Summer Reading!

So I've had THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE sitting on my bookshelf for a full 2 years and this summer I decided that I had to read it once and for all. I had heard so many great things about it (hence why I bought it in the first place), but the thought of reading over 800 pages really bogged me down and I knew that unless I had a good chunk of time to read it, it wasn't going to happen. Then of course, we decided to take an extended break from the bookclub and the opportunity presented itself.

I have to say, I am SO happy that I read this novel! It was such an interesting story and the historical period it was set in (Victorian England) just added another layer of intrigue to the novel as a whole. The lead character, Sugar, is a prostitute who lives in a brothel managed by her own mother. She's an extremely smart girl but opportunities had never presented themselves to her until one day she meets an unusual client and her entire world is turned upside down. I won't say any more since I hope that my raving will propel at least one of you to read it...

Can't wait to see you all at the next bookclub meeting!

Happy reading!

Tiff

Peter Hessler's River Town

So while traveling around China for a month, I had a lot of time to read on the 14 hour train rides between cities. I finished off Peter Hessler's River Town. He was a Peace Corps volunteer back in the late 1990s, the first batch sent to China, where he taught English at a small sleepy town along the Yangtze River.

If there is one book I would recommend to summarize many of my own experiences and feelings about China, it would be this book. I really hope you all get a chance to read it. It's entertaining and insightful about being a foreigner in China, Chinese history and culture, and the growing pains and successes of the nation and its people in modern times.

Happy summer reading!