BOOK REVIEW: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Debut novels fascinate me. If it is great, can the author follow with something equally great? If it is not so great, will the author grow into a Pulitzer winner? Jamie Ford has fallen someplace between the great and the not so great with his debut HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.

The story is told by Chinese/American Henry, both as a recently widowed man in 1986 and as a twelve year old boy in 1942. Henry grew up in Seattle and was given a firsthand view of the early jazz scene in Seattle and the strong anti-Asian feelings that led to the internment of the Japanese/Americans by the United States government.

The Panama Hotel had been boarded up for over forty years, but as Henry is walking by one afternoon he discovers that it has been bought and that the new owner has found trunks left by the local Japanese when they were forced from their homes. As the new owner opens a Japanese parasol, Henry starts to remember his life in 1942.

Henry’s father was very proud of his Chinese past and hated the Japanese for their war with his home country. He was also very proud that his son was going to an all-white elementary school, not knowing the abuse that Henry faced every day.

Henry worked in the cafeteria to pay for his scholarship and when Keiko, a Japanese/American scholarship student, joins him they soon become friends. But, Keiko and her family are “re-located” with the rest of the Japanese population and although he does visit the camp where she and her family are held, Henry eventually loses track of her. He goes on with his life, marries, has a son, and becomes widowed, but has never forgotten his childhood friend.

I enjoyed this story. The characters are likable and at times the language is beautiful. The contrast/similarities of the relationship between Henry and his father and later of Henry and his son were well done. I am not too concerned with historical facts when I read, but there were several anachronisms that even I caught, rear projector television and online support groups in the ‘80’s for example. Jamie Ford will have to learn to do better research for future books; readers can be experts on minor details and find mistakes to be jarring. To me, the book had enough good in it to overshadow the inaccuracies. This may be an author to keep an eye on.

BOOK REVIEW: Life Is Not A Stress Rehearsal

Loretta LaRoche is a stress management consultant, a motivational speaker, author, and humorist. If you have been lucky enough to have caught her PBS shows, you know how well she uses humor to make her point, and to help you to do the same. 

I highly recommend her book, LIFE IS NOT A STRESS REHEARSAL. It is full of examples of how to get rid of so much in our lives that cause stress. 

 

One piece of advice that Ms. LaRoche repeats constantly is to not only celebrate your friends who are a little crazy, but celebrate the crazy in yourself. “People who don’t feel pressure to conform to societal standards live longer, happier lives”. 

 

Think about it. What would our world be if Edgar Allan Poe had taken anger management classes or if Van Gogh, Picasso, or Emily Dickinson had spent their lives learning self-empowerment rituals instead of practicing their art and feeling their pain? Do any of us want our tombstone to read, “Here lies Jane Doe. She was pretty much like everybody else”?

Another pet peeve of hers is that we do not allow ourselves to have fun. We need a “fun timer” to tell us that it is time to have fun and not to wait until we finish everything that is in our time organizer.

She even covers my personal pet peeve. We are not taking interaction with real people seriously enough. When we spend more time getting involved with the characters on the so-called reality shows, but have no idea what is happening to the real people around, we lose something in ourselves. The chapter “Who Wants to Be an Idiot?” says it best. “Instead of passively watching people talk, we need to talk to people”.

Loretta LaRoche has an impressive list of awards, eight bestselling books, a weekly newspaper column, and is a much sought after panelist and lecturer. Her books or TV appearances will do much to replace the stress in your life with humor. LIFE IS NOT A STRESS REHEARSAL is a good place to start.

SHOW: Wise Cracker Comedy Club/Fundraiser

A group of us went to Wise Cracker Comedy Club this weekend and actually laughed until we hurt. This was my first visit and I had such a good time that I had to share the fun with you. Some of my past experiences with comedy clubs have been disappointing, so I was not expecting a lot. Saturday night was an enjoyable surprise.

Quinn Patterson was the opening act and I can picture his becoming a headliner in the near future. Quinn is a comic who is not overly angry, uncomfortably vulgar, or extremely racist. His stories may be from a black perspective, but they are stories that all of the audience could relate to. He simply depended on his keen eye for the human situation to be funny and it worked.

Headliner Paul Venier was not afraid to pass the line of good taste into the realm of political incorrectness and vulgarity and the audience loved it. He was amazing. First of all, (actually I will not tell you about his VERY first appearance on stage, you would have to see that for yourself) he chose ten or fifteen members of the audience. After getting the person’s name, occupation, and a little personal information, Venier was able to work the information into the show. As I said, “Amazing”.

He had jokes for every occupation from policeman to dentist……well, actually some very bad puns. His use of props was clever, his humor outrageous, and his music talent impressive. I would suggest that you check Paul Venier out; you will laugh until you hurt also.

Wise Crackers is located at Celebration Hall every weekend. A cash bar and complimentary buffet are available. Our group went this particular Saturday because it was a fund raiser for the Wounded Warriors and I understand that various groups use this venue as a fund raiser. To check their schedule or to make reservations, you can call them at 1-866-424-2411. Believe me, it was an evening well spent.

BOOK REVIEW: Notorious Nineteen

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Personally, I wish that Janet Evanovich would bring her Stephanie Plum books to a close. I spent part of the Christmas vacation catching up on the last several and have to admit, she still makes me laugh out loud. But, and this is a big “but”, I want to know -- Ranger or Morelli?… tough choice for any red blooded girl. Since NOTORIOUS NINETEEN is on all of the Best Seller Lists that I check and in case you are not familiar with Stephanie and the characters surrounding her, here is a re-cap of her latest adventures.

Stephanie Plum works for her Uncle Vinnie’s bail bond agency chasing people who have skipped out on their bail, in other words as a bounty hunter. Her side kick and friend is Lulu, a plus-size ex-prostitute. 

 

She has parents and a grandmother who live close enough to see that she is fed regularly especially when the skips are not getting caught often enough to pay the bills. She also is involved with two of the sexiest men in literature, Joe Morelli, an Italian policeman, and Ranger, a mystery man who owns a security agency.

In NOTORIOUS NINETEEN Stephanie may have finally landed an assignment that will pay her credit card bill. One of the skips is facing trial for embezzling millions of dollars from an assisted living facility. The bounty on this man will put our heroine back in the money.

Add to this basic plot one very sexy Ranger who needs Stephanie to pose as his date for a friend’s wedding because a homicidal manic is trying to kill Ranger and the groom. Add an assortment of other felons and general odd-balls who keep showing up and you have your typical Stephanie Plum book.

Helping Stephanie as always is Grandma Mazur who goes undercover at the assisted-living facility; it is a good place to meet sexy guys. It is also a break from visiting funerals. 

 

Stephanie has numerous cars blown up, visits a nude beach, almost gets buried alive, and still maintains a relationship with Morelli and Ranger. It’s all in a day’s work for our girl.

Yes, these books are very “formula” as well as outrageous, but there is a reason that they are still going strong enough to put number nineteen on the bestselling lists. They are funny. By now Grandma Mazur, Lulu, Morelli, Ranger, and the rest of these crazies are well known to us and we still laugh at their antics, much as we do some of our own family members who are just a little off center.

If you have not been properly introduced to this cast of characters, it might be a good idea to start with number one, cleverly titled One for the Money. Ms. Evanovich was thoughtful and numbered the books to make it easier for us.

MOVIE REVIEW: Les Miserables!

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After what seemed like ages, I finally got to see the movie LES MISERABLES. Usually if I loved the book or loved the stage show, I am reluctant to see what Hollywood does with it, but the cast of the movie was a big part of my anticipation. Hugh Jackman AND Russell Crowe? Come on!

The movie is lush. I cannot think of another word. If you have seen the stage show, you know that it is very minimalistic, especially where the sets are concerned. The movie is big with sets that at times were overwhelming. (If you have seen the movie you will understand-- I have a great fear of heights and truly had to look away at times.) The costuming was beautifully done. Technically, it is a fabulous experience.

But, I went to see the cast perform. After all, it is a musical drama.

Hugh Jackman is one of my favorite actors; he sings, dances, and acts. He was so good as Jean Valjean that I did not recognize him at first. He did not disappoint. I have to admit that at one point his sideburns were a little long and I had a flashback to Wolverine.

Inspector Javert is such a complicated character that I am glad that the actor Russell Crowe was cast in the part. Critics have not been kind to his singing voice, but I felt that it suited the character very well. 

 

This was my first experience of seeing Anne Hathaway in a dramatic role and the role of Fantine is certainly dramatic. I am not sure if Hathaway is how I saw Fantine, but she will probably win an award for the role. 

 

Although Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen Bonham Carter play the actual villains, Thenardier and Madame Thenardier, they also provide much needed comedy relief. Ms. Carter is always a delight as a character actor and Cohen’s talent is just starting to get noticed. I am waiting to see him as Freddy Mercury.

All parts were well cast, but for me the high-light of the movie, beside Hugh Jackman, was Samantha Barks as Eponine. Her acting was so effortless and her solo, "On My Own", was very moving. I hope that we see much more of this young talent.

In other words, this is a movie that I am so glad that I saw. Ironically, I still prefer the 25^th Anniversary Concert to listen to. The movie voices were perfect for the action, but the concert is perfect for listening. Side note: I was glad that Colm Wilkinson, one of the original Jean Valjeans, was in the movie. His voice is so beautiful.

Much credit goes to Victor Hugo for giving us a novel that has stood the test of time so well. LES MISERABLES defines the term classic.

BOOK REVIEW: Hidden Power

The Holidays have been a lazy time for me. I read mostly my favorite fun authors, Sharon Sala, Victoria Alexander, Janet Evanovich, etc.  The one serious book that I finished was HIDDEN POWER by Kati Marton. This is an excellent book dealing with Presidential marriages and how the wives helped to shape our recent history.

The good thing about HIDDEN POWER was that I could “read at it”.  It was possible to read about one of our Presidents, put the book aside, read something frivolous, then pick it up again and read about the next First Lady.

Starting with Woodrow and Edith Wilson and finishing with George W. and Laura Bush, Marton gives us not only a very personal glimpse at the relationships in the White House, but also how the role of women evolved during this time.

What I liked best about Marton’s book was that it never slipped into the realm of gossip. This award winning journalist took the information from personal journals, letters, and memos. To be honest, I am not the most astute of history students, modern or ancient; I like books with strong character development. HIDDEN POWER is rich in personal development.

Edith Wilson fascinated me. This was a woman who was actively against the Women’s Rights movement. When Woodrow became ill, she stepped in and almost literally ran the country. Her main objective was to protect her husband. The country may have suffered because of her lack of knowledge or understanding of the job.

I felt very sorry for Patricia Nixon; I could not understand why she married Richard. She had been a vivacious, popular teacher. As he became more paranoid, their relationship became more estranged which fed his paranoia and seemed to crush her spirit.

My admiration for Hilary Clinton grew. I could understand how an intelligent woman who had always worked, would need to be still active….no matter what her husband’s job was. Hilary comes across as someone of strong personal faith, who really wanted to make a difference, but neither she nor her husband had a clear understanding of Washington politics.

Each First Lady saw her primary job as being a wife. How each used that job to influence what happened to our country was fascinating. It seems that no matter how the public feels about equal rights for women, we still have strong feelings of how the First Lady should conduct herself.

When you read this book, I would be interested in hearing how you respond to these women who had their moment in the glare of the world’s spotlight.