My mom said Pachinko was a MUST READ and it‘s been on my TBR list for about a year now. Recently I‘d asked Scout (the AI Fable bird) for books based in Japan and this book overlapped as a suggestion. I just finished it and my heart is in my throat. It is beautiful and sad and tells a history that is not well-known. It‘s a lot to process but while I sift through my thoughts, I already know this book will remain as one of my top favorite reads.

I‘m giving this a pick because it was entertaining but I did find myself snapping back at the audiobook, primarily with Kate‘s story. Her character was frustrating to me because she felt so flat at times. I think the author spent a lot of time on the drama but it detracted from the believability of the characters.

I listened to the audiobook so maybe I would have felt differently if I read it but many stories followed the same pattern (I‘ve lived my whole life accustomed to racism but then an incident happened and it bothered me). My favorite story was P‘s Parties but I had read it before in Interpreter of Maladies. I also like The Boundary and Dante Alighieri.

Omg I loved this book - it‘s beautifully written and the story is real yet unexpected. The AI bird on Fable (I think its name is Scout) recommended it when I searched for translated fiction set in Japan.

Yeah this one wasn‘t great but I do enjoy listening to her read. I‘ve been in a rut with narrators lately so that‘s why I‘m burning through her audiobooks.

“When money triumphs over morals, equality loses.”

I chose this book (before reading it) for my company‘s DEI book club February meeting in observance of Black History Month. I want to blow this quote up on the Zoom screen. I want the whole firm to read it.

It‘s simple. It‘s so f*cking simple.

I‘m a huge fan of Rick Steves and I put his book on hold at the library without actually reading what it was about - just knew that it was something he‘d written. What a splendid surprise. It‘s his journal from when he was 23 and he traveled with his friend from Istanbul to Kathmandu. Even 23 yo Rick was as precious as the Rick Steves of today. 10/10 definitely recommend.

I‘m glad I listened to this because Chelsea read it and I don‘t think I would have enjoyed it quite as much as a physical book. Def recommend the audiobook. It‘s also so dated omg.

I can‘t believe this book has such a low rating! I enjoyed it. It didn‘t grip me in that way that I had to read it in a weekend but I was never bored. It was also out of the ordinary for me - a bit of a western almost. It was a great story though and I‘d recommend it.

There were a few good essays in this mix but most bored me to near death. I bailed on more essays in this collection than I think I ever have in an essay collection. They just weren‘t interesting. I don‘t know, maybe I‘m just not in the mood for nonfiction, but the opening essay was so good, and then it was a fairly swift downhill from there.

There needs to be a rating above Pick for a book like this. Morgan Talty‘s writing is soooooo good. Even though he writes about painful topics (like dementia, alcoholism), it feels like a gift to be able to read his words. Fave read of 2025 and the bar is set high.

Started yesterday and finished today. I loved this book. It underscores the bittersweet nature of sisterhood and it feels authentic.

I feel like this book had the opportunity to be great but it left me cringing. All the bits about her mother and father‘s lives were interesting but the author‘s self-help journey was repetitive and not… Interesting. I think when she listed her coveted status symbols, I should have DNF‘d because I was like ok this lady and I would never be friends. But I finished so I could firmly not recommend this book to others.

Ah, I liked this one. It moved along and the characters were deep. A plot twist was predictable but then another wasn‘t. The only other Louise Erdrich I‘ve read is The Night Watchman and this book is not that. The Mighty Red is far more mellow and I can‘t say more without spoilers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story collection. I wouldn‘t want to read it in warmer weather though. I read her book Small Things Like These on the beach and it did not fit the mood at all but the story has stayed with me and I appreciate it more now than when I read it. Moody winter was the perfect location for this collection. I‘d read each story again.

It‘s no Joy Luck Club but I did enjoy it. There were a few parts where I lost interest but then it picked right back up.

I chose this book because my cousin gave me a reading challenge for Christmas. It‘s like an advent calendar with little gifts but each door has a challenge. This book satisfies having been untouched on my shelf for over a year. I picked it up at a thrift store near our house and I‘m at least the third owner. I love used books.

“This is not true, she has a good heart. It‘s only her mind that is rotten.”

Ahhh, applicable to so many!

Tfw you finish a book that you wish you hadn‘t… The first third was pretty good but then it just got annoying. I kept thinking the author might be able to bring the magic back but it never got there for me and the ending was kind of like a slow fart. I wouldn‘t recommend it.

I loved the first third of this book and was angry at myself for being so late to the game (it‘s been on my tbr list forever ever). The last 25% had me thinking that it ought to have ended sooner. I get that she wanted to wrap a loose thread, but I think it could have been left loose because it lost its believability for me by tying it up. Still a pick, still thoroughly enjoyed it.

So good! So many questions unanswered! But in that way that you can fill in the gaps to your personal pleasing.

My shelfie from Fable. I can‘t stop thinking about Slow Noodles! I had never heard of Khmer Rouge until I read Anthony Veasna So earlier this year, and it blows my mind. I love reading. There‘s so much to learn and books bridge worlds.

I actually only like his nonfiction but I read everything cos tis the season 🎄✨

This book was good and I loved the author‘s anger because the situation is f*cked.

Cover to cover in a day! I loved it. LOVED IT.

Be sure to resupply your box of tissues before picking this book up 😭 Chantha‘s story is unimaginable and her heartbreak bleeds off the pages. A truly incredible woman. Her recipes give you a chance to clear your eyes before you dive back in. I picked this up because it was a staff recommendation at my local library and now I‘m recommending it to you.

Brilliant! Not as chilling as The Lottery but I was unable to put it down. Four hundred five thousand stars.

I don‘t know what exactly I wanted out this book but I am not getting it.

PHENOMENAL. I was hooked from the first page. I discovered Morgan Talty‘s writing in Never Whistle At Night and can I just say that I love short story collections? I‘ve discovered so many great authors that way and I can‘t wait to read more of Talty‘s writing. He recently came out with another book and I‘m waiting for it at the library. But this is hands down one of my top 3 reads in 2024.

I picked this book up at a used bookstore on a trip to NM this past spring. I think we were supposed to read it in HS? I didn‘t remember it. Anyway. It recently was challenged at a Tillamook HS and has been removed from the curriculum so I bumped it to the top of my list. It was phenomenal.

B this one was way too close to home. When my grandpa died, Emily chased me down the driveway with a fucking puppet she found in his house.

Honestly this was a good read and it made me laugh but I am leaving it on a 737 for a bored passenger to find and love vs lugging it home to a special spot on my bookshelf. I can think of one friend I‘d recommend it to and that‘s it. But also, it was a quick read and perfect for the beach.

Read bc I promised a friend. Slow, beautiful, anti-climactic. I understand why it‘s a DNF for most. I‘m not sad I finished it though and I did enjoy reading it while watching KAOS.

I‘m giving this book a so-so because it was so repetitive but otherwise it‘s an important read.

I absolutely loved this collection of spooky stories (save maybe one or two at the most). I am going to read it every fall and I‘m excited to have discovered new authors ✨ Don‘t read before bed or you will have nightmares.

I didn‘t know anything about Jennette McCurdy before reading this book so I didn‘t come into it as a fan girl which I think probably left some context on the table. I liked her writing and her authenticity but this isn‘t a book I‘m going to run around recommending. It was a good beach read even though the subject matter (eating disorders, abuse) was dark.

Ugh, I love everything else Chelsea Bieker has ever written but nothing about this book landed for me. I‘m biased but the motherhood theme was boring, the Portland references made me roll my eyes (born and raised in the same neighborhood the book is based), and the ending wasn‘t surprising but so obvious from the moment the character was introduced. I preordered the book (vs waiting for it at the library) and I‘m not keeping it.

I loved this book for the second time! I picked it up in anticipation of our trip to Chile next month 🇨🇱✨

Cover to cover in six hours! Not my usual genre but came highly recommended by my SIL Kimmy. It was a fun read. 💖

Fucking brilliant. He tears my heart clean open.

I read about a third but the first person narrative was all over the place and I couldn‘t keep up. It honestly made me feel dizzy.

Ugggggg I loved the beginning of this book. It started to get less exciting and then the pandemic aspect made it absolutely dull. I can‘t stand reading about the pandemic. It‘s so boring. I need warnings on books that cover it. I‘m extra disappointed because the beginning was so fucking good. So good. So absolutely good. What a waste.

Absolutely brilliant. I found Anthony Veasna So while reading The Best American Essays 2022. His writing goes deep and opens something in me. I‘ll be looking for a used copy of this gem to add to my personal library.

An editor makes all the difference. This was a phenomenal group of essays (I only bailed on two) with Baby Yeah by Anthony Veasna So as the standout. Ghost Bread by Angelique Steves was also a winner.

"Queerness is that thing that lets us feel that this world is not enough," Muñoz writes, "that indeed something is missing." Without a doubt, hanging with my friend, you perceived the world as too small, too limited, too shortsighted. You'd think-or maybe this was only me—that society had to be operating in profoundly inexcusable ways if no secure place existed for him to thrive in. -Anthony Veasna So / Baby Yeah

This book is a must read. It was relatable, honest. It‘s heavy but Myriam also lightens it in a way where you don‘t have to put it down for days. I wish I had read it before Creep.

I love a less than 24-hour read. B you should read it 🤪. Ps why are the filters on this app so much better than IG

Ok I‘d give it a pick because the writing was great but I don‘t recommend it to my bestie and I wouldn‘t read it again. However, it did surprise me. I picked it up after I heard someone quote it. Even though it‘s from when I was born, it‘s still relevant and fascinating.

Thanks for the recommendation @birdie_gw 💕 I‘m so glad I listened to this because Julia Fox read it but I still missed having a physical book because when she reintroduced Harmony, I was like who? Anyway! Definitely recommend it 🔟/🔟

This book could have been half the length but it was really insightful and I now have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the neurodiverse folks in my life. Read for my company‘s DEI book club.