ThePoptimistTalking about the book expressly made for the bookishly online who's forever thirsty for tea, R.F. Kuang follows up her TikTok fav Babel with the publishing thriller Yellowface to talk smack about the world of writing and maybe even offer up a peek at what it's like to be a bestselling novelist.
Yellowface: Literary thriller with some deep bookish internet loreThePoptimist2023-05-19 | Talking about the book expressly made for the bookishly online who's forever thirsty for tea, R.F. Kuang follows up her TikTok fav Babel with the publishing thriller Yellowface to talk smack about the world of writing and maybe even offer up a peek at what it's like to be a bestselling novelist.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #YellowfaceAbsolute trash broligarch bookshelvie #shelfie #bookshelf #booktubeThePoptimist2024-08-31 | ...Favourite Korean-American Fiction Read of 2023: (and some family history)ThePoptimist2024-02-25 | In what was a bumper crop of Korean-American fiction in 2023, one stood out above the others even if my first pass at it was less than stellar. Ed Park's Same Bed Different Dreams is a spiraling mosaic of interconnected snippets that asks "What is History?" (Leading to some Buffalo in the 80's nostalgia and some wild family history besides)
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #SameBedDifferentDreamsNorth Woods: Total 5-Star ReadThePoptimist2024-02-11 | Turns out I'm just late to the party. Still, starting 2024 out strong with a solid 5 star read.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #NorthWoodsRental Person Who Does Nothing: I Have ThoughtsThePoptimist2024-02-04 | Not exactly a stunner of a novel but c'mon - January isn't exactly the strongest month for new releases and this proves an interesting vibe that speaks to our current changing relationship to the grind.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHNDoppelganger: Getting the vibes right, but the facts wrongThePoptimist2024-01-21 | Doppelgänger was prompted by Naomi Klein's repeated experience of being mistaken for Naomi Wolf. Hardly warrants an entire book, but Klein uses this experience as a springboard to examine the doubling that occurs in politics and society, and how the right wing conspiracy machine gets the vibes right even as it gets the facts wrong.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #DoppelgangerKorean-American Fiction for 2023ThePoptimist2024-01-14 | It's been one hell of a year for Korean-American fiction and even I have barely managed to scratch the surface of this veritable cornucopia of reads. Time to add some books to your TBR!
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #KoreanAmericanReadsLeave the World Behind: The Perfect Covid NovelThePoptimist2024-01-06 | This thing is all vibes.Both prescient and a perfect vehicle to reflect on how we collectively dealt with a global catastrophe. Despite being written prior to the Covid pandemic, Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind is the perfect encapsulation of that fraught time. Don't believe the one-star haters, the Netflix adaptation is pretty darn good too.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #LeavetheWorldBehindChildren of Time: A new favorite sci-fi read!ThePoptimist2023-10-01 | Children of Time is the first book of a trilogy from Adrian Tchaikovsky that won the Arthur C. Clarke award for Science Fiction in 2016. And, more importantly, joins the pantheon of all-time favourite sci-fi reads for me. The centuries fly by, but brace yourself for a millennia of spider content. A fantastic stand-alone read that I just devoured.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHNAssholes: A TheoryThePoptimist2023-09-04 | Taking a break from front-list literary fiction and easing into a bit of modern day philosophy to explore the pervasive and powerful influence of the asshole in today's world. Aaron James examination of the asshole feels scarily prescient even a decade ago. Assholes abound!
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHNGoing Zero: A Perfect Summer ThrillerThePoptimist2023-08-05 | Break out of the summer reading slump, step away from the stuffy prize winners, and indulge in a fantastic, page-turning, summer thriller. Anthony McCarten has got some writerly chops and delivers a fun romp - that doesn't warrant too much reflection. It's just a fun read.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #GoingZeroMid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2023ThePoptimist2023-07-09 | It's a cornucopia of books despite it actually being a "mid" year so far at the mid-year mark (see what I did there?) So while I haven't read as much as a normally do, I've still got thoughts on the books I did get to - and lots of optimism for the books I'm going to get to in the second half of the year.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #midyearbookfreakouttagPod by Laline Paull ...is alotThePoptimist2023-06-05 | I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum, but my body was not ready for this Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction shortlisted explicit ocean story. Flipper this ain't.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #podBig Swiss is THE Goblin Mode NovelThePoptimist2023-04-08 | Jen Beagin's Big Swiss is the messy, hot, lesbian, up-market literary novel that's destined for the small screen. Referred to as a letter from Penthouse Forum set in Hudson about trauma ...and all the trigger warnings.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #BigSwissStation Eternity review via Shorts because I appreciate the chaotic energyThePoptimist2023-03-05 | ...Our Missing Hearts and The Power of the PowerlessThePoptimist2023-02-27 | After a string of so-so reads, Our Missing Hearts comes in hot with an absolute banger of a modern day fairy tale set 10 seconds in the future. But the real treasure was the 1978 essay recommended in the author's note at the end.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #OurMissingHeartsFavourite Read of 2023 - Already!ThePoptimist2023-01-08 | With the start of a new year I resolve not to get hung up on insignificant details and obsess over trivial technicalities like the fact that I finished this at the tail end of 2022 - but, significantly, AFTER I shot my favourites of 2022. It's a heavy handsell but a hella debut warranting a hearty endorsement.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #HowHighWeGoInTheDarkFavourite Reads of 2022: Super Normie EditionThePoptimist2022-12-28 | Let's just pretend I haven't been gone for the last quarter of 2022 and instead allow me to weigh in with the books I'm telling you to read - because faced with the overwhelming volume of choice afforded by bookish social media, people need to be firmly pointed in the right direction and told what to read. Sadly unwilling to be even more effective by refusing to resort to tears or a TikTok dance.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #favoriteReads2022Visiting Amsterdam, Haarlem, Frankfurt and Marburg 2022ThePoptimist2022-08-28 | Our daughter is spending a semester abroad in seriously beautiful Marburg Germany and so the family thought we'd spend a week together and see her off proper. That meant a week in Amsterdam with a quick jump to Frankfurt Germany and a short train ride to Marburg. Beautiful weather, superior public transport and sunny afternoons filled with ambling walks and afternoon cocktails. Another week? We would have gladly stayed another month if we could.Disorientation: When Fact is Stranger Than FictionThePoptimist2022-07-24 | In this crazy mixed-up world getting satire right is hard, if not downright impossible. Elaine Hsieh Chou's debut novel Disorientation still manages to thread that needle and prompted a ton of reading to dig up the real world sources of some of the wilder plot points discussed in the novel. Worth it.
Trying out a new setup which means some blown out lighting, wonky focus glitches, and some iffy sound capture that required a bit of effort in post. In the meantime send me your recommendations for Amsterdam, Haarlem, Delft and Frankfurt! (Less museums and galleries)
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #DisorientationThe 2022 Mid Year Book Freakout TagThePoptimist2022-06-06 | You know the drill — getting it in early because I needed a nice tag video to get something going again. It's been so long but the reading has been good at least! (Also just realizing that The Book of Form and Emptiness is the prime example of chickens coming home to roost - with dire consequences)
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #midyearbookfreakouttagSea of Tranquility: Tattoos, Literary Universes and the End-of-the-World.ThePoptimist2022-04-17 | Emily St. John Mandel is back with her latest Sea of Tranquility that continues within a larger literary universe established back in The Glass Hotel and introduces the notion of time travel. It also lets her riff on a theme she's grown more than a little versed in ...post-apocalyptic literature.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #SeaofTranquilitySpiral Into Horror With UZUMAKI!!ThePoptimist2022-02-27 | In which I'm the last person in the world to realize the absolute magnitude of manga and dip my toes in those vast waters with Junji Ito's "spiral into horror" Uzumaki.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #uzumakiThe Killing Floor vs Reacher: Lee Childs iconic Jack ReacherThePoptimist2022-02-13 | The Amazon Prime series was an absolute hoot to watch as a comfort food actioner which prompted picking up the debut novel from author Lee Childs on which the series was based. It's an introductory dive into the world of the 6.5", 250lb former military police officer with hands like dinner plates.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #JackReacherYou Suck at Productivity: Reading Four Thousand WeeksThePoptimist2022-01-23 | It's Time Management for Mortals - which means that given our short time here on earth, hope is a curse and imagining a future when you've gotten it all done dooms you to failure. And that's actually a good thing. Oliver Burkeman insists we think a little different when it comes to time management.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #FourThousandWeeksSkinship is the Most Korean-American Book Ive Ever ReadThePoptimist2022-01-09 | All killer, no filler. This debut collection of 8 short stories from Yoon Choi just completely blew my mind and knocked my socks off. Easily my favourite read of 2021, a wonderful way to cap off a great year of reading, and kick off a hopeful year of booktubing for 2022. Skinship is a solid buy.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #PostscriptTagCloud Cuckoo Land is a total clutch-worthy read.ThePoptimist2021-11-07 | After the 5-star success of All The Light We Cannot See I was justifiably nervous about picking up Anthony Doerr's follow-up, the strangely named, confusingly plotted, absolute chonker of a unit Cloud Cuckoo Land. What I got was a clutch-worthy machine that captures attention. TL:DR - Loved it!
I'm tagging: Jena @Bibliofilth Rick @RickMacDonnell Doris @alldbooks9165
THE BOOKS AND LIFE TAG: 1. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a normal person and 10 being the late Harold Bloom, how much are books and reading a part of your life? 2. Where does your personal library stand right now in relation to the rest of your life? Do you have more books now than you ever have? Fewer? How has your library changed? 3. Take a mental step back and ask yourself: what is the most likely first bookish impression a newcomer would have in your home? 4. How often (if ever, gulp) do you clean or re-organize your books? 5. On average, how many books do you acquire in a given week? 6. What song is your current ear-worm? 7. What percentage of your self-control do you retain in a well-stocked bookshop? 8. Do you ever feel the need to take a break from books? If so, what form does it take? 9. When you meet a new person, how long does it take you to bring up books? 10. Have you given any thought/made any provisions for your personal library after you croak? 11. Are you known among your friends & loved ones for your weird and probably unhealthy relationship with books
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #BooksandLifeTagHorror Reads: The Final Girl Support GroupThePoptimist2021-10-11 | Grady Hendrix' The Final Girl Support Group is a non-stop horror thriller that is a modern day reckoning of 80's slasher movies decades on where the final girls try and make some sense of their lives while someone seems intent, once again, on ending them. Already snatched up for a tv adaptation this thing is built for the screen.
MENTIONED: Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film - amzn.to/306VFnm The Final Girl Support Group - amzn.to/3oRfitX
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #TheFinalGirlSupportGroupThey Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing UpThePoptimist2021-09-26 | In the midst of the so-called Red Zone of campus sexual violence and the recent events at Western University - Eternity Martis' fantastic debut memoir offers some additional context.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #TheySaidThisWouldBeFunBad Blood: Elizabeth Holmes & Theranos - the story continues as the trial beginsThePoptimist2021-09-13 | John Carryrou's Bad Blood is a gripping real-world thriller about Theranos, but the story doesn't end with the book and things have gotten even crazier in the ensuing years.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #ElizabethHolmesLiterary Adaptations We Need to See!ThePoptimist2021-09-06 | It's peak Must-Read-TV out there and bookish properties are being snatched up left and right! Some literary recommendations ripe for the silver screen and a quick peek at what's coming down the pipe!
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #LiteraryAdaptationsThe Midnight Library: Am I A Sucker If I Like This?ThePoptimist2021-08-22 | Apologies - I am out of practice! New rig, new workflow, and a long break makes it feel like I'm learning how to do this all over again. Matt Haig's latest book (not to mention his entire literary output) has me conflicted.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #TheMidnightLibraryThe Mid Year Book Freakout Tag 2021ThePoptimist2021-07-04 | We're halfway through the year and the annual tradition continues! Here's hoping the second half of 2021 proves just as good reading wise as the first!
THE QUESTIONS: 1. Best book you’ve read so far 2. Best sequel you've read so far 3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year 5. Biggest disappointment 6. Biggest surprise 7. Favourite new author 8. Newest fictional crush 9. Newest favourite character 10. Book that made you cry 11. Book that made you happy 12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) 13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #MidYearBookFreakoutTagKorean Food, Kimchi and... Crying in H MartThePoptimist2021-06-20 | It's hard to be objective about Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart as it so mirrors so many aspects of my life growing up second gen. Loved the read - and if you're on the fence you can read some her work online that shows what a talent she truly is.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #CryinginHMartCurse You Booktube Prize!ThePoptimist2021-06-06 | Once again I submit myself to the anxiety inducing dread that is the annual Booktube Prize to show my support for this fantastic event that's grown to include non-fiction and now hundreds of judges. This year my cohort breaks my Anti-TBR promise to myself. I guess it was inevitable at least one of the books would manage to seep through the cracks.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #BooktubePrizeTheyre coming for your Seuss, Cancel Culture and Diversity in Literary EndeavoursThePoptimist2021-05-03 | Ignore the fuzz on my top because I can't. The Discord got me thinking about Simon and Schuster's response to the Mike Pence book deal, how it feels like we're seeing more of this, and how diversity in the literary world is making demands for change. All this meandering leads to my excitement over the currently running Festival of Literary Diversity 2021. Use offer code pop10 to save on two weeks of killer bookish content.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #Fold2021Has Malcolm Gladwell Been Red Pilled?ThePoptimist2021-04-25 | The office bookclub chose this backlist book from local author Malcolm Gladwell for this month's read and I gotta tell you it was an absolute dumpster fire of a mess. I am clearly missing the plot on this otherwise favourably reviewed bestseller.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #StopAsianHateCrying on BookTok: What real bookish influence looks likeThePoptimist2021-03-28 | BookTok is the new kid on the block and she's moving heavy weight - BookTube needs to step up their game and answer this shot across our bow with #booktubemademebuyit and Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #BooktubeMadeMeBuyItReading the CBC Canada Reads 2021 Books!ThePoptimist2021-03-07 | It's time for CBC's Canada Reads and once again the book selection committee has outdone itself with a wonderfully diverse set of books across genres that continues to be surprisingly, consistently good. Some great books that I wouldn't normally pick up and another book poised to be my absolute favourite of the year! Let's talk about this year's books.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #Canadareads2021Im DoneThePoptimist2021-02-21 | We're closing in on a full year that's been just brutal in an insidious, mounting way and while there's a light at the end of the tunnel it still feels like it's an incredible ways away. No books just talk.
MENTIONED: The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship - http://bit.ly/3dxBfZz
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHNClyde Fans: A Picture NovelThePoptimist2021-02-03 | Giller longlisted Clyde Fans was 20 years in the making for Canadian Seth (just Seth) and is an ode to small towns, mid century capitalism and the wistful nostalgia that comes with middle age (and the dangers therein) Also tell me if you've succumbed to the lure of Tik-Tok
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #ClydeFansEnter the Aardvark: Quaint Political SchadenfreudeThePoptimist2021-01-17 | It's been a dispiriting start to the year ...but at least my reading has been great! Kicking off the year with this diversionary read.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #EntertheAardvarkTop 10 Favorite Reads of 2020: Dumpster Fire EditionThePoptimist2021-01-11 | I'm back with my yee-haw haircut and my list of best reads of 2020. Making the most of an anxious and fraught year of reading, these are a few of the books that saved me and stuck with me.
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #BestBooks2020December Holiday Reading and Cheers to 2021!ThePoptimist2021-01-03 | Welcome all to 2021! Closing out the year in reading with a couple of holiday reads that seemed to inform each other, specifically Alexandra Chang's Days of Distraction which was the gooey center of this literary s'more. It's a lightly fictionalized autobiography that feels like such a me book right now examining Asian-Americaness, Millennial tech work and biracial relationships.
Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHNHappy Holidays with the BenQ e-Reading Desk LampThePoptimist2020-12-22 | The BenQ eReading lamp is a flicker-free, glare reducing, sleek AF lamp that 's just as comfortable on your desk as it is on the bedside table. Extra-wide, evenly distributed light reduces eye strain and provides adjustable lighting for whatever you're doing.
Thanks to BenQ for Bringing Enjoyment N Quality to life as well as sending me this sweet desk lamp - that I, no lie, love. Otherwise - wishing you all the happiest of holidays! Stay safe!
QUESTIONS: 1. A popular book EVERYONE loves that you have no interest in reading? 2. A classic book (or author) you don’t have an interest in reading? 3. An author whose books you have no interest in reading? 3.2 A problematic author whose books you have no interest in reading? 4. An author you have read a couple of books from & have decided their books are not for you? 5. A genre you have no interest in OR a genre you tried to get into & couldn’t? 6. A book you have bought but will never read? 7. A series you have no interest in reading OR a series you started & have DNF’d? 8. A new release you have no interest in reading?
ELSEWHERE: Goodreads: goo.gl/vlGtSd Twitter: twitter.com/daejin_v2 Instagram: instagram.com/daejin Discord: discord.gg/Q7v2SHN #AntiTBRTagThePoptimist... Just Chatting About Books Im ReadingThePoptimist2020-11-22 | I just needed to shake off the cobwebs and sit in front of the camera for a bit. It's just that late fall/early winter blues merging with Lockdown 2 - Electric Avenue (Infection Rates are Higher)