Green Frog is an amazing compilation of 15 short stories surrounding Korean women and their struggles. Gina Chung did Green Frog | Overall rating 4.25
Green Frog is an amazing compilation of 15 short stories surrounding Korean women and their struggles. Gina Chung did not limit herself to any word count, page numbers, theme or genres in her way of conveying the message. There are metaphors, personifications across multiples genres, formats and she did that almost seamlessly.
It is natural for us to relate to any of the characters in this book and I think it's exciting to see that different readers will have different stories that could relate to the most. It's like there's a story dedicated each one of us.
Here are my top two reads out of 15:
(1) Attachment Process A couple lost their daughter and decided to create an artificial daughter based on the memories that they had with their real daughter. This made me realized that there are a lot of ways to deal with grief and this was their way. Without overdoing it, I felt deeply touched when the mother tried to refresh the memories they shared. Her daughter's first walk, first word, her tantrum, and her face. Is she bring delusional by creating the artificial daughter?
(2) The Arrow A lady got pregnant but she wasn't sure who the father was (the timeline sort of overlapped with each other). She did not plan to have any children this soon but naturally she started to take care of her health more so that the baby could be healthy. Not knowing anyone she could share this news with, she rekindled with her estranged mother and they bonded over this pregnancy. This also made she wonder about how her mother had gone through her life all alone. I definitely cried when her mother waited to serve her the seaweed soup :(
This will definitely be one of the books that I will always recommend to people to read.
I FINALLY got my hands on one of Riley Sager's books after hearing so many good things about his writing. When it comes to thriThe Only One Left | 4.5
I FINALLY got my hands on one of Riley Sager's books after hearing so many good things about his writing. When it comes to thriller, I liked when authors know how to build up the suspense and give us just enough to keep us wanting for more. Riley Sager did just THAT.
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope, Hung her sister with a rope, Stabbed her father with a knife, Took her mother’s happy life."
Kit was desperate for a job and when an offer came in to become the caretaker for Lenora Hope, the famous alleged murderer who killed her own family, Kit had no choice but to accept it. The whole town knew their story, Lenora Hope, the only one who left, alive after that deadly night.
Kit started to bond with Lenora and at the same time, more mysteries came out of Hope's End. Believing that she's bringing her bad luck with her, she's determined to solve the cases from the past in order to find peace in the present.
The story is filled with suspense and definitely perfect to pick up when you need something fast and fun. I did pick this up when I was in a slight reading slump, and it worked out like a charm! The Only One Left was addicting and really absorbed you into the scene.
Looking forward for more Riley Sager's books in the future!...more
Just as you can guess from the title, Dear Dolly is a compilation of questions sent to Dolly. From relationships, to friendships and just life in geneJust as you can guess from the title, Dear Dolly is a compilation of questions sent to Dolly. From relationships, to friendships and just life in general.
This was such a fun read for me because in one sense, it could be a bit gossip-y but Dolly feels like the kind of friend that you go to to confess your stupidest decision but she still would not judge you for it.
One of my favorite questions would be "Dear Dolly. I'm worried I love my dogs more than men." because it may sound absurd but it's such a logical thing to question. And I just love it when Dolly's first reaction was "A lot to unpack here."
I would totally revisit the book in case I had the similar questions with any of them or just because. Thank you Times Reads for the review copy!...more
I have read and loved Please Look After Mother but I did not expect to love this book even more. Thank you Pansing for this review copy.
After losing I have read and loved Please Look After Mother but I did not expect to love this book even more. Thank you Pansing for this review copy.
After losing her daughter in an accident, Hon received news that her father went missing. During the mission to find her father, she found a chest full with her father's letters. Secrets after secrets, she found out more about her father than she did in her whole life.
This is a beautiful story that silently threads on pieces of life. This is not only a story about a father, but also about a man who's unsure about his life.
This book made me look at my parents with a new light. Even though they never told us, but they also once struggled like us. Unsure about the future, nervous about adulthood, about marriage, about kids, about money. We grew up with them knowing so much about life, we sometimes forgot that they are humans after all.
One of the major differences between this and Please Look After Mother was that the author also included major historical events which shaped the character's choices and path of life. This has broaden the character's life and made them felt more real to me.
Both books by this author that I have read made me laugh, cry and ultimately they made me feel grateful towards many things in my life. I will continue to read and explore her other books. Can't wait!...more
Akari's life was fully devoted towards her oshi (idol), Masaki from the idol group, Maza Maza. He was the first thing she saw, heard and thought of whAkari's life was fully devoted towards her oshi (idol), Masaki from the idol group, Maza Maza. He was the first thing she saw, heard and thought of when she woke up and when she fell asleep. He was the only reason for Akari to live. Things started to shake up when Masaki was accused of assaulting one of his fans.
Usami's take on fandom culture was realistic and true to the bone. I have never encountered anything related to this topic at the fiction aisle so this was an interesting topic to dive into. This was not a plot driven book by any means. This novella focused on understanding Akari's view of the world where nothing else mattered other than her idol. She could not study, find a job or focus on anything else. Even after being pressured by her parents to take responsibility of her own life, she surrendered. Masaki was her only salvation.
"What Akari felt is not only isolation but irritation and disappointment towards herself because she couldn't achieve anything, no matter what she tried."
When her oshi was receiving hate about the assault, we could see how confusing it was for Akari. She did not know the truth behind it and there was no way for her to find out. How could she react when the only thing she believed in was being accused? I think Usami did a great job in portraying hard core fandom life especially in the music industry. Streaming her idol's songs non-stop and when she lighted up by going to their concert, I could relate to that.
"Without my oshi, I couldn't be me. My life without him was only an after life."
Usami's writing might look simple and straight forward, but the more I read, I could see the abstract depth of each layers of the story. It was beautiful and serene. This might be a quick read but it was not light by any means.
Thank you so much Pansing for the review copy!...more
Dorothy is a food critic. She's independent and enjoy the company of her male friends. While she did enjoy her work, she took it to another level whenDorothy is a food critic. She's independent and enjoy the company of her male friends. While she did enjoy her work, she took it to another level when she developed a certain hunger towards killing her lovers and eat them. She cooked them into fine cuisine, of course.
I came into this book expecting some gory fun which I DID get, and then some. Dorothy has a knack of pinpointing the moments of her life and make it sound comedic or satirical but at the same time, it sounded like a yearning for help. For someone to stop her, for someone to catch her.
"Kill one man and you're an oddity. Kill a few and you're a legend."
The story really made me question myself. At one point, Dorothy made an argument that all human beings are cannibalistic by nature, and I ALMOST agree because it seemed so plausible and logical but I managed to stop myself. Phew, this book's driving me insane.
While I do agree that sometimes the narration was going in circles, since there was some time jump between the jail time and also before the "cooking" starts. But there was something profounding about the author's humour. Is it dark? Yes. Is it funny? Also yes. Is it safe to tell them to a group of people? Absolutely not.
"Rich, well bred men have the best hygiene. "Eat the rich", they say, and this they are not wrong."
As weird as this may sound, but I love how despite the cannibalistic theme, this book also voiced out about some social commentaries too. Like how there was no equality even among the criminals themselves.
There were moments where the author broke the fourth wall. Dorothy questioned us, the readers multiple times for reading this book. Her book. Believe me when I say I was spooked. I was busted again and again, but this book made me appreciate how discomfort felt like.
I really did enjoy this book more than I was expecting to and that was more than enough. And now I could not look at sautéed shallots the same way anymore. Major thanks to Times Reads for the review copy in exchange of an honest review!
Eleanor Bennett has passed away, leaving her two children Benny and Byron to uncover the truth of her life. Benny and Byron were inseparable as kids bEleanor Bennett has passed away, leaving her two children Benny and Byron to uncover the truth of her life. Benny and Byron were inseparable as kids but after a confrontation went bad, Benny left the house and the family for good. Their mother's death brought them back together to their childhood home. Her mother's recording made no sense to them until they realise that perhaps their mother was not who they thought she was.
"Sometimes, the stories we don't tell people about ourselves matter even more than the things we do say.".
I could totally see why so many people enjoyed this book. It's very easy to read, engaging since page 1, and the theme of multi-generational family really touched people's heart. Benny and Byron's complex dynamics as sibling that a lot of people could relate to at one point or another. Bunny and Covey's loyalty as friends teared me up. They were both so truthful and supportive of each other! And on top of that, the chapters were super short, only 3-5 pages each. Perfect for who wanted something to read and take a break at every chapter.
Despite this book being very family centred, we could also explore the characters' struggles as a minority thoughout the whole storyline. How they were denied from getting a higher education just so they could not get a higher position, how there were always stopped by the police just because their skin was darker and no matter where you were raised you will always be the foreigner in your own land. This element was beautifully executed, it was a wonderful surprise to me.
"Question yourself, yes, but don't doubt yourself. There's a difference."
Although I did enjoy this book immensely there were some challenges that I faced too. Since this is a multi POVs storyline, the switch in between characters AND timeline were confusing most of the time. There were some random character's POV too and sometimes they use nickname that we've never encounter before which made it even more confusing. I honestly thought that the transitions could have been a lot smoother.
Since there were so many things going on at the same time, most of them were only touched on the surface. I just wish I could have more space to digest and comprehend what one character's experiencing before we even move onto the next.
However, I would totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy family saga, and perhaps maybe some fans of TJR. Major thanks to Times Reads for the review copy!...more
I might be biased but this short novella/graphic novel deepened how I felt towards the Darkling. Do I think this book is necessary?4.5 darkling stars!
I might be biased but this short novella/graphic novel deepened how I felt towards the Darkling. Do I think this book is necessary? Absolutely not but oh my, do I crave for more? Yes, I do.
"No safe place. No haven."
This is the illustrated version of the 30-pages long of short story about the life of Darkling years before the Fold happened. If you haven't read the Grisha trilogy yet, bear in mind that there would be some spoilers since the Darkling's identity played a big part in Shadow and Bone. In this book we explored the bond between Aleksander and his mother, and his innocence of longing the normalcy just like everyone else. Normalcy which meant, growing up at one place, having only one name, and friendship. The things that he couldn't have because of who he was born as.
Demon in the Wood made me understand him better on why he chose to do certain things in the Grishaverse series. He might not be 100% innocent, but just like all villain origins stories, we understood the reason behind it even if it was against our morale.
The illustration was beautiful with beautiful pacing. I could see the beauty of the people and the pain in Aleksander's eyes. Just beautiful.
This my first time reading the author's work despite him being super popular internationally. I was super excited when I first started reading this boThis my first time reading the author's work despite him being super popular internationally. I was super excited when I first started reading this book.
She and Her Cat consisted of 4 interlinking short stories and all of them were told from the pets' perspectives set in a small neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tokyo. The setting was pretty chill and simple with slice of life plots that felt comfortably familiar to my own environments.
This was my first time reading from the pets's view about their companions and surroundings. It felt refreshing and unique to know how the author interpret their emotions and how ours impacted theirs. I was attracted to Chobi and his relationship to Miyu, his companion. Although there were some complexity when Chobi claimed that his human companion was his girlfriend, I do find his relationship with the other cat, Mimi cute and earnest.
All in all, She and Her Cat is a very calming and sentimental book with a few lessons to be learned. This book is very straight forward but has a very beautiful tone to it which I find could be accessible to younger readers as well.
After reaching the limit of doing all the menial tasks around her office, Shibata admitted to her co-workers that she can’t do it anymore because she’After reaching the limit of doing all the menial tasks around her office, Shibata admitted to her co-workers that she can’t do it anymore because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseated her. Except, she was not really pregnant. Or…was she? The chapters were titled as the number of pregnancy weeks so it was as though we’re going through this pregnancy together.
I would recommend for people to know as little as they can before going into this book. I had zero expectations starting this and expected that it would be a serious read. And my oh my, I was wrong. Shibata’s quirks and pettiness absolutely shined through her monologues and her thorough observations (especially towards her colleagues) She was funny at the most random time and I love her pettiness the most!
The writing style and the translation worked wonders for me. It was straightforward and easy to be absorbed into the story. I think both David Boyd and Lucy North managed to capture the essence of Shibata’s unique character and translate them successfully.
I was on team Shibata in the first half of the book but in the second half, it was hard for me to distinguish between the truth and the lie. Emi Yagi had successfully blurred the lines between reality and fiction that even I had doubts which one is the truth until the end.
“Having a baby isn’t easy. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
Other than thinking about Shibata’s pregnancy, there was also a lot of discussion about the gender role in office setups and also in a family institution. Why were men always expecting the women to make the coffee? Why were the fathers not bothering about the baby even though they were a part of it as much as the mother did?
It was hard for me to go into details without spoiling it, but all I could say was this book has been a pleasant surprise and I would totally recommend this to all. Thank you Pansing for this proof copy! ...more
Grotesque. Eye-opening. Disturbing. Only Sayaka Murata could make me read in disgust but made me addicted to it at the same time. In all 13 short storGrotesque. Eye-opening. Disturbing. Only Sayaka Murata could make me read in disgust but made me addicted to it at the same time. In all 13 short stories, Murata managed to go against the norm with the themes of alternate reality, cannibalism, and other themes that literally went out of my comfort zone.
My favorite out of them all was the title story itself, Life Ceremony where cannibalism was normal. Once a person passes away, people will feast on the dead. My brain was itching the whole time I was reading the story. Reading a hypothetical world where people eat human flesh was just bizarre. However, Murata always had this nonchalant tone which made the reading even more uncomfortable. But oh boy, I was totally hooked with the story.
“I simply couldn’t understand why it was okay to joke about eating a monkey, but not eating human.”
A First-Rate Material was also one of my top reads out of all 13. Humans will be used even after their death to make furniture, clothings as so much more. (Can you see the pattern here?) Another alternate reality where being repulsive towards using humans as materials was considered as weird. Being the first story of the book, I think it gave a proper introduction on Murata’s writing and the overall tone of the other stories.
“I couldn’t understand why he thought human hair was so wrong when goat hair was fine.”
Sayaka Murata’s writing might not be for everyone but if you love trying new things or want to experience new ideas being thrown to you from random angles, this is it. It blurred out the line between fiction and reality that made us think of all the “what if” situations. She would definitely be one of my favorite new authors that I read this year.
Thank you Definitely Books #Pansing for the review copy! ...more
Unputdownable. If you’re looking for a great book that you can finish in one day or even in one sitting, this is it!
“If communism is Paradise, wh
Unputdownable. If you’re looking for a great book that you can finish in one day or even in one sitting, this is it!
“If communism is Paradise, why do we need barriers, walls, and laws to keep people from escaping?”
Christian Florescu was a 17-year-old Romanian who dreamed of being a writer. Following the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, their voices were forbidden. They couldn’t speak their mind or even deny their rights. So, Christian wrote his poems in his secret book. One day, one of his secrets was found out and he was blackmailed. In order to save his family and friends, he must betray them first by becoming an informant.
I Must Betray You was a historical fiction that was loosely based on how the young people went against the dictatorship of Ceaușescu. I knew nothing about their history before but this book opened a new sight for me to know more about their history, their culture. Although this was my first Ruta Sepetys, undeniably she was an expert in making people learn about history with emotional impact.
The chapters were short but impactful, the pace was incredible. There were no boring or flat moments. The momentum will make you keep reading on and on till the end. The subplot of “who’s the spy among them” made the story even more interesting. There was no one we could trust. I literally mean, no one.
Albeit being very short, in less than 300 pages, all of the characters were entangled with their own baggage which gave them more depth and complexity. The patriotic grandfather, the silent father, the loyal friend, the strong hearted sister. Cici was one of my favorites!
I will never say no to another book by Ruta Sepetys again. Thank you Times Reads for this wonderful copy!
The Sea of Tranquility was a ravishing time shifting story with multiple characters that spanned out through hundreds of years. All characters have onThe Sea of Tranquility was a ravishing time shifting story with multiple characters that spanned out through hundreds of years. All characters have one thing in common; they all experienced a glitch at a certain point of their life.
Despite being less than 300 pages, Emily St. John Mandel was not afraid to take her time to build the mystery and intrigue in the first half of the book. This is one of those moments where you just have to trust that it will make sense in the end. Trust me, it will be worth it!
Since this was my introduction to her works, I found the writing style was so easy to absorb me into the world.It was precise and straight to the point. I was particularly intrigued in making guesses on how the story will end so theories were made, people were suspected and as always, I got it wrong. The ending made me stare at the wall for a while because my brain was having a glitch to comprehend it all.
“If we were living in a simulation, how would we know it was a simulation?”
All of the characters were charming but I would appreciate it if there were more to them that I could hang on to. More depth, more complexity which would give a bigger impact to me. However, that’s just me nitpicking. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. Thank you Times Reads for this lovely copy! ...more
Not trying to be dramatic but this might be the most uncomfortable book I've EVER read. What in the world was that? I felt like there's a constant itcNot trying to be dramatic but this might be the most uncomfortable book I've EVER read. What in the world was that? I felt like there's a constant itch in my brain the whole time I was reading it but I can't stop reading because I thought finishing the book's the only way to get the itch go away. And it did.
TW : sexual violence, rape, drug abuse, torture, gun violence
In this long-listed book from the 2022 International Booker Prize, Paradais centred around 2 very insufferable teenagers, Polo and Franco. Polo is a school dropout who's currently working as a gardener in an elite housing area called Paradais. From there, he met Franco, a boy who's addicted to porn and obsessed with his neighbour, Senora Marian.
Franco and Polo's relationship is a bit complicated to understand because they completely detest each other and have absolutely no respect to one another. They're basically using each other for their own benefits. Oh, the names that Polo gave to Franco. I couldn't have the nerve to type them down!
We could never be 100% sure where the limit is for both Polo and Franco. They're never shy to admit that they want to do bad things; Polo to his family, and Franco to his beautiful neighbour. Their conversations and thoughts are gruesome and horrifying, I'm glad that at least this is fiction.
Reading this book made me intrigued to check out more books by Fernanda Melchor. She always write long and very descriptive lines that made me hard to pause and catch a breath. It's like being bombarded non-stop with brutal and raw descriptions over and over again.
This is definitely not for the faint-hearted. But if you're looking for a challenge? Find no more. It's this one.
Thank you so much Times Reads for this review copy and made me read this gem....more
“A book must start somewhere, and this one starts here.”
This book’s far from being the most mind blowing book I’ve ever read. However, it managed “A book must start somewhere, and this one starts here.”
This book’s far from being the most mind blowing book I’ve ever read. However, it managed to include what the other books lack. Its subtlety in mentioning heavy topics such as mental health, grief and loss, and characters with amazing complexity were a few of my favorite things about this book that I could think of at the top of my brain. This whole book felt like having a cup of hot tea during the rain. It was cozy and comfortable. I didn’t want it to end.
Benny Oh’s life after the pasing of his father was narrated by both him and the Book. The author did such a great job of alternating the POVs between them both that the voice in my head automatically changed to differentiate them. This could only mean that their prose was effortlessly written and was embodied in my brain. Just like Benny that could hear things after the loss of his father, it made me question myself too. Who’s the narrator inside my head? Is it my voice? Or someone else’s?
Motherhood stories always had a soft spot in my heart as I grew older. Reading how Annabelle struggled in becoming a single mother to Benny and also coping with the loss of his husband made my heart ache. She was far from perfect but no one could tell me that she didn’t try her best to support Benny and his well being.
This book was complex, beautiful and silent in a magical way but I do have to agree that some of the Zen principles disrupted some of the flow of the story. I just didn’t enjoy the Zen part as much and was hoping the chapters could be shortened. But other than that I had a splendid time reading this book.
Thank you so much Times Reads for the review copy <3...more
Zara ♡ (ZaraReadsHere)
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