Quarterly Pages: April - June 2025

And just like that...we're in the middle of the year. Looking back on the books I read in Q2 of 2025, I can tell so much about where I was at mentally and emotionally. It's truly eye-opening to see how far I've come since those days.

In April, the weather was still cold and gloomy. I spent a lot of time indoors, reading. By May, the days started warming up, so there were evenings when I could soak up the sun on my fire escape, immersing myself in the world and minds of whatever book I was reading.

During those two months, I was seeking community, and my first instinct was to join a book club. A few of the books read this quarter are book club reads that, for some, I never even joined a meeting for. More on that later.

Out of 14 books, 8 were written by people of color. Perhaps 9 if we consider Queercore based on the contributors included in this oral history of the queer punk movement. Anyways, let's dive in.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book has been on my radar due to recommendations by creatives whom I follow closely. The recommendations dulled out the fact that this book was, in fact, written by the same person who wrote Eat, Pray, Love. As anyone who is close to me knows, I hated Eat, Pray, Love (the movie, I refuse to read the book). It's one of those best-selling books that I believe, single-handedly, convinced white people that they should travel to Bali to find their spiritual awakening with no regard to the locals and their customs.

I understand why people are drawn to this book. Big Magic is all about embracing our creative side from within and letting go of our conditioned fear. Although veering towards the woo-woo side, it does remind us that we are all creative beings and to follow our passions by just doing the damn thing. That if we wanted to paint, write, draw, act, sing – it's not that deep, and we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. Was it life-changing? No. Was it inspiring? Maybe. It's one of those books that you just have to read at the right stage in life. I read it at the start of my sabbatical, so it did strike a chord.

Girlfriends by Emily Zhou

The first book club read of the year, although it got cancelled, so I never got to discuss the book. This is a collection of short stories primarily focusing on the lives of Gen Z queer folks. I found the collection to be refreshing, although some stories felt repetitive as the characters started blending into one another due to a lack of distinctiveness to set them apart in the collection.

Upon reading the first few stories, it did take me some time to situate myself in the world, taking away from the overall experience of the story. However, once I got used to Zhou's writing style, reading the short stories flowed a lot easier. Each slice of life story explores relationships, queerness, and the self. As a debut collection, it was strong. I would pick up a book by Emily Zhou again.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

I'm never taking recommendations from BookTok again. Tell me why this book was recommended to be so terrifying and gruesome that people did not even want to talk about it, instead urging us to read it for ourselves. Brother centers around a family living in the heart of Appalachia who have a deeply concerning tradition to put food on the table. (Spoiler alert: they kill girls and eat them.)

I found this book to be needlessly violent, adding to a trope of Appalachia that villainizes those in poverty, and deeply uninteresting. The only reason I picked this up was because I wanted a page-turner. This was oddly slow and self-indulgent so I almost DNF-ed it, but I'm a completionist (a downfall of mine). I read through the end and saw the "plot twist" a mile away. If you like wasting your time, read this.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

A ray of sunshine in the weeks of darkness, The Joy Luck Club was a breath of fresh air after powering through Brother. Amy Tan had never piqued my interest until I watched her Masterclass on Fiction, Memory, and Imagination. I was enamored by the way she talked about weaving memory into her stories. From using emotional memories to bring universal resonance through personal truths, I knew I had to pick up the book she referenced the most to fully understand her work.

At the heart of The Joy Luck Club lies mother-daughter relationships, identity, and past lives. It's easy to forget that before us, our mothers had full lives that have shaped who they are. We don't consider their childhood, upbringing, friendships, past loves, and life milestones. This book oscillates between four families, alternating between the stories of the mothers and the daughters. It's beautifully written with deep emotional depth – I wanted to savor every page. It's one book that I plan on revisiting in the future.

Cry When the Baby Cries by Becky Barnicoat

A graphic novel that was mentioned in the newsletter, Receipt from the Bookshop. This memoir chronicles Barnicoat's experiences with motherhood, from pregnancy to the newborn's arrival. As I enter my 30s, motherhood has been on my mind as the biological clock looms over my head. Society tends to portray motherhood in a one-dimensional way, making it seem like roses and sunshine – "the best thing you ever did". That is, until a TikTok pops up about a mother experiencing the worst tears and having to get stitched up.

I appreciate Barnicoat's humorous approach to sharing her experiences. This memoir was a raw and tender peek into the realities of motherhood. I’m grateful that more parents, especially mothers, are sharing their honest experiences to break down the stigma of being “a good mother”. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying our best.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

After getting my library card, I browsed the shelves and came across this collection of essays. During a work-related trip, one of my team members mentioned how this is one of his favorite books, and he gifts a copy to his friends whenever he can. He is a certified John Green hater, so that's the highest compliment that he could give.

John Green is one of my cultural touchpoints during my developing years. I read everything I could get my hands on, from Looking for Alaska to Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I even read and have a copy of Let It Snow. It's been close to a decade since I read a John Green book. Thankfully, this did not disappoint.

In this collection of essays, John Green reviews different facets of our human-centered planet on a 5-star scale. Each chapter focuses on random topics, such as Dr Pepper, Penguins of Madagascar, and the QWERTY keyboard. In between facts about the topic, he injects personal anecdotes and experiences that bring so much life into the subject. What I love about his works is this sense of wonder to life that can be so easy to lose during the never-ending nightmare of a news cycle 2025 has been. This collection of essays reminded me how beautiful the world and life can be.

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown

Another book club read, but this time, I didn't finish the book in time to join the meeting. But alas, perhaps it was for the best because I didn't enjoy this at all. It's frustrating when the premise of the story is intriguing, yet the execution falls short. There was so much potential in this debut mystery thriller novel. Set in Princeton, Maya returns to her alma mater to attend the graduation of her little sister, Naomi. Things took a turn when Maya's worst nightmare came to life when Naomi ended up dead. Maya is on a mission to uncover who did it and why.

There are secret societies! A murder mystery! Corruption! However, the execution was lackluster as the pacing was painfully slow. The narrative storytelling wasn’t tight enough, alternating between past and present, and the characters lacked distinction, so they all slowly blended into one. I enjoyed it at the beginning, but it quickly lost my attention. Towards the end, it felt like a chore to finish this.

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa

This was the Open Book Club's May pick! Once again, I didn't attend the meeting because it was in Brooklyn and your girl was not up for the commute. This would have made for a fascinating discussion, though. Hunchback is Saou Ichikawa's debut novella, in which she won the Bungakukai Prize for New Writers. She's the first author with a physical disability to receive the Akutagawa Prize.

In her novella, the main character, Shaka, is an heiress born with a congenital muscle disorder. She has access to what seems like unlimited funds, spending her days in her room in a care home. Due to her disability, she has to rely on an electric wheelchair to move around and a ventilator to breathe. Despite her physical limitations, her mind holds no bounds as she publishes smut on websites, trolls online, and takes educational courses. However, she yearns for the sexual experiences that she writes online, which one day, a caretaker takes her up on her offer.

It's a strange read for sure, one that I can't fully articulate my feelings towards. The main reason I gave it 4 stars is that I finished this within 24 hours. It gripped my attention from start to finish – from Shaka's situation in the care home to her online persona – it was fascinating to see the complexities and desires of an individual. This is a classic example of "I contain multitudes".

I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong

Finally, a book club pick that I read and joined the meeting for. In this funny and heartwarming read, we follow Jack Jr., who wakes up from a two-year coma after a global pandemic. As he picks up the remnants of his life, he reluctantly returns to Fort Lee, New Jersey, to work at his family's sushi restaurant.

This was a tender portrayal of a Korean-American family where you see them come together despite all their differences. I loved getting to know each character and watching their life unfold around the sushi restaurant. My favorite duo is Jack Jr. and his nephew, Juno, who is now a teenager, as they navigate getting to know each other again, especially after life-changing events.

Jinwoo Chong joined the book club meeting, which made for an even more special experience with the book. He talked about how his family dynamics and the pandemic shaped this book. If you're looking for a light-hearted read, this is it.

Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf

At this point in the quarter, I was starting to feel the familiar pangs of homesickness. I anticipated the feeling, so I promptly picked up a book by a Malaysian author. Almost immediately, I was soothed by the familiarity of the language and setting of the novel.

Queen of the Tiles is a YA mystery book set in a Scrabble competition. After the death of her best friend, Trina Low, Najwa Bakri returns to the Scrabble competition scene to heal her grief and move on. In the style of Pretty Little Liars, cryptic messages start appearing on Trina's inactive Instagram page, causing a stir in the competition. Everyone is a suspect as far as Najwa is concerned, as she tries to uncover who the killer is.

This was an absolute delight to read! I loved the spunky kids and the type of drama that only teenagers can cause. I also learned so much about Scrabble and am now intrigued to play it after decades of the game not crossing my mind. The passion, thought, and effort in the game touched me as someone who didn't take Scrabble seriously at all. This is a fun YA mystery read that has a lot of heart.

The Lonesome Bodybuilder by Yukiko Motoya

There's nothing quite like browsing the shelves in a public library and chancing upon a book that piques your interest. The Lonesome Bodybuilder is a collection of magical realism short stories that highlight various identities in a patriarchal society that demands orderliness and homogeneity.

To capture the attention of her workaholic husband, a housewife takes up bodybuilding to radically change her physique. A saleswoman in a high-end boutique waits patiently on a creature-like customer who refuses to come out of the fitting room.

Much like Hunchback, the stories are strange and can leave you with more questions than answers. It's one of those books that are purely for the vibes. I was curious to see how far the writer would take things, and she did not disappoint. The characters make extremely bizarre choices, so you get to see how the consequences of their actions play out. I believe this collection stems from the desire to escape a homogeneous society where everyone is expected to behave in a certain way. There is a yearning for individuality and self-expression within these stories.

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

I've said it once and I shall say it again: I WILL NOT BE TAKING ANYMORE BOOKTOK RECOMMENDATIONS.

This thriller is highly raved about on BookTok as something people couldn't put down. Perhaps I simply do not possess the patience for slow burns, but this was incredibly slow and repetitive. We are reminded repeatedly that this group of car crash survivors did something unfathomable; therefore, they are bound by the incident for life. They agree to meet every year on the anniversary of the accident, but when one of them dies, the group is shaken up and has to confront the past.

Honestly, this could have worked so much better as a short story. There was no need for there to be over 300+ pages. It felt like the story was building towards a huge plot twist, but the payoff was extremely meh. Don't waste your time. There are better thrillers out there that are, at the very least, fun to read.

Loca by Alejandro Heredia

My second book club read that I joined the meeting for! I'm aiming for consistency this year, and it also helps that the book club meets virtually. The best part about this book club is that the authors join in on the conversation, so we gain deeper insight into the book, which really enhances the story.

Loca centers around Sal and Charo, who grew up in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, but eventually moved to New York City in the 90s. Sal flees to the city after a tragedy, hoping to escape grief and memories of his life in Santa Domingo. On the other hand, Charo leaves to escape the life guaranteed for women like her, but finds herself in a similar situation as she marries a controlling man, becomes a mother of a young girl, and works long hours as a cashier. On a night out, they befriend Vance who introduces them to a queer intersectional community, allowing them to find family beyond blood and forge identities they've always yearned for.

The community formed within Loca is one that I long to read more of – one that holds each other accountable, supports one another in times of hardship, and nurtures space for each person to grow. Each character in this novel is deeply flawed, but also very quintessentially human. They feel so real as they make, at times, unwise decisions, but they always have the purest of intentions, or some shortcomings that prevent them from making the right choices. It's a moving and tender story about migration, friendship, and finding ourselves in a city that can be extremely lonely.

Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution: An Oral History by Liam Warfield

As part of my goal to try something new, I joined an in-person book club at a local secondhand bookstore. To commemorate Pride month, the pick of the month was Queercore, a book that is entirely in interview format. This was a challenging read for me due to the format and the subject matter. As someone who is unfamiliar with punk history and queercore as a whole, there were a lot of references that flew over my head. However, I took the advice of my former professor, who said to trudge through it as part of the learning experience.

I learned a lot about the queer punk scene, how they would throw punk shows that were very out there, make zines for the community by the community, and challenge the status quo as a form of self-expression. The closest example of queercore we could come up with in contemporary times is Chappell Roan, which goes to show that there are probably more underground artists that we need to expose ourselves to.

The main takeaways of this book for me are 1) we need to bring zines back, but for the people, not for capitalistic reasons, and 2) the queer identity is multifaceted yet mainstream media flattens it to a version that they deem palatable, hence why most people have never heard of the queercore movement.

This quarter was a doozy as I tried to find community through books. I was determined to join ones that are local to me, instead of venturing to New York City in search of a community. Ultimately, I believe that finding community means consistency and proximity: I need to show up regularly, and it should be at a place that is less than half an hour away.

I'm glad that at the end of June, I was able to join two book clubs where I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations. July is chalking up to be an exciting month with the book club picks of The True Happiness Company and Nettle & Bone.

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear about the books you've enjoyed so far. Feel free to send recommendations since I no longer trust social media!