The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

This was definitely a book that had me at the cover. Then when I read the front flap blurb, I  had to read it. A legendary library? Heck yes! 

Sadly, I was a bit disappointed in the story. I finished it because I wanted to see what happened to the main characters but it was not quite as magical and legendary as I had hoped it would be. 

It's China, 1937. Japan is invading China, and slowly swallowing cities and moving inland. The Communist party is gaining some momentum and is recruiting young students. Lian is a young student at Minghua University in Nanking, and they've been ordered to leave the city for safety--a thousand miles away, across China. They'll have to walk at night to keep themselves safe from Japanese bombers, and they have a great treasure that must be delivered safely: the Library of Legends. Volumes of China's history of legends and folklore; a five hundred year old priceless collection that would be an immeasurable loss to the Chinese people if it fell into enemy hands or was destroyed. 

Lian is accompanied by a large group of students, but a few stand out: Liu, his servant Sparrow, and Lian's friend Meirong. Lian has a bit of a crush on Liu, who is the son of a rich and powerful man, and handsome to boot. He's smart, but never has had to really work hard or push himself for any reason. Sparrow, his servant, quietly takes care of him and also has a secret agenda: she's immortal, and one of the mythical four maids in waiting. She has returned in human form in the hope that Liu will fall in love with her. It's a tale of reincarnation that unfortunately is doomed to never have a happy ending. 

Oh, there's more to this story. I had hoped the legends and folklore would be much more of the tale, but that just isn't the case. I had hoped the Library of Legends would factor more into the story, but its journey concludes a bit before the end of the book. What I did find interesting was the message moving across China to all Gods and Goddesses: the gates to heaven were going to close, and they had to move quickly to enter once and for all.  Once people worshipped Gods and Goddesses and prayed to them; that had faded, and they were no longer needed or wanted in modern China. So, it was time for them to leave China for their home, never to return. I found that really sad. And knowing what was to come for China makes it even more poignant to me. 

This wasn't a bad story by any stretch; it was fascinating to read about the travels of the students to another place, very far into China, where they could continue their education. The Chinese government believed their students were the future of the country, and did everything they could to protect them and keep them in school. They were losing the war with Japan, which had much more military might. China just had a lot of men to put through the war machine. 

If you like mythology, this would be a novel to read-if anything it will peak your interest in Chinese mythology. The historical background is interesting as well, and a period of history I didn't know much about. The characters are all just trying to survive as best they can in a world that is falling down around them. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio. 

Rating: 3/6 for a novel that falls short in the mythology that I was looking for; however, it is an interesting tale and would appeal to historical fiction fans. 

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The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

My interest in bees is fairly new. Up until about 3 years ago, my only reaction to bees was the painful memory of being stung in my ear by a bee as a kid, and how much it hurt! As I started to garden at my house, I would walk outside and notice the butterflies and bees flitting around my flowers, and I was happy--as long as they stayed away from me. 

That slight awareness of bees became an interest when I stumbled upon urban beekeeping articles as I was searching for a paper topic in grad school.  From then on, I was interested in bees, and horrified at the mysterious deaths that are sending our bee population into a nosedive.  All of that back history drove me to pick up this book at my library.  

This novel is told in three separate historical settings: William, a biologist in 1852 England,  George, a beekeeper in 2007 Ohio, and Tao, a human pollinator in 2098 China.  In Tao's world, the bees have disappeared; world population has plummeted due to food shortages (no bees=no food!), and she is part of a group of workers who climb fruit trees and hand pollinate in order to produce crops.  It's endless work; every day, back breaking work with little pay, and very little to eat.  Tao lives with her husband and young son, Wei-Wen in a little house near the fields.  She hopes for a better future for her son, but has no idea how to make that happen.  

William is in a deep depression.  A budding biologist, his hopes of studying and research ended when he married and had children.  His former mentor has dismissed William, and now he's spent months lying in bed, as the money runs out and his seed shop remains closed.  One day, his son visits him, and provides a spark for William.  He finally gets out of bed, determined to begin research again--and finds that bees and hives are his passion.  Can he create a new, man made beehive that will revolutionize beekeeping, and provide his family with wealth?  

George is the latest in his beekeeping family.  A successful farmer, he's always made his own beehives from a family plan handed down through the generations.  His son Tom is away at college, but George has plans to work along side his son and hand off the family beekeeping operation to the next generation.  Tom, however, returns from college a changed man--one who isn't all that interested in beekeeping.  It's 2007, and reports of whole bee hives mysteriously dying off has folks puzzled and afraid.  Will George manage to keep his farm going?

Well.  We know it doesn't go well for the bees, thanks to Tao's story.  By 2098 the world is decimated--all because of The Collapse.  If anything, this novel makes you aware of just how vitally important bees are to, well, EVERYTHING.    It's serious stuff, and not made up fiction. Tao's world can be avoided.  

While this could be a novel about hopelessness, it's actually the opposite.  Tao's story is the most interesting one, because it's through a horrible tragedy involving Wei-Wen that hope is once again born in the world. You may wonder how these three characters, decades apart, could possibly be connected.  Oh, they are--in such a wonderful way.  I myself just had to cheer for William at the end of Tao's story.  Yes, both William and George (and Tom) are vitally present in 2098 China.  A perfect example of how we are all connected, and how much bees have helped sustain life over and over, and will continue to do so--if we just be mindful of them and get out of their way. 

It took me a while to get through this book. I had some trouble sticking with it, but have to admit Tao's story kept pulling me back, and I'm so glad I finished the novel.  It is one of those reads that resonates after you've read it and have time to think about it.  I'm definitely going to do my part next Spring and plant plenty of bee-friendly flowers in my yard. This novel may just be the catalyst to your interest in bees, and how incredibly important they are to our survival. There are plenty of books and documentaries about The Collapse, the history of bees, and yes--even how to be an urban beekeeper.  Get busy!

Rating:  3/6 for a good novel, but one I had to work to get through, until it clicked about 3/4 of the way through and then I raced to finish it.  A fascinating look at history, how we all are connected, and the power of bees. 

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The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

Flight Patterns by Karen White

Karen White is one of my go to Southern writers.  I've been reading her novels for years and always look forward to her newest tale of family intrigue.  She has a blend of contemporary issues, damaged family dynamics, and a bit of history mixed together that has me picking up all of her novels without even thinking twice.  

In Flight Patterns, Georgia Chambers is a thirty-something woman living in New Orleans, working as an expert in fine china for a local auction house.  She lives a solitary life, away from her family home in Apalachicola, Florida.  There, her 94 year old grandfather, her mother Birdie, her sister Maisy, and her niece Becky live in the family home.  Her grandfather is a beekeeper; her mother Birdie lives in a silent world where no one but Becky can communicate with her.  It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with Birdie, but Karen White did the reader a huge favor by alternating chapters between Georgia, Maisy, and Birdie, so you get an inside peek at what Birdie's mind is like.  If it had been left to only see Birdie from the perspective of other characters, nothing much would have made sense.  

Georgia has been gone from home for 13 years when she is given the task of figuring out the origin and price of an unusual Limoge china set brought to her attention by James, a man from New York who has plenty of his own heartbreak to work through.  It's an very different set of china:  it has bees in the pattern, and sparks a memory in Georgia:  she's seen that pattern before, in a soup cup her mother kept hidden in her closet.  Is the china set part of a generally produced pattern, or was it specially made by Limoge for a smaller audience?  And is Georgia's hunch that the cup and James' set belong together correct?

To find out, Georgia's boss tells her she must go back home and search for the cup.  James tags along, intrigued by the mystery (and Georgia).  Georgia reluctantly goes home to face the heartbreak and misunderstandings that sent her running--with a promise to Maisy to never come back--all those years before.  

This is a story with many layers, and the layers move back and forth between the two sisters, Birdie, and her grandfather.  It took me awhile to get into this book; mostly because I was distracted by life and couldn't concentrate.  So that made me feel like it was dragging on; I suspect that wouldn't have been the case if I'd read it more quickly.  It picks up steam about half-way through and moves to an ending that didn't surprise me, but I was glad to finally see Georgia and Maisy put all the pieces together and finally figure out what made Birdie live in her own world, and why their grandfather was so upset with the unfolding events and the search for the soup cup.  Bees are a big part of this novel; their predictable patterns, their loyalty, their ability to defend to the death what they hold dear.  All of it comes together at the end.  There are many moving parts to this story, and I don't know if the story would have suffered if maybe there weren't quite so many issues to wade through.  

I always enjoy Karen White's novels, and this was a satisfying read.  

Rating:  6/10 for a wonderful setting and an intriguing storyline.  I felt there were too many issues for one family story, but the author capably tied them all together at the end.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.  

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Flight Patterns by Karen White

The Courtesan by Alexandra Curry

The Courtesan is a first novel from author Alexandra Curry, and she doesn't hesitate to tackle a historical figure that has fascinated historians, filmmakers, and biographers for decades.  

Sai Jinhua was a pampered little girl in 1881 when her life changed dramatically following the public execution of her father for "telling the truth".  The daughter of a beloved concubine, Jinhua is despised by her father's first wife, and she's quickly sold to a brothel--at the tender age of 7.  Your heart aches for this little girl who doesn't understand why her father never returned home.  This is truly a tale of a young girl, and later a young woman, who is oftentimes at the mercy of everyone else, with little choice of her own.  
 This novel is based on an actual person--Sai Jinhua is legendary in China as a famous courtesan who traveled to Europe in the late 1800's and as mistress to a Chinese emissary to Europe, finds herself in the midst of the political issues of the time.  She's a pretty courageous woman, living in a time of great upheaval not only for China, but for the world.  How does a woman survive with no family, no education, and nothing but her own smarts?  

Alexandra Curry moves the reader through Jinhua's life and all of her successes and failures, as well as a deep friendship with Suyin, a maid she befriends who ultimately makes a huge sacrifice in the name of loyalty and love.  

If you're a fan of historical fiction, step out of your usual fare and read about a completely different character--one who has left many unanswered questions that continue to intrigue people to this day.  Alexandra Curry attempts to recreate what might have been and make sense of Jinhua's mysterious life as a famous courtesan and political character, as well as a woman seeking happiness and peace.  

Sai Jinhua in 1887

 Rating:  7/10 for a completely different historical fiction novel.  Alexandra Curry writes an intriguing novel about a woman concubine swept up in the upheaval of Chinese and European politics while struggling to escape the whims of those around her.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for a review copy!  

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The Courtesan by Alexandra Curry

Midnight in Peking by Paul French

This is not my usual read.  Readers of my blog know I usually read lots of historical fiction, but I do have a deep and unending curiosity for true crime, forensics, and most of all, historical unsolved mysteries.  

Paul French takes us to 1937 Peking to uncover the mysterious and horrific murder of Pamela Werner in his non-fiction tale Midnight in Peking.  This book is a featured title at my bookstore, and of course my curiosity peaked when I read the back blurb.  I haven't read much on China or it's history.  Mix together the encroaching Japanese forces into China, the foreign elements who live in Peking, and a young girl's bizarre murder and it's just something I have to read!  How does it all come together?  This real murder is truly stranger than fiction.

Pamela Werner was just 20 years old on January 7, 1937 when her body is found lying in a ditch in front of the Fox Tower, a landmark in Peking which is known by locals as a place haunted by fox spirits.  Pamela had not come home from an ice skating date with friends the night before, and her father, E.T.C. Werner had spent the night combing the neighborhoods looking for her.  A local traveling by the Fox Tower that morning sees something strange in the ditch, and stops to look.  It's Pamela, and she's been horribly murdered.  It's quite clear this is a "white" woman, and this is big news in Peking.  Soon her father arrives and recognizes his daughter by the clothes she's wearing and her grey eyes.  What happened to Pamela?

Peking in 1937 was a seething mass of foreigners living in compounds, poor emigrants living in hovels, and the Chinese working to make a living however they could.  French, American, British, and Russians made up a large enclave of people taking advantage of the wealth they could make in Peking. The Badlands was a stretch of whorehouses, opium dens, slums, and bars that the rich visited for kicks, and the rest of Peking either ignored or somehow used to make money.  It was a place of secrets, lost hopes, and for most, the last stop.

 The Japanese were on the march through China, slowly making their way towards Peking.  People knew when the Japanese did arrive, hell on earth would come with them.  Yet the foreigners felt they were untouchable, and carried on with their parties, drinking, and living the high life.  Pamela's father was a well known British scholar who had lived in China for most of his adult life.  He could speak more Chinese dialects that the Chinese who lived in Peking.  He preferred to spend his time alone writing papers; he often left Pamela alone at home with the servants while he traveled around China doing research.  He was not part of the party crowd, and many people didn't care for him.  He was also much older; in his 70's at the time of Pamela's murder.  

This book is about the first official investigation into Pamela's death, and the bureaucracy that bungled it so badly it was quickly shelved after 6 months.  The Chinese and British investigators were blocked from questioning certain suspects, barred from talking to Werner, and quickly gave up.  But Werner himself would not rest, and spent his life savings finding out what happened to Pamela.  This is the part of the book that really gets interesting.  It's amazing how money makes people talk, especially in times of great political upheaval.  

I enjoyed this book because it gave me a peak into a time in Chinese history that I wasn't familiar with--the beginnings of Japanese might and what would lead to World War II.  The foreigners in Peking were fascinating; so many people from so many places, all congregating in one city with secrets that continued to haunt them.  I had no idea Russians had fled the revolution of 1917 and come to China.  Many were without official papers, and had no where to go.  Many lived in poverty, and became addicts or prostitutes.  

All this seething underbelly played a part in Pamela's death, but I won't tell you how or why.  That's for you to find out when you read this book.  I would recommend this for anyone who is a history buff, enjoys true crime, and just wants a good old mystery.  It is a bit gory in a few spots--Pamela was viciously murdered.  But why?  Thanks to Werner, his endless quest to uncover who killed his daughter, and the author, we find out. The story of a young British woman in Peking in 1937, long forgotten, has come back to life.  

Rating:  7/10.  The author gives great detail about Peking, the people, the political climate, and the police investigation.  There is plenty of historical background to help the reader understand the whole picture.  Photos of major places in the story are included, as well as photos of Pamela and key players.

Available in paperback, e-book, hardcover, and audio.

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Midnight in Peking by Paul French