June 19, 2026
I need to write the day I start drafting posts because sometimes they just sit there.
PIGLET BY LOTTIE HAZELL
This has been sitting in my drafts since I finished this book in June. I won't format this review like my usual ones. Heavy spoilers ahead, but reading this review/other equally scathing ones will save you the pain of reading this unsatisfactory novel.
My adult takeaway from this novel is managing expectations. We cannot be our perfect, idealized self, and others cannot expect us to be anything but ourselves. We cannot control how others behave, but we can control how we react to stimuli. Not ground-breaking lessons, but it's good to have reminders because I haven't learned this lesson and continue to have unrealistic expectations (bouts of delusion of grandeur) that impede my happiness.
ROMANTASY WAS FOR ME, UNTIL IT WASN'T
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| 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.
2022 WRAP UP
I began drafting this post in August because it felt like the end of my reading year. The list will not grow if I don't set out time to read, spend most of my time watching videos at two times speed, or just staring into space.
Then November happened, and I got busy. Some people spend more time together when the weather gets cold, but I spend it alone with books. Both are equally, albeit differently, fruitful by the end of the following year, but I should theoretically have a better sleep schedule than the others.
I HAVE A TYPE | OOF, THIS MANHWA WAS GREAT
A Business Proposal
Illustrator: Narak
Author: Perilla &p Haehwa
Ha-ri made a deal—go on one blind date for her BFF and pretend to be a super-vixen to end all of her unwanted marriage set-ups! Unfortunately, instead of easy money, Ha-ri’s got a headache. Her date is Taemu, her company’s hot new CEO, and he’s got his own plans to get his family to back off by marrying whoever shows up on the date. Should Ha-ri accept his proposal to keep playing pretend? Nothing could go wrong with lying about your real identity while dating the boss... right??
BOOK HAUL + REVIEW
BANANA-MANIA
Super late, like 20+ years, to the trend. I adored Kitchen because the writing is beautiful and profound. The book's two stories are about grief: finding people that are also experiencing loss, communicating with them, and overcoming the grief. I was surprised by the fantastical/magical realism aspect. Kitchen was one of my favorite books this year, so I wanted to read more of Banana Yoshimoto's words.
Coincidentally, I purchased the books she wrote/published right after Kitchen. I purchased N.P., Lizard, and Asleep—I listed them chronologically. If I had known that I would read her bibliography chronologically, I also would've picked up Amrita, but I'm glad I didn't because it doesn't sound that great.
MUSIC MONDAYS
In another installment of non-book review content on a "book blog," I will introduce some songs that I've been loving. Let me know what songs you liked or disliked from this list, and comment below what you're listening to at the moment. I truly appreciate song recommendations because I'm stuck and sick of listening the songs below. I need some new stuff!
NAMAIKIZAKARI + ANONYMOUS NOISE REVIEW
I know I'm late to this review train because Namaikizakari ended in December 2021. I stopped reading the series around chapter 80 because it got annoying and repetitive, but I recently saw that the author had some new stuff and felt the urge to finish it.
This series ran from 2013-2021! I remember following it and reading it in high school. I thought Naruse was so cute. Then, I found his moodiness annoying. Yuki is one-dimensional, frustrating, and quite boring. They're both childish. A great reflection of who I was and still am...
I FINISHED KOKORO AND MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE EVER
Written Before Finishing
Didn't like Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. Again, the author teases things but makes us wait so long and doesn't present it in a way that I felt warranted the wait and frustration. Sure, I have a greater understanding of some characters, have greater sympathy for them, and would occasionally pause to consider the profoundness of the writing. However, this book was so dull.
Now for the main event.
Release by Lucy Christopher. I'm attaching this video, so you can get an idea of what the book is like.
REREADING BLACK BIRD MANGA TO NOT FINISH KOKORO
The title says it all. I'm currently reading Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, don't know what provoked me, but I am slightly regretting it. I'm also taking Japanese over the summer to finish up my degree; part of the class is talking to students in Japan, which is nerve-racking and an absolute shit-show on my part. During one of the sessions, I learned that Kokoro is one is the books students read during Middle School or High School (I don't remember which one,) which made me think of a fantastic challenge: reading the language curriculum of other countries!
I READ GREAT BOOKS WHILE I'VE BEEN AWAY
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read. The writing is immaculate; it reminds me of Lolita for some odd reason. The way scent is captured and the characterization. There's a unique cast of characters, and it's thrilling to see how Grenouille impacts their lives; my favorite interaction is with Baldini because of all the scent and perfume descriptions.
PAIN AND K-POP IDOLS | BLACK WINTER MANHWA REVIEW
Black Winter
by Jeong Ina
On a dark winter night, a young boy was cursed and a young girl had sinned.One cold winter night, Haesa seeks shelter in an old house in the mountains, where she meets a slumbering stranger named Yuan. That's when tragedy begins to befall Haesa’s friends, plunging the young girl into a sad and lonely youth. Ten years later, as Yuan starts to regain his lost memories, he realizes that this cursed fate goes back much further, to a time only he can recall. But with sinister forces at play, will they be able to break the toxic cycle and step into the warmth of spring?
ABSOLUTELY DOMINATING MY READING CHALLENGE | JANUARY WRAP-UP
I need to thank Viz's online Jump subscription service, the New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library. I devoured this challenge, but then again, I have very low expectations (45 books). I'm keeping things realistic and managing expectations.