Too many books about Asian-Americans

I have read many books about Asians and Asian-Americans. I think I first became interested in reading about them and their cultures after reading Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. Apparently, I have read so many since then that I can't keep them straight (not just books by Amy Tan b/c she's only written 6). I decided to re-read The Kitchen God's Wife (also by Amy Tan) and didn't remember a blessed word of it save for the beginning. I confused the entire book w/ Tan's The Hundred Secret Senses. So I'm writing this to help me remember just what happens in The Kitchen God's Wife.

So, this book has Pearl, the daughter, and Winnie, or Weili in her Chinese name, the mother. Pearl has MS, but hasn't told her mother yet. The woman Pearl calls Auntie Helen, but isn't really her Auntie at all, tells Pearl that she (Helen) has a brain tumor and is going to die soon so Pearl must tell her mother about the MS or she, Helen, will. Helen does the same thing to Winnie who must tell Pearl the truth about their lives in China or she, again Helen, will. In this way, Winnie tells Pearl about her life growing up first in Shanghai and then on an island not too far from Shanghai. About her marriage to an abusive man named Wen Fu and the 3 children Winnie, then Weili had before coming to the US. And about how she met Jimmy Louie, the man Pearl knew as her father. It is a good story, but it is very long and much of what happens to Weili is repetitive. That is to say many bad things happen in her life and every time things seem to get better they just get worse. I'm not giving a bad review b/c the writing is very good and the story is interesting, but I had to read something fun and a little brainless to even things up a bit.

TV reviews (it's about time)

So my blog description says that I might give the occasional TV show review, but that has yet to happen so I thought I'd start off w/ a few new shows that I've started watching.

I'll start w/ Mr. Sunshine staring the delightful, Matthew Perry. This show has 3 things going for it in my opinion: Matthew Perry, Matthew Perry, and Matthew Perry. Did I mention Matthew Perry? But seriously forks, I loved Matthew Perry on Friends, and to be honest when I heard that he was going to be in a new comedy series, I was like, "When and where?" He plays, Ben, the manager of an entertainment facility called the Sunshine Center and the show revolves around the day to day wackiness that takes place there. But it gets better b/c his crazy boss is played by Allison Janney, and boy is she crazy. Then there's his assistant whose mental stability is questionable at best (she knows the layout of his apartment better than he does) and his boss's son, Roman, who's sweet, but more than a little dim. I love this show, not just b/c M. Perry is in it, but also b/c it is hilariously funny and it has a feel good quality à la an Adam Sandler or David Spade movie (think 50 First Dates, Joe Dirt or Dickie Roberts Former Child Star). Entertainment Weekly claimed in a recent issue that this one might be around next season. Here's hopin'.

Sometime after college (maybe it was during my senior year) I started watching more dramas, specifically crime dramas. Think Law and Order. Well, as I got older, I started watching more and more crime dramas (maybe they're called procedurals?) and lately it seems like all my usual dramas either ended or were cancelled. In the last year or so like 4 or 5 have been canned. And it hasn't been easy replacing them either. I'm not a fan of Grey's Anatomy or any shows like it. The only hospital show that I  liked was ER. Period. And I'm not a fan of the CSIs either. I like the original NCIS but it's not procedural enough for me. There's too much on going stuff to just jump in whenever and if I ask my mom to give me some background, she huffs and puffs and says it's too hard to explain. Well, anyway, I decided to give ABC's Body of Proof a shot. The descriptions made it sound a little like Crossing Jordan and I really liked that show. I've only seen 2 episodes, maybe 3, but so far so good. The characters are likable enough, there's some comedy to lighten the mood, and not too much baggage from show to show - so far. I'll keep tuning in for now.

Another drama, that I was just starting to get into was CBS's CHAOS, but I just read that it might have been cancelled already (and they had another 10 episodes in the can). But I'll say why I liked it anyway. But before I talk about what I liked, I'll mention that it was about 4 guys in the CIA, who ran covert opps and were like under, under cover. Like if they messed up, the director would be all, "I don't know anything about those guys." So on to the likes. First, it had Freddy Rodriguez in it. He played Gio on Ugly Betty and I loved that character. Second, it had Tim Blake Nelson from O Brother, Where Art Thou? among other films. So I tuned in the first night and thoroughly enjoyed the pilot episode. Minus Nelson, it featured some cute guys, great action scenes, and was witty and funny. It was like Ocean's 11 meets The Bourne Identity. Maybe CBS will show the remaining episodes this summer. . .

Kid's books are the best!

I read to my 5 year-old niece every day during the week before her nap/rest time, and every day she asks me if I've got new books. She loves being read to and she loves going to the library w/ me. As someone who loves to read, sharing that love w/ someone else is awesome, and even more so b/c that someone is my niece.

                                              
Today we read Then Giant Hug by Sandra Horning. This book is adorable! Owen, the little "boy" in the story wants to send his granny a hug through the mail, and he enlists the help of the local postman and all the postal workers along the way pass the hug all the way to Owen's granny. It's funny b/c the idea of hugging strangers is awkward and uncomfortable, but they do it any way. Lily, my niece, and I couldn't stop giggling, and it has a surprise ending!

We also read Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrette. Arabella Miller finds a caterpillar in this book that rhymes, and at the end it gives a kid friendly overview of the life cycle of the butterfly. Lily wanted to find a caterpillar after reading this one.


Lily and I love the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems. They make us giggle and Lily likes them so much that she asks to keep them so my sister can read them to her before bed. Our local library has a number of these books and ever since I discovered them, I pick one out each week. We'll be sad when we've read them all.