Have you ever read a book with a character where it seems like the author reached into your mind and pulled out a character who is nearly exactly like you? That was me with King… More
I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C.F. Rogers – My Thoughts
I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C.F. Rogers is about Marisol Martin, a multiracial Filipino teenager, and her life after her mother’s death. Marisol is angry: angry at her mom, her former best friend, her dad for not understanding, and most significantly, herself.
The way that Rogers writes about grief is so raw. Marisol wants to push away her emotions instead of voicing them – in the way that maybe by pushing those emotions away, she won’t need to accept that her mother is physically gone. She struggles with creating art in after. I related to Marisol’s deep desire to have complete control over her life, and her impulsive reactions when that won’t happen. Throughout I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom, Marisol’s anger causes her to isolate herself and pull back from building relationships with others because she doesn’t want things to change, especially with the biggest change in her family impacting all aspects of her life. In a way, I think Marisol’s anger is how she holds onto her mother, at least in part because Marisol describes herself as never having been best friends with her mom, so these fights, and this anger, remind her of a time when her mom was alive.
The plot of the story centers around Marisol’s personal relationships, and also with her relationship to herself. She questions if she is still Filipino even though her mother is gone. She questions if she is good enough, or if she should’ve tried harder to be a perfect daughter. All this combined made me feel like I was right in Marisol’s mind during this very stream-of-consciousness narrative.
Overall, I appreciate the message that it is ok to have regrets about the past. What is important is to know that there are people who are there for you and want to be there for you during grief. There isn’t one way to grieve, as Marisol, her brother, and father show. Roger’s debut is emotionally devastating while also maintaining hope and love throughout.
Book Information
Title: I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom
Author: Shannon C.F. Rogers
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis:
Packed with voice, this is a powerful coming-of-age YA novel about a Filipina-American teen who tries to figure out who she really is in the wake of her mother’s death.
Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol? She could never relate. She and her mom were forever locked in an argument with no beginning and no end.
But when her mother dies suddenly, Marisol is left with no one to fight against, haunted by all the things that she both said and didn’t say. And when Marisol sleeps with her best friend’s boyfriend—and then punches said best friend in the face—she’s left alone, with nothing but a burning anger.
And Marisol is determined to stay angry. After all, there’s a lot to be angry about. But as a new friendship begins to develop, Marisol reluctantly starts to open up to her, and to the possibility there’s something else on the other side of that anger—something more to who she is, and who she could be.
Book links:
Goodreads
Storygraph
Blackwells
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookshop US
Other US retailers
Author Information
Shannon C.F. Rogers is a multiracial Filipino-American writer of young adult novels, short fiction, and plays. A former editor on Lunch Ticket, her work has appeared in Bodega Magazine and Newfound Journal as well as on stage with Tricklock Company and Lady Luck Productions. Shannon earned her B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico and her MFA in Writing For Young People at Antioch University Los Angeles. She has served as an educator, after-school program director, and lost mitten finder at schools in Albuquerque, Chicago, and New York City. She is the author of I’d Rather Burn than Bloom. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Author Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21941127.Shannon_C_F_Rogers
Website: https://www.shannoncfrogers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon.cf.rogers
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/shannoncfrogers
Thank you to Colored Pages Blog Tours, Netgalley, and Fierce Reads for the advanced reader copy.
Review: While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai
When I was approved on Netgalley for While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai, I was ecstatic. I’d read Alisha Rai’s contemporary adult romance series, and I enjoy when authors write in different categories. This is Alisha Rai’s contemporary YA debut.
While You Were Dreaming takes on a much different tone from her previous novels, while still maintaining a similarity to Alisha Rai’s style of writing. Sonia, the main character, is an Indian American teenage girl living with her sister Kareena in New York. Sonia is very into cosplay (she uses her mother’s machine to sew) and works at a sandwich shop. She also has a crush on James Cooper. . .who she ends up saving one day. However, Sonia must hide her identity because Kareena is not an American citizen.
Alisha Rai also writes about the negativities of the American immigration system from the perspective of a teen girl whose mother was arrested. I learned that legal aid is not provided to immigrants. Throughout this time, Kareena is working multiple jobs to support Sonia.
Thus begins a story of hiding identities (both willingly, and unwillingly, and physically and mentally). Let me tell you all, the amount I related to Sonia was A LOT. I am also a part of the Asian diaspora, and while I am not Indian American, I related to the fact that Sonia was figuring out her relationship with her heritage. This part of the book felt like my thoughts surrounding my Asian-ness were pulled right out of my mind.
Alisha Rai captures what it is like to feel like you don’t belong. She captures the beauty of sibling relationships and how they can help us through life even when we feel like we have no control over anything. While You Were Dreaming captures the very essence of the importance of holding onto hope and understanding that it is ok to need a support system – you don’t have to be a hero on your own. I greatly enjoyed Alisha Rai’s young adult debut and I highly recommend this captivating and reflective novel.
*I received a copy from Netgalley and Quill Tree Books. This did not impact my opinion on the book.
Review: Serendipity – A Cute Young Adult Romance Anthology
*Review written in 2022
Serendipity was one of my most anticipated anthologies of 2022, and I’m so grateful I got to read it early because of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Netgalley. The stories of this Young Adult anthology based around romantic tropes filled me with joy.
What I love most is that a lot of the stories focused on friends to lovers stories OR the start of a relationship. The authors effectively wrote short stories that left me satisfied with the promise of new and changed relationships. I also like the fact that some of my expectations for the main characters in the stories turned out to be different. Each main character felt real to me: I enjoyed the diversity of their hobbies and goals: one character thought she wanted to get back at her ex, another character realizes that she may not know her “enemy” as well as she thought she did, and another character realized that love may take risks. A new relationship may start from running into someone else in a new country, or with a friend you’ve known for over 7 years.
While every story focused on a romantic relationship, the friendships and familial relationships were also great to see. Serendipity left me feeling hopeful. It’s heartwarming to read stories about people my age experiencing love for the first time, and to feel like you’re a part of a great love story. Serendipity takes joy in the simple moments, in the simplicity of noticing all of the details of a person, and being open to knowing the entirety of a person, beyond how they may appear to look to the rest of the world.
Review: A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir is the best book of the Ember Quartet. I think I love it so much because nearly every aspect is perfect. I first got into the Ember Quartet because I saw that there was a lot of press for ARATG. It was the first book by a brown Asian American person I read where I saw a main character who vaguely looked like me in a fantasy novel. (It is important to recognize that brown Asians have various and different experiences and come from all around Asia and so it’s important to say that if the Ember Quartet was made into a movie, Laia should be played by a Pakistani actress.) There will be spoilers for the first two books of the AEITA quartet.
At the beginning of ARATG, Laia, Helene, and Elias are all split up in different parts of the Empire. Helene is the Blood Shrike, Laia is learning how to use her invisibility powers, and Elias is the Soul Catcher. I appreciated seeing how much character growth happens throughout ARATG, and what sets this apart from the first two books is that we get to see Laia and Helene’s relationship develop, something that was a bit tenuous in the prior books. Elias is brooding this entire book – he pines a lot over his lost life and struggles to fully accept his identity as the Soul Catcher.
Laia remains my favorite character of the three. She is a heroine who defines herself by her kindness and hope. Laia is strong and her emotions are not a weakness. They do not have to be a strength. Her agency is also not defined by the people around her. However, Helene is still my least favorite character. Although she does begin to recognize the Empire as the colonizing force that it is toward the Scholars, she is not yet fully there in recognizing how she contributes to the oppression of the Scholars.
The world building in ARATG is the strongest of the Quartet. The scope of the world expands so much in this book, which is what makes it my favorite of the Quartet. It feels organic and is balanced with the rest of the narrative. For example, Musa of Marinn is a great new character who introduces us to an entirely new aspect of the world, and to wights. At the end of it all, though, Laia is the main character of the Ember Quartet and without her, the narrative would be nothing. She is the heart of these novels.
Why did you read the Ember Quartet? If you haven’t read it, are you planning to?
The First Binding by R.R. Virdi – My Thoughts
This is the longest book I have read since Babel (I think). The First Binding by R.R. Virdi has been on my to be read list since last year, and I finally started it on January 1. I was intimidated by the size, but once I started reading I knew I wanted to know what would happen at the end. TFB is a frame narrative style fantasy novel that I have not seen in any of the fantasy novels I have read. Ari, the main character, is a storyteller, and the narrative flashes back between his youth and his present time.
About 25% of the way in, I realized that I would have preferred Eloine as a main character over Ari. She is a mysterious woman who Ari tells most of the stories to. No spoilers, but I am so glad that R.R. Virdi included her perspective. While Ari seems to be very closed off and sort of like an unreliable narrator, Eloine seems to be upfront about her unreliability. Eloine, I think, is also interesting because sometimes, women can fall into the stereotype of only being there to advance the man’s story, but Eloine has her own story.
Also, while I found Ari’s backstory interesting, I am interested to know how R.R. Virdi will catch up to the present time when The First Binding takes place in. Ari seems to be a lot more jaded in the present time, although when he is a child, there are hints of the intensely, closed off man he will become. The majority of the book is focused on Ari’s time as a child which I was not expecting to be so interesting, but R.R. Virdi does a nice job of combining Ari’s story as a child and his time as an adult.
I am excited to see where The First Binding series goes and after that ending, I look forward to learning more about Ari and even more about Eloine. R.R. Virdi’s writing feels like hearing a story told by Ari, complete with the effects of Ari’s magic. R.R. Virdi also questions what magic and power means, and how the stories of magic and power can be manipulated by the people at the center. What I found most compelling about The First Binding is how the story questions the truth and the truth of magic as it impacts all of the people across the world of TFB.
University Goals: Semester One
In a few days, I will start my first day of my first year of university!! I moved in last weekend to one of the newer dorms on campus and I love it (however, there was a gnat problem in the bathroom, but it is supposed to get fixed soon). Here are my goals for the first semester:
Academic Goals
Academically, I’ve always been very hard on myself – the word most of my friends used to describe me in middle and even high school was serious. I would get super stressed if I didn’t get an A. That kind of changed in my senior year; I felt less stressed because I had less classes, but then college applications took the place of that stress.
I know that the first year of uni will be challenging, but here are the strategies I’m going to try to use to help relax:
- Ask questions in class and go to tutoring. This one is self explanatory.
- Set times where I don’t work on academics at all (including work for clubs) AND turn off my phone and computer. I think this’ll help my mind rest and prevent myself from comparing myself to others.
- Don’t go on my phone in bed. This one is kind of easy because I can only charge my phone on my desk and it is underneath my lofted bed, but I also got a new phone recently and the battery life is really good, so I could charge my phone and leave it on my nightstand. . .but I don’t want to do that.
- Read the syllabus and put all of my assignment dates in my calendar before.
- Get out of my dorm room to study. There are a few places on campus that I love and some outdoor places.
Social Goals
In the past year, I’ve learned that I need alone time, but I also need to balance that with a social life. I don’t want to isolate myself in my dorm, but I do want to make it a space where I can hang out with others.
- Join organizations – self explanatory.
- Get off campus – go to bookstores, find cute cafes, and find museums that give student discounts.
- Get to know my roommates – self explanatory.
- Reach out to people I know.
- Maintain my relationships with my high school friends.
Personal Goals
Outside of university life, I want to continue developing my hobbies. I want my life to not be consumed by uni/feeling like I need to do things for others.
- Read for fun. This might get hard when I have more reading assignments, but it’s a nice thing to do before I fall asleep.
- Maintain my blog and bookstagram, but also make sure that I prioritize homework and organization responsibilities.
- Workout – luckily, my campus is very walkable, but there’s also a decent gym and pool that I can use.
- Stay clean and organized.
- Join organizations such as the Filipino club and the Asian American Activism club.
Do you have any advice for a college first year?
Books I’m Excited For: September – December 2022
I cannot believe we are in the last four months of 2022!! There are a lot of amazing books coming out in the next couple of months. Most of the ones I’m excited for are by authors I already know. I also want to give a special mention to the Fairyloot editions of The Gilded Wolves trilogy by Roshani Chokshi because I’ve preordered them and they are so gorgeous!! I cannot wait for my copies to arrive.
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan: I read Daughter of the Moon Goddess so fast, and I am so happy that the sequel is coming out this year!! These are two of my favorite high fantasy covers of all time.
Synopsis:
After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.
Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation–to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love… even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong: I have already preordered two editions of this book. All I’ve seen are positive reviews, so I am super excited! I am re-reading Our Violent Ends (as of 8/20/2022) and still love the TVD duology.
Synopsis: It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn: ahhhh I am so happy this one is coming out so soon!! The Fairyloot editions are so pretty. I am so ready to see Bree again. This is one of the best YA retellings I’ve ever read.
Synopsis: The shadows have risen, and the line is law.
All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:
A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.
But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.
Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.
When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.
If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.
Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland: I am so happy to see books by and centering adoptees in stories that aren’t just about their adoption. Meredith Ireland’s The Jasmine Project was one of my favorite books of 2021, so I’m excited for her second book! The main character of this book is also an Asian adoptee, like me : )
Synopsis: There’s no one Kelsie Miller hates more than Eric Mulvaney Ortiz—the homecoming king, captain of the football team, and academic archrival in her hyper-competitive prep school. But after Kelsie’s best friend, Briana, moves across the country and stops speaking to her, she’ll do anything, even talk to Eric, to find out why.
After they run into each other—literally—at the last high school party of the summer, Eric admits he’s been ghosted by his girlfriend, Jessica. Kelsie tells him she’s had zero contact from Briana since she left their upstate New York town.
Suddenly, a plan is formed: they’ll go on a road trip to the University of Pennsylvania the following week when both Briana and Jessica will be on campus. Together, they’ll do whatever it takes to win back their exes.
What could go wrong?
Used to succeeding in everything, Kelsie and Eric assume they’ll naturally figure out the details on the drive down. What they don’t expect is that the person they actually need may be the one sitting next to them.
Strike the Zither by Joan He: Joan He is one of my favorite authors! I read DOTC when it came out in 2019, and now I am a part of the street team for her books. All of her covers should be framed!
Synopsis: The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.
But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.
Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.
What books are you looking forward to that are coming out in September-December?
BLOG TOUR: Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin
I am so grateful to be a part of the #MatatagAtMatapangTour for Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin, hosted by Kate @ Your Tita Kate (https://yourtitakate.com/blog-tour-dauntless/)! Ever since I got into reading more, I’ve been looking for books by Filipino authors. Now, I’m happy to say that Dauntless will be joining my collection of books by Filipino authors.
My Thoughts
Dauntless starts out as an adventure novel. Seri is a valiant, and is a part of a group of warriors that hunt beasts and explore the unknown part of their world. I felt that the story increased in action and my anticipation increased with every (virtual) page I turned. I was excited when Seri met Tsana, a mysterious girl, in a market. By this point, the pacing of Dauntless really drew me in to the story.
One aspect that surprised me was that Tsana narrates some chapters! I love it when the two main characters narrate a novel – I like seeing how they see each other. Both Tsana and Seri challenge each other. Tsana challenges Seri to see the world differently than what Seri thought she knew. Elisa A. Bonnin has done a great job of seamlessly crafting the history of the world into the overarching story, and Seri and Tsana’s romantic relationship. I also liked Eshai and Lavit’s relationship. They had a great dynamic.
As Dauntless progresses, it becomes so much more than an adventure story – it’s a story of the powerful bonds between living beings and how the unknown can be challenging to face at first, but it becomes easier when you have people beside you. The characters battle supposed beasts, the truth, and fight to understand their own paths. This sapphic fantasy novel is one of my favorites of 2022, and I hope there is a sequel; however, the ending makes this a great standalone too!
Synopsis
“Be dauntless, for the hopes of the People rest in you.”
Seri’s world is defined by very clear rules: The beasts prowl the forest paths and hunt the People. The valiant explore the unknown world, kill the beasts, and gain strength from the armor they make from them. As an assistant to Eshai Unbroken, a young valor commander with a near-mythical reputation, Seri has seen first-hand the struggle to keep the beasts at bay and ensure the safety of the spreading trees where the People make their homes. That was how it always had been, and how it always would be. Until the day Seri encounters Tsana.
Tsana is, impossibly, a stranger from the unknown world who can communicate with the beasts – a fact that makes Seri begin to doubt everything she’s ever been taught. As Seri and Tsana grow closer, their worlds begin to collide, with deadly consequences. Somehow, with the world on the brink of war, Seri will have to find a way to make peace.
Author Bio
Elisa A. Bonnin was born and raised in the Philippines, after which she moved to the United States to study chemistry and later oceanography. After completing her doctorate, she moved to Germany to work as a postdoctoral scientist. A lifelong learner, Elisa is always convinced that she should “maybe take a class in something” and as a result, has amassed an eclectic collection of hobbies. But writing will always be her true love. Publishing a book has been her dream since she was eight years old, and she is thrilled to finally be able to share her stories. Dauntless is her first novel.
*I received an e-ARC from Netgalley as a part of the tour. This did not influence my opinion of the book.
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena: Review
Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena is a new story set in the same world as Hunted by the Sky. You can read this book without reading The Wrath of Ambar duology. Admittedly, I have found myself reading less YA fantasy, but I enjoyed TWOA duology for Bhathena’s intricate world building and fast paced plot. The atmosphere of OLAS is different from TWOA.
Roshan and Navin come from two very different worlds. Roshan is a vigilante, while Navin is a prince. Roshan captures Navin, and they are interlocked in a power struggle for the majority of the book. Roshan and her family of vigilantes do not know why the land is facing a blight. I like that OLAS connects Roshan and Navin’s personal struggles with the struggles of the world around them; this book feels much more contained than TWOA duology – again, this is what makes it different.
Unfortunately, I did find myself lost while reading OLAS because I did not really comprehend the number of characters within this world. I also did not really understand the magic system, so I think I need to re-read this. Fortunately, Roshan and Navin are engaging characters who I wanted to learn more about. Roshan originally wanted to be a healer when she was younger, but when her parents were killed, she was adopted by vigilantes. Navin struggles with his relationships with his family. He can manipulate emotions. Both characters end up admiring each other but they do not fully trust each other or themselves.
While I enjoyed TWOA, I think I felt my mind wandering off too much for me to truly enjoy OLAS. I also read it over the course of 5 months, so I found myself picking up OLAS and not remembering what happened in the previous chapters. While Roshan and Navin are both interesting, I did not feel as attached to them as I did to Gul and Cavas in TWOA duology. I also liked the dynamic of Gul and Cavas more because of their relationship as friends first. If you are looking to get into the universe of HBTS, I would recommend reading OLAS as it is a standalone. I think this book can appeal to people who enjoy reading about adventure novels and are looking for a fast paced fantasy about the importance of recognizing that people are more than what society has stereotyped them as.
*Note: Thank you to the publisher and the Fierce Reads YA Influencer List. This did not influence my opinion of the book.
Have you read any of Tanaz Bhathena’s books? What did you think of them?
reflecting on my relationship to my Asian American identity
academia
Since elementary school, I have become more connected to my Filipino American and Asian American identities, but I’ve had to educate myself outside of school to do so. In high school Filipino Americans and Asian Americans were represented either in terms of the model minority myth, immigration, or discrimination. I expected for curriculum to be different in college. I was looking forward to being a part of an academic community that would hopefully explore a multitude of perspectives.
Unfortunately, this was still not the case. In my literature courses for the year, there were no books by Asian Amerian authors. I also found out that most of the professors teaching about Asian Americans were white people. Fortunately, I found spaces for Asian Americans to learn, which is important, and also to live and have fun. Those spaces helped me know that my Asian Americaness and Filipino Americaness can only be defined by myself.
However, I still question the systems where the “canon” of some of my classes does not include Asian American authors. During my first year of college, I learned that it took two years for an Asian American Literature class to be approved as an accepted class for the core literature requirement. It is 2023, and the university I go to, in a city that has one of the largest Asian American populations in the U.S., does not have an Asian American Studies program, or at least more classes about Asian Americans taught by Asian Americans. Administrations use students to show that they’re so progressive, but they can’t have any actual progress without actually implementing student ideas. You can’t put us on display for your DEI initiatives and then decide that we’re not worth listening to.
reading
My journey of reading books by Asian American authors with Asian American main characters started about 10 years ago when I read Dumpling Days by Grace Lin. Pacy, the main character, goes to Taiwan with her family because they are celebrating her grandmother’s 60th birthday. The first fantasy/science fiction novel I read by a Filipino American author was Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan, and the first Young Adult fiction book I read with a Filipino American main character was Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay.
Compared to what I read most five or even three years ago, I have read much more of a variety of novels by Asian Americans (variety in range of genre and in range of storylines). I was so happy when I read The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland – Jasmine is adopted and Korean American and this is a fact that is allowed to exist. The focus of the novel is on her living her life, and the joy she finds in embracing her goals. I’m an Asian American adoptee and I never read a book with an adopted Asian American main character, and by an author with the same identity as me until 2021.
Another book that I loved was Boys I Know by Anna Gracia. While June is Taiwanese American and I am Filipino American, I related to her saying that she used to latch on to any Asian representation she saw because there was “so little representation” where she lived, which was the same for me growing up as an adopted person in family of white people. The city I live in does have a large Asian American community, and I sometimes feel like I should’ve done more in my youth to be “more” Asian American, to connect to this community. I appreciate that Gracia writes “there is no percentage threshold or visual requirement to be considered Asian” in her author’s note.
I am glad that there is a range of stories for Asian American youth, including stories about joy and in which we can live in fantasy worlds. These books let me know that I don’t have to prove my identity to anyone. I can just exist. Someday, I want to write a book about a Filipino American adoptee living with lupus because that’s my experience. Asian Americans have a variety of stories, and I hope for publishers to recognize this all year and every year.
*originally posted on my Bookstagram @solaceinreading_
Did you learn about Asian American history in school?
Reading Update: January-March 2023
I always seem to read less in winter, which is not surprising because second semester always seems like more work. I have read around the same amount of books for college that I have for fun. For college, I have read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, part of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Wollstonecraft, Sor Juana’s poems and Response, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince.
Here is what I have read for fun this year:
- The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh:
- The First Binding by R.R. Virdi
- Rosewood by Sayantani DasGupta
- As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria
- Send Her Back by Munashe Kaseke
- Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland
- Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan
- She’s Nice Though by Mia Mercado
- She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson
- I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
And here is what I am currently reading:
- Everyone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith Ireland
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
- Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal
- Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
- Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
Reviews
The First Binding by R.R. Virdi – For being over 500 pages, The First Binding is captivating, emotional, and well-woven. I like how TFB is structured a lot differently from other novels I’ve read – there are stories interwoven throughout and a frame narrative. I never felt confused about the timelines of the novel. The two main timelines are between the main character’s childhood and his present time. I wanted to know more about the main character’s journey right before the present story, but I think we will get that in sequels to TFB. Overall, TFB is a promising start to an immersive epic fantasy series.
She’s Nice Though by Mia Mercado – This is the third memoir I have read this year. There were a few sections I skimmed, but I related to the various stories about growing up Filipino and a woman. I appreciated Mercado’s humor throughout, and I am hoping to read her books in the future. I decided to read this book because of the cake on the cover, and I was very excited when I found out that Mercado is a writer and is Filipino.
She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson – This is something different from what I usually read, but I really enjoyed Quinta Brunson’s memoir. I love Abbott Elementary, so when I read this, I was thinking about how Brunson mentions that she sold a show at the end of the novel. That show is Abbott Elementary!! I remember watching Brunson on Buzzfeed when I was still in middle school, so it is exciting to see her story from her childhood through 2021. I appreciated the sections about her life in college because Brunson affirmed for me that it is ok to not have everything figured out during this time in my life, and that having goals and going after them even if the road to your endgame is long is natural. I highly recommend SMW to my fellow college students.
The Future. . .
I would love to blog more consistently, so I am thinking of setting aside time in the morning each day to write. Even if I do not publish whatever I write, I think it’ll be helpful for me to improve my writing skills and to dedicate more time to this blog. My Bookstagram @solaceinreading_ will always be my first love, but I am finding that being on Instagram and social media so much is not conducive to me doing what I actually want to do, which is read, write, and other things.
How is your 2023 going? What would you like to see from my blog?
Book Statistics 2022
This year, I read 164 books. Out of 164 books, I absolutely loved 13.
The Ikessar Falcon and The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso – this is such an underrated fantasy series about a woman who is not afraid to go after what she wants and who is not afraid to avenge herself.
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir – the best YA novel of 2022.
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport – review withheld in support of the HCP Union.
Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta – I loved this one and related to it so much. I did MUN in high school, while the mc of this book did debate.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li – I love reading about art museums in books, and I am glad that Li challenges the role that art museums play in the continuing negative impacts of colonization.
Deep in Providence by Riss M. Neilson – a book by a multiracial Filipino author!! With Filipino main characters! So happy to read more books with Filipino representation.
The Chosen and The Beautiful by Nghi Vo – the best Gatsby revisioning I have ever read.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo – Nghi Vo is officially one of my favorite authors of all time.
Babel by R.F. Kuang – review withheld in support of the HCP Union.
Meet Me In Mumbai by Sabina Khan – I am adopted and I felt so seen by Khan’s novel.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake – I am obsessed with this trilogy and Belen!! I would love a novel just about her.
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman – a historical nonfiction novel I highly recommend.
Of 164 books, 48 were YA Fantasy, 49 were YA Contemporary, 4 were YA and multiple genres (including dystopian, time travel, etc) 24 were fantasy, 10 were fiction, and 5 were nonfiction. I did not finish 12 books; however, a majority of these are ones that I plan on going back to. This added up to about 120 books, so I may have miscounted as I was going through my Goodreads list.
Next year, I am not going to set a reading goal. This year, my goal was 75, which I met in June, but I want to focus on reading more nonfiction/analytical books this year, as well as re-reading these books.
I find myself reading less YA, but Young Adult (which is not a genre, it is a category) will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first place I saw myself represented as a Filipino and Asian woman and person. I am not quite sure how I would define my reading tastes, but I do know that I want to read more books about Marxist theory, precolonial society, specifically in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, and about women-led movements in the Global South by woman of the global majority.
What books did you read this year? I would love to know which ones you loved and which ones you want to read in 2023!
13 Midnights, 13 Characters : Midnights by Taylor Swift
Reputation is still my favorite Taylor Swift album, but I do love Midnights. My top three are Lavender Haze, Maroon, and Paris.
Lavender Haze
“I feel the lavender haze creeping up on me / Surreal / I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say”
TJ Powar from TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo: TJ Powar learns that she doesn’t have to prove herself to anyone.
Maroon
“The burgundy on my t-shirt / When you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks / So scarlet, it was maroon”
Lucie Churchill and George Zao from Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan: I think Maroon fits Lucie and George because their first meeting is fleeting. I mean “the rust that grew between telephones” describes how they grow apart so perfectly.
Anti-Hero
“I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror”
Nasir Ghameq from We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal: Ah, the Prince of Death. He is so angsty and thinks that no one could ever understand him. . .until he meets Zafira.
Snow on the Beach
“Flying in a dream / Stars by the pocketful”
Elias Veturius and Laia of Serra from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: this song is so calming and perfect just like Elias and Laia’s relationship.
Midnight Rain
“He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain / He wanted a bride, I was making my own name / Chasing that fame, he stayed the same / All of me changed like midnight rain”
Zafira bint Iskandar and Deen Ra’ad from We Hunt the Flame Hafsah Faizal: Deen Ra’ad, gone too soon.
Question. . .?
“Cause I don’t remember who I was / Before you painted all my nights / A color I’ve searched for since”
Orion and Rosalind from Foul Lady Fortune Chloe Gong: I mean did I speed read this book because Chloe Gong’s writing is that good? yes. BUT I do think this definitely fits these two spies and their relationship.
Vigilante Shit
“You did some bad things, but I’m the worst of them / Sometimes I wonder which one’ll be your last lie”
Juliette and Roma from These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong: I couldn’t not include Juliette and Roma on this list.
Bejeweled
“And you can try to change my mind / But you might have to wait in line”
Parisa from The Atlas Six Olivie Blake: Parisa is an icon and she’d fit in the Bejeweled music video perfectly.
Labyrinth
“I thought the plane was going down / How’d you turn it right around”
Hypnos and Enrique and Zofia from The Gilded Wolves Roshani Chokshi: These three have the best chemistry. I love them.
Karma
“Addicted to betrayal, but you’re relevant”
Severin and Laila from #TheSilveredSerpents: If you’ve read the ending of Serpents, you know what I’m talking about.
Sweet Nothing
“All that you ever wanted from me was / Sweet nothing”
Noor and Sal from All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir: I love them, I miss them, their love will live in my mind forever.
Solace in Reading 