Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Modern Romance


Modern Romance
Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg
4 / 5


Published 2015

First Sentences
"Oh, shit! Thanks for buying my book. That money is MINE. But I worked really hard on this, and I think you'll enjoy it."
Publisher's Description:
A hilarious, thoughtful, and in-depth exploration of the pleasures and perils of modern romance from one of this generation’s sharpest comedic voices

At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard now, but it’s wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering. So why are so many people frustrated?

Some of our problems are unique to our time. “Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?” “Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos?!” “My girlfriend just got a message from some dude named Nathan. Who’s Nathan? Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I check just to be sure?” 

But the transformation of our romantic lives can’t be explained by technology alone. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love has changed dramatically. A few decades ago, people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet and, after deciding neither party seemed like a murderer, they would get married and soon have a kid, all by the time they were twenty-four. Today, people marry later than ever and spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate.

For years, Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance, the book, he decided he needed to take things to another level. He teamed up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita. They analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their own online research forum on Reddit, which drew thousands of messages. They enlisted the world’s leading social scientists, including Andrew Cherlin, Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer. The result is unlike any social science or humor book we’ve seen before.

In Modern Romance, Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.

Dear Reader,

It me took forever to read this book! Or rather, it took US forever to read this book: I audiobooked it with Troy, and we started it when it was released back in June. But we tend to audiobook together only when we are taking long drives (and very occasionally, long walks), so we picked it up and put it down so many times! Luckily, it was pretty easy to do that, since this didn't have a continuous storyline - just a bunch of interesting chapters.

So I started listening to the audiobook (which, by the way, is an entirely different experience from the book - Ansari loves to talk to his listeners in asides, especially about how lazy we are for audiobooking!) because I always love to hear authors read their own work wherever possible. But I hit "pause" quickly - I realized that Troy would also love to listen with me, as we were both huge fans of Parks & Rec, and this was a different sort of celebrity book: instead of memoir, it was a study, and I knew that would appeal to us both. So be began to listen together, which then caused a 6 hour book to end up taking us 4 months to finish! Haha.

It might have also taken us so long to read because we were constantly pausing to discuss one point or another! It was a great conversation kindler. Ansari and Klinenberg study people from all ages and walks of life - from an old folks' home in Brooklyn to love hotels in Japan. They explore the world of online dating, of texting (and sexting!), and the huge changes that have taken place both in marriage expectations and in courting rituals in the past hundred years. It was fascinating to consider everything they studied. And Ansari infused the entire thing with his trademark wit, which made even parts that might possibly have come off as dry into humorous episodes!

I think this is a great book for our generation to read: it is important to remember we're all in this very odd, unprecedented moment of coupling together. You're not alone if you've received unsolicited "dick pics" or broken up with someone over texts. It's a strange new world we live in, and one where we are so much more conscious of our choices. Sometimes this can be overwhelming, but it is nice to know we're (mostly) all aiming for love rather than just settling down with some kid from the neighborhood. Or doing it for the donuts.

Yours,
Arianna


Modern Romance

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Factory Girls


Factory Girls:
From Village to City in a Changing China
Leslie T. Chang
3.5 / 5

Published 2008

First Sentence
"When you met a girl from another factory, you quickly took her measure."
Publisher's Description:
An eye-opening and previously untold story, Factory Girls is the first look into the everyday lives of the migrant factory population in China.

China has 130 million migrant workers—the largest migration in human history. In Factory Girls, Leslie T. Chang, a former correspondent for theWall Street Journal in Beijing, tells the story of these workers primarily through the lives of two young women, whom she follows over the course of three years as they attempt to rise from the assembly lines of Dongguan, an industrial city in China’s Pearl River Delta.

As she tracks their lives, Chang paints a never-before-seen picture of migrant life—a world where nearly everyone is under thirty; where you can lose your boyfriend and your friends with the loss of a mobile phone; where a few computer or English lessons can catapult you into a completely different social class. Chang takes us inside a sneaker factory so large that it has its own hospital, movie theater, and fire department; to posh karaoke bars that are fronts for prostitution; to makeshift English classes where students shave their heads in monklike devotion and sit day after day in front of machines watching English words flash by; and back to a farming village for the Chinese New Year, revealing the poverty and idleness of rural life that drive young girls to leave home in the first place. Throughout this riveting portrait, Chang also interweaves the story of her own family’s migrations, within China and to the West, providing historical and personal frames of reference for her investigation.

A book of global significance that provides new insight into China, Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America’s shores remade our own country a century ago.

Dear Reader,

I don't know what drew me to this book; perhaps it was that I don't feel like I know very much about China in general (particularly modern-day China), and wanted to change that. Partly I selected it because it was available on my library's Overdrive site, and I wanted to select a non-fiction book, because I realized - and was appalled at the thought! - that other than autobiographies, I hadn't read ANY non-fiction this year! Unreal. Usually I have a non-fiction going alongside whatever fiction I am currently reading. Sometimes they complement each other, but usually they are simply two ways for me to look at the world. I enjoy stories, for sure - but I also love soaking up facts about the real world around me.

I also chose this book because I thought it might be more about what we Westerners are always told are the horrific conditions in Chinese factories, as the workers slave away to make us the luxury goods we take for granted. And there was some of that - most factory workers are on 10- or 11-hour shifts, and only get every other Sunday off, for example. But the picture Chang painted wasn't that of despair and grueling conditions - rather, it was of a hopeful young generation of Chinese (mostly women, per the title) who take this factory work as an opportunity to better themselves and their positions in life. Many are the daughters of rural farmers, and become migrant workers in larger cities (many hours or days away by train) because there is no real opportunity for them in their hometown. They embark on very strange lives, which revolve around work and often involve jumping from one job to another. This is a place where resumes aren't very important, and lying about your experience is par for the course. Many workers get jobs that are beyond their level of expertise, but they essentially fake it till they make it! There are so many instances of opportunity of all kinds which are taken advantage of: Chang examines women who work on the factory floor, those who work as secretaries or at other higher levels within the factory, entrepreneurs trying to start their own streams of revenue in a very competitive city, those who choose to study English full time, and even prostitutes. Everyone has their place in this nonstop economy, and if they find themselves unhappy with their situations - either due to interpersonal relationships or ambition - they (seemingly) glibly move on to something new. It was fascinating to see the cavalier way many Chinese approached the job market: it appeared that they never worried, that there was always another job they could take.

(That isn't to say conditions weren't pretty dismal, or that I thought these women were completely content and needn't strive for more - there is A LOT that could be improved in Chinese factory life! But - that wasn't really the story that Chang was telling.)

The author also tried to interweave her own family history in with this story, which I felt was done rather unsuccessfully - it felt somewhat forced. I found myself much less interested in these parts of the book, even though there were many fascinating aspects of her grandfather's story. Perhaps there was just too much of it, and I wasn't certain how it really fit in with the story of today's young migrants.

My favorite parts of the book were probably those times when Chang traveled with the girls to their rural China hometowns. This was where you could really see the contrast between city and country life, and even still some of the after-effects of Mao's reign.  Visiting the hometown alongside them, as the reader, you could really understand what this young generation is trying to escape. Not to say that it's necessary they should - many of the young women, once exposed to capitalism, certainly became more materially inclined (although not nearly to the extent that I am, I know) and who is to say they couldn't have carried on reasonably happy lives in the towns where they had been born? (Although, opportunity for such a life is rapidly disappearing, particularly for young women, so often it was necessary that they leave to seek their fortunes elsewhere.) But it definitely was a marked contrast, and one that is marking an important historical shift in Chinese culture. This mass migration to cities is a relatively new development, and it remains to be seen how these changes will affect China and the rest of the world. I am glad, at least, to be more aware of the situation.

Yours,
Arianna


Factory Girls

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Friday, November 13, 2015

In the Woods


In the Woods
Tana French
4/5


Published 2007

First Sentence
"What I warn you to remember is that I am a detective."
Publisher's Description:

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Dear Reader,

Have you ever been disappointed by a thriller/mystery? Me too! This is NOT that. I can guarantee you that you'll enjoy this (even if just a little bit). Just look how cool that cover is?! Yes, this is a series and as I've stated before... I'm not that into those. I'm not even sure if I'll continue on with this series (The Dublin Murder Squad) but I'm glad I picked this one up. The most upsetting thing was that the underlying mystery won't be solved in this book (or maybe in any other? Not sure?) ugh, I feel jipped.

The setting for this couldn't be cooler (and by cool, I mean perfect for a murder mystery), a nice little town in Dublin surrounded by a dark forest. While I was reading this, I could almost see the dew soaked air and the thick bands of fog masking the view. I'd expect everything to be damp all the time, but I'm not sure why. Setting aside, the characters had depth but holy smokes I wanted to choke them numerous times. I couldn't handle the love story - if I could change anything in the book, it would be that. I don't want to give anything away and be mad at me all you want if I destroyed this for you by mentioning it has a romance. 

The mystery itself was really well planned out and executed. I was caught off guard and didn't "guess" correctly. I really want to know what happens with Ryan and his past, it almost seemed supernatural but how? That question alone is smart of French to do... holding back because who wouldn't want to find out that mystery? I was mostly reading this wanting to figure out what happened to him... who cares about the girl in the woods? Eh, whatever. I guess I'll have to pick up the next one at some point.

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie


The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Alan Bradley
3.5 / 5

Published 2009

First Sentence
"It was as black in the closet as old blood."
Publisher's Description:
It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.

For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

Dear Reader,

What did I think of this book? That is a good question. I guess...I felt mostly ambivalent. It was enjoyable enough, but nothing special. I picked it up because it was another read for the Letter Writers Alliance book club, and it did revolve around postage stamps. But I didn’t end up falling in love with it as much as I’d hoped. The story revolves around young Flavia de Luce, a sort of 1950s British Harriet the Spy. She discovers a dead body in the garden, and works tirelessly from then on out (despite much flack from the local police force) to discover the culprit - especially because her own father has been accused of the crime! Flavia is a great mystery novel protagonist with a lot of potential: she is whip-smart, knows everything about chemistry, and her curiosity and sense of adventure never flag. However, I did find her at times a bit annoying. And the story didn’t compel me consistently. I suppose I was curious about who the murderer was and why, but it kind of felt neither pressing nor all that important in the grand scheme of things. Some of Flavia’s actions didn’t really make sense to me. And - as I’ve complained about in other books - I felt as if I were waiting for it to begin...the entire time I was reading it. 

At least there is this great little quote: “...it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No...eight days a week.” (I agree!) 

It’s an enjoyable little jaunt, if you want some distraction. Certainly there is some fun to be had. And of course, it may just not have been - pardon the pun, because the book is British - my cup of tea.

Best,
Arianna


The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

A Blind Guide to Stinkville


A Blind Guide to Stinkville
Beth Vrabel
4 / 5

Published October 13, 2015

First Sentence
"Even I could see that Tooter was no Seeing Eye dog."
Publisher's Description:
Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville.

For the first time in her life, Alice feels different—like she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time.

This is a stirring small-town story that explores many different issues—albinism, blindness, depression, dyslexia, growing old, and more—with a light touch and lots of heart. Beth Vrabel’s characters are complicated and messy, but they come together in a story about the strength of community and friendship.
 

Dear Reader,

This was a sweet little middle grade book. It was charming and adorable, while surprisingly also tackling a lot of pretty serious issues, such as bullying, disability, racism, and depression. The story centers around Alice, an albino girl who grew up in one place and has never seen her differences as being all that noticeable. When her father moves the entire family across the country, though, things change quickly. Alice's limited vision means she is reliant on her family to get her around; she cannot explore her new world on her own. This forces her into new situations and she begins to learn to become more self-reliant. As she does so, she also begins to forge new relationships with townspeople of all ages. She befriends a girls whose mother works as the children's librarian, an old man who spends his lonely days whittling, and a sweet diner waitress who immediately treats Alice like family. But Alice also encounters some of the less savory locals, and her family is dragged into controversy over their beloved dog. This, surprisingly, helps to bring her strained family closer as they band together to stand up for Tooter. 

One of the topics I thought the book dealt with surprisingly well (outside of the obvious albinism) was that of  Alice's mother's depression. I have not seen many books deal so honestly with the sickness, and especially not YA books. I appreciated that the mother would have her good and bad days as she struggled realistically to overcome those times when she just wanted to stay in bed, using the covers to block out the world she couldn't deal with. I could identify with this mother, despite wanting to shake her into being there for her unhappy children. It was difficult to read but so true to life that I could easily sympathize.

I also liked the character of Alice, a strong young girl who struggled to decide her own character and values as she learned her way around Sinkville. She began to discover herself, something she might not have ever been forced to do in her former life. The book also deals well in balancing Alice's need for independence with the necessity of certain special treatments. I think any kid would do well to read fun this book to understand more about the realities - both the struggles and triumphs - of life.

Yours,
Arianna


A Blind Guide to Stinkville

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