Recently, I read Legendary by Stephanie Garber and thought long and hard about what kinds of foods I could pair with a story like this. I think I finally figured it out and I’ll show you why I chose apple crumble.
Simone and Her Books
books, reviews, and recommendations
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It’s starting to cool down a little bit in LA, which means that Fall is sort of finally here. I guess I’m going to have to get used to the fact that it doesn’t get that much cooler here.
While I hope for the cool fall weather to finally make an appearance, I put together a lost of some of my favorite fall-time treats this year. These things are getting me really into the fall-time mood and I hope they set your mood too.
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Alright, folks. This weekend is the #8inBoo Read-a-thon over on Bookstagram. It’ll be hosted by the ladies of 25inFive and it’s going to be so fun!
What is a read-a-thon?
A read-a-thon is just a challenge to read as much as you can over the course of a few days. For example, 25inFive stands for “25 hours of reading over the course of 5 days.”
For 8inBoo, the challenge will be reading for 8 hours over the course of two days. The “boo” in this reference is because it’s freaking Halloween time and we’re going to read something scary. This weekend (October 19 – October 20) will be the weekend to die for.
Of course, you don’t have to read something scary, but I will. I don’t normally read horror or thriller fiction because I’m a huge baby and I can’t stand the scares. However, it’s a very important time of year where the folks of America scare the ever-living daylights out of each other in good cheer. I don’t get into that, but I do get into reading.
Here’s what I’ll be reading this year for #8inBoo
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In honor of Fall Fantasy, I’ll be spotlighting on some of my favorite fantasy authors this month. There’s so many to choose from, but I’m going with the tried and true blue team (at least for me).If you were to ask me who is the author I always buy time and time again, it would be Neil Gaiman. While the master of the fantastical and dreary, Neil Gaiman always reminds me of the bookish Tim Burton. He’s dark and a little bit scary, but his stories have so much heart to them. Every time I think of Coraline or Neverwhere, I immediately think he needs to do a collaboration with Tim Burton to make those movies.
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Fantasy is a new genre for me. I realized that I loved all the fantasy I’ve been getting my hands on and I promised myself that I would really explore it.
But how do you start reading a genre that you don’t know about? Do I start with the classics or go for a well-known author? How do I keep a handle on all the parts of the world and the names? I mean, Game of Thrones has so many interweaving storylines that I honestly need a notebook to watch that show.
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Ahhh, that crisp LA air is so cozy during these fall times. Just kidding. It’s 80 degrees today. Sadly, that seems to be the running theme for a lot of folks all over the United States. Global warming? Good question. But let’s talk about my favorite types of reads.
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Welcome to a new week and welcome to FALL! Well, I know fall officially started last month, but I don’t feel fall until October. I grew up in New York where summer lasted through all of September and you don’t really feel fall until mid-October. Because of that, I feel like the only time I deem worthy to be fall is mid-October. And here we are!
This year, I don’t get to experience all the magic of fall. Living in LA means sacrificing those beautiful changing seasons, but that’s okay. The weather drops enough to warrant sweaters and I’m hoping that winter will be more like fall and I don’t mind an entire winter of fall.
Of course I’m drinking my pumpkin spice, making apple everything, and reading what I love to read during the fall; FANTASY.
For me, fantasy reads and fall weather go hand-in-hand. I think it has a lot to do with those late nights waiting to see the new Harry Potter movie or Lord of the Rings. Somehow, my brain has mapped fall with fantasy and I’m so excited about it.
I’ve collected a pretty good number of fantasy reads that I’ve been dying to read for a few years now. I think this will be the perfect season to finally catch up and maybe level up my fantasy reading. I’ll share my list in a couple of days.
What are you excited about reading this fall?
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Hi everyone and welcome to Friday! We made it!
I know that weekends are meant to be a little bit more fun and relaxing, but this weekend I find myself wanting to know more about who I am.
Well, I know who I am, but I want to know more about where I came from.
I recently finished reading All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung. The memoir is based around the years Nicole Chung spent looking for her birth family. It starts with the feelings she had when she was a kid; being raised in a predominantly white neighborhood to white parents and not knowing a heck lot of where she came from. As the story unfolds, we get to see that Nicole Chung does find her family and along with it, generations of family history she could have never received if she didn’t look for them.
And I found myself thinking about how happy I am to know where I come from and even celebrate some of that culture. I don’t think I would be the same person if I didn’t know. I think I might even be less than I am now.
I’m always a promoter of finding yourself; the anatomy that makes up who you are and the people that made you you. I know that I was born and raised Korean American. I love searching through my Korean heritage and falling in love with the people and culture. I also love that my husband knows where he comes from and has had family traditions passed on to him as valuable as the color of his eyes and the texture of his hair.
I wonder sometimes if people take pride in the culture that raised them. Do they know where their family is from? Even if you’re a billion different countries, at least you know where you’re from.
Being able to know yourself and where you come from is this amazing journey through culture and significance. You can find out so much of yourself through the countries your ancestors may have come from. With new technology and DNA screens, you can easily do a DNA test to find out where you’re from and other little tidbits. I love that these tools are readily available for us to find out who we are, where we come from, and what to celebrate.
Celebrating culture is super important to me too. While I may forget a random holiday in the middle of the year, I always know New Year’s Day is reserved for family. We bow, eat lucky foods, and wish each other a happy and safe new year with many lucky moments. My husband loves to celebrate his Irish and German heritage even though he’s a few generations in America. I always try to make some Irish eats and tried my hand (and failed) on some German foods too. It’s always fun to dive into those cultures even in a foodie way.
So that’s what I encourage you all to do this weekend. Even if it’s one thing or a whole festival of things, take a moment to find out who you are, where you come from, and how you can celebrate that culture in your family. You might find yourself trying out a new tradition or even learning that there’s more to you than meets the eye.
Happy weekend,
Simone
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I’m going to be honest, August and September were crappy reading months. I was in the middle of moving everywhere and spending time on people’s couches and on air mattresses. I feel like the last thing on my mind is reading a book, which is something that I don’t normally say to anyone.
But I did finish reading some books in September and finished the month strong with 8 books. September felt like a lull in the beginning and then a mad rush to read as much as I can before the end of it. Some were shorter and others were longer, but all of it enjoyable. Check out what I read below.
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I didn’t think the fall would be a huge time for new reads, but it’s turning out to be a better month than the entire year. Here’s what’s publishing this month that I’m super excited about.
Of course there are some books that I’m more excited about than others. The list is pretty long this month in comparison to other months, so I’ll put a little star next to those titles. For now, get ready to get your wallet out. Here comes the books!
Simone and Her Books 