Category: review
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The Red Palace by June Hur
I first heard about The Red Palace from the author, June Hur, herself. I stumbled across her Instagram reels recapping her various historical fiction novels, and when I read “a dark romantic mystery about a palace nurse and a royal investigator” I knew it was a must-read. The novel takes place during the Joseon dynasty…
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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Like many, I heard about Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree through hype online. The name alone made it an obvious choice for me, but it helped that I was in the mood for reading something light and fluffy to combat these cold, dreary days. The book is exactly that—a real cinnamon roll of read—heart…
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A Chorus of Mushrooms by Hiromi Goto
I first discovered Chorus of Mushrooms in a used bookstore. It’s red and black cover caught my eye and the title including mushrooms (in these fungi obsessed times) was enough for me to pick it up and take it home. Little did I know at that time this wonderful piece of fiction by Hiromi Goto…
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Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Pachinko is one of those novels that I felt I should have read a while ago. It had been recommended to me so many times, by so many different friends I was curious how I would finally react once I read it. It’s a meaty book that made it perfect for my 2022 holiday break,…
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Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee
A perfect blend of memoir, non-fiction, epistolary, and poetry, Two Trees Make a Forest was not a read I wanted to rush. In it, Jessica J. Lee recounts some of her family histories as she hikes through Taiwan, confronting secrets about her Mom, Gong, and Po she’s learned from translations of her Gong’s own memoirs.…
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How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife is a masterful collection of short stories that bite. The book is a meditation on the feelings of displacement, discomfort, and alienation that often comes with the immigrant experience, particularly the refugee experience, in Canada. Most stories end on a melancholic note, but it isn’t all doom and gloom.…
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Otomen: Revisiting the pure joy of shojo manga
I do believe that there is a time and place for all books. My love of storytelling far outweighs any scruples I have about prize winners, recommendation lists, or simply “what one should read”. Which is why during a recent move I struggled whether or not to give up the remaining sets of shojo manga…
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The Boat People by Sharon Bala
Sharon Bala’s The Boat People is controversial, to say the least. Featured in the 2018 Canada Reads competition only to be ousted on day one, it takes an honest attempt to steer the course of Canadian conversation by directly addressing one of our hot-button issues of the moment. In this case, the refugee crisis. Starting in 2009,…
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Top 5 podcasts to listen to if you like stories
It can be tough to find the time to read. If you’re like me, you can use the time during your commute or wind down before bed with a book, but sometimes, after spending all day looking at a computer screen, reading a book can really irritate your eyes. When that happens I usually turn…
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Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
I first saw Hot Milk in the recommended books section at Green Apple Books in San Francisco. Its beautiful cover and intriguing title drew my attention but I passed on it to save room in my suitcase. This past Christmas, a friend gifted it to me from an equally cool bookstore here in Toronto, ReReading,…
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A Year of Missed Reviews
A lot has happened in 2017, I took a short break from blogging which turned into a long break so I could focus on my job and non-profit activities. I don’t regret my choice really but every now and again I’ll be riding the subway or walking down the street and I would think of…
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The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King
The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King was recommended to me by the same friend (and fan of King) who suggested I read Truth and Bright Water. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I loved both of them! The Back of the Turtle follows a few different characters, each chapter alternating…