Month: August 2020

This was so wholesome. It’s a bit cheesy and silly since there are some contrived plot devices like in a teen romcom. Still, I enjoyed reading it.

When I was a teenager, I was skipping contemporary young adult fiction in favour of adult fiction or the classics. YA as a genre has come a long way in 20 years. There is a lot more choice and diversity. When I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of young adult books written about the Asian experience in North America or the West. I felt most YA novels did not represent my experiences so after awhile, I stopped reading them. In recent years, there has been much more choice in this arena even with the controversies in the publishing industry.

Case in point, while I’m not Asian or Korean American, I understood and related to these characters a lot more than YA books I read growing up. I got the jokes and the cultural references. While the protagonist Clara was annoying at times and too much of a smartass, she grew through the book. There are some genuine moments of character development and relationships grow believably in a teen book kind of way. I find it so light and almost effortless to see myself in Clara’s LA. It helps that I’ve gone and spent a holiday in Koreatown, LA. I liked all the characters with the exception of some of Clara’s old crew who read as being very two dimensional.

I am looking forward to reading more from the author. It’s been awhile since I’ve found an author who delivers light, breezy, and enjoyable fluffy novels.

Read Aug 27-28, 2020.

In the old days when I use to have more time and read more literary books, I would read a number of Pulitizer Prize winners. It’s been awhile since I read one and I do think they can be hit or miss. At least I remember Pulitizers being a little less mysterious and experimental than some Booker prize winners.

This novel was overall okay. The protagonist Arthur Less goes on an around the world journey. Each chapter is set in a different local. A friend of mine said she liked the Berlin chapter and that I would find it fun. Indeed, it was probably my favourite chapter. Most of the book is middling and plods along a bit too much. Arthur is a humdrum kind of character but I found him sympathetic and even relatable in some ways. There were a couple of other interesting characters but they only there momentarily. It’s very slice of life.

The book was not badly written and had some nice prose. However, there were moments when I thought the story should move along. It was a nice easy read.

Read August 20-25, 2020.

As with last year, I have made more of an effort to read children’s literature. Recently, I went through a little streak from July into August.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

This was nice. I do not really remember much from Charlotte’s Webb and had not heard or read anything else by White. I enjoyed that the titular character has adventures all over North America.

Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

I have read most of the Dahl books and surprised I missed out on this one. I liked it except it glorifies poaching a bit too much. I like Danny as a character and his relationship with his father.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

I have the most mixed feelings about this book. While I liked Heidi, her grandfather, and most of the characters, I did not really warm to the religious and conservative messages. I think children should learn faith and this book was written over 140 years ago, but it got almost preachy in certain aspects. The prose about the Alps is lovely but I am aware that it probably glorified life in the mountains. I gave it three stars but I would not recommend it to kids.