"Rarely do great beauty and virtue dwell together as they do in you." The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See 4 stars Pros: Immersive historical details Exploration of Akha and adoptee culture Complex and rich mother-daughter relationships Cons: Authorial voice present Switching of perspectives The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is another great historical fiction book done by Lisa See. She is a master at capturing times past with vivid details. Her new novel is a … [Read more...]
#BookReview Wangs vs. The World
March 6, 2017 2 Comments
"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes." Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang 3.5 stars Pros: variety of characters pops of Chinese culture honest tone Cons: likability of characters road trip trope loose resolution I heard all the hype about Wangs vs. The World, so it was on my TBR list for a while. The basic premise is the Wang family falls from riches to rags. For some reason in my mind, I expected a different tone from the novel, maybe more Crazy … [Read more...]
Foodie Friday: Salt and Pepper Shrimp
December 11, 2015 2 Comments
Salt and pepper shrimp: seafood with savory flavoring I don't know what it is about English, but we like to prettify foods. For example: pig-->pork, cow-->beef. In Chinese, it's all point-blank names: pig-->pig-meat, cow-->cow-meat. That's probably why we also eat things whole, like chickens with the heads on. This is also true of the classic salt and pepper shrimp dish. Sure, you can cut off the ends, but it's not quite the same. I love how the distinctive salty taste of the … [Read more...]
Getting the Word Out
May 18, 2015 4 Comments
"Someone is speaking well of you." It really does take a community to launch a book. Here are my partners in crime for my cozy mystery, Seniors Sleuth (which recently won Runner-Up at the 2015 Beach Book Festival): Team Jen. These devoted folks were beta readers and cover voters. A huge thanks to them for polishing my work, posting up reviews, and spreading the word! Also, special shout-outs go to Joy Weese Moll, Julia Tomiak, and Carol Early Cooney for blogging about my … [Read more...]
