There are a few days until May. I am excited to start on the reading for the month. I have picked 10 books from my shelves to read. The theme this year is based on the South Korean film Past Lives. I am not sure all the books fit, but I am trying to read the ones I have before getting new ones. There have already been titles released by Asian authors this past year, whether they are by authors in Canada, the US, UK, or from the numerous countries of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Asian Heritage Month is celebrated in Canada. Along with reading, I will be taking part in events for learning, community involvement, and celebration.
I don’t know how much I will get to read, but I am making a list that I want to stick to as much as possible.
A look inside A Magic Steeped in Poison takes the reader on a journey with Ning, as she leaves her family home behind, and tries her luck at the capital city with her magic. With her abilities tied to the art of tea making with the many steps from the growing to the brewing, she arrives with the purpose of finding the mystery behind the poison that led to her mother’s death and threatens her sister Shu. Ning is set to compete for a title at the palace with other tea masters. The book is the first in a duology. Judy I. Lin has also recently released at new standalone novel, Song of the Six Realms.
A Phỏ Love Story by Loan Le
Remembering the aroma from the last time at a Vietnamese restaurant, I can get behind this romance. Bảo Nguyễn thinks of himself as steady and strong, but not too interesting. His grades are average and his social status is nothing to talk about. Linh Mai considers herself to be a firecracker – stable when unlit but full of potential to spark joy with fire and spark. Linh Mai dreams of being an artist. They each work in their family phỏ restaurants, but there is a chance that their rivalry will lead to romance. This is the first novel by the author.
Monday Reading Update April 22, 2024
Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger
Helen Clapp is a physicist and professor. She is in her 30s and is raising her son on her own. The story is about her being accomplished in her field, campus life and politics, as well as being single with a child.
The book also explores ideas and areas of research in physics. There is a nonlinear timeline where the transitions are subtle.
Her roommate in college died mysteriously and it is her maintaining her friendships and professional relationships from her first-year undergraduate program.
There does not seem to be a plot as with literary fiction, more of a slice-of-life narrative in an academic setting that looks at the struggles that women have with career and personal lives.
The author has released a new book in April 2024 called The Limits set in Tahiti.
Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
Lulu is getting married. She has found a match that will satisfy her parents demands that she marry into a wealthy family.
As preparations take place for the wedding, she finds that she will finally give up the single life she has had and the friendships she has. For a last hurrah, Lulu and her friends plan a heist of the lucky money she will receive from guests at the wedding.
Set in Shanghai and the U.S., there is a look at the different social and cultural expectations placed on women and their families.
It is about modern life where a Chinese woman can maintain family and ties to more than one place.
Monday Reading Update April 15, 2024
The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Rune is a witch who is battling the new order where witches were once in power now are outlawed. She tries to outwit the witch hunter who is the brother of her best friend. She is in the disguise of a wealthy socialite. With her plan to continue her grandmother’s legacy and to save her fellow witches, she might get caught off guard by her attraction to the witch hunter. The book has a steampunk backdrop where the telegraph is used to send messages, and the witch hunters use guns. The book is the first in a duology.
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Joan is searching for her husband. He has left and she doesn’t know why. At a religious tent revival, she meets the Reverand and is convinced he is her husband. He does not recognize her. Joan and her nephew Zeus are out to figure out why. Author of the YA dystopian novel, The Marrow Thieves, Cherie Dimaline published Empire of Wild as her second novel. It is a title shelved in the general fiction section that has horror elements. The story draws from Indigenous legends and is a criticism of the role that churches have had on the colonization of Indigenous communities.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Kell is a traveller between different Londons. In this world, there is a Black London, a Grey London, a Red London, and a White London. Each of these Londons have different degrees of magic. With his abilities, Kell can be an agent for the powerful, an ambassador of sorts. Secretly, he is a smuggler of goods that can be hard to find. In this first volume in the adult historical urban fantasy series, V.E. Schwab unveils her hand in an unusual game of cards. Released in 2015, the book has proved to be popular with the booktube crowd.
Monday Reading Update April 8, 2024
I saw the Queen and the Royal Family on TV, but I really didn’t look further as more avid royal watchers do. I didn’t seek out magazines and gossip, and I didn’t collect memorabilia. I have a souvenir CD of the version of Candle in the Wind that Elton John released as tribute to Lady Diana in 1997, and when Queen Elizabeth II passed away, I purchased a biography. It is titled The Queen by Matthew Dennison. I listed it as part of my April TBR and started reading it last week.
I have read almost 100 pages. I learned about the early years of Queen Elizabeth, and that part of education was the reading of the works of Jane Austen.
That led me to find my copy of Pride and Prejudice. It is the classic novel by Jane Austen following Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I started it on Friday and am now on page 89. I would like to read to page 200 in the next day or so. Reading the book, it led me to put a book on hold at the library. I went downtown to the main branch to get it. Now I have it and read to page 40 while getting coffee. It is called Longbourn by Jo Baker. It was published 2013 and follows the servants from Pride and Prejudice. I have stopped at the point when a male servant is hired for the house.
It seems that when thinking of these books and the year 2024, the turn of the century has meant the passing of one era to the next with a legacy that still has impact on the present day.
The emergence of women writers in the 1800s has influenced the role of women in the public sphere, women’s education, and the making of modern society with technological change. Does the work towards equality mean a class system is irrelevant or it is just not talked about anymore because of the discomfort in a democratic system where each citizen at age 18 has a vote?
Democratic rights is one thing, another thing is quality of life, the friends, family and social support one has, the house or neighbourhood one lives, the earnings one has from work.
April is here and I am loving the weather now that is getting to 8°C. The sky is blue and the sun is out. I want to make the best of the spring season with reading and activities such as festivals and art markets. There will be lots to see and do in the city.
Over the last few days, Hikaru Utada, has re-released music videos that have been updated to 4K. The videos so far are “Movin’ On Without You”, “Wait & See” on Thursday, and Prisoner of Love today on Saturday, then there will be “Addicted to You” on Sunday at 6 am. The Japanese pop star will be releasing a new album on April 10, 2024 titled the Science Fiction Greatest Hits Album that will consist of new mixes of old songs along with some new songs. She will also be going on tour in 2024 with Japanese cities announced along with stops in Hong Kong and Taipei. Her most recent new music video was for the single Naniirodemonai Hana. The English title is “A Flower of No Color”. The music video was released a month ago that shows Hikaru Utada in a snowy winter landscape.
Fujii Kaze has also released a new music video. “Michi Teyu” (Overflowing) was released on Thursday and is about an elderly man as he spends time in a seniors home and the legacy left behind. He also released a music video three months ago titled “Hana”
Yojiro Noda released a new music video, titled “Gesture of the Waves” that is part of the soundtrack for the Japanese movie The Parades. It is about a mother searching for her missing son only to realize that she has died and is now confined to the realm of restless spirits.
Sekai No Owari has released a new album called Nautilus. Their most recent music video shows brothers as they grow up.
Saucy Dog also released a new music video titled この長い旅の中で with the English title “A Long Journey”
ALit Update
Sophie Wan has a new book out called Women of Good Fortune. It was released on March 5th and is set at a high society wedding in Shanghai. A bride and her two friends as they face a decision that can change their lives and friendship.
Melissa de la Cruz released a new book called The Encanto’s Daughter. It is YA fantasy based on Filipino mythology that has romance and magic.
Lisa Ko will have a new book released on March 19th. Memory Piece is about friendship, art and ambition that focuses on three friends in the 1980s as they navigate the world and wonders what the future could hold in the 2040s.
It is the first day of March. Spring will be here soon. I have picked a bunch of books to read. Many of them have lingered on my shelves for a long time. I will be staying in as much as possible during the weekend to see how much of it I can get through.
A week later, it is already the second month in the year. Time is passing by quickly. The world turns and seasons change whether we mortals are ready or not. The light is fading and soon it will be night time again.
There are new music videos released this past week. Shi Shi is the name of an emperor of the Later Zhao, and also the name of courtesan from the 11th century A.D.
Currently, Shi Shi is the name of Korean-Taiwanese pop and R&B singer with a sexy number Too Many Times, featuring Sean Ko from the Rock Records label mate U:NUS.
The boy band U:NUS released their music video, The Guide, two weeks ago. It has scenes in colour and black & white of the band members rehearsing, being there for each other, and individual artistic pursuits. They released their album, Lost in the Future, in December 2023.
Also on Rock Records are Ayal Komod X Star Chasers. Star Chasers is the name of a reality show of young musicians going through an artist bootcamp, leading to their collaborative upbeat beachside music video released two weeks ago, 等待南風.
Photo: Wikipedia Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2024
After so many years hearing music from East Asia, I find myself listening to the same artists all the time. I am stuck in a rut and don’t know what is out there beside the staple Hong Kong pop stars I have grown to love over the decades.
While it is good to listen to the oldies, time to branch out, try new sounds.
An artist I stumbled onto through the mysterious algorithms of the internet just today is someone who has been around for a long time, but I have not heard before. Her name is Stefanie Sun, a singer-songwriter from Singapore. Her most recent video was released in January. It is the theme song to a drama called Love Endures. The Chinese title is 要久久愛. The drama is the latest to feature Yang Zi who had a successful summer hit with the costume drama Lost You Forever.
Listening to her 20th Anniversary video from two years ago, Stefanie Sun has an intimate sound and look that can be performed in a cafe or restaurant. Starting with a quiet song, she slowly reveals a sound that is raw and striking, with a bluesy sound from the back-up band.
The story of Love Endures follows two individuals who met during their high school years. They live in a place called Aerospace City. After taking the university entrance exams, something happens that take the two in different directions. They meet again twelve years later when they are 30 years old. The show started airing on January 20, 2024 and will continue until February 6, 2024. It is on Youku, as well as on YouTube.
Ella Chen released a new music video at the end of December, then another in mid-January. The former is called Wishes and has the look of a trek in the arctic to see the Northern Lights. The latter is called The Moon and takes place at a gas station.
She has performed in the Taiwanese band S.H.E. for a number of years. The new videos are part of her effort as a solo artist. For the longest time, I have had in my possession a compilation CD of songs from the girl band era. I play it once in while. I bought it when in Chinatown, but did not listen to it for the longest time. Then one day, I found the CD again in my collection, played it and found myself enjoying the songs on the disc.
I have heard music from another band member, Hebe Tien recently, but did not listen to anything from Ella Chen until her name popped up just while listening to videos online. Sometimes it takes awhile to dig around before finding again something more to the music heard before.
The Moon is available as a single on iTunes as of January 22, along with a series of singles all made available on January 1, 2024. She released her solo album back in 2015.
Happy New Year 2024! I hope things are good with you wherever you are. After this eventful year, time to make noise to scare away the old year and welcome the new.
I have made a January TBR. These are the books I want to read in the first month of the year.
I will be making more of an effort to write and post more regularly on this blog. I think I want to make more of an effort on my writing, and perhaps work on freelancing once it gets warmer. The year will be busy with community and cultural events I am part of. Along with organizing events, I will be reading. My goal this year is to read 80 books. I read around 65 by the end of 2023. I am hopeful for the new year but feeling cautious as well. I don’t know what it will bring. If conflict in the world will continue, or if there will be more effort for peace. I wish you well in your endeavors for the new year.
January TBR
Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Usually, I would post this at the very end of December. I don’t really keep detailed statistics on the books that I read as I see many Booktubers do. After a year of spent reading steadily, I reached my goal of reading 63 books. I gave a total of 13 books 5 out of 5 stars. The books might not be the most popular or highly rated. They are books that touched me at some level, that I found compelling, interesting, poignant, or fun to read.
Here is the list in the order that I read them:
Woman at Sea by Catherine Poulain
Ghosts in a Photograph by Myrna Kostash
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
In Search of a Better World by Payam Akhavan
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
Dreaming Home by Lucian Childs
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
The Rebellious Tide by Eddy Boudel Tan
Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back: Stories of Nishnaabeg Re-Creation, Resurgence, and a New Emergence by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
I read 24 books by Canadian authors, and 32 books by BIPOC authors.
The longest book was Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
The shortest book was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
It is only a couple of days until December when I will be posting this video. It is the end of the year. Time to reflect on this year, and start looking forward to 2024. I met my reading goals this year, and I found myself growing and changing as a reader as I get older, and I find more ways to make reading challenging in ways that help me understand the world better, as well as for reading to be rewarding in my personal and career goals. Happy reading whether it is for work, school, or leisure!
Dasher – Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts
Dancer – Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler
Prancer – I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
Vixen – The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Comet – Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Cupid – Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Donner – The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Blitzen – Tomorrow in Shanghai by May-Lee Chai
Rudolph – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Bonus – The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill
