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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Reviews: 3 for the price of 1!!

I was going to review each one of these books separately but then decided against it. The reason? Two of the books have been reviewed everywhere and I really don't think that I have much else to add. So I decided to talk about these three books, what I learned from reading them, and why I think you should read them one right after the other.

I read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet first. I was swept away by this novel. I think the author did a great job of giving the main character his voice. Here are just some of the historical facts I learned.
  • This book took place in Seattle, Washington. I had no idea that there was such a huge concentration of Chinese and Japanese that lived there during this time.
  • I knew nothing about the Japan attacking China before WWII even broke out.
  • I didn't know that there were internment camps located in Washington.
  • Can you imagine having to wear a button that says "I'm Chinese."

I fell in love with Henry and Keiko. Their story rang so true to me and the ending made me cry!! This is Jamie Ford's debut novel and wow, he knocked my socks off. I see big things ahead for him. I can't recommend this one enough and it is on my faves list for 2009!


Next up on my reading list was Shanghai Girls. I adore Lisa See and her writing style. This one did not disappoint me at all. This story begins in Shanghai and introduces us to sisters, May and Pearl. They are young, beautiful and carefree. Much of their lives they have been spoiled by their parents. Then war comes to China and the Japanese have invaded. I now had some idea of this war, The Second Sino-Japanese War, because it was referenced in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place. I don't want to say my history teachers were not skilled, but we only talked about how WWII affected the United States. I love it when I take away new information from reading!! Somehow (I know how but don't want to spoil it for anyone) the two sisters make it out of China and end up in the United States. Once again, the prejudice that the Chinese people experienced in the US at this time is forefront in the story and you get another glimpse into how Asians were perceived during WWII.
For me, See hit a home run with this beautiful novel. This one is a favorite read of 2009.


The final book that I read was Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. I would've never known about this book until I posted my review of her newest release, Prayers For Sale. Kaye from Pudgy Penguin Perusals recommended this one to me. I'm so thankful that she did because this one was a WINNER!!! The setting is in Colorado and it is based on an actual Japanese internment camp. The main character Rennie Stroud is something else! I loved this girl and her feistiness. I also thought her parents were pretty awesome characters. You honestly can't help but want to be a part of their family. A twist on this book that is different than the others, is that a murder of a young girl occurs in Rennie's hometown and everyone wants to blame the Japanese. Througout the story you see how if people just take a chance and put aside their prejudices, then true friendships can be made. Tallgrass also makes the list of favorite reads this year!!!




I'm glad that I read these 3 books. I wish now that I would've read them one right after the other just because it would've been a much more cohesive history lesson for me. Nothing detracts from the stories by reading them months apart, but if you're interested in reading about this time period then these are three stellar stories that gives the reader many different perspectives.

32 comments:

  1. These three are books I have on my TBR list and the only one I don't own is Tallgrass. Great reviews!

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  2. These sound AWESOME!!!!! I am really interested in Shanghai Girls! :):):):):):):):):)

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  3. Hi Staci, oh phew, I am so relieved you liked Tallgrass. Sometimes when recommending a book, you don't want the reader to be disappointed. I loved Tallgrass and I'm glad you got a chance to read the book. Daisy, one of the Japanese girls in the book, was such a firecracker of a character. I just loved her. This was my first introduction to the fact that there were internment camps in the US. I must have been snoozing in history class but I swear they never told us about it. All three wonderful books and you did a teriffic job doing all the reviews together with the common theme. Excellent post!

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  4. I'm a sucker for a great deal and 3 for 1 is awesome. I've heard of all three but the last one. I think the first 2 on already on my TBR list. They all sound wonderful.

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  5. I haven't read any of those books, but my mom read The Hotel on Bitter and Sweet and loved it. I'm going to pick them all up and read all three one right after the other. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  6. 3 great books, oh my, the do sound good then to me.
    The library has one Lisa See book so I will start with that on one day

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  7. What a great way to tie these three novels together. Well done! They all sound good in different ways to me, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for them.

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  8. I really need to get around to read Lisa See's new book! It looks good, but I haven't had a chance yet.

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  9. Great idea to review them all together!

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  10. I love the way that fiction fills in some of the holes of history. Often I am inspired to go on to do lots more research and end up knowing much more that I ever would have. Great picks. I have everything except Tallgrass.

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  11. I've read the first two but not the last one. I agree that reading books of the same theme around the same time helps me learn more about history.

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  12. I have not read any of these three books yet. I do know quite a bit about WWII history and the internment camps in the U.S. I think these would great novels to read back to back.

    have you joined the WWII reading challenge yet? If not, you should because you are nearly finished with the quota of 5 books.

    If you are interested in reading more in WWII and want to sign up for the challenge, go here: http://warthroughthegenerations.wordpress.com/current-challenge-sign-up/

    I hope you'll join us...there are prizes!

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  13. BTW, I just put all three of these on hold at the library!

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  14. Thanks for the book reviews.

    I love the cover and title of the book Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

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  15. I like the sound of all of them. Have you read When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka? It also deals with prejudice against Asians during the war, and it's such a good book.

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  16. I LOVED all 3 of these books, plus Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. You are on a roll with great stories.

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  17. I have the first two books but haven't read them yet. I'm glad you liked them both though. I hope to get to them soon but you know how it is. The last one sounds really good as well.

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  18. Alright Hotel On the Corner of Bitter And sweet is already on my list. I'll add the other 2 with a note to read them back to back to back. Great tip, Staci!

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  19. Loved Hotel too, got Tall Grass on my pile to read.

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  20. Great idea to review similar books together. I've also seen the first two a lot, but this is the first I've heard of the third.

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  21. Sounds like I have three more books to add to my TBR list. Thanks for the reviews!

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  22. I loved, loved, loved Shanghai Girls and Tallgrass. I really enjoyed Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, too. Great group of books and I'm so glad you enjoyed them!

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  23. I've read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and enjoyed it! I've to check out the other two books since they sound good to me!

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  24. Hi Staci, thanks for the kindly review, so glad you enjoyed the book!

    I have Tallgrass on my TBR pile as well. And my wife just finished reading an ARC of Shanghai Girls and loved it.

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  25. All three of these are on my tbr list. I would love to read them all together, just as you have reviewed them. What a great post, Staci!

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  26. I does sound like 3 good books to read together in a given time period. Thanks for that good review, Staci.

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  27. I love how you combined these three books in review! I've read the first two books and loved both Hotel and Shanghai Girls. I haven't read Tallgrass and I believe that it is on my TBR shelf. If not, I'll look for a copy.

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  28. I thought Hotel on Corner was really good too. The only thing that bugged me a little bit was the main characters age. I always pictured him a bit older. But yes, can you imagine having to wear a button stating your nationality?!

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  29. I forgot to add The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on the fall reading list that I posted today. The book has been reviewed by many bloggers, including Melody, whose review I have first read and made me put the book to my list. Like you, I didn't know Japanese people congregated in Washington. I thought they were a majority in Hawaii.

    I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed Shanghai Girls, who was very touching. I always thought that a poignant story exists behind everyone Chinese woman like you meet in this book. They must have immigrated to America against their will in order to fulfill filial responsibility. They almost can never escape the path to working in restaurants.

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  30. Well, I really enjoyed the first two, and have heard great things about the third. You've been doing some good reading!

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  31. Great fire sale! Short and to the point. Your enjoyment of these books shows in your reviews. I'll be adding tallgrass to my TBR now!

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  32. I hope to read all three of these at some point. Could I link to your post on War Through the Generations?

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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