#gina chung

[phaedraismyusername]

It's been forever since I've mentioned any books so I just wanted to shout out a few of my favourites from this year so far

Mapping The Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

This little 100ish page novella was my very first read of the year and I truly could not have started with better. It follows a 15 year old Native American boy who believes he sees his dead father walk through their house one night and his mission to recreate the experience to find answers. It's an exploration of grief and trauma, and whether or not these cycles can be broken

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

This is so not for everyone lol. I've read four of Tremblay's books this year and this is my favourite. This book is about a horror movie that was never released. A couple of decades later, after a few scenes and the screenplay made it onto the internet, the film has gained a cult following and the only surviving member has agreed to be a part of a much anticipated remake. This is told through excerpts of the original screenplay, the autobiographical audiobook by "the thin kid" and the current timeline of the film getting made. It's weird and uncomfortable and I ate it up in a single day

Sea Change by Gina Chung

Obligatory sad girl seeks peace entry in the list. Ro has just turned 30, works at a mall aquarium, and her boyfriend has just left her to go to Mars. Estranged from her family and sidelined from her best friends life as she plans her dream wedding, Ro spends her nights drinking sharktini's and generally making bad choices. The only light in her life is a giant Pacific octopus, Dolores, who she sees as her last real connection to her missing father, and what happens when Dolores is put up for sale. It's sad and melancholy but with a throughline of hope that slowly blossoms into what my heart needed to read lol

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

I loved this so much. This book follows a Chinese American girl named Luli Wei as she breaks into 1930s-ish Hollywood and her journey to becoming a star as the monster known as the Siren Queen. I know that's a short summary in comparison but that's because the sale is absolutely in the vibes which are basically 'what if classic Hollywood was Faerie and make it sapphic' and if any one of those words appeal to you in the slightest then I beg you to try this one. I took out an American library e-card just to get my hands on this and it's best decision I've made all year. Please read it lol

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

This audiobook y'all. The book follows Lillian as she reconnects with her childhood sort of best friend from boarding school who has written to her begging for help with her politician husbands two children when their mother suddenly passes away. Lillian, living the life of the persistent down and outer, agrees easily, it's just for the summer and she can't turn down the money, after all how hard could it be? There's one little catch though, sometimes the kids burst into flames. When I say this audiobook broke my heart and then healed my soul I promise you I am barely exaggerating. I'm sure you could just read it and it would still be good, but Marin Ireland's narration brings so much heart to this story that I physically cannot bear to recommend it any other way lol. If you only listen to one book this year then this is the one it should be

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Green Frog: Stories

By Gina Chung.

[umicommons]

Everyone always seemed to be climbing upward and striving for more all the time: more money and responsibility, a better title, greater prestige. And it wasn’t like I didn’t want any of those things for myself; it was more like I wouldn’t have had any idea what to do with them had they come to me. I wanted, if I was being honest, to slow down, just for a little while. Everything felt like a race for which there wasn’t even a definitive prize, and that didn’t seem to end until you died. “When you were little,” Umma told me once, “you learned how to walk at such a young age that we were all astonished. But the faster you learned how to go and the easier it became for you, the less you wanted to walk anywhere. It was like you were becoming an infant again. You would sit down in the middle of the sidewalk or in the supermarket and refuse to move until either your father or I picked you up.” She thinks this is a story about what she sees as my lack of ambition manifesting itself early on; I think this is a story about how almost anything, even something as basic as walking, can become less enjoyable when it’s constantly being monitored for progress.

[librarycards]

Rumpus: As someone who balances full-time employment with writing, do you have self-care practices that help you continue creating art?

Gina Chung: I’m very used to thinking of myself as a brain in a jar. I don’t always remember to consider my bodily needs, especially when things get really busy or when I’m in the middle of an engrossing project. I’ve had to remind myself over the years to slow down when I need to and to take care of the container through which I experience the world.

My main tip is to listen to your body as much as you can. Take breaks and sleep when you need to. I’m someone who can easily ignore all my body’s warning signs and just keep going until the point of exhaustion. It’s just not worth it most of the time. There’s no need to flagellate yourself in the name of your art, and the wellspring of your creativity can’t be replenished if you don’t rest, no matter how guilty you might feel for not getting down a certain number of words per day. I’m still learning how to be gentle with myself in doing this. Now, whenever I feel like all the creativity is gone and I’ve lost it for good, I’ve at least learned to believe that’s not true. It’s my lizard brain panicking. I know it will come back. The only way you can care for your art is to care for yourself.

THE PRESENCE IN ABSENCES: A CONVERSATION WITH GINA CHUNG

[signal-failure]

Mutant Octopus and Coming-of-Age in Sea Change

Sea Change, by Gina Chung, is about Dolores, a giant octopus in captivity, and about Ro, who cares for Dolores while everything else in her life falls apart.  This is a terribly relatable story about being stuck and being aimless at the same time. Dolores was an amazing almost-character, because who doesn’t love a story about a giant octopus? But Dolores is also a connection to Ro’s childhood and…

[chai-n-ivy]

have y'all read Sea Change? I'm halfway through and I love it!

[laavenderhaze]

It feels good to be regularly reading again 💕💗

[herald-caliber]

"Sea Change" by Gina Chung: A Beautiful Novel

If you're looking for a captivating novel that will take you on a journey of self-discovery and environmental consciousness, look no further than Sea Change by Gina Chung.

With stunning prose and a unique storyline, Chung's debut novel tells the story of a young woman's struggle to come to terms with loss and change, while also highlighting the impact of human actions on the natural world. As readers follow Ro's journey through her past and present, they will be drawn into a world of mystery and intrigue, all while grappling with some of the most pressing issues of our time. So why not dive into the pages of Sea Change and discover the transformative power of this incredible novel for yourself? Trust us, you won't regret it!>>Read More<<

[todd-queen]

happy international women's day to all the women I'd crawl around on my knees for <3

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with 22 Great Queer Reads!

May is wrapping up, and with the end of May comes the end of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. There are so so so many great books coming out by AAPI authors starring AAPI characters, and so – here’s a list of some of our favorites! All of these are either BY AAPI authors, have AAPI main characters, or – in most cases – both! The contributors to this list are: Shadaras, Tris Lawrence, Nina Waters, D.V. Morse, Terra P. Waters, theirprofoundbond, Annabeth Lynch and an anonymous contributor.

Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad series) by C.B. Lee

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

“Eldest Daughter Seeks Her Wife” by N. C. Farrell from She Wears the Midnight Crown

Babel by R.F. Kuang

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Roadqueen: Eternal Roadtrip to Love by Mira Ong Chua

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Away With the Fairies by Annabeth Lynch

Meal by Blue Delliquanti & Soleil Ho

Firebird by Sunmi

After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang

Iron Widow (Iron Widow series) by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Problem with Wishes by Annabeth Lynch

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Hold Me (Cyclone series) by Courtney Milan

Sea Change by Gina Chung

Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

See a book you can’t live without? You can buy it through our Bookshop.org affiliate shop!

You can view this list, and all our other lists, as shelves on Goodreads.

[umicommons]

envisioning the worst possible thing isn’t the same as being protected against it.

[twopoppies]

Gina who is Waseem? Harry hung out with him from 2015-2018 apparently. I never knew he had brown friends too. I mean louis' friends are well known inside the fandom but this is the first time i heard of Waseem.

I’m pretty sure he met Waseem through Alexa Chung who he’s been friends with for years. But he and Waseem seemed to hang out a fair bit. I obviously don’t know all of the people Harry hangs out with, and yes most of them are white, but I do know he’s also friends with Reesh (who’s Sri Lankan) and her husband, Al Shearer (who is African American). They live in LA, as far as I know, and he hasn’t been there for any extended time in a while, but they hung out a lot when H was there.

[midnightsun-if]

Do you have any face claims for the ROs or characters in general? I love to see how the author envisions their characters.

I’ve been asked this a few times (which I’m completely fine with) and I haven’t really been able to give a concrete answer. Not necessarily because I don’t have any but, for some of the characters anyway, they constantly shift around.

For instance I imagine Regina as Hailee Steinfeld more often than not; so you can definitely use her as the FC for Gina!

I see a bit of 2004 Britney Spears in Cyra, but not enough to make it her FC. And I see a bit of Jamie Chung within F!Caden too. Bits of Angelina Jolie crops up in Scarlett.

It’s honestly just all over the place, but it’s a bit easier (as you’ve probably noticed) for me to figure out the female ROs… Whenever I do come up with a concrete list I’ll definitely make a post (that’ll be under a cut) for anyone that’d like to have it!

[tragedies-and-dreams]

His eyes were red and wet, but he wore a strange smile, it was composed of cruelty and shame and delight.

No one is going to fix you for you, I thought to myself when I got home, giving myself a good hard stare in my bathroom mirror. But like all revelations, it didn’t last long.

i'm not feeling good at all (part ii): mirrors, tears, & smiles

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi / / / Euphoria / / / Luster by Raven Leilani / / / I May Destroy You / / / Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi / / / The Fits / / / Writers & Lovers by Lily King / / / Midsommar dir. Ari Aster / / / Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin / / / Possession dir. Andrzej Żuławski / / / Giovanni's Room by Baldwin / / / Lady Vengeance dir. Park Chan-wook / / /  The Four Humors by Mina Seçkin / / / I, Tonya dir. Craig Gillespie / / / Self-Portrait with Boy by Rachel Lyon / / / Sea Change  by Gina Chung / / / Either/Or by Elif Batuman / / / The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath / / / A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara / / / Either/Or by Batuman / / / Edinburgh by Alexander Chee / / / The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett / / / Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas / / / The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy