The Sunday Salon and 3 Books to Sink Your Teeth Into...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the one day of the week we virtually connect to one another to talk about, what else?... BOOKS! Last week we explored Manga during Chick with Books Manga Week and I hope you've discovered some interesting reading! This week it's back to some great fiction. Here's what's on my nightstand and on my wishlist...

Secret of A Thousand Beauties by Mingmei Yip... Set against the vibrant and intrigue-laden backdrop of 1930s China, Mingmei Yip's enthralling novel explores one woman's defiant pursuit of independence. Spring Swallow was promised in marriage while still in her mother's belly. When the groom dies before a wedding can take place, seventeen-year-old Spring Swallow is ordered to become a ghost bride to appease his spirit. Under her in-laws' protection, she will be little more than a servant, unable to know real love or bear children. Refusing to accept her fate as a "bad-luck woman," Spring Swallow flees on her wedding day. In the city of Soochow, Spring Swallow joins a community of renowned embroiderers. The women work for Aunty Peony, whose exquisite stitching once earned her the Emperor's love. But when Aunty Peony agrees to replicate a famous painting--a lucrative assignment that will take a year to complete--betrayal and jealousy emerges within the group. Spring Swallow becomes entangled in each woman's story of heartbreak, even while she embarks on a dangerous affair with a young revolutionary. On a journey that leads from the remote hillsides around Soochow to cosmopolitan Peking, Spring Swallow draws on the secret techniques learned from Aunty Peony and her own indomitable strength, determined to forge a life that is truly her own.

One of my favorite authors is back with her 5th novel set in the land of China. I am so lucky to have an ARC for this and I am diving in head first. Her books always have beautiful settings, wonderful plots, intrigue, folklore, great characters and have a good bit of humor in them. Mingmei Yip never fails to trap me in the pages of her books. Secret of A Thousand Beauties will be available Nov. 25th from your local bookstore. Keep your eye out for a review from me soon.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters... It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned, the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband and even servants,  life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers. For with the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the 'clerk class', the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. And as passions mount and frustration gathers, no one can foresee just how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.

I started reading a sample of this and had to go out and buy the whole book. Sarah Waters is a wonderful writer. In The Paying Guests, the pace seems slow, but it isn't really, it's delicious. I felt I was slowly devouring the pages like a piece of decadent chocolate cake. Look for a review coming soon for this one too!

The Story of Land and Sea by Katy Simpson Smith ... Set in a small coastal town in North Carolina during the waning years of the American Revolution, this incandescent debut novel follows three generations of family—fathers and daughters, mother and son, master and slave, characters who yearn for redemption amidst a heady brew of war, kidnapping, slavery, and love. Drawn to the ocean, ten-year-old Tabitha wanders the marshes of her small coastal village and listens to her father’s stories about his pirate voyages and the mother she never knew. Since the loss of his wife Helen, John has remained land-bound for their daughter, but when Tab contracts yellow fever, he turns to the sea once more. Desperate to save his daughter, he takes her aboard a sloop bound for Bermuda, hoping the salt air will heal her. Years before, Helen herself was raised by a widowed father. Asa, the devout owner of a small plantation, gives his daughter a young slave named Moll for her tenth birthday. Left largely on their own, Helen and Moll develop a close but uneasy companionship. Helen gradually takes over the running of the plantation as the girls grow up, but when she meets John, the pirate turned Continental soldier, she flouts convention and her father’s wishes by falling in love. Moll, meanwhile, is forced into marriage with a stranger. Her only solace is her son, Davy, whom she will protect with a passion that defies the bounds of slavery.

The storyline of this book seems a lot to digest, but it sounds so interesting. To see how these two girls grow up virtually together and yet separate because of their differences in birth. This is a time period seems interesting too and I can't wait to see how North Carolina is portrayed. On my TBR list.
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Weekly Recap... If you missed last week on Chick with Books, you missed Manga Week! Here's all the Manga we covered in just one week...

Last Sunday, Oct. 5th... Discovering the World of Manga... All about what Manga is, how to read it and where to find it.

Monday, Oct. 6th, Memoir Monday... A memoir about an American girl named Jamie Lynn Lao, and how she traveled to Japan to become an assistant to a Mangaka, or an artists assistant helping to draw and put out a Manga series. A behind the scenes look at how Manga are made.

Tuesday, Oct. 7th, What's So Cute About Manga... All about Cute and 2 Cute Manga's you've got to try.

Wednesday, Oct. 8th, A Review of the Manga Series called Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga... This is historical fiction with a dystopian take on Japanese history. LOVE this series! The women and men switch places in this series and it is so interesting. Think Shogun with women.

Friday, Oct. 10th, A Review of the Manga Series called Battle Royale by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi... Before The Hunger Games there was Battle Royale. Amazing Story, Graphic and Beautifully drawn this is a must read... if you can get through it.

Saturday, Oct. 11th, One Shot Manga's and 3 You Should Read Now... You don't need to always read a series of books to enjoy Manga. One Shots are stories that are complete in one book.

So, there's the recap of what we talked about all last week... Now lets add some more fun Manga to that (follow the links to learn more...)

Oh! My Goddess by Kosuke Fujishima, xxxHolic by CLAMP,  Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, Emma by Kaoru Mori (Victorian England), Midnight Secretary  by Tomu Ohmi (Vampire Romance Manga), Uzumaki by Junji Ito (Horror Manga).



So as we put down our Manga, what good books have you picked up this week?! Share them here! I'd love to know what's on your nightstand. And if you did you get a chance to check out some Manga, I'd love to know what you thought!

Happy reading... Suzanne

One Shot Manga's and 3 You Should Put in Your TBR Pile Now!

In the world of Manga, series are "the norm", with some series going on for 10 or more years with over 40 volumes. But do we really want to get involved with a series that's on book 35?! And do we always want to read a series? There is another choices of Manga called One Shots. One Shots are just that - one full complete story in one book. Usually, these One Shots start out in a Manga magazine, running 40 - 60 pages.  If the story proves popular, then it possibly will be turned into a series. There are many popular series that started out as One Shots such as Naruto, Bleach, and Death Note. If we are lucky enough, One Shots that are popular are published as a book and made available here in the States (for us Manga readers who don't read the Manga magazines). Here are 3 One Shots you should check out...

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms by Fumiyo Kouno  ...What impact did World War II and the dropping of the atomic bomb have on the common people of Japan? Through the eyes of an average woman living in 1955, Japanese artist Fumiyo Kouno answers these questions. This award-winning manga appears in an English translation for the first time. Fumiyo Kouno's light, free style of drawing evokes a tender reflection of this difficult period in Hiroshima's postwar past. As the characters continue with everyday life, the shadow of the war and the atomic bombing linger ghostlike in the background. Kouno's beautiful storytelling touches the reader's heart but is never overly sentimental. A widely embraced best seller in Japan, where the work was also controversial, Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is the winner of several prestigious awards including Grand Prize at the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival (2004), New Life Award at the 9th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prizes (2005). Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms is made up of interconnected short stories; the first is a love story entitled Town of Evening Calm; followed by the two-part story Country of Cherry Blossoms 

A story collection that is suppose to be and heart wrenching and thought provoking. Many good reviews and recommendations on this collection. I liked the artwork from what I sampled. It is expressive and flowing. It should be interesting how Fumiyo Kouno weaves the story of the present, or in the case of the first story, 10 years after the bomb, with the subtle reminders of the bomb just hovering in the background.

All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga ... From Goodreads: By the Eisner-winning author of Antique Bakery and Ôoku. R to L (Japanese Style). Yukiko, a salarywoman in her thirties, still lives with her mother Mari. But their relationship suffers a sudden change when Mari announces that she’s getting married—to an ex-host and aspiring actor who’s younger than Yukiko. Yukiko, convinced he’s out to fleece her mom, can’t stand to stay in the house and decides to move in with her boyfriend. Fumi Yoshinaga weaves together the lives of Yukiko, a thirty something salary woman, and her friends in five short stories, exploring the various relationships women have with all the skill and elegance she is known for.

I have read 2 of the 5 stories. The first story introduces us to Yukiko and Mari, and their relationship as mother and daughter. The story hit the mark with how mother/daughter relationships can be. The end of the story, the last panel, hit an emotional note that left me wanting more. Story 2 was strange to say the least. All the stories have the thread of Yukiko and story 2 is about an acquaintance who was the victim of sexual harassment with a strange twist. I'm hoping the stories return to Yukiko and her mother because Fumi Yoshinaga seems to be able to translate what can be a very complicated relationship into words and drawings that bleed understanding.

Sexy Voice and Robo by Iou Kuroda... She calls herself Sexy Voice. To most of the world, she's just Hayashi Niko, an ordinary schoolgirl - but when time permits, she lives a double life as a hired investigator/spy. To help her, she has recruited the rather unlikely assistant she calls Robo, a geeky lump of a man who doesn't really know why he feels the need to do everything she tells him to. He just does it. Together, the odd team solve a number of cases for Sexy Voice's employer, an aging gangster.

I read the first story in this One Shot Manga and just loved the smart dialogue and the story. The artwork is nice too, almost looking like woodcuts. It's a fun story, with Hayashi (Sexy Voice) having the skills to investigate because of her experience as a telephone operator (a.k.a. sex phone operator). She knows what makes people tick (very helpful in both her jobs). The first story introduces the 3 main characters, Sexy Voice, Robo, and the aging gangster, and lays the foundation of how they start to investigate cases together. Love this so far!

As we wrap up Manga Week on Chick with Books, I hope you've found some great reading. Manga can be fun & lighthearted or serious & thought-provoking. For me, it's an escape from what I normally read. And the silly outrageous stories I've found always make me smile. What makes you smile? Are you ready to try some Manga now?!

Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Kanata... A Review

If you love cats, this is a Manga series for you! Chi is a very cute little kitten that has lost its way. On an outing with her mother and siblings, Chi becomes separated from them. Realizing that she is lost, she desperately searches and encounters all sorts of scary things out there- like dogs and speeding cars! Exhausted and scared, Chi wanders into a park, and with a thud falls down, tears streaming down her face. This just tugged at my heart! At the same time a very young boy named Yohei falls with a thud right across from Chi, crying. The two look into each other's tear filled eyes and Chi thinks, "You don't know where your home is either, huh?" And then Yohei's mother comes to help Yohei up. Yohei tells his mother that the kitten fell down too, and asks his mother what they should do. Well, how can you leave a cute little abandoned kitten all alone in a park? They bring Chi home...

Although there are complications... the Yamada family lives in a building that doesn't allow cats... And Chi still yearns for her family, especially her mother. But after failing to find a good home for Chi, the Yamadas decide to keep Chi as part of their family, and hide her from the neighbors. This makes for some very entertaining stories, one of which is how the Yamadas solve the problem of Chi showing herself to the neighbors after learning to jump onto the window sill so she can get a look at the whole world!

Chi's Sweet Home is written by Konami Kanata. In volume 1, there are 20 short chapters that see Chi learn to use the litter box, learn what taking a bath is all about, learn what the vet is and other cat like adventures. It is a very sweet, very cute Manga that even Publisher's Weekly picked as one of the best Manga in 2010...

"This manga has got to be the cutest thing 2010 has seen. Kanata gets inside the head of a tiny lost kitten who has a mind of her own which gets her into all sorts of wild adventures. Full color fun and a perfect reminder of why cats are adorable."

There are currently 4 volumes available, with the fifth volume coming this february. Nice features of Chi's Sweet Home is that it is written in a western style, which means you read it like a normal graphic novel. AND, it is in full color! Another nice touch, because most Manga is in black & white.

This is a Manga series that all ages can enjoy. In Japan this Manga is popular with adults as well as children. Chi is a sweet kitten, but she does have spunk and a mind of her own! If you've ever lived with a kitten you will really appreciate this story, but it's a universal story about finding ones place in the world and being part of a family. I really enjoyed reading this first volume of Chi's Sweet Home and look forward to the next volume!

*P.S. I read this as part of The Manga Reading Challenge 2011!

Manga Reading Challenge 2011

Manga Challenge 2011

Last year I got my feet wet a little with Manga. The word Manga literally means "humorous pictures", with highly stylized artwork (big eyes, small mouths, wild colorful hair), and stories that range from love, sex, violence and many other emotions. Some Manga have an element of magic, some are more traditional stories, but all are wildly popular in Japan, where almost everyone reads it. Traditional Manga is read from the back of the book to the front, right to left. Sound confusing? Don't worry, once you read your first Manga it all flows very naturally. Check out my post last year on Manga to learn all about its origins, types and how-to's, and in the meantime I'm signing up for this years Manga Reading Challenge! Rhinoa of Rhinoa's Ramblings is hosting again, and the rules are simple... Read 6 Manga's! That's it! Interested?! Here are the details:

Manga Reading Challenge 2011 Rules...

*Sign up at Manga Challenge Blog to participate.

*Read a minimum of 6 Manga.

*Post a link to your review at the Review Post at the Manga Challenge blog.

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the different stories and books out there. But going to the challenge site and reading other people's reviews and suggestions really helped. If you're unfamiliar with Manga, stayed tuned here to see what books I'll be sharing and reviewing! And let me know if you've read any Manga and what your suggestions are!