Simone and Her Books

June 2017 Book Haul

June 26, 2017

I recently received some lovely book mail and I couldn’t be more excited about them. Two debut novels from two new authors means that the world is filling up with more beautiful words and stories for us to read and enjoy.

Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma

Published by Scriber Books. André is a listless Brazilian teenager and the son of a successful plastic surgeon who lives a life of wealth and privilege, shuttling between the hot sands of Ipanema beach and his family’s luxurious penthouse apartment. In 1985, when he is just sixteen, André’s mother is killed in a car accident. Clouded with grief, André, his younger brother Thiago, and his father travel with their domestic help to Belem, a jungle city on the mouth of the Amazon, where the intense heat of the rain forest only serves to heighten their volatile emotions. After they arrive back in Rio, André’s father loses himself in his work, while André spends his evenings in the family apartment with Luana, the beautiful daughter of the family’s maid.

Three decades later, and now a successful surgeon himself, André is a middle-aged father, living in London, and recently separated from his British wife. He drinks too much wine and is plagued by recurring dreams. One day he receives an unexpected letter from Luana, which begins to reveal the other side of their story, a story André has long repressed.

Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz

Published by Random House. Seoul, 1978. At South Korea’s top university, the nation’s best and brightest compete to join the professional elite of an authoritarian regime. Success could lead to a life of rarefied privilege and wealth; failure means being left irrevocably behind.

For childhood friends Jisun and Namin, the stakes couldn’t be more different. Jisun, the daughter of a powerful business mogul, grew up on a mountainside estate with lush gardens and a dedicated chauffeur. Namin’s parents run a tented food cart from dawn to curfew. Her sister works in a shoe factory. Now Jisun wants as little to do with her father’s world as possible, abandoning her schoolwork in favor of the underground activist movement, while Namin studies tirelessly in the service of one goal: to launch herself and her family out of poverty.

But everything changes when Jisun and Namin meet an ambitious, charming student named Sunam, whose need to please his family has led him to a prestigious club: the Circle. Under the influence of his mentor, Juno, a manipulative social climber, Sunam becomes entangled with both women, as they all make choices that will change their lives forever.

I think I’m set for the rest of summer 🙂
June 2017 Book of the Month Club Haul

June 23, 2017

I love Book of the Month Club. Most of my hauls from the past few months consisted solely of novels I collect from this subscription service. Reason being is that I don’t have a large budget per month, so I pay a subscription amount for at least one book to be delivered to me every month. But let’s all be serious, I never keep to my budgets.

This month, Book of the Month Club has got some seriously interesting novels and I can’t wait to dive right into them. You’ll probably hear more about these within the next few weeks, so for now I’ll just include the synopses for you to read and ponder.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

White Fur by Jardine Libaire

When Elise Perez meets Jamey Hyde on a desolate winter afternoon, fate implodes, and neither of their lives will ever be the same. Although they are next-door neighbors in New Haven, they come from different worlds. Elise grew up in a housing project without a father and didn’t graduate from high school. Jamey is a junior at Yale, heir to a private investment bank fortune and beholden to high family expectations. The attraction is instant, and what starts out as sexual obsession turns into something greater, stranger, and impossible to ignore.

The unlikely couple moves to Manhattan in hopes of forging an adult life together, but Jamey’s family intervenes in desperation, and the consequences of staying together are suddenly severe. And when a night out with old friends takes a shocking turn, Jamey and Elise find themselves fighting not just for their love but also for their lives.

Theft by Finding by David Sedaris

David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making.

For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and through them he has honed his cunning, surprising sentences.

Now, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. Theft by Finding, the first of two volumes, is the story of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet.
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan

June 22, 2017

What if you found out that your long lost father was just as rich as your friends were? What if you went from nothing to something in a blink of an eye? What if all this news brought some more troubling issues into your life?

China Rich Girlfriend is the sequel to the popular Crazy Rich Asians (currently in production, which I might add is super exciting) and carries with it the overwrought drama you would see in a Korean drama. Extremely enjoyable!

The plot

On the eve of her wedding to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia, Rachel should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond from JAR, a wedding dress she loves more than anything found in the salons of Paris, and a fiancé willing to sacrifice his entire inheritance in order to marry her. But Rachel still mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be able to walk her down the aisle. Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father. Meanwhile, Singapore’s It Girl, Astrid Leong, is shocked to discover that there is a downside to having a newly minted tech billionaire husband. A romp through Asia’s most exclusive clubs, auction houses, and estates, China Rich Girlfriend brings us into the elite circles of Mainland China, introducing a captivating cast of characters, and offering an inside glimpse at what it’s like to be gloriously, crazily, China-rich.

My thoughts

Without being too biased here, I thought China Rich Girlfriend was an absolute blast to read. It almost felt like I was reading a movie or like watching an episode of Gossip Girl where money needs to stick with money and those with new money can never be a part of the inner circle.

There were several different stories going on at the same time. We first have our Rachel and Nick getting married and starting their life together when lo and behold (SPOILERS) Rachel is reunited with her birth father who just so happens to be this rich politician living in Shanghai.

So off Nick and Rachel go to China to meet her dad and hang out with her new family. Obviously long lost kids don’t just show up and everything is fine, so the story begins to twist and turn as a family tries to figure out how to manage their feelings (and their money) with a new face.

Then we have Astrid and her sadness. If you read Crazy Rich Asians, then you already know that Astrid is not in the best state of affairs and the story here gets more intense as her husband tries to get a hold of himself with his new money. Remember, old money and new money just don’t mix so obviously drama ensues.

Finally, there’s Kitty Pong. That’s right. Kitty. Pong. The actress that marries the rich guy gets a small story threaded throughout the novel. However, I will admit I was disappointed when I learned about what happened to her husband.

The writing was great. It was eloquent and verbose (I’m working on my vocabulary), but while describing some crazy drama. And of course, there was no limit on the ridiculously rich lifestyles of these characters. Honestly, I felt like I was one of them while I stood on public transportation on my way to my minimum wage day job.

All in all, I actually thought this novel was better than the first. I’m really happy that the new one is finally out. You know I’ll be compulsively picking that one up.
Welcome to the Longest Day of the Year

June 22, 2017
I absolutely love today because of a few reasons:
1. Today is my mother’s birthday
2. Today is the longest day of the year
I sometimes imagine what it must be like to live in the Arctic circle where they have the longest days of any place in the entire world and that’s because it doesn’t get dark. Ever.

But for those of us that live in a slightly bigger city (or adjacent), we only get one day of the year where the sun stays out for a little bit longer than it would any other day.

And you all know what I’m going to be doing; reading.

If you haven’t noticed from my Instagram, I love being indoors. But B and I made it a point to get ourselves an apartment with a balcony so that we can spend some outside.

While not every reader is an introvert, I just happen to fit into the stereotype very well. I like my home and sitting on my green couch and staring out windows at the people enjoying the sunshine. Having a balcony really helps me to get my much needed Vitamin D without having to converse with other people or spend money on a ridiculously large cup of coffee.

Also, the privacy gives me the quiet I need to get some reading done. Sometimes when I go to a cafe or to the park, I get so distracted by all the people around. I want to people watch and not be buried deep in the passages of a novel.

Have you ever experienced this? Have you ever wanted to spend time outside and find yourself stuck on the inside?

Well, if you have, I dare you to step outside for a little while today before the sun goes down on this beautiful day. Or, you can always wait till next year.

Happy Solstice, everyone!
Bookstore Tour – Hoehyeon Underground Market Bookstore

June 16, 2017

While on my travels in Korea, I wanted to spend some time checking out the local bookstores. Sadly, I didn’t check out any (blame it on the jetlag and laziness), but while walking through the city’s underground shopping centers, I came across a little bookstore crammed floor to ceiling with books.

I could barely fit myself into the store. A narrow entrance led me to books from all different genres, in different languages, and from different countries. The faint sound of classical music playing somewhere in the back indicated to me that this wasn’t just some personal collection unearthed and placed in a small store as storage. This place with a legitimate store with probably some sort of shelving system that I couldn’t discern. It almost felt like a “choose your own adventure” where you are lucky to find something you were looking for. The fun part is that you always find something.
Traveling to South Korea – Life Update

June 14, 2017

I’m really loving my life updates, so I hope you’ve been loving them too. As you may know, I recently returned from my first trip to Seoul, South Korea. I’m Korean American and I’ve always wanted to travel to Korea to see where my family originally came from. It’s kind of funny that this was my first trip there and that I was there for a wedding for my sister’s friends.

So I went to the land of Psy and “Gangnam Style,” ate authentic Korean BBQ, visited some beautiful temples and palaces, and really felt a sense of belonging. However, I don’t think I would want to live here. It’s a modern city with a lot of technology, but it’s still a little backwards when it comes to things like women’s right to choose and the pollution is awful. But I can see myself visiting a few times in the future.

Maybe it’s because I’m Korean and living in America, but I’ve always struggled with who I am and metaphorically asking myself where my “loyalties lie.” Am I Korean? Am I American? I’ve been so homogenized by American culture and growing up here that I see myself more as American than as Korean. However, I don’t look it. I don’t look like those Baywatch babes with blonde hair, slender body, and classically beautiful features. But I’m American and in this country it’s ok if you don’t. You’re you, but at the same time I’m not me? I wonder if any other race within this diverse nation feels the same way.

This is getting quite philosophical, so I want to clearly say that while I’m an American and love being a citizen of this country, I still wonder what my heritage is and what I stand for and who were these people that I call “my people.” Being second generation born in America, I find myself asking that all the time. How do I maintain being the American I am while keeping true to the people I come from?

So the opportunity for me to go to Korea came up and I couldn’t turn it down. It wasn’t the best timing to go with me losing my job and moving and getting married and all that, but I couldn’t say no. And you know what I found there?

I found myself detaching. I found myself as an American traveling to another country. I was being scolded for not being Korean enough. People were expecting me to speak fluently even though I came from a country where the dominant language is English. I found myself awkwardly bowing to everyone just to be polite when all was needed was a quick handshake. And even the opposite where I offered my hand only to be greeted with a bow.

I found myself feeling like a person touring the country of her origin, but not feeling original. I felt it when I saw my friend, an expat, speaking better Korean than me. “I’m still working on the dialect and emotion in my voice,” she said to me. But it wasn’t necessary to understand inflection when you can order coffees for everyone without having to switch to English.

And in its own small way, it was disheartening. I found myself wanting to go home and be in the comfort of a language and a people that I was used to. Korea is beautiful and a place where everyone should visit once, but I don’t identify with it as my country. My country is America and I’m proud of that. My country is also Korea and I’m proud of that too. However, Korea is not my home. It is the place that gave me my identity and I will always cherish that. I will always try to return, but as a tourist.

Identity is tough, folks. I don’t think anyone will ever get a good grasp of it. If you’re struggling through identity, not only ethnic identity but also gender identity and religious identity and all the other parts of you that make up who you are, then I can confidently say that you’re not alone. No one ever is. Everyday is a mad grab at finding who you are and doing what needs to be done in order to preserve that journey. It’s hard and it’s easy. But when you explore it and answer some of those questions you have about yourself, I think the one thing you get out of the whole ordeal is comfort.
It took me exactly one month to finish A Court of Wings and Ruin

June 12, 2017

Some of you may do this while others take a more traditional approach, but I love to track my books on Goodreads. Being as my day job consists of looking at numbers all the time, I wanted to look at the numbers for a book I was reading. How long does it take me to read a book? What genres motivate me more? What motivates me less? What do I truly love to read? I can find out all that information through tracking.

So when I recently finished reading A Court of Wings and Ruin (or lovingly referred to as ACOWAR) by Sarah J. Maas, I did what I always do; I marked it on my Goodreads. And lo and behold, I can see the dates I started reading the book and when I finished.

Looking closely at the status dates, I started ACOWAR on May 9th and marked it read on June 9th. That is ONE MONTH of reading a book.

I think the last time it took me that long to read a book I was reading 1Q84 and I wasn’t as avid a reader as I am now. That book took me four months, but we don’t have to talk about that.

You must be thinking, a 700-page book and it only took you a month? Please that seems accurate. But it doesn’t feel accurate when the last book you read by Sarah J. Maas was even longer and you read it in eight hours.

Yes. Eight, straight hours.

Granted there are a million excuses for me not reading faster or carving more time out of my day to read this book, but I think the biggest reason why I didn’t read is just circumstance. I was busy getting fired from my job. I was busy looking for another job. I was busy putting all my life possession into boxes, moving to another city, and then unpacking all those boxes. I didn’t have Internet for a week and then I got a new job that I needed to focus on.

And the reason why I bring this up is because life is filled with circumstance. There will be days, weeks, or even years where you don’t have time to read. Just remember that deep down while you don’t have a book in your hand, you’re still a book reader. If it takes you a week or a month to read a book, just be happy with the fact that you’re reading. You’re educating yourself and you’re questioning the understood belief.

People always say that life is short, but it’s only short if you want it to be. If you savor each moment and spend your time doing instead of thinking, then you might think life is short, but it’ll have been the greatest life of all time. Don’t waste your time getting caught up by your reading challenge. If you’re a blogger, don’t feel guilty for not writing a post in a few months. People always find a way back to you especially if they like you.

Anyway, onto my review.

Synopsis

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

This book was difficult for me to get through despite the fact that I had some outside circumstances getting in my way of finishing it. However, I feel like this always happens when you’re reading a book series.

Rating: 4/5 Cauldrons

My thoughts

Aside from the fact that it took me a month to read this, I thought this book was OK. In comparison to the last two, this felt like a mid-series novel where a lot of set up needed to happen in order for the final battle can happen. There was a lot of setting up of meetings and conversations and thoughts and wondering about things and sometimes you need to sacrifice a book to the series gods in order to build up for the big thing. I was worried this book would be a whole bunch of build up and then nothing happens. I thought Sarah J Maas was going to leave us on the edge of our seats and wait for the next book to come out. However, she doesn’t. Actually, I loved this ending (and endings are a bit of a sore subject for me), but where will she go from here?

Another big thing about this book is that we see the true nature of the characters that Sarah J. Maas created. I was kind of shocked to see that some of them were “playing the game” while others were just hurt and sad. It’s true to reality where we wear these masks of pride in order to hide what we truly feel. In the end, masks are removable and for the characters, no one can hide for long.

I was reading a few reviews of this book and someone brought up the fact that Feyre has had it pretty easy for her. Without knowing spells or having the talent or the little tidbit where she was human, she’s been able to manage through the Fae world pretty easily without being too injured or too abandoned. I guess that blogger is right. It’s been pretty easy for her, but I do hope that things get a little bit tough. Granted, I don’t want to see anyone die, but perhaps that’s what’s in store in the future. Perhaps we’ll see something go wrong.

But it’ll probably be another year before we all find out, so I guess for now all we can do is wait.
Bookstore Tour – Books Are Magic

June 9, 2017

Books Are Magic is a midsize bookstore in the heart of Cobble Hill. Owned by Emma Straub and her husband, their dedication to bring an independent bookstore to their part of Brooklyn was such a success.

The walls smell like fresh paint and the bookshelves have that distinct musk that only books have when coupled with wood. It’s too bad there wasn’t a cafe because I’m pretty sure coffee would seal the deal and make it a true bookstore.

My first assumption I had about the store before even stepping foot into it was that it was some place where they only sold like the 6th printed copy of Faulkner or only non-biographical pieces. But no, I was wrong. This place carried everything. From popular NYT best-sellers to some indie titles, I was pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful and spacious bookstore in the middle of Cobble Hill.

The walls are lined with beautiful hardcover, paperback, fiction and non-fiction alike. Stepping deeper into the store you’ll find a whole room dedicated to children with little reading nooks for those who want a little bit of time to themselves.

Come by to read, to browse, to attend an event, or even to pick up a cute trinket or two. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Books Are Magic

225 Smith St

Brooklyn, NY 11231

https://www.instagram.com/booksaremagicbk/
Life Update: I’m going to Korea!

May 15, 2017

Hey folks!

So in the next few weeks, you might not see a lot of updating here re: books. If anything, you’ll see me wandering the streets of Seoul as I head to Korea for two weeks. A friend of my sister’s is getting married and I got to join them on the trip. I’m so excited! I’ve never been to Korea and it’s finally time for this Korean girl to get back to her roots.

I’ll try to post on my regularly scheduled times (Mon, Wed, Fri, if you weren’t aware) and of course I’ll be reading, so I’ll be updating with book thoughts throughout.

If you’re really interested in seeing what I’m up to while I’m in Korea, follow me on Instagram and Twitter! I’m sure I’ll be writing so much more about my trip there. I hope you don’t mind a few blog posts about what I see and do.

Take care!

Simone
My favorite Brooklyn places to take bookish photos

May 12, 2017

My husband and I are moving (definitely moving, not considering moving) to New Jersey in a few weeks and I’ve been thinking about all the different and new places I’ll find in our new neighborhood. Either for me to get coffee or lounge with my book or even to buy groceries or have dinner together. It’ll be tough at first as I check out different places, but what I’m hoping for is that go-to where the coffee is good, the baked goods selection is ample, and I can read uninterrupted somewhere that isn’t in my home or on the train.

Thinking about all the places I’ll see, I started thinking about all the places I used to go. To give you an idea of what part of Brooklyn I lived in, I was in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area and my workplace was in the Dumbo area of Brooklyn. I should preface this with “my favorite places where they sell coffee and treats and I can actually sit and read my book if I wanted to afterward.” Because there are some really beautiful places to take bookish photos, but they’re not conducive to reading. You’ll end up hearing the chatter of all the other people in a restaurant. The bookstores are too distracting with cute dogs walking by and humans walking by and people just generally in your face all the time. The bookstores in Brooklyn are also pretty tiny with not a lot of room to sit and read. They’re mostly there for you to get your book and go.

There used to be this hidden gem of a Barnes and Noble in Manhattan that I would always go to. I didn’t buy books there because oddly their selection was so limited that independent bookstore look like Amazon, but I did love to sit around in a nearly abandoned bookstore and read without distractions. Sadly, that Barnes and Noble did close and it’s probably because it was a nearly abandoned bookstore you can read in without distractions. Also, homeless people chilled in the reading areas. That’s New York living for you.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s check out the options I’ve got here in my lovely little neighborhood.

My Couch

You’ve probably seen the green monstrosity that I call a couch. It’s my favorite place to sit in the entire apartment with only three working legs and the fourth being held up by books.

I’m a huge introvert and sometimes that means that I don’t want to leave the house or talk to humans or be around people I love (sorry, honey). Sometimes I just need to sit in my favorite spot on the couch and read. It’s also a great place to take photos if you set the mood right and there’s some great reading light. It’s also very cost-efficient since you don’t need to buy a $5 cup of coffee to sit on your own couch. Make yourself a cup of tea or do a late-afternoon coffee with a snack. Grab your fur baby and force them to cuddle with you. Invest in some beautiful blankets.

Most importantly, PUT ON PANTS. I’m a huge advocate for sweats at home, but if I’m taking a bookish photo, I really try to put some effort into the way the bottom half of my body looks. Once you’ve got all those necessities, you’ll be ready to take some cozy effortless photos of you just nonchalantly reading on a weekday afternoon. The photo above was an exception because it was the holiday season and who wears pants while they open presents?

Bakeri

Bakeri is this beautiful little place right near my apartment. Every once in a while, I will pull myself off my couch and this is the go-to place for me. The tables are long and communal, so you need to share with other folks around you, but the vibe is good. Not a lot of talkers in that place and bonus points for not a lot of laptops. This place has no wifi, which is nice because you don’t need the Internet to read and it keeps those laptop squatters at bay. Pro tip: Find the place that doesn’t have wifi for a quiet reading spot. No wifi means less people wanting to stay and do stuff.

Bluestone Lane

There’s a few New York based book bloggers that use Bluestone Lane as a means for bookish photos. I worked near one so I would head down for a quick coffee run and take a bookish photo. I will admit that I’ve been guilty of using other people’s drinks and coffee cups to take some cute photos, but for the most part the drinks are mine.

I don’t think this is the quietest place to sit and read, but it is good for some beautiful photos. The way food and drinks are served here have been really delightful and I always come back here for their coffee and teas. Also, they have some a pretty incredible matcha latte if you’re into that kind of thing.

Woops Bakery

Woops Bakery is a super cute place in Williamsburg with ridiculously photogenic tables and food. I go here from time to time and partake in their delicious macaron selection and good coffee. And if you get the setting right, then you can get some beautiful photos.

However, they do tend to get a bit crowded because it’s right off the Bedford stop (and if you’ve ever been to Williamsburg, you understand), so it’s best to go during the week.

One Girl Cookies

One Girl Cookies is another great little coffee shop (and mentioned in a few YAs). They’re famous for their whoopee pies and great setting. Beautiful and large, this place sits right by the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. You can settle in to their little seating area or you can take your coffee on the go and take some really beautiful bookish photos by the East River. This place does get crowded and sometimes there’s a photoshoot or a movie being made here, but when there isn’t, you can find yourself getting lost in your book for a few hours.

The last thing I want to say before I wrap up here is this: do what feels right for you. I know it’s easy to be tempted by the beautiful book photos you see on the Internet and with a little bit of elbow grease, you can take lovely photos of your current reads in your favorite setting without spending too much money or sacrificing reading time to the less-reading crowds.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with my new New Jersey digs, but for now let me know what your favorite bookish photo spot are!