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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Reads

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Hello all, and happy May! I’m trying to get back to doing readathons and reading Asian/Pacific authors’ diverse works is one of my favorite things to do. I’m doing the Asian Readathon which is put on by @asianreadathon on X. This challenge is pretty easy so I think I’m going to do fine with it.

Here are the prompts for this year’s readathon.

  1. Read a book written by an Asian author.
  2. Read a book that feels timeless.
  3. Read an underrated book.
  4. Read a debut book.
  5. Read a book with a story, character, or world that represents what you would want in your next life.

The trick of this readathon even though you can combine books for different prompts the authors need to be of different Asian and Pacific Islander ethnicities. Basically, if you read a book by a Chinese author and fulfill three prompts you can’t use another book by a Chinese author for this challenge.

The creator of the challenge helpfully provided this guide.

Here is my TBR.

1) A book written an Asian author.

This is a comic/graphic novel I’ve been waiting to read for a while. This covers West Asia, Arabia.

2) A book that seems timeless.

Okay, I’m a Sailor Moon simp. It was going to be in here no matter what the challenge was. It covers Japan.

3) Read an underrated book

I’ve always found this cover pretty and I’d like to read it. The author Elizabeth Lim is Chinese Australian.

4) Read a debut book

This book is by a Sri-Lankan author and looks interesting (South Asia)

5) Read a book you would want your life to be like.

Not super sure about this yet but I love the title.

I’m excited to start a new month of reading. I hope you’ll join me in the challenge.

Orilium, Readathons

Spring 2024 Orillum Wrap Up

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I’m slowly getting back into doing bookish things. I planned to have my character Fable, an elf from Kerador. I haven’t been active in this particular readathon since 2022. But I’m excited to jump back in.

Fable is switching from Dream Weaver to Thread Mage this time. Mostly because I’m reading slower these days.

The books I’ve finished so far.

Restoration-Read a Book that is supposed to get you out of a slump

Alchemy- A book with a circle on the Cover

Spells and Incantations-Random Number Generator Title Length

I still have two books to finish but I think I can manage by the end of the month. I’m almost finished with my book for Inscription which is

This should be a quick read, then I think I’m going to go with a manga for the last book. Probably Cardcaptor Sakura.

I’m excited to do more things with Orillum this year. And I can’t wait to continue their Year in Adelia challenge.

Image by freepik

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All Our Hidden Gifts

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This is one of my longest reads of the year so far. It’s a cute book I’m buddy reading with a date of mine. Of course, I finished it first, because I’m a huge nerd about the topic it covers but I can’t wait for the sequel.

The story follows Maeve Chambers a young woman, who is just trying to make her way at her Catholic school, St. Bernadette’s. Often getting in trouble in one way or another she finds a set of tarot cards and a walkman while cleaning out one of the old classrooms.

Maeve starts doing tarot readings and gets popular within her school for it. Maeve for her part thinks she’s just having fun and enjoying the popularity. She seems to find herself extra gifted at learning the tarot and things about magic. She’s always had trouble with school so this is a welcome gift to her.

Everything changes though when she does a reading for her ex-best friend Lily, the result of which is a mysterious card appearing and her letting out the thought that she wishes Lily would disappear.

Maeve wish comes true when Lily suddenly goes missing. And her life is turned upside down. Labeled as a cause of Lily’s disappearance. Maeve becomes a social pariah, only finding friends in Rory or Roe, Lily’s older brother and later another girl in her class named Fiona.

Roe, has things to hide himself. As a genderqueer teen in Ireland he has to keep parts of himself hidden. But he and Maeve start to bond as they try and find clues about Lily’s disappearance and soon fall into the mystical as they learn about the strange card that appeared in Lily’s reading called The Housekeeper.

The Housekeeper card it seems comes up when there is trouble and strife. Maeve starts getting visions of Lily missing and the mysterious woman in a wedding dress appearing with her.

Consulting with the local mystic and owner of a shop called Divinations. She advises them on spells and tries to warn them to be careful. The pair also finds evidence that a local alt-right group has been involved in luring teens away and checks that out. Only to find their leader Aaron to be especially eerie.

As things get more serious Maeve starts to tap into her magic. Finding out that this is not the first time the Housekeeper has appeared, she finds herself and her friends drawn into a thirty-year-old mystery that may end with her having to give her life.

This tale of adventure and magic kept me gripped from the first page to the last

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Review: My Happy Marriage Volume 1

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I started this manga after watching the anime for it on Netflix. I’m really liking the first volume. It shows the beginnings of Miyo Satomori and Kiyoka Kudou romantic relationship.

This manga takes place in an alternate Taisho era Japan where there are things called Grotesqueries. These are evil magical spirits that the people of this land need certain abilities to fight. A select few are gifted with the ability to see these spirits and do things like create fire and manipulate other elements. Some very select few can even alter how people think and change their minds.

Miyo however appears to us without a gift. She is treated like less than a servant because of it, even though she is a noble daughter and her mother has a gift. Miyo is simply seen as a nuisance or someone to bring down her family. Unlike her half-sister Kaya who is granted a marriage with Miyo’s childhood sweetheart.

Miyo on the other hand is sent off to marry Kiyoka Kudou, a man who is said to go through fiancees quickly. Some had left in as little as three days with the man. Because she has nowhere to go Miyo tries to make the best of things in the Kudo household.

However, the way Miyo comports herself around Kiyoka and his only servant Yurie makes Kiyoka curious about her upbringing. She is too apologetic and thin for the start but he suspects larger abuse. After confirming she has been mistreated he starts to treat her more kindly.

Miyo finds out Kiyoka is just a little different and not the unkind man she was expecting. There is a very cute shopping adventure, where we see Kiyoka being drawn to Miyo despite his best efforts not to care. The Volume ends with a special gift and surprise question.

I can’t wait to read Volume 2!

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Introduction

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Hello all, this is my second stab at a book blog. My past website Plaid Reader Reviews, focused mostly on middle-grade content. And I still love that I’m not reading as much of that as I used to and am doing more diverse content. Hence the name change.

What will you see here? Lots of romance and romantasy reviews. Along with comics, graphic novels, and manga. Along with a little non-fiction. My goal is to read more books this year than I did last year. So join me in my journey and share in my challenges and posts.

I’m currently reading My Happy Marriage Volume 1.