hello!! currently trying out substack as a new place to yap every week, as this blog is on indefinite pause!
devotions, by mary oliver*
The end of junior year, summer, reading in the sun, and musings on feeling both like time is moving too slow and too fast.
Review of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
As someone who loves tea, narratives centered on the experiences of womxn, and learning more about Chinese culture, this book was a mix of elements that I knew I’d enjoy.
Review of The Secret Talker by Geling Yan
There's a sort of allure that comes from the unknown, from the dark, and Hongmei's struggle between complacency and a hunger for novelty taps into that seduction. However, as much as I loved the idea of this book, I was still felt feeling as though it was left largely unfinished, as though we were reading the outline or a draft.
Review of The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
I have to preface this review by saying that The Garden of Evening Mists is by far one of the “slowest” books I’ve ever read. As many reviews have mentioned, Tan attempts to “capture stillness on paper” in the same manner as Aritomo, and I would honestly consider his endeavor a success. The novel is practically a carefully pruned garden itself, with lovely, meditative prose and poignant themes that meld into one another, almost an act of “borrowed scenery” amongst the end-of-empire narrative.
Review of Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Carson possesses an incredible dexterity when it comes to the written word along with the creative chops to substantiate the narrative itself, suffusing this work with clear appreciation and love for the tale and how it can be adapted and interpreted anew.