Rain, Lightning Strikes, Eye of The Storm Part II

Whatever, Whatever, I Read What I Want
Title: Rain, Lightning Strikes, Eye of The Storm Part II
Author: V.C. Andrews
Medium: Hardbacks

Megan and Victoria, oh, this is going to be fun. Megan is in Mrs. Hudson words “A spoiled brat” who had her father give her everything she ever wanted, including having Ken, who worked for the Hudson’s take her illegitimate, biracial child for a measly $10,000. We have, in proper V.C. Andrews fashion, Victoria, Megan’s polar opposite. Victoria is a comical version of how someone thinks a rich unmarried woman would act. Married to the business as they say (no, they actually say this). Megan is beautiful, Victoria is less so (we’ll come back to this fact later). These two girls have one think in common, they are both totally awesome.

Megan’s husband wants to run for Senate, which adds to her desire to keep Rain a secret. So Rain moves in with Megan’s mother, under the guise of being some sort of acting prodigy, this absolutely infuriates Victoria, who has the audacity to show up unannounced during dinner. Rain makes some snappy comments that are kind of boring. Whatever.

Victoria, put back in her place, leaves. And we get to follow Rain to school, which is boring, she’s perfect and impresses her teachers and there’s this awkward moment where you think someone is going to say something horrifically offensive like “you are a credit to your race”, but that is avoided by Rain trying out for the school play. I only mention it because it brings up Megan’s other mistakes children, Brody and Allison.

Allison is of course the polar opposite of Rain, just like her mother pretty much just a bratty kid. Brody on the other hand is okay. Now being that this is a V.C. Andrews book and Megan’s husband is running for the Senate the family can’t possibly know about Megan’s little black indiscretion. Brody of course is therefore smitten with Rain. Yep, both of her brothers, Roy and Brody both totally want to hit that. Oh and some boy named Corbette. Luckily the boy that isn’t related to Rain wins out, leaving all the others heartbroken. Well kind of, Roy joined the army shortly after Rain left home and she only hears from him a few times, most notably when he calls to let her know that their mother (Latisha) has died of lung cancer, whatever. Let’s be perfectly honest, we knew it was coming from the beginning, it’s a V.C. Andrews book, if she had a place to go back to away from all of the batshittery there would be no need for Lightening Strikes or Eye of the Storm.

The thing that I like about the Hudson series is really Victoria. Rain and Megan are pretty stale characters that don’t change very much throughout the course of the books, Victoria however is awesome. For those of you familiar with other V.C. Andrews books, I’d say Victoria is second only to my favorite V.C. Andrews character of all time, Vera, from the standalone My Sweet Audrina.

Anyways, back to the main plot point because Victoria doesn’t start to get really fun until the third book, Rain wins the lead in the school play and is so awesome she gets to go to London to go to a performing arts school there and stay with Mrs. Hudson’s younger sister in their manor. That book is pretty weird and creepy so it’ll get it’s own post, soon.

Rain, Lightning Strikes, Eye of the Storm

Whatever, Whatever, I Read What I Want
Title: Rain, Lightning Strikes, Eye of The Storm
Author: V.C. Andrews
Medium: Hardbacks

Hey, I warned you that I’d be grouping stuff together and that I’d be reading some trashy stuff, I read Rain at the end of 2012 but finished the last one in a few weeks ago.

I don’t think there’s a woman in my age group that hasn’t heard of V.C. Andrews and Flowers In the Attic, but many don’t know about the hidden literary masterpiece that is Rain.

That’s not sarcasm in my tone readers, Rain is probably one of the best books that Andrews’ estate has ever come up with, why is that? Because it’s a book about black people clearly written by someone who has at best just a passing familiarity with black people.

For the most part, the series follows the standard V.C. Andrews pattern, which you can read more about at Trapped in the Attic, but for some reason, the books really weren’t that popular. I think it’s mostly because the first book was published in 2000 which is relatively late but people are missing out. Especially because along with Flowers In The Attic, Rain, is one of the only other V.C. Andrews books to be made into a terrible movie.

Rain Arnold lives in Washington, D.C. in a ghetto, rat and roach infested building, with her mother, Tisha, father, Ken, brother, Roy and younger sister Beni. Rain’s father Ken, is an alcoholic who gambles and can’t hold down a job. This is actually a pretty standard background for a father figure in a V.C. Andrews book but Ken is special because his gambling and well wayward ways lead to Rain overhearing that Ken wants to go back to Rain’s “people” and demand more money.

That’s right, Rain is the unwanted child of a white socialite and a black man. This of course causes strife in Rain’s family. Rain’s sister, Beni tells everyone at school which leads to all of them thinking she’s stuck up because of her white blood. Keep in mind this is all occurring at the same time as a subplot that involves Beni being drugged at a party while the Crips (the gang) run a train on her. Yeah.

In typical and glorious V.C. Andrews format, when learning that Rain is not his biological sister, Roy, Rain’s “brother” admits to having feelings for her. Rain, being sane, is totally grossed out and rebukes Roy because she only thinks of him as a brother. Luckily there’s no awkward bathtub scene but there is a lot of awkward touching that at least Rain admits is awkward.

After Beni is viciously murdered by the leader of the Crips, Latisha is determined to get Rain to safety so she manages to convince Megan, Rain’s biological mother to make arrangements to have her live with Rain’s biological grandmother, Mrs. Hudson.  I totally need to do a review of the movie because Mrs. Hudson is played by the forever flaw-free Faye Dunaway. Did I mention that the Hudsons are rich? I mean I don’t think we ever know Mrs. Hudson’s net worth but it’s pretty high, there’s some awkward rich people posturing about dressing for dinner and then we get some dirt on the family.

Mrs. Hudson has two daughters, Megan, Rain’s mother, and Victoria, the younger spinster sister.

But this is getting kind of long so I’ll break this into multiple posts.

Fifty Pages of Plot

Reading The Rainbow: Book 36, 37, and 38
Title: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed
Author:E.L. James
Medium: eBook

Unlike my reading of Twilight, I read all of these by choice. Honestly, everyone was reading them and I wanted to know what all of the hype was about. Since the first one lacked any real plot I read the second, and then the third because I had already read 2/3rds of the trilogy. You can look around the internet and find lots of reviews, critics and snark of the Fifty Shades books and so there is very little that I can say that hasn’t been said before. These books are bad, there are characters that I liked (namely Christian’s mom and . . . yeah, that’s about it, I liked Christian’s mom) but for the most part the series is about a girl who falls in love with a boy who probably isn’t that good for her. You can read about how bad the grammar is all over the internet, you can read about the tampon sex scene, or any of the myrad of other scenes in the book that are just bad pretty much in any book blog (or video blog – my favorites are this one by Thriftyathome and this tipsy one by Smoothiefreak/AkilahObviously)

Unlike Twilight, which I read earlier this year because of a $20.00 bet, Ana Steele does have goals and thoughts outside of Christian Grey (unlike Bella Swan her Twilight doppelganger) but it doesn’t change the fact that the books are an excuse to have about fifty pages of plot thrown among tons and tons (and tons – who am I kidding) of sex. It doesn’t change the fact that the relationship between Ana and Christian isn’t a healthy depiction of one anymore than Twilight is and I’d probably have a serious if not awkward conversation with my young nieces if I thought they were going to read them

Overall Rating: One star for all three, so .333 for each. I’ve read better in every single category this book falls into. Also, E.L. James need an editor, an American editor because some of the slang was just jarring in how wrong it is.

The Great Big Catch Up Post!

11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Rating 1/5 and giving anyone (especially white women over 40) who say they loved this book the side eye eternally.

12. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Not bad, I mean, it’s a book where you don’t like any of the characters because they all have (kind of realistic) character flaws.

Rating 3/5

 

14. The Secret Life of Bees by Susan Monk Kidd

Not as horrible as The Help but I think that’s only because Lily gets more of a pass than Skeeter because Lily is a kid and Skeeter is a grown college educated woman.

Rating 2/5

15. Bloodchild and other Stories by Octavia E. Butler

Male Pregnancy is always a weird concept but Butler does it well in one of the short stories. It’s an interesting combination of horror, science fiction and what Margaret Atwood would call speculative fiction.

Rating 4/5

16. Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez

I love Alvarez, at least once every few years I reread In the Time of the Butterflies and Yo!, but this book, I don’t know, Milly is pretty much the type of person that people who are against transracial adoptions want to use as the poster child. It’s well written but the fact that they never actually say which country Milly is from is pretty annoying.

Rating 3/5

17. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

I don’t care if she was going for a modern retelling of Don Quixote, the magical negro trop needs to die.

Rating 2/5

18. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

My friend gave me $20 bucks to read it; I don’t think it was worth it. Considering that the plot doesn’t start until 3/4’s of the book it just drags and drags about those crazy kids Edward and Jacob.

Rating: No Stars Ever

19. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti

It’s a good into guide to feminism, Valenti is a good author however her online presence and her unwillingness to delve more into the intersectionality of race and gender in the marginalization of women of color leaves much to be desired.

Rating 4/5

20. Voices From the Other Side edited by Brandon Massey

I wasn’t expecting the amount of what I would consider science fiction in this book, but that makes me glad. I’m not the biggest fan of horror, and while I didn’t find all of the stories great, it was a solid collection.

Rating 4/5

21. Cinder by Melissa Meyer

This was a bookclub book and I enjoyed it. Cinder is a modern retelling of Cinderella without the Disney happiness. Cinder has character flaws but it smart and someone I think young girls can relate with.

Rating: 4/5

22. Dead to You by Lisa McMann

What can I say about Dead To You without spoilers? If you watch enough Law and Order: SVU or Nick Stahl movies this one won’t surprise you at all.

Rating 3/5

23. Illegal by Bettina Restrepo

Nora is a hardworking teenage girl living in Mexico with her mother and grandmother. Her father left several years before for work in the United States. Suddenly one day, her father stops sending money and Nora and her mother venture to the United States in search of him. This book combines the fears and worries associated with being an illegal immigrant, the constant fear and tension, without being a woe is me narrative. Nora acknowledges their situation and continues to learn and grow.

Rating: 4/5

24. Green Angel by Alice Hoffman

Super short book about a young girl named Green. Green’s family is killed in a brutal attack on the city when she is left at home. Green and her natural ability to heal and grow things, survives but eventually must re-learn how to live.

Rating 3/5

25. Green Witch by Alice Hoffman

Super short sequel to Green Angel and it follows Green on her search for a missing friend (or two). It’s awkwardly rife with mysticism, but I mean, this is the same woman who wrote Practical Magic so I kind of expected it.

Rating 3/5

26. In Love and Trouble by Alice Walker

This collection of short fiction contains the classic Everyday Use which I had read several times before, and a few other stories that I had read before. One of the new ones, We Drink The Wine in Paris was really beautiful and unexpectedly moving.

Rating 3/5

27.Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Aria has lived her entire life in the protected city of Reverie, safe from the danger of the dangerous aether storms and the outsiders Aria knows only to be savages. It’s kind of like Pure by Julianna Baggott, but less disturbing. Everyone in Under the Never Sky is pretty, and there are absolutely no doll-heads as hands.  If the reader were looking for something dark and serious, I’d recommend Pure over Under the Never Sky, but if the reader were say, thirteen and just wanted a dystopia mixed with a romance, then Under The Never Sky is a good read.

Rating 2/5

28. Hold Still by Nina Lacour

Following the unexpected suicide of her best friend Ingrid, Caitlin tries to return to a normal life, but without Ingrid, nothing is normal. When she finds Ingrid’s journal hidden under her bed, Caitlin is forced to realize that Ingrid’s death is hard to everyone to deal with.

Rating 4/5

29. The Stoning of Soraya M. by Freidoune Sahebjam

The film version of this book was recommended to me by Netflix, after watching it I decided that 1) I need to watch more happy movies so that Netflix doesn’t give me categories like “Emotional Foreign Dramas” and “Tearjerking Political Films” and 2) that I needed to read the book. Granted it took me almost a year to get around to it, I’m glad I finally got around to it. Written in the formal of a novel, Sahebjam takes some literary license into his inferences into certain characters thoughts that he couldn’t have known, but it gives the book a more well-rounded feeling. It fills in the gaps that otherwise would be unanswerable questions, like why.

Rating: 3/5 it’s a book about a stoning, it’s tragic, gross and really happened.

30. Keesha’s House by Helen Frost

I managed to get a copy of this book from last year’s Indiana Author’s Awards, Frost was a finalist.  It’ll remind readers of Ellen Hopkins  (Identical, Crank, Tricks) with its poetry/prose mash up. Frost made me to a time warp back to my AP English Literature classes where we learned about sestinas, sonnets and about a dozen other poetic forms that Frost uses. This still manages to not take away from the actual story too much, but I do think that Frost’s book might have too many characters.

Rating: 3/5

Okay, wow, that took me a while to finish up. Here’s a summary:

Fiction Books Read: 28

Non Fiction books read: 2

Books that don’t count towards total read: 9

And for kicks, here’s what else I’ve read.

1. Remember Me2: The Return by Christopher Pike
2. Under the Dome by Stephen King
3. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
4. Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick
5. The Minority Report and Other Stories by Phillip K. Dick
6. Habibi by Craig Thompson
7. Uglies: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfield
8. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (read it last year)
9. Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler (read it last year)

My original goal was to read 75 books, so we’ll see how it do. Wish me luck!

P.S. This post gets ALL of the tags

First Love: A Gothic Tale

Reading The Rainbow: Book 6
Title: First Love: A Gothic Tale
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Medium: Book

I didn’t mean to grab another Oates book so quickly after finishing Zombie, but First Love: A Gothic Tale I was able to procure for free and since I looked like a quick read I jumped right in. The story follows Josie, an eleven-year-old girl who, with her mother, have moved in with her Great Aunt and her cousin Jared.

Oates tries to draw this odd parallel between Josie and Jared and Eve and Satan, with Jared first appearing to her as a huge black snake. I decided to take that metaphor as an awakening for Josie, because otherwise, it’s just awkward.

Really, awkward is the best word to describe this book. It’s really what I’d consider to be Gothic or romantic but it was a really short read and I don’t really regret it. I’ve read “better” books about child sexual abuse but this one manages to portray a pretty disturbing relationship between Josie and her cousin Jared.

Overall Rating: 2/5