read my full review of the boy you always wanted by michelle quach here.
Francine always has a plan. Ollie wants no part of it.
Francine loves her grandfather, but their time together is running out. He has one final wish: to see a male heir carry on the family traditions. Francine knows his ideas are outdated, but she would do anything for him. Her solution? Ask Ollie Tran, a family friend (and former crush, not that it matters), to pretend to be ceremonially adopted and act like the grandson A Gūng never had.
Ollie generally avoids the odd, too blunt (and fine, sort of cute) Francine, whose intensity makes him uncomfortable. So when she asks him to help deceive her dying grandpa, Ollie’s not down. He doesn’t get why anyone would go to such lengths, even for family. Especially with a backwards (and sexist, Ollie keeps stressing) scheme like this.
Francine, however, is determined to make it happen, and soon Ollie finds himself more invested in her plan—and in her—than he ever thought possible. But as the tangled lies and feelings pile up, Francine must discover what exactly she needs for herself—and from Ollie. Because sometimes the boy you always wanted isn’t what you expected.
my review:
I loved Michelle Quach’s debut, Not Here to Be Liked, and I was so unbelievably excited to read her next release! This book was such a joy to read, and I can’t wait to revisit it. With the warmth of familial love and the thrill of first love, The Boy You Always Wanted tells the tale of a girl who would do anything for her family and the boy who gets dragged into her schemes.
When Francine learns of her grandfather’s cancer diagnosis, she sets out to make his final wish come true: to have a male heir. Even though she knows this is an outdated notion, she attempts to convince Ollie Tran, a family friend and first crush, to be ceremonially adopted into their family. He doesn’t understand why she is so insistent on making this plan happen but ultimately agrees. As Francine and Ollie spend more time together, they start unearthing old feelings.
This is my second of Michelle Quach’s books, and I wanted to emphasize how much I adore her writing. It’s so characteristically soft-spoken; I love the tone of it. There is so much warmth here, full of love even when it’s not immediately obvious.
Hello, 2023. Hello, same old us. We're hopping back in here to share some life updates and tell you about some movies, series, and books that made our hearts expand in 2022. How have you been, Barely Sane friends? We wish you a year of ease this 2023.
Colleen
2022 was kind of a whirlwind for me. I did this thing at the start of the year where I wrote myself a hopeful letter. It kind of steered me into this path of exploration, of saying yes to new experiences. So naturally, a lot of new things happened and I didn't get to read/watch a lot of things. I also went back to taking my master's, so I died half of the year. I managed to watch 85 films and 38 shows and finish 22 books. Some of my favorites I have already shared in past posts, so the six things I'll share here are those that I haven't yet talked about.
Nobody Knows (2004) - Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda
I always talk about Koreeda because his work always manages to exceed expectations (wellll except for Broker, which was still good! but I don't like it as much as the other Koreeda films). Nobody Knows is one of his most-known films, so I had high expectations, but the film still exceeded that. This was a tender, quiet ache, and—as what Koreeda usually does—delves deep into issues of home and family, and the mundane flawedness of humans. Koreeda captured what it's like to be a child thrust into a harsh, indifferent world, but his characters aren't resentful or full of hatred. Until the end, they choose survival—but they also choose hope. Link to more info here.
2. The Worst Person in the World (2021) - Dir. Joachim Trier
I didn't think much about this film after I saw it, but I guess the fact that I still remember the plot months after having seen it says something. I wouldn't be friends with this girl, and I couldn't relate to some of her struggles, but I felt invested and I wanted her life to turn out fine. I also appreciated how Trier showed his unique style throughout the film, and there's even one sequence that I sometimes still think about to this day due to my curiosity about how it was shot. Not my ultimate favorite, but would recommend. Here is the synopsis.
3. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
There's nothing that hasn't already been said about this book, but I'm adding it to my list because it's one of the few memorable books I read last year. I found this very interesting because I didn't know a lot about the Korean diaspora in Japan. But this also tackles a lot of other things, aside from having a whole cast of characters whose depth made the story feel so real. I get that the TV adaptation changed a couple of things to make it more hopeful, because this one was tragic. It reminded me of Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which I also highly recommend.
4. Not Here to be Liked by Michelle Quach
I usually don't read young adult romance anymore, but the premise of this one reminded me of the type of YA that I liked. The main couple had clear chemistry and I think younger readers would appreciate how it tackles feminism. Looking forward to reading more Michelle Quach!
5. Yellowjackets (Season 1)
This one has a very interesting premise: a high school girl soccer team survives a plane crash in the 90s through (spoiler) a ~smattering~ of cannibalism and shady cult activity (spoiler). (Actually I'm not sure if this is still a spoiler since this is what it's known for). The show follows the girls before and immediately after the crash, and as adults with a dark past. This was thrilling, scary, and unpredictable, and I loved that this was executive produced by Karyn Kusama who directed Jennifer's Body. Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis, and the girl from The Book Thief are part of the main cast. And Frodo is part of season 2, so yay!
6. Street Woman Fighter (Season 1)
I already talked about Our Beloved Summer and My Liberation Notes in another post, so I'm going to talk about a dance competition show instead to lure you into checking out Korea's reality/variety shows. Street Woman Fighter put a spotlight on the street dancers of Korea, and on top of that, the competing groups were really fun to watch. It made me want to try dancing, even though I have zero skills.
The Good Girls guide to Murder Trilogy, Five Survive by Holly Jackson.
Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries Series by Leighann Dobbs, Harmony Williams.
Yes No Maybe So by Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi
The Windsor Series by Catharina Maura
If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang
Hello fellow bookworms of Tumblr I am Saku a tumblr user who loves books and reading but does so on and off some of these books I have read 2 years ago when my friend started bringing up her favourite books. Please tell me if you have read any of these and what you think in the comment section.
Here is the fun part: tag friends and mention at least 3 movies/shows/books that you like and you think the friend that you are going to tag is going to like.
Falling in Love was not the Plan – Michelle Quach (Übersetzung Karen Gerwing)
Falling in Love was not the Plan – Michelle Quach (Übersetzung Karen Gerwing)
Eliza ist talentiert und fleißig. Keine Frage, sie sollte die Chefredakteurin der Schülerzeitung werden. Doch dann stellt sich Len, neu im Team, ebenfalls zur Wahl und gewinnt. Eliza ist fassungslos. Ist es auf einmal egal, dass sie viel qualifizierter ist, nur weil Len gutaussehend und männlich ist? Eliza macht ihrer Wut in einem Artikel Luft, den sie niemals veröffentlichen will. Am nächsten…
Sorry if this has been asked before but do you have a list of queer books that either have an Asian main character and/or written by an Asian author? (Preferably Chinese, since I'm Chinese and I'd love to see that representation, but other Asian ethnicities are also welcome)
I'll link some lists other people have made! x x x
And here are my personal recs :)
Adult:
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki 🌈 (Chinese, Vietnamese)
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li 🌈 (Chinese)
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu (Chinese)
On Earth We're Briefly Glorious by Ocean Vuong 🌈 (Vietnamese)
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho 🌈 (Chinese)
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo 🌈 (Chinese)
Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang 🌈 (Singaporean)
YA:
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 🌈 (Chinese)
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (Chinese)
Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert 🌈 (Chinese)
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach (Chinese-Vietnamese)
The Cartographers by Amy Zhang 🌈 (Chinese)
The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Indonesian)
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang (Chinese)
Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura (Japanese)
As summer begins to wind down we have a few books of fantasy and family drama fun to helps us enjoy these last few "laying by the beach" days.
Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
Wednesday Books
Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.
Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.
Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.
In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.
Damned if You Do by Alex Brown
Page Street
Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott’s abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes.
She’s never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is…missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he’s actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed missing: a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear – then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another bargain: Help him with a “little” demonic problem, or she’s doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father.
The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.
True True by Don P. Hooper
Nancy Paulsen Books
This is not how seventeen-year-old Gil imagined beginning his senior year—on the subway dressed in a tie and khakis headed towards Manhattan instead of his old public school in Brooklyn. Augustin Prep may only be a borough away, but the exclusive private school feels like it’s a different world entirely compared to Gil’s predominately Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn.
If it weren’t for the partial scholarship, the school’s robotic program and the chance for a better future, Gil wouldn’t have even considered going. Then after a racist run-in with the school’s golden boy on the first day ends in a fight that leaves only Gil suspended, Gil understands the truth about his new school—Augustin may pay lip service to diversity, but that isn’t the same as truly accepting him and the other Black students as equal. But Gil intends to leave his mark on Augustin anyway.
If the school isn’t going to carve out a space for him, he will carve it out for himself. Using Sun Tzu’s The Art of War as his guide, Gil wages his own clandestine war against the racist administration, parents and students, and works with the other Black students to ensure their voices are finally heard. But the more enmeshed Gil becomes in school politics, the more difficult it becomes to balance not only his life at home with his friends and family, but a possible new romance with a girl he’d move mountains for. In the end, his war could cost him everything he wants the most.
The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach
HarperTeen
Francine loves her grandfather, but their time together is running out. He has one final wish: to see a male heir carry on the family traditions. Francine knows his ideas are outdated, but she would do anything for him. Her solution? Ask Ollie Tran, a family friend (and former crush, not that it matters), to pretend to be ceremonially adopted and act like the grandson A Gūng never had.
Ollie generally avoids the odd, too blunt (and fine, sort of cute) Francine, whose intensity makes him uncomfortable. So when she asks him to help deceive her dying grandpa, Ollie’s not down. He doesn’t get why anyone would go to such lengths, even for family. Especially with a backwards (and sexist, Ollie keeps stressing) scheme like this.
Francine, however, is determined to make it happen, and soon Ollie finds himself more invested in her plan—and in her—than he ever thought possible. But as the tangled lies and feelings pile up, Francine must discover what exactly she needs for herself—and from Ollie. Because sometimes the boy you always wanted isn’t what you expected.
🦇 Welcome to March, my beloved bookish bats. It's Women's History Month AND Women's Day! To celebrate, here are a few books that highlight powerful, courageous women -- both throughout history and across our favorite fictional realms. These women have contributed to our history, shaping contemporary society with bold, outspoken, badass moves. Let's celebrate and champion these voices by adding more female-focused stories to our TBRs!
❓QOTD Who is your favorite female fictional character AND real-life heroine?
❤️ Fiction ❤️
💜 The Power - Naomi Alderman
💜 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
💜 The Vibrant Years - Sonali Dev
💜 Red Clocks - Leni Zumas
💜 Conjure Women - Afia Atakora
💜 City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert
💜 A Woman is No Man - Etaf Rum
💜 Of Women and Salt - Gabriela Garcia
💜 Circe - Madeline Miller
💜 Song of a Captive Bird - Jasmin Darznik
💜 The Women - Kristin Hannah
💜 The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois - Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
💜 The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
💜 Women Talking - Miriam Toews
💜 Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly
💜 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
💜 Young/New Adult 💜
❤️ Loveboat Reunion - Abigail Hing Wen
❤️ Realm Breaker - Victoria Aveyard
❤️ Only a Monster - Vanessa Len
❤️ This Woven Kingdom - Tahereh Mafi
❤️ Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin
❤️ I’ll Be The One - Lyla Lee
❤️ Squad - Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle
❤️ These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong
❤️ The Box in the Woods - Maureen Johnson
❤️ The Wrath & the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh
❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson
❤️ A Sky Beyond the Storm - Sabaa Tahir
❤️ Nimona - N.D. Stevenson
❤️ Legendborn - Tracy Deonn
❤️ Blood Scion - Deborah Falaye
❤️ Not Here to Be Liked - Michelle Quach
❤️ Queer ❤️
💜 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli
💜 The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur
💜 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston
💜 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar
💜 Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan
💜 Delilah Green Doesn't Care - Ashley Herring Blake
💜 A Guide to the Dark - Meriam Metoui
💜 She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan
💜 Written in the Stars- Alexandria Bellefleur
💜 Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
💜 Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta
💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat
💜 Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
💜 The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon
💜 She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
💜 The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri
💜 Non-Fiction 💜
❤️ The Secret History of Wonder Woman - Jill Lepore
❤️ Girlhood - Melissa Febos
❤️ Our Bodies, Their Battlefields - Christina Lamb
❤️ The Radium Girls - Kate Moore
❤️ Twice As Hard - Jasmine Brown
❤️ Women of Myth - Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy
❤️ Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls - Lisa Robinson
❤️ Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendship - Kayleen Schaefer
❤️ The Book of Gutsy Women - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
❤️ The Underground Girls of Kabul - Jenny Nordberg
❤️ Feminism Is for Everybody - Bell Hooks
❤️ Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez
❤️ The Women of NOW - Katherine Turk
❤️ Eve - Cat Bohannon
❤️ We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
❤️ Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay
❤️ Memoirs ❤️
💜 Mom & Me & Mom - Maya Angelou
💜 Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo
💜 Reading Lolita in Theran - Azar Nafisi
💜 I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy
💜 Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner
💜 The Soul of a Woman - Isabel Allende
💜 See No Stranger - Valarie Kaur
💜 They Call Me a Lioness - Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri
💜 Becoming - Michelle Obama
💜 Bossypants - Tina Fey
💜 My Own Words - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
💜 I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai
💜 Finding Me - Viola Davis
💜 Return - Ghada Karmi
💜 Good for a Girl - Lauren Fleshman
💜 The Woman in Me - Britney Spears
posting this wrap up super late because i can. i am struggling™ and reading is probably one of the only things keeping me afloat right now; consuming any other type of media is currently not working for me. also, i am rereading the hp books for uni and i haven’t read any of them since 2007. i can’t say i absolutely hate them but some things are very icky, and you know, fuck jkr.
2023 goal: 24/100 books
as alway, feel free to drop book recs, questions, or opinions in my inbox; i am always happy to talk to you about books!
* –> newly added to my favorites shelf
follow my goodreads | follow my storygraph | previous wrap ups
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helen Trusten | 2.5★ | review
Bastard by Max de Radiguès | 5★
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg | 3.5★ | review
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach | 3.75★
The Story of Art without Men by Kate Hessel | 4.5★ | review
I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers | 4.75★ | review
The Waves by Virginia Woolf | 5★ | review
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung | 4★
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala | 4.75★ | review
On Beauty by Zadie Smith | 4★ | review
Zaïda by Anne Cuneo | 2.25★ | review
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher | 4★
Außer sich by Sasha Marianna Salzmann | no rating | review
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry | 4.75★ | review
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas | 3.75★ | review
* Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood | 5★
Stancliffe's Hotel by Charlotte Brontë | 4★
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford | 3.5★
The Book of Night Women by James Marlon | 4.75★ | review
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center | 3.5★
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale | 3.75★ | review
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake | 4.25★ | review
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling | no rating
Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne | 4.5★