She could not fathom the hexagonal miracle of snowflakes formed from clouds, crystallized fern and feather that tumble down to light on a coat sleeve, white stars melting even as they strike. How did such force and beauty come to be in something so small and fleeting and unknowable? – Eowyn Ivey, The Snow ChildContinue reading “The Winter Bundle”
Category Archives: Books
Review: Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo
I gazed into the mirror, hoping that it would reflect creatures less afflicted, less demented than ourselves. – “The Punishment,” Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo Summary and Thoughts Thus Were Their Faces collects a wide range of Ocampo’s best short fiction and novella-length stories from her whole writing life. Stories about creepy doubles,Continue reading “Review: Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo”
Review: The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino
The living mourn the dead for a time but they forget about them as days pass. The living are so selfish, so spoilt, so taken with the very act of living that they don’t remember long. – The Goddess Chronicle Summary and Thoughts In a place like no other, on a mystical island in theContinue reading “Review: The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino”
Review: Useful Phrases for Immigrants: Stories by May-lee Chai
Far from home, in Rose’s memories, Ma had become like a black-and-white movie that she had watched on TV when she was a kid. Flickering and quaint. Up close in real life, Ma burned like a live coal against Rose’s heart. – Useful Phrases for Immigrants: Stories Summary and Thoughts In the title story ofContinue reading “Review: Useful Phrases for Immigrants: Stories by May-lee Chai”
Review: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
“It’s not enough to find someone you love. You have to be ready for that love, and ready to make changes to welcome it into your life.” – Ayesha at Last Summary and Thoughts Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching jobContinue reading “Review: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin”
Review: Yona of the Dawn Manga Series
“I fight so I can survive. I have no desire to bow down to unjust power.” – Yona of the Dawn Chapter 82 Summary and Thoughts Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess of her kingdom. Doted on by her father, the king, and protected by her faithful guard Hak, she cherishesContinue reading “Review: Yona of the Dawn Manga Series”
Top 25 Books of 2019
I read nearly 200 books this past year and to celebrate, I’d like to highlight 25 of my favorite reads (in no particular order)! From fantasy to historical to literary, these books carry a diversity of engaging plots and complex characters. I chose each piece based not only on their execution, but also their personalContinue reading “Top 25 Books of 2019”
Review: A Peoples History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian
“She thought she would miss it. The power, the possibilities. The bending of time. But here, in this chaos of sisters and mothers and brothers, of families lost and found. Here, in this glorious present, she doesn’t miss a thing.” – A People’s History of Heaven Summary and Thoughts Heaven is a thirty-year-old slum hiddenContinue reading “Review: A Peoples History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian”
Review: In My Own Moccasins by Helen Knott
“When you have a lifetime of emotions that you have been running from, it seems like once they catch up they will gang-beat you and leave you crippled in an alleyway. Curb stomp finale. You learn to have distaste for them, to ignore their presence, and to dislike when other people are emotional. You learnContinue reading “Review: In My Own Moccasins by Helen Knott”
Skincare for Introverts 