...is a Korean-Jewish American writer, fangirl, and dog mom. She loves romance in all mediums, whether in books or k-dramas -- on a good day, maybe even The Bachelor.
If there’s one thing that makes me squirm, it’s bugs, and supernatural thriller Together We Rot is crawling with them. I just — I can’t do bugs. *shivers* I can’t, but good writing has a way of pulling me in and keeping me there. Skyla Arndt’s creepy and chilling debut novel follows ex best friends Wilhelmina and Elwood navigating the horrors of a small-town cult. Bugs aside, I am allured by all things dark, and exploring all the mystery and complexity of that, so I was excited to get to the bottom of this cult business.
So much to say about All That’s Left to Say. The novel, written by Emery Lord, follows protagonist Hannah MacLaren after her cousin and best friend Sophie dies from an overdose. Hannah’s world is completely shattered, as she deals with this loss and the mystery surrounding it. The Sophie she knew wouldn’t have used drugs, wouldn’t have kept such a huge secret from her. Yet that’s the truth she’s left with. Her grief is big and all-consuming, the only thing driving her forward being her determination to find out who gave Sophie the pills that ended her life.
I’m not even joking — I’m actually obsessed. I had no idea what Heartstopper was when the Netflix show first came out. But I saw the immediate praise online and eventually learned it was based on a popular graphic novel series by Alice Oseman. Concept-wise, I was in. Two cutie patootie British boys falling in love? A supposed happy counterpart to Young Royals, which broke me only months before? I was Intrigued, with a capital I. Nearly a year after the show premiered, I finally ordered the graphic novels and read the first two (knowing that’s how far season one of the show covered). Aaaaaaand I fell. Hard. About as hard as Nick fell for Charlie.
Throwback by Maurene Goo is a coming-of-age fantasy YA novel about a Gen Z Korean-American named Samantha who travels back to the 1990’s and meets her teenage mother, with the mission to change their future. With that description alone, I was ready to swan dive into this book. It sounded like a wonderful package of the things I love, like a zany k-drama meets 90’s teen movie. And I’m so glad that it fully delivered.
With the new year fast approaching (how has it already been a year since my last post? 😵💫), it’s a good time to slow down. Slow down and take everything in. Everyday has been life, life, life. Then weekend, weekend, weekend, with some reading or writing thrown in, if I’m lucky. I told myself I would write every weekend, even if it was just a few lines, and it worked for quite a while.
It’s… been quite a year. I remember 2020 being exceptionally hard, as we were dealing with a lot of changes, fears, and anxieties. But 2021 felt like it went by in a flash, mostly because I’ve kept myself so busy with work. While it actually was a good year for me, filled with many happy moments and accomplishments, I was feeling the need to slow down as the new year came up.
Oof, this book was an experience. It’s not what I would call a satisfying or enjoyable reading experience, but that’s kind of the point. We follow main character Jane throughout a traumatizing kidnapping, as well as the aftermath, with alternating “Then” and “Now” chapters. The “Then” sections were especially thrilling and gut-wrenching, with the only comfort being Jane’s confidante and fellow kidnapped victim Mason. I was with Jane the whole ride, feeling the emotions — the fear, the panic, the unexpected love and loss. And as the truth unfolded, I was right there with Jane in feeling her pain. So I’d definitely recommend the book, so long as you’re in the right mood. (I definitely have to read something a little fluffier at the moment. 😭)
It seems like every couple of months, or even just weeks, we see a hashtag like this following a terrible tragedy. And every time this happens, I feel this burning anger inside, and yet I don’t have the right words to say (despite being a freaking writer). This time, with news of the Atlanta spa shootings, I don’t really care about eloquence — I just have to let this out.
Since the very beginning of this crazy COVID life, I’ve been afraid for my mom, who is a Korean woman. She’s the one who goes out and buys groceries, attends other errands, etc. She always wears a mask and, when she’s being extra cautious, a hat or visor to cover her entire face. She’s told me that she’s gotten stares but that she doesn’t care, because, in her words, “They can fuck right off.” As far as I know, she hasn’t experienced any verbal or physical attacks, but I worry about it all the time. I know she does too, because she’ll approach me with her mask/hat and ask, “Can you tell I’m Asian like this?” How messed up is that, that she has to ask me that?
Just yesterday, when we were outside our clinic, standing in line to get vaccinated, she asked me the same thing. We were speaking to each other in Korean, and that alone made me nervous. What if people hear? What if they look at us with disgust? What if someone decides to hurt us? I kid you not, I was seriously mapping out escape situations in my head. The news of Atlanta struck me that hard. The virus itself is already scary enough, especially when both my mom and I suffer from anxiety. We worry about getting sick, about getting our loved ones sick, and on top of that, we have to worry about our race? Yeah, sorry, no.
I am proud to have Asian blood, but I am not proud to live in a world that looks at Asians like parasites. That looks at anyone like parasites. It’s 2021, guys. Wake the fuck up.
Just a few of my favorite books by Korean-American authors or with Korean-American characters. I can only hope that my own book baby gets on this shelf someday. 💖
Sara Bechtol 