Ten Good Things on a Monday: My Mother's Ten Favorite Books of All Time

10 Good Things on a Monday is a weekly feature  I am doing dedicated to every person's compulsive list-writing.  Every Monday we are going to make a list of 10 things that will cheer us up and help tide us over the whole week.

<a href="http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20things" target="_top"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZLJhw831LIwGjiA8RrpkyCa2Kw0vJ-MCDZ92vwi4is-CRlAzDfrov1rTTH16ntcfHxERkDFchxdM-bLazZ6g9M8tSP4JfsgI1z6BjiHzILQVknmvbcSdG9PpCXAdG9SZ1LU5PvsKPpM/s1600/10.JPG" border="0" /></a>

Here's how it works:

1. Think of a particular group of good things you want to make a list on, does not necessarily have to be about books, e.g. your current book wish list, or your favorite book foods (you know, foods you love to eat while reading, if you're like me), or your favorite girly names, whatever you can think of, as long as it makes you feel good.
2. If you have no ideas for a list, you can always visit my blog post to check out my theme for that week and you can take a cue from my list.
3. Post your list on your blog, grab that cute ARGH button above and put it on your post too, so we'd know you're doing this meme.
4. Leave the link for your post on my own 10 Good Things post for the week, if you see others doing it, comment too and let's share our good things with everybody.
5. Everybody goes through the whole week happy!

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My 10 Good Things for this week:  My Mother's All-Time Ten Favorite Books  
 
Mother's Day just passed (A Belated Happy Mother's Day!) and as a tribute, I told my Mom I was going to feature her on my blog.  She was a bit thrilled and alarmed that I would do something like this but relaxed a bit when she found that I was only going to ask her for her ten favorite books ever.  

She mostly reads romance novels but I was able to get her to like some YA and contemporary fiction recently and she has been enjoying the books that I shoved her way.

1.  Paradise by Judith McNaught - She has read this like, more than a hundred times and I still see her crying over this.

2.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - She first read this during her grade school days and she even used this for a paper for English.  The teacher thought that it was such an unusual choice to write about Wuthering Heights since she believed that this book sort of had very disturbing situations that an inexperienced (read: young) reader might misinterpret.  At the time, my mother did misunderstand some parts of the story but as she got older, she finally understood.  

There was a time last year when we were in a book store and she found me looking at a copy of this book and she practically pushed me into buying it, even offering to pay for the book herself.  I did pay for it, but when we got home, she immediately tucked in and began reading the book - way before I was even able to scan through it.  That's how obsessed she is with this book.

3.  Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers - She was so surprised at how short but poignant this book was.  She really loved the unique format and even lent it to one of her co-workers (Without asking my permission!) who loved it too.

4.  Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught - This is one book that I did not really like much - I only cared about some parts but my mother really loved this book - in fact, she loved it so much that when she sometimes feels down, she'll read parts of this book to herself to cheer her up.

5.  Once and Always by Judith McNaught

6.  Until You by Judith McNaught

7.  Remember When by Judith McNaught

8.  Prince Charming by Julie Garwood - This must be my most favorite romance novel of all time.  There was a time when she was reading this when she's home, but every time she's out, I would take this book and read it too.  And there was this other time, when after she was done reading this, I borrowed it and then when I was done, she got it back and re-read it again.  That cycle happened like, four times, I think.

9.  Still Alice by Lisa Genova - When she was finished reading a book from her shelf, I forced her to read this one next.  She was hooked from start to finish and kept obsessing about the story for days after she was done with it.

10.  Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - She agreed with me when I told her Dash is one of the coolest male book characters ever.

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I told you she likes her romance novels.  I have read all the books in her collection - my first forays into reading novels and we mostly agree on the type of stories that we like and do not care about.  We even talk about some books often, some conversations lasting for hours on end.  We're pretty close, my Mom and I, and reading books made us even closer.

Have a great Monday to everyone! 

So what are your Good Things?

After by Amy Efaw

 (Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  After
Author:  Amy Efaw
Publisher:  Speak
Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  368 pages
ISBN-10:  0142415901

ISBN-13:  978-0142415900

Source:  Purchased, Fully Booked

Buy this book on Amazon
Rating:

I had mixed feelings when I finished reading this book.  So before I did my review, I looked around the internet to find other helpful reviews in order to help me put my mind on track.  Reading through several articles, I understand that this book received mixed reviews.  I also understand that most of the negative reviews say that this book was more like an episode in Law and Order:  SVU, or that this book had too much dialogue, and the plot was good, but execution was horrible.  Having read this book, I think I know where those negative feedback were coming from, but I tend to disagree about this book being not much of a good read.  Getting this book, I knew up front what I was going to face:  Heavy issues and of course, heavy emotions.

While browsing through the bookstore, this book caught my attention because of its attractive cover, and then it kept my attention because of the synopsis:  This Devon girl was the driven athlete, exemplary student - an all-around perfect teenager.  But her seemingly perfect life was halted when she was found bleeding all over her living room sofa, and a newborn baby discovered in the trash near their home.  Suddenly, her life full of bright futures does not seem too bright at all as she was charged with attempted murder.  The second I read that, I was like, Wow something with psych stuff again!  You know how crazy I am about books with some heavy issues and psychological problems, so getting this book was definitely in the bag.

If the author were to write a completely comprehensive story focusing on neonaticide, a mere 368 pages would not suffice.  I do note, however, that the author certainly performed impeccable research on her desired topic.  The legal aspects, psychiatric viewpoint, and every last detail was covered.  But as I see it, focusing mainly on the 'dumpster baby' phenomenon is not her aim.  What I think she wanted to do is to write a story about what hypothetically goes on inside a young woman's - who gave birth and threw out her baby in the trash - mind.  Other readers said the book was mostly dialogue and too introspective, but that's exactly the point:  When you watch the news on television and teenage girls claim that they really have no idea they were pregnant until they gave birth, your initial remark would probably be:  "She's lying," "She can't be serious!" or "No way she's telling the truth!  She's saying she never felt any pregnancy symptoms? What a stupid alibi."  But really, how can we be sure that they are not telling the truth?  If you read this book, you'll observe that most of the story goes on in Devon's head, because that's where the real story occurs:   Her thought process all throughout pregnancy, while giving birth, and after - especially after - giving birth and doing away with the baby. 

Devon is actually the perfect study of a teenage-baby-throwing-mom (in the interest of brevity, and for my fingers' sake, I will now refer to perpetrators of these dumpster babies as 'DBP').  The factors that may influence a girl like her to think and decide the way she did are written on her character:  Immature and 'slutty' mother who was never there, always left alone in the house, lack of confidence for her support system, and a perceived notion that she needs to be 'unlike her mother.'  So when people complain that they cannot feel sympathetic towards Devon, it's understandable, because you don't like a DBP in the first place.  But once understanding those factors, and what goes on in Devon's head - once you understand the whole story, it's difficult not to feel anything for Devon.  Difficult not to have even a little compassion for what she just went through.

As for the opinion that the characters were mere 'caricatures' I beg to disagree.  The characters are as human as they can be.  We can relate with each of them on certain levels,  and they even have their own quirks and their individuality is very emphasized. 

As for the ending, which may be quite disappointing and is actually the biggest reason why most reviews were negative, I think it is disappointing because it left you hanging, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Why?  Because Devon was in denial.  What she did in the ending signified that she has finally and completely snapped out of her state of denial and finally ready to face the truth and result of her actions and decisions.

I knew what I was going up against when I started to read this book.  I knew that as a book that writes about such a serious issue, I have to take this book seriously.  And to take this book seriously, I have to get past the words themselves and understand what this book is really about.  Of course it involves neonaticide, but the whole point is exactly what goes inside a DBP's mind, and how she copes with it after.

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

(Photo taken from Pan Macmillian)

Title: Life on the Refrigerator Door

Author: Alice Kuipers
Publisher: Macmillan
Language: English
ISBN - 13: 9780330456456
Rating:







Telephone conversation with a mother and her daughter who lives overseas:


Mother: Hi honey, how was your birthday? Did you receive the present I sent you?

Daughter: Hello Mom! My birthday was okay. I went out with some friends. I miss the dinners you and Dad used to do on my birthdays though. Yeah, I got it yesterday morning. I'm going to read it later tonight. I did notice that it's got no plastic packaging anymore. Did you get it secondhand?

M: No hon, I just read it first before I sent it to you. I was supposed to buy it for myself but when I read it, I knew you'd love it, and I didn't have a present for you anyway, so...

D: Mom, you know you didn't have to do that! You might want to read it again and now it's with me. Wait, you're sure you did not send this to me because you think it sucks, did you?

M: Of course not! I loved the story and I just told you, I thought you'd love it. It's got those cute little drawings and I know how you love to draw. And it's one of those mother-daughter stories so we can both relate. Very poignant and moving. But it's not boring. Seriously, it's really good.

D: Yeah it does seem interesting. I just read the blurb and I can't wait to read it later. It does sound a bit emotional. Is this a tear-jerker Mom?

M: It has its moments. It's written in a really unique way, and the author did a terrific job at it. The style it was written would make you think its storytelling would be too limited, but it turned out really well, I couldn't put it down! I read and finished with it in an hour, but I felt like the story lingered in me for another week. Oh honey, I missed you so much after reading it.

D: Wow, now you've got my interest piqued. I miss you too Mom, but with work and stuff, it's not easy to just drop everything and go home.

M: I know. It's just that the book made me realize how much time we've been spending apart, and with your Dad gone... I've just been a bit lonely lately honey.

D: I miss Dad too. And lately, I have been feeling a bit sad too. I couldn't sleep much. Kept thinking of you...


Silence.


D: Mom? Are you still there? Are you crying?

M: I'm fine, honey. Make sure to read the book okay? And call me back and tell me what you think of it. I have to go, I need to go out shopping.

D: Are you sure you're okay Mom? I promise I'll read it and call you. And I think I'm going to ask my boss for a vacation. I do want to see you again.

M: Oh honey, you're really going to do that? You don't know how much that means to me! Call me back and tell me if your boss let you go on leave. And about the book too. I love you baby.

D: I love you too Mom. I'll call you.

Lynelle By the Sea by Laurie Lico Albanese

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: Lynelle By the Sea

Author: Laurie Lico Albanese
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0525945369
ISBN - 13: 978-0525945369
Rating:









And buy it on sale I did. Ever since then, I have been alternating between satisfaction and regret. I cannot entirely say that this is a bad book, nor could I say for sure that this is a good one.

The story is about two mothers who lost a child. One loses a baby two days after its birth, the other one had her baby stolen from her. Their lives become intertwined as the author explores motherhood, loss, and forgiveness.

So now let me talk about my ambivalence in praising and/or hating this book: I have nothing against the story. I think it is very moving, poignant, and, although a bit sad, hopeful. The characters are lovable in their own way. Told through different points of view: Lynelle narrating her side in her working-class words, and Annie and her family's story described from a third person narrative, the story shifts from the hopeful, hopeless, pathetic, and almost dreamlike state of Lynelle to the regimented, tired, frantic, and forgiving life of Annie. This style of narration provided the reader with much insight into each characters and extracted the right amount of sympathy for each.

The story provided a myriad of symbols: Lynelle's attempt to reach her mother's spirit in a crucial time of her life, baby Dylan's appearance into her life, breastfeeding, and several others that provide insight into motherhood, the bond between mother and child, and the sense of loss when that bond is broken very early on in life.

The characters and imagery are also very believable and almost tangible. Unlike most novels and most stories of kidnapping children, this story provided an in-depth view of the kidnapper's mind frame, eliciting sympathy and understanding for what was done, in the most human way possible.

But on the other hand, while I could have enjoyed the story, I felt that the first part was a drag. While I could understand the drama and the gradual revelation of each character's personality, I could not help but get slightly bored in the first few chapters. Maybe I am just a very impatient reader, always excited to get into all the action, that I could not quite appreciate the meticulously-drawn background of the women and their lives. Or maybe the writer was actually too verbose. In this regard, I would like to ask those who have read this book, or are planning to read it, to give me their opinion: Is it the author, or is it just me?

So maybe the reason why I sort of do not like it is personal, but when I read past those dragging parts, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, with its simple plot, simple characters, and complex emotions. I say simple plot but complex emotions because not everyone can understand how a mother feels when she loses a child, but losing a child is something that happens everyday. I do not only mean that literally, but also in the figurative way that a mother loses a child to puberty, to other interests. If you can look past the drag I got myself into the first few chapters, this is a book that you will thoroughly enjoy, especially if you are a mother.

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title: The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Author: Rebecca Wells
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 006075995X
ISBN - 13: 978-0060759957
Rating:







Unfortunately, I bought this for myself, albeit on sale. I thought this was going to be a fun read as it's obviously something about friendship, mothers and daughters, that type of thing. However, once I began to read, I'm afraid I could not wait to put it down.

This is a story of 40-year old Siddalee Walker whose relationship with her mother was tested when she unknowingly humiliated her mother in the papers. Siddalee began to doubt her own capacity to love, and her mother sends her a scrapbook, named "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The book contained various personal mementos of her mother and her three friends that was hoped to help Siddalee in understanding her mother without putting too much emotional effort in the process.

However, although she has the scrapbook, she does not understand everything in it, and only the readers are given the opportunity to learn about each mysterious fragments through Vivi's own recollection of the past. That was my first issue with this story. If the readers are the only ones to learn about Vivi's own memories and not Siddalee, how can she be as magnanimous and understanding of her mother's flaws? How did she gain understanding in the first place? Merely sorting through another person's memorabilia does not help one become enlightened about that person's self.

Another problem with this story is that it was all too predictable. And harrowing. And long. Mother had a problematic past. Daughter could not understand mother's hardness. Daughter finds out about mother's childhood. Mother and Daughter reconcile. That's been done in a dozen other books and I thought this one would be different. Turns out, I'm wrong. In an effort to take us back to Vivi's past, we are introduced to her three other friends. We are shown their wild, adventurous lives; but theirs was a life of privilege compared to other children at that time - Vivi did suffer physical and mental abuse from her parents, but don't we all - that their characters did not appear lovable, and instead, they seemed spoiled, bratty, and insensitive.

The story tried to create too much tension in every conflict, that made it as shallow as its characters. I have been touched by some dramatic stories of abuse and learning to stand up amidst all the pain, but this one made it seem like Vivi was too caught up in her own high school life and drama that she was too busy to grow up and live up to her responsibilities as an adult, a wife, and a mother. The story provided us with an excuse as to how she reacts with such hysteria in everything that happens, and with why she drinks and smokes every chance she gets. Hardly encouraging reading.

It did not help matters any when I found out this was just a sequel. Wow, the author was not done writing yet? Obviously she's not, and obviously, she's still got a lot on her mind. The book was full to the brim of exhausting selfish details about the ya-yas I was tempted not just a few times to put it down.

On the bright side, I like the imagery and the imagination behind the story. You could visualize beautiful South in all its heat and magic, and you could almost feel the cold of Seattle. In terms of vision and powers of description, I have to hand it to the author. In the future, I hope the author could extend her powers of description and imagination not just to the scenes and settings of her stories, but to the story itself - that it not become too boringly predictable and unlovable. This book had potential, but it just could not carry the weight of all the character's idiosyncrasies and the author's exhausting ideas.

Overall I'm happy that I did not have to spend too much when I bought this book. Maybe it's just me, but I did not enjoy this story about a supposedly strong Southern woman with secrets. But if this is your cup of tea, go ahead and dive in. You might just like it.

The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai

(Photo taken from Amazon)

Title: The Last Time I Saw Mother

Author: Arlene J. Chai
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0449912345
ISBN - 13: 978-0449912348
Rating:

A conversation between a mother and her teenage daughter:


Daughter: "Mom, am I adopted?"

Mother: "Of course not. What made you think that?"

D: "Aunt Lucy said that I don't look like you or Dad."

M: "That's because you take after both of us. Our features are thoroughly mixed in you that if you smile, your lips spread thinly like mine, but when you're serious, your lips purse like Dad's."

D: "You're really sure I'm not adopted?"

M: "A hundred percent sure. Even a million. I gave birth to you, or have you forgotten that? Why are you thinking of those things anyway? Have you been watching too much telenovelas lately?"

D: "No. But I read a book, The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai. Caridad learns that she was just adopted, and the circumstances surrounding her birth are told to her by three different women: her mother Thelma, her aunt Emma, and her cousin Ligaya, which also touches upon the history of their families before the Japanese occupation and then further afterward."

M: "And because of that, you thought you might be adopted? Was the book any good?"

D: "Well, in my opinion, the plot is interesting. I mean, it shows four sides of the story. However, although the author wanted to do four voices, to me it felt like their voices are one and they same."

M: "So it was not that good?"

D: "Ideally, it is very good, Mom, since the author wanted to touch on the lives of four women with the history of the Philippines as a backdrop. It's just that because the characters sounded the same, and they also sounded a bit uncertain with respect to their reflections on the past, the whole book became more like a narrative lesson in history, than a compelling story of family and relationships."

M: "I see. Well at least it made you learn a bit of history, which you're not very good in. But if you said that the characters almost sound the same, how were you able to distinguish them from each other?"

D: "Well the book is divided into four parts, each dedicated for a single character. And they also have a bit of distinction in the tone in that Thelma is resolute, Caridad is confused, then contemplative, then understanding, Emma is regretful, and Ligaya is bitter. But that's just the difference as far as this story goes."

M: "So from what you've told me, you didn't seem to have enjoyed the story."

D: "As I was telling you Mom, I enjoyed the premise. I just felt that it could have been written better. There was too much drama going on but I guess that's understandable, since the premise is intended to be dramatic. But the characters are too digressing in their personal stories, and quite frankly, it's reminiscent of typical Filipino telenovelas where a child is adopted early on and only learns of the truth when they are older, though this one does not have all the pathetic complications as those on television. And the ending could have been better, but I guess it would suffice."

M: "Well that explains your question about being adopted. You read something that is like a telenovela! You mean I gave you your allowance and you spent it on an unsatisfying book?"

D: "It was cheap Mom, so I didn't really lose that much."

M: "So what happened in the ending? Why were you not satisfied?"

D: "Why don't you just read the book, Mom? I can't stand here all day and talk to you about that book."

M: "And why can't you stay and talk to me? I told you you're not going out to that party."

D: "You're never this strict with my brother! Maybe I am adopted!"

M: "Go to your room. And give me that book."