♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and
recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥
Watch: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix (2020)
In the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, legendary toymaker Jeronicus
Jangle's (Forest Whitaker) fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder.
But when his trusted apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized
creation, it's up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (Madalen
Mills) - and a long-forgotten invention - to heal old wounds and reawaken
the magic within.
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Madalen Mills, Anika Noni Rose
Written/directed by David E. Talbert
If you're looking for a wholesome and magical Christmas movie to watch with
your loved ones, look no further than Jingle Jangle. It's whimsical and
perfect to get you in the holiday or winter spirit.
Read: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band
of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can
save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and
her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover
how truth can survive becoming history.
Nghi Vo returns to the empire of Ahn and The Singing Hills Cycle in this
mesmerizing, lush standalone follow-up to The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
Philippines has been devastated by multiple typhoons within the span of two
months, destroying thousands of homes, displacing thousands of
Filipinos, and leaving many without running water or electricity. Please
consider donating to relief and recovery efforts if/when you're able to. Little can go a long way -
no amount is too small, so don't let that discourage from donating. Please show up for fellow communities in the Global
South. Info and safe places to donate to PH victims + families can be found on RescuePH carrd,
RescuePH int'l carrd, BangonPH carrd,
Youth Rise PH Linktree, PH Red Cross,
Kaya Natin! Movement,
book drives, and
watch these YouTube ads
at no cost to you. Also worth adding: continue to help PH #JunkTerrorLaw with
junkterrorlaw.carrd.co and
parasapinas.carrd.co
Resources + educational tools on what's going on around the world right now and ways to help:
Hello, everyone! Welcome to my stop on
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling blog tour, which is organized
by The Book Terminal! I'm so excited to share with you today, my favorite
quotes from The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim, which is out now! Follow
along the tour to celebrate the U.S. release of this heartfelt and heart
wrenching novel that will pull at your heartstrings in various ways. Thank you, The Book Terminal, for having me on the tour, and Scholastic for the review copy!
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
Young Adult Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health
November 10, 2020 from Scholastic Press
An authentic novel about growing up in a migrant Asian family with a mother
who is suffering from a debilitating mental illness.
Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and
sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her
mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her
father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though
she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she
could be a normal teen.
But when her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse.
And as her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question
everything they understand about themselves and each other.
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling is a heart-wrenching, true-to-life
exploration through the often neglected crevices of culture, mental illness,
and family. Its strong themes are balanced by a beautiful romance making it
a feel-good, yet important read.
★ Praises for The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling ★
"This is a book with a huge heartbeat and so much love infused in every page. The stoic resilience of the Chiu family is inspiring."
-- Alice Pung, award-winning author of Lucy and Linh
"A heartwarming tale of family, food, and first love that captures the pain and confusion of grappling with a parent's mental illness. Wai Chim will make you cry both happy and sad tears."
-- Justine Larbalestier, author of My Sister Rosa
"I adored this heartfelt story. Anna truly won my heart: at sixteen she's caught at the crossroads of responsibility and restriction, laboring under heavy expectations that come from others and herself. Wai Chim has employed a deeply immersive storytelling style to explore the unspoken truths within families, trust, cross-cultural relationships, first love, and forgiveness with sophistication and unfailing empathy." -- Leanne Hall, author of Iris and the Tiger
Look how cute these dumpling cloth patches from author Wai Chim, paired with
a super adorable dumpling postcard and a sweet message. I'm- 🥺👉👈
Favorite Quotes
"I'll never cease to be amazed by the power of a good dumpling."
--Wai Chim, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
"Everyone thinks therapy is for when things get too bad, but really we all
could use someone to talk to."
--Wai Chim, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
"No matter what you hear, no matter what bad things they say. Remember that we
love you and we are here to fight for you. We will fight the bad things, we
will fight the shadows together. We are your family."
--Wai Chim, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
[Quotes are from an unedited advanced review copy and is subject to change in the final publication]
Song Dedication
OK Not To Be OK -- Marshmello x Demi Lovato
Book Trailer
Meet Wai Chim
Wai Chim is a first-generation Chinese-American from New York City. Growing up speaking Cantonese around the house, she absorbed as much Western culture as she could through books, TV, and school. She spent some time living in Japan before making Sydney, Australia, her permanent home. In addition to her writing, Wai works as a digital producer/web developer for The Starlight Children's Foundation, whose programs offer entertainment, education, and technology to critically, chronically, and terminally ill children. Learn more about her at waichim.com.
I want to bring attention to what's currently happening in the Philippines. Philippines has been devastated by multiple typhoons in the span of two months and more recently in the last two weeks that has left Filipinos stranded awaiting rescue, without electricity or homes, and for some, worse. Please kindly consider donating to local relief efforts to help with rescue and relief for those who lost everything. No donations are too small. Even $5 USD would help a lot. Book community is holding book drives and giveaways in exchange for proof of donations, so if you're in the market for some books, definitely check it out. If you are unable to donate, you can watch/play these YouTube video ads.
Resources of where to safely donate + help Philippines from wherever you are:
Hello, everyone! Before we begin, let's wish a happy book birthday to
Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett, which releases today! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and it was definitely worth the wait. I am honored to feature Master of One here on EK today, on
the blog tour organized by
TBR and Beyond! Be sure to add this book to your TBRs and libraries, friends. You won't regret it. Thanks, TBR and Beyond for having me on the tour, and Harper Teen for
the advanced review copy.
Master of One by Jaida Jones, Dani Bennett
Young Adult Fantasy, LGBTQ+
November 10, 2020 from Harper Teen
Sinister sorcery. Gallows humor. A queer romance so glorious it could be
right out of fae legend itself. Master of One is a fantasy unlike any
other.
Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked
soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of
passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an
ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.
But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae
himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince
called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things
just get stranger from there...
With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of
The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting
for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy,
a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for
each other.
Reasons to Read Master of One
♚ If you're a fan of many but short chapters with multiple POVs, this is for
you.
♚ There's fae, magic, royals, a heist,
sorcerers, thieves, a quest, a cutthroat queen, a ragtag group of chaotic gays and
more in this high fantasy that is not to be missed.
♚ The unique magic systems of the fae and the sorcerers, and how each
wield it is quite interesting. 🧚🧙♀️✨
♚ It's unapologetically and wonderfully queer. 🌈💕
♚ Funny, witty banter and the dynamic between the characters is not only highly entertaining but also shows the characters sense of humor and personalities.
♚ Brilliant worldbuilding and excellent character development that readers can appreciate and get immersed in.
♚ It's action-packed after a creeping, methodical build up. ⚔️
♚ It's a character-driven story with the reluctant band of misfits, some of
which readers may grow to love.
Tropes / Themes
☽ Heist
☽ Quest to find an object
☽ Slow burn romance
☽ Y E A R N I N G
☽ Grumpy/sunshine pairing
☽ Mustache-twirling villain (sans mustache)
☽ Morally grey characters
☽ Soft boy under grumpy exterior
☽ A group of chaotic gays
☽ Evil queen
Rep
☀ m/m romance
☀ Disabled SCs
☀ Trans SC
☀ Chronic illness
☀ PTSD
Content/Trigger Warnings
➤ Violence
➤ Blood
➤ Torture
➤ Physical Abuse
➤ Death
➤ Grief
➤ Animal death
➤ Kidnapping
Favorite Quotes
"She needed her rage, had donned it like armor."
--Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett, Master of One
"Don’t pay attention to what you can’t do. Remember what you can."
--Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett, Master of One
"Memories often betray us this way... Because what we think we remember and what truly was are only distorted echoes of each other."
--Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett, Master of One
"Forgive me."
"I would forgive you of anything. Anything but death… I have waited so long for you. So many of your short lifetimes. And I have missed you every moment of every year until we met."
--Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett, Master of One
[Quotes are from an unedited advanced review copy and is subject to change in the final publication]
Meet Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett
Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett are married co-authors (without wanting to
divorce yet) who live in Brooklyn with 8 cats. Danielle is from Victoria,
British Columbia, and works freelance as an independent editor, proofreader
and plagiarism checker. Jaida is a native New Yorker. Their published work
includes four novels from the Volstovic Cycle, in addition to their many
twitter rants on intersectional feminism and the NYC subway system.
♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥
Watch: Billie and Emma (2018) 🌈
Set in the mid-90's, the film tells the story of Billie, a troublemaker from the big city, who finds herself exiled to San Isidro to live with her spinster aunt who is also the town's religion teacher. Determined to change her ways and get through the last year of high school without incident, Billie hides herself from the world until she meets Emma, the ambitious, star student who coaxes Billie out of her shell. They soon fall in love but things get complicated when Emma finds out that she's pregnant. Together, they explore the fleeting nature of love and life on this journey of growth, laughter and music.
May I implore you a few minutes of your time to brush up on what's going on in the Philippines and ways to help Filipinos, whether it be by donating, signing petitions, calling Philippine lawmakers to veto the Anti-Terror Law, or by simply amplifying Filipino voices: junkterrorbill.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co
Read: God Storm by Coco Ma
Everything has a price.
In the kingdom of Axaria, a darkness has fallen. After defeating the evil mother who summoned an immortal demon to kill her, newly coronated Queen Asterin Faelenhart should have every reason to celebrate. Her kingdom is safe, forbidden magic eradicated, and her friends are alive. Except Asterin’s triumph has come at a devastating cost - forced to choose between a lifelong friend and true love, she’s lost both. But the shadows in Axaria have begun to stir once again, and no one is more starved for vengeance than Asterin....
Yet it soon becomes clear that the shadows plaguing her kingdom are just the beginning. Another realm coexists with the mortal world - the beautiful, nightmarish Immortal Realm ruled by the wicked God of Shadow, King Eoin. When their paths entwine, Asterin realizes that Eoin possesses exactly what - and who - she seeks most. And the fates of all those that she holds dear - Orion, her missing Guardian; Luna, the friend she could not save; Harry, the demon who saved them all; and Quinlan, her beloved broken prince - ultimately rest in the god’s hands.
But in a world of magic, not everyone is always as they seem. When shocking discoveries threaten everything and everyone Asterin has sworn her life to protect, she won’t be the only person forced to make a choice...a choice that will change the mortal world forever.
And maybe even destroy it.
Publication date: October 20, 2020
God Storm is the sequel to Shadow Frost, out now! If you haven't read the first book yet, Shadow Frost is on sale on e-retailers for a limited time.
♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥
Watch: Kiss the Ground documentary on Netflix (2020)
A revolutionary group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of "Regenerative Agriculture" that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world.
Resources to utilize to help fight climate change - including orgs to volunteer/donate to, call scripts to your Senators + Reps, sign petitions, and more:
Call your members of Congress to pass H.Res.109 with this call script by indivisible.org or 5calls.org, urge your Senators to support HR 9 with this call script by 5calls.org, urge your members of Congress to act on the climate change crisis with this script by 5calls.org, and ask your Senators to pass HR 1146 to protect Alaska's wildlife refuge with this call script also by 5calls.org.
Read: The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino
Twelve-year-old Niko lives in Pohe Bay, a small, rural town with a sacred hot spring and a taniwha named Taukere. The government wants to build a prison over the home of the taniwha, and Niko's grandfather is busy protesting. People call him porangi, crazy, but when he dies, it's up to Niko to convince his community that the taniwha is real and stop the prison from being built. With help from his friend Wai, Niko must unite his whanau, honour his grandfather and stand up to his childhood bully.
For fans of R. F. Kuang, S. A. Chakraborty, Tochi Oneybuchi, and N. K. Jemisin
Black Sun
by Rebecca Roanhorse
Epic Fantasy, SFF, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+
October 13, 2020 from Simon & Schuster/Saga Press
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance
Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired
by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale
of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for
celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a
rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the
world.
Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to
arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek
whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s
mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger,
Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala
well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a
villain.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic
adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and
the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and
their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.
Reasons to add Black Sun to your
library right now
☀ It's a high stakes political intrigue and rivalries fantasy that will draw you
into the expansive world the whole way through.
☀ The worldbuilding, inspired by various Indigenous cultural influences, is
excellent, sharp, innovative and expansive. The world of
Meridian is populated by mermaids and corvids, and filled with forbidden
magic, mystical quest, assassins, tempests, spear maidens, sailors, rival clans, cults, god-like godmade storms, crow god, sun
priest, and a rare life-changing celestial event. And the
prose is absolutely vivid and vibrant which really brings this fantasy
to life.
It's unlike anything I've ever read
and I cannot wait for more to come in this trilogy. Rebecca Roanhorse has the
range. 🌎
☀ Black Sun is a pre-Columbian America's inspired fantasy and you'll see
that geographically, and in the cultural influences Roanhorse drew from that's incorporated into the story, characters attire, the trades, as well as addressing generational trauma. ⛵
☀ Complex and fully developed characters (one you may consider morally grey) that you will come to love and whom complete this truly expansive world. There are multiple POVs told from the main characters that offers readers a chance to know the characters, a peak into their lives and past, how they feel and how they view the world. It's hard
not to become immersed into these characters lives and relationships with each
other and their roles in the story. It's also hard to tell if a character is hero, villain or anti-hero, so this mystery keeps you on your toes and anticipating to see more character arcs unfold throughout the trilogy.
☀ The rep. One of the MCs is nonbinary whom prefers neo-pronouns (xe/xir) to which the characters respect. Another MC is bisexual. The casual queerness is commonplace in their non-cis/heteronormative society and it's very
much appreciated. There's nuanced disability rep as well which was also handled with care (i.e. the author hired sensitivity readers). 🌈
☀ The story does revolve around the winter solstice, a time for celebration and
renewal, however this one will coincide with a solar eclipse which is a rare
celestial event that tips the balance of their world. The Convergence will explain where the book title comes from. ❄☀☽★
☀ The honey scene, the bath scene. Those who've read it -- y'all know exactly what I'm talking about. For those who have yet to -- you'll know once
you get there. All I'm going to say is that there is sensual tension and it is
written exceptionally well. Let's all collectively thank Roanhorse for this and higher
our standards to match that energy. 🍯🛁
☀ This book will stick with you long after the cliffhanger and will have you wanting needing the next book immediately. Seriously - it will live in your mind rent-free. It's one of my most favorite books this year, or of all time. Right up there with Felix Ever After, The Poppy War and Raybearer.
☀ Though it's an adult fantasy, it'll also appeal to fans of YA as well (though heed trigger warnings as there are dark and graphic themes).
Tropes / Themes
☽ Dark fantasy
☽ Celestial prophecy
☽ Forbidden magic
☽ Morally grey character ☽ Mystical quest
☽ Rivalries
☽ Slow burn romance
☽ Sensual tension
☽ Revenge plot
☽ Abusive parent(s)
Rep
⚓ Nonbinary MC (xe/xir) + SCs ⚓ Bisexual (possibly pansexual) MC ⚓ Disabled MCs + SCs ⚓ Trans SC ⚓ Past nb/f relationship ⚓ Indigenous author (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo + Black)
⚓ Indigenous America's, Mayan, Incan, Aztec, Tewan, Cahokia, ancestral Puebloans, and Polynesian
cultural influences
Content/Trigger Warnings
➤ Violence
➤ Alcohol use
➤ Mass murder
➤ Death
➤ Trauma
➤ Mentions of slavery
➤ Homophobia
➤ Mentions of human sacrifice
➤ Cults + cult rituals
➤ Mention of sexual abuse
➤ Child abuse/abusive parent
➤ Gore
Favorite Quotes
"The costliest mistake one can make is to underestimate one’s opponent through low expectations."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
"Life is a series of false hopes. We all have misplaced hopes until we learn better. I did."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
"Violence should only be used in defense, and even then, it corrupts. If you must kill your enemy, do it quickly and be done. To linger only invites humiliation of both the victim and the self, and there is no honor there."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
"If your stories are of the glory of war, then I will know you value power. If your stories are of kinship, then I know you value relationship. If your stories are of many children, I know you value legacy. But if your stories are of adaptation and survival, of long memory and revenge, then I will know you are a Crow like me."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
"Usually," Xiala said carefully, "when someone describes a man as harmless, he ends up being a villain."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
"The sea herself," she said. "I am her daughter, and when I'm with my mother"--she exhaled gustily--"nobody fucks with her children."
--Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
[Quotes are from an unedited advanced review copy and is subject to change in
the final publication]
Book Trailer
Meet Rebecca Roanhorse
Rebecca Roanhorse is a NYTimes bestselling and Nebula, Hugo and Locus
Award-winning speculative fiction writer and the recipient of the 2018
Astounding (Campbell) Award for Best New Writer.
Her novel Trail of Lightning (Book 1 in the Sixth World Series) won the Locus
Award for Best First Novel and was a Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy Finalist.
It was also selected as an Amazon, B&N, Library Journal, and NPR Best
Books of 2018, among others. Storm of Locusts (Book 2 in the Sixth World
Series) was a Locus Award Finalist and was longlisted for the Hugo Award. It
also received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and was
named an Amazon, Powell’s, and Audible Best of 2019. Her novel, Resistance
Reborn, is part of Star Wars: Journey to The Rise of Skywalker and a USA Today
and NYTimes bestseller. Her middle grade novel Race to the Sun for the Rick
Riordan Present’s imprint was a NYTimes Bestseller and received a starred
review from Kirkus. Her next novel, Black Sun, has received starred reviews
from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal and comes out on Oct 13,
2020.
She lives in Northern New Mexico with her husband, daughter, and pup. She
drinks a lot of black coffee.
♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥
Watch: Yellow Rose (2020)
Rose, an undocumented Filipino girl, dreams of one day leaving her small
Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when
her mom suddenly gets picked up by immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rose, facing this new reality, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind
the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she
searches for a new home in the honky tonk world of Austin, Texas.
Directed/written by Diane Paragas; story by Andy Bienen
Starring Eva Noblezada, Lea Salonga, Gustavo Gomez, Princess Punzalan
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.
A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.
Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.
Publication date: October 13, 2020
Check this space tomorrow to find out why Black Sun is one of the best books I've ever read.
Listen: I'm Over You -- Matt Marcii x Andrea Ekeli
Watch: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix (2020)
Read: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
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