A Pale View of Hills was published in 1982, and it was the first novel to be written by Kazuo Ishiguro. While I have his other book, Never Let Me Go, in my pile, I chose to read this first as I don't think I have seen too many reviews on this around the blogosphere.

A Pale View of Hills tells the story of a middle-aged Japanese woman named Etsuko living in England as she recalls her past living in post-war Nagasaki, during a visit from her daughter, Niki. As the narrator, Etsuko began to describe her acquaintance with a woman she knew as Sachiko and her daughter Mariko during her days in Nagasaki. Before she went on to recall her relationship with Sachiko, readers are well aware that there have been two marriages in Etsuko's life through the first chapter. Her first marriage was to a Japanese man named Jiro and together they had a daughter, Keiko. Niki is actually her daughter from her second marriage to a British man. During the time when Etsuko is living in England (there isn't any mention of Jiro so it was understood that Etsuko and Jiro had split), Keiko became withdrawn and spent most of the time locked in her room. She committed suicide later, and this was made known to the readers from the beginning because Niki was telling Etsuko that she doesn't feel comfortable staying in the room facing opposite Keiko's room.

This first part of the story tells a lot about Etsuko's recollections of her friendship with Sachiko and Mariko. As the story progressed, I found myself disliking Sachiko because she somewhat gave me the impression of being an arrogant and a materialistic woman. In any sense, there are also a few similarities between Keiko and Mariko as both seemed to be loners and harbour a sense of depression.

The story took a turn during the second part as this focus more Etsuko's relationship with Jiro and his father Ogata-San, as well as the latter's opinion towards the Japanese society between the past and the present. If you are feeling confused at this point, you are not alone because that was my initial reaction as far as the progress of the story is concerned. Etsuko has intrigued me with her recollections of Sachiko and Mariko during the first part of the story, so I was perplexed and feeling somewhat frustrated that there isn't further elaborations on them on the second part of the story. I also have to confess that I was actually more interested to read about Sachiko and Mariko than Jiro and Ogata-San, not because the latter wasn't interesting but there is something about Sachiko and Mariko that I couldn't quite put a finger on. It was only after reading the whole book and some pondering did I realise that not only this story is multi-layered but it is also how you interpret it in the end. This book makes a great book club discussion in my opinion, and I think this is the kind of book which you will either love it or hate it. For me, I don't hate it but I don't love it to pieces too; still I quite like the idea that this story would provoke some pondering from the readers and that has totally heightened my reading experience aside from being an escapism.

Have you read it? What is your interpretation of this story?

I bought this book right after I finished reading Love in Translation last year because I loved it so much. Though it was fun reading Midori by Moonight, I have to say I enjoyed Love in Translation much better due to the premise (you can read my review here).

Midori by Moonlight is a story of a thirty-year-old Midori Saito, whose dreams is to be married to a foreigner and live her life in America. She has no intention of becoming a housewife and to cater to her husband's every needs, and knowing that her goals might not fit into the Japanese society, she hopes she could find her true love with a gaijin (which means foreigner in Japanese) and start a new life with him. She found her perfect man in Kevin, an American English teacher who has lived in Japan for a short while and Midori is feeling very happy that they are going to be engaged soon. However, her happiness is a short-lived one as she soon learns that he is dumping her for his blonde ex-fiancée. Midori has never felt so lonely and lost in her life, but she is glad to find acquaintance in Shinji Nishimura, a fellow Japanese and a friend of Kevin.

Shinji sympathise with Midori's situation, and offered to rent his apartment to her since he rarely live in there as he spend most of the time with his American girlfriend. Having not much money left and with her limited English language, she agrees to stay in Shinji's apartment and be his roommate since she needs to think of a plan as her visa is expiring soon. And she wouldn't want her parents to know about her pathetic situation, after all they had wanted her to marry a Japanese man back home right from the beginning.

Things became a challenge to Midori for she has to find a job while she continues to hold on to her American dreams. She has finally found a job being a bar hostess, and this experience will lead her to something unexpected that will change not only her situation but also her outlook on love and everything.

Did I mention that Midori by Moonlight is a fun read? I also loved Tokunaga's writing style because it flows smoothly and the dialogues are witty, especially when Midori attempts to construct sentences with idioms and I couldn't help but to laugh it off with her. Midori is a likeable character, and on top of that she has courage and determination in which I most admire about her.

Besides the plot and the characterisation, it is also interesting to learn more about the Japanese culture and I find Midori's perspective refreshing because her views are so entirely different from the typical Japanese women; not that it is a bad thing but it shows her other independent side.

I hope there will be a new release out soon by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga because I really enjoy reading her books.

(Click here to read other bookbloggers' reviews.)

ISBN-13: 9781860495243
Publisher: Virago Press Ltd
Published: March 1999
472 pgs
Source: Personal Library



I have heard a lot of great reviews on Sarah Waters' books, but just haven't got around to reading any of them yet. So I told myself, enough is enough, and I shall wait no more in reading her books, thus this is where Tipping the Velvet comes along. Why I chose this book is simply because I don't think I have read a lot of reviews on this one, as compared to her other titles such as Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. I might be wrong, but anyway the decision has been made so I wasted no time in jumping into this story. And guess what, I loved this story! Aside from the Victorian England setting (which is one of my favourite era to read), the other thing that made this book so outstanding is Waters' writing style. Oh, how I love her prose!

Eighteen-year-old Nancy Astley's life is a simple yet a satisfactory one, in a sense that she is enjoying her life being an oyster girl and that their oyster restaurant in Whitstable, Kent, is doing well. However, her life changes once she attends a musical hall and is fascinated with a young cross-dressing performer named Kitty Butler. She is so intrigued by Kitty so much so to the extent that she watches her perform almost every evening, and hope that she could catch Kitty's attention.

Nancy does finally manage to catch Kitty's attention, and it is not long before she becomes Kitty's dresser, helping her to change costumes in between the performances. All this while, she has kept her desire on Kitty only in her thoughts, plus she is not sure if Kitty feels the same way towards her. When Kitty is being offered a chance to perform in London, Nancy decides she would leave everything behind and be Kitty's personal dresser as she follow her around. Nancy's life then took a new turn when she became Nan King as she joins Kitty on stage. It is also at this time that their relationship soars and at its height when they discover their love for each other.

Tipping the Velvet is not what I have expected in the beginning. I knew this is a coming-of-age story of a young girl and her journey of finding her self and her unique relationship with another girl. Other than these, I knew nothing about this book and for this, I felt it is a good thing because you just wouldn't know what to expect of this story, since there are so much anticipation and twist to it. The twist referred here is more of a change in Nan's life thereafter and does not associated with mystery. And the more I read, the more I felt for Nan and hope that she would find happiness in the end.

While Tipping the Velvet is a story about self-discovery, I have to say it is also a story about sexism, class difference, freedom and socialism. Though this book contains lesbian theme, please do not let that deter you from reading it as Waters' storytelling is superb and the passionate scenes are done tastefully.

As I mentioned before I like reading the Victorian era, what most fascinated me of this story is the characters and the settings as Waters has the capability to bring them all to life through her skilful writing. I learnt something more about oysters; how they are prepared from fishing right down to opening them (yes, there's a technique) and not to mention the colourful life of the performers onstage or offstage.

After reading Tipping the Velvet and falling in love with Waters' writing style, it is no surprise to me that she has become one of my favourite authors to read and I cannot wait to read the rest of her books. The problem is, I do not know which book I should read next (should the mood strikes since I am such a moody reader). What's your suggestion? I would love to hear your views!

(Click here to find out what other bookbloggers have said about this book.)

The story begins when our narrator, Arthur Kipps was asked to share a ghost story by his stepchildren after the family has enjoyed their joyful festive meals on a Christmas Eve. Arthur indeed has a story, a true story, to tell but deep down in his heart he knew it is not a story to be told for casual entertainment. The horror he encountered so many years ago had already woven into his very fibres; the experience he had is an inextricable part of his past, and he decided he would write the story, a story for his eyes only. And so in the following chapters Arthur shares with his readers his true encounter with a woman dressed in black and with a pale, wasted face.

Arthur was a junior solicitor then, and he was summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, an elderly widow who lived all alone in the desolate and secluded Eel Marsh House. It was at the funeral that he first saw a mysterious woman dressed in black and her presence both intrigued and fascinated him.

The late Mrs Drablow's house is a mystery by itself, for it situated on Nine Lives Causeway and during high tide, it completely cuts off from the mainland, surrounding only by marshes and fog. During the trip to Crythin Gifford, Arthur noticed no one is willing to share information with him after they knew he was there to attend businesses for the late Mrs Drablow. And it further intrigued him when everyone is giving him a fearful look whenever he asked about a woman dressed in black.

However, Arthur is not a person who will give up whatsoever and in addition it would seem irresponsible of him to leave the work undone. For convenience and to speed up the work, he stayed in Eel Marsh House with only the companion of a terrier, loaned to him by a local named Mr Samuel Daily. Arthur knew him when they shared the same train to Crythin Gifford, and like the others Samuel is reluctant to discuss about the late Mrs Drablow or the woman dressed in black.

Over the few days during the stay in Eel Marsh House, Arthur begins to hear some unexplainable noises in a locked room. But the most terrifying of all is the sound of a pony and trap followed by the screams of a young child which he heard a few times on several occasions. Arthur soon learned about the mystery surrounding the late Mrs Drablow and Eel Marsh House after a near fatal incident, as well as the woman in black known as Jennet Humfrye.

I am afraid there is all I could say about the woman in black, but I can tell you how much I loved the overall atmosphere and setting of this story. It is so atmospheric, not to mention the plot is thick with suspense as you watch the story slowly unfold in front of you through Arthur's eyes. The Woman in Black might appear a little cliché to some, but I think it is a great old-fashioned ghost story. Vengeance, besides the horror, is the other element which surrounds the story and this is where it leads the ending to a higher climax.

I think Arthur's narration works well in this story; and personally I enjoy reading books from a first person POV because usually the emotions you feel from the characters is the strongest, which is a totally different reading experience from a third person perspective. Because I enjoyed this book so much, I bought The Man in the Picture (by the same author) which I hope would be another good read. Have you read any of these books?

Book Chick City is hosting the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge and don't you think the button is lovely?

Participants are to read 12 thrillers beginning January 1st thru December 31st, 2010.

Details:

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.

• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.

For more details, click here.

The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.

Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.

Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.

Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.

• Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. (Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here).
  
• Audio, eBooks, paper all count.
  
• No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

For more details, click here.

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I am glad that Jenn is hosting the popular TBR Lite for 2010 once again and since I have a fun time participating this challenge this year, I am joining it again next year. I am going for Option B since I have no idea what titles to read for this challenge. I am such a moody reader.

There are 3 options for this challenge:

OPTION A: read 6 books in 12 months ~ your list of books CANNOT be changed, but you are allowed to have an “Alternates” list to choose from (like in the Original TBR Challenge).
OPTION B: read 6 books in 12 months ~ you CAN change your reading list throughout the year
OPTION C: make up a list of however many books you think you could get read in 12 months, as long as they are from your TBR stack/list, and then read them between January 1st and December 31st. You must have at least 3 books on your list.

Some Other General Guidelines:

• You are allowed to overlap with other challenges
• Audiobooks are allowed
• e-Books are allowed, but must still be books that you’ve wanted to read for at least 3, or more, months
• You should still have a list of books posted somewhere for others to see
• You don’t have to read your books in the order you put them on your list

There is also a Yahoo group set up for this challenge. Learn more at the post about the challenge.