books read: 2022 august

[meitachi]

I guess August was slower at work because I got to read a lot!

1. The Jade Temptress by Jeannie Lin - (The Pingkang Li Mysteries #2). Another enjoyable historical romance/mystery focused on the older sister and top courtesan of the Lotus Palace, plus the stoic constable. I liked Mingyu as a heroine better, and enjoyed the leads' prickly friendship to romance journey. Loved the cameo of the hero from the first book, because secret smart spy playing at himbo is still delightful. Anyway, it seemed up til the last chapter or so that there was no way for them to get a happy ending, but they got one and I'm good with that. The plot was fairly engaging, though I also suspected the ending. I'll keep reading the series!



2. Lot by Bryan Washington - Collection of short stories, somewhat interconnected, based on various Houston neighborhoods. Featuring LGBT/HIV positive/POC characters and all sorts of family baggage, and interesting color to these neighborhoods that are somewhat familiar to me but also foreign in experience. I think I liked the family dynamics better in Memorial but also liked to get a different lens on Houston through these stories.



3. Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain - A regency romance that was mostly enjoyable, though probably not terribly memorable or outstanding. A proud, rich man has a list of what he wants his bride to be and a girl who fails/is embarrassed by him seeks revenge by employing a friend/old classmate to be everything he wants and then humiliate him in turn. It all turns out well, but everyone felt kind of silly and unreasonable and the bad feelings resolve too quickly into a happy ending.



4. The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison - (The Cemetaries of Amalo #2) Mostly liked this better than the first -- I often do because the characters and world are more familiar. I liked the rhythm of cases and the clues that build up to the major mystery in the book, but the plot took a weird and sudden turn with Werewolf Hill, idk. Mostly I am glad that Celehar meets another Witness! I don't care about his potential relationship, though. It's sweet, I hope it happens for him because it would make him happy, but I'm not terribly invested.



5. Murder at Pirate's Cove by Josh Lanyon - I spent the first third (half?) of this book screaming: stop talking to the cop, get a lawyer! So that ruined the so-called cozy vibe a bit. Seriously, you're a suspect, maybe stop spilling your guts to the cop and also stop committing crimes that would put you further under suspicion. I didn't hate the premise of small town with a pirate past, but I don't think I like the characters enough to keep going. Plus feel weird about a modern love story with a cop, I'll be honest. (Historical detectives I can separate into a different category in my mind.)



6. Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer - A reread and delightful. Low levels of absolutely aggravting relatives! Mostly just the hero and heroine sniping at each other and being delightfully antagonistic and into each other. A happy ending.



7. Sage and Saltwater by JEM - A beta read of an ARC for a friend of a friend. Romantic fantasy with lots of mythological and religious influence. Provided feedback!



8. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen - Surprisingly delightful story of two college friends whose lives drifted apart after school...and then back together to run a scam. At first it seems straightforward, particularly the main character sharing her struggles as a big law attorney who stepped back to have kids and feel like she's struggling for purpose and identity. However, the narrative structure takes a turn about halfway through and reveals the unreliable narrators, and more to the story, which I particularly enjoyed for leaning into the exploration of the model minority myth. More fun than expected!



9. Maiden Rose by Inariya Fusanoske - Unfinished (ongoing?) manga series set in a fantasy world with a straight up expies for Japan and Germany and it is, uh, very yikes if you think too hard about the real world allegory but in the realm of fiction and fantasy, hot damn, the loyalty oaths and you-above-all-others and secret relationships and the connection in the past. Also up the wazoo with dub/noncon a la 90s BL tropes.



10. Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame - On a tonal whiplash, a different manga story entirely about a young gay high school student and his struggle to come out and come to terms with who he is -- with the help of an older mentor figure who is also gay and recently opened a cafe in his neighborhood. Loved his friendship with a childhood (girl) friend, the relief of coming out, the realization it is a series of coming outs... Heartrending but sweet, and a reminder of how necessary it is to have people in our lives who support us in all these different facets of ourselves.



11. A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin - An absolutely delightful regency romance I loved so much. It felt like a Heyer romp -- comedic premise (though born out of real dire straits), delightful characters including annoying family members, feminist without feeling didactic about what women in that time and circumstance could do to take agency, and a hero and heroine who felt like familiar archetypes but made me buy their romance. In some ways light and shallow, but I guess I never needed my regency romance to address or solve all social ills of the time, so I found it a really fun romance that got the heart of the genre right.



12. Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickinson Car - An infamous locked room mystery which was fun but also a bit convoluted. It was solidly okay! A classic Golden Age mystery with the usual cast of characters and a little bit of sexism.



13. You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn - I've been meaning to read this since January! Kal Penn is an absolutely delightful guest (he was so chill and warm and funny) and that comes across well in his memoir. It was particularly interesting to see the Asian American experience from the South Asian side instead of the East Asian one, and then how he got into Hollywood. But it was his work on the campaign trail and in the White House that was most interesting to me because that's where our interests align (more than tv/movies), and a lot of familiar names (from Crooked Media) showed up. He was also very casual about his sexuality and boyfriend, without it being Part Of His Story. Congrats to him and his brief affair with NASCAR but longer relationship with his fiance (and maybe now husband?).



14. Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata - I really enjoyed the weirdness of Convenience Store Woman and this continues on the author's theme of sort of observing life and humanity as an outside observer. Or when she dives into embracing humanity, it is from a strange, sexual, visceral lens of the body. Some of the stories left me kind of uncomfortable, but all of them were interesting and provoking without feeling like she was trying too hard. They honestly felt pretty on brand given what I know of her prior work.



15. The Revenge of Anguished English by Richard Lederer - A bunch of silly puns and typos and misuses of the English language, some funnier than others. A quick read delighting on our weird language and sometimes the way we use it (incorrectly).



16. Requiem for a Mezzo by Carola Dunn - (Daisy Dalrymple #3) I just really enjoy this series! Daisy is wonderful and warm and cares for people, and her relationship with the Chief Inspector is going slowly but it's really cute. The mystery was fine, but I enjoy that the author's not afraid of making likeable people guilty.

Still aiming to read a decent amount in September -- so many new releases! -- but also telling myself I can pace myself. I have also slowed myself down a bit by watching things: finished Abbott Elementary and Only Murders in the Building in August, but now I'm looking at Asian dramas again. Binging KinnPorsche right now and then may want to try Love Between Fairy and Devil. We'll see if I have the time!

But holy hell are some of these Thai actors in KinnPorsche absolutely beautiful. I like them all, really, but I cannot get over Jeff Satur, holy fuck.