Book Review: Small Great Things (Spoiler Free)

Title: Small Great Things
Author: Jodi Picoult

Premise: Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Rating: 2 🌟

This review does not include a spoiler. If there comes one, I will mention it beforehand and direct you where to read next. This review is not sponsored or paid, all of it is from my own personal opinion. The said book is also not sent in exchange for a review, I bought it myself.

Book Tour and Book Review: Unspeakable Edited by: Celine Frohn

Title: Unspeakable
Editor: Celine Frohn
Genre: Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Gothic
Rating: 4🎇

About the Book:

Unspeakable contains eighteen Gothic tales with uncanny twists and characters that creep under your skin. Its stories feature sapphic ghosts, terrifying creatures of the sea, and haunted houses concealing their own secrets.

Whether you’re looking for your non-binary knight in shining armor or a poly family to murder with, Unspeakable showcases the best contemporary Gothic queer short fiction. Even dark tales deserve their time in the sun. 

Trigger & Content Warnings:

• Let Down by Claire Hamilton Russell: imprisonment, non-consensual sex
• Moonlight by Ally Kölzow: death of loved one
• An Account of Service at Meryll Point, as recollected and set down by C.L.: societal transphobia (narrator is accepting, however)
• The White Door by Lindsay King-Miller: violence, murder
• Doctor Barlowe’s Mirror by Avery Kit Malone: none
• Laguna and the Engkanto by Katalina Watt: death of parent
• The Moon in the Glass by Jude Reid: murder, hallucinations
• Brideprice by S.T. Gibson: mention of sexual assault, murder, blood-drinking
• Lure of the Abyss by Jenna MacDonald: some people get eaten by a sea monster
• Hearteater by Eliza Temple: none
• Quicksilver Prometheus by Katie Young: hallucinations, mention of death of children
• Homesick by Sam Hirst: none
• Rodeo by Ryann Fletcher: homophobia, domestic violence, murder
• Lady of Letters; or, the Twenty-First Century Homunculus by Heather Valentine: cheating
• Taylor Hall by Jen Glifort: panphobia (challenged)
• The Ruin by E. Saxey: threat of the apocalypse
• The Dream Eater by Anna Moon: illness of loved one
• Leadbitter House by Mason Hawthorne: body horror

Note: I was sent a copy of the book by Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in the #UnspeakableBookTour

Hidden Gems: Books I Unexpectedly Like

The saying “Never judge a book by its cover” applies to seemingly everything except books. And oh, you mean to tell me the people who mostly ignores this are bookworms themselves?

With that being said, I’m now here to show you some books I didn’t expect to like. I was supposed to say ‘love’ but that’s a strong word so we’ll settle with like. Also, I don’t outright thought that I will hate them or even dislike, but I was just really wasn’t expecting much and was aiming for a ‘meh’ reaction.

Book Tour and Book Review: The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos (Spoiler Free)

The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos

Title: The Chimera Code
Author: Wayne Santos
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Urban Fantasy
Rating: 4🌟

Synopsis: Neuromancer for a non-binary age: an action-packed techno-thriller with a side of magical realism.

Everything’s for hire – even magic.

If you need something done, they’re the best: a tough, resourceful mage, a lab-created genderless hacker and a cyborg with a big gun.

But when they’re hired by a virtual construct to destroy the other copies of himself, and the down payment is a new magical skill, Cloke knows this job is going to be a league harder than anything they’ve ever done. 

Note: I was sent an ebook copy of the book by the author and #CaffeineBookTours as part of my participation in the #ChimeraCodeTour

EXO Albums as Books (Part 1)

First and foremost, I do want to say this was supposed to be a booktube video but I can’t film atm so here we are now. Because like promised, I want to make this blog more active so here we are!

With that being said, I’m going to base off the books I’m going to recommend with different reasons. Some basing off from the concept, time of its release, etc. etc. Also, I won’t be including subunits and solo albums, that one could be for a different time if you guys want it.

For context, EXO is a 9 member Kpop Group with 1 Chinese member. They debuted under SM Entertainment in 2012 and Kpop has never been the same since.

I also want to add that I won’t be including the blurbs of each book as it might prolong the blog or I might spoil something or you simply do not want to read it so instead, I will just be stating the genres and include a link where you can read the description.

Promise this is the last one. As you may have noticed, I put this one up as a Part 1 since EXO has quite a lot of albums and I don’t think my pea brain could do all that right now.

I have nothing else to say and I suck at introductions sooo, let’s start!

Book Review: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by: Cho Nam-Joo (Spoiler Free)

Title: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Author: Cho Nam-Joo
Genre: Literary Fiction
Summary:
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 tells the story of an ordinary 30-something Korean woman juggling work and family, and the gender discrimination she faces at each phase of her life.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Book Tour and Book Review: Vampires of Portlandia by: Jason Tanamor (Spoiler Free)

Title: Vampires of Portlandia
Author: Jason Tanamor
Genre: Philippine Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Vampire Literature, Paranormal Fantasy
Rating: 4/5

Summary: When Marcella Leones relocates her family of aswang vampires from the Philippines to Portland, Oregon, she raises her grandchildren under strict rules so humans will not expose them. Her only wish is to give them a peaceful life, far away from the hunters and the Filipino government that attempted to exterminate them.

Before she dies, she passes on the power to her eldest grandchild, Percival. He vows to uphold the rules set forth by Leones, allowing his family to roam freely without notice. After all, they are aswangs.

However, when the aswang covenant is broken, the murder rate in Portland rises drastically. Who is behind the murders? And who is behind the broken covenant? Along with sensie Penelope Jane, Percival must find the truth.

It’s then they discover that there are other breeds of aswangs—werebeasts, witches, ghouls, and viscera—who have been residing in Portland for years.

Based on Filipino folklore (aswang), “Vampires of Portlandia” is a fantastical tale of different monsters coexisting in the weirdest city in America. 

Note: I was sent an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the book by the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in the #AswangInPortlandTour

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Let’s Discuss: Should Authors Write Characters Part Of A Specific Race If The Authors Themselves Is Not Part Of Said Race?

With the news that Rainbow Rowell’s “Eleanor and Park” is now having a movie adaptation, some fans of the book and bookworms in general, are now just finding out about the racist themes of the book. Specifically, when it comes to the Asian race.

With that being said, I have thought of something while in the shower- should authors refrain from creating a character in a race they are not apart of?

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Please note that this is MY insight into the topic. I may put in insights, perspectives, thoughts of other people regarding this topic, and when that happens, I will make sure to link their accounts as well as give them proper credit.

Book Review: Want by: Cindy Pon (Spoiler Free)

Title: Want
Author: Cindy Pon
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult fiction
Summary:
Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits, protecting them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.

With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.

Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is, or destroying his own heart?

Rating: 3/5

Big Bad Wolf 2020! (Experience, VIP vs Normal, Haul, etc.)

Big Bad Wolf Books (The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale or BBW Books) is a Malaysian book fair frequently held in Malaysia, Thailand Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The books were majorly taken from the stocks of BookXcess, a book store dealing in excess or remaindered books from international distributors. The Sale was the brainchild of BookXcess founders Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng. It was first held on 13–18 May 2009 for 5 days at Dataran Hamodal, Petaling Jaya.

The book fair sells all kind of books genres, for example fiction, non-fiction, novels, literature, children’s literature and young adult fiction. It also sells merchandise including collectible books and posters, wallpaper, movie posters, tin-plated signs and their own merchandise.