The Hungry Bookworm

Summer Reading Challenges: Book Challenge by Erin 9.0 + Comment Challenge

June 28, 2018 by Megan 8 Comments

New Reading Challenge

As you may recall, I kicked off the year by participating in the Book Challenge by Erin, version 8.0, which lasted from January 1 until April 30. And now, I’m excited to be participating in version 9.0 of the same challenge because I really love reading challenges. Here are the details:

Duration: July through October 2018

Challenge: Choose 10 books across specific categories and read as many of them as you can over the four month challenge period

The Keeper of Lost Things + Iced Buns

June 26, 2018 by Megan 5 Comments

Many have commented on the beauty of this book cover. Indeed, Ruth Hogan’s The Keeper of Lost Things does feature some gorgeous floral artwork on the cover, and actually that’s part of what brought me to it in the first place. The title, too, is intriguing. What exactly is a keeper of lost things? What sort of lost things are being kept?

In the novel, Anthony is an elderly man who has become a self-appointed keeper of lost things. Since losing something very important decades earlier, he has made it his mission in life to rescue discarded, dropped or forgotten things. He brings them home, where they live safely and quietly in his study, until they can be reunited with their owners someday, somehow.

Delancey + Salted Caramel Ice Cream

June 23, 2018 by Megan Leave a Comment

I read Molly Wizenberg’s first memoir, A Homemade Life, during my Thanksgiving readathon last year and fell in love with it. Her storytelling was warm and relatable, and her recipes sounded (and were, when I tried a couple of them) delicious. So, I was excited when I stumbled upon her next memoir, Delancey, one day while browsing near the cookbooks in the library.

While A Homemade Life was more a jumble of life stories (sometimes connected, sometimes not) and charming nonetheless, Delancey tells a linear story of her experiences while opening a restaurant with her husband Brandon. While it was more his dream than hers - like me, Molly detested working in restaurants and preferred the comforts of home cooking - she supported him as he pursued it.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane + Scallion Pancakes

June 16, 2018 by Megan 3 Comments

Lisa See’s historical fiction novel The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is a family saga that begins in a remote mountain village in China in the late 1980s. Life there revolves around tradition and tea farming, until a stranger arrives, bringing a glimpse into the modern world -- and a proposal that will transform all of their lives.

Interspersed with Li-Yan’s story, as she struggles against the traditions of her village and family but fully embraces the rituals and importance of tea in their culture, is the story of a young girl growing up in Los Angeles, searching for a key to her past. The story is full of heart, and the plot full of coincidence. Some of the village’s traditions were a bit hard to stomach, but I think Li-Yan’s personal rebellion against them made her more relatable, at least to me.

The Hating Game + Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

June 14, 2018 by Megan 2 Comments

I went into Sally Thorne’s novel The Hating Game without much research. I’d seen some chatter about it in my online book club - most people loved it. If anything, it seemed like a fun, quick read, and summer is always the perfect time for something on the lighter side. It’s the story of two executive assistants at a publishing company who loathe each other (hence the title), but then, in true romantic comedy fashion, feelings begin to change and they find themselves in an entirely different kind of relationship.

As with our characters, Lucy and Josh, it wasn’t love at first sight for me. Somewhere along the line though, my feelings changed. I began to find their interactions endearing, the other characters got a little more detailed and things fell into place. Yes, the plot was a bit predictable, but that shouldn’t be unexpected for this type of book.