#angela mi young hur

[elenichr]

Year of Lists

January Books

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (ToB Read) *3/5 - there's an ease in the storytelling, it gives you time to luxuriate in the plot. I loved the back-and-forth, the exploration of the past and of characters who were not central to the main goings-on, but just like in life, you can trace their influence through time. Despite the writing talent, and the much promising setup and characters, I had trouble connecting to this novel; most of my joy in reading this came from the observation of McBride's craft in putting this together.

Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur *3.2/5 - for a minute there I really thought this would be the great Korean novel I've been looking for. Firstly: one for the great covers list. The marrying of science and folklore/superstition/oral inter-generational storytelling: chef's kiss. I wish it amounted to more than it actually did. The novel opens in dreamy language, otherworldly imagery, beautiful, beautiful world-building. It unfortunately loses its coherence and promise about 30% in. It fizzles into a concept that begs for a better storyline to hold it together. I wish the protagonist's personality amounted to more than self-wallowing in pity and self-othering. There are nuances that could have been explored so deeply; I wanted her to see herself as the wonder I saw her as. Nonetheless, there is magic here, there is familial complexity, and beauty.

Notable quote: “The first generation who come are grateful, certainly. They can endure much, swallow their pride. Their children want more—the freedom not to be grateful, indebted, and beholden.”

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake *3/5 - it hasn't even been long since I read this and I can't even remember the plot. Positives: Blake's writing gets better and better, clearly not in the general, book-making sense, but in the pleasant-to-read, I-love-spending-time-with-your-words way. I did enjoy the reading of this, I just don't think this was written because the story was there, but rather, because the trilogy needed to end. I love the characters and I love the illustrations and the elements that make Atlas so exciting: magic, ambition, a sentient, secret, ancient library full of the deepest, darkest knowledge of the world - the dark academia of it all. Better luck with the prequel. We're suckers for it either way.

The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto *5/5 - a perfect little dream - I LOVE BANANA / Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls *5/5 - superb.

Both of these are 5 stars partially because they're novellas. They're dreamy and otherworldly, tackling their specific subject-matters with dexterity. Mrs Caliban is worth an afternoon, especially for fans of The Shape of Water.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke *4.7/5 - boy oh boy was this a surprise. I don't have much to say, THIS.IS.INCREDIBLE. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and perhaps wouldn't be mine if it was written by another author. I read this in a day.

The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (audiobook) *4/5 - this is a reread, first read-through was a physical copy; I'm listening to the series now because I'd missed that world. The narrator for this one is better than the first and his work is only improving. By the end of this one you can tell this is a narrator who truly understands King's writing, with all its humour and intricacies.

The Green Mile by Stephen King *4.7/5 - it's as good as you think it is, as good as everyone says it is. In case it wasn't clear I LOVE STEPHEN KING.

[theputterer]

thinking about her again ("Folklorn" by Angela Mi Young Hur)

[mage-child]

Book Review: Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hir

#BookReview: Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur Korean folklore, cutting edge science, family turmoil, and self-discovery. This book doesn't hold back with the trials faced by immigrants and their families #fantasy #magicalrealism

4 out of 5 Stars The Blurb A genre-defying, continents-spanning saga of Korean myth, scientific discovery, and the abiding love that binds even the most broken of families.Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she’s put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she’s run from all her life. But…

[legalize-necromancy]

got 5 new books today and im excited to read them. there is:

woman, eating (claire kohda)

devotions (mary oliver poetry collection)

folklorn (angela mi young hur)

the jewel box (tim blackburn)

all that is mine i carry with me (william landay)

but hm. lets see when i actually read them. seeing as ive been working on two other books for like.. 3 months

[reluctanthurricane]

re: book ask meme: 2, 3, 6, 13, 19

Thank you, Anonymous!

2. Did you reread anything? What?

Yes! I reread a few things this year. I did a reread of the Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. I haven't reread these in a few years because I was disappointed in my last reread of them and I can see why, the books start out way stronger than they end.

I also reread Maggie Stefvater's Raven Cycle, but this time on audio, and let me tell you, I am not about Will Patton as a narrator. I'm not sure if it was because I sped it up so fast in order to tolerate him or if his Kavinsky really did sound like a reasonably good Bernie Sanders impression.

3. What were your top five books of the year?

1. Ninth Rain, by Jen Williams 2. Folklorn, by Angela Mi Young Hur 3. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke 4. Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki 5. The City We Became, by N. K. Jemisin

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

Many things. Many, many things. I have a whole list of books I want to read that is 116 items long. I think the things I am most sad about not getting to this year are the sequels to Ninth Rain, A Desolation Called Peace and the GIANT backlog of Sherwood Smith novels that I have (I managed one book of the like, idk, 15 book backlog?)

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

Least favorite book I finished was Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan. Least favorite I didn't bother to finish was The Viscount Who Loved Me, by Julia Quinn. S2 of Bridgerton made me think it would be good, but all the good parts from the show weren't in the book and all the bad parts from the show were.

19. Did you use your library?

Yes! I read one dead tree library book and I absolutely adore the library apps (Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla), I also used their databases, and participated in a readathon put on by the friends of the library to raise money. Also I used two libraries illegally. Library crime!

[readingchic]

Two books I'm a "hipster" about:

Sherwood Smith's Inda series (and it's companion/sequel Banner of the Damned) - Written in the late 00s, this series to me feels more like the epic fantasies being published today. The world building is phenomenal and the characters are compelling. So far everyone I've rec'd it to (who actually read it) loved it.

Folklorn, by Angela Mi Young Hur - A ... horror? creepy magical realism? story about culture and family and belonging set in the modern world across four continents and several generations it was just really good.

Everything else I love has at least 5k ratings on GoodReads so that's something.

Today I am issuing a plea: Please be a book hipster! And by that I mean: Please go out of your way to hunt down the books that hardly anyone else is talking about, the gems that have been passed over in favor of the handful of books that usually get celebrated.

Please be a book hipster (my latest newsletter)

[judgingbooksbycovers]

​Folklorn

By Angela Mi Young Hur.

Design by Helen Crawford-White.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Folklorn | Author: Angela Mi Young Hur | Publisher: Erewhon (2021)

[girlonbooks]

Book Review: Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur

Folklorn is an exploration of diaspora, identity and self love. For me, though, the best part of this book came afterward in reading experiences of my friends, for whom stories like theirs and of Asian diaspora are starkly underrepresented.

Buy Folklorn with Bookshop 🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀 (five stars as rated in red ribbons trailing along behind your friend each time she visits) Stationed at a research center on Antarctica, Elsa Park is confident that she’s finally put as much distance as she can between her and the generational trauma of her Korean-American family. When a “ghost” from her past reappears unexpectedly, Elsa must come to terms with…

[therequisitewatson]

I've got some!

Where I Can't Follow by Ashley Blooms - HUGELY fits the prompt literary fantasy/speculative fiction

Starling House by Alix E Harrow - Southern Gothic

Kiss Her Once for Me by Allison Cochrun - f/f Christmas romance

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan - literary fantasy

Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur - sort of a literary/mythology inspired family saga

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth - YA f/f romance. I would recommend picking this one up even if you aren't normally a big YA reader, it's written with a lot of nuance and also made me cry

Most of the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, but ESPECIALLY in later books

Little Thieves listed above is a GREAT choice but it's sequel is even better for the prompt

Fuck daddy issues, what are some mommy issues book recommendations?

[scifiandscary]

Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur #BookReview

"...it blends so many elements from different genres that it defies being placed neatly into any one box." Sam @literaryhooker reviews Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur #BookReview #LiteraryFantasy

A genre-defying, continents-spanning saga of Korean myth, scientific discovery, and the abiding love that binds even the most broken of families.Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she’s put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she’s run from all her life. But it isn’t long before her…

[aseriesofvariousevents]

Folklorn

This book was truly beautiful. The exploration of grief and race and womanhood and so much more was so eloquently done. At times the writing could get a bit intense and confusing, but the story was so captivating and real that I honestly didn't mind. Elsa's journey was fascinating, from her mother's stories to her exploration of physics, and I really loved the discussion of family that filled the whole book. The ending was magical and profoundly bittersweet and I loved how the whole book just seemed so connected. Folklorn is such an important book and was truly an enchanting discussion on so many things that I couldn't even begin to fully list out.

Favorite Quote: Even when we’re unblinded, there’s always more to discover

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Angela Mi Young Hur

Note: I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

[ya-world-challenge]

YA Books About 🇦🇶 Antarctica

Master book list for the YA World Challenge for   🇦🇶 Antarctica

YA Up to This Pointe, Jennifer Longo It Looks Like Us, Alison Ames 🦋 All the White Spaces, Ally Wilkes 🦋 ⌛🌈 The White Darkness, Geraldine McCaughrean Troubling a Star, Madeleine L'Engle Shackleton's Stowaway, Victoria McKernan ⌛ When the Night Comes, Favel Parrett Champion (Legend #3), Marie Lu Can You Survive Antarctica? (You Choose book), Rachael Hanel

NA Polar Quest (Rogue Angel series), Alex Archer Folklorn, Angela Mi Young Hur

Middle Grade Ember and the Ice Dragons, Heather Fawcett 🦋 At the Bottom of the World, Bill Nye & Gregory Mone Eve of the Emperor Penguin (Magic Tree House), Mary Pope Osborne 🦋 Race to the South Pole (Ranger in Time), Kate Messner

Childrens Sophie Scott Goes South, Alison Lester

💚 Native Author 🛩️ Immigrant or diaspora 🏖️ non-native characters in or about the country (ex. vacation/adventure) ⌛ Historical 🦋 Fantasy or Paranormal 🌈 LGBT

[lesbianriverphoenix]

tagged by alyssa @ageofinnocence1993 <333

last songs: bad thing by miya folick, frida by jamila woods, this tornado loves you by neko case

last shows: man this summer has been so good. i saw waxahatchee in june, mitski in july, and angel olsen/sharon van etten/julien baker last week

currently watching: just just finished a league of their own, back to my intermittent bob’s burgers rewatching. also heartily enjoying floor is lava season 2

currently reading: listening to i’m glad my mom died on libby and also in the middle of folklorn by angela mi young hur but it’s a little slow i’ve been pondering moving on to something else...my library fiction stack is 10+ at this point i’ve been so busy most of august 😳 also i finished the audiobook a few days ago but lost & found by kathryn schulz devastated me one of the exclusive few five stars for me this year

tagging @wutheringdyke @deermouth @noamchimpsky @serenity-the-firefly and please anyone who wants to!