meitachi | books read: 2024 june

Moved in June, so for about a week in there I was just in no headspace to read. Summer in Rochester is lovely, barring the one heat wave (a week of week of 90-degree weather) that passed. Time to explore more parks and maybe a winery.

Got my library card and am not particularly impressed by the local branch, but all I need is a place to pick up my holds and return my books. Thank goodness for interlibrary loan.

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic - (All for the Game #1) I've been hearing about this series for years and finally thought I'd give it a shot. It revolves around college athletes very serious about the fake sport Expy (a cross between lacrosse and floor hockey, I guess?), featuring a main character who is dramatically on the run from the mob and also the yakuza. Also his new teammates are a mix of psycho (in general or about this sport) and regular folks. It is a weird dynamic but strangely compelling! I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like anyone at all in this book, but it did keep me reading. Fascinating sport rules and world-building (with NCAA divisions, rules, etc). This one's all about meeting the team and some crazy backstory.

I Want to Go Home! by Gordon Korman - A reread after moving, because I needed something to kickstart my reading. Incredibly readable, very funny, a true classic with some of my favorite lines. Definitely holds up (and still very shippy).

The Sundered Realm by Robert E. Vardeman & Victor Milan - I don't know why I acquired this book but it's very old school sword-and-sorcery fantasy, with dramatic villain to defeat, beautiful princess to aid, and hero who is rewarded with sex a lot. A very horny old school fantasy! A quick read and the lead-off of a series I will not continue.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama - Set in contemporary India by an Indian author, this is an interesting look into social class, caste, marriage, and family expectations through the premise of a matchmaking agency for arranged marriages. It had its funny moments, but the surprise romance was sweet and compelling. Definitely interesting to see the intermixing of Hindus and Muslim neighbors, and different views toward marriage.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - Billed as a thriller, but really it is a look into dysfunctional family relationships (particularly codependent, resentful sisterly relationships). It was high tension, emotionally, and a fast read; utterly frustrating main character who was also very sympathetic.

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic - (All for the Game #2) Second books can be hit or miss, but having more familiarity with the characters made this nice because I got to see their evolving relationships! And the sport and mob hits (??) continue to be insane. This series is technically also billed as m/m but nothing of note happens. I didn't read any spoilers so I was also guessing who the love interest was supposed to be with the main character. Two unhinged options, tbh!

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu - I've owned this book for years and just kept putting it off reading it. I'd read the title story, "The Paper Menagerie", years ago and loved it (and cried) but honestly that's not even one of the strongest stories in the collection. A mix of scifi and literary short stories, often with an immigrant or cross-cultural lens. Fantastic writing and if not brand new ideas, certainly well-executed delivery. (The geopolitics of the last story, and time-traveling!)

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde - Not as funny as my beloved Importance of Being Earnest, but charming in its own way. I always enjoy a good comedy of manners via miscommunication.

Cook Simply, Live Fully by Yasmin Fahr - Cookbook categorizing recipes by time/effort, with a big Mediterranean focus on ingredients. I tried some things and am now just have a lot of feta (I'm not against it); the Italian farro salad was fantastic; I've had white bean kale sausage soup I like more (this one had too much tomato); the jalapeno corn miso pasta was confusing and disappointing.

The King's Men by Nora Sakavic - (All for the Game #3) The conclusion of the main story! (I think there's a fourth book focused on a different character.) The drama and stakes are higher than ever before! There are adult mob characters! The Expy championship! The romance! Ridiculous, but fun enough.

We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America by Johanna Ho - Poetry, beautifully illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. Fun fact, they both did programs with Asia Society while I worked there! This did make me contemplate the label/identity of "Asian American" though and who it encompasses/who chooses to opt into it.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson - Another book I've owned for a while. Really interesting premise, that there is a caste system in America and African Americans/Blacks have historically been relegated there. Interesting comparisons to India's existing caste system as well. Still ruminating on it but she traces the history well through slavery and Jim Crow and even through the "modern" Civil Rights Movement, in the collective treatment of an entire group of people. It does ring true, the racial resentment and superiority and going against one's own class interests, but is it because of race or caste? Well, if they are inextricably intertwined...

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura - A story of lonely kids in Japan finding friends and human connection. Not quite a fairy tale, but using some of the framework. Japanese stories really like to reveal all these unexpected connections and sort of tie everything up at the end, or at least in a lot of the novels I've read. I knew some of what was coming at the end, was surprised by other parts, and was overall pretty moved by these characters' emotional journeys.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benamin Stevenson - (Ernest Cunningham #2) A fun concept that is meta without being too obnoxiously meta; it helps that when the narrator/main character is annoying, it is clear that even if he is unaware, the author is not. His faults are and foibles are real and have real consequences. The mystery is pretty fun (and plays by the rules)! I will probably read the Christmas story that's next in the series.

The job hunt was going well with a few different opportunities in process (varying stages), but was just made an offer this week I said yes to (a staff position at one of the two major universities in town). Maybe more on that later, but I'm excited! Will get a few weeks before the official start date, so I can still use this time to relax and get to know the city.