ROMANTASY WAS FOR ME, UNTIL IT WASN'T

From: Hemingway Bookstore

I haven't read YA or Fantasy in a while because I am in my pretentious literati era—I say this as my compendium of Clarice Lispector stories, Pablo Neruda poems, and Anna Karenina lay unfinished on the side. I had just finished Beware of Pity before reading Fourth Wing. The sudden change is definitely whiplash-inducing, but Fourth Wing was necessary to reawaken me after being put to sleep. 

YA, Fantasy, and Romantasy are fun. It's indulgent and nostalgic. It makes me giddy reading the same tropes and lusting over the cookie-cutter male lead with the female protagonist. It brings me back, and it's a great escape from life and the "serious" books I try to read.

THE LAST SHOWGIRL REVIEW

This will discredit everything on this blog: I have pretty terrible taste and often poorly/unconfidently dissect media in a meaningful way. At the risk of incurring the ire of cinephiles, though chances are low since this is a small blog, which is why I'm brave enough to write opinions in this perceived vacuum, here are my thoughts on The Last Showgirl.

The Last Showgirl (2024) Directed by Gia Coppola

When the glittering Las Vegas revue she has headlined for decades announces it will soon close, showgirl Shelly sets out to plan her next act. Reconciling the decisions she's made, Shelly decides to repair her complicated relationship with her daughter.

I did not like the shallow depth of field. Bold for critiquing a Coppola's artistic direction! I feel validated because others have made the same complaints. This gripe is what pushed me to write this. 

HAVING 3 LIBRARY CARDS IN NYC | WHICH LIBRARY CARD IS BETTER?

In New York City, there are three public library systems: the Queens Public Library (QPL), the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), and the New York Public Library (NYPL).

I only had a QPL card until the pandemic, when I signed up for an electronic NYPL card. Oh, the doors this card opened. This card was being used and abused on a weekly, if not daily, basis. I was glued to Libby.

Until recently, I was content with just having these two. Then, I got greedy and started reading The Apothecary Diaries and a plethora of manga series. I didn't have enough holds slots, the wait times were several months long, and there were titles I couldn't find. 

FYI, QPL and BPL allow you to place 10 holds and have 20 loans at the same time. NYPL only allows 3 loans and holds each. 

2025 MIDWAY CHECK-IN

It's been a while. I had a draft for my 2024 wrap-up, but I never checked in on this blog since August...

I have already reached my 2025 reading challenge. My goal was 50 books. As usual, my challenge isn't composed of actual books. My 2024 challenge had a better ratio of novels to manga, but this year was terrible because I want to surpass my goal last year to get the Goodreads achievement. Pathetic!

A LOT OF MANGA

I read manga when I don't want to read, which is very often, and it's difficult to stop once I start gorging. I picked up mangas I dropped, discovered new gems, and am trudging through many for closure.

1. Killing My Sensei Softly (Sensei no Yasashii Koroshikata) by HANTEN Sharou

After school, Sensei tutors me in secret. My classmates think we have some sort of relationship, but they've got it all wrong. Sensei is a serial killer, and I am his apprentice. "Sensei, please teach me how to murder." A dark love unfolds between a serial killer Sensei and his devoted apprentice!

Starting this list off on a weird start. I don't remember how I found this manga, but it's refreshing because I read a lot of fantasy, fluff, romance, and shoujo. Almost every chapter is about finding a serial killer and murdering them. Some arcs are longer than others. The art is relatively simple/bland, and despite revolving around killing, it's not all the gory. DINER by KAWAI Takanori is still the goriest and most messed up mangas I've encountered. There is an age gap romance subplot, but it's not the romance where you're cheering them on to end up together. It's more so hoping the Sensei character reveals their past with the FL, their MO for killing, etc.

I FINISHED A LITTLE LIFE

FEB 4, 2023 - MAY 5, 2023

I spent my birthday bawling. 

I made immense progress with this book while riding the subway to and from Brooklyn. The subway is the best way to get reading in. That said, this was not the right book choice because I got teary-eyed, and it's fucking heavy. My wrists!

A LITTLE LIFE MIDWAY CHECK IN

I started reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara on February 4th; it's April 15th as I type this post. Of the 814 pages, I am on 387, which isn't significant progress considering I've been "reading" this book for almost two months. 

Firstly, why am I reading this book? Frankly, I'm not sure either. It's probably because of all the Jack Edwards videos: celebs' favorite books, most depressing books, this book broke me, and other videos in the same vein. 

Either way, I am late, as usual, to the bandwagon. This book was popular when it came out, and I remember two bookstagram accounts raving about it. Other than the fact that this book has a long list of triggers and isn't for the faint of heart, I knew virtually nothing about the book. 

BOOKS I READ SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR PT. 1

I've been decluttering my shelf and selling books on Pango. If you live in the US and want to purchase some of my books at a low price, please check out my Pango Seller Profile.