300: A Garden Where Friendship Grows

A few tiny seeds have grown into a very big idea! Nahla’s science project turns out to be the start of a group garden on her school’s rooftop. During their lunch hour, students put on their gardening gloves to plant, weed and water. Thanks to the school, yummy veggies are turning up everywhere, including the school cafeteria and the Heling Hands Kitchen.

School spirit is at an all-time high. But it seems like not everyone is happy. Somebody is trying to ruin the success of the Get Fresh Tomato Fest, the rooftop garden party.

Is it her classmate who calls himself “the potato chip king” and makes faces when he sees all the new healthy choices at the lunch counter? Is it the girl who loves playing tricks? Or maybe it’s the maintenance crew, who complained to the principal about dirt being tracked through the school. Nahla is determined to save the day and the garden.

The Good

• Black family
• Illustrations

I got this book with my Nahla doll which was awesome. I enjoy seeing a story where a young black girl having fun. This is especially important because there are not a lot of Our Generation dolls that are black with books.

The Bad

The biggest problem with this book is that it is not for me, so it just read too young for me. A Garden Where Friendship Grows had similar problems that another chapter books I read had: it is everywhere and goes from one point to another without there being a main problem then a main conclusion. Instead it is a bunch of little problems resolved throughout the story. All of this is not a problem because it is meant for little girls so yeah.

Conclusion

Overall, it was not for me because I’m an old lady but I’m happy it exists for little girls (especially the black ones).

Try A Chapter Tag| Over Fantasy

I decided to pair books I got for cheap recently with books that are a bit harder to access.

Moth and Spark 

Prologue+Chapter 1

Liked: dragons big presence in this world, dragon riders, possible people of color (dark skin background character which is actually probably not that amazing because he is in the back ground and feels like a once off who will disappear into the distance to never be seen again. Writing this post it now makes me think the main characters could have been people of color so yeah probably not all that.)

Disliked: I can feel this distance/disconnect from story. Yeah there is dragons, dragon riders, and such but I don’t feel really into the story.

Ghost Bride

Chapter 1

I feel connected to the main character immediately. Even though there are not fantasy elements in your face right away I still like it. I think the focus on family, culture, and getting to know main character sold the story to me.

Moth and Spark vs Ghost Bride

Standalones

Straight fantasy -Magical realism?

 

Gameboard of the Gods

Chapter 1

Setting is closest to present day over all the other books I read. Just like Moth and Spark I felt distant from the story.

A Stranger In Olondria

Chapter 1

Ugh, patriarchy (fits story so its cool). It would interesting to see characters with disabilities be main or one of main characters instead of pushed to back (so far).  This story feels very cultural which I like a lot. It was interesting to hear mention of mythology that I don’t read regularly in fantasy.

Gameboard of the Gods vs A Stranger In Olondria

Science fiction-Historical fantasy

Books in series:

3?-2?

Comparing

It did not escape me that the two books I liked started off heavily getting into the characters culture, selves, and family. It made me think while reading these that I like character driven stories.  They did not even get into the fantasy elements which is something I have gone on so many rants about. As long as the other elements are interesting I won’t get bothered or as bothered by it not doing fantasy/sci-fi stuff. Interesting enough Gameboard of the Gods and Moth and Spark went straight sci-fi/fantasy, eh. I guess because they did not do anything different or interesting.

Prediction

I will finish A Stranger In Olondria and The Ghost Bride. Gameboard of the Gods and Moth and Spark I will not end up finishing just because I feel a lack of connection to them. A Stranger In Olondria was the best I think.

286: The Vegetarian (Possibly Spoilery)

Synopsis

Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye’s decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion. And as her passive rebellion manifests in ever more extreme and frightening forms, scandal, abuse, and estrangement begin to send Yeong-hye spiraling deep into the spaces of her fantasy. In a complete metamorphosis of both mind and body, her now dangerous endeavor will take Yeong-hye—impossibly, ecstatically, tragically—far from her once-known self altogether.

A disturbing, yet beautifully composed narrative told in three parts, The Vegetarian is an allegorical novel about modern day South Korea, but also a story of obsession, choice, and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.

The Good

It is interesting reading the first part of this having been a vegetarian for so long because  it has some experiences of when I first started (even though, she would actually be classified as a vegan).  It made me think about my vegetarianism which is something I haven’t read about that much or at all. Honestly, it is not really about her just being a vegetarian for that long. This book is really about mental illness, trauma, and misogyny.

I enjoyed the varying states that this book showed of misogyny and mental health

Mental Health

In the two different mental health states one person is considered outside bounds of mental illness aka they seem ok so they aren’t the ones who look like they need help. Then you have someone who obviously in societies eyes needs help.

Misogyny

When I first started this book the heavy-handed misogyny bothered me. I don’t have a problem with it being portrayed but it felt so obvious. I felt showing misogyny that is more quiet and everyday would actually help to challenge misogyny. I do feel that later on it did show a form of everyday misogyny.

Obvious misogyny ~ sees a woman as anything more than an object or vessel for him and has no remorse about it.

Everyday misogyny/nice guy misogyny ~  quieter but just as vicious if not even more  because the character has  moments of empathy that even in my eyes made me think so many times he was going to do the right thing. He knew things were wrong and felt bad about it but kept doing said things. The result ended up being the same with the first misogynist.

I really liked the surreal/weird parts and wish that this book was longer to talk more fully on these topics.

The Bad

The misogyny still felt like it went in ways that were in your face vs quieter but it is short so that may be why. I did not like the ending because it left me feeling like the story really wasn’t over. The Vegetarian could have easily been longer.

The Meh

I did not like the ending because it left me feeling like the story really wasn’t over. However, I can’t say I dislike it because in a way I respect the ending. I respect the way it did not give easy answers when dealing with mental illness.

Overall, I liked it and was sucked into it for two days but  when it ended I  kind of felt like o.k. that’s it.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

[synopsis is from goodreads]