Saturday Summary: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

This book was given to me as a Christmas gift about two years ago. It’s a collection of short stories that deal with themes such as death, fate and the past. And while Stephen King is generally known for writing horror, he also writes in the vein of poetry, science fiction and fantasy, and this book was a good blend of all three. 

Saturday Summary: The Good Girl

 The Good Girl is a book that initially interested me because of other people’s interest in it, and its compelling book cover and title (yep, I’m that shallow). It’s been compared to Gone Girl and been lauded as a suspenseful psychological thriller. I do enjoy thrillers with complex female protagonists such as book The Girl on the Train and the movie Gone Girl. So I was hoping to like this book as well. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations…

Saturday Summary: Cinder

I heard a lot about Cinder by Marissa Meyer in the blogosphere and how much people enjoyed reading it. I finally got around to reading it after failing to pick up the print copy at the library–thank God for Overdrive, which caters very well to my digital-oriented self. I have to say that I did enjoy it but I thought it would live up to its hype more.

Saturday Summary: Dracula

Dracula is one of those classics that I’ve been wanting to read for a while now. It’s also one of those stories that seems to be more well-known for its film adaptations. In fact, at the time of its publication it wasn’t as popular as it is now.

Saturday Summary: The Serpent’s Tale

The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin is one of those books I bought when I was younger but that ended up on my “did not finish” list. I think it was a little out of my reading range at the time. Now that I’ve read it as an adult though, I see it with new appreciation. 

Saturday Summary: The Fortune Hunter

The Fortune Hunter engaged me from the very start. It’s a well-written novel about a real and very interesting empress, brought to life by Daisy Goodwin’s writing. Although the novel is partly based on historical fact, Goodwin takes her liberties in creating compelling characters and a unique story all her own.

Saturday Summary: The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club is the first book by Amy Tan I’ve read and although I initially had mixed feelings about it, I found it funny, touching and beautiful. This was a reading experience outside of what I usually read because I rarely read contemporary novels, especially ones about other cultures different from my own. I encountered a lot of intriguing cultural differences but also a lot of universal truths that transcend culture, ethnicity and age.

Saturday Summary: Green Grass, Running Water

Green Grass, Running Water is one of those books that I didn’t initially like but grew to like the more I read it. It’s been on my TBR list for a long time and I’m glad I gave it a second chance. It’s one of those books you have to stick with to really get the essence of the story.

Saturday Summary: The Orenda

Author: Joseph Boydon
Published: September 10, 2013
Format: Hardcover
My Rating on Goodreads: 4 out of 5 stars

The Orenda is a book that’s received a lot of positive reception. It was a candidate for two awards, the 2013 Governor General’s Award for English fiction and the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Orenda was also selected for the 2014 edition of Canada Reads and won. I can definitely say that this book lives up to its reputation. 

Saturday Summary: Ru

Author: Kim Thúy
Format: Paperback, English translation
Published: January 17, 2012
My Rating on Goodreads: 5 out of 5 stars

 

“Ru. In Vietnamese it means lullaby; in French it is a small stream, but also signifies a flow–of tears, blood, money.” –Ru, Kim Thúy.

This is the opening line to Kim Thúy’s book summary. It’s a story of two worlds: Vietnam and Quebec. And two lives.