I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish over winter break, but I spent my first two weeks of winter break pretty much just reading and watching dramas (Crash Landing Into You, The King’s Affection, The Princess Weiyoung). That is to say, my life immediately lost all structure as soon as I was let out from school. I think this upcoming semester will be hard but it’ll be good for me.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath // ★★★★
For an emo girl read, this book wasn’t sad like I expected it’d be, but I suppose it’s just like how depression isn’t a feeling a sadness like I expected it’d be (at least for me) and so did not recognise in myself for years. Loved the fig tree metaphor.
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller // ★★★★
A retelling of The Iliad (which I’ve never read) from the perspective of Achilles’ companion Patroclus. Took me awhile to get to this one since Circe wasn’t my favourite, but I got a free copy through a book trade so I figured I’d give it a chance. Plus, I was curious since everyone says the end destroyed them. What I loved most about Patroclus and Achilles was not their romance, but how they anchored each other amidst the corruption of war, fame, and pride, making me ache for my own bright, joyous self that they brought each other back to. The Bloomsbury Modern Classic and Bloomsbury 10th Anniversary editions are gorgeous (I have the Ecco paperback, but I got it for free, so can’t complain).
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood // ★★★★★
The TikTok sensation; a fake dating romance between a professor and PhD student. Had to suspend my disbelief because the unprofessionalism, but I don’t even care! It was so cute and I loved it! I also loved how Olive was a woman in STEM, how focused she was on her research, how task-oriented she was, how her mind had a tendency to run all over the place as she imagined scenarios and contingencies during normal social interactions but could just as quickly snap back to reality and move forward.
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon // ★★.5
Blue alien sex. This one was recommended to me after I shared about reading The Love Hypothesis. Was it recommended because people thought I would actually like it? No. It was for the madness of booktok. Let me tell you, this was no Project Hail Mary. Do I regret buying the beautiful special edition that was released just last month with a bonus epilogue and bonus novella? Maybe a little. But I had so much fun buddy reading this with Monica and Riley that I don’t even care. Utterly ridiculous. The author’s note was sweet though, sharing her vision of designing a sci-fi romance cover that appealed directly to female readers (worked on me!) and acknowledging the niche audience that followed along this prolific, off-the-rails serial before exploding on TikTok six years later.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren // ★★★★★
I’ve read two Christina Lauren books — one which was light and fun, one which was boring — so I chose this highly recommended one as an Ice Planet Barbarians palette cleanser. I thought it’d be just another fluffy contemporary romance and did not expect it to hit like it did. It made me feel like I’ve been numb my whole life. The best friends-to-lovers romance I’ve read so far — People We Meet on Vacation, who???? It deserves a cover redesign!
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren // ★★
Apparently Christina Lauren really have range. One of my pet peeves is characters who immediately hate each other for no good reason. This book is pretty much just a cycle of: I hate my boss → has sex → I hate my intern → has sex.
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean // ★★★
A Japanese American Princess Diaries. Another case of characters who immediately hate each other for no good reason. I actually DNFed this book earlier in the year but then decided to just get through it since it’s a fast and easy read and it was still on my shelf. The millennial speak and love poems were cringe-y, but overall the book wasn’t any worse than your typical juvenile YA romance. I still love YA, but maybe I’ve grown out of this kind. I think younger audiences would still enjoy this one though, and the representation is definitely needed!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson // ★★★★
A YA murder mystery. For her high school final project, Pip investigates an open-and-shut murder that has haunted her hometown for five years, but as the list of suspects grows, this once straightforward case becomes more complex and entangled. For the armchair detectives and fans of the Serial podcast.
Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman // ★★★★.5
An adorable graphic novel series following Nick and Charlie, navigating love and friendship in high school. Read the first four volumes in one morning, and looking forward to the fifth and final volume coming out some time in 2022! Afterwards I searched for discount copies and bought the first two books because I love this series that much!!
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal // ★★★★.5
Nikki teaches English literacy at a Sikh community centre in London, but the Punjabi widows in attendance become much more interested in orating erotica than practicing elementary writing. I loved the widows, their spark for life, the acknowledgement of their own desire, and their humour. I mean, how many stories do you know that centre widows and older women? I loved how the widows embraced their invisibility in society and used it to act outside of the expectations placed upon them as widows, as older women, as religious women, as immigrants. Beyond the delightful widows, there’s a sense of mystery around the death of one of the community centre director’s daughters, which added a layer of suspense to this fun read.
Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee // ★★★★★
YA memoir of a boy surviving and escaping North Korea. Sungju’s privileged life is upturned when his family moves out of Pyongyang into the countryside. His story is like many other North Korean children, whose parents leave home in search for food and never return. Fending for himself on the streets, he creates a gang and finds brotherhood. Riveting, heartbreaking.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou // (Gifted)
A sociopolitical campus satire following an East Asian Studies PhD student who makes an explosive discovery whilst struggling to finish her dissertation on the late canonical poet, Xiao-Wen Chou. This satire was hilarious, frustrating, and absolutely wild, reminding me of Black Buck but without the tech bro-y-ness (besides the one tech bro Thad). It offered commentary on racism, cultural appropriation, fetishisation, activism, political discourse, academia, and more. I don’t want to give away much, but I will say that I was immediately drawn into the graduate setting… then it went in a direction I was not expecting at all and just kept on going! This is a title to watch out for.
One Day in December by Josie Silver // ★★★★★
Laurie falls in love with a stranger at a bus stop and spends a year trying to find him, and she finally does, but he’s her best friend’s new boyfriend. A reread of one of my favourites, and happy to report that I still love it as much as the first time I read it. This one is for the piners.
