Review: Zadie Smith’s Intimations Offers Honesty and Moral Clarity in a Moment of Crisis

An honest and morally clear collection of essays, Zadie Smith’s Intimations grasps at how this unprecedented moment in time peels back the layers to reveal our relationships to the world around us.  Happy autumn, fell book lovers! My latest read, Zadie Smith’s Intimations, is one of my favorite quarantine books so far. “Intimations” is quite apt … Read more

Review: Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High Should Be Your Next Hot Read

Elizabeth Acevedo serves up a tender and warm story in With the Fire on High. Hello, book friends! This week I picked up a sizzling hot read: Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High. I adored Acevedo’s The Poet X and how it creatively formed a narrative through poetry. So I’ve been jonesing to pick up … Read more

Review: The Woman Warrior Is a Surreal Tribute to Storytelling

Laced with fantasy and folklore, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior is a surreal tribute to storytelling through the memoir form.  Hey, y’all! I’m back with a review of The Woman Warrior. Maybe five years ago, my adviser recommended me this book when I was working on a thesis re: Vietnamese American literature, but I hadn’t gotten around … Read more

Review: Jasmine Guillory’s Rom-Com World Is a Bubbly Delight

Beyond fun rom-com movies and shows, I also enjoy the occasional romance novel. In fact, I’ve been reading much more romance since quarantine started! My favorite romance authors include Helen Hoang, Josie Silver, and Anne Tyler (though Tyler focuses more on the family unit). Of all the romance writers I’ve picked up so far, Jasmine … Read more

Review: Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief Takes a Deep Dive Into the Dramatic World of Orchids

Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief shines a light on orchid enthusiasts and hustle culture.  Hey, y’all! I’m back, this time with a quick review of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. Yes, it’s an adult book, but it’s one about plants! I’ve been a fan of Orlean since I picked up The Library Book, a true-crime nonfiction deep … Read more

Review: Linda Sue Park Crafts an Emotional Narrative Glazed With Elegant Writing in A Single Shard

A Single Shard

I’ve been picking up more adult-oriented books lately (lots of romances by Jasmine Guillory and a few thrillers by Megan Miranda), but I’m still reading kid lit! I went on a lovely afternoon excursion yesterday, checking out local mom and pop shops and picking up some books from the library. (I also had the best … Read more

Review: Kelly Yang’s Front Desk Paints Dazzles With Depth and Nuance

Kelly Yang’s Front Desk illuminates issues of poverty and immigration with a heartwarming story and fiercely self-aware protagonist at its core.  Hello, kid lit book hive! I’m back with a review of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk. Yang’s middle-grade novel is extremely my speed — that is, a slice-of-life story that so lovingly invests in its details and characters.  The … Read more

Review: Merci Suárez Changes Gears Is a Winsome Story About Intergenerational Immigrant Family Love

Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears explores family and school drama with warmth and nuance.  I recently picked up Meg Medina’s lovely Merci Suárez Changes Gears on sale for $7. This whim of a purchase turned out to be a great decision because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured all 355 pages of it … Read more

Review: One Crazy Summer Layers Revolution With Emotional Nuance

One Crazy Summer is a salient read that illuminates revolutionary ideas and emotional nuance through a child’s perspective.  Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer initially drew me in because its setting is Oakland, a city that’s near and dear to my heart. For a whirlwind of a year in college, I covered art and worked at a … Read more

Review: The Science of Breakable Things Gets to the Yolk of Human Complexity

The Science of Breakable Things

Review: Hope remains an unbreakable force in Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things. Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things might be the longest kid lit pick I’ve read in a while, but the length was definitely worth it considering how the book moved me. And it didn’t sway me in a cloyingly sentimental way. I … Read more