41. Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen. Interesting tale of a girl (a young child) who escaped from South Vietnam in 1975 with some of her family, and came to Grand Rapids, Michigan. She tells the tale of her alienation from USA society and gradual assimilation, using food as a metaphor. She wants the Pop Tarts and breaded chicken nuggets; her grandmother cooks pho soup and spring rolls. Her grandmother also puts the best of the food on the altar of Buddha for a few days before the family is allowed to eat it (the title fits in here). Interesting take on an alien in a new society, with obvious implications for LnC fans.
42. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. I have to admit, when I was reading this, I kept on seeing
Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison in my head. What's different is they don't get together at the end (unlike the movie) and the big climax is that Henry Higgins grows to admire Eliza Doolittle because she has become the person who can stand up to him and defy him. The edition I read had a follow-up author's note by Shaw, telling what he thinks happened to the characters (Eliza marries Freddy Eynsford-Hill, they start a flower shop business, initially bankrolled by Colonel Pickering), and Henry Higgins remains a confirmed bachelor, although Eliza still remains sort of friends with him.)
