Happy last Monday of May! It’s the last week of school for my kids. My older son is graduating from sixth grade on Friday
Some things last week:
Last week was a busy week! The school had their open house so we got to visit the classrooms and see their different projects. This one is by the fourth graders, a cereal inspired by the book they read for their book presentation. My son’s is the Secret Charms at the bottom, inspired by The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart.
He also had a concert with his elementary orchestra. It was wonderful to see how much they improved over a few months (their first concert had been in mid-January).
The sixth graders’ geometry project.
Some sushi takeout from our nearby Japanese eatery. We tried a baked sushi (the one in foil at the back) for a change. It was surprisingly spicy! I say surprising because the description didn’t say anything about a spicy sauce…
Not sure why it’s been ages since we’ve had In-N-Out. Maybe because the one near us is always busy. But we got there early so there were plenty of seats.
The husband had Friday off (it’s Memorial Day today), so we tried out a new-to-us Caribbean/South American restaurant. This is a jerk pork shoulder with caramelised plantains, and rice and beans.
Also tried out some street food doubles (chickpea curry topped with chutney, sitting on a bara pocket ie flatbread). Also, these delicious spicy beef patties. What made them especially good was that green sauce on top. Not sure what it was but it had that nice hit of acid that makes it better.
At the farmers market, stone fruits are coming in! I grabbed a few white nectarines to try.
Currently…
Reading:
Y/N by Esther Yi
Watching:
Still watching some Succession, also I’m waiting for tomorrow’s new episodes of Love Village on Netflix.
Listening:
Imposter Syndrome and other confessions of Alejandra Kim – Patricia Park
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.
Tuesday morning, I get a call from the school office to pick up the 10yo who was shivering and feeling unwell. Turns out he had a fever. He continued to have a high fever the rest of the day, and a slightly lower one the next day as well. After lots of rest and hydration, but not much food as he just couldn’t eat much, he finally went back to school on Friday. He was pretty much ok on Thursday but had to stay 24 h fever-free before returning to school.
The 12yo made dinner on Friday – a one-pot creamy zucchini and leek spaghetti.
The kids had an away volleyball game in San Jose on Saturday. It was a nice cool morning at a very busy park – there were several little kids’ art classes going on behind us, a popular neighbourhood playground, as well as a large dog park.
Since we were in San Jose, we decided to just eat lunch around there and found a Japanese restaurant that was supposed to be izakaya-style, but it wasn’t really..oh well, they had this delicious pork belly crunchy rice. And a crab croquette.
At the Sunday farmers market – cherries are back! Because of the kids’ weekend schedules (volleyball and band), it’s a bit harder to go to Brentwood for cherry picking this year, so we may just have to get our cherries from the farmers markets.
Last night’s dinner – miso butter ramen. The 12yo picked ramen for dinner. He had performed with his elementary intermediate band at their first ever concert. They played 5 songs. There were a total of six different bands, from beginner to advanced, all elementary students.
Currently…
Reading:
The Monkey King – Wu Cheng’en
Watching:
Love Village on Netflix, it’s a Japanese dating reality show where the members are all in their 30s and up, I believe the oldest is 60. Some of them have been divorced and have kids, others have never married. They live together in a very old traditional Japanese house in the middle of nowhere, which they have to work together to refurbish, tend to the garden, cook, and fall in love (hopefully).
Listening:
I just finished listening to All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell
Eating and Drinking:
For breakfast, a slice of homemade bread and some brie. Also tea. Once I’m done with this post, I’m going to have a Nespresso.
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.
If the library ebook had the other cover (a woman in a yellow dress sitting in what looks like an old convertible), I probably wouldn’t have borrowed it. Did I regret reading this book? No, but I didn’t exactly love it either.
Sally is a writer on a SNL-like show and Noah is the week’s host and musical guest. He’s a successful singer in his 30s. The first half of the book is a fun look into the whole live sketch comedy tv show scene. It made me think of the TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which I loved at the time (although I wonder if I can rewatch because I now find Matthew Perry rather annoying).
Unfortunately, this book also wants to be a romance novel …of sorts. And that just didn’t work for me. I do love a good romance novel, preferably if it’s by a BIPOC writer. And this felt like Curtis Sittenfeld’s attempt to “improve” on the romance novel, like make it more literary or something. It probably didn’t help that I saw an article about an interview with her, something about how to make a “non-cheesy romance novel”. (The partial transcript I read didn’t actually have Sittenfeld saying she’s writing a non-cheesy romance novel, so I put that on the writer/editor for having that prejudice against romance novels in the first place).
And you know what, there are plenty of non-cheesy romance novels out there already. There are plenty of smart, funny, delightfully charming romance novels, like those by Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, Talia Hibbert, Julie Tieu and many more. So I hesitate to recommend this one.
Well, we are in mid-May now, guys! The kids have just a couple of weeks of school left!! It feels weird to say that because the school year has always ended closer to mid-June, but the school district decided to move the start of school ahead last year and so here we are, ending school in early June.
Also, in blog-related news, I’ve decided to let the URL reallifereading.com lapse, as well as the WordPress domain connection to that URL. Originally this blog was known as olduvaireads.wordpress.com but I’ve since changed that to reallifereadingreads.wordpress.com. Hope that’s not too confusing!
Some things last week:
Not a fan of being at crazy crowded restaurants on Mother’s Day, we instead had our own kbbq in the backyard. We had 4 different kinds of mushrooms, zucchini, leeks, pork jowl, bulgogi, and some non-marinated beef. We also picked up a couple of banchan (Korean side dish) at the Korean supermarket, I’ve recently become fond of the spicy dried squid (here’s a recipe), which surprisingly my 12yo enjoys too.
Currently…
Reading:
Chlorine – Jade Song
Stay True – Hua Hsu
Watching:
So while I’ve enjoyed watching Succession, it’s hard to watch too much of all that backstabbing and betrayal. So in between that, I started watching Queen Charlotte on Netflix. I think I’m actually enjoying it more than I did with Bridgerton!
Listening:
All the Living and the Dead – Hayley Campbell
Eating and Drinking:
Cooking:
We visited the local farmers market for the first time this year. It runs year-round but we tend to go usually when strawberry season starts. And hey, the strawberry vendor was indeed there, although since it’s at the start of the season, the prices are a bit on the higher side. Still, the strawberries were so sweet compared to the ones from the supermarket. It’s worth it. Hopefully the prices will go down a bit as the season moves along. There was also one fruit vendor that had a few baskets of cherries. But it was really expensive! We will have to wait a bit or maybe go cherry picking ourselves. I posted about our 20 pounds of cherries that we picked last year.
Last week:
I read:
Our Stories Carried Us Here – Daniel Zueniga Gonzalez
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.
Truth be told, when I finished reading this book, I wondered, is it me? Did I not get what I was reading? Was I just in the wrong mood to read this book?
LEMON by KWON YEO-SUN opens with the interrogation of a murder suspect. A young girl is dead and the media have called the incident “High School Beauty Murder”. There are two main suspects, one a rich kid and the other a part-time delivery driver. But neither are charged.
But soon the book moves onto three women who knew the victim, Kim Hae-On, and how they’ve been affected by the murder as the years go by.
The chapters jump from one point of view to another, and different years. It’s confusing. I struggled with this book and its disjointed narrative. It doesn’t help that the book doesn’t make it obvious whose perspective each chapter is being told from. The chapters in the form of a phone conversation in particular threw me off.
Maybe it’s just me as LEMON has plenty of 4 and 5 star ratings on Goodreads, as well as raves by critics. It just didn’t work for me.
Did I want to read a graphic novel titled Thirsty Mermaids that opens with a mermaid letting out a loud burp and scaring away all the fish? Yes, indeed.
In THIRSTY MERMAIDS by KAT LEYH, three mermaids make their way to land after a transformation spell. But they soon realize that they don’t know how to change back.
Thirsty Mermaids is so much fun. I love how the three mermaids aren’t your typical mermaid. That’s such a weird thing to type. I guess I mean that they’re of diverse body types and characters. They’re a bit rough around the edges and don’t quite fit in – both with the humans and their own kind. Eez for example is a sea witch, which means they’re not quite merfolk.
Thirsty Mermaids is a story about friendship and found family. It’s about being yourself and that amazing person you are.
It’s funny and sweet and just such a delight to read.
The kids have been playing in a volleyball league since last month and last weekend, they had their first games. At first, we weren’t sure if it was going to be on as it was raining (surprisingly) where we were. The game site was a half hour drive away, and luckily, it wasn’t raining there, although it was windy and cold. The kids had fun and their teams won some games.
Jjampong for dinner
Some reading for AAPI month
Currently…
Reading:
Chlorine – Jade Song
Watching:
Succession season 2
Eating and Drinking:
I had a slice of walnut bread, toasted. Also a mug of tea.
Cooking:
Today, we have some dimsum leftovers from yesterday. But I picked up some salmon from Costco, so I’ll do a miso-soy sauce marinade and panfry it. Eat with some asparagus and rice, maybe.
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.
HELLBOUND VOL 1 and 2 by YEON SANG-HO, illustrated by CHOI GYU-SEOK, translated from the Korean by DANNY LIM
This two-part manhwa is set in Korea, where certain people are visited by a supernatural figure that tells they are bound for hell and how much time they have left. And when that time ticks down these terrifying monsters appear out of nowhere and end your life. We learn that these chosen people are ones who have committed crimes of some sort. So what happens is that religious groups (some are more like cults) start preaching that this is a sign from God and that everyone needs to repent for their sins. And they begin to take things into their own hands…
So these hellish creatures, scary as they may be, aren’t the real monsters of this story. The real monsters are those walking the streets, driving their cars, eating and drinking, living and breathing human beings. It’s about how humans react and behave in the midst of this horror.
HELLBOUND is also a 6-ep tv series on Netflix, that has been renewed for a second season. I haven’t watched the show yet though. And to be honest, I may not watch it now, knowing what the premise is. I’m happy to read horror but I prefer my tv to be less intense and more cheerful.
The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon, pictured on top of a crochet blanket that I’m currrently working on (pattern: the Chevronnie Blanket by Cypress Textiles).
I didn’t realize this was book 3 in Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project until I finished the book. Luckily it’s the kind of series which kinda reads like a standalone. It’s connected through three women who become best friends after they all are duped by the same man. Of course it would make more sense to start with the first book, but well, now I know and I will definitely be reading The Boyfriend Project and The Dating Playbook because this third book was a really fun read.
It’s an enemies to lovers theme that starts at a high school reunion. Pediatric surgeon London Kelley meets her high school arch-nemesis Drew Sullivan. And they end up in bed.
It turns out that Drew is in Austin as his company is auditing the hospital that London works at. And their one night together becomes a “mutually satisfying sexual arrangement”. The man she saw as her enemy maybe isn’t who she thought he was. Can this turn into something more?
Fun chemistry and great banter between the two main characters. Both are very likeable too. It’s readable and not too over the top. A very satisfying romance read.
Hey it’s May already. How did that happen? Weirdly, after a rather hot week, today it’s cloudy and chilly, and we may even see some rain this week.
Some things last week:
So last Monday was my younger son’s 10th birthday, and I had posted about his birthday party over that weekend. We also had our own little celebration at home after school. I made a chocolate cheesecake – the first time making a cheesecake! We are not big on cheesecake, except for the 10yo, who loves cheesecake. So we occasionally may pick up a slice of cheesecake from Whole Foods. But I’ve never tried to make one before. I do however, put my trust into King Arthur’s recipes, and this one was easy enough, although the cake did crack a bit as it cooled in the oven. It did taste delicious though, even my older son, who’s always a “I don’t like cheesecake” person, enjoyed it.
We had a busy weekend, the kids had volleyball practice, and also the annual piano recital, which was held in-person for the first time in four years. The music school has previously done online ones, and that’s not the same. The recital was held in a nearby church and the kids did great.
My mum had been visiting us from Singapore since earlier this month. She flew back home last night. It was really great to have her stay with us for about a month. She loves Korean food so we made sure to take her out for some Korean food (although there’s great Korean food in Singapore too, my dad doesn’t like to eat Korean food as much). We had seafood kalguksu (thick noodles), vegetable pancakes, bibimbap and more. And of course the side dishes or banchan. Because we recently have been eating more of what they called Korean fusion or Korean street food eateries, these places tend not to serve banchan with the meal. The street food dishes include more stuff like fried chicken, gimbap, and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).
Currently…
Reading:
Queerly Beloved – Susie Dumond
Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld
Watching:
We watched the last episode of Jinny’s Kitchen on Amazon video. I’ve also just started watching Succession. Not sure what to make of it yet.
Listening:
Haven’t figured out a new audiobook yet.
Eating and Drinking:
I woke up early today, as my 10yo has a full-day field trip to Sacramento. They had to be at school at 630, and the buses left at 645. It’s about almost a 2h drive there one-way. He insisted that I wake him up at 530!
Cooking:
Miso eggplant and maybe some kind of stirfried noodles. It is a bit cooler this week, so maybe I’ll make some soup.
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.
Real Life Reading 