Last year, I studied for a semester in Rome, Italy. While in Rome, I also had the chance to visit other countries during fall break and during our three day weekends. Here are some of the bookstores I visited in Italy, England, and France.
Italy
Gli Esploratori
Located in: Rome, Italy
My university’s librarian recommended Gli Esploratori. This is a restaurant and bookstore that serves food inspired by different parts of Italy. I had a pasta with a clam sauce and chocolate mousse, which were both delicious. The bookstore part contains a great variety of genres. We did not need a reservation.
Todo Modo Libri
Located in: Florence, Italy
My favorite bookstore in Italy was in Florence. Todo Modo Libri has kind of a tree house theme inside with wooden seats and plants hanging from the ceiling. I could have spent hours here.
England
Foyle’s
Located in: London, England
I wish I spent a longer time here, but the time I did was lovely. There were three floors of books and a beautiful skylight. There are many other bookstores in the area too, including used bookstores.
France
Shakespeare and Company
Located in: Paris, France
The librarian at my Rome campus is friends with someone who works here, and I knew I had to visit. Shakespeare and Company is a charming two story bookstore with an area for writers on the second floor. There was a line when I visited, but it was definitely worth it and I will be back.
What is your favorite bookstore outside of your country?
I have not posted in over a month, but I have read a lot of books! I am so grateful to have time this summer to read.
Best Books I’ve read so far
Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake: Blake does it again with her amusing yet emotional writing about a rich family that also has magic abilities.
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart: This fantasy book is an epic tale of two sisters who end up in opposite sides of the world they thought they knew. I am so excited for the sequel.
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin: This is a book about two young Black people in love. Tish is pregnant, and Fonny, the father, is falsely accused of a crime. Baldwin’s writing will instantly captivate you. I will definitely read more books by Baldwin in the future.
Best Sequel(S) I’ve read so far
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi: This is my favorite book of The Ending Fire trilogy. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa navigate a world divided by blood and they find themselves uncovering the history of the land that the elites of that world made up.
The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi: I was quite satisfied with the conclusion to The Ending Fire trilogy. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa’s stories come to an end (or beginning?) in The Ending Fire.
Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland: Four Ruined Realms is an exciting sequel to Five Broken Blades, and the finale comes out this month.
New Release(S) I Haven’t Read yet, but want to
Don’t Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo: This is a standalone set in the same world as Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful (which in my opinion is the best retelling of The Great Gatsby). I am excited to see Nick’s story in this one!
biggest disappointment
I haven’t had any really big disappointments this year.
Biggest Surprise
Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake! It was much more funny at times than I expected.
Favorite author (debut or new to you)
Shalini Abeysekara! Her fantasy novel This Monster of Mine is a stunning fantasy with political intrigue and an amazing interesting legal system combined with magic that addresses the injustices of a world with extreme class differences.
The Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year
Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland: I love the design on the edges and the gold on the hardback.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel: I recently bought a copy and it is going to be my next read once I finish my other reads. This book is about a woman’s life in the independence movement of an alternate history of India where the British are still in power during the 1960s.
Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana: I’ve been following Rana’s writing journey since before her YA novel, Hope Ablaze (one of my favorite books of 2024). I cannot wait to read her epic fantasy novel about Khamilla Zahr-zad, a woman who must infiltrate her enemy’s secret academy to avenge her people.
Favorite book to movie/tv series adaptation you’ve seen this year
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.
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.
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?
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?
This month, I read 25-28 books. August is the first month where I have decided not to finish books – there were three that weren’t for me, but that others may like.
My favorite books were The Final Strife, The City of Dusk, and Siren Queen. I also re-read a few books, including the These Violent Delights duology which was just as amazing as the first time I read it.
College
I started university on August 29! I am so surprised because I like all of my professors, which is very lucky. My favorite class so far is Global Studies 101. I was worried that I wouldn’t like the readings, but I love them. I feel affirmed in my decision to have already declared my major. I don’t have a least favorite class; however, I do not like my ENVS 101 class because it is at 8:30 AM.
I need to give credit to students at my uni for following my #Bookstagram and getting me to 1.4k followers!! I have been hovering around 1400 for so long.
Life
Life is pretty good. I am excited for my birthday in September, and I am glad I get to celebrate with my family.
Yesterday, I went to WorldCon for the first time. I cannot believe that I just found out about it a week ago! I met N.E. Davenport, Xiran Jay Zhao, Gene Ha, and Apara Verma. Later this week, I will hopefully have a post up about my first WorldCon experience (it was amazing and I really hope to go to the Hugo Awards the next time!).
I also took a lot of photos for my ##Bookstagram account before I left for university, and I hope I have enough to last me the semester.
The An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir.
September
My only goal for September is to get through my first month of college: go to every class, not get covid, read for fun, and make time for my own hobbies. I also have a few books I need to read and review from NetGalley: I am reading Study Break right now and I LOVE IT!! Being a first year college student, SB came at the perfect time.
I bought a copy of The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang this month and am so happy to finally have the complete trilogy!!
Yes, I know summer isn’t over yet; however, I move in to college this month. . .omg. Therefore, I am posting this wrap-up now because I don’t think I’ll have a lot of time for personal reading during the last couple of months of this year. Here is my Summer 2022 wrap-up!
Books
This summer I read 63 books (including the months of June, July, and August as of August 19). Of those books, 16 were re-reads and 27 were published this year. Overall, I have read 135 books this year (including re-reads). My top six favorite books were:
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah: Chelsea Abdullah’s world building is INCREDIBLE. This multi POV fantasy swept me away to a magical and deadly world.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: One of the 16 re-reads! This remains one of my favorite series of all time. I love the cast of characters and I hope Roshani Chokshi returns to this world someday.
Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: these are both amazing historical fiction novels with a touch of magic.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi: another new fantasy novel, also with multiple POVs. I could not put this book down, although I’ll have to re-read it because there is so much detail.
We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal: very long, dense, and intense – I loved it! I cannot wait for A Tempest of Tea to expand this world.
Other books I enjoyed: The City of Dusk by Tara Sim, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin, and Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li.
Life and College
I finished my first internship with a book publishing company! It was from November until the end of July. I had a decent experience, although for my next internship I hope to be in person because virtual internships can be a bit lonely.
There has been a three week period between the end of my internship and when I’ll move into college. I am super excited and there’s a book club at my uni that I already know I want to join. Packing wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be – I am only bringing three of my personal books because I have 13 for my classes. Also, I only have one 8:30 A.M. class (yay!) and all of my classes end before 4:00 P.M.
Looking Forward
I don’t set numerical reading goals anymore; however, there are some books I’m really excited for:
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn: this was one of my favorite books of 2020. I love the Fairyloot editions of this trilogy!
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong: I am super excited for my preorder to come!
Babel by R.F. Kuang: I have also preordered this one!! I have heard so many great things about it.
Strike the Zither by Joan He: I have preordered this one as well : )
How was your June-August? What books are you looking forward to?
Looking back on this year so far, I realize I haven’t loved a ton of books. There are a few standouts, but I find myself feeling less connected to YA books and more into Adult Fantasy/Contemporary and nonfiction books. Here is my 2022 Midyear Book Tag!
Best Books I’ve read so far
The Ikessar Falcon and The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso: I would love for more people to read the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen trilogy because this ending. . . .ahhh!!! Talyien is one of my favorite heroines of all time.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri: I received an e-ARC of this from Netgalley last year, and DNF’ed it, but this year, I finally read a finished copy! This feminist sapphic fantasy is about two women and their lives during a time of revolution and sexism.
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport: N.E. Davenport is my new favorite fantasy author. Ikenna is amazing and I cannot wait to see her journey continue in The Blood Gift.
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah: What a great start to a new fantasy series!! I received an e-ARC from Netgalley but was able to check out a copy from the library soon after it came out.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li: I LOVE ART MYSTERIES!!!! Especially ones that address art stolen by countries that they don’t belong to. Every main character in this book is Chinese American and is a part of the diaspora.
Best Sequel(S) I’ve read so far
The Ikessar Falcon and The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso
New Release(S) I Haven’t Read yet, but want to
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel: I’ve seen positive reviews of this one and I hope to get to it soon!
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi: I’ve been following Saara El-Arifi for a few weeks now, and this is the start of a new fantasy trilogy.
biggest disappointment
A Show For Two by Tashie Bhuiyan. I couldn’t get into it. I think I’m gravitating away from YA Contemporary.
Biggest Surprise
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair. I don’t read a lot of romantic adult fantasy, but I think to compare this to some other older fantasy books is unfair. I liked Keera a lot and her growth throughout the novel. *I received a free ARC from the publisher, which did not influence my opinion of the book.
Favorite author (debut or new to you)
N.E. Davenport!!! She is amazing and I am so ready for The Blood Gift!! I read The Blood Trials in a day. Her writing is so cinematic.
The Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake. I love the character illustrations throughout and the library themed endpapers.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo: I can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet. It will happen soon!!
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang: I will read anything R.F. Kuang writes.
Favorite book to movie/tv series adaptation you’ve seen this year
None. . .I am really enjoying Only Murders in the Building, though!
I love fall and winter. My birthday is in September, my family has birthdays, there’s Halloween, fall weather, Christmas. It’s basically a time of food and and fun in my house. . .and also a time of great book releases!! However, I am a senior, so I have college applications. Here’s what my blog and bookstagram will (tentatively) look like this fall.
Blog
There’s a few ARCs I need to review:
Our Violent Ends
Fools in Love
The Bronzed Beasts
A Clash of Steel – for Colored Pages Book Tours – look out for my post September 10th!
The Red Palace
Within These Wicked Walls
Tbh, I DNF-ed OVE, FIL, and WTWW just because I was in a reading slump in August, but I really need to get those reviews done. I highly recommend all of the books btw!
I also want to make more lists of books with certain tropes/genres, maybe an article on why I don’t use online book tracker apps, my third year bookstagram anniversary post. I have a lot of ideas and hopefully can use my free time to work on something other than applying to college.
Ah, my main platform! Time to pull out the fairy lights and wayyyyyy more props. Another fun activity that calms me during the school year.
The main post I want to have up in October is a cosplay of Kallia from When Night Breaks – I cosplayed a modern version of her in 2020, and it’s one of my favorite posts ever.
And of course, 2022 has many great book releases in store (All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir comes to mind), so I will definitely be promoting those.
Additionally, I think J. Elle may have another street team for Wings of Ebony’s sequel, so I want to sign up for that. The cover for Ashes of Gold is out!!
Recently, I’ve gotten into online shopping. I am looking for clothes that I don’t have in colors I don’t have. As a shorter person, I fit in clothes from middle school, but then grow out of others, and I recently got some money, so that’s really fun.
I also am limiting myself to buying five books this fall, however, it depends on if I get anything for my birthday (September 25). I am grateful to have parents who support my book lovingness.
I am really hoping to buy more contemporary, fun books. I own a lot of fantasy series/first books in fantasy series, and I am realizing that I cannot own every single one because I am already having to double stack my books, which is not great. I actually got rid of a lot of books, or not got rid of because they are still where I live, but it feels good because I have friends who love books, so they are going to good homes. I also want to start a book collecting project at my school, but as a senior, I think I’m going to wait for myself to get into a routine before jumping into another project.
As for things other than books, I am looking to add a few new pieces to my fall and winter wardrobes that can work for both seasons AND for every occasion. There’s so many fancy pieces of clothes I have, so I’d like to add some casual clothes as well.
School
I am a high school senior. My first app is due November 1, and then I have an interview really soon.
I am taking two APs, Bio and Stats, and both go together, so I feel good about my AP classes. Stats is involved in Bio, and I love math, so I am excited to use math in bio!! I am also in Graphic Arts where we’ll get to use paper AND iPads. Art used to be something I wanted to do in college, and I want to take it as an elective because while I love talking, debating, and writing, art lets me use my thoughts in a different way!
Life
Honestly, I have such great friends both offline and online, so I am grateful to have support! August wasn’t a good month for me except for Santa Monica and LA which I am glad to say were bright spots. I am doing better now and am so grateful for the support I received in August, not only from my family, but also from my friends and school.
Do I have any goals? One of my CA’s is due Nov 1, I want to be done with my apps by December 17, and I want to find some clothes I do not have – I’m getting into experimenting with my outfits, which is a lot of fun.
Anything you want to do in Sep-Dec? Book recs for me?
Hey everyone!! This month, I read 24 new books. 6 less than last month and the same amount I read in May, which is a pretty good accomplishment because I had my academic summer program for four weeks in July. (I hope I did well because it was my last summer.) So far, I’ve read 107 books.Here’s what I read in July and my goals for August, as well as some of my favorite IG posts.
A black and white plaid blazer and skirt set along with a red shirt and an ARC of How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao (only 17 days away!!) and a sword necklace.
Favorite Quote
CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
“Beneath the beat of the sun, all he saw was the starkness of her skin and the sharp cut of her lips. But last night, beneath the glow of the moon, that skin had coaxed and those lips had beckoned. They still do.” – Nasir’s thoughts, pgs 294 to 295
Books I Read (bold = author is new to me, italisized = re-read)
Everthing that Burns by Gita Trelease – started in June
Blackout by Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon, Nic Stone, and Tiffany D. Jackson – FAVORITE
Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield – FAVORITE
Witchshadow by Susan Dennard – Least favorite
The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala – FAVORITE
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal – FAVORITE
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – FAVORITE
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – FAVORITE
Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto – FAVORITE
A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow – FAVORITE
Every Body Shines edited by Cassandra Newbould
What’s Not to Love by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka – Least favorite
The Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala – FAVORITE
Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury – FAVORITE
The Marvelous by Claire Kann
A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton
Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson – Least favorite
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney – FAVORITE
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta – an almost 100% new FAVORITE but some things could be improved
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson – FAVORITE
Darling by K. Ancrum
Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June
Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma – FAVORITE
XOXO by Axie Oh – FAVORITE
Off the Record by Camryn Garrett – FAVORITE
The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison
Overall, 14/24 books I read were new favorites!! That’s about 60%. I didn’t like Witchshadow because the plot was all over the place and some parts seemed unecessary/there were a lot of POVs. I know this series is very popular, but it just didn’t land for me. And What’s Not to Love seemed so interesting, but I really feel like I want to read more rom-coms with people of color. Xoxo and Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance made up for What’s Not to Love.
I also did a buddy read with @sagarific and @yourlocalbookreader!! It was super fun and you all should definitely follow both of them. We read Iron Widow and it was super engaging and the ending. Oh my gosh.
Finally, if you read five books from this list (cries in I can’t choose but I will for now), read Blood Like Magic, Dial A For Aunties, and The Tiger at Midnight trilogy, and Off the Record, and Rise to the Sun.
August Goals
I hope to read seven books and have my TBR! I also am hoping to finish my e-ARCs of Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong and When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles!! I also got an e-ARC of The Red Palace by June Hur. Furthermore, I hope to post more reels this month.
As for non bookish/slightly bookish goals. . .
I want to finish my commonapp essay. I have a second draft. If anyone else is applying, please message me and I’d love to talk about college. Also, narrow my college list/do more research.
Rewatch some shows.
Relax!!! My academic program was super fun but I also like having unstructured time.
Hangout with friends. Hanging out in person is different than seeing someone through a screen.
Start planning for Model United Nations. It’s my last year and I really hope in person conferences will happen.
Get 10 people to read How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao – it’s one of my favorites of this year!!
Solace in Reading 