The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel: A Slow-Paced Retelling of Empress Wu’s Beginnings – Book Review

The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel is an own-voices Chinese historical fiction novel that is the first in a duology chronicling the life of Empress Wu as she rose from a simple concubine to become one of the most powerful rulers in Chinese history. The story begins with a little girl named Mei who is picked to become a potential paramour for the Emperor. In the wake of her father’s demise, she is whisked away to the palace, never to see her family again.

Make Up Break Up by Lily Menon: A Deliciously Steamy & Feel-Good Adult Romance Debut – Book Review

I love the author’s young adult contemporary novels, written under the name Sandhya Menon, so when I saw that she was embarking into the adult romance world, I became intrigued and immediately interested. Make Up Break Up illustrates Ms Menon’s talents at crafting genuine characters amid creative settings and storylines that pull the reader into the pages with wholehearted excitement.

Book Recommendations: #OwnVoices Cosy Mysteries by Asian Authors

Today to celebrate the joy that cosy mysteries bring to my itty bitty little heart, I wanted to share some recommendations of serials from the genre that are authored by Asian writers! I only recently discovered (mid-2020) that diverse cosies were a thing and it completely changed my life. So, if you’re a fan of this genre and are looking to expand your repertoire of ‘em, then check out these own-voices Asian serials

This Is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi: An Amazing Tale of Friendship, Mental Health, & Indie Bookstores

This Is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi is a diverse young adult contemporary novel that revolves around a group of ladies who work at a bookshop called Wild Nights Bookstore. When they discover that the bookstore is about close up shop for good, they come together to and try save a place that has become a sanctuary for each of them in their own unique ways.

16 Best Books of May & June

May and June were relatively average reading months for me. I read approximately 26 to 27 books between the two months and most of them were two to three star reads for the most part. The best enjoyable bookish shenanigans took place between the pages of manga, which I’m super thankful for because it has…

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya — The Djinn Reader

“With every item she tossed into the washer’s gaping mouth, she dissected every sentence she could recall saying to Neela, analysing the implications of her words and how they might have been interpreted.” The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya is an #OwnVoices South Asian-Canadian contemporary novel about two uniquely separate musicians that formulate a friendship after […]…

My Final Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon TBR

It’s hard to believe that this shall be my last Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon TBR post. The gig started back in 2007, and it’s with some sadness that the hosts decided to make this their last hurrah. I may not have been a blogger or anything remotely close to a bibliophile back then (took a long…