Yellowface - Tumblr Posts
I’ve just picked up yellowface and omfg I HATE June so much already and am quietly awaiting her downfall. As a white woman I am also really digesting this as a learning experience, and would also highly recommend yellowface to anyone wanting to tackle their unconscious/conscious biases and who want a work that tackles the issues mentioned by op! Definitely going to be finishing this book by the end of the week, so might even do a review like I used to!
just finished reading yellowface by rf kuang and ho-ly shit. that's how satire is done. i have so many thoughts. would absolutely recommend a read to anybody, but especially white people. if you're serious about unlearning anti-asian racism, you should read this book. if you're asian, esp east asian, and you want to see a thieving, racist bitch get her comeuppance (while examining the insidiousness of white womanhood, the patriarchal system that allows this brand of whiteness to proliferate unchecked, debating ownership/authorship in storytelling, and more), you should read this book. holy shit.
~September & October's Books Reviewed~
So, as one might be able to guess, it's been two rather slow months of reading... or rather there was a period of slowness in the middle as in theory I read one book in September, had a moment and then read two very quickly at the end of October. Rather than having two very mini posts though, I felt it was better to have one at least vaguely substantial one! So yes, here is September and October combined!
Bewitched by Laura Thelssa
(443 pages)
Objectively, and subjectively, crap. I try not to unreasonably bash on books since I know that just because I didn't enjoy it doesn't mean others wouldn't, and vice versa. For example, I know that many of the books I love and have reread several times are objectively not that great, and similarly, having looked at this book on Goodreads I know lots of people love this book and the authors style. I, unfortunately, am not one of them. I really didn't enjoy any of the characters, nor their relationships, and the plot wasn't nearly engaging enough for me to forget about that. As such, I would easily say this was the worst book I've read in a long time (or certainly the least enjoyable reading experience I've had). That being said, if you're into supernatural romances and willing to look past some morally grey situations then you might enjoy this more than me. It is 100% an 18+ book (you have been warned), and also, I really struggled with the dubious consent throughout it in regards to the main relationship, just to also put that warning out there. I think based off this review it can be no surprise to anyone that...
I gave this book 1 star ⭐
Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley
(326 pages - hardback)
I'm contrast to the previous book (which can maybe be blamed for my break in traditional literature for a hot minute there), I really really enjoyed this book! It was rather different from the usual books I'd pickup, but I'd seen it recommended everywhere and I have to say it was everything I was needing from a book in this grey autumnal time. It was really gentle and comforting and just all around gentle. I did find the ending a little sudden, and I was waiting for the two storylines to become a little more interwoven to be honest (or at least the two principal characters from the two storylines - although I understand that they realistically couldn't actually, I was just waiting for a bit of a plot twist in the reveal of the characters I think - I realise that isn't very clear but I don't want to spoil it for anyone!). However, like I said, I truly loved this book, I wish I had read it quicker, or at least all in one go rather than starting and then accidentally taking an extended break from it because then I think it could even have been in contention for a full five star rating! I would really recommend this book to the majority of people, I've recommended it already to both my mother and my flatmate, two people with very different tastes in books generally, so that should be testament to the overall easy feeling and gorgeous prose of this book that I think makes it very accessible and enjoyable to a large audience.
I gave this book 4 stars ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
(322 pages - hardback)
I finished this book and felt weirdly chilled and illeasy. It definitely freaked me out in a very subtle manner. It is incredibly well written and you have no way of knowing who to root for, or even what to believe at times. It raises so many important moral questions, especially around racism and xenophobia, as well as around ownership and intellectual property. I think that's in many ways why it left you feeling weirdly uncomfortable at points as it forced you to confront a lot of unfairness and the corrupt nature of society that is still so prevalent and ingrained. I also especially enjoyed it for its setting in the publishing world which is obviously my own industry. It was largely very accurate about a lot of the technical sides of the industry, however I am thankful to say that my experiences on the other side of the industry from Juniper have not been nearly as fraught or riddled with controversy!
I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗