Nonfiction: The Impossible City by Karen Cheung

Memoirs that are written by someone in another country, and explore that place and what it is like to grow up and live there get me really excited. And I certainly do not read enough of them. I was all too happy to take on The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen Cheung, a book that promised an inside view of a remarkable city.

Genre, Themes, History: In the preface, Cheung sets the readers' expectations by stating that her book will only cover the years between 1997 and 2020. July 1, 1997 marked the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. But until 2047, Hong Kong will continue to operate under its existing government and economy, though there are certainly tensions regarding this point. The sort of middle ground that the city has since occupied is certainly one primary focus of Cheung's book, especially towards the end, and other prominent topics include an often uncomfortable middle ground the author feels she inhabits within the city; Hong Kong's 'land problem'; the lack of access to mental health resources; and the struggle for artists, musicians, actors, and writers to find a place. As the book comes to a close during the final seconds of 2020, Hong Kong's future is uncertain, and the author's former belief that she will never leave is shaken.

My Verdict: Maybe it is because of my own experience with buying a house, or the crazy housing market that is almost all of Texas right now, but I especially enjoyed the chapter where Cheung explores how difficult it is to find and hold onto a 'home' in Hong Kong, especially for the younger generation. Cheung meticulously goes through each move, and the 22 different roommates she had as a result. And the further I got into the book, the more the title made sense. Hong Kong seems like an 'impossible' city in more ways than one, and that view is coming from someone who grew up there. There is so much packed into less than 300 pages that it made this blog post difficult to write. The book is eye-opening, and interesting, and frustrating, and often hard to read, because it is so honest and thought-provoking.

Favorite Moment: As I said, I enjoyed the chapter about the struggles to find housing in Hong Kong. But I also found the chapter about the somewhat unconventional spaces, namely the warehouses, that artists would use to showcase their talent incredibly fascinating. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend both Age of Ambition by Evan Osnos and Dancing with the Devil in the City of God by Juliana Barbassa. 

Contemporary Fiction: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

When it comes to thrillers and suspense, only the occasional book from that category will grab my attention, and The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb was one of them. When a young black man finds out he possesses a rare and valuable violin, his life changes as his dream of becoming a world-famous violinist is now possible, even though greed and racism chase him everywhere he goes. And then violin goes missing...

The Situation: Ray McMillian is young black man who loves playing classical music on the violin. That sentence alone is not something that is often said or heard, but it is true. Even though all Ray could afford to play on in high school was a cheap school rental, he made it work. And while his mother was less than encouraging - always insisting that Ray get a real job to help with bills, and even harassing him to get his GED early so he can work more, sooner - his grandmother, Nora, has been the support he always wanted and needed. During one visit in particular, his grandmother surprises Ray with the gift of her grandfather's old violin. Ray knows this is a big deal, but he did not conceive everything that would come next.

The Problem: Years later, with the Tchaikovsky Competition fast approaching, the violin that was Ray's grandfather's goes missing, which turned out to be a valuable Stradivarius. Ray is gutted, and the suspects are many. The two most obvious are the Marks family, who are suing Ray for the violin, claiming that it belongs to their family; and Ray's own Aunts and Uncles, who wanted to sell it and split the money between them once they found out how valuable it was. Without his grandfather's violin, Ray feels lost, convinced that he has no chance at the Tchaikovsky Competition without it. While his coach and his girlfriend do their best to convince him otherwise, Ray does choose to move forward, but the search for the violin remains his priority.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a thriller/suspense/mystery novel set in the present-day. Ray grew up in North Carolina, but once he goes off to college and graduates, he begins to travel all over the country, playing in various venues and with a few symphonies. As a young black man in the south, Ray experiences the expected amount of racism. But as a young black man attempting to make it as a classical violinist, the attempts to have him excluded from an industry that has never had many black participants look different, but also the same, complete with looks of derision and claims that his 'kind' has never been good at this 'type' of music. The story begins with the theft, and then goes back through history to show how Ray even got to this point, with a valuable Stradivarius in his possession. 

My Verdict: I probably say this about more books than I mean to, but I am going to say it again here anyway: This book is stressful. Sure, it's a mystery novel about a valuable violin being stolen from a black classical musician who experiences racism, seemingly at every turn, but my goodness. For whatever reason, I had it in my head that the search for the violin would dominate the story, but then the book resets to Ray's high school experience and proceeds to slowly go through his history from that point. While it is interesting, and many of Ray's experiences are directly from Slocumb's life, the actual theft and investigation take a back seat, and the ending feels rushed. Mystery lovers may feel cheated, but even so, what is there is worth reading.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* After a difficult conversation with his mother, Ray decides to attend college, and everything inside of me cheered. 

Favorite Character: Janice is a woman who saw Ray's talent before he began playing with the Stradivarius, and believed in him enough to offer him a full scholarship for college. She is there for Ray every step of the way and is key in his progression. 

Recommended Reading: Two very different books come to mind: Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, and Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett. 

Contemporary Fiction: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

I know, I know...judging a book by its cover is generally frowned upon, but come on. The cover of today's book, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, is too gorgeous and captivating for me not to bring it up. Thankfully, the story found inside is even more engaging and interesting, as two siblings learn of their mother's startling past.

The Situation: Byron and Benny have not spoken in years. The two siblings used to be extremely close, despite the nine year age-difference between them. When she was little, Benny would follow her older brother around constantly. But somewhere along the way, she separated herself not only from her brother, but from her entire family, as she moved from place to place, job to job, and relationship to relationship. Byron does not know if he can even speak to his sister, as he is still holding grudges from years ago. But their mother's lawyer has a recording they need to listen to, one that their mother insisted they listen to together. Despite their grief, and their differences, the siblings meet at their mother's house in California, though they are not quite ready for what they are about to hear.

The Problem: When Eleanor Bennett's voice starts speaking from the recording, telling Byron and Benny the story of her life, she immediately begins with some startling news, something that will make the brother and sister question everything they knew about their mother, and she is just getting started. Over the course of the recording, Byron and Benny will hear about their mother's difficult past, the places she traveled, and the choices she had to make. Included are instructions to her children regarding the last black cake their mother every made, a cake she wants them to share when the time is right. But this cake, and this story, may not be enough to bring her children back together.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction that spans over five decades, while crossing oceans and continents. In 2018, Byron and Benny are hearing their mother's story, which begins in the Caribbean in the 1960s. The story Eleanor tells involves, swimming, surfing, food, friends that act more like family, family that act like villains, love, assumptions, discrimination, and the difficult choices we all have to make to simply move forward. The chapters are short, and often switch between characters, as well as time and place. Eleanor, Byron, and Benny remain as the focus, but even a seemingly minor character will get a chance to talk about things as they see it.

My Verdict: Books that attempt to move back and forth through time can be tricky. If done badly, it can ruin the story. If done well, it is an accomplishment worth applauding, but it does not necessarily mean the story will be good. With this book, the switches between the two timelines were not only well-timed, but both stories were compelling in their own right, which is rarely the case with stories that are structured like this. And I was eager to hear from each character, even the most minor ones, as well as the most annoying ones. It is a book that gave me that rare feeling I sometimes get of not wanting it end, even though I also desperately want to know how it all resolves. I simply love being with the characters where they are. It is hard to explain, but it is a feeling I relish and always hope to find again.

Favorite Moment: There is a moment when Benny comes to the realization that not everything is about her. What is happening is not plainly spelled out, which happens a lot throughout this book. Many significant moments are not obvious or plainly states, but they are there and they are meaningful. 

Favorite Character: Mr. Mitch is Eleanor's lawyer, and the man that is tasked with handling her estate after she is gone. He is patient, understanding, observant, dutiful, and knows what he has to do, no matter how difficult, and awkward. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith.

Young Adult Fiction: A Thousands Steps into Night by Traci Chee

It was a few years ago that I finished Traci Chee's Sea of Ink and Gold series, so I was excited to see that she was publishing another young adult fantasy book, A Thousand Steps into Night. In a world full of magical and dangerous creatures, vengeful demons, and powerful gods, one girl attempts to find her way back to the home where she never quite felt like she belonged.

The Situation: Being the daughter of an innkeeper, 17 year-old Miuko has never expected much from her life. Being part of the servant class, as well as a female, Miuko is expected to do little more than help her father manage the inn, one day get married, and hopefully produce a son that will eventually take over the business. To make matters more difficult, Miuko has always been a little too loud, too clumsy, and not beautiful enough to hope for much in the way of marriage. It is on a night when she is making her way back home that she is cursed, and slowly begins to transform into a deadly demon. Now, the life she never expected much from has suddenly given her too much to handle.

The Problem: Before the curse, Miuko was mostly ignored and cast aside. Now she has the attention of humans and beasts alike, and it is bringing her nothing but trouble. But with that trouble has also come incredible, though dangerous power. As Miuko makes the long journey to hopefully remove the curse before the transformation is complete, she will meet a mischievous magpie spirit, a horse that seems to be able to understand the speech and moods of humans, a demon hunter, helpful priests, terrifying gods, and a demon prince who wants to destroy her plans, as well as her world as she knows it. It certainly is not the life Miuko thought she would have, but she is not sure if she would trade it for her old one.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fantasy novel set in an unknown time, and in an unknown world...or at least unknown to us. It is a world where magpie spirits can shapeshift (only when no one is looking) to resemble humans, and then just as easily take the form of a bird so it can fly away from danger. In this world, girls like Miuko cannot go anywhere unless they are escorted by their husbands, or a male relative. There is also an unspoken rule regarding females riding horses, and owning property is certainly out of the question. On her adventure, Miuko will enjoy the freedom and power she has received, though dangers are around every corner. It is a Japanese-influenced fantasy for which Chee drew inspiration from a trip to Japan.

My Verdict: What I love about Chee's writing is the fast-paced adventure...and I do mean fast. There is never a dull moment, though there is often a frustrating one. Chee's characters are never perfect, and often relatable on some level, though that can lead to scenes and decisions that result in readers rolling their eyes or gritting their teeth. And the sharp changes in the story's direction can often feel arbitrary, or even unnecessary, and seemingly out of nowhere. There is one big shift that takes place in this book that honestly baffled me and was hard for me to recover from (I won't spoil it, but when it happens you will know what I am talking about). But with all of the chaos, Chee brings everything back together almost effortlessly.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* In the book there is an adorable cat-like creature that is too dangerous to let roam around like a normal cat. I was happy when Miuko was finally able to find it a suitable home.

Favorite Character: Geiki, the sly magpie spirit, is annoying but helpful, and funny. And Afaina, the God of Stars, may take the form of a giant being covered in eyes that lives in the water, but his manner of speaking, moving, and even looking at something was something I wish I could have enjoyed for longer than he appears on the page. 

Recommended Reading: For another, longer adventure, I recommend Chee's Sea of Ink and Gold series.

Young Adult Fiction: Anatomy by Dana Schwartz

Anyone who has studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has certainly heard of graverobbers who would steal freshly buried corpses and deliver them to physicians, for a price. This practice comes together with an unlikely romance in Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz. 

The Situation: Hazel Sinnett wants to be a surgeon more than anything. Certainly more than she wishes to marry and 'settle down' as she is expected to. In 1817 Scotland, a woman in Hazel's position need only marry someone suitable, have his children, and run his household. Having any ambitions outside of that is discouraged, frowned upon, and often openly thwarted. But Hazel is determined, and not only reads everything she can about the human body, but she even manages to sneak into a lecture by the well-known Dr. William Beecham. The young man who helps her may not be familiar with surgery, but Jack Currer is familiar with corpses. By day he earns his money at a local theatre, but at night he is one of the city's resurrectionists, making a living by unearthing corpses and delivering them to those who wish to study real human bodies.

The Problem: Hazel knows her road to becoming a surgeon will not be a smooth one. Females are not allowed to attend the classes at the Royal Edinburgh Anatomist's Society, and after a failed attempt at attending anyway, Hazel is able to strike a deal with Dr. Beecham himself. Only problem is she must now study on her own, and like every other would-be physician, she needs real bodies to learn on. Thankfully, her new acquaintance, Jack, is happy to help, and Hazel must admit that she does enjoy spending time with him. Jack is nothing like the refined gentleman she normally spends time with, and she should know better than to entertain any idea of a future with such a person, especially since it is common knowledge she will eventually marry the future Viscount Almont. Plus, young resurrectionists like Jack have recently started disappearing, proving that his line of work is dangerous in more ways than one.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction book set in early 19th-century Scotland, mostly in and around Edinburgh. Hazel is a young woman who is fascinated with all things science and anatomy, but being a woman has kept her from being taken seriously. Jack, on the other hand, cannot afford to be ambitious. His work at the theatre also provides him a humble place to live, but when business drops off after a strange illness takes over the area, Jack must lean on graverobbing more than ever. The two heroes come from very different worlds, and when Hazel realizes that the poor are being preyed upon so parts of their bodies can be used in service to the rich, she makes the mistake of believing those around her care enough to do something about it. The book combines the grotesque with a love story, while also adding elements of mystery and fantasy.

My Verdict: This book starts off strong. Opening up with a graveyard scene certainly set the stage for what was to come. There is mystery, some gore, even an occasional limb goes missing. And then there is Hazel in the middle of all of it. Her fascination with anatomy and surgery is what makes her story and her journey so fascinating. Of course, her ambition gets her in trouble, as does her naivete, which will cause many readers to simply shake their heads as they turn the page. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, and Hazel and Jack become more comfortable in each others' presence, the story seems to lose steam. It all remains delightfully unpredictable, but by the end, it is not necessarily interesting, and there are several issues that go unresolved. 

Favorite Moment: When a young man at the Royal Edinburgh Anatomist's Society attempts to intimidate Hazel, she stands up to him in the best (and possibly the grossest) way.

Favorite Character: Hazel's maid Iona is helpful and faithful to a fault. Hazel herself is not helpless, but she would have had a much harder time without Iona by her side.

Recommended Reading: Schwartz mentions the book The Lady and Her Monsters by Roseanne Montillo in her acknowledgements, which is a wonderful book for learning more about the world of Mary Shelley and the gruesome practice of stealing corpses for studying physicians.