Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Wow! Wow, wow, wow! This book is amazing. I loved reading about some of the different Chinese customs and I loved the storyline and character depth portrayed in this novel. Kwan's novel address issues that are not just prevalent in Chinese culture but so many other cultures around the world and the descriptions of people and places gave me such amazing visuals. I felt like I was there and I knew these people but I didn't have to be a part of their drama.

Although most of the action takes place around Nicholas Young and Rachel Chu's relationship, the novel is broken up into three parts and the chapters alternate between various characters to help tell the whole story. By narrating the different points of view readers can gain an understanding of Chinese high culture and get a sense of what it would be like to travel internationally to visit places like Singapore, China, Paris, and England (if you don't already travel internationally).

My favorite character is Astrid, Nicholas Young's cousin and his closest female confidant. She is not your typical crazy rich Asian, even though she spends money like she's crazy rich, most with less money than her or her family do not feel beneath her because of how she treats people. Astrid breaks the mould of her family's definition of how they should act and who they should marry. She does things her way and on her time. I think Astrid and I could be good friends.

There are so many other amazing characters in this novel and even though most of them are rich and live extravagant lives, they are still relatable on some level. With 527 pages, reading this book can be overwhelming for some but once you start reading, the pages almost turn themselves. Also, at the beginning of the book after Kwan's dedication to his mother and father, there is a simplified family tree of the clans of the characters that make up the crazy rich Asians. This family tree really helps in understanding how the characters are related and why Nicholas Young is seen as such an eligible bachelor to the crazy rich families in Asia.

I will be absolutely positively reading the other two books of Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy.

告別

Gàobié,

The Black Bibliophage

The Harlem Charade by Natasha Tarpley

 

This book in an intriguing and educational young adult mystery that emphasizes the art history in the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City during the present time. Although it is a fiction novel, many of the events and places mentioned in the book are based on an actual events or places that still exist or used to exist.

In Tarpley's novel, three teens become unlikely friends while learning about some of the history Harlem has to offer. Elvin, Alex, and Jin work together to solve the mystery of what happened to Elvin's grandfather that put him in the hospital in a coma. They also learn the meaning of friendship, honesty, and being a part of a community.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book really touched my soul, it was written with such a spiritual element that it can make you really think about your life and whether you believe in destiny or not.

Coelho's novel, The Alchemist, takes us on an adventure to fulfill the personal legend of a young man named Santiago who is simply referred to as "the boy" throughout the entirety of the story. The boy is a shepherd from Spain who has a recurring dream and seeks to find out why. He finds out that he must fulfill his personal legend of travelling to the pyramids of Egypt in Africa to find treasure. Along the way, he meets strange and interesting people, he learns valuable life lessons about deceit and one's destiny, he falls in love, discovers alchemy, and masters the Language of the World. The boy spends the latter part of his journey crossing the desert with an alchemist who helps him realize that understanding the science of alchemy is a spiritual journey and that everything in the universe has a soul and those souls are all connected.

I recommend that spiritual people read this novel. As the boy reflects on his spirituality and the lessons he has learned, readers can also do the same. I almost got really emotional reading this because I felt some of the same feelings as the boy and I even contemplated giving up on something important to me just as he did. Reading this reminded me to trust in the higher power, listen to my heart, and enjoy nature.


"Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World." -The Stranger from The Alchemist


The Black Bibliophage

The Sweetest Sound by Sherri Winston

This book was adorable. It was so innocent and sweet and I can only imagine the number of seemingly shy but amazing children that this chapter book would be perfect for. I purchased The Sweetest Sound because the cover art featured a cute little brown skinned girl with a pixie haircut and an adorable dog and the blurb on the back of the book cover was very appealing to me. I was familiar with the author's name, Sherri Winston, because I had seen a few of her other books one being President of the Whole Fifth Grade. And after reading The Sweetest Sound, I want to read more of Winston's novels.

The main character of this novel is Cadence Mariah Jolly. As she narrates her story up to her 10th birthday, readers who love music may find themselves singing their favorite songs or wanting to listen to music. I know I did. Cadence has an interesting story that includes an absent mother and a single father. Although her mother left their family to pursue her own dreams (very unlike mine), I still really felt myself relating to Cadence. Throughout the novel, she mentions how people say she is shy when actually she is just an introvert. I felt that, growing up and even sometimes now, people think I'm shy because of my demeanor. Just because someone is soft spoken or does not want attention doesn't mean they are shy, maybe they just don't like being loud or the center of attention. This makes Cadence one of my favorite characters ever because she is like me. She is someone who can make her own decisions, reflects on her feelings and overcome fears by becoming her own hero. She loves to read and write, she has great dreams, and she enjoys music and being a performer but doesn't have to have or want all the spotlight.

This book is also unique because it pays homage to music, including gospel music and artist Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Yolanda Adams. The novel also makes note of other known authors when Cadence mentions books she has read. I really liked it. It made me want to take out my old CDs, sing, perform, and take a trip down memory lane. It made me want to reread books from my childhood, and it really connected me to myself. I recommend that extroverted parents of introverted children read this if they need help better understanding their child. And I recommend that those shy or introverted children read this book if they think that no one understands them. Well, I think everyone should read this book, it just has so many relatable aspects and can lift spirits.

Look inside you & be strong,

The Black Bibliophage

Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree

Tracy Ellison was presumably a diva in the making from the day she was born in 1971 to Dave and Patti Ellison. Tracy is the hazel eyed, honey-brown skinned beautiful young lady who headlines in the novel Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree. Tracy's story takes place in the Germantown neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1977 to the end of the 1980s. It follows Miss Tracy from elementary school all the way through her completion of high school and she is portrayed as one determined queen.

I first read this book when I was in high school, a sophomore I believe and I remember greatly enjoying it even though Tracy was one fast moving young lady when it came to exploring her sexuality and sensuality. I enjoyed reading this book then for one of the same reasons I enjoyed reading it again this year, because I am not like Tracy yet I am like her in the sense that she represents a strong willed young woman.

Although she is a fictional character, she is an accurate representation of many young black women in the 1970s and 1980s and even now. While reading this novel, sometimes I forgot what the time period was because the issues and other actions of the story still happen in today's modern society. There are still people who are materialistic and superficial like Tracy, marriages still take effort like Tracy's parents, some children still become sexually active too soon like Tracy and some of her friends and the young men they were attracted to, and people still do things for selfish reasons like several characters in the novel. Omar Tyree did a really great job with his portrayal of Tracy's life exploration through high school and her character growth can really be seen as inspiration.

Stay Flyy,

The Black Bibliophage

The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince by Serena Valentino

Beauty and the Beast is one of my top 3 favorite Disney fairytales, both the animated and live action version, so I had to read Serena Valentino's book 2 from the villain series; The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince. This is yet another book that I loved. I liked reading about the Beast's perspective and there was little mention about Belle. Of course she is a very important part of the story but I liked the focus being on other aspects of Beast's life, not just how she helped save him but how he helped save himself from his arrogant vanity and view of how women should be.

This version of the tale of Beauty and the Beast is slightly darker than what we Disney fans are used to, unless you have watched Disney's Once Upon A Time, but that is an entirely different conversation for another time. Anyway, The Beast Within gives readers more details on Beast's background, it portrays him and Gaston as the best of friends and it details him as being engaged two times before he has his run in with Belle. It was his reaction to a small detail that later turned out to be a test from his first engagement that led to his curse.

One thing that I did not like about this book was that it did not explain or mention where his parents were yet he was still a just prince. Despite there being an extravagant ball where he met his second fiance and got his first sight of Belle, his parents were no where to be found. I thought that odd. Another way this book was interestingly different from the movies was that his perception of his cursed servants was different than that of anyone else in the story and definitely different from the movies. To Beast, his cursed servants were more like statues that randomly appeared whether he needed them or not. Plus they did not talk to him, it was as if they couldn't. But to Belle and the other servants they were lively, although still not in their human bodies, but they could speak to her and each other. Beast's castle became a very dark, creepy, and lonely place to him but that is exactly how his first fiance who turned out to be a witch wanted it to be. She wanted him to learn that vanity and status is not everything and that if he couldn't learn to love or be loved truly then his life would forever be dreadful. You know, same as the movies. Another thing that was same as the movies was that Gaston dies but it is after he has forgotten that he was best friends with the beastly prince.

There was a lot of anger and denial from Beast which I see as something that helps reminds readers that he is human and there was yet again a reminder that vanity can be very harmful. That is a theme that keeps recurring in fairytales and many other stories. Interesting we humans are and sometimes boring. Vanity, smh.

Tale as old as time,

The Black Bibliophage