I wish I could write about all the books I read. I probably will not. Documenting a few of my favorites. Did I mention it? I gave in and read the 50 shades trilogy!!

The House on Mango Street

There are coming-of-age books and there is The House on Mango Street. It is one of the best books I have ever read. The short book of vignettes from the life of Esperanza who hates her name.The writing is haunting. It is not prose, it is not poetry. It is beautiful. If you look for a storyline there is none. The book is just random snapshots in the life of the narrator. Snapshots that make her want to leave the House on Mango Street – snapshots that will stay with her forever.

Very highly recommended

5 on 5

How to be an American House-Wife?

It was quite an interesting read. A good peep into Japanese navy brides from the WWII era and the families they left behind. It also explores the first generation American-Japanese kids. I am really not into wartime stories but this book was different. I loved that the book was to the point and did not ramble around like many of the books I have been reading currently but that said I wish the early life of Mike and Sue were explained a little but more in detail. It is hard to imagine them as grownups with just tid-bits from their childhood.

The happy ending is nice but then I felt the author stretched it a bit too much. Too much cotton candy in the end.

3 on 5

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

The problem with Good Reads is once you read books of a certain kind – it keeps recommending similar books. I end up putting them all in my to-read list and reading them. I discover some great works that way. Books I would not have picked up otherwise.

Another war story. Have I mentioned I hate war stories? As the WWII progresses, Asian immigrants in the US face the wrath. Their lives are altered irrevocably. Among the lives altered is the lives of Henry Lee and Keiko. 40 years down the lane, The Panama Hotel in Seattle opens a treasure trove of WWII remains and Henry Lee, now a widower discovers a parasol he believes to have been Keiko’s.

Other than my issue with war stories I liked this book

4 on 5

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Another war story here! I love this book and I think I will re-read it as a part of my 2013 Book Bingo Challenge. It is very rare for me to re-read books and if I plan to re-read a book, it means I loved it. This book is a series of letters exchanged exchanged between Juliet and a number of people – mainly the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The letters are exciting and thrilling and sad. War is a killer and the underlying pain is expressed in words.

The book is hilarious yet serious. Very highly recommended

5 on 5