[Review] Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

03:33 Cilla 2 Comments



Prunella had once thought life in London would be all flirting and balls and dresses, hitting attentive suitors on the shoulder with a fan, and breakfasting late upon bowls of chocolate. She sighed now for her naïveté. Little had she known life in London was in fact all hexes and murder and thaumaturgical politics, and she would always be rising early for some reason or other!

Full disclosure: I fell into a reading slump in the middle of reading Sorcerer to the Crown, but I picked it up again and bounced back. Even with the slow start, this book is now one of my favourites. Sorcerer to the Crown is set against a rich, magical setting, with memorable characters and beautiful writing. If you're a fantasy reader, you need to get this on your TBR!

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[The List #5] Kickstarting A Reading Roll

17:12 Cilla 1 Comments
The List is a feature where I hold myself accountable regarding my TBR. This (hopefully) stops me from picking up new books despite my a pile of unread books.

 I was on a reading roll for about a month, and then I just... stopped. It's really annoying! I think either my last book choice killed it, or I simply ran out of steam. Either way, I'm giving up on said book and hoping to kickstart it again by picking up a different books!

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Two Years (and Five Months) of Blogging: Graphs and Goals

05:44 Cilla 1 Comments



Normally a blogger would post one of these posts on their actual blogoversary, and I would have done that too! If it wasn't for, you know, procrastination and whatnot. Plus, I didn't really know what to say except that I'm amazed that this blog has survived for this long. I also feel very much like a newbie blogger still and don't have helpful hints to give anyone. So, I thought I'd look through my posts from the beginning and make some representative graphs!


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[Rewind] August 2017

15:13 Cilla 4 Comments



Hello friends! I hope life has been treating you well this past month! August has been an eventful month for me, and for once it’s not all about my studies (madness, I know). What have I been up to? We’ll get to that, but first – books!

New to My Shelves

I’ve been keeping a close eye on my budget this month, so instead of buying new books, I’ve been visiting the library more! I borrowed an audiobook of Murphy’s Law on a whim (I seem to be constantly in a lady detective, historical fiction mood these days). It’s not mind-blowing, but I’m really enjoying it.

I also borrowed the English audiobook of The Rainbow Troops, translated from Indonesian, just because it was there. It was huge in Indonesia a couple of years ago, but I’m contrary so I never read it or watched the movie. I think I need to read it in the original language, because my mind keeps trying to figure out how the sentences would sound in Indonesian.

Another library find this month was Girl Waits with Gun, which I’ve just finished. (I did mention my historical fiction, lady detective kick, yeah?) I adored it and am thinking of picking up the sequel already!

Reviews

↠ Mirror in the Sky / ★★

Other Things on the Blog

↠ I signed up for #TheReadingQuest this month! I'm not doing too badly too, thanks to long hours of travelling I've done in the last week. Check out my tweets for updates on my quest if you'd like! I'm surprising myself by already finishing four out of my goal of the five books, though it can be put down to the fact that I spent 12-hours travelling on one day and had a 3-hour train ride on another day. It's been a while since I've been able to binge read, so this has been really fun!

↠ I discussed whether peeking at the ending is a bad reading habit. What do you think?

Challenges Progress

↠ Goodreads challenge: 28/30 books
↠ Discussion challenge: 6/24 discussion posts
↠ ReadDiverse2017 challenge: 9 books
↠ #RockMyTBR challenge: 1 book
↠ Backlist Books challenge: 8 books

Around the Blogosphere

↠ Becky discusses her priorities when it comes to blogging.
↠ Musings Over Nothing discusses the social aspect of reading.

In Life

↠ My best friend got married! I was maid of honour, which was also my first time being a part of a bridal party. It was hectic, but it was also so lovely. I told her I would try to not cry, but my eyes definitely started welling up when she walked down the aisle!

↠ One week after that wedding, I flew home to Indonesia for a holiday as well as to attend the wedding of one of my close friends from high school. The difference between the two weddings is actually shocking. For instance, while the first wedding required the bride and bridesmaid to start getting ready by 7.30am, this one involved waking up at 2.30am for make-up and hair! (I was rather glad I wasn't part of the bridal party for this one; I was exhausted just thinking about it.)  It was also a beautiful wedding, and I was glad to be able to spend time with friends that I haven't seen in a while.

↠ As I write this, I'm still on holiday. Apart from catching up with my old friends, I'm stuffing myself full with my mum's cooking and my favourite food from my hometown. (Do you know how many varieties of Indonesian food are not available in Melbourne? Too many.) I haven't seriously thought about my thesis or my placement in a week. It's sooo nice. There is a part of me that's anxious about whether I'd be behind when I get back, but I think I needed this break.

In Store for Next Month

I'm so behind on my reviews now that I'm actually doing well with #TheReading Quests! Look out for what I expect will be a gushy review of Sorcerer to the Crown. I'm also trying to decide on what to write to commemorate my second blogoversary, even if it's going to be about five months late by the time I finish with it! Any suggestions?

How was your August?
Tell me about something that made you happy in the last month!
What are you looking forward to in September?

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[Review] Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana

15:00 Cilla 2 Comments


I came into Mirror in the Sky imagining it to be a sci-fi novel about an alternate universe where the lives of Earth's teenagers and their Sliding Doors, alien doppelganger somehow intersect. That's not what happened. This is more of a contemporary novel about the power of 'what if's rather than a sci-fi, and I wish I'd known that before I started. While the premise is intriguing and I enjoyed the depiction of high-school friendships, I kept waiting for something else to happen.


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Is Peeking at the Ending a Bad Reading Habit?

15:00 Cilla 23 Comments



There was a time when reading ahead, let alone peeking at the end of a book, was an absolute no-no for me. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, my friend told me that she'd picked up a copy at the bookshop and flipped right to the last page then and there. I was aghast. Aside from immediately forbidding her from telling me about it, I thought reading ending first would completely ruin the reading experience.

And yet, recently I've found myself flipping ahead, or even glancing at the last page. I'm not sure why! It's happened both with books that I like and books that don't hold my attention, so it's not necessarily me looking for a reason to keep reading (though it is possible in some occasions). There's a lot of discussion about how smartphones and multi-tasking is rewiring our brains and making us less patient, which is something I've noticed with myself when I'm studying. I find it more difficult to focus on one task for an extended period of time, something I used to be quite good at. It's possible that this is affecting my reading too.

The journey is supposed to be the exciting part of reading, right? If you already know how the story ends, then there's no mystery, anticipation, or surprises. Or is there?

In many ways, we know how most stories will end. The couple will get their happy ending. There's a 95% chance the revolution will succeed, or the orphan is going to save the world. Knowing this doesn't put me off reading romance or fantasy, because I don't know what will happen in the middle. I'd be more annoyed if someone told me of a major plot twist that happens in the middle of a book. Of course, there will be books where knowing the ending would completely and utterly ruin the fun (like if someone had told me who had died at the end of the fifth and sixth Harry Potter). On the whole though, is it really bad to peek at the ending before you finish reading?


What do you think?
Have you ever read the ending of a book first?
How do you feel about spoilers? 

23 comments:

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#TheReadingQuest Readathon Sign-Up

15:00 Cilla 2 Comments



I usually avoid readathons because I'm not very good at them, but this one looks so fun, I couldn't resist. Plus, I'm going to have two weeks of holiday in the middle of August, so that might help! Anyway, here is my sign-up!

If you haven't heard about this readathon, Aentee at ReadAtMidnight made #TheReadingQuest based on a video-game quest. In this challenge, you’ll be embarking on a journey to conquer your TBR pile through a series of stages. You’ll read new stories, gain experience, and level up a character of your choosing! The quest will take place between Sunday 13th August to Sunday 10th September, 2017.

For more information, read the master post here on Aentee's blog. A big shout-out to CW at Read, Think, and Ponder for creating the gorgeous arts for this readathon!

You can choose one out of four characters, each with their own quests, and I picked to be a Knight! Knights fight their way through the First Across path, with stages inspired by action and weaponry.


#TheReadingQuest TBR

↠ The First Book of a Series: The Diviners
This book has been on my shelf for ages, and it's time to tackle it. I quite enjoy Libba Bray's other works, so I'm looking forward to reading this. (If only it wasn't so big!)

↠ A Book with a Verb in the Title: Carry On 
I really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell's talk at last year's Melbourne Writers Festival about the magic system in this book, but I'm not sure how I feel about it being basically a.. parody? play? ... of Harry Potter. Anyway, I'm intrigued.

↠ A Book with a Weapon on the Cover: Girl Waits with Gun
I actually will need to borrow this one from the library, but this is one of those books whose covers make me want to read it. Plus, how great is that title?

↠ A Book with a Red Cover: An Abundance of Katherine
I actually have never loved John Green's writing. I never even bothered to watch The Fault in Our Stars. I like his books well enough, but they're just alright for me. My sister, on the other hand, had a phase where she practically devoured all of his books. This one fits the box for this readathon, so I'm going to give it a shot!

↠ A Book that Has a TV/Movie Adaptation: The Magicians
Yet another book that I bought because I enjoyed the author's appearance at MWF last year. I loaned it to a friend and her review of it isn't too favourable, sooo I guess we'll see?


I've managed to pick four out of the above books from my shelf, so if this goes well, I'll be really crossing them off a really long-standing TBR. Wish me luck!

Are you going to do the readathon too? What's on your TBR?

2 comments:

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[Rewind] July 2017

15:00 Cilla 3 Comments



There's really not much to rewind this time! July has been a rather dismal month in terms of blogging. I fell into a reading slump too, though funnily enough finished two 5-stars books immediately after. I do have some things to talk about though, so I hope you'll read on!

New to My Shelves

I went to Oz Comic-Con last month and spotted Wires and Nerve while walking around the artists market. As it turned out, it was Douglas Holgate's (the illustrator) stall! My friend and I had a nice chat with him about how Wires and Nerve came to be, and he signed our copies for us. I adored Iko, so I'm really looking forward to reading this!

I've also been approved for Starswept by Mary Fan on NetGalley. The synopsis caught my eye, and I'm totally here for a diverse sci-fi story!






Reviews

↠ Laurinda by Alice Pung / ★★★★★ (I posted this one in June, but I never did a June rewind post, so I'm sneaking it in here!)

Other Things on the Blog

I only did one other post this month, and that was this list of the books on my current TBR. I've already finished three out of the four books on the list, so I'm going to have to line up new ones soon!

Challenges Progress

↠ Goodreads challenge: 23/30 books
↠ Discussion challenge: 5/24 discussion posts
↠ ReadDiverse2017 challenge: 8 books
↠ #RockMyTBR challenge:  1 book
↠ Backlist Books challenge: 7 books

Around the Blogosphere

↠ Clara discusses ways to pick your next read.
↠ Laura talks about how to know your idea is a keeper.
↠ Shannon discusses things she likes about your blog.

In Life

↠ I started my next (and hopefully last) placement for my course! It has me working with older adults, and I'm absolutely amazed by how much they have seen and done in their lives. It hasn't all been sweet and easy though. I'm not always sure how to communicate with them, particularly with those who have dementia. Sometimes it's sad, because ageing isn't easy, and the current generation of older adults have lived through at least one war. My other placements have had me working with children and teenagers, so there's a lot of things I don't know yet. I'm absolutely fascinated though.
↠ I went to Oz Comic-Con! I wanted to go see Alyson Hannigan, and I'm so glad I did. She came across as sincere and lovely, and she was really funny in person too! Though now that I've seen both her and David Boreanaz live, I probably should watch Buffy...
↠ For the first time since 2015, I'll be going home to Indonesia! It's only a short trip, and a part of me is stressing about leaving in the middle of semester, but I'm going for a wedding so the timing can't be helped. I'm looking forward to the trip and seeing my friends and family, though not so much to the international flights!

In Store for Next Month

Those 5-stars books I mentioned earlier? There shall be reviews coming up for them! I also have two discussion posts in mind. Fingers crossed I get to them all! 

How was your July?
Did you read any good books? Link me to your latest/favourite post of the month!
Do you have any plans for August?

3 comments:

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[ARC Review] A Purely Private Matter by Darcie Wilde

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Texture by patzbone at Deviant-Art

With A Useful Woman, Rosalind Thorne became one of my favourite lady detectives in literature. So when A Purely Private Matter came out, my expectations for it were off the chart. Thankfully, it rose to the challenge. The mystery was delightful in its twists and turns, but it was the characters that, once again, won me over.

The best thing about the cast of A Purely Private Matter is how alive they all are. Pretty much all of the characters seem to have a history and motivation, even if they only show up for a handful of pages and we never know what their full story is. This is also true for the ones we're meant to care about. We learn a little more about Rosalind's history in this book, particularly the sister who disappeared in the series of events that had Rosalind going from a lady of sufficient means and respectable family to where she is now - carefully budgeting and living on the fringes of the haute ton. I liked knowing more about a character's family, and in this case, I felt that meeting her sister sheds some more light on Rosalind's character.

The mystery admittedly at times felt like a soap opera. (Murder, secret pasts, and love affairs, oh my!) Given that the murder victim is an actor, however, it all felt fitting. The title is also perfect considering the nature of the mystery. Many aspects of the mystery should be a purely private matter, but they can't remain so in light of the murder. Plus, I enjoyed how it read like celebrity scandals (where private matters are often forced to become public), but in a historical setting.

I enjoyed that Adam Harkness had a more active role both in the story and the investigation. Rosalind is clever and resourceful, but unfortunately there are places that a lady can't go in that time period. I liked their interactions together, and would love to see them collaborate some more. In fact, I almost think they'd be a more interesting pair if there wasn't any hint of possible romance between them. Almost. Her attraction to him and her old suitor does add to that sense that Rosalind is caught in the middle - not between two suitors, but rather two worlds - but I'm still not sold on the love triangle.

Overall, this is still a series that I would recommend to fans of historical cosy mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next installment already!

(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinions of the book.)



Reading this book contributes to the following challenges:
❥ Goodreads Challenge




Title: A Purely Private Matter (Rosalind Thorne Mysteries #2) ❙ Author: Darcie Wilde ❙ Publisher: Berkley ❙ Source: Netgalley ❙ Release Date: 2 May 2017

Rosalind Thorne has slowly but assuredly gained a reputation as “a useful woman”—by helping respectable women out of some less-than-respectable predicaments. 

Her latest endeavor is a tragedy waiting to happen. Desperate Margaretta Seymore is with child—and her husband is receiving poisoned pen letters that imply that her condition is the result of an affair with the notorious actor Fletcher Cavendish. Margaretta asks Rosalind to find out who is behind the scurrilous letters. But before she can make any progress, Cavendish is found dead, stabbed through the heart. 

Suddenly, Rosalind is plunged into the middle of one of the most sensational murder trials London has ever seen, and her client’s husband is the prime suspect. With the help of the charming Bow Street runner Adam Harkness, she must drop the curtain on this fatal drama before any more lives are ruined.

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[Cake Break] Making a Comeback, Maybe

15:00 Cilla 2 Comments


I love Jamie at Perpetual Page-Turner's feature here, where she talks to her readers as if they are meeting up for coffee. I adore getting to know a little more about her this way, so I'd like to follow her lead and maybe make some connections myself! I'm adapting it slightly because I go for sweets over coffee. So, grab something sweet to eat and chat with me?


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[The List #4] Books I'm Attempting to Read Next

14:39 Cilla 8 Comments


 The List is a feature where I hold myself accountable regarding my TBR. This (hopefully) stops me from picking up new books despite my a pile of unread books.

 Or at least, that is what this feature usually is. This time it functions a little differently, since I've found myself in that dreaded reading slump. I blame Real Life. I'm trying to pull myself out of it by hyping myself up for all the books that are waiting for me!

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[Review] Olmec Obituary by L.J.M. Owen

13:31 Cilla 0 Comments

Texture: left-unspoken.net

I love cosy mysteries and lady detectives, so naturally I was intrigued by the premise of Dr. Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth: Dr. Elizabeth Pimms, Canberra-based archaeologist-slash-librarian, sets upon solving thousands-year-old cold cases. It's a brilliant idea. As the first installment in the series, Olmec Obituary did a great job setting up the methods of Elizabeth's detections and introducing the core cast of characters. Its inclusion of various cultures is fabulous, but there are moments that gave me pause. 

One of my favourite parts of Olmec Obituary is the murder mystery and the detective work. Since the death Elizabeth investigates happened 3000 years ago, the usual detecting procedures don't apply. She can't go around interrogating suspects or inspecting crime scenes. Instead, she hits the books, talks to experts, and works with very old bones. There's a fair sprinkling of explanations around the methods she uses, like radiocarbon and dental non-metric analysis, which was easy to follow. It could be the nerd in me, but I really enjoyed reading about Elizabeth working.

My other favourite part of the book is the family dynamic. Family plays a huge part in Elizabeth's life, and we see both the support she receives from them and the conflict and resentment she feels for them. Her grandparents are a welcomed presence in the story, in turn comforting as well as helpful. It's worth noting that Elizabeth is biracial, half-Welsh, half-Chinese, and I really enjoyed that we got to see both sides and how their influences entwine in her home. In contrast to this, however, I was less taken by the conflict between her and her sister. While at the heart of it the conflict is deeply bitter, I felt that their clashes come across as childish at times. 

There were moments when the villains felt a little caricature-ish at times in their actions and descriptions. At one stage, flecks of phlegm gathered at the corners of one of the characters' mouth because he was growing angry. A colleague called Elizabeth out, in front of everyone else they worked with, on not wishing her a happy birthday. I felt that their characterisations could use with more subtlety. 

My biggest issue about Olmec Obituary, however, revolves around a couple of lines regarding the Chinese characters. Full disclosure: I come from a diaspora and immigrant background, so I bring  my experiences of the assumptions some people make of my background and language skills when they first look at me to my reading. These experiences are why I cringed at the following occurrences in the book:

The first is when Elizabeth meets Mai, the aforementioned colleague, and remarks that Mai looks similar to Nainai, her Chinese grandma. Then it comes as a surprise to her that Mai has an Australian accent. Later in the book, she's talking to Nainai and is struck again by the fact Nainai's English is so much better than her French grandma's. Now, I think there's a plotty reason as to why Elizabeth noticed the similarities between the two Chinese women's appearances, and she may be coming to it from an archaeological perspective about bone structures or something. The delivery, however, at first read as if it was going to be an ignorant comment about how Chinese all look alike. I thought the comments about the accent and the English fluency were weird, particularly given Elizabeth's own background, as it seems underlined by an assumption that Mai would've been foreign, or that French people would be better at English by default. Other readers might not have an issue with this at all. To me, unfortunately, they stuck out. 

Overall, Olmec Obituary is a fun and interesting approach to the cosy mystery genre, and I enjoyed its focus on family. It made an effort to include a diverse cast, but there are moments in the book that jarred in my mind regarding its description of its POCs.

(I bought and read a finished copy, thinking that my request for a review copy was not going to be granted. But then it was! So I do have a review copy, but this review was formed on the basis of the finished copy.)



Reading this book contributes to the following challenges:
❥ Goodreads Challenge
❥ The Backlist Books Reader Challenge
❥ #ReadDiverse2017

Title: Olmec Obituary (Dr Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth #1) ❙ Author: L.J.M. Owen ❙ Publisher: Echo Publishing ❙ Source: Bought ❙ Release Date: 1 August 2016

"Archaeologist Dr Elizabeth Pimms thoroughly enjoys digging up old skeletons. But when she is called home from Egypt after a family loss, she has to sacrifice her passions for the sake of those around her.

Attempting to settle into her new role as a librarian, while also missing her boyfriend, Elizabeth is distracted from her woes by a new mystery: a royal Olmec cemetery, discovered deep in the Mexican jungle, with a 3000-year-old ballplayer who just might be a woman.

She soon discovers there are more skeletons to deal with than those covered in dirt and dust."

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[Book Talk] How I Accidentally Went on a Book Ban

10:13 Cilla 17 Comments



I have been trying to put myself on a book budget - if not an outright book ban - for the last two years. Last year, it was overly ambitious and I failed miserably. This year, I actually haven't been keeping too close an eye on my book budget, until I was writing my May rewind post. I realised then that I hadn't bought a new book since March! How did that happen?

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[Review] Laurinda by Alice Pung

09:06 Cilla 0 Comments


You like to think that within you there is quiet courage and conviction, a sense of righteousness that is not judgmental. That's what you like to think about yourself. But you're wrong. You are not truly good until you are tested, and even then you might become a worse person.
In the hands of another writer, Laurinda may look a lot like Mean Girls. There's the rich, beautiful, shrewdly intelligent girls reigning over a private all-girl school. There's the outsider - the scholarship student, a daughter of refugees - being drawn into their orbit. In the hands of Alice Pung, though, Laurinda is a sharp observation of the power politics of teenage girls, the struggle of forming an identity when your public and private selves can't be one and the same, and even casual racism.

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[Rewind] May 2017

13:21 Cilla 10 Comments


I'm thiiiis close to freedom, you guys. I've submitted the major assignment for this semester and had my last class (hopefully not only for this semester, but for life). There are three weeks to go before I finish my internship, and then I'll be truly finished with this semester! 🎉🎉🎉 I cannot wait to relax guilt-free. I'm hoping that means more writing, whether it is for my poor abandoned novel or for this blog!

New to My Shelves


I picked up Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana from the library for #AsianLitBingo! It's an interesting story, but unfortunately I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped. 

I also borrowed several audiobooks from the library. I got The Sleeper and The Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell which was fascinating and wonderfully creepy as an audiobook, but it left me feeling unsatisfied. I'm still listening to Flying Too High (A Phryne Fisher Mystery). The Phryne Fisher books aren't appealing to me as much as the TV series. Maybe it's the lack of Phryne/Jack chemistry, but they're still quite enjoyable.


Reviews

↠ The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. Incredibly clever plot structuring, good twists, but way, way too many characters. ✬✬✬☆ 
↠ Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor. Exceeded my already high expectations. Gorgeous, heartbreaking story with characters I can root for. ✬✬✬✬✬
↠ Internet Famous by Danika Stone. Great depiction of how real online relationships are and of a family with a child with special needs. The romance is too cheesy for me, but it may work for others! ✬✬✬✬

Other Things on the Blog

↠ I discussed the four stages I sometimes through when I discover my favourite is problematic.
↠ I participated in #AsianLitBingo and shared my TBR! I didn't get a bingo, as predicted, but I read 3 books out of 5 so I'm pleased with it.

Challenges Progress

↠ Goodreads challenge: 19/30 books
↠ Discussion challenge: 4/24 discussion posts
↠ ReadDiverse2017 challenge: 6 books
↠ #RockMyTBR challenge:  1 book
↠ Backlist Books challenge: 5 books

Around the Blogosphere

↠ Pam responds to Jo's post and talks about how the term 'diverse blogger' may be a bit othering.
↠ Tasya discusses intersectionality in diversity.

In Store for Next Month

I have quite the review backlog, so I'm hoping to catch up next month! Watch this space for reviews on Laurinda, Mirror in the Sky, and Olmec Obituary. I also have a very, very late blogoversary post to write up!

How was your May? 
What was the best book you read last month? 
Tell me something exciting/fun that has happened or made you smile recently!

10 comments:

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[Sunday Street Team] Internet Famous by Danika Stone

15:40 Cilla 2 Comments


Internet Famous is a lovely contemporary that shows, for better or for worse, how real online relationships and interactions are. It captures the capacity of the internet for introducing you to wonderful people you wouldn't otherwise know and for providing space to pursue the things you love. On the other hand, it shows how vulnerable it can make you. I enjoyed that and the individual characters, but the romance was a little too much for me.

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[Review] Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

15:28 Cilla 6 Comments


Nora & Kettle has been on my radar since its blog tour last year. In fact, I participated in (my one and only) book blitz for it because I was that excited for it. True to form though, it's taken me a year to actually get around to reading it. 😅 In that time, my excitement for it were raised further by the glowing reviews. Thankfully, with its gorgeous writing style and two characters that I rooted for, Nora & Kettle absolutely lived up to my expectations.

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[Review] The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

17:14 Cilla 4 Comments


'I contend that there are no whole truths, there are only pertinent truths—and pertinence, you must agree, is always a matter of perspective. I do not believe that any one of you has perjured himself in any way tonight. I trust that you have given me the truth, and nothing but the truth. But your perspectives are very many, and you will forgive me if I do not take your tale for something whole.' 
(Possible spoilers ahead!)

It took me five months to finish reading this book. Five. Months. By the end of it, I felt like it was a proper accomplishment that I actually finished it. That doesn't mean it's a terrible book. On the contrary, I finished it feeling in awe of Eleanor Catton. Along the way, there were genuine moments of shock, and just when I was about to give up, something pulled me back in. That said, I was ready to give up multiple times. You can say I'm pretty conflicted about how I feel. 😝

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[Book Talk] The Four Stages of Discovering My Fave is Problematic

15:13 Cilla 16 Comments



I have loved a number of books that turned out to be problematic. Harry Potter and The Lunar Chronicles jump to mind. Learning that your fave has a serious flaw can be a hard thing to grapple with.  The first time I found out that Harry Potter was problematic, I went through several stages before coming to terms with it. I like to think I get to acceptance much quicker these days, but it's interesting to look back and reflect on why I reacted the way I did back then.

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My TBR for #AsianLitBingo

14:00 Cilla 6 Comments

Header and bingo board by Read at Midnight

Confession: Unless it's a year-long one, I'm terrible at reading challenges. Picking one up while I'm heading into the busiest time of the semester is probably madness! That said, I want to be a part of #AsianLitBingo because I'd like to spread the word about this challenge. Not only does it look like a lot of fun, but it also shines a spotlight on Asian characters and writers. I've talked about wanting to read more diversely this year, and this lines up perfectly with that goal.

Realistically, I'm not going to be able to get a bingo due to time constraint. So my aim is just to read as many books off my TBR as I can and share them with you guys. 😄 Without further ado, here is my TBR!



Multiracial / Multiethnic Asian MC: Nora and Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

"What if Peter Pan was a homeless kid just trying to survive, and Wendy flew away for a really good reason?" (Goodreads)

Taking place in 1953, 17-year-old Kettle is an orphaned Japanese American struggling to make a life in the aftermath of the interment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Eighteen-year-old Nora is privileged but trapped, enduring abuse from her father, a controlling and violent civil rights lawyer who is building a compensation case for the interned Japanese Americans.

I'm in the middle of reading this, and it's heartbreaking yet beautifully written at the same time! 

Poor or Working Class Asian MC: Laurinda by Alice Pung

Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls. At its hidden centre of power is The Cabinet, a triangle of girls who wield power over their classmates – and some of their teachers.

Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. As she watches The Cabinet in action, and is courted by them – as she learns about power and repression – Lucy finds herself in a battle for her identity and integrity. (Goodreads)

I won this book from Nicole's giveaway a couple of months ago, and it was brought to my attention by a good friend who shares my taste in books, so I'm excited for it!

South Asian MC: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers—one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain—ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.

But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large. (Goodreads)

I've been hearing good things about this book for a while now, and I finally have it! The plot looks like it would be right up my alley too!

Translated Work by An Asian Author: The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata

Ikal is a student at Muhammadiyah Elementary, on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered a major achievement. His school is under constant threat of closure. In fact, Ikal and his friends - a group called The Rainbow Troops - face threats from every angle: pessimistic, corrupt government officials; greedy corporations hardly distinguishable from the colonialism they've replaced; deepening poverty and crumbling infrastructure; and their own faltering self-confidence. But in the form of two extraordinary teachers, they also have hope, and Ikal's education is an uplifting one, in and out of the classroom. (Goodreads)

I was in high school when this book first came out, and my father loved it. He tried to get me to read it, but he had a tendency to be a tad condescending about what I read (still does, actually), so... Anyway, I think in a challenge that celebrates Asian authors, I should make an effort to read one from my home country. And it is supposed to be really great!

Contemporary with Asian MC: Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana

For Tara Krishnan, navigating Brierly, the academically rigorous prep school she attends on scholarship, feels overwhelming and impossible. Her junior year begins in the wake of a startling discovery: A message from an alternate Earth, light years away, is intercepted by NASA. This means that on another planet, there is another version of Tara, a Tara who could be living better, burning brighter, because of tiny differences in her choices. (Goodreads)

This book was on my most anticipated releases of 2016. Like most books on that list, I didn't get around to it. I'm still keen to read it, so hopefully I can get to it this month!


If you're interested in participating, check out Shenwei's announcement and master post. I'm excited to see everyone's TBRs, and all the discussion and spotlight posts that will be posted this month! 

Are you participating? 
What's on your #AsianLitBingo TBR? 

6 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[Rewind] April 2017

19:46 Cilla 10 Comments


April has been a really busy month, surprise surprise. I tried to remember to do some self-care that isn't being a vegetable on the couch with Netflix, and there has definitely been some fun moments! Life continues to be hectic, but the end of the semester is in sight. In the meantime, blogging will keep on taking a backseat. I hope we can still catch up every once in a while though!

New to My Shelves

Now that I think about it, I have managed to not step foot in a bookshop all month. There may be something wrong with me. 

I have, however, been to the library (once). My request for Nora and Kettle is finally granted! My library is the best, honestly. This book has been on my TBR since it came out, so I'm excited to actually be reading it. 

For review, I received Internet Famous and The Dr Pimms' Series. I've read the former and half of the latter, and they're all really interesting in their own ways. Reviews will come some time this month!

Reviews

April's the month for 5-stars review, it seems!

↠ Sofia Khan is Not Obliged. Witty, adorable, and my favourite audiobook so far. ✮✮✮✮✮ 
↠ I posted a spoilery review/discussion of Me Before You. 
↠  The Hate U Give stole and broke my heart. ✮✮✮✮✮ 

Other Things on the Blog

There's... actually nothing else. Oops. Also, I just realised, while writing this post, that I completely forgot about my second blogoversary. Something to celebrate this month, perhaps?

Challenges Progress

↠ Goodreads challenge: 14/30 books
↠ Discussion challenge: 3/24 discussion posts
↠ ReadDiverse2017 challenge: 5 books
↠ #RockMyTBR challenge:  1 book
↠ Backlist Books challenge: 4 books

Around the Blogosphere

↠ Laura shared 5 great podcasts for writers.
↠ AJ has been doing the A to Z challenge, and you should check out her entries. I still need to catch up, but I is for If Dogs Could Talk is my favourite so far.
↠ Cristina wants to know how much you're reading annually.

In Life

Here's one exciting bookish event that I had in April: I did my first cosplay! Three guesses who my friend and I were going as:


If you guessed Linh Cinder and Queen Levana of  The Lunar Chronicles, you'd be right! And you'd be one of the few people who recognised them. 😂 It was a lot of fun dressing up, though I pretty much couldn't use my 'cyborg' hand for the whole day!

In Store for Next Month

I'm hoping to join the #AsianLitBingo in May, even if I'm unlikely to complete it! I have a discussion post that has been sitting in my drafts folder for the last three weeks, so hopefully that will actually go up one of these days. Also, keep an eye out for my blog tour stop for Internet Famous!


How has your April been? What have you been reading?
Have you ever cosplayed before? Would you like to, if you haven't?
If you posted an April wrap-up post, link me to it! I'd love to catch up on what's been going on with you!

10 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[Review] Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

16:17 Cilla 6 Comments



“Oi,” I shouted. “Terrorists don't wear vintage shoes, you ignorant wanker!”

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged had me smiling from ear-to-ear the whole time I was reading it. It's the kind of book I'd pick up if I'm feeling a little down and want to read something quick but with a lot of heart and humour. It has a fantastic heroine, a brilliant cast of friends and family, and a slowburn romance that at one point literally made me squeal. There is nothing about this book that I didn't love.

6 comments:

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[Spoilery Discussion] Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

18:29 Cilla 8 Comments


(I started writing this post as a review, then realised a discussion is a more suitable format for what I want to say. So this is a non-star, spoiler-filled discussion!)

The hype of Me Before You sailed by me almost entirely. I knew that it's a tearjerker, I vaguely knew the ending, and the movie came out (from the trailer, Emilia Clarke looked adorable), and there was some controversy around it. I didn't pay any attention to it all until last summer, when I spotted a copy in the library. I finished it within six hours, and then I was torn.

8 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[Rewind] February - March 2017

09:00 Cilla 10 Comments



Two is the magic number for this post. This rewind is a two-in-one for two reasons: I never got around to recapping February, and I only made two posts in March. I only have one excuse for why I've been slack with blogging though, and it's the same old one. Instead of getting into it now though, let's talk books, 'cause I've rather missed doing that!

New to My Shelves

bookstagram: pavedwithbookss
February was my birthday month, so I let loose at the bookshop. There was a sale, in which I bought Hidden Figures and Jasper Jones. I'm not usually a non-fiction reader, but loved Hidden Figures as a movie, so I wanted to read about the women who inspired it. As for Jasper Jones, it was hailed as Australia's To Kill a Mockingbird, which is an intriguing comparison.

I also bought The Hate U Give as it was The YA Room's Book of the Month for March. (I've posted my review of THUG here).  

Then, I received a $50 gift card for my birthday (my friends know me well), so I spent that on Olmec Obituary, Sorcerer to the Crown, and Six of Crows. I adore cosy mysteries, and Olmec Obituary is one that involves a librarian/archeologist and a very, very old case, all of which sounded pretty awesome to me. As for Sorcerer to the Crown and Six of Crows, I've heard so much praise for both I feel I should've read them last year. Here's hoping they live up to the hype!

Reviews

↠ [ARC] Ida by Alison Evans is a fascinating sci-fi story about finding yourself (almost literally) with a lot of diversity included.
↠ [ARC] I don't read enough poetry to make comparisons, but I enjoyed the princess saves herself in this one by amanda lovelace.
↠ Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi is beautifully written, but the plot got a little lost at times.

Other Things on the Blog

↠ I have a brilliant new header!
↠ I discussed not having written many negative reviews, why, and whether this impacted my reliability as a blogger.
↠ I talked about my currently reading list.

Challenges Progress

  • Goodreads challenge: 11/30 books
  • Discussion challenge: 3/24 discussion posts
  • ReadDiverse2017 challenge: 4 books
  • #RockMyTBR challenge:  0 books (really need to step up my game in this one).
  • Backlist Books challenge: 4 books

Around the Blogosphere

↠ CW @ Read, Think, Ponder discussed characters with difficult names.
↠ Cristina @ Girl in the Pages talked about how she incorporates Feedly into her blogging routine.
↠ Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction discussed watching bloggers come and go.
↠ Puput @ Sparkling Letters had her first blogoversary and put up another installment of Diversity Corner.
↠ Krysta @ Pages Unbound wondered if Beauty and the Beast is a problematic relationship.
↠ Tasya @ The Literary Huntress talked about the women who shaped Indonesian history.

In Life

Let's just say that this semester has been all-consuming for me, and I've barely been able to do anything creative. That said, I managed to carve time to see Adele live in concert! Believe me, she's even better in person than on her records.

In Store for Next Month

My only goal for this blog next month is to post more than twice. It's a low bar, but I'd be pleased if I achieve it!

It's been ages since we talk, so how have you been??
What's the best book you've read recently?
Link me to your favourite post written in the last month or so, so I can catch up!

 

10 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[Review] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

05:39 Cilla 4 Comments



I gravitate towards Fantasy more than I do to Contemporary, because reality can be pretty screwed-up and I'm often tempted to run away from it. But some things are too important to turn a blind eye to. That was the mindset I went into The Hate U Give with. I wasn't looking for entertainment; I was looking for truth. Someone's truth, at least. That's exactly what I got.

4 comments:

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[Book Talk] What Makes a Bookish Romance Ship-worthy?

15:50 Cilla 14 Comments



It's been a while since my heart has been set aflutter by a bookish romantic pairing. The most recent one that I can think of is Cress and Thorne's scenes in The Lunar Chronicles, and that was well at the beginning of last year! It's not as if I haven't read any good novels with romantic pairings in it; they just haven't managed to turn me into a shipper.

It may simply be that I've gotten more cynical over the years (🖤), but it has made me think about what has me shipping fictional couples together. I came up with the following:

1. Knowing Each Half of the Ship as Individuals

Romance is about the relationship between two people, and if I don't care about those people, I wouldn't be invested in their relationship. Also, as much as I love happily ever after, I enjoy a story more where the characters have lives and goals outside of their romantic relationship. For this reason, I'm all for slow burn romance. Give me character growth, together and apart; give me characters who actually get to know each other first; and eventually, give me that "Oh" moment where the gears shift and they realise they're right for each other all along. 😍

 2. They're Good for Each Other

 Obviously, I'm not going to ship an abusive relationship. Apart from that, I find that lately I'm put off by love interests who repeatedly declare that they're no good for the other character and that they shouldn't be together. Sometimes, they're right. (A case that comes to mind is Christian Grey). I'm all for conflict and obstacles, but at the end of the day, I want the characters to raise each other up and bring out the best in each other.

3. Chemistry

 This is a hard one to talk about, because I haven't been able to put my finger on what makes up chemistry. Sometimes sparks just jump off the page whenever two characters are in a scene together, and that's it! I think maybe a huge part of it is dialogue, but even the wittiest dialogue would come up to nothing if the characters don't work together. Maybe it's the friction and collaboration of the two personalities? What do you think makes for chemistry?
Let's talk!
What makes you a shipper? 
What was the last bookish romance that made you swoon?
Shoot me some romance recommendations!


14 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[The List #3] Trying (and Failing) not to Multi-task

08:00 Cilla 2 Comments



The List is a feature where I hold myself accountable regarding my TBR. This (hopefully) stops me from picking up new books despite my a pile of unread books.

With the new semester kicking off, I haven't been reading much. 😩 I was also trying to stick to one (big) book, but I got bored, so...

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Story: It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely patterned as the night sky.

Why I'm Reading It: My friend and I had a little book swap, and she lend me this one. It turned out to be a brick of a book! It's much more dense than what I probably like, but I'm intrigued by its use of multiple point of views. It's a slog at times, but I've gotten halfway through the book so I'm not giving up now!

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

The Story: Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full- time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else. Can she handle the taunts of "towel head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy in school?

Why I'm Reading It: I've heard about this book for a while, and I couldn't resist when I saw it in the library of the school I'm interning at. So far, it's interesting but also heavy-handed at times. 

The Romance Reader's Guide to Life by Sharon Pywell

The Story: Neave and Lilly Terhune couldn’t be more different. Lilly is a beauty who runs through men like water. Neave, having been told at an early age by their mother that she will not be able to get by on her looks, always has her head in a book. During WWII, when the men are gone, both sisters start working. But when the servicemen return and take back their jobs, Neave and Lilly are left with few options besides marriage. But they have other ideas. But just as their business is truly taking off, Lilly disappears and Neave must figure out what happened. Luckily, she has Lilly’s assistance helping from above, even if she doesn’t know it quite yet.

Why I'm Reading It: I saw it on NetGalley, and the synopsis piqued my interest. I'm not fully loving it at the moment, but I'm hoping it just gets better from here.

What are you reading, or are on your TBR right now?

2 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

[Announcement] New Header!

15:46 Cilla 2 Comments


Hello friends! Last week, I took a short break from blogging to spend some much-needed quality time with my family. I thought it would be perfect to come back with this update. I have a new header!!

 My wonderful and talented friend, Elise, created the wonderful image above. I've dreamed about this picture ever since I started the blog, and she's actually brought it to life. 💜You'll see it on my Twitter as well, and if you like, you can grab my button from the sidebar!

You should check out Elise's art in her Etsy shop! She creates watercolour painting of awesome babes of pop culture. You should also follow her on Instagram and see what project she's working on next!

I'm so psyched about this update, and I hope you love it too!

2 comments:

Thanks for reading! It makes my day to hear your thoughts and I will respond asap. :)

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