Welcome to Litsy!

Wow! This middle grade graphic novel packed quite the emotional punch!

The story is based on the author‘s own life. It followed Cindy at age 12 when she discovers some major family secrets.

I loved the structure of the this book. It was a linear story with some flashbacks. The flashbacks added to the story and were well placed.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/review-how-to-draw-a-secret/

Emily X. R. Pan‘s debut YA novel is a powerful and moving look at what it means to live with a parent with depression that incorporates Chinese spiritual beliefs with a magical realist twist. Leigh is a believable protagonist, forced to navigate grief and first love and Pan does well to show her gift for and love of art. Although a little overwritten in places for my taste (purely a personal thing), I will definitely check out her subsequent work.

I knew nothing about the history of Taiwan before reading this book.

In Green Island, the story of a country is told alongside the story of a family.

This was the "blind date with a book" that my daughter in law gifted me earlier this month. I probably would have never picked it up on my own, but am very glad I read it.

**Side note - my Dodgers are struggling tonight

Taiwan Fintech Boom

Imperative for Early Adoption by Key Japanese Financial Players

The global financial landscape is undergoing a significant shift, and for Tokyo‘s major financial institutions (JFIs) — and increasingly for Taiwanese institutional investors riding the momentum of Taiwan‘s FinTech boom..

https://giftcityadvisor.com/strategic-financial-anchor-for-japanese-institutions...

My sweet DIL got me a blind date with a book!

I'm kicking myself for tearing into it before taking a picture, but I did my best to recreate it 😄

I had never heard of this book, but it's got 100% here on Litsy!

It covers boba drinks and traditional Asian tea drinks like matcha, chai, Thai tea, turmeric tea and horchata (Mexican, Spanish).

The story of a “worthless” girl, her mother, and sisters trying to survive and reunite with their paternal family after they have been abandoned in the midst of the Chinese Civil War. This is about resilience and determination and the strength of women. The end didn‘t entirely deliver but over all a good read. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2025/06/daughters-of-shandong-by-eve-j-chung.ht...

Gemma is such a funny protagonist, not just bc she's in her own bubble, but bc she just can't let go of that one project perfect Xander ruined! There's a lot of heart in this book, not just for a culture that Gemma was purposely excluded from, but also for her family and, yes, even that pesky cardboard dog. I loved the puzzles, the banter, the reluctant friendship, and the obvious HUGE CRUSH only Gemma couldn't see. I wanna reread it now 😂 #ya

4⭐️ Really liked how this dual-timeline novel was executed. A very chunky book, but definitely worth the read. #2025 #genremashup #historicalfiction #contemporaryfiction #literary #romance

May was another good #bookspin month! No bingos, and I didn't get to one of this month's calls, but I did finish Hidden Cities which was I believe my February #bookspin

Looking forward to the June calls 🙂

@thearomaofbooks - thanks as always for hosting!