Annnnnnnd...

I've got nothing.

Finished Twilight #2 and Shanghai Baby.

I... hated Shanghai Baby. Isn't that a shame? The main character, Coco, was unbearable. Perhaps that's what the author was aiming for, in which case she succeeded. I suppose I don't have much tolerance for characters like Coco, who are so caught up in their own selfish and greedy world. I can't understand why this book is banned in China, if it is. It doesn't make China look bad, just shows that there are some bad people here, just like there are in every country. I didn't enjoy the writing style very much either, it seemed like the author was trying to make the book longer so she added unnecessary descriptions of inconsequential things.
I read somewhere that it was a popular book among feminists, but I can't remember where. I think this book makes women look terrible. Selfish, weak, and like we must have a man in our lives to be happy, which is untrue.

Twilight is, of course, just mind wallpaper.
I'm almost finished with China Road and shall be able to pass it on to Liz soon.

Please keep an eye out for the following books at the used bookstore:

• Oracle Bones : A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler
• The Elephant and the Dragon by Robyn Meredith
• Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China by Philip Pan
• River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler
• Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China by James Fallows
• Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie Chang
• The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran
• Great Call of China by Cynthea Liu
• China Underground by Zachary Mexico
• Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang
• Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
• Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min
• The Last Days of Old Beijing : Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed by Michael Meyer
• Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop
• Serve the People: A Stir Fried Journey Through China by Jen Lin-Liu
• Any of the Barack Obama books
• Meltdown: A Free-Market Look At Why The Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse by Thomas Woods Jr.
  

Hamlin gave me the letter from the school that I needed for my study abroad program, so I've e-mailed them all the documents they should need now. Just waiting for the acceptance letter.

Grad school is looking more and more appealing. I'll keep you posted on that. I'm definitely thinking of applying next year. Would need to take the GRE or GMAT when I get back to the states in January. A prep book for those would be super fantastic, also.