Wednesday, July 6, 2022

February - June Wrap-Up [Flash Reviews]

I know I've recently posted a January - June Recap, but I also wanted to give you my thoughts on the books that went unmentioned. Some of these reviews will be repeats of that previous post, so if you'd like an in-depth rambling on some of my favorite books, short stories, poetry collections, fanfics, songs, and more, check out that post!

Books Mentioned

  • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
  • Chainsaw Man by Fujimoto Tatsuki
  • Jade War & Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
  • Know My Name by Chanel Miller
  • You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
  • Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
  • The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Friday, June 17, 2022

January - June 2022: A Recap

It has been a long while since I've made one of these! 2022 has been a busy year so far, and I can't believe it's practically halfway over. In the past 6 months, I honestly haven't read very many books, but I have done a variety of other things. I wrapped up university in the past month, and I am now a university graduate with a B.S. in Biochemistry! I've also spent the past 6 months discovering and deepening my love for creative writing, and also learning for the first time what creative writing entails. I never thought I could be a writer of any sort, but here I am taking creative writing workshops and learning from some of the most insightful writers ever. I also got COVID during the past month, which definitely wasn't fun, but I've since recovered well, just in time to not miss my very last week of undergrad classes.

So, yes, I haven't read very many books, per se, in the past 6 months, but I have been reading. I've also been listening to new music (read: not just Taylor Swift) and discovering a love for poetry as well. I've never really been much of a poetry person, but some great collections have me rethinking this. Maybe I can become a poetry person. And it wouldn't be me if I wasn't reading some fanfiction, and I have some really great recs for you all. I've, of course, been reading manga as well and watching anime whenever I have free time, and I've come across some really great ones that I'm excited to recommend to you all as well!

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

January Wrap-Up

Happy January & Happy 2022 🎉

I always get extremely excited to fill in my Goodreads goal at the beginning of the year; I've settled with 2 books a month at 24 books this year! I try not to overshoot because I care way too much about hitting the reading goal, and I know that my time for reading diminishes a lot in the midst of the school year. Some months I'll read 5 books, other months I'll read none. So 24 is a very attainable goal at the moment. But I am guilty of changing the goodreads goal when it seems like I am getting there way too soon.

This month, I had a stressful start to the new school term. However, one of my classes really pushes me to read a lot more to explore different writing styles as well as writing subjects, and I've been trying to open my mind to the vast possibilities in the genres of contemporary and literary fiction. But of course, I am unable to completely break away from my beloved fantasy books.

Books Mentioned

  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
  • Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (Vol. 1 - 10) by Hagiwara Daisuke
  • My Love Mix-Up (Vol. 1 - 2) by Hinekure Wataru & Aruko
  • Sasaki to Miyano (Vol. 1 - 8) by Harusono Sho
  • Hirano to Kagiura (Vol. 1 - 2) by Harusono Sho

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Everything I Read in the Last Quarter of 2021 -- Wrap-Up

Happy End of 2021 🎉

I've admittedly had an extreme rollercoaster ride of a time these past few of months, and I binge read quite a lot (of manga) to cope with everything. It's quite funny how (for me at least) in the worst of times reading becomes my biggest crutch to fall back on when the world as I know feels like it is crumbling at its edges. Very grateful for all the genuine feelings that books were able to bring to me when I felt like I had to put on a performance and recreate some semblance of normalcy for what felt like months.

I'm honestly really grateful that I am quite easily entertained, because I had a lot of very great reads these past few months.

Books Mentioned

  • Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat
  • Demon Slayer (Vol. 8 - 23) by Gotouge Koyoharu
  • Spy x Family by Endo Tatsuya
  • Yona of the Dawn (Vol. 1 - 36) by Kusanagi Mizuho
  • Mist (薄雾) by Wei Feng Ji Xu (微风几许)
  • Golden Stage (黄金台) by Cang Wu Bin Bai (苍梧宾白)
  • Blue Period (Vol. 1 - 11) by Yamaguchi Tsubasa
  • Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
  • It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover