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Space 61 (Alternative option - South America)Book: The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch: A Novel by Anne Enright
Read: 4-2-14
Rating: Four stars
Review:
This was a great story overall - Eliza Lynch was basically Paraguay's 19th century version of Evita. She was a self-made woman, wielding an enormous amount of power as the common-law wife of the dictator Francisco Solano Lopez. Originally from Ireland, her family had relocated to France, where she met and married a French officer, Xavier Quatrefages who took her to Algeria. The marriage was a disaster and she fled back to France, where she eventually meets Lopez.
The book switches back and forth the past and the future, between Eliza and the Scottish doctor who becomes one of Lopez's governmental appointees. The young, heavily pregnant Eliza gives account of her boat trip to Asuncion, Paraguay to take up residence as her lover's unofficial wife. She recounts how she rose from a lower-middle class Irish girl to an incredibly wealthy woman, reflects on her complex feelings for Lopez and her impressions of the wild continent she will live in.
Stewart's perspective is of the well-establish, social lioness Eliza became in Asuncion. At this time, Lopez is waging a hopeless bloody war against Uraguey, Argentina and Brazil, a catastrophe that Eliza was later blamed for. Stewart, alcoholic, unhappily married, has been more than a little in love with her since they met on that boat trip years ago. It is through his melancholy eyes that we see the cracks forming in Lopez and Eliza's carefully crafted world.
I gave this four stars because I thought that the first two thirds of the book were terrific, but the last third dragged a bit.
There was a documentary about Eliza Lynch that debuted last year. I've been looking for it to come out in DVD - it looks fascinating.
Mod
Book: Special Delivery (Book 1, Special Delivery)
Read: March 2
Rating & Review: 3.75 stars
Sam Keller was an orphan living with an aunt and uncle who clearly didn't want him. He worked in their pharmacy and tried to save money to pay for nursing school until he could get out of their house. Also, he wanted out of Iowa since their small town didn't handle his homosexuality well.
One day, a delivery man named Mitch Tedsoe came in to delivery some goods and Sam decided to be spontaneous and have sex with the sexy stranger. When his aunt found out, she gave him a verbal tongue lashing and Sam decided he couldn't take his home life anymore and he asked Mitch to take him away, even for a brief time.
Thus began Sam's journey to learning about himself and finding peace/acceptance for his sexual desires.
I am torn on this book. I liked it but the age thing was a bit much for me. Plus, I felt Mitch (33yrs old) was way more experienced in life (especially as a trucker) and that gave me pause with him just picking up Sam (20 yrs old). Also, I think I am not much into degradation kinks, where people want to be "treated like a whore" or called names. I always feel like there is some inner issue at play there. I do like that Mitch and Sam seemed to have geniune affection and Mitch helped Sam to have a nurtured environment to be sexually free.
I just wonder if Sam's mom was alive (she adored Sam and supported him in his love endeavors), how he would have been different.
Mod
Anyone can feel free to roll for the team. Thank you
Mod
Rolled a 4, so we're on space 65 now. The alternate read is reviews.
Mod
Ezinwanyi~still loves Spartacus wrote: "Thank you again Marty. I will come home tomorrow and figure out what I will read shortly."No problem Ezi! I posted our spot and reviews too.
I'm fresh out of #5 and #6 options that I really want to read, so I'm going to take a title from the reviews list option - Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto.
Mod
No problem Ezi! I posted our spot and reviews too.
I'm fresh o..."
I have an e-ARC of
, which is 6.5 in Dark Protectors.But I am going to go with Reviews as I have found
which will work for Pass the Parcel and Gang Bang
Mod
Book: Duck! by Kim Dare (202 Pages Per Goodreads)--Alternate Read REvies
Read: April 5
Rating & Review:★★★
I am torn about this book. I am liked it but it also hit some triggers for me.
Ori Jones, an orphan works as the nest as unknown avian species after living and being cast out of 7 foster homes.
Ori is presumed to be a duck, but no one is sure as he hasn't completed his first shift. He is mistreated as Ducks are the lowest of the totem pole. He is worked tirelessly and misused sexually by all.
One day, a Hawk named Raynard sees him and is drawn to the submissive he sees in Ori. The Hawk acquires Ori's service from the nest owner and Ori comes to live with Raynard.
Raynard claims Ori as his submissive and Ori is just so pleased to have a home and to belong.
Raynard promised to return Ori as soon as he is about to make his transition so his species can be properly noted by the avian elders.
Once Ori makes his transition though, things change for Raynard and Ori--and not for the better. Their stations in avian life dictate their relationship cannot continue and both men have difficulty letting go of the accord they found together. Their society says this cannot work between the two species and so Ori and Raynard separate. Both are filled with pain, and now they try to figure out how they can be whole again.
My trigger: The whole caste system and the bullying. I know many cultures still have issues with classism but it's still painful. It reeked of slavery for me and it made my skin crawl. Many times I felt like Ori was confusing gratitude with love, and Raynard didn't truly treat Ori as a dom should. I didn't feel like Raynard took care of Ori's sexual needs first all the time.
It's like giving a starving man, a cracker or a man in the desert a bottle of water, of course Ori would soak up Raynard's attention when everyone has abused him so. That didn't make this love for me.
I gave it a 3 because of the happy ending. It ended beautifully, thus redeeming some of this book for me.
I also didn't love the writing. I found the author's storytelling to be elementary and shallow. I wasn't moved by it but I will try something else by her soon.
Spot 65: Alternative option - ReviewsBook: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Date: 4/5/14
Rating: Four stars
Review:
This was actually a novella and a short story in one. Both were about love and loss, growing up and finding the courage to move on. That's a tall order for most full length novels, let alone two relatively short tales. I love the way Yoshimoto writes. Her prose is very elegant and spare, her plots are deceptively simple.
Kitchen is a metaphor for the development of Mikage's new family (her only living relative, her grandmother, has recently passed away). She is taken in by her friend Yuichi and his mother Eriko, who is a transsexual. From these unusual 'ingredients,' Mikage forms new ties and eventually finds love in the wake of more than one personal tragedy.
The companion story, Moonlight Shadow, also has a loved-and-lost theme, but in this case the lost one is Satsuki's lover Hiirag. Her grief over his very early death is making her sick, literally. A chance meeting with the mysterious Uraru, who somehow has a unique psychic ability to sense things about Satsuki, brings Satisuki to a crisis that ultimately allows her to heal and take up her life again.
I enjoyed this book, although I think I need to read more of Yoshimoto's work before I can really comprehend it fully.
Oopsie, I thought the challenge is ending as one team rolled enough for the last square? I guess I'll have to again put aside my book to read Rock Chick Revenge by tomorrow lol
They're not done yet so if they don't finish it'll go again but there's one team at 75 so if it doesn't end this last roll, chances are it'll next roll.
I started my book and I should finish about a third before going to bed and the rest tomorrow morning before lunch so I won't be too late in case that team doesn't finish in time.
Mod
Good job team, we finished strong even though RL cost us a teammate.
Thanks for playing with me
Another team challenge that ends today - how am I going to choose my books to read now? :( I really liked this challenge and who knows, maybe we'll be in the same team again sometime (Ezi, I think we are quite destined to be on the same team lol) :P
Great job everyone! It was fun all around, 'bumps in the road' and all. Hope to see you in the next round.
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Rock Chick Revenge (other topics)Kitchen (other topics)
Duck! (other topics)
Duck! (other topics)
Tamed (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Banana Yoshimoto (other topics)Banana Yoshimoto (other topics)
Anne Enright (other topics)
Anne Enright (other topics)
Andrew Fox (other topics)
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Book: The Abduction of Julia by Karen Hawkins
Read: 31-Mar-2014
Rating: ★★
Review:
I had quite high expectations for this book but I was sorely disappointed. The story was good but my dislike for heroine was so strong it destroyed the book for me. She was too stuborn and set in her own ways and she was looking for a scandal with her actions.
This was the first book from this author I've read and I'll be reading her again soon.