Books, Fiction

A Christmas Revelation by Anne Perry

DSC_0002-01.jpeg

DSC_0062-01.jpeg

A Christmas Revelation | Sweater (so soft and cozy) | Shoes (so sparkly) | Jeans

Read Yes
Length 160
Quick Review Set in Victorian London, this mild mystery is a sweet story about the meaning of Christmas spirit and never giving up.

Victorian London is an iconic Christmas setting perfect for any holiday mystery. Anne Perry sets A Christmas Revelation in the middle of not-so-respectable London. It’s a short novel perfect for a busy reader this holiday season.

Worm is a nine year old orphan wandering the streets of London, when he sees a beautiful young woman abducted. He lives at a medical clinic with Squeaky, a brothel owner turned bookkeeper, and an assortment of other characters. Worm goes home with the woman on his mind. He confides in Squeaky, who tries to distract him with the Christmas story. Squeaky is an old grump with no holiday spirit, but as he describes the traditions and history to Worm, who’s never had a true Christmas, he begins to melt a little. What ensues is a scramble for decorations and to find the woman because no matter how much Squeaky tries, Worm can’t forget about the woman he saw.

Perry does a very good job of showing the situations of the characters in A Christmas Revelation. In short books, it is easier to tell rather than show the reader. Perry does not succumb even in the earliest pages, “He walked quite quietly, since his boots were very thin…” She writes in the third person narrative, which allows the reader to see the thought process of both Squeaky and Worm. They are on opposite sides of the age spectrum of age, but they bond over a common goal. Perry does a decent job describing the thought process of Worm, but does a better job of getting in Squeaky’s mind. She easily narrates the ways an adult simplifies and side-steps complicated issues for children.

A Christmas Revelation is a sweet Christmas novel under 200 pages. It is small and easy to read. If you’re looking for something light with a super sweet ending, this is a good one. Anyone can easily finish it by Christmas. I read it in two hours.

Buy on Amazon || Buy on Book Depository

Memorable Quotes
“It was a deep sin to ignite dreams in a child that you could not live up to.”

Shop the Post
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3398083″]

Title: A Christmas Revelation
Author: Anne Perry
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780399179945

Books

Envy

Read: Yes
Difficulty: III
Length: I
Quick Review: A Russian classic examining the socialist society it was written for.

Yury Olesha is known as a great Russian novelist. Not only was Envy his debut novel, it became one of his most recognizable works. Olesha had an immense talent for appearing pro-Soviet but, in actuality, was critiquing the Communist government when read with an eye for detail. The Soviet’s played hardball when it came to censorship because Olesha subtly critiqued the government through satire, he was able to avoid punishment or jail.  screenshot_20180521-194346_instagram.jpg

Nikolai Kavalerov is a young and slightly bitter young man. After being tossed out of a bar, Andrei Babichev rescued Kavalerov allowing him to sleep on his couch. Babichev manages a sausage factory and is the perfect Soviet citizen. When Babichev’s brother, Ivan, returns, everything is turned on its head.

I love this little book. I read it in Russian awhile ago. Under 120 pages, it is a dense story filled with a tons of nuance, meaning, history, and culture. Through the character of Babichev, the story is a paragon of communist values. Olesha is not only critiquing the Soviet government but also capitalism. It is also an interesting look into the psychology of the characters. It is also interesting to note how well it was received by his contemporaries. Enjoyed by all the Soviet literary greats, Envy was also in high regard by Pravda, which was run by the state.

I love this book. It’s a great one. If you want to dip a toe into Soviet literature without committing a ton of time, this is great for a night in or quick weekend read.

Memorable Quotes:
“I spoke, horrified by what I was saying.”

Title: Envy
Author: Yury Olesha
Translator: T.S. Berczynski
Publisher: Ardis Publishers, Inc
Copyright: 2004
ISBN:9780882330914

 

Books

The Book of Tea

Difficulty: II
Length: I
Quick Review: A beautiful look into the history and importance of tea from a master and historian.

Written by and for the tea lover. This incredibly short book is jam packed with teaism. In reality, The Book of Tea isn’t a book at all but a long essay by the Japanese scholar Kakuzo Okakura. Written in English for the Western world to pear inside the world and history of Japan through tea.  Screenshot_20180521-195047_Instagram.jpgTea is a central component of Japanese and Asian identity. It has played a major role in their culture for a millenia and some. With a beginning in the religious and medicinal worlds, tea evolved into a staple beverage in Asia and eventually the world. As times changed so did tea. It has lived a life in three different stages with three different preparations. Boiled Tea came from a cake or brick of tea, which, at one point in time, the ingredients included salt and even onions. After that period, Whipped Tea was concocted from a powder forever leaving behind salt and onion. As technology progressed, tea arrived in its modern form of Steeped Tea utilizing the leaves. Whipped Tea or powdered tea is still present but not popular.

The first traces of tea, as we know it, arriving in Europe was documented by Marco Polo in 879. Tea gained immense popularity in the sixteenth century as access increased and cost decreased. Tea became a drink of the people no longer reserved for the filthy rich and royal.

Okakura talks extensively about the history and significance of tea. It embedded itself in the Asian cultures and religions. Tea plays a significant role in Taoism and Zennism. The tea ceremony has evolved as Tea Masters have mastered the art. Okakura discusses the masters in length before describing the tea ceremony.  The efforts required to hold the ceremony are extensive starting long before one even begins. The tea room must be built from the best materials, flowers must be just so, the tea must be grown correctly, so on and so forth. Like many things in Japan, the tea ceremony is executed with precision and mindfulness.

Okakura’s first language was Japanese, but he wrote The Book of Tea in English. The language is simple, elegant, and captivating. He draws the reader into his world. Through focusing on tea, he is able to allow the Western world into a culture vastly different than our own. His words are about more than tea; they are about appreciating the beauty in life.

Memorable Quotes:
“Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage.”
“In joy or sadness, the flowers are our constant friends.”
“He only who has lived with the beautiful can die beautifully.”

Title: The Book of Tea
Author: Kakuzo Okakura
Publisher: Dover Publications, Inc
Copyright: 1964
ISBN: 9780486200705

 

Books

The Little Prince

Read Yes
Length 84
Quick Review This has become an iconic children’s story. It’s been translated into so many languages, you don’t have a reason not to read it.

Screenshot_20180530-183059_Photos.jpg

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a fantasy children’s novella for adults. Though, he penned many, this is by far his most renowned work.

The narrator, no other than Saint-Exupéry himself, begins the story by talking about his childhood dream of being an artist. The narrator happens to be an airplane pilot, who crashes in the desert with no rescue in sight. A little boy, hailing from Asteroid B-612, shows up demanding a picture of a sheep be drawn for him. After this, the little prince tells the narrator about his journeys and how he is trying to return to his home planet and his rose. I won’t ruin the beauty of it for you.

For me, this is such a nostalgic story. The first time I read it was also the first time I read a book in French. It was a struggle because this was before I had WiFi or easy access to a computer, so every word I did not know – which was a lot back then – I had to look up in a dictionary. It took me hours longer than my classmates because I was technologically far behind. Now, I can breeze through it easily in the amount of time it took me to read five pages. Though, it is by far the syntactically simplest book I have read in French at this point, every time I read it I still feel a small pang of triumph.

I would talk more about style and syntax and what a masterpiece it is, but if you don’t have time to read 84 pages, then you’re just going to have to miss out.

Memorable Quote
“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”

Title: Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 9780156012195