Um. Hello there. It's been a while, huh? Please watch your step and make sure that you try not to trip over the dust bunnies. Awful joke aside, I'm turning 25 years old in a few hours (as of typing this post). In an ideal world, I would be returning to this chaotic little space with a bang. Maybe with an eloquent thinkpiece on the 25 most hard-hitting life lessons I've learned. Instead, I'm making my (slight) comeback with a whimper that sounds suspiciously like a resigned sigh. The kind that's learned that life is mostly about rolling with the punches, however difficult it may be at ... Read the Post...
Exclusive Excerpt & Interview: American Betiya by Anuradha Rajurkar
American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar book cover by Saqiba Suleman (artist) & Angela Carlino (designer) published 09 March 2021 young adult, contemporary tagged for authors of color (asian, diaspora) & poc representation (indian american, diaspora) read synopsis: Rani Kelkar has never lied to her parents, until she meets Oliver. The same qualities that draw her in--his tattoos, his charisma, his passion for art--make him her mother's worst nightmare. They begin dating in secret, but when Oliver's troubled home life unravels, he starts to ask more of Rani than she knows how to give, ... Read the Post...
Books on the Rice: March 2021 releases from Asian authors
Happy March, friends! In time for the new month, let's take a look at all the March book releases written by Asian authors. With more and more Asian authors being given a chance to tell their stories to the world, I guess we can say that they're on the rice. 📈 This post is part of my newly introduced series unironically entitled 'Books on the Rice'. It's a recurring series dedicated to spotlighting Asian-authored books that are nearing their release date. Check out last month's post for February 2021 releases. If I'm not mistaken, March has a whopping total of 17 exciting releases. I'm ... Read the Post...
Monthly Synopsis: A January of Delays & Delights
Maybe this is an unpopular sentiment, but I really enjoy writing wrap-up posts. In fact, they're my favorite! I'm a very sentimental person, and I find satisfaction in documenting aspects of my life. Even if very few people read them. With that said, I'm personally bummed that my last monthly synopsis was way back in September. (Is it in a coincidence that I temporarily stopped writing wrap-up posts after I secured a full-time job? Probably not.) So much has changed since then. But I'll save those stories for a different post (aka the world's most delayed wrap-up post). For now, let's take ... Read the Post...
2020 Wrapped: Best Books, Media, & Other Obsessions
I hope you aren't sick and tired of revisiting 2020 just yet. Because life very rudely got in the way of publishing my many, many wrap-up posts in January. 😭 And so, my goal is to finally dump them all throughout this month. Please bear with me. 💛 But rant aside, my quarantined lifestyle led to a higher consumption of books and media content. And I even picked up some new obsessions along the way! The need for escapism was intense and real. With that said, I've whipped up this huge monster of a post, highlighting the best of the best. (In my very humble opinion, at least.) I hope you ... Read the Post...
Books on the Rice: February 2021 releases from Asian authors
Happy February, friends! In time for the new month, let's take a look at all the February book releases written by Asian authors. With more and more Asian authors being given a chance to tell their stories to the world, I guess we can say that they're on the rice. 📈 This post is part of my newly introduced series unironically entitled 'Books on the Rice'. It's a recurring series dedicated to spotlighting Asian-authored books that are nearing their release date. Check out last month's post for January 2021 releases. I'm particularly excited for this month's collection of Asian-authored ... Read the Post...
14 Most Anticipated Sequels for 2021
Which 2021 sequels am I highly anticipating? Before 2020 ended, I heavily gushed about the 21 upcoming releases that I was most excited about. However, this list focused on debut novels and first installments. Hence, it's high time for me to lovingly talk about the sequels that live in my brain rent-free. Looking forward to sequels is a different kind of excitement, in my opinion. Unlike debut novels and new series, I'm already invested in the characters, the plot, and whatnot. Moreover, I already have firsthand knowledge of what the book is about, and this heavily influences my ... Read the Post...
Hello there, I’m Shealea – Getting to Know Me + Q&A
New year, but same old me. Terrible jokes aside, my following across all platforms had grown exponentially in 2020. With so many new readers and subscribers, it seemed like the most opportune time for a reintroduction. As well as a fun Q&A session. (Huge thanks to my Twitter friends for submitting questions! I'm sorry that it took me this long to answer them, but I hope I do them justice. 🥰) My blog is such a personal space, and while I write a lot of bookish and media content, I'd also like everyone to get to know me. Maybe it's naive of me. But I'd like to believe that Internet folks ... Read the Post...
