The Family Chao is a layered, complicated book. It is a considered look into personal identity vs filial piety and Asian family expectations. The thought that the Chaos are chaos tickled me. But it was a struggle to read, as the characters were unappealing. I appreciated this look into Chinese-American family life. The trial especially brings to light the prejudices that immigrant families face in small town America.

Oh this was a strange one! Mina Lee creates a webcomic and somehow ends up in the world of her very own webcomic (which is based on her school and friends). But somehow characters in this world have superpowers? (There‘s also a villain) A fun premise and a quick read but the writing style was too much on the telling side and a bit too simplistic for me.

A truly fascinating account of Chinese-American history as traced through the writer‘s family, through five generations, many who lived in a building in NYC‘s Mott Street. I was in awe with the amount of research that Ava Chin dug up about. She manages to track down their Chinese Exclusion files on both sides of her family. “They call it exclusion…but it is not exclusion, it is extermination.”

It‘s a story about suicide, the loss of a twin, coming to terms with death and grief. It‘s not a book that anyone can say that they enjoy, since it is such a heavy topic, but it was simply told, and there was beauty in simplicity. It‘s a hard read though, and won‘t be for everyone.

What an excellent read this was. While the story is thrilling and keeps the reader turning the pages, the heart of the story is its depiction of small town rural America, the struggles of Sheriff Titus Crowne (conflicted, full of quiet anger), and the interactions (volatile, tense) among the white and Black residents. Crosby tackles issues of racism, white supremacy, religious fundamentalism, and violence skilfully.

Track manga! I borrowed this for the boys (it was in the teen section) and ended up loving it too. A promising young soccer player gets into a car accident, loses a leg, is jaded. Track comes into his life. Love that it focuses on para-athletics and prosthetics.

This is a harrowing read. I kept wondering why doesn‘t anyone do anything for these kids? Are there no teachers around to help or has this bullying become so normalized that it‘s ignored? It‘s thought-provoking for sure, this book, it‘s uncomfortable and it‘s troubling.

This book is a story about power, about food and love, it‘s a complex and sensual and creative. I did find it hard to read though, taking several weeks to finally make my way through it. This book made me hungry with its intense descriptions of food, but it also left me a bit cold, in that I wanted to feel more for the unnamed chef, I wanted to care more, but I didn‘t. So it‘s not quite Pick and not quite So-so

Ultimately, I was disappointed by the lack of cats in this book. There are cats only in the second chapter, which features a bookshop that sells coffee, books about cats, and has resident cats, which sounds absolutely delightful. But alas, no cats actually live at the library, and neither was the librarian a talking cat (hey this is Japanese lit, anything can happen - see, THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS). Still, a warm and cozy read.

UNFAMILIAR vol 1 and 2 by HALEY NEWSOME
Delightful graphic novel series about a witch who moves into a haunted house. Planchette soon makes new friends, like Babs the siren, and Sun who‘s suffering from a vile curse. Maybe they can help her with her haunted house? Originally a webcomic, UNFAMILIAR is a whimsical and adorable series. I love the artwork, the characters are really cute and their eyes are extra-expressive. Quirky and cozy!

This is a book for book lovers and introverts. A book that makes even the gloomiest of days feel brighter and your heart warmer. It‘s a story of misfits and found family, and is a book that lifts the reader up but also reminds us of the importance of kindness and empathy.

First read of 2024 and it‘s this sweet story about a struggling florist whose best friends are all getting married one after the other - of course Elise is handling the flowers at all their weddings, as well as her bridesmaid duties. Her love interest Ben is an endearing but grumpy chef. I especially love that the weddings have Chinese touches, like tea ceremonies and door games. An enjoyable read with a sweet romance!

MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE by Jenna Levine
THE GUEST by Emma Cline
GLORIA BUENROSTRO IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND by Brandon Hoàng
CHLORINE by Jade Song
KUSHIEL‘S DART by Jacqueline Carey
MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION by Zoe Sivak
THE SUBTWEET by Vivek Shraya
THE GOBLIN EMPEROR by Katherine Addison
LUCKY BOY by Shanthi Sekaran
THE VERY UNFORTUNATE WISH OF MELONY YOSHIMURA by Waka T. Brown

These are short story collections as well as books under 200 pages

GIVING ALMS by Khin Chan Myae Maung
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY by Cassandra Khaw
WESTERN LANE by Chetna Maroo
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keean
UNTETHERED SKY by Fonda Lee
BREAKABLE THINGS by Cassandra Khaw
LINGHUN by Ai Jiang
THE PIANO TUNER by Chiang-Sheng Kuo

I especially enjoyed these audiobooks in 2023:

CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
HELLO, MOLLY! by Molly Shannon
WALKING WITH SAM by Andrew McCarthy
BAD CREE by Jessica Johns

Fave nonfiction of 2023

FAMILY STYLE by Thien Pham (graphic memoir)
WELCOME TO ST. HELL: MY TRANS TEEN MISADVENTURES by Lewis Hancox (graphic memoir)
DUCKS by Kate Beaton (graphic memoir)
THE SALT PATH by Raynor Winn (travel)
BROTOPIA: BREAKING UP THE BOYS‘ CLUB OF Silicon Valley by Emily Chang (discrimination/workplace)
INVITATION TO A BANQUET: THE STORY OF CHINESE FOOD by Fuchsia Dunlop (food)

SHUBEIK LUBEIK by Deena Mohamed
ROAMING by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
GHOST BOOK by Remy Lai
A MAN AND HIS CAT by Umi Sakurai
ROYAL CITY by Jeff Lemire
A SKY OF PAPER STARS by Susie Yi
THE NIGHT EATERS by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
LISTEN, BEAUTIFUL MARCIA by Marcello Quintanilha

I read some amazing translated books in 2023! Four out of six were originally written in Korean, and one is translated from French and the other, Japanese.

Merry Christmas! We had our Christmas Eve dinner last nith pineapple glazed ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and Brussels sprouts.

Getting better and still reading. A nice wintry read this one and a different perspective for a post-apocalyptic novel, this is set in an isolated First Nations community in Canada.

Well, the bad news is that I got Covid (after the husband and 10yo), and the good news is that despite the exhaustion and cough, I started and finished this book yesterday. It is absolutely brilliant, very smart, and also a whodunit. The pages flew by and I just marveled at how engrossing this story is.

Made this snowman hat for the 10yo while listening to this amazing audiobook. So glad I accidentally put a hold on the audiobook instead of the ebook!

Reading this book is like watching a car crash happen in slow motion, you know what‘s coming and you know it‘s going to be horrible, but you can‘t stop yourself from watching it. Alex is that character you just can‘t stand. She‘s a grifter, manipulative, & calculative. This book is not for everyone, and you can‘t go into it looking for an easy read. It‘s intensely captivating yet tiring. But that Emma Cline, she can write.

One of the best nonfiction books I‘ve read. Dunlop takes the reader on a journey through Chinese cuisine, some familiar, others completely new. I love how she champions Chinese food, tries to debunk the misconception that Chinese food is greasy (there are so many types of steamed foods and lovely refreshing soups for eg). It‘s all you ever wanted to know and more, yet also engaging and easy to read. It will leave you hungry.

What a gem of a graphic novel. Vibrant in illustrations and story, Shubeik Lubeik tells the tale of a world where wishes are commodities that are bought and sold. I loved how Mohamed uses this to look into class differences. What happens when a poor person gets an expensive first class wish? The govt assumes it‘s stolen. Also, it‘s fascinating how wrong wishes can turn out. Wishing to lose weight? Watch out, you might lose some limbs. Delightful.

New audiobook. Am enjoying Robin Eller‘s lovely voice as she reads Audre Lorde‘s essays

This morning‘s walk as Andrew McCarthy reads his book to me.

It does a good job of building up tension of not knowing what‘s coming around the corner, as you realise the night is closing in and maybe you shouldn‘t be reading a creepy book at night. But in the end, let down by lack of character development.

But although Hemlock Island has a lot of thrills and chills, this standalone horror novel left me disappointed by the lack of character development and

Sometimes you just need persimmon cake and a graphic novel about werewolves

A slice of life kind of memoir, a look into rural life from the perspective of an Iranian-American. It‘s a quiet story, a reflection of their struggles as they get used to their new life, of the nature that surrounds them and the community they‘ve joined. It‘s enhanced by the simple and clean illustration style. (Pictured with my lunch - naan, biryani, tandoori chicken, dal makhani, saag paneer)

This middle-grade fantasy book is a retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Melon Princess and the Amanjaku”. I hadn‘t heard of this folktale before reading the book, so it‘s not a problem if you have no clue either. A compelling middle-grade story that‘s not quite creepy but borders a bit on the strange and whimsical. A “be careful what you wish for” tale that is also a great coming-of-age story.

Todays rainy day read while waiting for children

These stories are disturbing, with characters who are full of greed, rage, despair. They are often nameless: “the daughter”, “the youth”. A family creates cursed objects; a trapped fox bleeds gold; a woman is pregnant after taking birth control pills. One reads like an urban ghost story, another a fairy tale, this one a science fiction one, that one a fable. It‘s impressive. It‘s grotesque. It‘s dark. It‘s mesmerizing. I couldn‘t stop reading it.

This version of Anne is delightful. She‘s a queer half-Japanese teen with two mums. She loves disco, vintage clothes, and roller skating. Her family just moved to the small town of Greenville, where she just can‘t seem to stay out of trouble. Tamaki captures the spirit of Anne really well. She‘s unique, quirky, and has a quick temper, which causes problems. The issues that Anne faces are a lot more difficult, such as racism and homophobia.

I used to watch Will and Grace and she played kooky neighbour Val. She seems like that in her audiobook too, vivacious and full of energy. Her family was in a car accident when she was 4, and her mother and sister died. She and her younger sis were raised by their dad, and while he tried his best, his parenting style is best described as very permissive. Like when she and her friend snuck on a plane to New York City from Cleveland. They were 12!

Tung‘s book is full of little nuggets that may seem simple but are reassuring and encouraging. Like learning to accept yourself and embrace your awkwardness. And to be kind to others and to yourself.

Having breakfast (coffee and homemade fa gao 发糕) with Vladimir and feeling the need to cover up this rather naughty cover

My first DNF for the year. I‘ve been stuck at 46% for some time now (skipping pages) and just can‘t pick it up again. I‘m disappointed as I‘ve previously enjoyed his books like The Thief. While a fascinating topic (cults), there were too many pages of tedious lectures by the male characters.

A charming story about an unwanted cat at the pet store, who‘s finally bought by an older man, a widower. He‘s never owned a cat before, and the cat has never had an owner before, so they‘re both new to this. Love how Kanda and Fukumaru just adore each other. And we get to hear Fukumaru‘s very cute thoughts, “all I wanted was for someone to look meowy way”.

A truly heartwarming story about relationship between a man and his cat.

This book surprised me. I thought it was possibly a mystery/thriller. But this is instead a story about a family‘s struggle with grief after the death of older daughter Kathy. It‘s set over 15 years, told to Kathy by Sally, before, during, & after.
There‘s a melancholic tone throughout, it‘s a story about pain and loss after all. Yet Sally‘s voice manages to be refreshing, somehow humorous, and heartbreakingly honest.

When my drink and book match - it‘s a peach kombucha from Teazen

A bold unflinching look at racism in the classical music world. An interesting premise and a promising start. This book opened my eyes to racism in the classical music world. But an unbalanced story, a ho-hum mystery, and flat characters just made this book a disappointment for me

Don‘t go into this book expecting bountiful action and epic battles. There is some court intrigue but ultimately it is a riveting but gentle book, with an awkward, flawed, and completely likeable half-goblin fourth son who so happens to find himself now Emperor. A coming of age epic fantasy.

On the last day of 2022, here are the rest of the books that stuck to me, whether because of unforgettable characters, setting, plot, beautiful writing or a combination of all. I had a wonderful year of reading. I hope you did too. Happy new year!

As 2022 comes to an end, I wanted to take a look at some of my favorite reads of the year. I managed to read 29 nonfiction books this year, and these were my favorites (in no particular order):

We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
Savor by Fatima Ali
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
Winter Pasture by Li Juan
Made in China by Anna Qu
Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders
You Can‘t Be Serious by Kal Penn
The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
Dopesick by Beth Macy

Bookstore browsing

This is the second book in the series and every bit as fun to read as the first. Lila has been asked to be a judge for the local beauty pageant. But there‘s been a murder and she‘s sucked into it. It‘s that kind of cozy mystery which doesn‘t stress the reader too much and you know it will all turn out ok in the end. Just be prepared to be hungry as Lila experiments with delicious desserts for their upcoming cafe.

The 9yo on learning that I‘m reading a series set in space and has aliens: “maybe they look like shrimpy”.

Beautiful but brutal. Tells the tale of a young girl kidnapped in China and smuggled to the US in the late 1800s. A Bildungsroman but also a story of the anti-Chinese violence of the time. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written. I struggled a bit with her (alter ego? Guiding spirit?) Lin Daiyu, Dream of the Red Chamber heroine, that she‘s named after. Lin Daiyu helps her through traumas, of which there are many.

Excited to read this!