Tag: reading

Review | Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

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You don’t have to eat food to know the way to a city’s heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they making food—the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around—for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war.

But when their robot-run business starts causing a stir, a targeted wave of one-star reviews threatens to boil over into a crisis. To keep their doors open, they’ll have to call on their customers, their community, and each other—and find a way to survive and thrive in a world that wasn’t built for them.

Amazon | Goodreads

Rating: 4 out of 5.

What happens when a group of robots wake up to discover their business shut down without any communication and debts they need to pay? They run the restaurant themselves!

Automatic Noodle tells the story of 4 robots who ‘wake up’ to discover that a number of months ago they had been shut down by their contract holders with no warning. Facing their own debts and wanting to stick together they need to figure out a way to re-open their restaurant, the way they want to.

On the surface this sounds purely like a fun and cozy sci fi, but there’s lots of commentary through the robots eyes that hit very close to home in the current climate. California is its own nation after a war with the rest of America, and working on rebuilding. One of the changes? Robots have civil rights…but not all rights. It’s very reminiscent of the gradual gaining of rights after slavery ended, or after women started getting rights (such as being able to have their own bank accounts…which here, robots cannot). The robots are in constant fear of being discovered while also trying to make enough money to survive without being sold off.

The relationships between the robots (and some human friends) are genuine and each of their personalities is unique. It’s a quick read, but definitely has a lot of heart at its core, tackling subject and prejudices that are common even today.

Happy reading!

*Disclaimer: Amazon links included may be affiliate links that I receive a commission on if purchased through.

March – TBR Card Challenge

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The TBR card challenge is back! I’m not going to harp on about how horrendous 2025 was but needless to say my TBR game definitely went by the wayside. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, it’s a game that was inspired by a couple booktubers a long time ago. You can read more about the original iteration here (the board and prompts have changed a lot since then, but the premise is the same).

Let’s take a look at this month’s picks!

Some great picks this month, that’s for sure!

Now technically the aim of this challenge for me is to get through my physical TBR, but I couldn’t resist putting one of my most anticipated reads on since I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy – Behind Five Willows by June Hur (out May 26th). Do I own every one of her books, yes. Will I auto buy pretty much anything she creates? Also yes.

For 5-star prediction and Horror/Thriller I decided to carry over a couple of books I had hoped to read in February but didn’t manage to get to – Automatic Noodle and Midnight Timetable. I’m forever trying to complete the Fruits Basket series, so of course when Manga/Graphic Novel comes up it’s either going to be Fruits Basket or Spy X Family. Finally I rounded out my selection with two new books that just came out The Calico Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen and The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

What are you reading this month?

Happy reading!

Check-in | Alphabet Reading Challenge

DeAnneLeave a comment

I have a number of challenges that I like to push myself with, one being the alphabet reading challenge. I’ve never been able to completely finish it, but maybe this is the year. I ignore words like ‘the’ and ‘a’ for this. Let’s look at where I am so far this year –

Not to bad of a start for being 2 months in and not really looking at where I was until now, I think. I’ll do periodic check-ins as I fill in more of the missing letters.

Who else is doing this challenge?

Happy reading!

Review | Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang

DeAnneLeave a comment

Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, forgiveness, and lion dancing.

Valentina Tran was named after Valentine’s Day, which used to be her favorite holiday. But when Val learns the truth behind what happened with her parents and why she’s being raised by a single father, she realizes true love is a lie. This is reinforced when she meets the spirit of Saint Valentine, who tells her she and her family are cursed to always be unlucky in love. Val is ready to give into her fate, until one Lunar New Year festival, where a mysterious lion dancer hands her a paper heart, and ZING. Val becomes determined to change her destiny, prove Saint Valentine wrong, and give her heart to the right person.

Meanwhile, lion dancing is the only thing that has given Jae peace after his dad passed away. It’s also what keeps him connected to his father’s side of the family. Both Jae and his cousin Leslie notice Val at the Lunar New Year festival, and for some inexplicable reason, Jae hands Val a paper heart. But it’s Leslie, with his K-Pop good looks, who starts to date Val. Jae still feels this connection with Val and feels it’s somehow tied to how he feels about losing his father.

Both Val and Jae struggle with the spirits who haunt them as they are inextricably brought together in a love story that is satisfying, sweet, and moving.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

As a kid, Valentina believes in true love and has an imaginary friend who helps her create valentines every year for Valentine’s Day which is not only her favorite holiday but also her birthday. As she gets older certain truths come to light and she comes to realize that love isn’t the easy fairytale she once thought it was. She has to navigate the hard truths that come with being a teenager, the child of a single parent, figuring out not only who she is but who she wants to be and how much she values certain relationships.

This story is not only about the complications of young love (or love in general), but also struggles with family and how they might let you down, finding your own identity outside of what is expected of you and more. Hands down my favorite portions were all the talk and depiction of lion dancing, they were beautifully illustrated and perfectly accompany Valentina’s story.

Happy reading!

Review | What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

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The next installment in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in America.

Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Alex Easton is back and this time they’re traveling to America to help out Denton, who we might remember from the first book in this series. Be warned, if you are claustrophobic or have an issue with caves/mines, this one might not be for you – since a lot of the book occurs in a mine, there’s a lot of descriptions of tight spaces.

As with the previous books, Alex and Angus journey together to help figure out what is going on in the Hollow Elk mine. Alex’s internal and sometimes external commentary on America and the situation is hilarious and as always their voice is unique and clear. I really enjoy the characters that Kingfisher crafts in this series, not just Alex and Angus, but the supporting characters too – they all have their own distinct voices, which can be hard to keep consistant.

I don’t know if more installments are planned in this series, but I would definitely pick them up if there were, I would love to see where Alex’s travels take them next.

Happy reading!

Review | A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa

DeAnneLeave a comment

For readers of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Dallergut Dream Department Store, and The Midnight Library, a sweetly magical and uplifting novel about a young woman who inherits an enchanted bakery that spirits visit on their last stop before the afterlife.

Twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa has inherited a neighborhood bakery from her grandmother. Curiously, her grandmother’s will spells out two conditions: Yeon-hwa must keep the shop going for at least another month and only open it to customers from 10 PM until midnight. Yeon-hwa is hesitant at first; her grandmother was always distant, raising Yeon-hwa after her parents died in a car accident. But she agrees to the terms, hoping that running the bakery will help her to finally understand her grandmother after all these years.

Yeon-hwa soon learns that the Hwawoldang—the name means “flower moon temple” —is not an ordinary dessert shop. The customers who arrive late at night are spirits, there to attend to unfinished business before being reincarnated. The sweets they crave hold some deep significance in their earthly lives, and they expect Yeon-hwa to meet their requests, as her grandmother did.

With each customer who arrives, Yeon-hwa learns which special desserts live in their memories and will help them on their way. Aided by the shop’s resident black cat, Yeon-hwa learns how to find closure for her customers—and begins to unravel her own family’s secrets as well.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Yeon-hwa’s grandmother has just died, leaving her with more questions than answers and a pastry shop mired in debt that she has to keep open for at least 30 days, but only from 10 p.m. to midnight. Over the next month she discovers more about her grandmother as well as the various souls she meets and more importantly, finds herself.

I love translated cozy fiction, or healing fiction as some call it, so I had to pick this one up. The writing was lyrical and heartfelt, each character having their own unique personality as they came into Yeon-hwa’s story and then sometimes left just as quickly as they appeared. Each character has their own story and lesson to teach Yeon-hwa, helping her to discover who she really is. This is not only a story about findings yourself, but also grief, learning to forgive and so much more. Definitely have some tissues handy when reading as it is just as much catharsis and release as it is emotional.

Happy reading!

Review | the witch doesn’t drown in this one by Amanda Lovelace

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In this one, the witch doesn’t burn or die or drown. In this one, she rages.

In the witch doesn’t drown in this one, celebrated poetess amanda lovelace revisits the titular voice behind her 2018 bestselling collection the witch doesn’t burn in this one. With candor, honesty, and well-earned wisdom, lovelace expounds on the roller coaster of feelings brought on by simply trying to exist as a woman in the sociopolitical climate of 2025’s America. Through poetry that encompasses a myriad of fem-centric themes, including queer love, trans rights, patriarchal oppression, and intersectional feminism, she demands that women of all backgrounds and lived experiences be seen, heard, defended, and loved.

the witch doesn’t drown in this one is a deeply felt and hard-won reminder that though some stories that start with bitch-fire end with tear stains, women are powerful, resilient beings who have always contained the strength to rise again, especially when we swim back to the surface together.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Having read most of Lovelace’s backlist, I was excited to see this one pop up. While most of their work is very raw and focused on modern day struggles that people, especially women, face – this collection is even more of a gut punch and timely. This collection is raw and in your face, talking about very current topics that have also affected women for centuries. It really provides a commentary on the current political climate, specifically towards women and the rights that have been being affected. Definite trigger warnings for domestic violence, rape culture, abortion, etc. (there is a full page of trigger warnings from the author in the front of the collection).

Happy reading!

Review | Milk & Mocha Comics Collection: Our Little Moments by Melani Sie

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Your favorite internet duo, @milkmochabear, is back with even more cozy and charming comics to brighten your day! Cozy up with a blanket and join Milk and Mocha in their sweet little moments.

With even more never-before-seen comics—and two pages of exclusive stickers—Milk & Mocha continue to delight readers worldwide with their newest comic Our Little Moments. Sweet Milk and stoic Mocha prove the old adage that opposites really do attract. Dedicated to all the little daily interactions, big and small, Milk & Mocha is perfect for anyone who has ever been in love.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I had somehow never heard of Milk and Mocha before, but they are so cute! Most of these are single page comics with very little text, but they are showcasing little moments in Milk and Mocha’s relationship and daily life. This is definitely one of those warm and cozy reads that you can quickly consume in a single sitting and be left with a smile on your face. The art for the most part is warm and bright, conveying their happiness perfectly.

Happy reading!

Review | Faeries and Frost by Carly Spade

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The second book in a cozy romantasy small town monster romance series with mythology, fairy tales, and folk lore. Books are intersecting standalones and can be read out of order.

Sylvie, the faerie baker.

When I found Arcane Cove after my own people cast me out, I felt home for the first time. Monsters, witches, and all forms of magical beings welcomed me. And who knew my hidden calling would be magical baked goods? The Cove’s residents came to my bakery Muffin Compares to You for sugar and enchanted support, which I was quick to indulge.

Until the day a mysterious, bearded stranger with pointed ears came into my shop, sending my quaint world into a spiraling blizzard. He was off-putting, arrogant, and knew he was handsome. So, why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? And when he said he was looking for a woman, why did I deflate, knowing it wasn’t me?

Jack, the Winter King.

Every solstice offered the chance to find my mate. A portal opened in the lakes surrounding my kingdom, taking me to a randomly chosen realm. Given this solstice would be the thousandth time I’ve searched, I had little hope left.

When I arrived in Arcane Cove, I never expected such a small town to harbor her. I also never thought she’d work in a stuffy, toasty cloud of sugarplums and vanilla. Surely, it was the universe’s idea of nipping me in the butt. Could she truly be my fated mate? And if she was, would she accept me, powers and all, before time ran out? Or would the ice creature within me frighten her away?

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This was a fun introduction to Arcane Cove for me (technically this is the 2nd book in the series, but I ended up picking this one up first) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both Sylvie and Jack have a lot of personal baggage and past trauma to deal with and I really appreciated that though they were short on time, they seemed to prioritize working through that. The characters had real depth and personalities which was so nice to read. While there was definitely conflict and difficulties that were perhaps a little predictable, it was handled really well and the journey was really fun. I’m definitely looking forward to picking up some of Spade’s backlist as well as reading more in this series as they become available.

Happy reading!

Review | A Nighthawk at My Window and Other Stories

DeAnneLeave a comment

Sixteen Gothic tales that delve into the dark depths of the human Psyche.

ONE EYE MOON tells the story of Mary, a quiet girl on the verge of womanhood. When horrendous bullies brutally attack her, Moon, an enigmatic man with one blind eye, rescues her and takes her away. But is he the hero she thought he was?

ALMOST REAL GLEE tells the story of the recluse, Nigel, who hides from the world. He profoundly regrets his gender reassignment operations. When he receives a novel in which his darkest secrets are revealed, he must find the author to answer the questions that have haunted him since childhood.

A NIGHTHAWK AT MY WINDOW tells the story of a nameless teenage girl who is kidnapped and held in the attic of a derelict manor house. She tries to redefine her surroundings and befriends the animals that visit her. One day, a man appears in the fields below with a face she cannot read.

Sixteen stories that will linger long after turning the last page.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This collection features 16 stories that are wonderfully dark and twisty. I really enjoyed my time reading these stories, which definitely have a gothic and atmospheric feeling. The writing is a little more dense in some ways, so it’s writing that you need to sit with, but with the themes shown here that’s not a bad thing. I really enjoyed the author’s voice and flow, so will definitely be on the lookout for more from them.

Happy reading!