Who Are You Gonna Call? | Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Funny, relatable, and could definitely see this as a movie. 

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto was a good book to start off the new year with. Prior to now, it had been lingering on my shelf for almost two years and I figured it was about time I read it.

Just in the first few chapters, I easily connected with Meddy. Apart from how she tends to overthink when she gets worried (which is totally me), her close relationship with her mother and her aunties was familiar. There is this sense for some, especially in Asian households like mine, where you feel obligated to your family because of your relationship, tradition, or culture. So, a lot of your decisions tend to sway towards wanting to please them and be there for them, but also feeling like you have to hold back your true self. I felt this through Meddy and why she made the decisions she made. I kind of wished Sutanto delved into it a little bit more than a few quick interludes in between the humor and action of the story to fully acknowledge it or spend time to reflect on it. However, I liked how this book was never meant to be that heavy, but fun and light despite the whole dead body situation of course.

The central plot itself, surrounding Meddy and her family trying to deal with the man she accidentally killed on a date with the night prior, while at the same time catering a client’s wedding, was hilarious. A true bonding moment, if you will 😂. I laughed so many times and even the slight twists and turns related to the actual wedding had me surprised and amused. It almost felt like a romcom from the 2000s, especially with the return of Meddy’s ex-boyfriend, Nathan, getting involved in the madness. He doesn’t get enough credit for being a total book boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this one a lot and I can’t wait to see how Netflix adapts this into a film. I’m also looking forward to reading Four Aunties and a Wedding now.

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A Tale As Old As Time | A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I’ve been so curious to read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ever since I first joined bookstagram over a year ago. I honestly had never heard of the series before then and finally decided to give it a go. After reading it for over a month on and off since December, I sadly didn’t love it as much as I was hoping I would. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses follows nineteen-year-old huntress, Feyre, who is whisked away to the faerie world of Prythian by the High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin, in exchange for the life of a wolf she killed to help her family. In Prythian, Feyre learns the truth behind a curse affecting the realms, the legends about a faerie and human war, and the treaty that separated their worlds centuries prior.  As she grows accustom to her new home, she also gradually develops a close relationship with Tamlin, which may just be the key saving everyone from a formidable foe.

The main issue I had was the pacing. I thought the beginning started off intriguing enough that I wanted to know what happens next, but the majority of the book with Feyre’s arrival in Prythian and learning about faeries, the realms, Tamlin, and the curse, was just so slow. It took a long time to build the world, longer than it should, that I was close to DNF-ing the book all together. In part, I struggled with the writing because while Maas is a good writer, it felt for me at times that she was trying too hard to accentuate her talent by being overly descriptive (kind of how I feel like I’m doing right now) and not when it mattered. It teetered between showing and telling. When it came to Feyre’s inner thoughts and emotions, they would be too drawn out and detailed, but when it came to understanding Prythian, there would be a character who would end up explaining everything in a simple long monologue. 

The last half of the book was when I thought the story finally took off and were the parts that I actually liked. Everything I had expected the story to get into - the tension, the conflict, and the characters mentioned, but kept in the background until their true nature was revealed  - all appear in the last fifteen chapters. Had this happened earlier, or kept that level of action and pace throughout, then I think I really would have loved it more.

Despite all of this, I still want to continue the series. ACOTAR ends on a note that opens the door for something exciting ahead (and I already have a feeling Tamlin and Feyre aren’t exactly endgame). I’ve heard that the series gets better now that the first book establishes the world and the characters. So, I may very well read the next book though I’m in no rush to.

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23 Books for 2023

One of my main goals for this year is to read most of the books I own, and there are plenty! Some are by authors I love or sequels I did not get to read yet. Others were bought out of pure curiosity. And the many more were recommended by the wonderful bookstagram community (seriously, it's a great community and they all have such good taste. I sincerely mean that).

Here are 23 books I want to read in 2023, in no particular order. 

1. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
2. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
3. Mustique Island by Sarah McCoy
4. Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
5. Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
6. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
7. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
8. A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
9. The Shimmering State by Meredith Westgate
10. Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson
11. Two Doors Away by Elle Spellman
12. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
13. Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu
14. Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum
15. Ramon and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
16. Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea
17. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
18. The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
19. Space Hopper by Helen Fisher
20. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
21. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
22. The Martian by Andy Weir
23. Artemis by Andy Weir

Have you read any of these? Do you see any favorites?

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New Year, New Reading Intentions

What book are you starting the new year with?

I’m finally picking up Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto after saying multiple times how I would read it soon (since 2021 to be specific). It’s great so far and I can kind of see myself in Meddy, especially when she worries. I’m so curious about what's going to happen after just a few chapters in.

My hope this year is to get through all the books I own. I bought so many books last year (with several more from Book of the Month) and I realized that I haven’t gotten through most of them. It's not exactly going to be a book buying ban, but more of me trying to prioritize the ones I own first before anything else. 

Last year I read 43 books, which is more than I’ve read in previous years. This year, I will not be setting a reading goal as I want to just focus on reading without having to forge towards a specific number.

We’ll see how all of this goes, but I have a good feeling about 2023 🤞 

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