JLee22

I was pretty enthusiastic about this being my first experience with audiobooks. I quickly became a fan since I could do my sewing while listening to it. First one - awesome. Narrator had a nice voice and is pretty good at the accents. Second one - eh... but that had more to do with the fact that book #2 is like one long filler episode setting up for book #3. Also, around the middle of this book is when the narrator ran out of unique character voices unfortunately. Third book - I was actually impressed the narrator maintained the same accents and inflections for characters from the previous two books. Quite well done.

Overall, not a bad way to spend 50+ hours or so of your time. There is definitely no rushing the audios, reading would be much quicker, but as something to listen to while multi-tasking, it was entertaining enough. My only complaint is that all three were borrowed via my library's e-loan system using Overdrive and played off my smartphone; something between these factors caused Overdrive to keep skipping ahead 2 or 3 reading points when it was trying to load (or buffer?) a new chapter and then I would be trying to find that last thing I heard or the last bookmark I made. Tedious.

I read this once before, several years ago now, and found it funny enough to remember it. So when I was combing through the e-library's offerings recently, I found this offered in audiobook format (although not in e-book) so I wishlisted it. I was intending to marathon my way through a game (gotta get those achievements~!) and I wanted to listen to something that was not the game's background music, so I played off the first audiobook available and it happened to be this one.

Anyway, first time listening to a female narrator, so that was a nice change. Her accent was British but the novel was set in London, so that wasn't a deal breaker, despite the cast being mostly made of Greek (or Roman) gods. It is a bit graphic in some parts but... in a bitterly funny sort of way. The main gods of the story are Apollo and Artemis, with supporting roles from the remaining big 12 Olympians, plus minor deities here and there, such as Eros (who is, by the way, an adorable character). The story actually revolves around two mortals who are painfully, boringly even, normal.

Pokes fun at modern habits and such, an interesting line of theological thought in the vein of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Eros is too freaking adorable with his "What would Jesus do?" crisis, Aphrodite is freakishly reminiscent of the villainess Mother Gothel in Tangled (maybe it's the voice? Or the sinister motherly tone of voice used by the narrator?), Alice is such an uninspiring heroine that I can't help but like her.

I wish this book would be read alongside the mythological components required in public education because it makes it so obvious how the Olympians were/are such colossal jerks in a way that doesn't really come across when you read, say, the Iliad.

A very short read via Scribd at about 100 pages. The first 70 or so are the story, the last 30 about the history of the story and its influence in Vietnam, Buddhism, and the author who is a Buddhist teacher and his experiences. You could skip the ending if you're not particularly interested in Buddhism. There was this nice little gem though:

-- "We didn't wait for the government to get around to helping; we just initiated the projects ourselves at the grassroots level." / "We did not expect anything from the government, because if you wait for the government, you will wait a long time."

The main story itself begins in media res and then jumps back to the very beginning and proceeds from there. It is written succinctly and straight-forwardly as I remember fairytales in that Children's Bookhouse series being written. There is a big twist that makes itself known right after the prologue; although given the mythological/fairy tale nature of the story, someone who was paying more attention that I would probably have seen it coming. In all, a lovely little story.

"No one had helped [her] understand that body and mind are like deep oceans containing dark, hidden whirlpools and sea monsters that can capsize the boat of our life in seconds. When one is miserable, lonely, and hopeless because of an impossible love, wealth or beauty has no real value. The issue is how to actually create happiness."

I realized that this got stuck in my drafts somehow so this is backdated.

--

Per the idea borrowed from Merle, the goal is to "travel the world" by reading one book set in every country of the world as listed below with preference given to books by a native author.

List format is also borrowed from Merle. :)

7 out of 200 countries = 3.5%

North America and the Caribbean 
1 out of 24 countries = 4%

Canada: 
United States: Capital Dames by Cokie Roberts
Mexico: 

Belize: 
Nicaragua: 
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Panama

Antigua & Barbuda:
Barbados:
Cuba:
Dominica: 
Dominican Republic:
Haiti:
Jamaica:
Puerto Rico:
Bahamas
Grenada
St. Kitts & Nevis 
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago 


South America 
0 out of 12 countries = 0%

Argentina: 
Brazil: 
Chile: Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar?
Colombia: 
Peru: 
Uruguay: 
Venezuela:
Bolivia
Ecuador 
Guyana 
Paraguay 
Suriname 


Africa 
1 out of 54 countries = 2%

Algeria: 
Egypt: The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa Al Aswany
Libya: 
Morocco: 
Tunisia

Cape Verde:
Ghana: 
Guinea: 
Ivory Coast: 
Liberia: 
Mali:
Nigeria: 
Senegal: 
Sierra Leone:
Togo: 
Benin
Burkina Faso
Gambia 
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritania
Niger 

Cameroon:
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 
Sao Tome & Principe: 
Central African Republic
Chad
Republic of the Congo 
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon

Ethiopia:
Kenya: 
Rwanda: 
Somalia: 
Sudan: 
Tanzania:
Uganda: 
Burundi
Djibouti
Eritrea
South Sudan

Botswana: 
Mauritius: 
Mozambique:
South Africa: 
Zambia: 
Zimbabwe:
Angola
Comoros
Lesotho 
Madagascar
Malawi 
Namibia 
Seychelles
Swaziland


Europe 
2 out of 49 countries = 4%

France: 
Germany: 
Greenland: 
Iceland: 
Ireland:
Italy: 
Netherlands: 
Spain: 
Sweden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Switzerland: 
United Kingdom: The Dead Duke, His Missing Wife, and the Secret Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell
Andorra
Austria 
Belgium
Denmark 
Finland 
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Norway 
Portugal 
San Marino
Vatican City

Albania: 
Azerbaijan: 
Bulgaria: 
Chechnya: 
Croatia: 
Georgia: 
Greece: 
Hungary: 
Montenegro:
Romania: 
Russia: 
Serbia: 
Ukraine: 
Armenia
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina 
Czech Republic 
Estonia 
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Poland 
Slovakia
Slovenia


Middle East 
0 out of 16 countries = 0%

Iran: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi?
Iraq: 
Israel: 
Kuwait: 
Lebanon: 
Qatar: 
Palestine: 
Saudi Arabia: In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed?

Turkey:
Yemen: 
Bahrain
Cyprus
Jordan
Oman
Syria 
United Arab Emirates


Asia 
3 out of 31 countries = 9%

Afghanistan: The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg? / In My Father's Country by Saima Wahab
Kazakhstan:
Kyrgyzstan: 
Tajikistan:
Turkmenistan 
Uzbekistan 

Bangladesh:
India: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Nepal:
Sri Lanka:
Pakistan:
Bhutan 
Maldives

China: Leaving Mother Lake by Yang Erche Namu, Christine Mathieu?
Japan: 
Mongolia: 
North Korea: In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
South Korea: 
Taiwan:
Tibet:

East Timor: 
Indonesia: 
Malaysia:
Myanmar: The Lady and the Peacock by Peter Popham?
Philippines: Monstress by Lysley Tenorio?
Singapore:
Thailand:
Vietnam: The Novice by Thich Nhat Hanh?
Brunei
Cambodia: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
Laos


Australia and the Pacific 
0 out of 14 countries = 0%

Australia: 
New Zealand: 
Fiji 
Kiribati 
Marshall Islands 
Micronesia 
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea 
Samoa
Solomon Islands 
Tonga 
Tuvalu 
Vanuatu

"Since we are all supposed to be equal, if one person starves, then all should starve."

That sentence would be my pick for the one-sentence summary of the whole book. The title is a bit of a misnomer in that it is not the father of the family who actually dies first, but the implications of the title hold true. The entire book is told from the perspective of the author's child self and is written and fleshed out with details accordingly. Similarly, the narrative is not always clear, the tenses shift, and a lot of chunks are what young Loung imagines her family members did or thought or what she believes happens when she superimposes her fantasy onto reality. It is definitely a raw read, the details are too specific and gritty to be fictional (I say that as having read some ASoIaF recently) and nothing is ever explained because nothing was ever explained to the children even as the events were happening. A lot of blanks can be filled in with the benefit of adult knowledge and a certain amount of the author's own hindsight which adds crucial hints.

I admit to not knowing much about the war or genocide. I remember it vaguely as a topic that was covered in high school, mostly because one of my friends was the youngest child of a Cambodian family that had left the country because of it. This book will certainly not expand any knowledge about the political situation. Rather, it will describe how strongly war can impact even children, regardless of their age.

As mentioned in the end notes of the book, Ms. Ung said that one of the reasons she wrote it was because people would comment on how fortunate it was that she was so young when it happened, therefore she must not remember it all, when in reality she remembered it vividly and it had a profound effect on her life. Throughout the story as it progresses, with young Loung about 5 years old at the beginning of the story, she goes from a spoiled, self-centered child to an angry, vengeful child determined to fight - or worse - to survive. It is not a pretty journey and not the kind that would be considered conventionally inspirational as many survivor accounts seem to be. I don't even feel any particular attraction to young Loung, despite knowing that she is enduring atrocious circumstances and this is the author's own memoirs; yet that is what I think makes this such a good book since the author did not censor her negative traits and actions when she could have portrayed herself more sympathetically. It was a horrible time when terrible things were happening and everyone did bad things.

All that being said though, I just could not wrap my head around the non-linear narrative, so I gave it a lower rating than probably anyone else would be willing to do. Oh well.

I wanted to give this book a lower rating because of the poor transitions from observations on the persons in the scene (usually the Essex survivors, such as they were) to third-party sources of information augmented by the author's opinion that it was directly applicable to the original situation. To be fair, the starvation experiment from circa WWII probably did shed quite a bit of light on the men's behavior after being 2 months out on sea; I am less sure of some of the other attempts by the author. It just seemed like knowledge dumping.

Ultimately, given that I mainlined 2/3 of the novel in one shot and stayed up till dawn to do it, almost afraid to go to sleep because some details are just so nauseatingly real that I feel compelled to tag this as "horror", I feel obliged to bump up the rating to 5 stars.

My god, humans are sickening, destructive, hypocritical creatures, and I'm not even referring to the cannibalism part. Although my reading of Moby-Dick is still in-progress, that novel doesn't bother me nearly as much as this one did. Perhaps because the gruesome details are presented in such a florid writing style, way, way before my time as it were, that it seems unreal. Plus, the novel itself is fictional. In the Heart of the Sea is about a true account; apparently the very first time it was recorded that a (sperm) whale deliberately attacked a whaling ship, and after you read all about the cruelties of the (old) whaling industry, one cannot help but agree with a line towards the end of the book quoting a contemporary of the time who observed that after 30 to 50 years of intense whaling, the whales were becoming meaner, more aggressive - in other words, the whales were fighting back. Can you blame them?

What kept me awake all night was less the story and more the implications of it, I think. These whalers lose their ship in a freak attack by a sperm whale, a horrible consequence of their occupation. But they could have ensured their survival if they weren't so ignorant as to not have paid attention to news in recent years of trade in southeast Asia and prejudiced against the island natives, assuming they were all cannibals. How is that even your first thought about someone you have never met from a land you have never been to? Why was that such a strong fear? There is some period-typical cultural attitude I am probably not understanding (xenophobia? moral fear?) but I do believe the author's suggestion that the sailors, when presented with the choice of unknown islands or the sea they lived off of, picked the known quantity. The heavily implied irony being, of course, that they avoided the Pacific islands due to fear of cannibals and then became cannibals themselves.

I heard or read somewhere once that all disasters are the result of an accumulation of unfortunate choices or coincidences. The tragedy of the Essex certainly seems that way. The men involved (inexperienced, incompatible characters, unfortunately low social status, poor judgments) and their time period (the height of Nantucket's whaling glory, the inevitable results of over-harvesting, the insufficient knowledge) and the choices they made (just the destruction that this one ship's full of men did to not one but at least two islands, not to mention actions they took on the sea both on board the whaling ship and then on their makeshift lifeboats); all of it just adds up to be such a horrible experience I shudder to imagine what it might have been like to live through it. At the same time, I am revolted by all of it. It shouldn't have happened - but it did.

Tedious towards the end. I enjoy reading little anecdotal bits, excerpts and quotes from personal correspondence and autobiographies or memoirs, all that jazz. But the conjecture as to what the stereotypical "average" American heiress felt or thought or did was verging on becoming its own novella and the entire last 300-400 pages was like the author's own version of Burke's Peerage. And after my last entry about 16% in, the pictures and quotes became increasingly more random. What is the point of a picture of a building discussed 7 pages ago? Or a childhood picture of someone who was of no significance or relation to the culture/topic until they were adults?

Eventually it just seemed like the pictures were just padding for a meandering collection of historical etiquette, the author's personal thoughts, and bits and bobs of archived photos and sources without any overarching purpose, original ideas, or theory connecting any of it together. Not horrible, and individually the sections are interesting; I was more disappointed by the fact that more than a third of the book was useless information. The 100+ page index is something I could grudgingly allow, but the rest! - ugh, what a waste of paper in the printed copies of this book.

Some redeeming points made:

+ Attempts at recreating Old World classism in America didn't/doesn't work because "a distinctive feature of American society: there is always new money." 

+ Social climbing was a bigger concern in American; England didn't care because they had the peerage.

+ After the Civil War, "a third Anglo-American war was not thought to be out of the question."

+ American women had more financial and social freedom; British women had more social freedom within the marriage. I disagree that British women had more sociopolitical influence at the time. (See Capital Dames.)

+ "The girls at the balls, clacking open their plumed ivory fans, dance cards dangling from their wrists, were really mere goods on display, the men stepping into the ballrooms doing up the last buttons on their dance gloves just shoppers - wary of being cheated, eager to make a deal, or pleased to be able to afford the best."

+ The observation that still rings true today: "In America, rank was only relative: it had to be measured against someone else's."

+ The observation that Newport in the late 19th century was run entirely by women, making it a social hot spot; compare with Primates of Park Avenue on the absence of men in the elite women's favored areas of retreat from city life.

+ Wealth and social status don't necessarily equate to modernity; the entire book being about impoverished nobles marrying American girls for their (family's) money, the irony being that their revered ancestral homes being completely lacking in contemporary hygiene facilities or conveniences.

+ "[In America], politics and the upper class did not mix; in England, politics and the upper class were the same thing." No longer applicable in modern day?

+ "America, with its emphasis on youth and its constant awareness of children as the hope of the future, made much of its offspring." Compare with Primates of Park Avenue (?) about children as part of family workforce outside of US vs. children as objects/symbols within US.

+ "The self-appointed American aristocracy was actually nothing more than an ornate version of the middle class." Still is~ ha. Also, desegregation of class by material wealth and the shift towards wealth/status by accumulation of service goods.

 

"...but American girls are pretty and charming—little oases of pretty unreasonableness in a vast desert of practical common-sense."

This is what happened: I wanted to read the book, having seen the movie version with Brad Pitt and hearing (rather, reading via TVTropes and Wikipedia - solid sources of information, those sites) that the original was vastly different. Then, while clicking around here and there, I discovered that the audiobook had some awesome casting. Fortunately both an ebook and audiobook version were available through the library website. I was a little annoyed that I couldn't find the matching cover on Booklikes for the ebook copy I had downloaded (the movie poster version cover) but fine, I made do.

I didn't commit to the book right away as I was entranced by the world of Terry Pratchett <3 But then I got hooked and mainlined the whole thing in less than 2 days. I was so psyched! I was ready to go out and buy supplies for the zombie apocalypse!

I wasn't a fan of the interview style - yes, it introduces a unique way of different perspectives, you can add and drop characters as needed, but people don't talk that way. We write that way, but we don't talk that way (anymore). Insert that quote Nic Cage says from National Treasure. Although it was terribly effective. Some parts sent literal chills up my spine! I am a bit of a zombie genre fan and all the gore and horrible actions discussed in the novel didn't bother me on an emotional level except the bit about the dogs which actually made me tear up and almost full on cry.

Now, compare to the audiobook - my version was abridged! Horrible! From what I gather via Amazon's selection for sale, there is an unabridged version and the abridged version, the latter of which is 6 hours long. It cuts out a lot of the characters from the novel, obviously, and I question the choice of characters included in the abridged version. It's the not the group that I would have chosen although I guess it does give a complete arc of the 'story' without all the really good, gory details. Even the included narratives are edited for... length? Explicit content? They still use swear words, a lot of F-bombs, but the explicit violence seems cut down.

Is it bad that I am so offended by the abridged audiobook that I am considering buying the full length one just to compare? I am also tempted to buy a copy of World War Z because I had so, so many notes highlighted. Both versions are political as heck, a lot of criticism and satire without really naming names. The pop culture references are a bit out of date given the book came out 5-10 years ago I think but anyone of my generation and older would understand them easily. (80s children, whoop whoop! :D ) Between the two, however, I think the book, whether in print or electronic form, is better because there are a lot of footnotes in the text that are not explained in the audiobook at all.

Usual zombie genre triggers apply. Review rating applies for the book version.

Per the idea borrowed from Merle, the goal is to "travel the world" by reading one book set in every country of the world as listed below with preference given to books by a native author.

List format is also borrowed from Merle. :)

6 out of 200 countries = 3%

North America and the Caribbean 
1 out of 24 countries = 4%

Canada: 
United States: Capital Dames by Cokie Roberts
Mexico: 

Belize: 
Nicaragua: 
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Panama

Antigua & Barbuda:
Barbados:
Cuba:
Dominica: 
Dominican Republic:
Haiti:
Jamaica:
Puerto Rico:
Bahamas
Grenada
St. Kitts & Nevis 
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago 


South America 
0 out of 12 countries = 0%

Argentina: 
Brazil: 
Chile: Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar?
Colombia: 
Peru: 
Uruguay: 
Venezuela:
Bolivia
Ecuador 
Guyana 
Paraguay 
Suriname 


Africa 
1 out of 54 countries = 2%

Algeria: 
Egypt: The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa Al Aswany
Libya: 
Morocco: 
Tunisia

Cape Verde:
Ghana: 
Guinea: 
Ivory Coast: 
Liberia: 
Mali:
Nigeria: 
Senegal: 
Sierra Leone:
Togo: 
Benin
Burkina Faso
Gambia 
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritania
Niger 

Cameroon:
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 
Sao Tome & Principe: 
Central African Republic
Chad
Republic of the Congo 
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon

Ethiopia:
Kenya: 
Rwanda: 
Somalia: 
Sudan: 
Tanzania:
Uganda: 
Burundi
Djibouti
Eritrea
South Sudan

Botswana: 
Mauritius: 
Mozambique:
South Africa: 
Zambia: 
Zimbabwe:
Angola
Comoros
Lesotho 
Madagascar
Malawi 
Namibia 
Seychelles
Swaziland


Europe 
2 out of 49 countries = 4%

France: 
Germany: 
Greenland: 
Iceland: 
Ireland:
Italy: 
Netherlands: 
Spain: 
Sweden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Switzerland: 
United Kingdom: The Dead Duke, His Missing Wife, and the Secret Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell
Andorra
Austria 
Belgium
Denmark 
Finland 
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Norway 
Portugal 
San Marino
Vatican City

Albania: 
Azerbaijan: 
Bulgaria: 
Chechnya: 
Croatia: 
Georgia: 
Greece: 
Hungary: 
Montenegro:
Romania: 
Russia: 
Serbia: 
Ukraine: 
Armenia
Belarus
Bosnia & Herzegovina 
Czech Republic 
Estonia 
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Poland 
Slovakia
Slovenia


Middle East 
0 out of 16 countries = 0%

Iran: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi?
Iraq: 
Israel: 
Kuwait: 
Lebanon: 
Qatar: 
Palestine: 
Saudi Arabia: 
Turkey:
Yemen: 
Bahrain
Cyprus
Jordan
Oman
Syria 
United Arab Emirates


Asia 
2 out of 31 countries = 6%

Afghanistan: The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg? / In My Father's Country by Saima Wahab
Kazakhstan:
Kyrgyzstan: 
Tajikistan:
Turkmenistan 
Uzbekistan 

Bangladesh:
India: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Nepal:
Sri Lanka:
Pakistan:
Bhutan 
Maldives

China: Leaving Mother Lake by Yang Erche Namu, Christine Mathieu?
Japan: 
Mongolia: 
North Korea: In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
South Korea: 
Taiwan:
Tibet:

East Timor: 
Indonesia: 
Malaysia:
Myanmar: 
Philippines: 
Singapore:
Thailand:
Vietnam: 
Brunei
Cambodia 
Laos


Australia and the Pacific 
0 out of 14 countries = 0%

Australia: 
New Zealand: 
Fiji 
Kiribati 
Marshall Islands 
Micronesia 
Nauru
Palau
Papua New Guinea 
Samoa
Solomon Islands 
Tonga 
Tuvalu 
Vanuatu

Two points - if the author is from England, shouldn't it be The Colour of Magic? And I can't tell if I got a slightly glitched copy of the e-book or if there were deliberate mistakes with oddly placed and/or missing quotation marks.

Someone recommended the Discworld series to me a while ago and indeed it does tickle my funny bone, suits my particular brand of humor. Rincewind is an adorably cursed butt monkey, poor guy. And I finally understand the numerous Death references I have seen across fandoms and memes online. I will be working my way through the series and collecting the quotable gems here.

As for plot, well, for book #1 = tourists, misunderstandings, insurance, Luggage, heroes, deconstruction, gambling, sentience, gods, space explorers! A given definition of shape shifter, undeserved reputations, inordinate amounts of happenstance.

-- "I assure you the thought never even crossed my mind, Lord." "Indeed? Then if I were you I'd sue my face for slander."

-- "You don't understand! ...All my life I've wanted to see dragons!" "From the inside?"

-- "You're a defeatist." "Defeatist! That's because I'm going to be defeated!"

-- "He wondered what kind of life it would be, having to keep swimming all the time to stay exactly in the same place. Pretty similar to his own, he decided."

-- "Some pirates achieved immortality by great deeds of cruelty or derring-do. Some achieved immortality by amassing great wealth. But the captain had long ago decided that he would, on the whole, prefer to achieve immortality by not dying." I couldn't help but think of (Captain!) Jack Sparrow with this one! :P

-- "It wasn't half so dreadful as he had imagined. Umm, said his imagination after a while."

-- "It's happened at last... I'm going out of my mind." Good idea said the voice. It's getting pretty crowded in here."

-- "Because the whole of my future life just flashed in front of my eyes, and it didn't take very long..."

The first 70-75% of the book is the survival guide part. I would be generous saying it's worth 1 star. Not to say that it wasn't well-done (note: not well-written) but it is lacking the straightforwardness of a real survival guide while simultaneously too conversational to be believable. I would give someone fair odds of survival following the instructions - in a fictional world. (If only I could send a copy to the characters of The Walking Dead in season 1, episode 1!) It could, theoretically, provide a sound basis for real life survival but I wouldn't believe it entirely since it is listed in the fictional section of the library.

Another thing that annoyed me is the narrator's tone comes off as soap-boxy. As a rant against all the improbabilities and stupid choices made in all zombie movies, ever, it's great. Satire and irony, 10/10. But as a prologue (?) or a stand-alone novel, it's just annoying.

Also, as I read this as an e-book, there are a ridiculous number of stupid little pictures included in the text, which just look bizarre. I would hope it looks better on a printed page. The tables/lists register as images on the Kindle, so I was constantly accidentally tapping them when I was trying to 'turn the page'. Probably not a problem for all e-readers, but another tick against this book for me.

My favorite part was the last 25% of the book which is the alternate history section which actually provides background for the world described in the book where zombies have always been a problem. So that aspect is different from other 'verses in the zombie genre. Rather than being the result of a disease or curse or whatnot, zombies (specifically differentiated from voodoo zombies) are a naturally occurring phenomena that no one knows the origin of but hints throughout the book indicate that it may have been something that happened once - long ago- and perpetuates due to never being fully eradicated. (Think ice zombies.)

In conclusion, the last 25% of the book salvaged my opinion of it and I am moving onto the World War Z book and audiobook (simultaneously).

This was audiobook #2 for me. It's definitely a different experience than reading the book again. That is to say, it took a heck of a long time to finish listening to it. If I'm not mistaken this second book is longer than the first in the Millennium trilogy in print, so it may be advisable to just read it next time.

Serving as a bridge between the first and third book, there is a lot more focus on new characters in relation to Lisbeth. The main plot this time revolves around the mystery of Lisbeth's past and the implication that she has been involved in the murder of three people. All of Lisbeth's problems stem from the fact that her antisocial behavior and legally checkered past, all of which she ignored because she just didn't care, actually make her look like a villain to the uninformed public in the book. A rather interesting look at how the reality of knowing someone in person contrasts to how they will be portrayed in media and the various presumptions and stereotypes about their personality will crop up amidst public speculation.

The same triggers for misogyny, murder, rape, prostitution, etcetera, still apply as from the first book. Extra horror implications due to the fact that nothing described is beyond the realm of possibility and, given the author was a journalist who probably met and saw a lot of crap happen in the world, probably really did happen to someone somewhere.

On the one hand, I like the social commentary that results from the dialogues and omniscient remarks via the narrator. On the other hand, the extensive flashbacks covering the same periods of time - mostly from Blomkvist and Salander's perspectives - are tedious. There could have been a different way to tell the story that would have dramatically cut down it's length.

First person, ugh. (Let it not be said that I only discriminate against female first person POV!) At least the MC of Harry Dresden is rather likable.

Similes are a bit strange, but... not so bad. Pretty quick read ultimately. Serious regret though that I wasted all this time waiting for a digital copy from the library when the audiobook version is narrated by James Marsters. <3

As for the story, I had to look up when it was written (circa 2000 apparently) because some of the references were really throwing me. For example, an automatic pencil = a mechanical pencil? So ubiquitous these days that we just call them pencils. Things like telephone directories and film canisters. Rolodexes (?!) and... stereos? What do we call those things nowadays? I think I've been strictly playing music off my computer for the last 5 or 6 years at least. We do have one of those plug-in your iPod speaker systems somewhere in the house but even that doesn't get much use these days. Wow, time, and technology, flies...

Anyway, the plot was pretty solid and had me hooked. It is more of a mystery plotline than a magical fantasy one, so I had to make up a new tag for it. The humor was 50-50 for me. Something about the way it was written in text (gotta watch the use of punctuation when you're trying to convey a sense of dry humor) came off too abrupt and frat-boy humor-style sometimes. Other times it was hilarious. So YMMV. Example: 

"...I thought the base for a love potion was supposed to be champagne."

 

"Champagne, tequila, what's the difference, so long as it'll lower her inhibitions?" Bob said.

 

"Uh. I'm thinking it's going to get us a, um, sleazier result."

And I was legitimately confused by these two bits:

-- "I coughed. 'Ah, yes. Ms. Randall--' / 'Miss,' she said, cutting in. 'Miss Randall. I'm not occupied. At the moment.' / 'Miss Randall,' I amended..." Let's discuss. Is not Ms. and Miss the same? What is the difference? I don't understand; is this a convention of the English language that I have somehow not ever encountered before neither in my life nor in any (of the numerous) text that I've ever read?

-- "Kids. You gotta love them. I adore children. A little salt, a squeeze of lemon - perfect." Is it a cannibal joke?! I... I... don't know what to say. It's totally random in context of the story which just makes me more confused... @_@

And finally, this bit, which is written quite early on in the story, and I think nicely sums up both what the series is about (disclaimer: haven't read it yet, so I'm assuming...) and the state of magical "realism" stories at the turn of the new millennium. What an interesting literary era to be living through... 

"Science, the largest religion of the twentieth century, had become somewhat tarnished by images of exploding space shuttles, crack babies, and a generation of complacent Americans who had allowed the television to raise their children. People were looking for something - I think they just didn't know what. And even though they were once again starting to open their eyes to the world of magic and the arcane that had been with them all the while, they still thought I must be some kind of joke."

Perhaps what is most intriguing about the situation is not the supposition that an eccentric duke was living a double life as a well-to-do middle class furniture maker, but the societal and legal circumstances that made it such a scandal.

Firstly, the tradition of primogeniture in England which made the importance of tracking not just the nearest male relative but the nearest legitimate one. Apparently one can't be legitimatized later, regardless of when marriage took place, or that was what I understood from the book. And the rule of primogeniture led to some pretty bizarre instances of far-flung relations being suddenly elevated to the prestige of a title they probably never expected; quite the fairy tale in itself!

Secondly, all those similarities in 18th and 19th century novels make a lot more sense now: "New World" citizens obsesses with the idea of fortuitously inheriting titles and wealth from the "Old World"; long lost relatives that suddenly show up under the guise of servants or wards; double lives to every possible degree (Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, anyone?); mysterious benefactors, and sometimes connected to astronomical rises in fortunes for the beneficiary, neatly colliding with the phenomenon of the new money crowd. (A nice comparison to Great Expectations in-text by the way.)

Thirdly, the well-discussed societal fear of class shift. Impoverishment is one thing, but the real fear was upwards class mobility. I thought the comments on how the role of governess was once the last stop for young unmarried women of noble birth but poor finances and how poor families would invest in a clever daughter's future by educating her in the hopes that she could snag a governess position to be most interesting. The author elaborated on fine contemporary points such as that without detracting from the ongoing story of the mystery.

It is a bit unsatisfying in the end, and I can't even fault the author because she is quite up front about her own disappointment as well. I may be mistaken, but I thought the book was published at the end of last year, yet the addendum implies that the book was published, then persons contacted her via social media, which led to the extra bit at the end of the book. Still leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and there was definitely some sort of conspiracy in the interests of the established aristocracy at the time leading to the gaps of information (my imagination would like to propose a midnight burning of key papers), but... hm, I suppose as well-resolved as one can get with a century old mystery.

"The hunger had become unbearable; I was willing to risk my life for the promise of a bowl of rice."

I think any memoir that is as raw and straightforward as this one deserves the full 5 star rating. I actually felt myself starting to get a little bit teary in some parts. Even the acknowledgments section at the back of the book was so sincerely written that I was emotionally moved!

 

"I know that it is possible to lose part of your humanity in order to survive. But I also know that the spark of human dignity is never completely extinguished, and that given the oxygen of freedom and the power of love, it can grow again."

To be clear, this is the first story about North Korea that I have ever read. The publication of memoirs of North Korean defectors, especially women, seems to be  a new trend the last couple of years. To my knowledge, they existed before in Korean media, but none really were well-known in the English speaking world until recently. Anyway, given what I do know about the culture, everything she discusses seems very accurate; I don't have the impression that she lied or concealed anything more than identifying names/traits to protect identities of people who might be hunted down by the North Korean government.

So, yes, I have no doubt that the illegal human trafficking rings in northern China are mostly focused on turning women into forced brides for the surplus of men in rural areas; although it's not as popular a topic in Western media as Nazis and Communists, it's been in the news before. I also am sure that even the well-intentioned people who work to get refugees into South Korea are not 100% working for their best interests; Yeonmi recounts being afraid that she would be kicked out of the traveling group because the Christian missionary in charge found out that she had worked in online adult chatrooms to earn money (in a literal life or death situation, is it really right to judge someone's morals when they are in such a position of disadvantage?) and he didn't want her to leave until she had fully "repented." Hmmm....

It is both chilling and amusing how Yeonmi bluntly states that skills she learned in North Korea were helpful in situations. And it is quite shocking to realize that something we (in the West) take for granted is actually, as you read in Yeonmi's POV, something quite remarkable we are privileged to know or have. Example:

"But in a place without an Internet or an outside newspaper, it was impossible to get reliable information. If you asked too many questions, you could be reported."

Most chilling bit: when she explains how reading Orwell's 1984 crystallized in her mind exactly how corrupted the way of thinking encouraged in North Korea was.

Most touching bit: when her grandmother asks that she come to her grave someday to tell her that North and South Korea was a united country again, shortly before Yeonmi describes, from her young self's perspective, how her grandmother commits suicide to avoid being a burden on their impoverished family.

Other quotes for posterity:

-- "When you have so little, just the smallest things can make you happy - and that is one of the very few features of life in North Korea that I actually miss." I noted this because one would be hard pressed to find any outsider to think there might be actually something good about North Korea given our prejudiced and uninformed knowledge.

-- "If you grow up in the West, you may think that romance occurs naturally, but it does not. You learn how to be romantic from books and movies, or from observation." Nature vs. Nurture argument? Also, the difference between romance and sexual attraction.

-- "[My mother] carries guilt to this day that she was not better able to enjoy my childhood; she was too busy worrying about getting us enough food to eat." I think this sentiment could be applied across culture and country to any mother who has dealt with the circumstances of raising a family in hard times, especially as a single mother, whether by choice or chance.

-- "Jang Jin Sung, a famous North Korea defector and former poet laureate who worked in North Korea's propaganda bureau, calls this phenomenon 'emotional dictatorship.' In North Korea, it's not enough for the government to control where you go, what you learn, where you work, and what you say. They need to control you through your emotions, making you a slave to the state by destroying your individuality, and your ability to react to situations based on your own experience of the world." This is probably the truth in most 'free countries' fears... See the Red Scare?

-- "I think it's because people are so oppressed in North Korea, and daily life is so grim and colorless, that people are desperate for any kind of escape. When you watch a movie, your imagination can carry you away for two whole hours. You come back refreshed, your struggles temporarily forgotten." The exact reasoning behind the massive entertainment industry which feeds into inflated salaries for everyone at the top of that food chain; and many, many classic sci-fi novels.

"There were so many desperate people on the streets crying for help that you had to shut off your heart or the pain would be too much. After a while you can't care anymore. And that is what hell is like."

I personally find the way some people speak in English, when it is not their first language, to be more beautiful. There is something about the cadence and idiosyncrasies of their native language that carry over and do not inhibit their ability to speak English but rather lend a more powerful meaning to their words. <3

-- "After I escaped to South Korea, I was surprised to hear that the blossoms and green shoots of spring symbolize life and renewals in other parts of the world. In North Korea, spring is the season of death. It is the time of year when our stores of food are gone, but the farms produce nothing to eat because new crops are just being planted. Spring is when most people died of starvation. My sister and I often heard the adults who saw dead bodies on the street make clucking noises and say, "It's too bad they couldn't hold on until summer."

-- "...I learned something important from my short time as a market vendor: once you start trading for yourself, you start thinking for yourself." While I could easily see this as a point in favor of capitalistic societies versus communist or socialist ones, one could look at the hyper-capitalism of the United States and China (ha, irony...) and see that neither extreme is necessarily good...

-- "There were times when I wondered whether, if it wasn't for the constant hunger, I would be better off in North Korea, where all my thinking and all my choices were taken care of for me." I am very curious about this one. At this point in the story, I wonder if it was motivated more by a desire for what was familiar, or easier, or... what?

-- "...when you have more words to describe the world,  you increase your ability to think complex thoughts." Is there any better reason to embrace a love for reading? :)