Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

I hadn’t heard of this until a few months ago when I randomly came across it on NetGalley. It was the title and cover combination that really caught my attention. Then I read it was about a pirate queen?! And there was no going back. (Also, note: Libro.fm offered it as an ALC a month…

Babel: An Arcane History

This was one of the most "no brainer" books I have ever read. After reading and loving Kuang's debut series (The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, The Burning God) she officially put herself on my list of favorite authors. And so just knowing this was another historical fiction-fantasy style read, I was hype. And as I watched review…

Counterfeit

The combination of this cover and the vibes of the book made me think this was going to be a cross between Portrait of a Thief and the Crazy Rich Asians series, both of which I found pretty entertaining, solid reads, so I had this one on my shortlist when I was next looking for a…

Portrait of a Thief

I, like many (I am sure), do love a heist movie. There is something so satisfyingly escapist about them and I revisit classics like Ocean's 11 and The Italian Job any time I'm looking for a comfort watch. Plus, I am a *huge* fan of the entire Fast and Furious franchise, #sorrynotsorry. (Which, after reading the Acknowledgements, it seems I have that…

Swimming Back to Trout River

My second to last of the 2022 Aspen Words longlist books! I brought this one on a trip with me and almost finished it on a single flight from Denver to Raleigh; once I started it, I just couldn't stop. Also, if we're keeping track, this is another one (which at this point is at…

The Burning God

And here it is, the grand finale. After waiting longer than I'd planned to, after finishing The Poppy War, to pick up The Dragon Republic, I got my hands on this final installment as soon as I could because I needed to know how it all wrapped up. With the amount of world and plot building, in physical…

Wild Swans

I was recommended this book by a coworker many years ago and a combination of events this year, including AAPI Heritage Month, a book choice recommendation for a book club topically related to Mother’s Day, and prompt #15 for The Reading Women Challenge 2020 (a biography) finally had me picking this one up. Wild Swans…

China Rich Girlfriend

This is, of course, a sequel to the wild ride that was Crazy Rich Asians. I read that last year, as a buddy read with a friend, and then we had a ladies’ night to see the movie. Well, her boyfriend came, but he was super supportive of the romance situation and said he enjoyed…

The Poppy War

For having just come out a couple months ago, this book made its appearance swiftly and surely. Which, to be honest, fits perfectly with the story itself. In any case, after seeing these great reviews, I read the synopsis and it was all over for me. An epic, sweeping fantasy with a “started from the…

Everything Here is Beautiful

I generally dislike the idea of “women’s fiction” as a literary genre. I do not understand why literature written by or about “everyday men” is fiction, but anything by or about “everyday women” needs to be sub-categorized. But really, this, like any other story about men or women, is a story about life. And like…