Waiting by Ha Jin

I had been wanting to read something else by Ha Jin since I read The Bridegroom in my freshman Intro to World Lit class. ("After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town" is still one of my favorite short stories.) He tells the story of a man who married a good women that he can only see for a few weeks every year because of his job as a medical officer. Over the years, he falls in love with a nurse at his base and tries to work up the courage to ask for a divorce. The years of waiting and what it does to each of the characters makes for a compelling story.

Bicycles are part of the story; it's not that much of a stretch.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

Sijie writes a fictionalized account of two boys sent to the country to be "reeducated" during China's Cultural Revolution. They end up in possession of several illegal foreign novels, which become crucial to their mission to educate the Little Seamstress. It's a good read, and I'd rather not give any more of the plot away.

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

I have always wanted to read Amy Tan, but I just never seemed to get around to it. There was always something else to read that seemed to bump her from her place on my mental list of books to read. Enough was enough, however, and when I saw this book sitting on a shelf for fifty cents, I realized it was time. I just wish I had not waited so long. Between the mother/daughter dynamic, the strength of the mother, the cunningness of the aunt, the introduction to a new culture, and the new perspective on World War II, I had a hard time putting this book down. I love the imagery of incense carrying prayers off toward heaven. I also love that many religions/cultures have the same idea. It makes the world feel a little smaller and more familiar.

Sorry about the graininess of this picture. The only way to capture the incense smoke was with a high ISO, which in turn led to the increased noise. Also contributing to the problem was the fact that I used my point and shoot instead of my DSLR. I'm also going to go ahead and apologize for not posting more. That would be because I'm not reading as much lately. You see, I finally discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer and have literally been watching the seasons on Netflix for hours.