ily 's Updates

ily added 'Crying in H Mart'

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:17:03 -0700

ily gave 5 stars to Crying in H Mart (Audiobook) by Michelle Zauner
bookshelves: biography, favorites
how can anyone shop at H-Mart without crying now? full review to come.

ily added 'The Emperor's Soul'

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 21:07:08 -0700

ily gave 4 stars to The Emperor's Soul (The Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson
bookshelves: fantasy, fiction, hue-crime, quick-reads, novella
This was a quick, easy entry into Brandon Sanderson’s intricate universe! The story of a Forger forced to use her knowledge to craft the most difficult and controversial stamp of all - a soul stamp - in just 100 days. The tension was clear but not bogged down by politics. The magic systems were explained just enough to get a grasp on them without poring through an entire manuscript. Plus, the thrill of the ticking clock and the depth of the characters kept me engaged.

Definitely open to reading more Sanderson in the future. It seems like there’s an entry point for everyone.

ily added 'Russian Gothic'

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 21:38:14 -0700

ily gave 3 stars to Russian Gothic (Paperback) by Aleksandr Skorobogatov
bookshelves: adult, literary-fiction, surreal, novella, translation
An intense, violent story that blurs the lines of truth and reality.

ily added 'I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home'

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 21:17:37 -0700

ily gave 2 stars to I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home (Hardcover) by Lorrie Moore
bookshelves: adult, literary-fiction, magical-realism, historical-fiction
Finn, haunted by loss and grief for the closest people in his life, takes a road trip detour with his dead former girlfriend (Lily) to her final resting place. Letters from a Reconstruction Era innkeeper loosely connect the themes, but have very little bearing on Finn’s story. This was an eccentrically wrapped present with a hastily tied bow. I think it had potential, but the prose didn’t catch the light of my eye. Finn and Lily’s sardonic relationship particularly reminded me of Alone With You in the Ether, which I also didn’t enjoy.

For a book that dives deeper into the historical/magical realism element, I’d recommend The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman.

ily started reading 'Crying in H Mart'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:06:17 -0700

ily started reading Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

ily wants to read 'Tilly'

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:57:57 -0700

ily wants to read Tilly by Monique Gray Smith

ily wants to read 'I Who Have Never Known Men'

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 21:11:57 -0700

ily wants to read I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

ily liked a review

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 17:45:10 -0700

ily liked Lottie from book club's review of Penance:

"1) incredible, 2) if you were a tumblr girlie in 2014 you will take psychic damage, and 3) many thanks to google's autofill function for reassuring me that i'm not the only person who thought the cherry creek massacre was real"

ily added 'Penance'

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:40:14 -0700

ily gave 4 stars to Penance (ebook) by Eliza Clark
bookshelves: fiction, thriller, mystery, literary-fiction
I was worried about formatting after reading We Used to Live Here, but this still feels bookish. It’s written from the perspective of a true crime journalist writing a book about a high school girl’s murder in small-town England, but it’s not aggressively meta.

Also shout out to the author getting the ‘teenage girl on tumblr�� angst just right. They’re catty, insecure gossips who seek out niche online communities to feel seen. I just need one of them to drop their 8tracks link.

ily is on page 169 of 336 of Penance

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:38:01 -0700

ily is on page 169 of 336 of Penance.