Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday - 8.10.16

Waiting on Wednesday
sponsored by Jill at Breaking the Spine (details)

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I'm waiting for...

Adnan's Story:
The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial
by Rabia Chaudry
-Biography
Release date: August 9, 2016
Amazon | Goodreads

"The first letter I received after being arrested in 1999 was from Rabia. Since that time until now, she has believed in my innocence and been committed to my exoneration. . . . [T]here is no one better to help tell my story, and no one that I trust more to tell it, than Rabia.” —Adnan Syed

On February 28, 2000, Adnan Syed was convicted and sentenced to life plus thirty years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, a high school senior in Baltimore, Maryland. From the moment of his arrest, Syed has consistently maintained his innocence. Rabia Chaudry, a family friend, always believed him and has never given up the hope that he might someday be released. By 2013, however, after almost all appeals had been exhausted, things looked bleak. That's when Rabia contacted Sarah Koenig, a producer at This American Life, in the hopes of finding a journalist who would bring greater attention to Adnan's story and might shed new light on the case. Koenig's investigation turned into Serial, an international phenomenon and Peabody Award-winning podcast.

Adnan's Story will reexamine the investigation that led to Adnan Syed’s arrest, share his life in prison, cover new evidence and possibilities that have since come to light, and review the recent court successes—-including a ruling this week by a Maryland judge to reopen Syed’s case. Woven with personal reflections from Adnan himself, including new never-before-seen letters he penned from prison, the story of his family, community, and public advocate Chaudry, the book offers new insight into the story that captivated the attention of millions as his legal team and investigatory team, along with countless others who have crowd-sourced an investigation like never before, seek to exonerate him and find out the truth of what really happened on that day in 1999.

What has captivated the public about Adnan's story are the layers of contradictions, fascinating characters, cultural dissonance, and fog of ambiguity around what really happened to Hae Min Lee. But this is not just a personal story, it is a testament to a thoroughly broken system that convicts tens of thousands of innocent people, and how the power of the media and public can move rigid institutions to bring about justice.


=====> After being engrossed with this Serial podcast, I am curious to get the latest update on Adnan's situation.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Korean Book Challenge

Korean Book Challenge
hosted by vvb32 reads

I am making my Korean interest and reading into a challenge to read books by Korean Authors and/or Containing Korean Characters

MY READING LIST:

The Birth of Korean Cool
by Euny Hong
Non-fiction | Amazon | Goodreads

Please Look After Mother
by Kyung-Sook Shin
Family, Korea | Amazon | Goodreads | my review

Re Jane
by Patricia Park
Bronte theme | Amazon | Goodreads

One Hundred Shadows
by Hwang Jung-eun
translated by Jung Yeown
Contemporary Fiction, South Korea | Amazon | Goodreads

My Holiday in North Korea:
The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth
by Wendy E. Simmons
Memoir, Travel, North Korea | Amazon | Goodreads

In Order to Live:
A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
by Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers
Korea, Memoir | Amazon | Goodreads

Pachinko
by Min Jin Lee
Fiction, Korea | Amazon | Goodreads

The Vegetarian
by Han Kang
translated by Deborah Smith
Contemporary Fiction, Korea | Amazon | Goodreads | my review


Hello, I Love You
by Katie M. Stout
Music, Romance, YA, Korea | Amazon | Goodreads | my review

I Have The Right To Destroy Myself
by Young-Ha Kim
Korea, Mystery, Art | Amazon | Goodreads | my review

K-Pop Now!:
The Korean Music Revolution
by Mark James Russell
Non-fiction, Korea, Music | Amazon | Goodreads

=====> I am flipping through and reading bits and pieces from this one.

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* updated 11/13/16, converted to a personal ongoing challenge

* Goodreads listopia list of Korean reads (here)

* badge image source: The Birth of Korean Cool by Euny Hong

* Ribbet was used for badge image creation

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I & II by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Parts I & II by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Play details

Just released: July 31, 2016
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; Special Rehearsal ed. edition
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Hardback: 320 pages
Rating: 5

Harry Potter series:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I & II

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.


My two-bits:

LOVED it!

Although Harry's story is told in a different format than the previous novels, it stays true to the essence of the HP world.

Some twists and turns and lessons to be learned.

Plenty of adventure and appearances by favorite characters throughout.

I left the book feeling that I MUST go to London to see this 5 hour play. It is currently SOLD OUT! Boo-hoo. Maybe next year will open up for me...

Monday, August 8, 2016

Get Jiro! Blood and Sushi by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, Alé Garza

Get Jiro!
Blood & Sushi
by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, Alé Garza

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt

Published: 2015
Publisher: Vertigo
Genre: Graphic Novel, Food, Japan
Hardback: 160 pages
Rating: 4

Series:
Get Jiro
Get Jiro! Blood and Sushi

Acclaimed chef, writer and television personality, Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose (Kill The Poor) return for the follow-up to their #1 New York Times bestseller GET JIRO from Vertigo.

In GET JIRO: BLOOD AND SUSHI, Bourdain and Rose examine the origins of the mysterious Jiro and what made him into the chef he has become. Born the heir to a Yakuza crime family, Jiro never longed to travel the criminal path laid out before him, but instead chose to secretly study the rich culinary history of his homeland, something that would have significant repercussions if discovered by his gangster father.

As Jiro's interest in the culinary arts deepens, his ability to keep his artistic and criminal worlds separate becomes too great, triggering a great personal loss that will forever change Jiro's path.


My two-bits:

Although I did not read the first in this series, I enjoyed this backstory.

Nice combo of food (Japanese and Italian), yakuza and a rebellious protagonist.

I liked the artwork and the incorporation of tattoo art. Got the vibe of a fast-paced Japanese pulp story. The bit of romance was a good dosage as well.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

Chasing River
by K.A. Tucker
narrated by Elizabeth Louise and Steve West

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
Website
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter @kathleenatucker

Published: 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Paperback: 336 pages
Rating: 5

The Burying Water Series:
Burying Water
Becoming Rain
Chasing River
Surviving Ice

First sentence(s):
I weave around men and women alike with barely a pardon, struggling not to lose Aengus, nor to let on that I'm tailing him.

Armed with two years’ worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn’t let her die, but he also can’t be identified at the scene—so, he fled. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Pushing her away would be the smart move.

Maybe it’s because he saved her life, or maybe it’s because he’s completely different from everything she’s left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn’t the kind of guy she’d want to catch.


My two-bits:

Although this is book 3 of a series, it reads like a standalone novel.

The narration for this audio is just right. The story is enhanced listening to these two narrators representing the two sides of the story.

Because of the spark of chemistry between the couple, they grow and change to follow their hearts.

Also, the travel part of this book makes it a good candidate for summer arm-chair travel reading. Got some ideas for future places to visit.


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* part of Audiobook Challenge


 
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