snowynight

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster,

Synopsis:

"For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams!"

Child!me didn't know about this books's existence, but would have loved adventure stories.

Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Synopsis:

Matilda's parents have called her some terrible things, but the truth is she's a genius and they're the stupid ones. Underestimating Matilda proves to be a big mistake as they, along with her spiteful headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, soon find out when Matilda discovers she has a very special power.

Child!me would appreciate knowing that adults could be wrong.

Fiction

Historical

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by
Mohammed Hanif

Unfit to Print by KJ Charles (+Thriller)

The Lost History of Dreams by
Kris Waldherr (+Thriller)

Thriller
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Non-Fiction

History

Classified: The Secret History of the Personal Column by H G Cocks

Writing

Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself by Chuck Wendig

halfamoon

Stories about women and food

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Tita is a Mexican woman who is forbidden by her mother from marrying her beloved, Pedro because of the family tradition: the youngest daughter must stay single to take care of her mother until she dies.

( Spoiler )

the Oxtail Soup recipe from Like Water for Chocolate

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Vianne Rocher arrives with her daughter Anouk in a small French town to open a chocolate shop It infuritates the priest because of the contrast between delicacies and the focus of self denial during the Lent. With her compassion, courage and subtle magic, she changes a lot of people's lives.

( Spoiler )

Chocolat: Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake Recipe

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

Mary Maloney is a pregnant housewife waiting for her husband, Patrick, to return home from his job as a police detective.

Then Patrick breaks the news that he will get a divorce.

Shocked, Mary takes out a large frozen leg of lamb and prepares dinner. The rest will be spoiler

It's a witty short story with black comedy elements. It's best experienced by reading it.

Easy roast leg of lamb recipe

Generally, gladioli represent strength of character, faithfulness, moral integrity, and remembrance. Gladioli are actually the traditional 40th-anniversary flower and the birth flower for the month of August! Each individual colour of gladiolus is also symbolic.

Global Examination by Mu Su Li

Link to completed translation on novelupdates (166 chapters)


Book Summary:

You Huo is summoned to join the Global Examination, and no isn't an acceptable answer. The missions were dangerous and seems impossible to solve. Moreover, the examiner Qin Jiu seems to have mysterious goals. (My Summary)

Book Recommendation:

Global Examination is an infinite flow novel, in which the characters are usually summoned to fulfill different missions for survival. I try to keep my recommendation spoiler free because the mysteries are part of the strength.

The actionis intense, and the mysteries are well foreshadowed, so it's really worth re-reading to pick up things you may have missed at the beginning. The main couple is very in love, and the other characters are vividly written.

Both Qin Jiu and You Huo stick to their principle even when it's really tempting to abandon morality. Some people are evil, but there are also people who validate hope and faith in humanity (and have their hopeful endings). The symbolism of the flower rings very true for the novel.

Sometimes I want to read about m/m romance starring mature adults who are good at their jobs and have competent communication skills. They enjoy each other's company and are happy with each other. There's no unnecessary misunderstanding nor pointless conflict. I looked among my Chinese web novel reading list and found that very few are being or completely translated, but I still want to share my favourite.

Completely Translated:

Wildfire by Bu Wen San Jiu:

Summary: Tao Xiaodong has a brother with genetic blindness. That's how he meets Tang Suoyan, his brother's favourite doctor. When Tao gets to know Tang more, he discovers that Tang is 1) gentle, calm and likable; 2) gay 3) recently single. They gradually fall in love with a comfortable place, but Tao's family genetics shed a shadow in his life.

Comments: I love how Tao pursuits Tang confidently while respects Tang's boundary. They are very warm and sweet t9ogether. I can see why Tang finds Tao irresistible.

After I Flopped on My Crush by Pine Nut Tea

Summary: Bai Xi has pined for Qi Xun for six years, but he never dared to say nor do anything that might ruin their friendship. One night they accidentally had sex while being drunk and Bai Xi confessed to Qi Xun. The next day Qi Xun asked Bai Xi calmly, "Do you want to try getting together with me?"

Comments: Qi is a perfect lover who is very natural with Bai and very open with their relationship. Bai is a lovable and confident guy. Their romance is very sweet.

Ongoing Translation:

Assistant Lin Has Something To Say (16/62 chapters translated, bi-weekly updates)

Summary: As Wanzhu Corporation’s number one assistant, Lin Hui was, without a doubt, an incredibly outstanding individual.

The CEO trusted him. The employees relied on him. Their business partners appreciated him.

Lin Hui’s career was like a duck to water. However, he had been secretly in love with his boss He Jianshan for several years.

Just as he thought his life would continue like this forever, he and his boss accidentally…

Comments: The writer is really great at writing romantic development and requited feeling. He really cares about Lin even before realizing his feeling. While Lin is his subordinate, he is never afraid of hi. They are great working partners. Both grow to be better people throughout their relationship

The Imperial Guard’s Revenge is a Chinese historical romance web novel, which 71 out of 140 chapters are translated.

Wang Yanqing is fostered by the Marquis of Zhenyuan after her parent's death. She is smart, observant and loyal, and sacrifices a lot. Her foster brother Fu Tingzhou loves her, but he loves power and status more, so he decides to agree to a political marriage and marries Wang as his concubine despite her protest.

Wang decides to leave, but she falls off a cliff and loses her memory. Her foster brother's political rival Lu Heng saves her by accident, but decides to pass himself as her foster brother so as to manipulate her.

( Cut for Spoiler )

In the novel, Wang grows from someone who expects neglect and hiding her true opinion to be willing to stand for herself. With a more supportive family, Wang would be able to learn to be more confident and care for herself, but it's never too late.

The writer said in the afterword that she wanted every woman to be able to be themselves without fear. I hope that everyone has the chance too.

• A finds that their lover B think of them as substitutes of C, who are oblivious/uninterested in B. A kicks B off and gets together with C because C is awesome.
• A gets together with powerful amoral/immoral supernatural beings, (e.g.eldritch god/demon/etc), who remain inhuman and dangerous despite (or because of) how loving they are.
• Rebirth novels that acknowledges that the reborn person still suffers from psychological trauma from their past life and illustrate their path of recovery and setback
• Characters lose something (health/status/etc) forever, but still manage to adapt and begin a new life.
• A is a player who needs to fake being a NPC in mmorpg, infinite flow setting, etc, and maintain the facade, or vice versa: NPC who pretend to be players for survival.

I will really appreciate any recommendations! :)

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome: "Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier Montmorency."

Comment: J. and his friends' various boating and camping mishaps are comical. The writing is very quotable. For example:

"I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours."

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake: "The Hot Rock introduces John Archibald Dortmunder, the thief whose capers never quite come off, as he and his convict friends plot to steal the fabulous Balaboma Emerald."

Comment: Dortmunder could never get a break. He has a wild plan for everything, steadfast and interesting colleagues, but he ends up stealing the same gemstone for times and time. Ridiculous and funny, it launches a vety successful series.

"Meet one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary."

Comment: Who won't want to read Kangaroo Man and  Morlock, a genetically modified eggplant?

After betrayal and three years of endless torture, the main character is presumed dead and thrown into the sea. Then he was washed up at a small town when on all account he should be dead. He renamed himself Nan Ge Er on a whim.

Broken and drifting without a purpose, Nan Ge Er slowly integrated himself in this idyllic strange town that cared for him and gradually got back some will to live. While the trauma left permanent mark on him psychologically and physically, he found a home that accepted him and a gentle lover who loved him for who he was.

This is a bittersweet slice of life story about the long road of recovery. While something is lost forever (eg the Nan Ge Er's health ), it's still possible to find joy, peace and love.

Lucky finds: what book(s) do you consider a lucky find?

"What Kind of Nation: Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle to Create a United States" by James F. Simon

As my school education didn't cover much about the history of US, growing up I only knew very little about Thomas Jefferson, not to mention John Marshall. I would have never read about them before I saw this book at a free pick up. It was easy to read and very informative. I learnt a lot about the politics and the development of the constitutional relationship between the executive and judicial branches of US government, which impacted the later history (eg. the Watergate scandal). The two flawed bitter rivals were fascinating people to read about.

Once someone said if people wanted to know something, they should go look for it at the first place, but I thought if you were ignorant about something like me then, you wouldn't know what to look for. Casual exposure was important to prompt the awareness and interest. I was thankful that I grew up with a decent school library and public library system, but I worried whenever I saw attack against them in the news.