The Color Purple, Little Scarlet, Ode to Kirihito

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I'm not officially doing the 50 books challenge, but I thought I'd share a few that I read in the past few months.



I put off reading this book for a long time, even after seeing the movie. In the end I found it a very moving work. What impressed me about it was that even though it's about someone who has a devastatingly horrific life, it's not just about that. It's about keeping onesself going and living the best you can. I enjoyed it, and found the characters inspiring.





I've always enjoyed Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mysteries but I hadn't picked this one up yet. It's set during the "Watts Riots" and like all the series deals heavily with race. I really love the character of Easy: he's a proud man, but not perfect, and tries to deal with the heavily racist society he lives in with dignity. The mystery/suspense aspect itself was well done. Though I wouldn't say it's my favorite in the series I definitely recommend it.





Actually I read a lot of manga but this one was exceptional. It deals with a doctor investigating a disease which turns its victims into dog-like creatures. The disease itself, as well as other aspects of the book, is a bit fantastical. (Though the medicine isn't entirely made up, as Osamu Tezuka actually had a medical degree.) But the issues the book deals with are very real: the nature of being human, race, medical politics. Note: Contains nudity and some very troubling sexual material including rape. However I highly recommend it. I could barely put it down and read it in two nights even though it's 822 pages.