The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang trans. Chi-Young Kim

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a hen? To lay eggs day after day, knowing you would never get to hatch a chick? Sun-Mi Hwang depicts the end of the life of a hen in this story about freedom, love, and destiny.

Sprout is a caged hen until the time when she stops laying eggs. Past her prime, she is thrown out like a piece of garbage by the farmer and his wife. But something miraculous happens--against all odds, and with a little help from an outcast duck, she survives. Without a place in the barnyard, she has to figure out what to do out in the real world and learn how to survive independently. Freedom for her is both a blessing and a curse.

Along the path to her (predictable) death, she accomplishes her dreams, raises an orphaned duckling, and stands up to a vicious weasel. She learns about both the joys and sorrows of love. And she learns more about who she is as a result.

This was a surprisingly deep work. On the one hand, it was very simple--it laid out Sprout's life in very certain, plain terms. On the other hand, the book imparts to you some very meaningful wisdom--freedom brings responsibility, love is both joy and pain, and destiny--well, destiny is sometimes the most powerful force of all.

~7/10~

Gitagovinda by Jayadeva trans. Barbara Stoler Miller

Jayadeva's Gitagovinda is a lengthy, twelve part poem/song about love between Krishna and Radha. A whole lot of love…

Honestly, I had to Wikipedia the work to have even a modicum of understanding regarding its greater meaning and significance. That right there tells you that this was not a good translated publication. Although this book did include a significant introduction, it assumed much prior knowledge of Indian culture and Sanskrit poetry. I was disappointed in Miller's work as a scholar in not making her work more accessible to an uneducated audience.

The poem itself was provocative. Radha loves Krishna, but is tormented by his cheating on her and then returning to her. The poem seems to switch points of view, which I found fascinating. You don't get that sense of perspective from 12th century European poetry! Of course, the vibrant descriptions of nature mixed with the very detailed, body-centered descriptions of the lovers evoked a light eroticism that conveyed the emotions of the characters very well.

I wish I was more well-versed in the mythology of the main characters. I feel this is one reading for which you definitely need solid context to appreciate it properly.

~6/10~

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange

Way back in the 1970s, Ntozake Shange wrote poetry that evoked both the powerlessness and the power of women of color. She wrote about women being beaten down and used by men, the system, each other…But she also wrote about strong characters who stood their ground, who overcame obstacles, and who spoke up when someone needed to speak. Shange compiled some of her works into a performance--a choreopoem--and it morphed into a dramatic work that has been produced hundreds of times since it was first performed in 1975. It's certainly still very applicable today.

I read a version of the choreopoem published in 2010, so it had an excellent introduction by Shange about the conception, history, meaning, and criticisms of the piece. I think that introduction, more than anything, made this such a moving work of art.

These are poems that are meant to be performed in an ensemble. An ensemble of women of color. So for me to read them solo…I just didn't get the full impact, I know I didn't. But I could imagine how powerful the performance would be if I was seeing it live.

And she may say that it's written "for colored girls…for women of color," but I don't think she would dispute the fact that the poem/poems are meaningful to all women, and hopefully to men, too. This is their truth. If you aren't moved by reading this book or watching the performance, you aren't acknowledging that your truth is not the only truth.

~8/10~

The Women Troubadours by Meg Bogin

This was an interesting short compilation of several poems from 12th century female troubadours. The original texts with translations are preceded by lengthy sections providing you with background information on the history and culture of the period, relevant social and political issues, and literary context.

Of course, this was an interesting portrayal of l'amour courtois. The majority of my literary knowledge of courtoisie comes from Marie de France, who was herself a woman (although she was from northern France, while the poetesses featured in this book were from Provence and wrote in langue d'oc). But Marie de France was probably more formally an author than these women, who wrote in a fairly informal style…

At any rate, my point is not to compare and contrast medieval poetic literature. That would just be silly.

We can learn a lot from these women of the 12th century, though; their works include some great advice:

"…the lover humbly ought to ask / for everything his heart desires, / and the lady should comply with his request / within the bounds of common sense ; / and the lover ought to do her bidding / as toward a friend and lady equally / and she should honor him the way / she would a friend, but never as a lord." ~ Maria de Ventadorn

"…if he really wants my love, / he'll have to show high spirits and behave, / be frank and humble, not pick fights with any man, / be courteous with everyone ; / for I don't want a man who's proud or bitter, / who'll debase my worth or ruin me..." ~ Anonymous

"But above all, messenger, make him comprehend / that too much pride has undone many men." ~ Countess of Dia

 But I think my favorite part was when I started reading the poem by Azalais de Porcairages:

"Now we are come to the cold time / when the ice and the snow and the mud / and the birds' beaks are mute / … / My heart is so disordered / that I'm rude to everyone…"

Sing it, sister! I know she's about to go on about love and men again, but how perfect is that for how so many of us feel right now?!

This was an intriguing snapshot of Medieval "French"literature/performance art. I shall now have to go read some male troubadours' works so I can better compare the two groups.

~7/10~

Deluxe Official Bartender's Guide by Mr. Boston Distiller Corporation

I'm not going to lie, I read this one because it was the shortest book I could find lying around. But it ended up taking a surprisingly long time to read. One hundred sixty-eight pages and over 1,000 recipes takes a while to get through.

I soon made a game of it, though: I looked for recipes without grenadine or powdered sugar. The increase in diabetes over the last couple of generations suddenly makes sense.

My favorites (or potential favorites, since I haven't made any of these yet) are the following:
Boom Boom Punch (I'm half certain this is culturally insensitive, but anything with a fifth of sweet vermouth automatically sounds great!)
Champagne Sherbet Punch (Again, fairly obvious.)
Gimlet (I have never had one, but that sounds deliiiiicious! Why is it an old lady's drink?)
Glögg (This looks like it would take all day to make, but it seems like the way more sophisticated version of grog, if that actually is real.)
Moon Quake Shake (Name says it all.)
Salty Dog (Mmmmmm.)
Tulip Cocktail (Sweet and fruity!)
Zombie (Looks like it would be way too much trouble to make myself, but super fun to watch being made!)

This is a pretty useless book, though. The recipes are all ordered alphabetically. There's an index in the back so you can look them up by category, but it's pretty impractical. Also, the book is from a time when absinthe was illegal and people used powdered sugar instead of simple syrup. Awkward to use and out of date. I don't recommend this book.

~3/10~

In the Eye of Heaven by David Keck

I've been really disappointed by supposedly good fantasy novels lately. Maybe I was just buying too much into the hype, but I expected this book (and the next one, which I also happened to acquire) to be exciting and engaging. In the Eye of Heaven is definitely something. Engaging is not it.

The protagonist, Durand, doesn't get the land inheritance he was expecting, so he travels around, meeting mysterious hermits, being set upon by spirits, and taking odd chevalier jobs where he can get them.

It was like a cross between Jacqueline Carey's Sunderer duology and Dennis L. McKiernan's Faery Series, both in plot and in tone. And I like those two series, for very different reasons. But the problem with this novel is that Keck wrote it the way typical teen boys talk about things. He left out emotion. He left out introspection. There's very little opportunity to connect with Durand or any of the other characters because there's not that emotional connection that you really need to get invested in the plot of a book.

This is written very well and the plot is compelling. To Keck's credit, you do get a ton of dialogue and action, right off the bat. But ultimately, without that emotional connection…It was tough to slog through this one.

~5/10~

Mage Heart by Jane Routley

I honestly don't know how I managed to get so engrossed in this fantasy novel. Dion is so annoyingly naive and brainwashed. And she really easily soaks up what others tell her. The basic plot of this book is that Dion, the only female mage in the land, is hired by the local Duke to protect his courtesan, who is under threat from her former lover (a great, foreign mage).

Dion is a conservatively-raised, sheltered young woman and so the subplot is that this assignment allows her the freedom for the first time in her life to question her deep-seated religious and social beliefs, as well as explore sexuality. Apparently she was taught some cockamamie notion that has to do with virginity being powerful (ridiculous because in this world you don't get a magical boost from being a virgin), and she thinks the ideas of attraction and sex are disgusting.

I would say hijinks ensue, but it's not really that sort of book. There's definitely nothing light in this novel. It's more serious in tone, exploring repressed sexuality and the destructive power of blind faith/religious fanaticism.

This was definitely an interesting read. I did get sucked in somehow. However, I really found most of the characters annoying. Maybe I just wanted to see what the conclusion would be. It was mildly interesting, but fairly predictable. I don't know…On the whole, I'm just very confused about how I feel about this one.

~6/10~