Welcome to Litsy!

This book is on my TBR mainly because of the sprayed edges #autumnplease #WorldEggDay #scarathlon #batbrigade @catsandbooks @eggs @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I enjoyed this audio very much (but had to finish with my physical copy. I definitely had an authentic NYC feel and I thought it (eventually) dealt well with disordered eating.

I loved this story about two estranged Korean American sisters trying to reconcile while grappling with their own individual challenges. It's funny, moving and heartwarming, and I also love this cover design.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#BookCrossing

This made me think of how much life can suck (altho sure, there are happy bits). It goes thru a lot of low key (or not) traumatic events in the life of the main character- some more relatable than others for me.
I wasn‘t into it for starters, but by the end I rly liked it. It felt powerful in its events and poignant in its descriptions. Some times the pain in life is dull and constant, and in others, it‘s very intense. Cont ⬇️

I found myself struggling to care about these sisters. The blurb says “funny and emotional,” which is completely misleading. It‘s fairly depressing actually. It does handle some issues well - disordered eating, self loathing, and keeping secrets. The last chapters of the book are by far the best as they finally deal with some of the dysfunctional aspects of the characters. I didn‘t just love it, but it had it‘s good moments.

While the book had really good character builds, I felt it lacked a plot!

This book is at home while I‘m at work, so please enjoy this picture of my work plants instead. ☺️

Yolk was… ok. It was actually a little hard to read with some of the triggering issues both sisters faced. Also, I didn‘t love the romantic side plot. So all in all, it wasn‘t exactly what I thought it would be, which is a story about sisters dealing with hardship together.

Does anyone have any favorite books about sisters to recommend instead?

Bite-sized Book Chats: The 18th Episode

https://youtu.be/AYiDMzZHx-s

A playlist of all episodes in the Bite-sized Book Chat series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU-61cZp1pQdBH5V0Zb9q-2ujl4PY8nhf

Chat #1: with Karoline from Oslo

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

Chat #2: with Alina from Rotterdam

From the Land of the Moon
by Milena Agus
Ann Goldstein (Translator)

This book is intense. It‘s about 2 sisters. They are Korean and moved to the US when they were young, it‘s about being an immigrant, it‘s partly a coming of age tale, it‘s about the impact commercial patriarchal society has on young women and the serious self loathing one can feel when you do not measure up to an ideal. MC is insanely talented at crafting a story that sometimes you can barely read because it is so powerful and raw and real

Finally got my hot tub up and running again ( completely botched the chemicals and created a nuclear bacterial incident) so happy cuz today might be the only non-rainy day ( this book was painful to start: Jayne is hard to read in the beginning ( so many neurosis, so unable to speak up ) but around the time we meet her sister June page 60-ish it‘s not so cringe-y

A college student reconnects with her overachieving older sister in this insightful novel. Not quite YA and not quite adult. I liked the relationship between the sisters.

Saturday

Ugh! The entire blurb (beginning ⬆️) says this is a story about sisters and learning to get along as new adults, so I thought I would enjoy this as an aro/ace. Nope…more of the usual romance-centered YA/NA BS. Over half the story was about Jane (sister w/o cancer) running into a guy from home and some will-they-won‘t-they. I enjoyed Choi‘s writing and the parts with the sisters, hence the so-so, but not the majority of the book being romance. 🙄

Please check Trigger Warnings before reading!
I will definitely be reading the rest of Mary H. K. Choi‘s books. I can‘t say too much without giving it away, but in the words of the author herself: “for those who struggle with body image or eating disorders- this might be a bit of an emotionally expensive story for you. Please be gentle with yourself, and know that there is no such thing as a bad body. Take up space. It is your birthright.”

“When I recognize people, it lets me hope that maybe they recognize me too.” [delayed post! I finished Yolk on May 24.]

Ugh, this was so good. I wouldn't consider it YA, though. This is one of those books that demand 'new adult' to become a genre recognized for more than college-age erotica. This book took on so much and Jane spoke believably as a struggling college student. TWs abound here, including: eating disorders, cancer, and family drama. I love the relationships, both romantic and otherwise, that Jane has throughout the story

This was a beautiful and disturbing book. A young woman, born in Korea, moves to Texas as a young child and then NYC for college a few years after her older sister. It tells the story of immigrant parents, illness and healthcare, eating disorders, the older/younger sibling dynamic, accepting toxic relationships due to lack of self worth, and there‘s even a love story. It so carefully tells a self love journey in a very extreme case.

Sibling story. The red hot center of my wheelhouse. 💕

I highly recommend Yolk for readers looking for novels about college age women who DON‘T have it together, are struggling with their identity and find themselves out of step with their family and in romantic relationships. Choi is a master at creating clever dialogue and exchanges between young people and not making every interaction too “precious”. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Today‘s #bookhaul

Mary H K Choi's book covers are always aesthetically beautiful, and Emergency Contacts just ripped my heart out 75% of the way through the story and pumped it full of life again at the end. I've been sooo looking forward to reading Yolk and the sisters on the cover are holding hands, which are printed on the pages of the book 😍

Squeee! In stores today! Loved this novel. Billed as YA, but felt like straight up literary fiction to me.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/yolk-mary-h-k-choi/

Ooooooh! This novel is sooooo good. Listed as YA, but felt like straight up fiction. Fabulous sister story with a great twist. #ARC #Edelweiss

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 148 #bookstoread #tbrpile #bookstagram