To Read & To Write

In Marissa Meyer’s “Cinder”, older literary versions of the “Cinderella” story are thrown into a future science fiction world, where Cinder is about half-human and half-cyborg (machine), and is also something else… something mysterious that only one person on Earth knows. Other than being a mechanic fixing pretty much any technological object in New Beijing, she thinks she is nobody but a dirt covered, grease stained abomination. But looks can be deceiving. What is really underneath the metal and flesh? As New Beijing collapses under a plague called letumosis, Cinder discovers the truth about her history, and perhaps the fate of the Earth. “Cinder” is a real page-turner. Much of Meyer’s writing reminds me of William Gibson (author of “Neuromancer”), but unlike his heavily stylized and conceptual writing (which is amazing), Meyer manages to tell a sharp, straightforward sci-fi tale that doesn’t have the reader reaching for meaning but rather, (hopefully) has the reader desperately ...

"Bound" is a book that includes descriptions of Chinese history during the Ming times. The book is also a captivating story of a young woman living under the social conditions of that era, where most traditions deemed women as items to be used, sold, bought... and bound. During that time, many Chinese women were forced by their mothers to bind their feet tightly in cloth, as it was said that men were more attracted to tiny feet. The main character's half-sister, Wei Ping, has to undergo this "procedure", and Xing-Xing must witness this brutality happen while serving her step-mother (Wei Ping's mother) day and night.  Xing-Xing is a student of the three perfections of China, which include poetry, calligraphy, and painting. During Ming times, however, a woman was more useful if she wasn't artistic. This cultural belief does not stop Xing-Xing from embracing her talents. She takes pleasure in dreaming up poetic lines and practicing calligraphy durin...