For the past four years, I studied in a country in Asia where public libraries were virtually nonexistent and university libraries didn’t carry recreational books. I’m originally from the United States, and before I moved, I was fortunate enough to never have to spend money on books; I always had access to a school or city library. It was jolting relocating to place where I didn’t have that luxury and made me realize how much reading is a privilege. I still found ways to read, whether it was buying books online or in bookstores or borrowing from friends, but I missed the ease of having a library with a greater selection of free stories.
You know what would have really been helpful to have? Libby.
Goodreads Description: Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family’s blessing to pursue the career he’s always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny’s lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can’t stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.
When Danny digs deeper into his parents’ past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.
If someone ever asked me what it was like growing up as a first-generation Asian American in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would hand them this book.
At its surface, Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert was a story about high school senior, Danny Cheng, uncovering a family secret. But, peel it back, and the book had so many more layers.
Once upon a time, a *lonely middle schooler randomly plucked The Graveyard Book off the shelves of her school library. It was by an author named Neil Gaiman, the same man who wrote the scariest movie she had seen in her pubescent life, Coraline. The girl was temporarily transported to a cemetery in England where she fell in love with the ghosts, witches, and other mystical creatures who walked the grounds. The book became one of her most beloved memories.
For years, she told herself that she would visit further stories by the man who penned her favorite quote, “Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” Finally, after a few years shy of a decade, she clicked play on an audiobook by the author in discussion and was once again immersed into a fantastical story that begun this time in… Florida.
*Lonely middle schooler was totally not me. I had level 10 people skills by the age of eleven that did not include hiding in the library during lunch 😬.
You all should check them out! Sophie’s content is so interesting and she’s such a sweet person to chat with (she also just got married!!). Also, Jenna’s blog is so. fricken. cute. and she’s positively down-to-earth. They’re just two fantastic bloggers and human beings, and I’m really happy that they thought of nominating me (thank you both, again!).
I combined Sophie’s and Jenna’s questions and had so much fun answering them:
Genres, their definitions, and how their interpretations vary across bookworms have been discussed exhaustively in the bookish community.
I admit, it was never a conversation I joined in much because I did not have many thoughts about the subject. To me, a genre was self-explanatory—a science fiction book was a make-believe story about something ~ sciencey ~ and a fantasy book had magic or dragons or knights so it was… fantastical.
Ash Princess is the first book in its title series following Princess Theodosia.
Ten years before the start of the story, Theodosia’s mother, The Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes by the Kaiser—and her kingdom fell to the tyrant. For a decade, while her people were slaughtered and enslaved, Theodosia lived as a prisoner in her own palace, beaten and looked down upon by the Kaiser and his court. But after a traumatizing event, Theodosia’s heart is set aflame with vengeance for her mother and kingdom.
It appears the book blogging community has reached a general consensus that book reviews don’t gain as much views as other content.
I can attest to that, but it doesn’t stop me from writing them. I still find book reviews fun to create because it gives me a chance to form opinions on books I read and hopefully start discussions about them with others. I also find myself part of the audience that still reads and actively seeks book reviews. But, why?
Look at me trying to do a bookshelf tour when I don’t even have a bookshelf 😅🤦♀️.
Kay at Hammock of Books recently made a post revealing her minimal collection of YA books. I loved how conscious she was about the amount of books she was keeping, especially since consumerism in the bookish community is more prevalent with the popularity of book hauls and bookstagram. The neat thing about having such few books is that Kay was able to remember exactly where and when she got them—and how much she spent!
I was inspired to show my own book collection and even more curious to see how much I remembered the history of the books on my *“shelf”.
*It’s truly just a drawer I shove miscellaneous items in, including my books lol.
That being said, I thought I only had six or seven books,but was surprised to find that I actually own eleven! It’s a little alarming considering I’m not actively buying books anymore. However after a little investigation, I deemed that all the books have a place on my “bookshelf” for one reason or another.
Enough meandering, here are the eleven books I own:
Goodreads Description: The company says Otherworld is amazing — like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive — that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.
Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.
And it’s about to change humanity forever.
Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.
Two words that will guarantee me to pick up any book? Virtual reality.
The first book in the Last Reality series, Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kristen Miller was a dark, speculative rework of virtual reality fan favorites such as Ready Player One and Heir Apparent. It was the story of Simon, a troublesome, boarding-school boy, and his journey to rescue his best friend, Kat, through the relentless, digital landscape of the video game, Otherworld. I’ll spare you the details because this was one book that hinged on its numerous mysteries and tiny unveilings to keep the reader engrossed.
Belle Can Read 