meitachi | books read: 2025 july

Cnovels, webtoons, and summer make for a lot of reading!

God, I can't believe it's August now. Racing toward the start of the semester.

Love and Let Lie by Kimson - M/m webtoon that had a feisty, kinda dickish bottom who is the black sheep of his conglomerate/chaebol family. The top is a sweetie adopted pity case. There was some drama and plot that was not really relevant, whatever! So many adoptions? The only memorable thing about this webtoon were the two older brothers (blood-related) in the chaebol family being deeply fucked up and abused (but also abusive) but also, like, kinda incesty. Which the general readers did not enjoy, but I was kinda like...tell me more? Alas, we did not get more.

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo - A companion piece to Last Night at the Telegraph Club in that it's the same universe, but set in contemporary times with only a passing mention of a main character from that book. Lovely story on its own though, with new coming of age and queer actualization that felt so natural. Really lovely, real characters who are likeable and flawed. I get what the epilogue was trying to do but I wonder if it felt a little too pat and am unsure if it was necessary.

Again by Limetree - M/m webtoon with a villain reborn 3 years into the past for a second chance at life and being nicer to people. Entertainment industry. The premise and conflict didn't last very long before it just became a straightforward romance, which was only...fine! I always crave more from entertainment settings but no one is really giving me what I want. (What do I want? I'll tell you when I find it.)

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez - Audiobook. Some familiar data, many new things as well: overall, important and glad this book exists. I wish she didn't shy away from using the word "misogyny", though, given she literally spends chapters describing the attitudes and behaviors that are driven by and manifest as it. Also, acknowledgment of trans experiences might have made this stronger.

Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy - Reread of a silly m/m college roommates (fratbro roommates, to be clear) novel. Silly, hot, sweet; maybe more compelling to me now than the first time around. The stripper hustle was a little eye-rolly as a trope but fun in execution; I like that they both have their traumas and depth. Sex was hot.

If You Don't Fall in Love, You'll Die by Qi Long - M/m cnovel - entertainment industry, death system. I really loved You Boys Play Games Very Well by the same author and this story did not compare (I maybe just love school stories), but still sweet and funny and tropey. Three couples and various childhood entanglements. Everyone gets a happy ending.

The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - A collection of fairy tales! Probably a reread because I think I read all the colored fairy books in my childhood. A good mix.

Limerence by Jiang Zi Bei - A real paperback cnovel translation! I bought it in support and because I've liked the author's other works. There were schoolboys and esports gaming, but the primary premise is the main character finding out his boyfriend is cheating on him while his boyfriend's roommate has been secretly in love with him the whole time. It's fun but not as iddy to me as some of her other works.

Mr. 100% Perfect by Hobaen - Webtoon that I only love because of the second couple. The main couple had me rooting for them up until running headlong into the main love interest's obsessive and possessive and major anger issues; what makes it worse is those issues felt weirdly validated by the narrative that otherwise valued "healthy realistic romantic relationships". The second couple though!! SO GOOD. Idle asshole playboy reforming his ways; hardworking goodnatured "plain" woobie learning to trust and open his heart... Love them. They're so good.

Fire by Kristin Cashore - (Graceling Realm 2) Went back to read this, set in the other world -- turns out I really do just care about Katsa and Bitterblue! I will say the prince/love interest in this one was perhaps the best overall, but I was lukewarm on Fire as a main character, and loathed the narrative focus/throughline on pregnancy and babies. Also, ugh, Leck.

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani - A middle grade graphic novel that touches on mother-daughter immigrant relationships, coming of age, growing up separate from your motherland's culture and tongue, the sexism that pervades modern (and historical) India, the historical stories of women who prevailed nonetheless, and bits of magic and deities/mythology. There's a wealth of interesting themes in this one!

The Night of Baba Yaga by Akira Ohtani - Noir-ish thriller, translated from Japanese. F/f, kinda, with a less romanticized look at yakuza life and escaping from it.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang - Graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion in China from the perspective of the Chinese, utilizing mythology and showcasing stories of common people and families.

Saints by Gene Luen Yang - Graphic novel companion to the above, from the POV of a woman who converts to Christianity as the only escape for an otherwise wretched poor woman's life. Any culture, any era, always finds a way to keep the women down and disdain them, doesn't it?

Return by Emily Luan - Poetry from a Taiwanese diaspora author; references the land, culture, and food; plays with the language in meaning and its pictographic depiction as well.

Banana Scandal by Dolsha - Webtoon. The art started and stayed pretty rough through half of this; S1 had flashes of brilliance that didn't really coalesce til S3. One of the rare series where I really rooted for and loved the first/main couple throughout the whole series, but they really did finish their story and end up in a good place after S1. S2 and S3 had a very compelling arc for the secondary couple, including a vaunted (and deserved) redemption arc for the asshole love interest of the second couple. A realistic pace for reconciliation too, with a timeskip as people need time apart to grow and heal as individuals before coming back together to make it work. I value and acknowledge this but also I hate it deeply from my shipper heart. The women were also great, varied, and never tropey villainous plot points.

Rose and Renaissance Vol 1 by Zhi Chu - More translated cnovels in paperback form! I hadn't heard of this before but it had good reviews so I gave it a shot. Love it. Entertainment industry with a really interesting variety show/escape room with tactics and plot lovingly thought through. Love of humanities/art as well as physics and science. Sexy and smutty. Prickly "rivals" become more, overcoming past traumas and whatnot.

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib - Audiobook. A love story to a time and place (Columbus, OH specifically but also Ohio more broadly) and to basketball, interwoven with cultural references (movies, songs) and observations about life (social justice, communities). Poetic. I want to read (or listen to) more of his essays!

Rose and Renaissance Vol 2 by Zhi Chu - Still delightful, and the relationship progresses!

Rose and Renaissance Vol 3 by Zhi Chu - The three volumes blend together but it's real love! Plus a minor villain they have to overcome! A cute side couple! The last volume is just extras, so I'll get it later. This ended on a sweet note though, so a fitting end to also leave it at the end of this volume.

Currently watching Vincenzo on the strength of good ratings a passing review that the brothers had a weird vibe going on. They did, but not like in the Love and Let Lie webtoon (a little more murderous) so eh. Going with it to see how the evil Babel group is finally taken down. Way more murderous trucks than guns in Korea (but the guns do eventually show up too).