Happy Year of the Rabbit

Today is the last day of the two-week spring festival known as Chinese New Year.  As I write this, all across China, the Lantern Festival is taking place, where millions of Chinese celebrate the first full moon of the new year, and fill the streets with a parade of light.  In honor of this auspicious day, I would like to recommend a few of my favorite books set in China, or with Asian-American characters.

The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan:  This is the grandmother of them all, the book that really opened the door to the life and history of Chinese women.  While many lovely Asian writers came before her, it was Amy Tan who made literature about China so accessible.  Tan's beautiful writing and fantastic characters make this book a must for anyone interested in China.  I have read it several times, and each time I come away with something new.  This is my favorite of Amy Tan's books, but every one is worth reading.

The Red Thread, by Ann Hood: The Red Thread follows the lives of five Chinese babies, and across the ocean, five sets of adoptive parents waiting for little girls.  The stories of how these families become united is truly heartwarming; the title is from a Chinese belief that people who are meant to be together are joined by a red thread, and no matter how long that thread is, it will never break.  This would be a great book club book, particularly for adoptive parents; there is a lot to discuss in the story.  It's also a good choice for those wanting a book with a nice big bow at the end.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and Shanghai Girls, both by Lisa See:  Both Snow Flower and Shanghai Girls are wonderful glimpses into the life of Chinese women.  Snow Flower, set in 19th century China, follows two girls bound together for life, from foot binding all the way through marriage.  Shanghai Girls is about sisters trying to make their way out of Shanghai during the Japanese occupation in the 1930s, including the immigration at Angel's Island in California. Well researched and nicely written, both books would also be good book club choices.

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Jung Chang: This nonfiction book follows three generations of women in China, starting in the 1920s with Chang's grandmother.  Yu-fang was among the last generation of women to have their feet bound, and she was sold as a concubine as a young woman.  Chang's mother was an active member of the Communist party until she and Chang's father fell out of favor with the Cultural Revolution and suffered the horrors of "re-education." Chang also details her time with the Red Guard, and coming of age in a turbulent, every-changing China.  This is a meaty, intense book that will haunt you, but it also serves the dual purpose of not only entertaining but educating the reader on the history of 20th century China.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of fabulous books about or set in China - I could really go on and on, but you have to draw a line somewhere.  I hope your new year is peaceful, with many chances to curl up with a good book!

Suffering Through Book Letdown

The symptoms: excessive sighing, moping, and general malaise; often accompanied by starting a book, skimming the first few pages, and putting it back down in disgust.

It's a terrible syndrome known as book letdown, and I am suffering.  You see, book letdown happens when you have finished reading something particularly moving or satisfying, and when the last page is done, you realize that at least for a little while, no other book will even come close.

Book letdown doesn't happen often.  It takes a very special book to make every other pale in comparison.  This time, the book was Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  A wonderful story, beautiful writing, and details that elevated rather than diminished the plot.  It was such a lovely book that when it was done, I felt haunted by the ghosts of the characters I had grown to know and admire.

I've tried to move on.  I picked up one book after another, but after 30 pages or so, and with resignation, I would give up.   It's not their fault.  They were all fine, well-received novels that under other circumstances, I would truly enjoy.  And I do feel bad about it - like I should tell that sad stack of books, "Really, it's not you; it's me."

In a way it is like mourning, for the characters you won't see again, their stories left untold, and all the things you will never know about them.  I believe this is the reason that trilogies and series are so wildly popular, because there is always the chance that you can meet your favorite characters again.

In the past, magazines and terribly trashy romance novels have been the cure.  This weekend, I may have found another solution: my library generously provided me with FIVE books that have been on my "waiting to read" list.  Maybe one of those gems will boost me out of my slump.  Hope springs eternal!