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Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu
Weirdly enough, at first, I rather disliked this book but, the more I read, the more I found myself warming up to its protagonist Willa Chen.I initially picked this book up because of its ‘nanny’ premise as Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid and Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson are all-time favourites of mine. After…
1st pov, 4 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, asian american, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, chinese american author, class, coming of age, Contemporary, female authors, food & cooking, introspective, Kyle Lucia Wu, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, My reviews, navel gazing, new jersey, NEW YORK, PRIVILEGE, published in 2021, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, reading, rich people, sitter/au pair/governess, the female malaise, win me something -
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart. Richly observed and heartbreakingly candid Crying in H Mart provides a powerful account of a complicated mother-daughter relationship. In her memoir musician Michelle Zauner writes with painful clarity of when at age 25 her mother was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Zauner’s recollection of her…
4.5 STARS, America, American, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, CHILDHOOD, Crying in H Mart, cultural dissonance, DEATH, family, female authors, food & cooking, GRIEF, identity, illness, intergenerational, Japanese Breakfast, Korea, Korean, korean american author, language, LGBTQ+ Author, MEMOIR, MEMORY, Michelle Zauner, mothers & daughters, music, musicians, My reviews, netgalley, published in 2021, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, reading -
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
“I thought a polished appearance and stellar behavior would be the passport to belonging. And when I inevitably failed at perfection, I could at least wilfully do everything in my power to be kicked out before anyone left me.” tw: eating disorders Bursting with sharp humor and insight Yolk is a bighearted and profoundly honest…
1st pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, America, American, body dysmorphia, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cancer, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, eating disorders, family, favourite authors, female authors, food & cooking, identity, illness, intergenerational, introspective, Korea, Korean, korean american author, Mary H.K. Choi, mental health, migration/immigration, My reviews, NEW ADULT, NEW YORK, published in 2021, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, ROMANCE, sardonic humor, SISTERS, social media, texas, the female malaise, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, Yolk, YOUNG ADULT -
Soy Sauce for Beginners by Kirstin Chen
In Soy Sauce for Beginners Kirstin Chen explores the dichotomy between tradition and modernity. When her marriage collapses our narrator and protagonist, Gretchen Lin, leaves San Francisco behind and returns to her family home in Singapore. Gretchen begins working at her family’s artisanal soy sauce business—hence the title—which was recently embroiled in a food-poising…
1st pov, 3 STARS, addiction, Adult, affairs, America, California, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, divorce/separations, drama, family, female authors, food & cooking, friendships, identity, intergenerational, jealousy, Kirstin Chen, MARRIAGE, published in 2014, read in 2021, san francisco, singapore, singaporean, Singaporean author, Soy Sauce for Beginners, work culture -
The Split by Laura Kay
minor spoilers belowTo be honest, The Split was a wee bit disappointing. Not only did the MC got on my nerves big time but most of the characters came across as very one-dimensional and the narrative’s attempts at humor were puerile. On the plus side: a sapphic rom-com in which the main tension does not…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, bi side characters, break-ups, British author, cheating, cheesy, Contemporary, drama, england, f/f, female authors, food & cooking, friendships, gay side characters, HUMOR, Laura Kay, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, netgalley, published in 2021, read in 2021, rom-coms, ROMANCE, running, sapphic, Sheffield, sports, The Split -
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto
There is something idiosyncratic about Yoshimoto’s novels. Every time I read something of hers I feel almost comforted by how familiar it all is. Her narrators sound very much like the same person: they are young women prone to navel-gazing yet attuned to their environment (especially nature or their hometown). Moshi Moshi follows Yoshie after…
1st pov, 2000s, 2010s, 3 STARS, affairs, age gap, Banana Yoshimoto, Dreams, existentialism, family, fathers & daughters, favourite authors, female authors, food & cooking, GRIEF, incest-y, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, Moshi Moshi, mothers & daughters, mumblecore, navel gazing, problematic romance, published in 2010, READ IN 2019, ROMANCE, SLICE OF LIFE, suicide, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION, work culture -
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
“Hold it gently, this hungry beast that is your heart.” Butter Honey Pig Bread explores the complex relationship two sisters who were once close but have become estranged as adults. Their mother, Kambirinachi, believes that she is an Ogbanje, a malevolent spirit who haunts mothers by ‘coming’ and ‘going’ (usually the child dies in childhood).…
4 STARS, Black & Black heritage authors, Butter Honey Pig Bread, canada, child abuse, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), england, f/f, female authors, food & cooking, forgiveness, FRANCE, Francesca Ekwuyasi, friendships, GUILT, lagos, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, mothers & daughters, Nigeria, nigerian canadian author, published in 2020, queer, read in 2020, sapphic, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SISTERS, social issues, trauma, travel, twins -
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
“It’s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind.” Durian Sukegawa’s Sweet Bean Paste is a gentle and life-affirming novel…
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Memorial by Bryan Washington
“It’s like we’re in some fucked-up rom-com, I said. It’s like we’re both fucked-up rom-com villains.” Maybe it’s my fault for ‘hyping’ myself too much but I found Memorial to be a wee bit disappointing. First of all, the lack of quotations marks. So many authors are using this technique that it now seems passé.…
addiction, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Bryan Washington, cheating, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, fathers & sons, food & cooking, forgiveness, gay, intergenerational, japan, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, Memorial, millennial, netgalley, no quotations marks, published in 2020, queer, RACE, read in 2020, ROMANCE, sex, stylised prose, texas, toxic relationships, work culture
luce [is reading] 