waffle-themed book recommendations

Waffles are better than pancakes (PERIOD)

Pancakes are too… doughy, and they let syrup slide off the side of them like they’re not even trying. But waffles, waffles are crispy and soft, and they hold syrup close in dozens of tiny embraces because they know a happy meal takes work.

Waffles are deserving of a full book tag in their name.

Jenna from Bookmark Your Thoughts tagged me in this Waffle Book Tag over a month ago, so I thought it was high time to do it, especially with the holidays and all the sweet treat temptations rolling in.

(Thank you, Jenna! Jenna is awesome and you all should check her blog out!)

I’m excited for you all to feast your eyes on the adorable graphics made by Novels & Waffles, so let’s start:

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Book Review: Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert // a personal review about asian american identity, suicide, and racism

Title: Picture Us in the Light

Author: Kelly Loy Gilbert

Published: April 10, 2018

Pages: 361

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT

Amazon / Barnes & Nobles / Book Depository / Goodreads

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.

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The Sunshine Blogger Award (2&3) // get to know me better with twenty-two questions

Thank you to Sophie from Sophie’s Corner and Jenna from Bookmark Your Thoughts for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award!

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:

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Why Do You Read Book Reviews? // five reasons I still like book reviews

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?

Why do I continue to read book reviews?

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Why I Love Science Fiction // five reasons it’s my favorite literary genre

🤖: Beep beep boop boop.

I really didn’t know how to open this post, so I hope robot noises are enough to capture you attention 😬.

Science fiction is my favorite literary genre.

Now, I don’t think any genre is better than another, but I do think you can certainly like one better. In this case, I like science fiction better than all the other genres.

But why?

Is it because I’m naturally fascinated by science?

How does my interest in the study crossover to my love for its companion fiction?

Do robots actually make beeping noises?

. . .

Huh. Learn something new.

I tried my best to put my feelings into words and came up with this incomplete list of reasons I love sci-fi. Maybe some of you can relate 💃:

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The Unique Blogger Award // the worst thing I’ve done to a book, time travel, and being a bookish character

❄️ ←A rare picture of me being me, a snowflake—unique. 💁

Joking aside, Beth at Reading Every Night recently tagged me in The Unique Blogger Tag (thank you, Beth!). I don’t know how unique my answers will strike you, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless 😊.

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Sequel September TBR // a month of tackling unfinished series

Oh boy, here we go again—quite literally ~~(get it? ‘cause it’s a sequel challenge? I’ll stop myself.)~~

Kathy at Books and Munches is hosting Sequel September, a challenge dedicated to finally reading those unfinished series collecting dust on your shelves. Although I love binge reading series (mainly because I hate cliffhangers), sometimes sequels fall through the cracks and remain in my TBR pile for an indeterminate amount of time. So, what better way to tackle this “ issue “ by joining in on this challenge!

But, first, I have a confession to make.

𝕴, 𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊, 𝖆𝖒 𝖆 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖆𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖗.

I’m not proud of it—there’s nothing fun about finding a great reading challenge… and then watching it pass you by. Seeing wrap-ups for challenges I intended to participate in, but didn’t, couldn’t, or even forgot to attempt is quite disheartening. However, since I’m relatively less busy these days a n d I’m posting a TBR online for you all to see, I’m hoping that I’ll be more committed to this reading challenge.

𝕴, 𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊, 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖇𝖊 𝖆 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖗.

This reading challenge will be a little more difficult than others, just because of what it entails. Like I mentioned, sequels on my shelves sit there for a loooong time. One of the reasons they stay there is because so much time has passed that I can’t even remember what happened in the first book 😅. Alas, this challenge will not only be a test of endurance, but also memory.

If you hate me right now, so do I HAHAHA.

Without further ado ~~and dramatics~~, here’s my TBR for Sequel September:

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My First WWW Wednesday // books I’m reading, read, and on my TBR

*WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Sam at Taking on a World of Words in which participants answer three simple questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What have you just finished reading?
3. What are you going to read next?

I love how straightforward this meme is and how it asks the questions I frequently like to direct at other bookworms. It’s also a great way to predict and anticipate upcoming book reviews by my favorite bloggers! So, let’s try it out:

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Mini Book Reviews: Two Fluffy, Summer Romances—except not quite

Ahh, summer.

It’s the season for short, fluffy romances you can indulge in while being b u r n t a l i v e by the sun. Ahh.

I haven’t read too many romances this summer, or this entire year for that matter. In fact, the two novels I’m about the review in this post are the only books I’ve read from the genre in the past few months. Maybe I’m growing old and bitter, or maybe it’s just the mood reader in me kicking in ~~(may-haps both?)~~.

I think what I like more than summer romances now though are books that are marketed as such, but actually place more emphasis on other plot-lines. That’s what these two stories have in common and why I enjoyed them. So, here are two fluffy, (sort-of) summer romance reviews:

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Non-Bookish Favorites of 2019 (Part One) // from internet links to trips!

I’m in a reading slump.

This time it’s not because I’m not interested in reading or haven’t been able to start a good book (I’ve actually been reading Feed by Mira Grant on and off for the past two weeks, and I really like it so far!). Lately, I’ve been more interested in other hobbies and life things ~~(cause binge-watching TV shows is totally a hobby)~~.

¡FUN GAME! take a shot every time you read “bookish” 🥂 in this post!!

Since I haven’t been in the bookish mindset, I thought it would be fun to share some of the non-bookish things I’ve been enjoying this year. If you’re like, “ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ sɪɢɴᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ, ʙᴇʟʟᴇ—ɪ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴏᴄʀᴇ, ɪʀʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ–sᴄʜᴇᴅᴜʟᴇᴅ ʙᴏᴏᴋɪsʜ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ sᴄʀᴏʟʟ ᴘᴀsᴛ!,” then let me redirect you to My Favorite Books of 2019 (Part 1) post ~~(also, friend, that was so aggressive and unnecessary~~ 😭).

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