Weekly Geeks: 2008 Favorites & Get Smart Giveaway Winners

*Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.* Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wish you could cover up your head with the blanket and forget about whatever you have to do that day? It was one of those mornings for me today. No reason in particular. I just didn't want to get up this morning.

I was awakened by a long and baleful mewing. I shot up in bed, worried that something was wrong with my dear Parker. It wasn't too long ago that he was sick after all. My husband is no good in situations like this, dead to the world in some far off valley in Slumberland. I jumped out of bed, fully awake, rushed to see what was wrong. Parker was walking towards me down the hall, with Anya close on his heels. I'm looking all over for signs of illness or maiming only to be led by my cat, Parker, to the kitchen door where he stood and stared, waiting to be let out. He isn't allowed outside and he knows it. It doesn't stop him from trying though. I truly believe that when Anya came to live with us, he thought that meant it was his turn to go out every once in awhile like his big canine brother, Riley. Anyhow, I scooped Parker up in my arms, all 11 lbs of him, and gave him a little corporal cuddle for the scare he gave me. And he purred and purred. That's how I know today will be a good one.

I have been participating off and on in Dewey's Weekly Geeks' events, picking and choosing which ones I take part in quite randomly. This is one of those times. This week, Dewey asks participants to compile a list of our favorite books published in 2008. I have managed to squeeze in quite a bit of new release reading so far this year. I thought I would share my top five list--all books I have read this year which have also been published this year. It was a lot harder to pare down than I thought it would be. I have read some great books. I will be brave though and take a stand.

The View From the Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier
The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
Janeology by Karen Harrington
Moonlight Downs by Adrian Hyland
Killing Rommel by Steven Pressfield
A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees

Yes, I can count. And yes, I did list six titles instead of five. I told you it was hard.

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It is time to make the day of five other people. Thank you to all who participated in the Hachette Book Group USA Get Smart! Back to School Reading Bonanza Giveaway!


The winners were chosen at random using random.org. And the five lucky readers are

Ladytink

Cindy

Tome Traveller

April

S. Krishna

Congratulations to the winners!

Get Smart! Back to School Reading Bonanza: A Hatchette USA 10 Book Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter the Hachette Book Group USA Get Smart! Back to School Reading Bonanza Giveaway! The deadline is fast approaching (September 29, 2008, 11:59 PM PDT); so enter today!

Review: Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse

When your entire family works in restaurants, food becomes a family album—an heirloom that triggers memories. [pg 4]


Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse
Ebury Press, 2007
Nonfiction; 279 pgs

One of my best friends during my childhood was a girl whose family owned and ran a Chinese restaurant. I remember once attending a birthday party at the restaurant and being awed by the Asian themes and decor—it was all so glamorous to me. It never crossed my mind to think of all the hard work my friend’s family must have put into the restaurant. Reading Sweet Mandarin, however, I couldn’t help but wonder if they too faced some of the same struggles. I wish now that I was still in touch with this particular friend and that I had thought to ask her about her family’s background. But, at the time, I was a child interested more in the present than in the past.

Growing up, most of my friends were Asian-Americans, in fact, although it was not really something I thought much of until one day a friend commented about my being her only white friend. Suddenly my whiteness stood out like a sore thumb. I didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed or honored. It never really dawned on me that I should care. The truth is, it shouldn’t and it doesn’t.—but in that split moment, it did. I cannot know the prejudice that she or any of my other friends may have faced because of their ethnicity. I would like to think that they didn’t face any at all, but that isn’t very realistic, is it? In my life, I have faced other forms of discrimination whether it be because of economic status or gender—and even in the form of reverse ageism.

I cannot really say why immigrant stories interest me so. Being a Heinz-57 (or as I like to call myself: a mutt), I always envied those who knew where they came from and could identify their roots so specifically. The older I got, however, the more I came to appreciate the diversity of my own family. We too had once been immigrants—at least my ancestors had. They worked hard and made a life for themselves just as so many others have had to do. They wanted the best for their children, to survive and prosper.

Helen Tse tells the story of her grandmother’s life journey in Sweet Mandarin, mapping out the path that led the author and her sisters to open their own restaurant in Manchester, England, leaving behind lucrative careers and reconnecting with their heritage. Lily, Helen’s grandmother, is an amazing woman. She knew poverty and success, love and betrayal. She worked hard for everything she accomplished, saw it destroyed by greed and ill-fortune on more than one occasion, and not once did she think to give up. She did what she had to do to survive.

Lily was born in a small village in China, moving to Hong Kong when her father’s soy sauce business began to take off. With her father’s early demise, Lily’s mother and her sisters stayed on in the city and struggled to make a living as best they could. They lived in abject poverty, dependent on others to keep a roof over their heads. Lily had always been a planner and she knew what she must do to survive. She worked as an amah, a maid and nanny, to the wealthy European families who settled temporarily in Hong Kong. When the Japanese invaded Hong Kong during World War II, she became a translator for the Japanese, burdened by the horrors she saw, and yet she somehow hung on. She left behind her children and husband to work in England, hoping for a better life. Her daughter and son would soon follow her, and eventually the family would settle in England, where Helen and her sisters and brother would call home.

Throughout this time, food played a particularly important part in the family’s history. From Lily’s father, Leung, whose ambition and foresight brought prosperity to his family with his soy sauce business, to Lily’s eventual opening of her own restaurant in England, which people would flock to from far and wide. The author’s mother, Mabel, would also find solace in the food industry. It was the family livelihood, their pride and joy. The children grew up surrounded by food. And even in their frustrations and wish for something more and different, they still always seemed to come back to it—it is a tie to the past, but more importantly, an honor to those who came before them, an appreciation of their struggles and hardwork as well as a bridge between the past, the present and the future.

Sweet Mandarin is an inspiring story. Lily is truly an admirable woman. I do wish the author had been able to delve more deeply into life in Hong Kong during the Second World War, but I also understand that it was a difficult time for her grandmother to talk about and therefore not something the author could easily write about. I was amazed at the amount of research the author did to learn more about her grandfather—his is a story that is both moving and tragic. Helen Tse honors her family with this book. Her love, respect and admiration for her family shines through on each page. If I ever find myself in Manchester, I will make a point of stopping at Sweet Mandarin and ordering Lily Kwok’s Chicken Curry.

Rating: (Very Good)

Check out the author's website for more information about her restaurant and book.

Read what others had to say about this book:
Cheryl's Book Nook
Medieval Bookworm
Not Enough Books

Sunday Salon: Lazy Day

Last night's performance of 9 to 5: The Musical was wonderful. The show is laugh out loud funny and the performers did a marvelous job. It was over way too soon, if you ask me.

I really haven't a clue what to write about today, and so I've decided that I'll just chime in with with a quick mention of how I will be spending my day (which book I will be drowning myself in) and leave it at that.

Although my purse is big enough to carry a decent sized hardcover book, I decided to travel light to the theater in Los Angeles last night, and so The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller, a mass market paperback copy, came along for the ride. I do not especially like to watch the road when my husband is driving through L.A. traffic and so having a book handy is a must. Plus, it makes the time pass all the more quickly.

I enjoy a good legal thriller now and then, and already I am quite taken with Joseph Teller's novel--he has a great "voice", with just the right amount of humor. I hope to spend much of today with defense attorney Jaywalker as he defends the accused murderer, Samara.

My immediate TBR stack has been growing lately instead of shrinking. I received a copy of Traci L. Slatton's historical novel Immortal in the mail yesterday. It's stopping over for a short visit before heading to its real home over at Melody's. She was lucky enough to win a copy in one of J. Kaye's giveaways. I also received a copy of Christine Weiser's Broad Street, the first release by a new publishing outfit called PS Books. This novel is about an all girl rock group that is trying to make it onto the Philadelphia music scene during the mid-1990's.

Other books added to the ol' TBR collection:
Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir (recommended by Megan)
Guernica by Dave Boling (recommended by Wendy)
Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman
Signs in the Blood by Vicki Lane (recommended by Karen)
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff


Week in Review:
ARC Challenge Wrap Up
Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George Review
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman Review
Off Topic Chatter

Also, just a little reminder of the Get Smart! Back to School Reading Bonanza Giveaway. I fixed the link which has been wrong for who knows how long. I apologize to anyone who was wondering why in the world I would link a contest that ended a couple of months ago. Lesson for today: Make sure links work and send people to the right place before publishing post. The last day to enter is tomorrow.

Happy reading!

Friday Fill In Fun

1. The cooler weather, smell of fire in fireplaces, and pumpkin pie are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I like to get in the car and drive with no destination in mind.

3. I once said I would never ride on an upside down roller coaster, and yet I did, and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"! (But I won't do it again if I can help it!)

4. When I'm down, I cheer myself up by listening to my favorite songs, reading a good book, or playing with the animals. They can always make me smile.

5. On a sailboat on the Pacific is where you'll find me most often (okay, so not really).

6. A rainy day is good for cuddling on the couch with the dog and cats and spending the day reading.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching the U.S. Presidential debate while enjoying a little pizza and lemonade, tomorrow my plans include driving into Los Angeles to see the 9 to 5 musical and Sunday, I want to catch up on some much needed reading and pretend Monday isn't coming so soon!