Book Review #6

In 2015, Entertainer Issa Rae wrote in her book Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. That maybe it would be beneficial for Black women if they dated and married Asian men.

Some people in the black community wanted to criticize her suggestions. Interracial Romance Authors decided to take her suggestion and run with it. The results are phenomenal. There are thousands of interracial romance stories featuring Asian men and Black women. This is just one series; I began reading in 2019 and came back to while I was in the hospital. I was looking for happy endings and I found some of them here. These two books are part of a four-book series. They can be borrowed if you have Kindle unlimited. They are exclusive books sold only by Amazon.

Sweet Sweet Revenge By Nia Arthurs

Joon Gi Kim was once a successful businessman, engaged to a\ beautiful woman Hanna Park and admired by many. An anonymous tip to authorities changed all that. He is arrested and charged with a white-collar crime. The stigma of being a criminal has turned everyone in his social community against him. He loses his business and fiancée. Down and out, he resorts to offering his business knowledge, to a baker Sky Johnson and her struggling shop Sweet Treat. Sky is a kind-hearted woman, who chooses to see better in people than there actually is. She hires Joon Gi even though she is sure he is up to something. Joon Gi vows revenge against those who have wronged him. He thinks he knows who they are. Besides a struggling business Sky also has relationship issues that need to be dealt with.

The attraction is evident between these two and during a series of events, love springs up between them. Joon Gi and Sky’s relationship blossoms and it changes them both. Sky stands up for herself and Joon Gi puts aside his plans for revenge to help Sky and her shop when she needs it. Joon Gi’s enemy is revealed and it is a twist. The story ends with the shop being saved. Sky and Joon Gi committing to each other.

Sweet Sweet Disaster By Nia Arthurs

Sun Gi Kim is a successful businessman and younger brother of Joon Gi Kim. He saved the family’s fortune when Joon Gi was arrested and is engaged to his brother’s ex-fiancée, Hanna Park. Ignoring is brother’s advice not to marry a woman he has no feelings for, Sun Gi ignores this and continues with wedding plans. Sun Gi is attempting to prove something that can’t be done. Joana Lee Gregory is a part-time worker at Sweet Treats and a good friend to Sky Johnson. She is a biracial woman with a Korean mother and a Black father and aspiring-to-be-discovered singer. She prefers to go by the name Jo. She has a crush on Sun Gi since they were introduced in Sweet Sweet Revenge. However, is quite sure that Sun Gi would never be attracted to her.

This, of course, is not true. Sun Gi is seduced by Jo’s beautiful voice when she secretly performs at a nightclub. He searches for this “Nightingale” only to realize she was always in front of him.

Jo appears to be confident in herself and life choices however there are cracks like she feels she will never be enough for her Black and Korean families. She wants to be a vocalist, however getting recognition without a support system is very difficult.

Meanwhile through complicated circumstances Jo leaves her job working with Sky. There is an introduction of a new character Jewel. Jo ends up working at a store but soon fate work for her and she gets the job as Sun Gi’s executive assistant. Their attraction to each other grows but Sun Gi is still engaged to Hanna Park.

A plot twist occurs that can only be describe as K-drama melodramatic goodness. Sun Gi and Joon Gi who have been estranged since book one, work out their brother issues. Hanna and Sun Gi decide not to get married. Jo and Sun Gi become a couple.

These two stories were interesting to me for different reasons. There are some things I liked about it and there are some things I didn’t. But overall, it was an enjoyable read. Arthurs left the mean evil ex-girlfriend trope and came up with a plot twist I was not expecting. Also, the story is set in a part of the world that I never really thought about. It seems like something strange and completely stupid to write. Belize as the setting for the story was different than what I am used to in romance stories. Usually in these stories set in not the United States or Canada, the main female character is visiting, the new wonderful tropical land. Full disclosure at the time I read these books it had been a couple of years since I’ve read a contemporary romance with no supernatural or speculative fiction element to it. The world building felt normal. I believe that was something I needed because my real world was very uncertain. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a pleasant read.

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Anime Reviews #7

Toradora is a complicated school life anime about teenage life.

Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka are two students at Ohasi High School often misjudged by their appearance. Takasu attempts to dissuade his bad reputation. Taiga exacerbates her bad image, usually with cursing and violence.

It was a light novel by Yuyuko Takemiya and illustrated by Yasu. Made into a manga Illustrated by Zekkyo. Adapted to an animation by Mari Okada. Directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai and premiered on Japanese October 2008.

I am not a 100% sure when I found this anime, if it was borrowed from a site that offered subbed animes or Crunchyroll. I do know it was before Netflix got it.

Despite their appearance, Ryuji and Taiga are gifted with two best friends in Minori Kushieda for Taiga and Yasaku Kitamura. Unfortunately, they each have awesome crushes on the others best friend. Through a series of weird circumstances, Taiga and Ryuji confide in each other about the people they like. It turned out that Taiga and Ryuji are neighbors. They decide to support each other in gaining the affections of their significant others. It seems like an easy gimmick, right? Except Kitamura had confessed to Taiga and she turned him down. I’m sure Ryuji got a chance to confess to Minori but never took the chance. Neither Ryuji nor Taiga know how to express or define their feelings. With the addition of Kawashima Ami, the group is complete. A childhood friend of Kitamura’s, she works as a model and is used to people telling her how pretty she is. She pretends to be nice for attention. Ami joins the group and becomes frenemies with Taiga and love rival with Minori.

All the characters are in some kind of emotional turmoil. Kawashima as the observer of the four tends to notice things before the others do. Each character would sacrifice for friendship. It is admirable but not exactly healthy. Throughout the anime, which is the school year, they all explore, face the fear and come to a realization. The results are heart felt emotional breakthroughs.

By the end of the series, Ryuji and Taiga love each other and are willing to confess to each other. I think they even plan to get married. Feelings were hurt, but honesty is appreciated, and friendships are intact.

I liked this anime and is always willing to re-watch this anime because of those reasons. They have the obligatory episodes, the beach, the pool, the class, school festival and of course Christmas. It was based on a manga; it is possible they have filler episodes, stories that are not part of original story, but they don’t feel like them. Each episode shows the friendship between the five main characters and other students. Another thing I liked about the characters were that each of them had their own thing going on. Taiga had her height and agility. Ryuji was an excellent cook and housekeeper. Kitamura was the class rep and part of student government. Minori was an athlete and movie impersonator. Ami a model. Their characters were developed enough for their actions and emotions were credible. The three did not revolve around the two main characters in an unbelievable way. The romance was inevitable but the journey to it was wonderful to experience. The growth and change in the characters were visible. It hit all my percentages. Toradora was also complete in 25 episodes. I read in Wikipedia that there was a spin-off. There might have even been an anime movie. In conclusion, I will recommend it for anyone who wants to watch a light school life story. Light because the feel-good ending that doesn’t lead you to have questions later.

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JCH Universal Review #1

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Narrated by Bahni Turpin
Publish August 2014 a collection of essays on various topics, unique ones like scrabble tactics, dated ones like sweet valley high, sad and rage-filled ones when she writes about rape and the murder of Trayvon Martin. It was an odd experience listening to this book. Roxane Gay wrote about things that I should have remembered viscerally but I still felt distanced and detached. What was I doing in the two years before August 2014?
A job similar to what I am doing now, taking care of an elderly person except that person was not a relative. I remember hearing snippets of Gay’s essays on NPR via WNYC radio. There was also a book review. I can’t remember by who and I’m not sure what it said. This review will be completely new and possible less eloquent.
Bad Feminist as I understand it, are parts of Roxane Gay’s life, good and terrible and the idea that most women are bad feminists. Actually, there are no perfect feminists. She writes about the word feminist, used as a slur and used as a shield. She writes on how we as girls can mislead ourselves into dangerous situations. How there is no safety net when something like that happens. How shaming the girl is damaging for the woman she will become. She puts herself out there as an example. I admire the bravery and not sure I will ever be that brave.
Listening to Gay’s book did prompt me to buy a digital copy. I don’t know if reading or listening to the essays would change the experience. I do know that it has made more thoughtful or so many things in our culture. When I use that term “our culture” I mean the United States mass culture. I would love to say I’m not affected by it. But I don’t think it is safe for anyone born and raised in this country. Despite all the achievements made in the last couple of years, the things written in Bad Feminist are issues we have to deal with.
Bahni Turpin did a wonderful job narrating the essay. I don’t know how many audiobooks she has worked on, but I will recognize her name in the future. I have been a member of the Audible since 2011 and haven’t followed the success of voice actors. Even though it may be a growing industry for people who are into that work.
In conclusion, Bad Feminist has impressed on me to read or listen to Roxane Gay’s other two collections of essays, Hunger and Difficult Women. I will definitely look into her fiction writing as well.

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