Crying in H Mart
Michelle ZaunerAs she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band—and meeting the man who would become her husband—her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her. READ REVIEW
The Guest
Emma ClineA misstep at a dinner party, and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city.
With few resources and a waterlogged phone, but gifted with an ability to navigate the desires of others, Alex stays on Long Island and propelled by desperation and a mutable sense of morality, she spends the week leading up to Labor Day moving from one place to the next, a cipher leaving destruction in her wake. READ REVIEW
Just Kids
Patti Smith
The Midnight Library
by Matt HaigNora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. READ REVIEW
Her adventures into the multiverse exploring what would happened if she reversed the regrets in her life was a fun escape. I think we all play that mind game in our lives. If I did/didn't do X what would my life be like now? Sliding Glass moments, if you will.
The ending was endearing but the book left me unfulfilled. The whole thing felt done before. I was unimpressed by the generic self help messages that were peppered throughout. It was a good read but not a ride I would take again.
ACOTAR Series
by Sarah J. MaasA Court of Thorns and Roses - This book hooked me! I'm a fan of romance and the way the book wove that into fantasy quenched my thirst. It was the perfect escape.
A Court of Mist and Fury - My favorite book of the series. The story took a turn in a direction that I didn't see coming. Speaking of coming, the sexual tension was fire.
A Court of Wings and Ruin - Lots of war. Stressful at times but the romance parts took the edge off.
A Court of Frost and Starlight - This book is the shortest and packs a punch for the development of the sister's relationship. I can't wait to read the next book.
A Court of Silver Flames - My second favorite book of the series. The sisters are terrible characters but provide a great contrast for the rest of the cast. I was disappointed on how Rhy's character shifted but it's whatever. Cassian's charcter development made up for it. Looking forward to a book about Azriel.