The photo above may be familiar, since I first posted it on my Instagram back in May. I had no intentions of writing this post at the time, I just wanted to document what I had on my shelves and see if anyone had feelings toward any of the displayed spines.
After watching Marines from mynameismarines (on YouTube) do a "bookshelf tour" series by sharing her thoughts and some sort of backstory on each acquired book in her library, I really wanted to do the same! Similarly, I wanted to implement her project here to also re-evaluate whether or not I want to keep these titles in my collection. For the past two years, my spending has gone down exponentially—mostly because I am much more picky with what I read now. So, a lot of the books I will be talking about are older titles. It'll be interesting because I've changed my mind about a lot of things! Also, you'll notice that most of the titles are written by white authors and about white characters. What I own really does not represent what I read, as you'll quickly notice, and I mean that in an assortment of ways. (I'll share more about this in a reflection post at the end, but I touch on this throughout the whole series too.)
My thoughts about keeping a library has changed a lot. I used to want a huge wall full of books. Now, it's not so much about filling up a space as much as it is about making sure it's well-stocked. I don't mind if I have a ton of books I haven't read, as long as I'm still interested in reading them and have intentions to pick them up someday. As a mood reader, it's nice to have the option to reach for a variety of different stories whenever I want. The goal is to have a good mix of books I 1) have read, loved, and want to re-read; and 2) am excited to read. That's it! We don't have room here for books I feel indifferent about ☕
Alright, here is the bookshelf tour: round one!
💠= unsure; thinking about it ...
✖️ = donate
✅ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson • 3.96 rating
Every time I come across this cover, I really question who designed it. Why isn't "Lily" capitalized?! (Note: This book got a cover change last year and it is much more enticing now!) I've owned Tiger Lily for five years now, and I'm pretty sure I bought it because Margot talked so much about it. If I remember correctly, I bought this in New York City at Barnes & Noble while I was there for my internship to supplement my Peter Pan retellings blog post that never saw the light of day 😂 I still want to read it though, so it's staying on my shelf.
(Note: I added each book's average rating on Goodreads next to its title because that is information I like to know. I thought it might interest you too.)
✅ Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson • 3.96 rating
Every time I come across this cover, I really question who designed it. Why isn't "Lily" capitalized?! (Note: This book got a cover change last year and it is much more enticing now!) I've owned Tiger Lily for five years now, and I'm pretty sure I bought it because Margot talked so much about it. If I remember correctly, I bought this in New York City at Barnes & Noble while I was there for my internship to supplement my Peter Pan retellings blog post that never saw the light of day 😂 I still want to read it though, so it's staying on my shelf.
The third and last book in the Illuminae Files. I re-read the first book, Illuminae, at the beginning of 2019 in hopes to continue on with the series and ... I still haven't picked up Gemina 🤡 As you will be able to tell soon enough, I am terrible at completing book series. Still, I have high hopes for this one! Illuminae is one of my favorite books.
✅ Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman • 4.02 rating
Ah yes. I bought this when I truly believed I loved historical fiction. Then I proceeded to read approximately zero books in that genre. I'm really still interested in reading this book, but it's unfortunately not something that comes to mind when I'm thinking of what I should read next ...
💠The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith • 3.87 rating
I bought this because I wanted to see what else J.K. Rowling could write, but ... to be honest, I don't know if I care anymore. Very mixed feelings about this one ...
💠Truthwitch by Susan Dennard • 3.85 average rating
I should probably mention that I own a lot of YA fantasy books. And you may respond with, "But Amaris, you don't read much fantasy? ..." And you would be right about that. When I first entered the online book community (and it's true now too I think), fantasy was probably the most talked about genre. At least among the people I follow. And so, because everyone was talking about all the fantasy books they love and read, I, too, wanted to join the conversation. I can't even tell you what Truthwitch is about, aside from maybe friends who are connected to each other in some way ... ? I don't know! 😬 But I can tell you that a good number of people love this series. And maybe one day I'll give it a go. I read the first book in Susan Dennard's Something Strange and Deadly series and had a pretty good time, so maybe this will be entertaining as well?
✅ Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough • 3.76 rating
This was quite the mystery/thriller read, one that interested me all the way through but left me feeling BAMBOOZLED. It was written VERY well—there were clues sprinkled throughout the whole novel, but for the life of me I couldn't put it together. And when everything hit, it was truly a "WTF" moment. My two emotions for Behind Her Eyes = "I am never reading this again ... WHAT WAS THAT ENDING" and "That was ... a good book." I want to keep it solely for lending to friends so they can experience this brand of torture hahaha.
✅ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern • 4.03 rating
According to my Currently Reading post from 2017, I made it 24% of the way through before putting it down. I remember LOVING it, but ... I'm just a bad combination of slow and moody. And I can't sit still for a long time. This is definitely high up on my WANT TO READ list! I bought this hardcover second-hand at, I believe, Half Price Books. Definitely one of my favorite finds.
✅ Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo • 4.43/4.58 rating
One book stands in the way of me starting this duology—Ruin and Rising, the last book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy—but I really am eager to continue with it!!! At my pace of one Leigh Bardugo book every four years, I'll be starting Six of Crows in 2027 😂😂😂
🖤🖤🖤
I really enjoyed doing this, and I think typing out my reasonings for these will help with being intentional about what I should keep or give away. Are any of these books on your "favorites" list? Or, if any of these are on your TO READ list, let's buddy read!
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Young Adult Fiction // Categories: Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Format: Audiobook • 11 hours 3 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
Please prepare yourselves, I have an unpopular opinion 😬
WHAT IS LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI ABOUT?
Loveboat, Taipei follows a Chinese American girl named Ever who wants to become a dancer, but her parents reject her dream and push her toward going to medical school and becoming a doctor. To assure obedience, they send her to Taiwan for the summer to attend an educational program—but Ever quickly realizes that this program (nicknamed "Loveboat") is actually the hottest place for teens to meet, party, and hook up. Ever enjoys this freedom away from her parents by breaking all of their rules (no drinking, no boyfriend, dress appropriately, etc.), and of course, consequences follow.
I ENJOYED THE PLOT, BUT ... I WANTED MORE FROM THE CHARACTERS
Ultimately, I gave Loveboat, Taipei three stars because I didn't like how the characters were written. One was TOO perfect and equally boring (we were told a lot of great things about him, but I personally did not see the appeal of anything he said or did), and the only person that had a good level of depth was done so dirty ... WHO HURT ABIGAIL HING WEN!!! He had the most impressive and intriguing backstory, but nothing happened with it ..........
I really wish this book worked for me because I love this theme of trying to balance "doing what you love" vs. "doing what your parents want for you." Being a Chinese American with immigrant parents, I understand this conflict and I LOVE that there's a book for teens exploring this. Ever recognizes this privilege she's been given because of her parents' sacrifices, but she doesn't believe that gives them the right to dictate her future. (Side note: Isn't it ironic how Asian parents want their kids to do all these extracurricular activities—musical instruments, sports, dance, art, etc.—but oh no, you are NEVER to pursue it as a career!!!)
LAST WORDS (TL;DR)
Even though the plot was fun and had a lot going on (read: DRAMA, my favorite), it lacked the character development I wanted. I think "the punch" of this book could've been more impactful if the characters were better defined, especially because the conflict that Ever deals with is something that many Asian American teens face.
🖤🖤🖤
What did you think about Loveboat, Taipei? If you haven't read it, please recommend some of your favorite books that follow a Chinese American main character!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Adult Fiction // Categories: Historical Fiction, Romance
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
Format: Audiobook • 12 hours 18 minutes
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is very different than any of TJR’s past works (that is, everything she’s published before 2017) but, in regular TJR fashion, it is really well told. The story is immersive, perhaps partly due to the narrator’s voice, and it felt real. Like I could open a book on the history of famous Hollywood celebrities from the 60’s and Evelyn Hugo’s name would be there.
The bulk of this novel is Evelyn Hugo telling her life story to Monique, a no-name journalist, and I love that it details the pressures of fame and all the sacrifices she made to stay relevant. But at the same time, this really stirred up some negative feelings. Many of the things (if not everything?) that Evelyn chose to do to further her career was questionable. To me, it felt like she was willing to give up parts of her soul to gain this status—and still, I’m not sure if it made her happy. I think this makes me uneasy because Evelyn Hugo is adored by many readers, but I personally don’t know how to view her with respect. The way she treats people in the industry, using them as stepping stones, and how much she disregards the feelings of those she claims she loves over and over again … it’s something that I can’t overlook.
Even so, TJR did something very impressive. I can’t stand by any of the awful things that Evelyn Hugo did, but I completely understand why she made those decisions. That’s powerful writing. Evelyn Hugo is certainly an unlikeable character to me, but I can’t deny how evocative and captivating this story is.
🖤🖤🖤
If you want to know more, I shared a section of spoiler-filled thoughts on my Goodreads review!
Growing up, I rarely had issues with my skin. I would get an occasional small pimple or raised bump every year or two, but nothing worth stressing over. Until last year, when all hell broke loose and my skin betrayed me. Okay, it's not that dramatic 😬 But it was pretty bad, and I knew nothing about skincare. So I looked up some YouTube videos, as one does in this day and age when one needs information quickly, and now I am obsessed!!! My wallet is definitely hurting a little, but my skin has thankfully been on the road to recovery and she's doing very well!
Basically, I say all this because I am no expert but I still wanted to talk about what has been working for me. Hopefully this will be helpful if you are figuring out what to try next!
DOUBLE CLEANSING
Right before I shower, I massage Hanskin's Pore Cleansing Oil all over my face. Even if I didn't wear makeup during the day, I still use this to remove sunscreen! It's a very gentle product, and I don't need to rub hard to get off waterproof mascara. It also exfoliates, which I love and very much need. I can't say how well it works with blackheads (mine are very stubborn) but my skin definitely feels smoother.
For my last step in the shower, I use Krave Beauty's Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser. (This helps to remove water-based impurities.) When my skin was at its worst last year, I'm pretty certain it was because of my foam cleanser. It really dried my skin out, to the point where it felt like sandpaper. (Side note: Not all foam cleansers are bad—that particular one just didn't work well for me.) This cleanser has a jelly texture, which doesn't strip away anything and is hydrating. I've been using it for about half a year now, and I love it. It lasts a long time too—I still have about 1/3 left!
TONING
I'm still experimenting with how my skin reacts to toners, so this is just my ... findings so far. I use Acwell's Licorice pH Balancing Cleansing Toner every other night, or every two nights, depending on whether I think my skin needs it. I love the way it makes my skin feel so smooth, but I think I'm sensitive to this. (If you have any tips on choosing a toner, please let me know!)
MOISTURIZING
It's still really warm at night, so I've been using Benton's Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel to keep my cheeks from breaking out. My acne scars are still healing and they've been fading very slowly, so I don't want it to happen again. I don't really know how to scientifically explain how this gel works, but I know it helps my skin breathe by allowing heat to evaporate and not stay trapped under my moisturizer. All I know is this: if I don't use it, the redness from my acne is more obvious.
Speaking of moisturizer, the one I LOVE is Primera's Alpine Berry Water Cream. It is the perfect consistency for this weather! When I wake up, my skin feels so hydrated without being oily. (My only issue with this product is the price point 🥴)
And that's it! I'll use an essence or serum sometimes, but these are the core products I stick to every night. I still have a lot to learn, obviously, but I know it's going to take a while. Even though I've been intentionally experimenting for a year now, I'm still figuring out what my skin needs and how to make sense of how it reacts to certain products.
I'm going to be documenting all the things I test out on Instagram, so if you're curious ... check out what I'm up to at @amarisafloria!
I'm going to be documenting all the things I test out on Instagram, so if you're curious ... check out what I'm up to at @amarisafloria!
What are your nighttime skincare staples?
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