BOOKS

What I Read in July 2024

Hi, friends! I read seven books in the seventh month of this year which I guess is appropriate. Here are my thoughts on the seven books:

THE GOOD ENOUGH JOB by Simone Stolzoff

Work-life balance is something I’ve given a lot of thought to the last couple of years. My frame of mind has shifted quite a bit during that time, and recently I have begun to feel like I am getting to a happy medium of prioritizing my life while still doing a good job (made possible largely by the new role I started in last November!). The Good Enough Job is not like most self-help books in the way that the author is sharing stories of real-life people rather than telling you what to do. As someone who is actively working to overcome perfectionism and not buy into the culture of overworking, listening to others’ experiences felt validating and affirming. If you find yourself being consumed by the corporate grind, give it a read/listen!

HOW TO AGE DISGRACEFULLY by Clare Pooley

I discovered Clare Dooley last year when I picked up a copy of The Authenticity Project from a Little Free Library. How to Age Disgracefully is cementing my idea of Clare Pooley as a writer. How to Age Disgracefully is yet another heartwarming story about unexpected friendships, this time via the unassuming Senior Citizen’s Social Club. The first chapter of How to Age Disgracefully starts at almost the end of the story but I could not have known all that was to come!!!

A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey

While there are people who read seasonally (beach reads in the summer, spooky stories in October, Christmas books in winter, etc.), I am not one… except for A Happier Life! I kept seeing this book titled A Happier Life during “Beach Week“, which naturally piqued my interest. After realizing it was a newly released book by a local North Carolina author set in Beaufort, North Carolina, I had to come home with it! A Happier Life has the small-town charm, family secrets, and a wholesome romance, all in one! It was an engaging beach read, and I’ll definitely read more by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

카카듀 (Kakadu) by 박서련

Kakadu was one of the several books I bought earlier this year (I do this on a semi-regular basis with my brother) which I am going through slowly… Kakadu is the name of the first Korean-owned Western-style cafe (as in serving coffee!) that opened in Gyeongseong during the years of Japanese colonization, and Kakadu is a story of that time period told by two characters, filmmaker Gyeong-son Lee and his Hawaii-born cousin Alice Hyun. I’ve always found early 1990s Korea to be fascinating thanks to the introduction of “modern” things and the juxtaposition of East and West so I was shocked when I realize this was Kakadu was historical fiction based on a real business and real people (I do not seem to be the only one though based on the Korean reviews of this book I looked up…).

While the writing was a bit challenging for me to read, both because I am out of practice reading at an adult-level in Korean and there is a heavy used of old-fashioned(?) vocabulary to reflect the time period, I was mesmerized by the writing! I have another book by the same author (체공녀 강주룡; Kang Juryong, the Woman in the Air) which I am really looking forward to reading).

SAY YOU’LL BE MINE by Naina Kumar

I am currently falling out of my audiobook phase (I go in and out periodically) so Say You’ll Be Mine served as a rescue romance read this month! I liked lots of things about Say You’ll Be Mine. Meghna and Karthik are both likable, kind-hearted people. Their problems (the pressure of living up to your parents’ expectations; the desire to break the generational cycle and the fear of failing to do so) felt real and relatable which I appreciated. I wasn’t entirely convinced by how little it took for them to take on a fake engagement though which obviously was the basis for the whole plot! Say You’ll Be Mine is only Naina Kumar’s debut though, and it was an enjoyable read overall.

GODDESS OF THE RIVER by Vaishnavi Patel

Since I loved Kaikeyi, I had been meaning to get my hands on Vaishnavi Patel’s sophomore novel Goddess of the River, which I picked up last month from a new-to-me indie bookshop Flyleaf Books. Goddess of the River is a retelling of Ganga, goddess of the river, and one of her mortal sons. As she did with Kaikeyi, Vaishnavi Patel strikes a balance of providing context for the reader who is not familiar with the epic Mahabharata and conveying her own message. I did have to refer to the quite convoluted family tree frequently so keep that in mind!

라라제빵소 (Lala Bakery) by 윤자영

Advertised as a “healing novel”, Lala Bakery is a heartwarming, feel-good story. A disgraced celebrity baker returns to his teacher only to find him on his deathbed and be reminded to make bread that saves people. He ends up doing exactly that with the help of a middle-aged neighbor lady and the granddaughter of his former teacher Lala (who the bakery is named after). I can’t wait for this to be translated (I KNOW it will because it’s too good)!

P.S. I’m currently reading A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross!

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