Today and yesterday are what my school calls “reading days,” which just refers to the period between the end of classes (plus extracurriculars and other on-campus commitments) and the start of final exams. It is, in fact, a time when I have a lot of time on my hands, and obviously not much all of it is going towards studying since novels and Netflix (okay, I don’t actually have Netflix, but HBO Go isn’t alliterative with “novels”) are so much more interesting than my textbooks.
WWW Wednesday is a meme currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on A World of Words.
The three Ws are:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
Currently Reading
Like I said, finals are coming up. Mine begin with Physiology tomorrow morning (8 am!) and Linguistic Theory (also tomorrow, 8pm) — neither of which is nearly as stressful as Organic Chemistry (Monday, noon) and will at least be over quickly. And it’s definitely not as bad as it could be; I’ve had semesters where I had five or six final exams.
During meal breaks and before bed, I’m slowly making my way through The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan. It’s definitely an engaging read and I don’t want to put it down … though the jury’s out on how much of that is due to my reluctance to return to studying.
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Recently Finished Reading
I’ve gotten back into mono-reading since textbooks don’t count and most recently finished Jade City by Fonda Lee. Although I wasn’t totally blown away — which is probably largely due to my preference for Quiet YA, where lives / freedom / the world isn’t at stake — I can definitely see why it’s been so hyped. I’ll have a better review up eventually, but suffice it to say that the characters are vivid and sympathetic, the worldbuilding is complex but easy to follow, and the plot is exciting; I would definitely recommend it if you’re interested in gangster wars, magic, martial arts, family, and honor.
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To Read Next
This might change by the time I finish The Astonishing Color of After, but for now I’ve put It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura next on the list. Recently I’ve been in the mood for YA / NA contemporary, and it’s honestly dismaying that I can’t remember the last book I read with an LGBTQIA+ Asian / Asian-American lead. It’s been so incredible to connect with characters from similar backgrounds to my own as I work through the Asian Lit Bingo board, so I’m particularly excited for this one.
After that (or maybe before if I find myself in the mood for a collection of stories instead, we’ll see) The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen has been on my radar for a while as well. I’ve heard lots of good things about it!
What have you been reading recently? Are you familiar with any of the books on my list? For my fellow students, good luck on your exams, and please share some of your favorite study songs / playlists and snack ideas with me!
Nine Tale Vixen 
Good luck with finals! I hope you like It’s Not Like It’s a Secret 🙂
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thanks Jess!
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Good luck with finals!! 🙂
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Wishing you all the best on your exams! I chuckled when I scrolled down and saw the covers of your textbooks. If only they were more interesting! (Although Linguist Theory sounds fascinating!)
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haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks I’m funny 😜 linguistics theory is definitely my favorite class this semester! it’s also the one that doesn’t have a set textbook …. coincidence? 🤔
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I actually haven’t seen much hype for Jade City but stumbled across it myself when searching for books on Goodreads. Glad to hear that it was really good!
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yup it’s a pretty great read!
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I am so glad to hear that! Maybe I will read it soon.
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I have The Astonishing Color of After on my TBR!! I’m just not ready to pick it up yet, heard it’s heartbreaking. 🙈🙈
Here’s my WWW:
https://areadertowhateverend.wordpress.com/2019/05/08/www-wednesday-8th-may-2019/
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it’s definitely a very emotional read – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with waiting until you’re in a good headspace / mood to pick it up 💕
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Jade City is on my tbr and I bought it back in February. It stares at me daily frm the shelf, it sounds like my kinda read, but also makes me want to go play Jade Empire now….Anyway! I hope your studying is super productive and I’m here to cheer you on as needed for finals! I look forward to your Jade City review and to hear what you think of The Astonishing Color of After! ❤
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thanks Haley! 💕
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Good luck with finals!! Jade City looks great, I’ll have to check it out!
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thanks Alyssa! I hope you enjoy Jade City if/when you get to it 💕
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Good luck with your finals! None of these books are on my TBR, but I hope you will enjoy them 🙂
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Good luck with your finals, Isabelle! You can do it!🤞🏻 I’m glad you’re currently enjoying The Astonishing Color so far! I’ve had that one on my tbr way longer than I would like to admit. 😂 That O Chem textbook is reminding me how behind I am with my studying … I can’t wait to say goodbye to that subject after this semester. Haha
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thanks Kelly! that’s a huge mood, I’m SO done with all my current classes and ready to move on to something more interesting (and hopefully easier), haha
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I’ve seen the hype around Jade City and I’m glad you enjoyed it! Will think abt adding it to my list😁 Good luck with your finals, once they’re done they’ll be behind you! Is there a specific language for linguistic theory or?
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thank you! linguistic theory is actually focused on how language works, so the class is in English (since I go to a US university) but we’ve looked at examples from lots of different languages! it’s definitely one of my favorite classes that I’ve ever taken – it’s all really interesting stuff.
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Ohhh, that sounds mighty interesting! It’s great that there are classes you genuinely enjoy, it makes learning so much more fun!
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All the best for your exams!
I have heard a lot about The Jade City and it’s good to hear you liked it too!
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shoves you back into studying GO BACK TO STUDYING, ISABELLE. WE’RE WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST AND BUTT KICKERY THAT YOU CAN LAUNCH ON THOSE EXAMS (well, the exams that you’ve yet to take).
(That is all. This is my somewhat decent comment.)
But seriously, your school has reading days???? Luckyyyyy, we just launch straight into finals week. 😭
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oooof and I thought fall semester was bad because we only get one reading day 😅 but I remember going right into finals in high school, it was definitely not a fun time …. though finals just aren’t fun in general tbh. but the finals are finally DONE and I am FREE 🎉
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