Anticipation Friday: Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan

Goodreads Description
In Where the Past Begins, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement Amy Tan is at her most intimate in revealing the truths and inspirations that underlie her extraordinary fiction. By delving into vivid memories of her traumatic childhood, confessions of self-doubt in her journals, and heartbreaking letters to and from her mother, she gives evidence to all that made it both unlikely and inevitable that she would become a writer. Through spontaneous storytelling, she shows how a fluid fictional state of mind unleashed near-forgotten memories that became the emotional nucleus of her novels.

Tan explores shocking truths uncovered by family memorabilia—the real reason behind an IQ test she took at age six, why her parents lied about their education, mysteries surrounding her maternal grandmother—and, for the first time publicly, writes about her complex relationship with her father, who died when she was fifteen. Supplied with candor and characteristic humor, Where the Past Begins takes readers into the idiosyncratic workings of her writer’s mind, a journey that explores memory, imagination, and truth, with fiction serving as both her divining rod and link to meaning.

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Other info
Expected Date of Publication: October 17, 2017
Stand-Alone or Series/Companion: Stand-Alone
Genre: Memoir

Why Am I Anticipating This Book?

• I have read one of Amy Tan's other books, Joy Luck Club, for school twice and I really liked it. All of her books are full of symbolism and themes, which makes it fun to read and find them all.
• She writes a lot of historical fiction pieces about Chinese immigration to the United States. Her books have a lot of Chinese-American culture in them, which I find interesting. There's often flashbacks of what it was like in China and how different life is as Chinese in the United States.
• I am actually going to meet her at the library in a week and a half where she will be discussing her newest book, Where the Past Begins.

Review Wednesday: Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*

Title: Good Boy

Author: Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
1st Date of Publication: December 28, 2016

ISBN: 9781942444312
# of Pages: 282

Genre: New Adult

Age Rating: 17+ (Sexual Content and Language)

Buy on Amazon 

Book Description:
Hosting her brother’s wedding for an MVP guest list is the challenge of Jess Canning’s life. Already the family screw-up, she can’t afford to fail. And nobody - absolutely nobody! - can learn of the colossal mistake she made with the best man during a weak moment last spring. It was wrong, and there will not be a repeat. Absolutely not. Even if he is the sexiest thing on two legs.

Blake Riley sees the wedding as fate’s gift to him. Jess is the maid of honor, and he’s the best man? Let the games begin. So what if he’s facing a little (fine, a lot) of resistance? He just needs to convince the stubborn blonde that he’s really a good boy with a bad rap. Luckily, every professional hockey player knows that you’ve got to make an effort if you want to score.

But Jess has more pressing issues to deal with than sexy-times with a giant man-child. Such as: Will the ceremony start on time, even though someone got grandma drunk? Does glitter ever belong at a wedding? And is it wrong to murder the best man?


Setting: Starts in California, but mostly in Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Point of View: 1st person- Jessica Canning and Blake Riley

Goodreads Rating: 4.12

My Rating: 3.75

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: Can I please have 5 of those dogs and that man, please?
View on Title: It seems a little demeaning if this is for a person, but if it's for a dog then it sounds like a cute tale.

Pros:

• The main female lead, Jess Canning, should be a comfort to a lot of people. She hasn't really done anything in her life and she hasn't really found her knack for something. She feels like a failure when it comes to seeing her other five brothers and sisters with their successes. She just wants to be able to say that she didn't depend on her parents for her success.
• She is very strong as she doesn't run away or give up while she is in nursing school and continues to fight even through uncertainty.
• This book really concentrates on hockey, and the way the characters act in this is exactly how I have seen hockey games. People act a little crazy at these games and try to encourage the players to play a little too rough.
• The novel states the LGBT issues by showing Jess's little brother, Jamie, get married to one of the hockey players, Wesley, at the beginning of the book. Their relationship is seen throughout the novel.

Cons:

• I wasn't a fan of Blake Riley's character at all. He's very immature and the way he acts reminds me of a high school student.
• In general, I did not like the writing style because it felt like there was there were two different writing styles happening at the same time. This is probably because there are two different authors who wrote this book.

Sarina Bowen's Website:
http://www.sarinabowen.com/

Elle Kennedy's Website:
http://ellekennedy.com/

Other Recommendations:

Slave to Love by Julie A. Richman
Fighting to Breathe by Aurora Rose Reynolds
Ladies Man by Katy Evans

Review Wednesday: Say You'll Stay by Corinne Michaels

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*

Title: Say You'll Stay

Author: Corinne Michaels
1st Date of Publication: June 19, 2016

ISBN: 9781682307533
# of Pages: 310

Genre: New Adult

Age Rating: 17+ (Sexual Content and Language)

Buy on Amazon

Book Description:
One word.
Stay.
It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him.
That was seventeen years ago.
I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.
Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn't supposed to be there. I should've been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.
This time around, the tables are turned. It's my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don't know if we can repair what's already been broken...

Setting: Starts in Philadelphia, PA, but most of it is in Bell Buckle, TN
Point of View: 1st person- Presley Townsend Bensen and Zachary Hennington

Goodreads Rating: 4.15

My Rating: 4.45

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: That man is very attractive. He has a look that says, "Come over here and let me show you what I can do."
View on Title: It has a whiny connotation to it. It makes think that one of the main characters is clingy.

Pros:

• This is a stand-alone novel but it is also a companion novel since many of the characters in this novel will be in the other one, Say You Want Me.
• The story becomes heavy almost immediately into reading it. Usually, stories in this genre have a buildup to the amount of conflict and devastation before an event like the suicide in this novel starts.
• I love this story as a redemption novel where characters who were once very immature and previously made poor decisions become more mature and continue to grow when the novel takes place.
• This novel truly shows the impact people have on each other's lives, and it also shows the actions that someone would take to protect their loved ones.
• The main characters are pretty well-rounded and make the novel flow very easily. It didn't take long for me to finish it.
• Presley Bensen (nee Townsend) was always a simple girl with big dreams. She wants an old-school life of being a wife and mother, which I think is both her strength and downfall. She wanted that so bad that she never became independent on her own, even though she is a great mother. She lets the idea of love cloud her judgment in things and still continues to be dependent on everyone. It makes sense since she has a couple hundred thousand dollars of debt. Although she is very dependent and somewhat clingy, she knows who she is and where she came from.
• Zachary Hennington seems to barely be living his life. He dates someone who he doesn't love and knows it as soon as Presley shows up. I wish he kept his distance more and slowly got reacquainted with Presley. I do have to hand it to him because he is relentless and knows what he wants in his life. Plus, he is really good looking and great with kids.
• The secondary characters are the ones I feel like really make this book pop. My first favorite character Presley's long-time friend and sister-in-law, Angie. She is very spunky and lives life in her own tune, and Presley's complete opposite. Then there's Wyatt who is Zachary's little brother. He is hot and has a good sense of humor, but is always there for Presley and seems like the only one to be able to get her out of her depressing rut. I really empathize with him since he truly loves her, but she has always been Zach's girl.

Cons:

• I felt like there could have been two endings to this novel. Obviously, the first ending would be the one the author gave at the end of the novel. Although the ending was satisfying, the place where I thought the first ending should be would have been perfect. There was a conflict with no foreshadowing, backstory, or thoughts that happens right after where the ending I thought should have been enough. It felt like the author had to put that extra conflict in there just to put it in there. I don't want to give it away, but I thought it was unnecessary after Presley already had to deal with her late husband's suicide and the debt he gave her.
• Even though I understand the pain Presley has gone through in the events before the novel, she punishes almost everyone in the novel for it by not visiting her family and friends. I think that might be a little bit unrealistic because if she loved her family who has done nothing but loves her she would have been homesick and at least visit at least once or twice over two decades. The excuse Presley uses to stay away from her family in Bell Buckle is very immature and ridiculous.
• I felt that the grieving process was almost nonexistent as soon as Presley gets to Bell Buckle. I get that she's angry but she acts like her husband's suicide never happened.

Corinne Micheal's Website:
http://corinnemichaels.com/

Other Recommendations:

Wrong by Jane Aston
My Skylar Penelope Ward
For You by Kristen Ashley

Review Wednesday: The Nearness of You by Dorothy Garlock

Title: The Nearness of You

Author: Dorothy Garlock
1st Date of Publication: July 11, 2017

ISBN: 9781455527359
# of Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Rating: 13+

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Book Description:

Hooper's Crossing, New York, 1952. The post-war boom seems a million miles away . . . especially for a sheltered librarian who longs for the adventure and excitement of the big city.
New York City. The hustle and bustle. The people and the excitement. It's all Lily Denton dreams about. But ever since her mother died, her overprotective father won't ease up on her. So she spends her days working at the library and her nights hoping life doesn't pass her by . . . until the Fall Festival. As tourists fill the streets, the crisp autumn air sneaks in-as does the thrill of a far more dangerous kind.

Some men have a gift for avoiding trouble. Professional photographer Boone Tatum isn't one of them. In fact, that penchant for trouble is exactly what landed Boone in this small town in the middle of nowhere in the first place. Yet the moment he meets beautiful Lily Denton and snaps her photograph, everything changes. Suddenly leaving is the furthest thing from Boone's mind-or his heart.

But danger has slipped silently into this sleepy town, marking Lily as its own. And Lily and Boone's dream of a life together is thrown into peril-unless Lily finds the courage to stand up for herself and a man she only just met . . . and can't live without.


Setting: Early 1952 in Hooper's Crossing, New York

Point of View: 3rd person- Lily Denton and Boone Tatum

Goodreads Rating: 3.51

My Rating: 3.75

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: It looks like someone, most likely a woman, is going on a trip somewhere. Where does she want to go?
View on Title: Who is you? Why does someone want to be near another?

Pros:

•  The balance of the alternating 3rd person was perfect. It made the characters have more dynamic while being able to see their intentions.
• The flow combined with the cliffhangers of each chapter made the book seem so short despite the book being almost 400 pages.
• The characters are interesting and seemed true to the time era.
• Lily Denton is your small town typical daddy's girl and doesn't want to disappoint him especially since her mother died when she was a little girl. She is a great representation of an independent person trying to recreate herself into someone she hopes to become. Her struggle to please her father is common for the time period.
• Boone Tatum is the  complete opposite. He's a city man and isn't afraid to get in trouble in order for the perfect picture. It's why he is so successful but the reason why he's stuck in Lily's hometown.
• The relationship between Lily and Boone is so natural that it seemed like they knew each other for years. It was slow but smooth.
• I really enjoyed the time period that the author used and the time of year because the fall seems like a time of festivities. Not only is there a fair going on in the book, you get to see Halloween.
• The different layers of conflict in the story line was interesting because as you read there are a few different antagonists but for different reasons.

Cons:

• The only real issue I had with the book was that I felt that it was a little cliché.

Critics' Reviews:

"Garlock's terrific story, set in mid-20th-century Missouri, pairs a lonely single mother with a flashy auto racer...Garlock keeps readers so wrapped up in Drake and Clara's romance that it's impossible to put the book down. There's just enough tension, from a few different fronts, to keep things interesting. Thoroughly credible characters and the aw-shucks charm of their small town make this a winner."―Publishers Weekly
"The latest from romance doyenne Garlock mixes light suspense with traditional romance for an entertaining effect." ―Booklist
"A gentle tale of love lost and found...The charm is in the telling, with historical details and light touches to make the town of Sunset, Missouri, seem real, not idealized. A feel-good love story that comforts...Garlock excels at creating an experience her readers want, one that's still heartwarming..." ―Kirkus Reviews

Dorothy Garlock's Website:

http://www.dorothygarlock.com/

Other Recommendations:

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Life Update from the Past Year (Summer 2016-Summer 2017)

I am really sorry my blog posts have been really sporadic and sparse. I have had a lot of life changes happen and I am finally getting back on my feet. My life is an adventure all the time and sometimes it is very difficult to figure out when is the best time to write. Writing is an art and it doesn't come easily sometimes.

School
A lot has changed when it comes to school. Since I have given my last update, I finished my senior thesis (which I have posted on here already) and I got an A on it, which is a blessing. Because that semester was really brutal from working overtime and a heavy school load, my GPA suffered a little bit. I still managed a 3.0 but I knew I had to do a little extra work to figure out how to make the overall GPA stay at a 3.5

Unfortunately, my plan to finish school in 2.5 years was foiled since a class got scheduled to the semester after I planned to finish. I was at a dilemma since I only had 4 classes to finish my English Literature major and Writing minor. It was going to cost me more money to finish so I added a Business minor because you can never go wrong with the pursuing anything in business. I graduated with my degree on May 20, 2017 with a 3.5 overall GPA. In my last year, I decided to take it easier on myself because the semester of my senior thesis has really run me down and I'm still trying to get back the energy I once had.

Home
I have been living on my own for over a year now. I moved out of my parents house a few days after my 21st birthday and started living with my boyfriend since it became harder to share a room with a 9-year old sister while working early in the morning. It was also nice to have him move closer so it didn't feel like we had to really make the relationship work long distance with busy schedules. It's a fairly good fit. I live in the stone ages according to some people since I have no cable or internet. That's one of the reasons why my writing has suffered. I have an easier time writing in my own home rather than public places.

A few months after I graduated, my boyfriend and I moved cross country from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Seattle, Washington because he was stationed there in the military and loved it and I always wanted to travel to the west. I have only been here for about 3 weeks and I am enjoying myself. It's just really hard starting from nothing again. The move has been hard for me because I have never been so far away from my family but I am trying to take it one step at a time.

Work
I did finally get my manager shirt in October 2016 through a lot of extra hard work that I shouldn't have had to do compared to the other managers. I didn't stay much longer after that because I was treated poorly even though I really put myself out there and didn't give any issues.

I wanted to work in a more sophisticated job setting where I can wear my own nice clothes and not wear uniforms that eventually smell like fries. Before Christmas, I put in my 2 weeks without a promise of a job (something that is extremely ballsy of me) and I put in applications. Thankfully, I found a job through Penn East Federal Credit Union as a part-time teller.

I really liked working there and I felt like an asset rather than an annoyance or useless. I proved myself capable and worth changing to full-time. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible since there wasn't any full-time positions available. That was until I put in my 2 weeks since I was moving out of the state.

That brings me to today. Since I live near Seattle, Washington, I have been hunting for a job for almost 3 weeks. After a frustrating time of job searching, I finally have a job at Columbia Bank as a traveling teller/member service worker. I am in the process of paperwork and waiting for my credentials to be approved. My training starts in mid-October. I'm looking forward to be working and I hate not being as productive as I usually have been in the past.

Traveling
I have done more traveling this past year than I have my entire life. Since my boyfriend loves to travel, it has really been effortless to see the United States. I have traveled as far down as Virginia and Maryland and all the way north to Maine. I have been to every single state in the northeastern part of the United States now. Since I have traveled cross country by driving our cars, I have stopped at all the states that are in the northern part as I got closer to Washington. I have been to half of the United States while my boyfriend only has 5 left.

Writing
My writing has suffered a little bit with the lack of internet at home since I have been living on my own and that I can't really afford the internet yet. I plan to get internet in the near future.

I also plan to write my own book because my job doesn't entail writing so I plan to write more and make it more in my new routine once I start a routine. I am going to be studying many books that involve writing in one way or another. I want to write my own book, but I don't know what that'll be like or entail. I want to come into writing my first book with a clean slate. My first book I read for it was On Writing: A Memoir of Craft by Stephen King, which was such an excellent read. I've learned so much about what writing entails and that I'm not alone as a struggling writer.

Thank you for reading this post. My life is so crazy and I'm just hoping for some normalcy in the near future. Since I only have to worry about working like an adult (Hallelujah!), it should be very soon.

Review Wednesday: Slave to Love by Julie A. Richman

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*

Title: Slave to Love

Author: Julie A. Richman
1st Date of Publication: January 14, 2016

ISBN: 9781942215325
# of Pages: 284

Genre: New Adult

Age Rating: 17+ (Language and Sexual Content)

Buy on Amazon 

Book Description:
There are risks to mixing business with pleasure...

IF A MAN HAS AN AFFAIR AT WORK, HE'S A STUD.

He was a royal prick.
The night we met, he ignored me.
Then Mr. Big Shot CEO grabbed my ass in a business meeting.
My boss just loaned me out to this guy.
Now, we’re working on a major project together.
And our chemistry is dangerous.
Combustible.
If I allow it to ignite, I’ll risk losing that promotion.
Worse, what if I lose myself in him?


IF A WOMAN HAS AN AFFAIR AT WORK, SHE'S A SLUT.

From the moment I saw her I knew she was trouble.
It was the combination of her fresh face, smart mouth and nipples that seemed to know my name.
This woman could satisfy my needs both in the boardroom and the bedroom.
But there was more to it than that.
I wanted her.
Really wanted her.
And I was in the position to change the course of her life.
But I’ve got secrets, secrets that could destroy her.
And either make her mine or drive her away forever.


Setting: Austin, Texas
Point of View: 1st person- Sierra Stone and Hale Lunstrom

Goodreads Rating: 4.03

My Rating: 4.15

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: He is a very handsome, sexy man. He reminds me a little bit of Adam Levine without all the tattoos.
View on Title: Who is a "Slave to Love?" Is the term a good thing or a bad thing?

Pros:

• This is not your typical love story. It shows many real world problems with love and life.
• The first issue it truly shows is women's difficulty to have respect and rise up in a business world or in their own career. They have to work three times as hard to keep their positions.
• It shows the double standard between men and women when it comes to dating in the work force. A man is basically high-fived for sleeping with a woman, but it's the opposite for the woman herself.If a woman has a relationship with someone above her, it marks her as selling her body just to get ahead when really that's not the case.
• The main characters are both really strong and have depth.
• Sierra Stone is a 33 year old woman who is fighting for a new promotion that she deserves more than anybody. She is smart when it comes to managing/leading her own team and knows how to handle a man in business conversations while looking great. She refuses relationships because she is afraid it will mess with her work, which means children are far away from her own thoughts.
• Hale Lundstrom is a 37 year old business CEO and marine veteran who has a past that he tries to bury. He is attractive and likes to test his limits even with Sierra. He wants to settle down and maybe have a family one day, but it never seems to fall in place.
• The banter between Sierra and Hale is humorous yet heartbreaking as they work side-by-side for an important week of events. Their characterization continues to become more fruitful as they become closer in their work friendship.
• There is a lot of sexual tension through the book, but there is little to no resolve for the majority of the book.
• I particularly liked Sierra's mermaid necklace, which symbolized a lot of who she is.

Cons:

• The only real issue I had with it was that the middle seemed to drag. Nothing really was happening. I just kept hoping something would happen.

Julie A. Richman's Website:
http://juliearichman.com/

Other Recommendations:

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James
My Skylar by Penelope Ward

Watching Neflix's 13 Reasons Why: A Week After

I am really sorry if this sounds really long-winded but this is extremely relevant and should be read by all ages.

I have had Thirteen Reasons Why on my mind for past the few weeks again. I was a fan of the book Thirteen Reasons Why when I first read it in 2013 before it became popular because of the new Netflix show. I have even reread the book and done a research project for my Young Adult Literature class in my spring semester of 2016 before I even knew the television series was being created. I chose this book because it is very relevant to my life prior to college while also showing a very hard message that people try to ignore or avoid. Suicide is the second biggest cause in teenagers’ death. I bet a lot of you didn’t know that this book has been put on the challenged books list to be banned for reasons involving language, bullying, rape, drugs and alcohol, and suicide. It’s very understandable why a parent might not want their teenage son or daughter reading this book, but I feel that it is an injustice to their child and the teenagers in the community to have a book like this kept away from them. There is substance to it and it doesn’t fantasize the issues of suicide, rape, and bullying.

When I first read the book in 2013, I read it at a very pivotal point in my life when I needed it the most. It was the beginning of summer before my senior year of high school where I was already feeling angry, cheated, violated, and very lonely while dealing with issues that were unforeseen and unwelcome for the summer. Very few people seemed to care, and the few who did didn’t really understand and basically told me to persevere and deal with it. That’s the last thing you want to hear if you’re in this spot.

 I knew immediately as I was reading that I was the Hannah Baker at my high school. I know many of you reading this think I might be making this up or I am looking for attention, but the truth is there is a Hannah Baker in every high school and probably more than one if it’s a larger campus. I was an outcast and was popular for all the wrong reasons that came along with actions from others that weren’t asked or desired. I can easily make 13 people thirteen reasons why I hated my life while in high school and doubted why I am alive, but I won’t. While in high school, I actually tried to be invisible, but it never worked. I tried to avoid people and the bullying by spending my lunches alone in the library or in the confinement of the guidance office creating half the yearbook. I didn’t attempt to have a relationship with a guy because I couldn’t trust anyone and I was constantly sexually harassed almost to the point of being assaulted in a classroom. It probably would have gone farther if I didn’t have the fight response as soon as I sensed something was going to happen. Even after high school, I still have the emotional scars that are hard to get over even though it’s been a few years since I’ve been out of high school. So I understand how Hannah feels, she just wanted to be loved and treated with respect but no one wanted to step up and give her that.

After a week of finishing Thirteen Reasons Why, my heart has become heavy by the burden of the issue of suicide among others. It becomes even harder to watch after you lose someone you’re close to who committed suicide or even when you think it was almost a last resort. I felt that it would be an injustice as an English major and as someone who was the Hannah Baker in my high school not to write something about this important subject.

When I heard that the show was going to have Selena Gomez as a producer, I was unsure and I thought that she was going to end up being the actor who plays Hannah. After I find out that she wasn’t Hannah’s actor, I became more open to watching the show as a possibility. Soon after, I heard a lot of hype about the show months before I started to watch it and I thought it was time for me to watch it so I can be prepared for conversations. The show makes Hannah's suicide more about revenge rather than a way to escape to happiness like the book does, which I felt was not a good way to go about the series. You want the truth about what I think about this hype concerning the show? I feel somewhat disgusted by the reactions I have been hearing. People tell me that the show is great and addicting, but they only seem to see the entertainment aspect of it and not the seriousness of it. I feel that I cannot even have those conversations because people are immature and blind to the reality of it all.

Jay Asher wrote the book in order to raise awareness of the effects of suicide and reasons why a teenager uses suicide as an escape. Producers, such as Selena Gomez, wanted to do the same. There is even a short video about the reasoning behind some of the film’s decisions, which many of them were not easy.

When someone finally asked me how I felt about it after I watched almost the entire season, I was completely honest. I told them that it was a well-done piece of film production while showing the cruel world of high school, especially as an outcast, and the ugly reality of suicide among other issues. I felt uncomfortable even pushing play to start the first episode because I knew somewhat of what I was getting into. It made me feel worse than I expected. I’m not one who is squeamish or bothered by gory images and I actually like horror films, but there were points where I couldn’t watch. I know it’s not exactly the same. But at certain points, I had to force myself to watch because those scenes were extremely pivotal for the message to come across clearly and effectively.

In conclusion, I believe that this needs to be read before it is watched. It needs to be watched with little to no distractions with only one episode a day. Maybe bring a notepad to write things down that stuck out to you. Each episode needs to be reflected on both by itself and what your life is/was like in high school and everyday life. Are there things you regret doing or not doing? What could you have done to save that life or made someone feel loved?

There’s many Hannahs out there. I know it. I was a Hannah Baker in my school and I tried to reach out to help anyone I could. I’m not saying I’m perfect. I’m far from it and I know I could have also done better, but it wasn’t my mission to make others feel bad for (not) being a certain way. First, I plan to initiate and discuss these difficult conversations. I also plan to buy this book for my little sister in a few years the summer before high school, and I plan to give this book to my own children some day because if I can help save several more lives by a single gift than I’ll feel a little more at peace over the issue.