meitachi | books read: 2025 march

The spring semester is flying by and staying busy, but I did get a mini trip down to Florida during part of spring break which was nice!

Still managing to read, but recently got deep into my new 4th gen kpop group after almost 12-13 years out of the scene...damn, I forgot how much content there is to consume, with MVs, dance practice vids, behind the scenes, variety shows, and now lives and so much more... OnlyOneOf does make me happy though, from their music and choreo to their absolute dumbassery (and pro-LGBTQ+ representation and support). It really is strange to be so aware of the business aspect of the way they sell personalities and relationships in kpop though. Even when it's "behind the scenes" or live from their dorms, it's still very obvious when they're working. Anyway, it is mostly fun for now. I'll enjoy it while I can!

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede - (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #3) I enjoyed how much Morwen and cats there were in this book! Telemain was a little annoying but did help move the plot along, and added a little color to the characters. It was fun to revisit this one after all these years.

The Rivals by Jane Pek - (Claudia Lin #2) I barely remember the first book but this was pretty fun, more as an exploration of a lesbian Chinese American daughter with prickly relationships with her mother and siblings. Life is hard enough to navigate without also dealing with work mysteries and ethical dilemmas around dating either your coworker or your client's ex-girlfriend... Kind of interesting to think about the way AI is depicted in this compared to how we talk about it IRL now.

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery - Knowing nothing about this book, I didn't know whether or not to expect a real castle, some kind of fairy tale like "The Secret Countess" by Eva Ibbotson. There was no actual castle! This is, like most LMM works that I haven't read, set in Canada. It's about a quiet girl who reclaims her life a little like "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day", but with more romance. It was moving, surprisingly romantic, and kind of a fairy tale after all.

National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen - I had a rough time with the introduction and first chapter which seemed to scream of food snobbery and what is "real" pizza, with the full force of gatekeeping that I hate. However, subsequent chapters really built on previous chapters and took me on a journey to examine the creation of a "national dish" as part of political narratives with political motivations. The book prods at the narratives that are essentially propaganda of a sort, a means to an end, and also what the narratives leave out. Yet the sense of national identity and pride and ritual can be so closely linked to these stories. It ended up wrestling with topics I do really have interest in: food, identity, politics, storytelling. I really enjoyed it.

Die Laughing by Carola Dunn - (Daisy Dalrymple #12) When I just needed an easy mystery to breeze my way through, and I generally enjoy Daisy even if some of the background characters or stories are not to my taste. This one about a murdered dentist was fine!

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede - (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #4) The final book, set in the future, with Daystar. He's fine as a character but not particularly memorable; for me, a vehicle for the remainder of the story to be told. I was just waiting for him to eventually encounter our familiar characters from the prior books! A fairly satisfying ending, but mostly because I liked the return of the beloved past characters.

A Mourning Wedding by Carola Dunn - (Daisy Dalrymple #13) I got both of these from the library at the same time. This one is more family drama and trying to keep track of all the relatives. Also just fine! I do always enjoy the Daisy/Alec dynamic though.

Johnnie Brown: The Road to Becoming the Mayor of NTID by Hope D. Williams - I won this book at the Black History Month Luncheon raffle! I never win things, so that was exciting. A small press book about a local hero at NTID. It was cool to read about his origins and the history of his time at NTID, including how he helped found the annual BHM lunches.

Bite Your Fingertips by Jingxian Su - A reread of a favorite cnovel. I love them so much. Love, love the random vampirism, the "you're my exception", the friend group. Really enjoy that they got together before the end and we got some kissing, sneaking around, and cute boyfriend shenanigans. I could take or leave the angsty family plot.

Jinx by Mingwa - (WIP...) This webtoon is much more to my taste than BJ Alex. Does absolutely start off dubcon at best, easily noncon in some interpretations, but given that Finder is one of my fave series...you kinda roll with it as a genre convention. God, the art is so good (she really has developed from BJ Alex) and Jaekyung is so hot. I don't give a fuck about the UFC but I could pretend. Dan is the absolute woobiest sad woobie ever before he is rescued from it all, but I do like that he kid of eventually gets to showcase his skills and personality. The current arc though, babe is Depressed, and I get it, but I'm also like stop making yourself a martyr and suffering for no reason! It's fine to make Jaekyung suffer a little though as he grovels and discovers feelings. (The side couple is very cute. I love Potato!)

The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo - (Detective Kosuke Kindaichi #8) I keep reading these but I forget why -- the historical aspect of post-war Japan is an interesting setting, but I don't like the main character much, or usually the other characters either. But I do sometimes enjoy the twisty explanations of the mystery. The stories do seem to focus a lot on the horrific tendencies of huans, the evil that runs through some of them, the "unnatural" tendencies, or whatever. The big spoiler in this one was kind of obvious to me by halfway through (maybe even one-third through?).

Ephemera: A Memoir by Briana Loewinsohn - A beautiful graphic memoir, with very few words but a lot of lovely art around plants. A difficult mother-daughter relationship, depicted quietly.

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke - Also gorgeously illustrated, a very short story. Atmospheric but very brief.

The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today Vol 8 by Hitsuzi Yamada - I love this manga so much. This cat is a delight, the parents are fun, and the sweet neighbors and other characters are nice.

Once I survive April, it'll slow down significantly in May! For some rest.