Tag / books

by Sharlene

Bright Young Things – Scarlett Thomas

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.

by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 29 to April 4)

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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:

by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 22 to 28)

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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

by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 15 to 21)

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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:

The Islands of Chaldea – Diana Wynne Jones, Ursula Jones

A standalone novel completed by Jones’ sister. This is for a reading challenge task – published posthumously.

What’s Mine and Yours – Naima Coster

A multi-generational story involving school integration.

Bright Young Things – Scarlett Thomas

A group of 20-somethings apply for a mysterious job.

River Woman, River Demon – Jennifer Givhan

This book was part of a Together We Read event. I’m not usually a reader of crime fiction but this one by an indigenous writer sounded interesting.

by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 8 to 14)

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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?

Claire has the link-up this week.

What I got from the library:

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute – Talia Hibbert

I always enjoy reading Talia Hibbert’s books so am looking forward to this one which has the couple set up for a survival course in the woods.

The Picture Bride – Lee Geum-yi

Over on Instagram, it’s Korean March, so I’m reading some Korean lit, like this one about the Hawaiian Korean community.

The Great Outdoors – Catherine Meurisse

So I happened to be browsing the Libby catalogue and just decided to randomly download some comics. So here’s a French graphic novel about moving to the countryside.

Aion – Ludovic Rio

A space captain lands on a mysterious moon

by Sharlene

Library Loot (March 1 to 7)

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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?

Here’s my Library Loot for the week:

Cursed Bunny – Bora Chung

It’s described as “blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction”.

What’s For Dessert – Claire Saffitz

It all sounds delicious!

Overdue – Amanda Oliver

I’m working on a Dewey decimal challenge on Storygraph. This works for the 000 prompt.

by Sharlene

The Fever by Sonia Shah

How is malaria still around and still infecting hundreds of millions of people around the world? THE FEVER by Sonia Shah is an in-depth look into this mosquito-borne disease. It’s chock full of information, not just the science behind the attempts to rid us of malaria, but also the history. 

Some rather fascinating things that have a link to malaria include the unsuccessful attempt to establish a Scottish colony in Panama in the late 17th century. Most of the colonists died of malaria. And the colony was abandoned after just eight months. Spoiler: The immense debt from the failed expedition played a large part in Scotland’s reluctant acceptance of unification with England. 

I was interested in reading this book as dengue fever, another mosquito-borne illness, continues to plague Singapore today. Of course these are two very different illnesses and transmitted by two different species of mosquito. But no one seems to have written a book about dengue fever for the average reader. 

It’s a bit of a depressing read, when you think of how malaria continues to infect and kill people today. But it’s a very interesting and somewhat approachable book about this disease and how it’s affected the world. 

by Sharlene

Library Loot (February 22 to 28)

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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?

Claire has the link-up this week.

So we are usually so careful and good with library books, always returning on time, even after the library system did away with late fees! But somehow, one of the kids’ books went missing. I really have no clue where it could have gone to, as we never take library books out of the house! Over the weekend, we went through different areas of the house, looking under sofas, beds, checking in toy boxes and cupboards just in case. But we never found this one book. How very very odd.

I really hate to admit that we lost a library book, but that is what happened. So I went in the library to let them know. The librarian was very nice and asked if we wanted more time to look for it, but I really had no idea where else we could look, and just wanted to declare it lost and pay the fine.

What I got from the library this week:

The Salt Path – Raynor Winn

I was looking for a travel memoir written by a woman. Found this on Libby and loved the cover. Winn and her husband, who is terminally ill, walk 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. They’ve lost their home and livelihood and are just carrying what they own on their backs.

I had to look up the South West Coast Path, and it’s England’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath. It’s a part of England I haven’t been to so I’m looking forward to reading about it. I love the coast of England, one of my favourite memories is hiking with my friends from Beachy Head in East Sussex.

seven sisters?
I dug up an old photo I took on the hike of the white chalk cliffs.

Lemon – Kwon Yeo-Sun

A murder cold case story that explores grief and trauma.

I’m Waiting For You – Kim Bo-Young

A collection of speculative fiction short stories by a South Korean writer.

Kids’ loot:

by Sharlene

Anne of Greenville by Mariko Tamaki

I grew up reading the Anne of Green Gables series and watching the original TV series. (I haven’t finished watching the new version though!). 

So it was exciting to see that Mariko Tamaki had written a reimagined modern version of this classic! I’ve loved Tamaki’s previous works like Skim, Emiko Superstar, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. 

Her version of Anne is delightful. She’s a queer half-Japanese teen with two mums. She loves disco, colorful vintage clothes, and roller skating. Her family just moved to the small town of Greenville, where she just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. And ugh, the bullying she faces. My heart just goes out for her, as she struggles to be herself but also to fit in. 

I think Tamaki captures the spirit of Anne really well. She’s unique and quirky, and she has a quick temper, which causes more problems. But in this modern version, the issues that Anne faces are a lot more difficult, such as racism and homophobia. 

It must be hard to take on a reimagining of a classic story. Maybe it would be easier to say that this book is inspired by Anne of Green Gables. I loved the updated version of Anne, but the essence of the story feels different. In the original story, part of Anne’s struggles is with Marilla Cuthbert’s reluctance to take her in, as they originally wanted to adopt a boy. But Anne of Greenville was adopted at a young age by her two mums, and so the problems that this Anne faces are less with her family and more with her classmates and the residents of Greenville. 

An enjoyable read.

by Sharlene

Library Loot (February 15 to 21)

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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:

Sleepless Nights – Elizabeth Hardwick

So one of the reading challenges has a task to read a book published in the year you’re born. So here it is. I’m also new to reading Elizabeth Hardwick’s works.

Pixels of You – Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota

A friendship between the first human-presenting AI and a human who is cybernetically augmented. Intriguing!

Mademoiselle Revolution – Zoe Sivak

Another book for a reading challenge. This one is a story about a biracial heiress who flees Haiti for Paris.