I loved the Wayside books growing up, and was so excited to read this one! Notable lines: “‘Someday, the Cloud of Doom will be gone . . . and the world will be a much better place, even better than before the cloud. Colors will be more colorful. Music will be more musical. Even Miss Read More…

Wow. I just read this book to my son without knowing what it was about, and it’s the only book I started tearing up over while reading to him. Major props to Helena Ku for representing diverse stories first of all, and for paying tribute to our immigrant parents who worked difficult jobs so that Read More…

Yup, that was my undergrad and grad school’s mascot at UC Irvine! I absolutely LOVED my college years-they will always be some of the best years of my life, where I met amazing people, learned so much, and really grew to be a better person. If only I could’ve stayed there forever, haha! So I Read More…

My passion for ramen started when I was a child eating instant noodles and boiling up two servings of ramen in any given day. My first AOL screenname had “ramen” in it, and I still eat it often, one noodle at a time (hey, I like to savor my food!). The spicier, the better!! I Read More…

This is one of those books where you have to stay up all night to read it in one sitting, and one of those books that tugs at your heartstrings, makes you choke up and long for the childhood love that’s so beautifully written about in here. There’s so much more to this book that Read More…

This is such a great book for all library and book lovers out there! Notable lines: “She sat down in the big chair by the fire and cried. She cried for her boy, for her husband, for the life she’d imagined she’d be leading. For her arrogance at thinking she deserved more than she had. Read More…

Loved this book and the intertwining characters and their stories. Beautifully and exceptionally written. Oh, and it really made me want to go back to Paris!! Notable lines: “The Americans’ faith in the regenerative power of new geography astonishes him. It’s a myth, this idea that you can change who you are simply by climbing Read More…

For those who don’t know, YA stands for Young Adult books. And, what categorizes a “summer read”? I imagine it to be a light, engaging, and fun book you’d want to take with you to the beach or on the subway. Either way, the two-part series of “Grace and Fury” and “Queen of Ruin” fit Read More…

What is with the appeal of thrillers and horror stories? I loved hearing ghost stories as a child while away at camp, and staying up all night reading a suspenseful book. I’m not into gore and violence, but more so the psychological thrillers since there’s always a deeper, darker story to somehow rationalize or explain Read More…

Happy August everyone! A friend recommended this book, and I absolutely loved it! I love getting book recs 🙂 and I loved Mira Jacob’s honesty. This is such a pertinent and important read, especially during these times. Notable lines: “You are an American. I don’t care when your parents came here. They are Americans, too. Read More…