Stealing Buddah's Dinner: Bich Minh Nguyen

"Beginning with her family's harrowing migration out of Saigon in 1975, Stealing Buddah's Dinner follows Bich Nguyen as she comes of age in the pre-PC-era Midwest.  Filled with a rapacious hunger for American identity, Nguyen's desire to belong transmutes into a passion for American food--Pringles, Kit Kats, and Toll House cookies.  More exotic-seeming than her Buddhist grandmother's traditional specialities, the campy, preservative-filled 'delacacies' of mainstream American become an ingenious metaphor for her struggle to become a 'real' American.  Stealing Buddah's Dinner is also a portrayal of a diverse family:  Nguyen's hardworking, hard-partying father; pretty sister' wise and nurturing grandmother; and Rosa, her Latina stepmother.  And there is the mystery of Nguyen's birth mother, unveiled movingly over the course of the book.  Nostalgic and candid, Stealing Buddah's Dinner is a unique vision of the immigrant experience and a lyrical ode to how identity is often shaped by the things we long for."

This was another book that was assigned for my Story of Food course.  It's a thin little book that I was not especially enthusiastic about starting; but once I did, I couldn't put it down.  Perhaps it's because I come from a family where our immigrant roots are still very powerful (my mother is only first-generation American) or a personal struggle with food that I can relate to.  Either way, this book was extremely poignant and powerful.

Bich's, along with her older sister, father, grandmother, and uncles flee Vietnam at the end of the war -- managing to escape on one of the last boats available.  Once arriving in the United States, they are relegated to a refugee camp, where they can do nothing but hope, wait, and eat the unattractive food until they gain a sponsor and move to Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Her first taste of "outside" life in the U.S. is spent in an unsafe neighborhood, but it filled with American candy, treats, and snacks brought home by her father.  Their Vietnamese roots were kept alive (throughout the entire story) by her grandmother, Noi.  She would prepare classic Vietnamese dishes, meditate, and leave food for Buddah and their ancestors.  Noi, Bich, and Bich's older sister, Anh, would practice their daily routine of leaving food for Boddah on the altar where the girls would have to wait to enjoy the treat.  Only when Noi determined it was ready would she divide the fruit between her granddaughters and the girls would savor each morsel.  The simplicity of these days is changed when Bich's father meets a Latina woman named Rosa, marries her (when she is well along in her pregnancy with their son, Vinh), and she and her daughter from a previous marriage, Crissy, come to love with Bich's family in their already full little home.  The blend of another culture (Rosa's Latin heritage) seems to only further Bich's confusion, and makes her struggle to fit in with the Americans even more complex.

The little girl sees food as her "in" with the rest of the American children.  Throughout the book, she desperately tries to get her hands on anything and everything she sees her schoolmates eating.  She longs for the same candy and chips; the homemade cookies and lovingly prepared lunches carried to school in fancy tupperware containers; the beef stroganoff and stuffed peppers.  Bich's attempt to be "American" is attacked from the inside-out.  She cannot make her appearance over into the blond hair and blue eyes of her classmates, so her attempts to eat like they do are her way of trying to assimilate.  These attempts, however, are thwarted by Rosa's thriftiness (or cheapness, depending on one's perception) and the strength of her ties to her Vietnamese roots.  Bich is trapped between two worlds and this book provides a powerful account of what it is like to grow up as an immigrant in our country.

This story is beautifully written and, oftentimes, hauntingly sad.  It is the tale of a little girl who feels like an outsider -- an outcast -- because of where she comes from.  Bich Nguyen is an eloquent author with quite the childhood and I completely recommend this book to everyone either interested in the way food shapes culture, an autobiographical account of the childhood of Vietnamese immigrant, or learning acceptance for those who come from a different place than we do.

(Side note:  I'm a huge fan of Vietnamese food (and I'm really sad that I cannot get it anywhere near where I currently live...) and this book presents a beautiful account of what makes this cuisine so unique and wonderful.)

An Edible History of Humanity: Tom Standage

"More than simply sustenance, food historically has been a kind of technology, changing the course of human progress by helping to build empires, promote industrialization, and decide the outcomes of wars.  Tom Standage draws on archaeology, anthropology, and economics to reveal how food has helped shape and transform societies around the world, from the emergence of farming in China by 7500 B.C. to the use of sugar cane and corn to make ethanol today.  An Edible History of Humanity is a fully satisfying account of human history."

This book was assigned for one of the most interesting courses I've ever taken:  The Story of Food.  It's an English class where I get to read about food, and even cook!  I recently did a project on the history of the Cornish Pasty -- which was pretty darn delicious, by the way.  HERE is the recipe I used -- thank you to Susan of Farmgirl Fare for her article, and Jamie Oliver for the yummy recipe!

Standage's book was the first that we were assigned to read.  I was instantly drawn in by the novelty of what Standage had to say.  There is no such thing as food that has not been genetically modified?  Humans and their food evolved and changed one another?  Entire wars and the development of empires hinged on food?  The claims were at once astonishing and entirely plausible.  Standage pulls from a wealth of human history and substantial evidence to support his claims.  There were numerous times where I paused to think, "That makes complete sense!  I wonder why I'd never seen that before."  This, I believe, is the mark of a brilliant author.  Standage kept me fascinated, he kept me thinking, and he enlightened me to a great many things.

The book covers how farming came about from out hunter-gatherer roots, then how civilizations were formed around this new way of life.  Standage explains how some people came into power because of this new system (and how their methods were so different form what we perceive a ruler to be in our modern world), just how much of an influence the food trade had on shaping empires, how food drove expansion and the discovery of new worlds, how it played a surprisingly vital role in industrialization and warfare, defined the "Green Revolution," and detailed some of the issues that we might someday soon encounter, and what steps are being taken to avoid disaster of catastrophic proportions.

I simply cannot say enough about Standage's work.  It was informative and interesting.  Though I realize I have made it sound as if it reads like a dry history of humanity, it is far from it.  I have been recommending this book to everyone who will listen.  It is a remarkable lens through which to view the history of mankind.  I believe it poses one of the most important questions that anyone can asks, "Where does my food come from."  I genuinely feel that this is something everyone should ask.  You might be shocked!

A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove, Book Two): Tessa Dare

"Unexpected lovers find themselves together in Spindle Cove with A Week to be Wicked--the second book in Tessa Dare's utterly delectable historical romance series.  This Regency Era delight finds a restless British lord desperate to escape the quaint and too quiet small seaside resort he's trapped in...and he gets much more than he expected when he eagerly agrees to escort a beautiful, brilliant, socially awkward lady scientist to Scotland...."

In preparation for posting a few other book reviews (mainly ones I'd read for school) I flipped through a few older reviews on here and noticed that I hadn't reviewed this book yet!  I finished it weeks and weeks ago and cannot believe I never got around to posting a review.  I have a feeling that the reason this happened was because I think I began a review, but left it on my computer at work...  I'll probably end up finding that review later this week and amending this.  For now, the review!

I am afraid that this review will be a bit shorter than previous ones because of the silly delay in my reading it and finally sitting down to review it.

I liked Lord Payne just as much as I thought I would!  His backstory was very rich and his imagination was boundless.  I was very pleased with these characteristics and his outgoing personality.  If you've read my review of the first book in the series, you know that I had an issue with Bram because he lacked a lot of what Colin, Lord Payne, has.  Colin was deep and rich and well-formed, whereas Bram was a bit unbelievable and too undamaged from his time on the battlefield -- especially for a wounded soldier.

Minerva was enthusiastic, intelligent, and socially inept.  Her passion for her work was well-written and remarkable.  I thoroughly appreciate the effort that Dare puts into the inclusion of historical events (and findings) into her works.  So many romance authors use juxtaposition of their characters -- "opposites attract," if you will -- to create simultaneous friction and chemistry.  Dare truly did this in the most amusing and interesting of ways.  Minerva's seriousness and Colin's mischievous nature created some very interesting reading and kindled passion that was so powerful and believable, it was difficult to put the book down.

These two characters were genuinely a few of my favorite that I have ever had the chance to read.  I'm really enjoying Dare's Spindle Cove series and cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.  This is probably a silly excuse to not have begun reading the next in the series, but it's the most expensive one on Kindle for the series...  The cheapskate in me won't let me pay that much for a book I'm going to read only once (not because I don't think I'll like it, but because I really do not ever re-read material).  I'll get around to it someday soon, I'm sure.  I have already recommended Dare's works to a close friend of mine and I'm happy to do so for everyone looking for a good Regency Era historical romance series filled with wit, amusement, and creativity.

A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove, Book One): Tessa Dare

“Welcome to Spindle Cove, where ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and med in their prime are…nowhere to be found.

“Or are they?

“Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men. It is a haven for those who live there.

“Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn’t belong here. So far as he can tell, there’s nothing in this place but spinsters…and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It’s a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch--a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram’s makeshift army.

“Susana has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle…but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?”

After enjoying the fourth book in this series so much I was really excited to read this installment (and get my proper introduction to Tessa Dare’s enchanting series). I am already about eight chapters into the book. I enjoy the characters already. I find Susanna very endearing. She is easy to relate to and I have a personal connection to her unwavering efforts to protect and care for her father. The setting--such a stark contrast to the rigid, disciplined Bram--provides for some comedy and lightheartedness which make the book enjoyable to read. Thus far, I feel like Susana is a much more developed character than Bram. I really hope that Bram is fleshed out more because, in the past, I have really enjoyed Dare’s ability to create extremely rich male leads.

…

I finished this book a couple of days ago (and have already begun reading the second in the series - forgive my delay), and I ended up enjoying it a great deal. This was perhaps why I finished reading it without doing anymore RAIR updates to this review. Let me begin by saying that, while I liked the book, I still liked the fourth one in this series (see the review HERE - I accidentally read it out of order). As I mentioned above, Bram began his life as a less developed character than Susanna; and it continued much along that same vein. This is not to say there was no empathy for him (which sometimes happens in less-developed characters). He was not underdeveloped, just slightly less-so than Susanna. I far prefer books where the male leads are very well-developed (no pun intended). I still enjoyed his character, but I wanted to see more depth from his point of view. He was a very in-the-moment character. Other than his injury in battle, his past was kept fairly superficial. I also felt like he would have had more scars (mental and physical) from having spent so much time in the military. He was an extremely devoted, honorable man--a born-and-bred soldier--but not once did he really describe the horrors of war or seem to be really bothered by them. It’s difficult to tell of the was a conscious decision on the part of the author (like she was trying to make him über-macho by making it seem like war and death and gore didn’t bother him nearly as much as his inability to jump right back into it all), but it was definitely something I noticed. I did enjoy his relationship with his cousin, Colin, Lord Payne. The name choice here is amusing, if a little bit obvious for a thorn in Bram’s side. (As I wrote that, I realized that I don’t think Susanna once calls Bram by his first name, Victor. He’s always “Bram.”) Simply from reading Colin’s parts in this book I can already tell that I’m really going to enjoy his story (contained in the second book of the series, of which I’m already a few chapters into).

As I mentioned, Susanna was a much more developed character. She was strong, intelligent, and brave. The beginning of the book seemed to emphasize her talents with herbs and natural remedies, but I felt like this died away about halfway through. I kind of wish it had been a bit more consistent since I was given the impression that it was such a large part of her life. Her back-story was well written and interesting.

The situations in the story remained fairly lighthearted (until the end, where there were a few twists and turns thrown in, but I won’t give those away!). It was a book that didn’t take itself too seriously and its characters were conscious enough of some of the oddities of the situation (like a town run by and filled with women) that it was made all the more believable. Had everything simply been accepted then I would have had a more difficult time losing myself in it.

As I mentioned earlier, there were a few twists near the end of the story. I realize these types of things are pretty widely accepted in this type of literature as a part of the structure. In order for the lead characters to truly be bonded together and their love made solid, there has to be some sort of tragedy, near-death experience, falling-out, or battle (or thereabouts). Some authors do this much better than others. Personally, I really liked how Dare downplayed this type of scene in her fourth book of this series. It was so much more believable than some of the other scenarios I’ve read and it was really refreshing. I was kind of hoping she’d do that in this book too, but that was not to be. Dare had a few of (not going to say which!) these types of scenes near the conclusion of this story and I felt like she could have done with just one or the other. It was a bit of overkill. This did not, however, detract too much from my enjoyment of the story.

Dare’s writing style is consistently eloquent and she provides readers with some of the best escapist reading I’ve ever enjoyed. She definitely ranks up there with some of my most-loved authors. As an English major, I can really relish her style, vocabulary, witty internal and external dialogues, brilliant use of repetition, and her unique characters. Having read two books by this author (and begun a third) I can say with certainty that Dare is talented for the fact that--not only are her characters diverse--she even makes them “sound” different. Their thought-processes all read differently and it’s like she jumped into each of their heads for their respective books. This is charming and endearing in characters in books such as these. It makes them seem so much more alive than a stereotype.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I’ve obviously decided to read more of Dare’s writing since I’m already onto the third one in this series! I highly recommend this book (and author) because of the eloquent writing and captivating characters.

Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove, Book Four): Tessa Dare

"What's a duke to do, when the girl who's perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can't live without?

"Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season--or any season--but his diabolical mother abducts him to 'Spinster Cove' and insist he select a bride from the ladies in residence.  Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever.  He chooses the serving girl.

"Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn't dream about dukes.  All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop.  That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week's employment.  Her duties are simple:  submit to his mother's 'duchess training'...and fail miserably.

"But in London, Pauline isn't a miserable failure.  She's a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure--a woman who ignites Griff's desire and soothes the darkness in his soul.  Keeping Pauline by his side won't be easy.  Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess--can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?"

Whoops!  I read this book out of order (which is something I HATE to do), but it was quite on accident.  I follow (wonderful) romance author Teresa Medeiros on Facebook and she sometimes advertises Amazon sales for her fellow writers' books.  This book happened to pop up and I was already in need of some new reading material (I'm currently enjoying some time off from work for once).  I purchased it and began reading right away.  I was immediately enthralled--even though I quickly realized that this was not the first book in the series.  Paulina and Griff were rich, deep characters with so many interesting facets.  Their backstories were extremely well-developed and it was impossible not to fall in love with both of them.

The beginning of the story was amusing--if a little bit out there--and I am sure I would have only appreciated it more had I read the books in order and previously been exposed to Griff.  I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and dynamics between Griff and his mother.  They certainly provided for some interesting reading.  Paulina was really enjoyable as well.  She was chipped and scuffed, but she really did shine brightly amongst the pantheon of some of my favorite female characters.  The plot managed to be whimsical, yet remain mostly believable, which is really nice.  It was filled with amusing moments and had the right amount of seriousness and depth that makes for a wonderful "for-fun" read.  It was the perfect book to read on vacation.  I'm definitely going to see if I can find more of Tessa Dare's books to read on my phone/iPad.  The idea of a "Spinster Cove" was charming.  I was definitely drawn into the plot and really cannot wait to get my hands on the first book in the series to see where this all began.  Tessa Dare really impressed me with the beauty and eloquence of her writing.  I highly recommend this book and I'm optimistically stating that the rest of the books should be along this same quality.  I'll be sure to let you know!

Tempting a Proper Lady (Brides of Nevarton Chase, Book One): Debra Mullins

"A Most Improper Alliance

"Two years ago, dashing Captain Samuel Breedlove disappeared without a word.  But he's resurfaced in London a wealthy man, only to discover his fiancee preparing to wed another.  Now Samuel needs to restore his good name and expose a villain--and tempting, temptable Cilla seems an idea accomplice.

"Priscilla Burke knows the marriage of her charge, Annabelle Bailey, to the Earl of Raventhorp must be perfect.  It would be madness for her to even consider doing anything that would mar this beautiful day and destroy her fledgling career as a wedding planner.  Why then is she so drawn to this irresistible stranger who insists she help him sabotage the impending affair?

"But a proper lady's desire is nothing to toy with.  And a man whose character has been questioned cannot allow himself to dream of happily ever after.  This not-so-innocent seduction may have unforeseen consequences..."

I'm back again after another unfortunate hiatus thanks to my massive course-load and full-time job.  I began this book about a year ago, actually.  I'm ashamed to say that it took me this long to finish it.  Those who have read my other posts know that I have a habit of devouring books fairly quickly.  Part of what took me so long to read this book was my busy schedule and the other is the fact that the story (and its characters) were a little bit unbelievable.  (The most telling thing here is that I use my busy schedule as a poor excuse, but I know deep down that nothing can really keep me from finishing a good book.)  It was pleasantly interesting, but nothing that made me salivate to read more.  I did not care nearly enough about the male lead in the story, Samuel.  This, I truly believe, is one of the things that makes or breaks a romance novel.  In order to lose herself in a book such as this one, the reader needs to fall head-over-heels for the "hero."  She has to believe that this is the most wonderful (if flawed) man in the world and she has to think he is the dreamiest and most charming and passionate person she could possibly imagine spending her life with.  She has to wish she were in the "heroine's" place.  This book did not make me feel strongly enough for Samuel and this was perhaps where it fell most short.  There was definite effort made to create sympathy for Samuel, but it was just shy of where it needed to be in order to make the book a success.  Priscilla's character was along the same lines.  I felt a bit more for her than I did for Samuel, but not by that much.  She fell a little bit flat for me as well.  Her story was a little bit sad, but could have been made tragic with a bit more effort.  The relationship between these characters was too...contrived for me to enjoy.  I feel like it was too obviously fictional for me to truly lose myself.  Lord Raventhorp was a good villain, but he wasn't in the book very much for so much of the plot to be revolving around his nefarious plans.

This is not the first Debra Mullins book I've read, but I don't recall having these issues with that one...  I just went back and checked.  I've actually read two other books by Debra Mullins and actually seemed to have really, absolutely enjoyed them...  Interesting...  Those books were fun and the characters had fire.  I think those were the things that were missing from this book.  The fire was lacking even in the most intense of scenes.  The ending itself was even a bit anticlimactic.  Overall, the characters were a bit on the shallow side, the plot was a bit unbelievable, and the ending was a bit hollow.  This won't prevent me from reading other Debra Mullins works because I've obviously enjoyed them in the past; see the following links HERE and HERE.  I realize that tastes change over the years (note that the first review is from 2009, the second from 2011), but not this drastically.

A Tryst in Time: Eugenia Riley

"THE DREAM

"Belle Fontaine was a relic of Louisiana's gracious past, a crumbling Civil War plantation house, where shadowy images seemed to flit between the shifting pools of sunlight, and haunting melodies echoed through the empty rooms.  For Sarah Jennings it was a refuge from the consolable sorrow of her brother's death in the Vietnam War, a place where she could lose herself in swirling dreams of a dark-eyed lover who called to her across the years...

"THE FULFILLMENT

"Damien, too, had lost a brother to war--the War between the States--but in Sarah's soft embrace he found a sweet ecstasy that made life worth living again.  If only he could fathom the mystery surrounding her arrival at Belle Fontaine, if only he knew whether they were to share more than a brief tryst in time."

It has been an unconscionably long time since I last reviewed a book!  I'm actually ashamed!  Well, I've made it back on here and I fully intend to do a better job.  It's going to be a real challenge because the fall semester starts tomorrow and I'm going to be pretty overloaded working full-time and going to school full-time.  This is what I get for wanting to be a college professor!

Anyway, onto the review of this book.  I'm afraid it's not going to be super in-depth because this book wasn't one of my favorites.  The biggest reason for this was the terribly, horribly unrealistic and antiquated dialogue.  It really wrecks the break from reality when the dialogue isn't believable.  A man and a woman walking around sighing, "Oh my love!" over and over again is not what I would call realistic.  Not to mention the quickness with which Sarah and Damien fell madly, deeply in love was a little bit too sudden for me.  I don't feel like I ever really loved the characters.  I don't think they had enough depth for me.  While it was sad that both main characters had lost their brothers to horrible deaths in different wars, that was about all I cared about.  I didn't feel that much empathy for either of them, which is a little bit disappointing.  While the actual time travel aspect was interesting, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the fuzzy logistics of it.  I know it was meant to be that way, but there seemed to be some contradictions throughout the plot.  What I did find interesting was the search that Sarah performed while trying to find out whether or not she belonged in the past.  It reminded me of the hunting that any good genealogist would have to go through.  That journey, in particular, was what helped me get through the latter half of the book.  Overall, the characters were somewhat flat and disappointing.  The dialogue was probably some of the most flowery, overly-dramatic, and unbelievable that I've ever read.  The plot was alright, but nothing all that special.  I doubt I'll be reading anymore books by Riley even though I'm sure I have a couple of hers on my shelves.  This book was not my cup of tea.