER: A SWEET-SOUR MEMOIR OF EATING IN CHINA by Fuchsia Dunlop - Although I know my friend Janet has featured this title on her "Asia by the Book" blog, I discovered this gem in the book section of the Tacoma News Tribune that my father sends me from time to time. Food and travel - my favorite subjects to read about. Dunlop first travels to China as a student in 1994 and falls in love with the country. She returns to China as an academic but finds that her true calling in life wasn't among scholars, but was in the Chinese kitchen, specifically - the Sichuan kitchen. She becomes the first foreigner to enroll in the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. This makes for scrumptious reading even though some of the ingredients may seem a little extreme to our western sense of taste - or as the book's inner sleeve quotes - "sea cucumber, civet cat, scorpion, rabbit-heads, and the ovarian fat of the snow frog." Doesn't it make you hungry for more.
2. SEX AND THE CITY by Candace Bushnell - With the release of the movie and the popularity of the show here in Japan, I had to see what all the fuss was about. Big mistake!! Although I knew this book was based on a series of articles that Bushnell wrote for the New York Observer, it was definitely not a book that any guy would willingly read. All her subjects, including Bushnell herself, come off as shallow, self-centered singles looking for love in the Big Apple. Oy, it was a hard read to stomach. The glitterati and the idiots who only date models - just turn on the tube and watch Jerry Springer! Nope, can't say it made me want to watch the drama or movie - what it did make me want to do is slap that those people upside the head!!
3. THE HEROIN DIARIES: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SHATTERED ROCK STAR by Nikki Sixx - Being a fan of hard rock and heavy metal music since the fifth grade I can never seem to resist reading biographies of major rock stars. This book was put together by the diary of Motley Crue's bass player Nikki Sixx, which he wrote when he was at the peak of his career (and also at the peak of his addiction to heroin). It seems like all rock stars have this need to fulfill the image of sex, drugs, and rock and roll even though they all know the end result. Still makes for great reading though, although you will find yourself shaking your head when you read that he was spending $5000 a day on his habit!
4. MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE (Volume 1 of the Riftwar Saga) by Raymond E. Feist - Getting back to my first love - science fiction and fantasy, I finally got around to reading this series. My memory is a little fuzzy but I think the author did a signing at the bookstore where I worked or there was some kind of promotion for the author's preferred edition and I know I still have the series in hardcover which is collecting dust at my parent's house and had never been opened even though I had been meaning to read them. The story is a blend of "Lord of the Rings" with their elves and dwarves and goblins, a bit of T. H. White with kings and knights and magicians, and finally a bit of Star Trek with their parallel worlds. Pug is an orphan working in the kitchens of the castle. When boys reach a certain age, a ceremony is held where they are chosen to be apprentices for their new professions. As Pug was the only boy left who had not been chosen, the King's Magician sees something special in him but takes pity on him as well and is chosen to be the Magician's apprentice. As he grows older, something dark is brewing in his land of Midkemia. Some foreign invaders have discovered how to use a rift in the fabric of space-time to travel worlds apart and they are preparing to take over Pug's world. It's an epic story of Pug's coming of age, the King's court, and a world at war with an unknown enemy.
5. MAGICIAN:MASTER (Volume 2 of the Riftwar Saga) by Raymond E. Feist - The epic continues. This time on the world of the invaders where Pug has been taken captive. And from his start as a slave on a new world, his knowledge of magic becomes known and he's then sent elsewhere by these people who are above the law. I know, I'm just getting careless and can't really get into science fiction as much as I used to. I'm not sure if I will even read the next two books in the series. Perhaps when I find myself in a reminiscent mood again.Yep, just five books this month. Sorry! And no visuals either. But hey, I was on vacation with very little time to read and I'm spending a lot of time writing about my exploits. Until next month - Happy Reading.
Oh yes, I have started another book that's written in Japanese (got to keep in practice). But as I mentioned before, any books I read in Japanese will be featured on it's own.
Cheers!
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