March 30, 2023March 27, 2023 by Sharlene

Bright Young Things – Scarlett Thomas

2023, Books, review
book review, books, Bright Young Things, reading, Scarlett thomas
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Some books are just weird. This is one of them. BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS by Scarlett Thomas was a random pick to fulfill a reading challenge topic – an author with the same initials as you.

And it was entertaining, with a frivolous premise – six 20-somethings from the UK answer a job as in the newspapers: “Bright Young Things wanted for big project”. While waiting for the interview to start, they’re apparently drugged and then wake up on a small island in the middle of who-knows-where.

There are 3 men and 3 women, from various walks of life. There’s a house with six bedrooms, it’s stocked with food and drink. But they don’t know where they are or how to get off the island. There’s also no way of communicating with the rest of the world.

Despite their situation (or maybe they’re resigned because of it?) they have rather ordinary conversations that have to do with pop culture. Very 1990s discussions like favorite band that are rather amusing to me, because I was a teenager in the 90s and loved the whole Britpoprock scene.

“Thea chooses Blur. As soon as she does, Emily tries to unchoose Take That and claim them for herself. Clearly the ironic choice wasn’t the one to go for this time. They start to bicker about which album came out in which year, when they bought each one, which is the best album (The Great Escape vs 13) and who’s met Damon.”

I mean, who has this conversation not long after finding out they’ve been drugged then dropped on an island and can’t get out?

All those pop culture references are a bit dated now. And I wonder what a current 20-something would make of this book. In Thomas’ preface, she did say she wanted this book to be a time capsule of sorts, and how “in a sense, every good novel is a time capsule”. Reading this definitely made me think of the 90s again when life seemed a lot simpler but also a lot more angsty (teenagers 🤷‍♀️).

Not a lot happens in this book, which is funny considering how I was drawn in by the whole “dropped on a deserted island” idea. But there were amusing conversations and it made me want to listen to some Blur and Placebo. Ooh maybe some Suede too.

March 29, 2023March 27, 2023 by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 29 to April 4)

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Happy Wednesday! What did you get from your library this week? Let us know in the link-up or comments below.

What I got from the library this week:

The Hell Bound vol 1 and 2 – Yeon Sang-Ho, illustrated by Choi Gyu-Seok

Hadn’t heard of this manhwa/series before, but I happened to see it when browning the adult comics shelves at the library. It’s a kind of horror comic? The writer is the director of the movie Train to Busan.

Tomorrow in Shanghai – May-Lee Chai

A collection of short stories

Heart of the Sun Warrior – Sue Lynn Tan

Sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess which I enjoyed reading. This series revolves around the daughter of Chang’e and Houyi, so I guess it’s a kind of Chinese mythology retelling.

Kids’ loot:

March 27, 2023 by Sharlene

It’s Monday (March 27, 2023)

Happy Monday!

Some things last week:

My mum flew in from Singapore for a visit! She hasn’t been here since 2019. Pandemic and all…

To celebrate, we had some hotpot on Sunday. It was a surprisingly chilly weekend and so, hotpot weather!

My mum loves Korean food so jjampong it is! It’s Korean-Chinese food though, to be specific!

Making sure to get lots of sunshine so as to reduce the jet lag!

Currently…

Reading:

Watching:

Jinny’s Kitchen on Amazon video

Listening:

(also, I’ve been making these Pokemon card holders to give away as birthday party favours)

Eating and Drinking:

Homemade sourdough toast for breakfast, with tea as usual.

Cooking:

We had a lot of leftovers from the weekend, so no need to cook today. But will do some stir-fried noodles, maybe make some wontons.

Last week:

I read:

Mimosa – Archie Bongionvanni

Bright Young Things – Scarlett Thomas

I posted:

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak

Library Loot (March 22 to 28)

The Picture Bride – Lee Geum-yi

The Last Not Right Now Books #TopTenTuesday

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

March 23, 2023March 21, 2023 by Sharlene

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak

2023, Books, review
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Sometimes a book takes me by surprise. Like this one, MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION by ZOE SIVAK.

A story about a biracial Haitian woman who escapes to Paris when the Haitian Revolution explodes. Sylvie de Rosiers is the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, her mother is an enslaved woman.

Sylvie and her brother Gaspard seek refuge in Paris with an aunt. Their neighbor is Cornelie Duplay, the mistress of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre.

First of all, a huge YES! to diverse historical fiction. Also, it sent me off to go read some things about world history that I never knew of – not just the Haitian Revolution but also the French Revolution. (I grew up in Singapore and our history lessons never went that far – but ask me about the history of Thailand and I can tell you quite a bit!). It’s

Sylvie is a fascinating character. As a biracial woman of privilege in Haiti, she grows up in the lap of luxury while waited on by people who looked like her. In Paris, she finds herself more accepted but still on the fringes of society because of the color of her skin. She struggles to find her place in society but is also not afraid to challenge the status quo.

There’s a lot to cover in this ambitious book. And with a story that has to do with not just one but two revolutions, there is violence and bloodshed. But I was absorbed in Sylvie’s story, her clandestine relationship with Cornelie, her role as a revolutionary. Well researched. A remarkable debut!

March 22, 2023March 21, 2023 by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 22 to 28)

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Happy Wednesday! What did you get from your library this week?

What I got from the library this week:

Pop Song – Larissa Pham

I wanted to get an audiobook for a reading challenge, it’s quite specific this one:

Listen to an audiobook performed by a person of color of a book written by an author of color

These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong

Described as a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai.

A Snake Falls to Earth – Darcie Little Badger

YA by an indigenous writer

March 21, 2023March 20, 2023 by Sharlene

The Picture Bride – Lee Geum-yi

A gloomy Sunday morning needs some homemade waffles and this lovely read, PICTURE BRIDE by Korean writer LEE GEUM-YI, translated by An Seon Jae.

A story about three women from rural Korea who travel to Hawaii in 1918 to marry complete strangers. They are picture brides, whose marriages have arranged based just on a photo. They’ve been told that their future husbands are young landowners in Hawaii. Unfortunately when they arrive, the women learn that they’ve been tricked by old photos and that the men are just workers on plantations.

Willow is the main character, and she’s relieved to learn that her groom is at least still a young man. The grooms of her two friends, Honshu and Songhwa, are much older. But Willow’s husband, Taewan, is distant and cold at first, until she learns about his previous relationship.

The three women continue their friendship throughout the years. And that’s really the crux of this story – friendship. Despite all that goes on, politics, death, abuse, these three women have one another.

I enjoyed learning about these picture brides and what their lives in Hawaii was like. The struggles faced by the overseas Koreans during the Korean independence movement was quite interesting, as Willow’s husband Taewan is heavily involved in the movement.

I did enjoy this book. The writing is straightforward and simple. But occasionally, I longed for a little bit more. More what exactly? I don’t know. Something that would make me feel more for the characters, maybe?

I have to give this a solid 3.5 ⭐️ – a good read, with some slightly bland characters. But an eye opener in terms of the lives and struggles of these overseas Koreans during the independence moment.

March 21, 2023March 20, 2023 by Sharlene

The Last Not Right Now Books #TopTenTuesday

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is:

TTT Rewind (Pick a previous topic that you missed or would like to re-do/update).

So I picked this previous topic:

The Last Books I Abandoned

But I’m going to tone that down and instead of the word “abandoned”, I’m using “Not Right Now“. So it’s not completely a DNF (did not finish) read, but something that I may pick up eventually, because I might not have been in the right mood for that book at that time.

If you enjoyed any of these, let me know, I’ll bump it up my list!

Rabbit Hutch – Tess Gunty

I do like the sound of this quirky book, but February was just not a good reading month for me, and this was just one of the books that was a NRN read.

Mercury Pictures Presents – Anthony Marra

I do want to pick this book up again. It sounds like a great epic and Anthony Marra did write a beautiful book in A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.

Interior Chinatown – Charles Yu

I did actually read quite a bit of this book but then the library ebook auto-returned, and I haven’t borrowed it again as yet. Maybe later!

Haven – Emma Donoghue

This one I’m a bit conflicted by. I’ve enjoyed Donoghue’s work, but this book set in seventh-century Ireland with two monks and a priest looking for a place that one of them has seen in a dream, well it’s not really a book I want to read. It was a book I picked to fulfil a reading challenge

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

March 20, 2023 by Sharlene

It’s Monday (March 20, 2023)

Some things last week:

Ate at the Counter, where you can design your own burger. I picked alfalfa, roasted red peppers, grilled pineapple, baby kale, and of course a beef patty, to go with the brioche bun.

Their shoestring fries and onion rings always are delicious!

A simple meal at home of steamed broccoli, panko-crusted cod, miso seaweed soup, and rice.

Dim sum Sunday lunch. There was also charsiubao and chow mien.

Currently…

Reading:

Bright Young Things – Scarlett Thomas

Watching:

Run-On on Netflix. I love the very slow moving relationship.

Listening:

Pop Song – Larissa Pham

Eating and Drinking:

For breakfast, homemade sourdough bread toasted and with butter. Yorkshire Gold tea.

Cooking:

Mashed potatoes and chicken drumsticks, with some vegetables, haven’t figured out what yet…. and since there’s not that much vegetables in the fridge, I’m probably going to put in an order with Weee! (an online grocer that specialises in Asian products).