#Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 23 + DECEMBER 23 + JANUARY 24: CROWD vs. CRITIC vs. CHRISTMAS!

November and December push me to the limit—how many movies can I fit in before the end of the calendar year? In 2023 (plus a few bonus days), the answer was more than 130 new releases. And who wants to skip all of their favorite Christmas movies? Because I extend my holiday viewing into January, I fit in almost 90 this year, adding a few more to my all-time must-watch list. Once the Oscar noms were announced, I was already back to my usual shenanigans and had watched my 400th unique movie on Turner Classic Movies. Whether these statistics are cool or pathetic (erm, don’t tell me), I’m grateful for the slowness of Dump-uary and the depth that comes with thinking about the same Oscar-nominated films for several weeks. (Too bad we need to revisit Melissa Villaseñor’s Oscars snub song from SNL.)

To help sum up these three packed months, I’m resurrecting Crowd vs. Critic vs. Christmas: five crowd-pleasers, five critic picks, and five Christmas treats. Who says you can’t make these holiday recommendations part of your February entertainment?

Holiday Crowd-Pleasers

1. SNL Round Up

Studio 8H is making up for lost time after those strikes: 

“Question Quest” (4906 with Emma Stone)

“Beep Beep” (4907 with Adam Driver) - #SoMidwest

“Weekend Update: Chloe Fineman’s Save the Last Dance Holiday Gift” (4907)

“Tiny A** Bag” (4907)

“Christmas Awards Cold Open” (4908 with Kate McKinnon)

"North Pole News: Killer Whale Attack” (4908)

“ABBA Christmas” (4908)

“Yankee Swap” (4908)

“Please Don't Destroy - Roast” (4910 with Dakota Johnson) - As one who still has yet to understand the appeal of the PDD guys, this resonated with me

“The Barry Gibb Talk Show: 2024 Election” (4910)

“Weekend Update: A Guy Named Ethan on the 2024 Oscars Snubs” (4910) - I am...probably only a few years away from turning into Ethan?

2. Triple Feature - Big City Crime Thrillers: No Way Out (1987) + Cop Land (1997) + Widows (2018)

The stars aligned on all of these! In No Way Out (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Kevin Costner is assigned to investigate the murder of his secret lover (Sean Young) in Washington D.C. The twist? The person who assigned him the case was also her lover, Secretary of Defense Gene Hackman. In Cop Land (9/10 // 7.5/10), Sylvester Stallone sheriffs a New Jersey town that houses a corrupt batch of New York City cops (including Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, and Robert Patrick) that Robert De Niro is investigating. In Widows (8.5/10 // 8.5/10), Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Rodriguez are completing the heist that killed their husbands (including Liam Neeson) in a corrupt Chicago run by Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, and Daniel Kaluuya. All are twisty, gritty, and thrilling.

3. Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Oh no, there goes Tokyo—but at least it’s going to a spectacle as fun and well-crafted as this one. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

4. Double Feature - ‘90s Matt Damon Dramas: School Ties (1992) + The Rainmaker (1997)

Because Matt Damon has always been good! Though he’s not always been the good guy: In School Ties (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Brendan Fraser must hide his Jewish identity to survive at a prep school in the ‘50s, and bullies like Damon are who he’s most afraid of. In The Rainmaker (9/10 // 8.5/10), Damon is the good guy as a baby-faced lawyer who wants to protect Claire Danes, Teresa Wright, and Mary Kay Place from villains like slick lawyer Jon Voight. Here’s hoping Damon has another coming-of-age movie (as a teacher) and legal thriller in his future.

5. The Jerk (1979)

Not every moment of this movie would fly if made today, but Steve Martin’s episodic adventures in his first journey away from home gave me some of my biggest laughs in months. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

More Holiday Crowd-Pleasers: Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) reminds us how much fun it is to let three charismatic movie stars (Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and Tom Selleck) cook // The Mrs. Doubtfire National Tour is fluffy fun // Maggie Moore(s) (2023) is a true crime story that makes me wish Tina Fey and Jon Hamm could become the new Myrna Loy and William Powell // Quiz Lady (2023) lets Will Ferrell live out his Alex Trebek dreams // John Mulaney in Concert Tour is making me count down till his next special is released to get memes about his grandfather, his bus driver, and his son // Reacher Season 2 is the perfect action show to watch with my dad // I’m not sure if Man of the Year (2006) was prescient about the future of politics or if it just understood human nature well enough to anticipate the populist movement and election fraud conversations we’re having today, but this Robin-Williams-as-Jon-Stewart comedy is underrated // The real-world implications of V for Vendetta (2005) are…confusing, but this literary-inspired adventure is still thrilling // Desperado (1995) is an over-the-top, shoot-'em-up Western

Holiday Critic Picks

1. The Best of 2023

2023: a year of products, greed, put-upon employees, and artificial intelligence—and not just in the actors’ and writers’ strikes! It was also a great year for movies, which is why I couldn’t narrow down my list to just 10. Read my top 10 picks for 2023 movies, as well as 28 honorable mentions at ZekeFilm, and then check out the accompanying list on Letterboxd.

I also dug deeper into some of the films mentioned in my Best of 2023 in these reviews:

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes - ZekeFilm review

Maestro - ZekeFilm review

Priscilla -  ZekeFilm review, KMOV review, Do You Like Apples discussion, updated Letterboxd Sofia Coppola rankings

2. Double Feature - New Baseball Documentaries: It Ain’t Over (2022) + The League (2023)

I am not a Yankees fan, so who would have guessed that the Yogi Berra documentary It Ain’t Over (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) would make me cry? And my baseball history knowledge always has room for improvement, so The League (8/10 // 9/10) is a phenomenal fix to many of my blind spots. Both are now inducted in my Baseball Movie Hall of Fame.

3. Triple Billing - Come From Away + Tina: The Tina Turner Musical + Funny Girl National Tours

Looking for a true story turned into an excellent musical? Try Come From Away, which captures the chaos of flights rerouted on 9/11 with the pathos you expect (and the comedy you don’t). Or try Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which is one of the best—if not the best—jukebox musical I’ve seen because the songs are integrated into the story instead of just as a musical revue of a a well-known career. Or catch Funny Girl, which captures comedienne Fanny Brice’s life with the help of a powerhouse singer channeling Barbra Streisand’s powers. Better yet, I recommend not skipping any of them when they come to town if you can swing it.

4. Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (2023)

What do you do when your dad goes missing in the middle of a global pandemic and the only one who was with him when he disappeared is your non-verbal brother? That’s the central mystery of Angie Kim’s latest novel. Instead of an edge-of-your-seat-thriller, it’s a story that propels us forward with the questions that plague its characters.

5. Hollywood Victory: The Movies, Stars, and Stories of World War II by Christian Blauvelt (2021)

The Turner Classic Movies Library has yet to miss. Hollywood Victory doesn’t just provide an in-depth overview of Hollywood from 1933 to 1945. It’s an exploration of Hollywood’s inextricable relationship with American politics, its contributions that helped the Allies win the war, and a unusual but informative lens of movies and the war itself. It’s also a long set of additions to my watchlist—of the 260+ films referenced, I’ve only seen a quarter. Thank goodness for TCM and a DVR with unlimited space!

More Holiday Critic Picks: American Symphony, Chevalier, Fallen Leaves, Freud’s Last Session, and Master Gardener were all films in consideration for my Best of 2023 // Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl short film adaptations Poison, The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) are bite-sized, beautifully manicured delights // Debbie Reynolds paves the way the way for Kathy Bates’s Titanic role with her charismatic starring piece in the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) // Barbara Stanwyck is wonderful as always in the melodrama All I Desire (1953) // Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) is filled with some of Preston Sturges’s most fun mixups and hijinks

Holiday Treats

1. Ken The EP by Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson

I don’t care if these are barely Christmas songs—let’s give Ryan Gosling seasonal updates of “I’m Just Ken” for all of 2024!

2. Mixed Nuts (1994)

Hot take: Steve Martin has not been in enough rom-coms. A kookier—but nonetheless delightful—brand of Nora Ephron stars Martin and Rita Wilson as co-workers at a crisis hotline who are clearly meant for each other. If only they—and Madeline Kahn, Juliette Lewis, Adam Sandler, Liev Schreiber, and Garry Shandling— could get out of their own way. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10  

3. Fitzwilly (1967)

Christmas Ocean’s Eleven! Dick Van Dyke is as charming as ever and the vibes are as ‘60s as ever as he tries to pull off a heist at Gimbels on Christmas Eve. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Metropolitan (1990)

Before Chris Eigeman was Jason Stiles on Gilmore Girls, he was essentially playing the same character in Whit Stillman’s comedy riff on The Great Gatsby. A young, bougie group is attempting to survive debutante season (also the Christmas season), debating the pros and cons of wealth and falling in and out of romance. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)

Hollywood Victory informed me I’m not the only who can’t believe this was allowed to play for audiences in 1944! Betty Hutton marries a soldier on a whim, but the next morning she can’t remember which one. Her BFF with an unrequited crush (Eddie Bracken) is the only one who can help her figure out who her husband—and the father of her child—is before the scandal gets out and destroys her reputation. Because this is a Preston Sturges feature, it’s actually a hilarious quest. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

More Christmas Treats: Klaus (2019) is a hidden gem on Netflix // Okay, the ick factor in Susan Slept Here (1954) is real, but Dick Powell and Debbie Reynolds are just so darn charming! // 8-Bit Christmas (2021) is a better-than-it-needed-to-be update of A Christmas Story featuring a Nintendo instead of a BB gun // How did I never see Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) all the way through before this year? Once I realized I’d missed some scenes in my umpteen cable watches over the years, it shot up on my John Hughes rankings // Pocketful of Miracles (1961) is a delightful Cinderella tale that proves Bette Davis always had it 

Also this Holiday Season…

I reviewed even more new movies, including Next Goal Wins (ZekeFilm), The Marvels (KMOV), and the new Mean Girls musical (ZekeFilm)

The St. Louis Film Critics Association nominated and voted on our Best of 2023 films. You can see every winner and every film we nominated on Letterboxd, and you can read my summary of how I voted here on Crowd vs. Critic. Keep scrolling if you’re on the home page to my last post, or read it here.

Photo credits: Funny Girl, Happiness Falls, Hollywood Victory. All others IMDb.com. 

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2023 📖 no. 108

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

“For the rest of our lives, every time one of us goes somewhere and doesn’t return on time, doesn’t let the others know where we are, we will remember this time, what can happen. And we will fall apart.”

[prosy-days]

December 26, 2023 - Day 190

My new books!

[elenichr]

Year of Lists

May Books

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell *4.7/5 - the craft is just awesome. I had favourite sections and I had favourite people (shoutout to Sonmi, Sixsmith and Robert Frobisher). The tingling anticipation when I realised the sections would run backwards back to the start - yum. The threads connecting the stories through time; the mix of genres - ugh, so good.

Normal People by Sally Rooney *5/5 - I stayed away from this one during its peak, opting to read Conversations with Friends instead, which I loved. I still carry a lot of it with me, and for subject matter, I would probably pick it over this one; except that this is a perfect book. It does what it sets out to do so, so well.

It is one of the secrets in that change of mental poise which has been fitly named conversion, that to many among us neither heaven nor earth has any revelation till some personality touches theirs with a peculiar influence, subduing them into receptiveness. - George Eliot, Daniel Deronda (opening inscription to the book)

This is about those relationships that change you, connect you to another person in an immovable way, and mark you for life. I love the unapologetic awkwardness, the leaning into the, often, devastating turn of events, that is so true to life.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim *3/5 (ebook) - went into this for a taste of mystery. It's mostly okay, a quick read, was thinking about Eugene for days after. There are ups and downs, some enjoyable, pacy bits but it left me unchanged, and worse, nonplussed.

Day by Michael Cunningham *3.2/5 - I've read some of Cunningham's work - The Hours, Flesh and Blood - both of which were five star reads. I didn't think this was a masterpiece, it read more like a writing challenge, as if Cunningham is still experimenting with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, churning theme and structure to differing results. The characterisation is a great strength, giving life to an otherwise unremarkable book. What is undeniable is the writing talent. I wouldn't mind reading any of his work, ever. Bonus points for finishing this in a Day. sorrynotsorry

-- pic with summer flowers and Cassandra the centipede

[el-oh-her]

What are the characters' names in Happiness Falls?

Mia (Narrator)

John: Mia's Twin Brother

Eugene: Youngest brother, has Angleman's Syndrome

Mom/Hannah: Mia's mother

Dad/Adam = Mia's Father

Shannon: Eugene's Lawyer

Detective Janice(?): Detective assigned to Adam's case.

Vik: Mia's ex boyfriend

Characters I have Forgotten the Name of

Eugene's Therapist

The Judge presiding over Eugene's case

Notes

(?) = denotes that the name might be wrong and if anyone reads this and can verify the correct name, please feel free to share.

I read on audiobook and I decided to start doing this on a whim becaues I am so frustrated that there just isn't a list of characters in the book so I wasn't paying attention to the names in order to remember them this time. So if you know a name, please feel free to share it.

[whatcha-reading-today]

Happiness Falls

This was VERY good. Kim's first book focuses on a murder trial in a courtroom while this follows a missing person's case and takes place mostly at the family's home. Both stories are told from multiple POV which I think makes the story more complex and spidery. I didn't like 'Happiness' as much as 'Miracle' but can appreciate both books for the depth of characters and complexity of the story.

I would absolutely recommend the audiobook which uses multiple voice actors, especially the one for Eugene.

Format: audiobook

Read in: February 2024

[letmeiniwanttoread-blog]

happiness never falls

so I just finished happiness falls by Angie Kim and I’m honestly still shell-shocked. Every page leaves you guessing more and more and the finally is so beautiful but bittersweet. A 10/10 for me but I would definitely prefer a book/ebook over the audio again because Eugene’s voice actor felt a little too out of touch for me personally.

[notmorbid]

happiness falls.

dialogue prompts from happiness falls by angie kim.

there's a fine line, if any, between optimism and willful idiocy.

why would you assume things can't go wrong just because they haven't yet?

hanging up an iphone isn't nearly as satisfying as slamming down a landline.

hope is dangerous.

intuition trumps intellect every time.

it isn't like i was keeping it a secret.

i'm working on seeming less bossy.

you are too old for this juvenile bullshit.

bring a first aid kit, just in case.

i never read the articles, only the cartoons.

i know what you're thinking. i'm thinking it, too.

i won't tell you not to worry, but take care of yourself.

sometimes it's the tiniest difference that can make the most difference.

are you a spy?

my life just isn't that interesting.

no shutting me out and trying to do everything yourself.

i have no idea what you're thinking, but i'm thinking i need coffee asap.

'greetings'? who in hell says 'greetings'?

i'll never scare you like that again.

don't force me to ask.

i wanted to just fucking die.

i feel badly about how we left things.

i thought we were open with each other.

shame is the most powerful and long-lasting emotion we have.

the best defense is a good offense.

stop talking. don't make it worse.

it's easy to be generous when you've taken so much.

i can't fall apart. someone has to get shit done.

i care more about authenticity and honesty than tact.

i didn't realize you still did that.

sometimes, in moments of great stress, we revert to childhood behaviors.

i love your sarcasm when it isn't pointed at me.

thinking and planning are luxuries we can't afford.

'no withholding anything from anyone'. that's my new mantra.

you have to save the highest penalty sin for last. build up slowly.

slow down. start from the beginning. what happened?

i don't care if i never find out what happened.

have you ever noticed how different things sound out loud instead of inside your head?

you can be honest without being cruel.

what are you hiding? i can see it behind you. what is it?

when you can't talk, people assume you can't understand.

i am a different person in english.

can you blame me?

sometimes semantics matter. words matter.

i'd rather give you the benefit of the doubt.

i would be horrible at your job.

you know a lot more than anyone's given you credit for.

a fucking break is what i want.

it did not feel 'rare', living through it.

everyone thought they were next.

there are some things you can't say out loud.

i'm glad we tried.

anger feels so much better than grief.

i don't like remembering it.

it's okay if the answer is no.

god, we're a mess.

this isn't a movie. this is real life.

if this was a 'choose your own adventure' book, what would you hope for?

when did you wake up?

there's no harm in hoping.

how long will i feel this way?

the first try is always the hardest, right?

the world should have to accommodate you, for once.

you can squeeze my hand when it hurts too much.

stop playing games and say what you mean.

you've been doubted long enough.

you doubted me, didn't you? just a little.

i don't want to forget. i want to remember.

i still have good days and bad.

[rockislandadultreads]

May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Check out these fiction picks as we celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May!

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan

After thirty-six years of a dutiful but unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman find themselves starting new paths in life. Suresh is trying to navigate the world of online dating, while Lata is enjoying her newfound independence. Meanwhile, their children, Priya and Nikesh, embark upon their own relationships, but hide the truth of what they really entail. Over the course of three weeks, the family uncovers one another's secrets, confront the limits of love and loyalty, and explore life's second chances. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena's a literary darling while June is literally nobody. So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. 

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. Will Chen plans to steal them back. His crew has every heist archetype imaginable and each member has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans. If they succeed, they earn fifty million dollars and a chance to make history. But if they fail, they will lose everything they've dreamed for themselves, as well as the chance to take back what colonialism has stolen.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Mia, an irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old, has an explanation for everything - which is why she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak. 

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

Books by BIPOC Authors August 2023

🦇 I grew up surrounded by a melting pot of cultures, diverse communities, and unique experiences. Despite the different sources of those multicultural voices, their stories still covered universal topics of colonialism, migration, identity, and race. Each story was another flavor, another sweet spice adding to that melting pot. Today, we have books by BIPOC authors that put those unique voices to the page. If you're interested in traveling to different worlds, whether familiar or foreign, here are a few books by BIPOC authors to add to your TBR! 🦇

✨ Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang ✨ The Dark Place by Britney S. Lewis ✨ Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okuson ✨ Accidentally in Love by Danielle Jackson ✨ A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power ✨ Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel, translated by Rosalind Harvey ✨ The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America by Kathryn J. Edin, H. Luke Shaefer, Timothy J. Nelson ✨ Hangman by Maya Binyam ✨ The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Historical Fiction) ✨ Under the Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam ✨ Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas ✨ An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann

🧭 Forgive Me Not by Jennifer Baker 🧭 Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen 🧭 A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars by Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz 🧭 Writing in Color: Fourteen Writers on the Lessons We've Learned (edited by) Nafiza Azad and Melody Simpson 🧭 Ghost Book by Remy Lai 🧭 The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang 🧭 Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte 🧭 Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed 🧭 The Great White Bard: How to Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper 🧭 Take the Long Way Home by Rochelle Alers 🧭 Swim Home to the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham 🧭 Actually Super by Adi Alsaid

✨ Never a Hero by Vanessa Len ✨ I Fed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea ✨ The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu ✨ Night of the Living Queers, edited by Shelly Page ✨ Sign of the Slayer by Sharina Harris ✨ Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim ✨ My Father the Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang ✨ Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera ✨Happiness Falls by Angie Kim ✨ A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban ✨ Neverwraith by Shakir Rashaan ✨ House of Marionne by J. Elle

[the-forest-library]

December 2023 Reads

The Witchwood Knot - Olivia Atwater

A Holiday by Gaslight - Mimi Matthews

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

The Good Part - Sophie Cousins

Faking Christmas - Kerry Winfrey

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love - Lex Croucher

Every Time You Go Away - Abigail Johnson

Second Chances in New Port Stephen - T.J. Alexander

The Spectacular - Fiona Davis

Below Zero - Ali Hazelwood

Happiness Falls - Angie Kim

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank - Elle Cosimano

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson

How to Find a Missing Girl - Victoria Wlosok

What Lies in the Woods - Kate Alice Marshall

Thinking of You - Beth Evans

Seance Tea Party - Reimena Yee

I am Superman - Brad Meltzer

Making It So - Patrick Stewart

Happy People Are Annoying - Josh Peck

Gentle Chaos - Tyler Gaca

The Comfort of Crows - Margaret Renkl

Laid and Confused - Maria Yagoda

Butts - Heather Radke

Imposter No More - Jill A. Stoddard

A Life in Light - Mary Pipher

What the F - Benjamin K. Bergen

Seek - Scott Shigeoka

Nobody's Fool - Daniel Simons

Call You When I Land - Nikki Vargas

When the Game Was War - Rich Cohen

Mostly Veggies - Brittany Mullins

One-Pot Magic - Good Housekeeping

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: 

If you liked Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, definitely give The Witchwood Knot a try. It had a lot of the same magic.

When the Game Was War filled the void left by Winning Time. These tales of the magic of 80s basketball align with the one time in my life I had interest in the sport. It has been fun revisiting that time, and WTGWW provided a nice deep dive into elements and players that Winning Time was unable to explore in its short run.

Goodreads Goal: 432/400 

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads | 

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

hullo Sarah, could we please have a reading update?

Hi! Unfortunately I am already super behind on my reading goal for 2024 but this is the below so far!

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - Will probably be my favourite book of 2024.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - For the true crime peeps but actually well done.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman - This was okay.

The Woman In Me by Britney Spears - I wish this had been ghostwritten for better effect. She's lived such a life I was really left wanting more.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim - Interesting concept - I wanted more.

Group by Christie Tate - Moving.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks - Incredible.

Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz - I had high expectations and this frankly was not that great for me.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry - Oof. This got into the very cracks of my heart and seeped in. Oh, it hurts.

HP Half-Blood Prince - I normally reread in the summer so this is early but I just needed a quick comfort read after a slump.

I have two on the go right now and hopefully I'll be finishing one of them this week.

[musingsofmonica]

August 2023 Diverse Reads

August 2023 Diverse Reads

•”Happiness Falls” by Angie Kim, August 29, Hogarth Press, Literary Mystery 

•”Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare” by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, August 29, Bloomsbury Publishing, Short Story Collection — Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology (Hawaiian Identify) 

•”The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride, Riverhead Books, Historical

•”Family Lore” by Elizabeth Acevedo, August 1, Ecco Press, Literary/Magical Realism

“A Council of Dolls” by Mona Susan Power, August 7, Mariner Books, Literary — Coming of Age/Native American & Aboriginal/Magical Realism

•”Tomb Sweeping: Stories” by Alexandra Chang, August 8, Ecco Press, Short Story Collection — Asian American  

•”The End of August” by Yu Miri, Translated by Morgan Giles, August 1, Riverhead Books, Historical/Saga 

•”Holler, Child: Stories” by Latoya Watkins, August 29, Tiny Reparations Books, Short Story Collection — African American  

•”Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas, August 15, Berkley Books, Gothic Thriller/Horror/Suspense 

•”Las Madres” by Esmeralda Santiago, August 1, 

Knopf Publishing Group, Literary

•”Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Writing by Latine Women” by Sandra Guzman, August 15, Amistad Press, Anthology — American: Hispanic & Latino

•”Falling Back in Love with Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls” by Kai Cheng Thom, August 01, Dual Press,  Nonfiction/Poetry/Motivation

•”The Art of Scandal” by Regina Black, August 1, Grand Central Publishing, Romance

•”Her Radiant Curse” by Elizabeth Lim, August 29, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, Fantasy/Fairy Tales/Folklore 

•”The Apology” by Jimin Han, August 1, Little Brown and Company, Family Saga/Magical Realism

•”The Water Outlaws” by S. L. Huang, August 22, Tordotcom, Fantasy

•”The Queen of the Valley” by Lorena Hughes, August 22, Kensington Publishing, Historical

•”I Will Greet the Sun Again” by Khashayar J. Khabushani, August 1, Hogarth Press, Contemporary — Coming of Age/LGBTQ+/Muslim

•”The Peach Seed” by Anita Gail Jones, August 1, Henry Holt & Company, Literary 

•”Lush Lives” by J. Vanessa Lyon, August 1, Roxane Gay Books, Literary

Happy Reading!

Mo✌️

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in oct 2023

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

you might wonder what i was doing during the month of october and the answer was mostly be drowned in work. i did also read 7 books and dnf 1 though!

ancillary sword & ancillary mercy - ann leckie ★★★★★ (scifi)

possibly i should have more to say about space imperialism and gender and identity and all that, but instead i'll say that these books have made me feel more than any other reading has this year. breq and seivarden are two characters who are going to stay with me for a while and breq is definitely a Character of All Time

the haunting of hill house - shirley jackson ★★★★☆ (horror)

really enjoyable classic and i don't know why more people don't pitch this as a queer book. read this for spooky fucked up lesbians! and spooky fucked up houses!

happiness falls - angie kim ★★★☆☆ (contemporary thriller)

another victim of genre. it's a fantastic contemporary litfic but falls into so many annoying habits trying to be a thriller

translation state - ann leckie ★★★☆☆ (scifi)

definitely more of a YA take on the ancillary universe. a lot of fun shenanigans and i enjoyed fleshing out the world further (haha) but the way the main characters developed and the more moralistic tone just weren't for me personally

the bone shard daughter - andrea stewart ★★★☆☆ (fantasy)

great concepts buried under an insane number of POV characters and really strange decisions about which scenes to write in great details and which scenes to skip over. happy to give some grace to a debut book so i do intend to continue the series!

tell me i'm worth less - alison rumfitt ★★★☆☆ (horror)

another very strong "just not for me personally" moment. the best thing i can say about this book is that it definitely does not hold back. incredibly vile all the way through!!

[DNF] starfish - akemi dawn bowman ★★★☆☆ (YA contemporary)

idk why i still try reading YA contemporaries anymore tbh this is the genre that deserves an entire stamp saying NOT FOR ME

[jxrm]

book log - 2024 (so far)

diva by daisy goodwin

the heiress by rachel hawkins

only if you’re lucky by stacy willingham

the chateau by jaclyn goldis

just stay away by tony wirt

the other mothers by katherine faulker

middle of the night by riley sager

the disappearance of astrid bricard by natasha lester

every time i go in vacation, someone dies by catherine mack

the last caretaker by jessica strawser

just for the summer by abby jimenez

house of glass by sarah pekkanen

the mayor of maxwell street by avery cunningham

first lie wins by ashley elston

the phoenix crown by kate quinn

murder road by simone st. james

the fury by alex michaelides

happiness falls by angie kim

the house of last resort by christopher golden

run rose run by dolly parton

the chalice of the gods by rick riordan

there should have been right by nalini singh

the mysterious case of the alperton angels by janice hallet

darling girls by sally hepworth

the pieces around us by leigh fields

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the teacher by frieda mcfadden

x by jack croxell

iron flame by rebecca yarros

the only suspect by louise candlish

throwback by maurene goo

the housemaid is watching by frieda mcfadden

zara hossain is here by sabina khan

slice by angie caedis

the ways of the dead by neely tucker

orphan train by christina baker

a court of silver flames by sarah j. mass

come and get it by kiley reid

the drowning woman by robyn harding

when i bleed: poems about endometriosis by maggie bowyer

the house in the pines by ana reyes

only say good things by crystal hefner

the mother-in-law by sally hepworth

daughter of mine by megan miranda

lore olympus: volume four by rachel smythe

this time it’s real by ann liang

anna o by matthew blake

the girl with the louding voice by abi dare

where the forest meets the stars by glendy vanderah

a friend in the dark by samantha m. bailey

the wife app by carolyn mackler

howl’s moving castle by diana wynne jones

the spanish love deception by elena armas

divide by jessa russo

lies and weddings by kevin kwan

the foxhole victory tour by amy lynn green

dying to tell by keri beevis

my father, the panda killer by jamie jo hoang

the wedding party by l.r. jones

girl gone mad by avery bishop

starter wife by bethany lopez

the queens of new york by e.l. shen

theater lovers by ciara blume

once upon a broken heart by stephanie garber

the surrogate mother by frieda mcfadden

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

don’t forget to write by sara goldman confino

the next girl by carla kovach

the paradise problem by christina lauren

ivy league liars by grace costello

every summer after by carley fortune

the ballad of never after by stephanie garber

a curse of true love by stephanie garber

the devil’s storybooks by natalie babbit

expiration dates by rebecca serle

the murmur of bees by sofia segovia

growing up hadley by dana harp

the vacation by john marrs

rum punch regrets by anna kemp

the five-star weekend by elin hilderbrand

people to follow by olivia worley

the treasure hunters club by tom ryan

you shouldn’t be here by lauren thoman

trophy wife by bethany lopez

seven summers by paige toon

veridian sterling fakes it by jennifer gooch

the friendship club by robyn carr

women of good fortune by sophie wan

the smuggler’s apprentice of guatemala by lachlan page

this summer will be different by carley fortune

natural selection by elin hilderbrand

the passengers by john marrs

asap by axie oh

island of shadows by christopher kvintus

swan song by elin hilderbrand

lore olympus: volume five by rachel smythe

blue hawaiian by carla luna

the villain edit by laurie devore

hermione granger and the order of the phoenix by sara baines-miller

the hotel nantucket by elin hilderbrand

bummer camp by ann garvin

pink glass houses by asha elias

cut and thirst by margaret atwood

the exception to the rule by christina lauren

#crimetime by jeneva rose

incidents around the house by josh malerman

the mistress by valerie keogh

kiki’s delivery service by eiko kadono

when we were friends by jane green

the honey-don’t list by christina lauren

worst wingman ever by abby jimenez

the perfect couple by elin hilderbrand

home is where the bodies are by jeneva rose

the only good indians by stephen graham jones

roar by cecelia ahern

the wedding people by alison espach

look in the mirror by catherine steadman

fit to die by daniel kalla

uglies by scott westerfield

hideaway by nicole lundrigan

the fortune teller by natasha boydell

crazy rich asians by kevin kwan

the wish by nicholas sparks

how the penguins saved veronica by hazel prior

the plus one by s. c. lalli

the haters by robyn harding

[readingforsanity]

Happiness Falls | Angie Kim | Published 2023

"We didn't call the police right away." Those are the first words of this extraordinary novel about a bircial Korean-American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical 20 YO daughter, has an explanation for everything - which is why she isn't initally concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman Syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shcoking twists and fascinating questions of live, language, race and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-wining debut Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.

When Adam Parson doesn't return home, but his intellectually disabled son does, nobody is quite sure what is going on. As is typical for the two of them, Adam and Eugene had gone off to the park for a walk, and Mia Parkson, Adam's 20 year old daughter, is excited that Eugene appers to be running as quickly as he can for the first time quickly turns into panic as the family, including Mia's twin brother, John and her mother Hannah Park (Park and Parson = Parkson) realize that Adam's disappearance isn't anything of the ordinary.

When they finally alert the police, they want to believe that Detective Janus is on their side but it becomes quickly apparent that she is working against them, though they cannot figure out why. She appears hellbent to place Eugene under arrest, believing him to be the one holding the key to the whereabouts of Adam. Searches and search parties ultimately do not bring up anything, other than finding Adam's backpack inside of the white water rapids in the park.

Inside, it shows a letterboard, something therapists have used to work with nonverbal children, which Eugene is. However, Detective Janus takes Eugene's excitement as aggression and quickly arrests him after she becomes injured when attempting to restrain him. Despite it being obvious that Eugene isn't aggressive, it is recommended that he be placed in a secure facility until a formal hearing occurs two days later. However, a COVID outbreak inside the facility allows Eugene to remain home.

Ultimately, the family learns that the strange voicemail from a woman they never heard of belonged to a therapist named Angelai Rapari, and she had worked directly with Eugene and Adam with letterboards, despite it not being something the family wanted after a bad experience a few summers before. Adam kept is a secret from them so that his wife wouldn't become disappointed as she had the last time, causing Adam to become a stay at home parent and Hannah to go back to work full time in order to save their marriage. But, through 9 months of work, they were able to get communication rolling with Eugene in a way that worked.

With the help of their lawyer and Angeli, Eugene is able to share the story of what had happened to Adam - that the two of them had gotten into a tiff but Eugene had forgiven him, regarding the annoucnement of his therapy and how successful it was. Adam wasn't aware of how upset the news of delaying the news would be to Eugene, and he apologized, thus Eugene forgiving him. However, they were confronted by two separate groups of people - 3 teenage boys who called him the "R" word and an older woman who is known to go around pepper spraying young men in the park when she feels threatened, which is apparently all the time.

After being pepper sprayed, Eugene rightfully freaked out but was able to be calmed down. But, while looking at birds near a cliff overlooking the water fall, Adam and Eugene find the three boys going through Adam's personal effects, taking his wallet and running off with it, which explains why his wallet was found in a town two hours away being used by a young couple, prompting the hits on his debit card.

Eugene goes on to explain that when the boys had thrown Adam's backpack, Eugene attempted to go after it but had begun to lose his footing after becoming dizzy. Adam went to grab him and in a last ditch effort to save his son, was able to push Eugene to safety before falling off the cliffside into the water below.

Despite efforts, Detective Janus attempts to dispprove this story, but the hearing leader states that everything Eugene has said is corrborated in more ways than one and that he would be dropping the official charges as well as taking away the order of house arrest.

100 days later, while Adam's missing person file is still open, Janus has ended the investigation for the time being. The family is learning to live their new normal, and are able to effectively communicate with Eugene, knowing that he is much more intelligent than any of them gave them credit for.