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Jaypa/Jepah

@brokebookmt

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Impulsive book hauler and ranter.

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it’s almost august, which means it’s time for Women In Translation month!! i always love seeing people’s recommendations for this month, so i thought i’d give my own recommendations as well. these books here might be short, but within those tiny frames lies a lot of power, and they’re all unique in their own ways.

translated books by women are definitely on the rise these days, and since the point of #WITMonth is to increase readership of non-English books written by women, i tried my best to highlight works that do not get as much recognition on booksta/booktok, and i think most of them are definitely ones that i haven’t seen on here. there are some popular works included as well like mild vertigo, and those are ones that i believe should be required reading 🤭

the only book that i haven’t read in this list is So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ, which i planned on reading this month. the rest of the books in here are all ones i’d rated 3 ⭐ and above, and even the ones i rated the lowest were entertaining and thought-provoking!

also it’s been a while since i posted any book reviews or updates, and i’m planning on being more active again on booksta (fingers crossed). hoping this would be the post that will push me to do more posts 🤪 also please recommend translated books by women in the comments, would love any recs hehe. ooh also if you’re interested in my reviews of any books in here you can just dm me or check out my goodreads’ reviews (link in bio!! would love to be friends there as well) by @brokebookmt

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3 months ago

halloween is tomorrow (at least in the US), and since i've read a lot of weird & creepy books, i thought i'd share some book recommendations! if you know me, then you probably know i'm a huge kpop fan, so of course i had to spice up the recommendations a bit by making it based on your favorite kpop girl groups 🤭💖

i had so much fun curating these book recs 💜 ooh also lmk your favorite kpop group, or if you don't have any, your favorite artists currently!! by @brokebookmt

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a year ago

💖 #witmonth book recs 💖

it's august and that means it's time for #witmonth! more and more books from female writers are translated into English, and i'm so excited for all the new releases 💖🤩

#witmonth or Women In Translation month is celebrated every year in august to increase visibility of translated works from women all around the world 🌏 i do acknowledge that most of the recommendations here are overwhelmingly from japan and korea, but that's just because i haven't explored the world of translation fully!

this month i'm excited to venture into books from authors of other countries besides japan and korea. i'm interested in reading from authors i've never heard of and to read from topics that i was not aware about 💓

have you read any of these books? do you spot any favorites of yours? and are you interested in any of them? by @brokebookmt

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3 years ago

in august of 2023, i picked up two books, both written by malaysian women: Sayang Ustazah Sayang by Salmi Manja, and Meneruskan Perjalanan by Zurinah Hassan. needless to say, these books—witty, incisive, and critical of malaysian society—left a deep impression on me, and they kickstarted my interest in malaysian lit. while i’ve read malaysian classics before, they were mostly by men, and i realized that i didn’t read books by malaysian women as much as i read the ones written by men. and i regret not doing so, because there are so many gems, hiding in plain sight, that i’d overlooked.

one said gem is fatimah busu’s An Ordinary Tale About Women, a collection of short stories. curated and translated by pauline fan, this is looking to be one of my top reads this year. from vampiric nymphs to talking birds, fatimah brilliantly blends magical realism, folklore, religious symbolism, and malaysian culture to tell a larger story of corrupt kings, monstrous and cowardly men, and the labor carried by malaysian women. every one of the story captivates me in their own ways, and i find myself marveling at fatimah’s ability to paint such creative and wonderful tales.

and most of all, it is undeniably malaysian. beyond the namedropping of some iconic locations, fatimah’s inclusion of malaysian folklore as well as the daily lives of malaysians made this collection even closer to my heart. there are so many societal issues brought up by fatimah in her stories, such as sexual abuse, baby dumping, corrupt leaders, and the gross mistreatment of women by men. i’m so glad i stumbled upon the reviews of this book, because i would’ve missed on yet another gem! by @brokebookmt

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a month ago

years ago, i read Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki. the first story charmed me with how frank Suzuki is with her writing, imagining a world where only women exist, and how heteronormative behaviors were still replicated in the absence of men. i dropped the book because i wasn't in the mood to read anything, but the sci-fi/dystopian/speculative world that Suzuki spun would come into mind every once in a while. it struck me as transgressive and wild, but still very thoughtful and witty.

Suzuki is definitely consistent in her writing, as Hit Parade of Tears has the same energy and intensity as that story. in this short story collection, Suzuki writes across genres, from sci-fi space drama to kooky fantastical tales. but she herself doesn't restrict herself to the realm of genre fiction; instead, she blurs the lines between genres and themes and writes basically anything she likes. her devil-may-care attitude is also in her writing, where she'd write the most outrageous lines and treat them as the norm.

her stories are pulpy, punchy, and brash, never one to be elegant and poise. Suzuki's writing is self-deprecating, manic, hateful, hilarious, edgy, and chaotic. and most importantly, she doesn't give a fuck. just like her stories, she is naturally cool and iconic. what a legend.

4 ⭐️ by @brokebookmt

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2 months ago

at first i wanted to do a november wrap-up, but i'm too lazy to do that. instead i'm going to review one of my five-stars read this year that i read in november: i who have never known men by jacqueline harpman.

forty women are trapped in an underground dungeon for reasons unknown to them. our narrator is the youngest of them all, but none of them knows who her parents are either. they know nothing at all about the prison they're put in, and they have stopped questioning — until the main character herself became aware and conscious of their situation. what is going on? why are they here? what crimes or reasons were they imprisoned for?

this is a dystopian story like no other. i was truly captivated by the novel, hanging on every word that harpman writes. i who have never known men is a meditation on the meaning of living. is it really meaningless? if it is, why do we still live? harpman articulates nihilism & existentialism in a poignant and eloquent manner. harpman is an incredible writer, creating such gorgeous and lush prose — i am truly in awe of her craft.

this book is mostly slow, kind of more vibes than plot. there is some plot to the story, but the focus is more on the main character. it's thought-provoking in the best way possible. i love it, but be warned that it is a slow, contemplative read. if you liked solvej balle's on the calculation of volume, marlen haushofer's the wall, or samantha harvey's orbital, you would love this. give it a try. seriously. by @brokebookmt

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10 months ago

some more book recs, this time for my friend emira's birthday!! i promised her this post since 2023 guys so here it is 🤭

some facts about emira:
🫶 she's such a good comedian yall one of the funniest people i've met on earth ‼️
🫶 she's twinnem i.e. we are two peas of the same insane pod
🫶 she's iconic, i mean just look at these texts hello!!!

happy birthday emira, may the years ahead be filled with happiness & joy 🥹💜 (guys hype her up in the comments please & thank you 🤭) by @brokebookmt

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a year ago

"[The old couple] stopped talking and continued to eat. Their eyes were quiet, composed, without a single trace of worry. Sometimes they looked at each other, but most of the time they looked down at their food. They seldom smiled, but through the folds of their skin, Jia Jia saw everything that she did not have. She watched them as if they were the last scene of a film, living a happy ending, entirely removed from her own reality. An overwhelming feeling of dejection rose inside her. Head down, eyes closed, she listened to their silence and yearned for it to be hers."

I want to gush about this book for hours and hours, and I still think I wouldn't do it justice. An Yu is truly a phenomenal writer. Sometimes when you read a book, you can sense the natural gift that the author has with words, the way they tame and shape and use them. An Yu is one of those writers. Her writing is sparse and unassuming, yet hidden in these simple prose are subtle, gorgeous imagery that evokes in you a sense of melancholy and somberness. Her writing gently prods you to ponder deeply about your own life, to ask questions about the sadness you carry inside yourself.

Braised Pork starts with the main character, Jia Jia, discovering her husband's dead body in their apartment's bathroom. He left behind a rough sketch of what it seems like to be a man with a fish's body. Not exactly a mermaid, but a one-of-a-kind creature that poked Jia Jia's curiosity, which later developed into an obsession. This is a mystery book as much as it is a melodrama; a tragic romance as much as it is a poetic literary work.

Braised Pork takes its time to reveal itself. As you learn more about Jia Jia and her lonely world, you realize that you are now captive to her narrative and the emotions and thoughts that she carries. Braised Pork is often bleak, yet it is not devoid of hope. It is, at its core, a story of grief and how it haunts you, much like the visions of a human-fish (or fish-human) that Jia Jia could not stop thinking about. Jia Jia's grief felt alive, raw, human. An Yu's ability to create such compelling, complex characters that you could see the human parts of yourself in is just astounding. by @brokebookmt

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a year ago

the louvre jewellery heist is everywhere on my fyp, so i thought it'd be fun for me to make a heist-themed book & media recommendation list! i love heist stories, seeing people succeed in plotting heists is always so cathartic to me for some reason 🤭 some of the recommendations here are also about art and museums because, well, it's the louvre. duh.

📖 six of crows by leigh bardugo — in my tbr. it's a heist story + found family so sign me upppp
📖 cats of the louvre by taiyo matsumoto — this was a 5 star for me, so so good. it's about cats and art and grief and death...just overall a great story.
📖 the case files of jeweler richard by nanako tsujimura, illustrated by utako yukihiro — hot men + jewels like yes please in my tbr list you go
📖 blue period by tsubasa yamaguchi — an amazing manga series about pursuing art, but also about chasing your dreams and ambitions. truly a great series
📖 the lies of locke lamora by scott lynch — another heist story so in my tbr you go!!! heard only good things about this one
📖 when the museum is closed by emi yagi — sapphic lit fic about a museum worker & the statue of venus falling in love...obviously i have to put this one in my tbr list

🎥 night at the museum — THE BEST MUSEUM STORY PERIOD. a feel-good wholesome comedy for sure
🎥 the grand heist — PEAK HEIST MOVIE. i haven't seen people talking about this movie but it's so so good yall, a historical korean movie about stealing blocks of ice from a corrupt government!!!
🎥 now you see me — you've probably seen this, and if you haven't what are you doing!!! it's such a fun film fr. lowkey it's more vibes than plot lol
🎥 the thieves — heist movie again, i want to watch this so bad cuz it looks so funny hehe
🎥 leverage — UGH THIS SERIES IS SO GOOD. you have all the archetypes in a found family + hot & amazing cast + great comedy & well-written!! a series i would recommend watching while eating your meal 🤭
🎥 magic kaito/kaito kid — i had a HUGE crush on him as a kid and still have one now!! such a compelling character in the detective conan series, i wished he wasn't just a special guest character 🥲🥲

anyways i hope you guys have a good day!!! by @brokebookmt

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a year ago

hunchback by saou ichikawa (tr. polly barton) - 3.75 ⭐️

i put hunchback immediately in my tbr months before its publication. i just could not resist the insane synopsis: a disabled woman's secret twitter account, where she documents her intense hyperfixation on sex, is discovered by her male carer, triggering a spiral of bad decisions — with heavy consequences. i've always been inclined towards reading bizarre, unusual books, and the book sounded like something right up my alley.

hunchback is a unique experience. the whole story, told from the pov of a woman with the same disability as the author, is told bluntly, almost matter-of-factly. the main character, isawa, is brutally honest about her desires, whether that be sex, pregnancy, abortion, or just reading a book. isawa's thoughts are in full display, from her candid yearning for sex to her anger towards the ableist society surrounding her.

hunchback reads like an online diary, tying back to isawa's identity as a serial tweeter. besides her obscene sexual wants, the book also conveys her frustrations towards the able-bodied world, and how she has to struggle to live in it. bitterness, anger, jealousy, disdain...this book is a buffet of emotions.

having said all that, there are two particular issues i have with this book that left me feeling a bit underwhelmed (hence the rating).

one: the narrator's voice. while i enjoyed reading isawa's various unhinged thoughts and her criticisms of the able-bodied, her thoughts are sometimes tedious to read. she goes on discursive ramblings at times that made reading this felt like a chore. i think this was what took a lot of enjoyment out of reading this, though i do enjoy her analysis of society's treatment of the disabled.

two: the ending. a very common problem with short fiction like novellas and short stories is they tend to leave the reader wanting for more. and i wanted more from hunchback, just slightly more. although the ending made sense, it just feels like there was more that could be written. the ending felt sudden, almost as if the story had to stop out of nowhere.

To be continued in the comments ⬇️ by @brokebookmt

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a year ago

it's tier-ranking time!! i was inspired by numerous tier-ranking videos i see on youtube, so i decided to make a post ranking the books i've read (so far) in 2024 🤭 i've read 78 books this year and most of them are 3 stars and above 💞🥹

tier explanation:

🤮 F-tier (1 - 2 ⭐️): this was a waste of time, why did i pick this up again 😟 lost hours of my precious life for this???

😴 E-tier (2.5 - <3 ⭐️): this was bad but it was readable, still really bad and i would not recommend

😕 D-tier (3 - <3.5 ⭐️): it could've been good, but instead it was aggressively mid that it was kind of bad. i would recommend it but not really push it

🙂‍↕️ C-tier (3.5 - <4 ⭐️): ooh these books lowkey ate. i liked the book, was entertained, will recommend. but there were some parts that made it slightly meh

🥰 B-tier (4 - <5 ⭐️): SAY YES TO THE DRESS i mean book!!! this was so good and i highly enjoyed it, just didn't blow my mind or made me think about it often but still super super good. would recommend a lot!

🥵 A-tier: FIVE FREAKING STARS. THIS WAS GOLD, I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT AND WOULD REREAD!! No I will disagree with every bad review of this book because i truly love this and i would shut down any disagreements!!! (i'm just joking, i'm definitely open to criticisms about the book. i just really really REALLY love it lol)

my favorite read of the year is none other than Rifqa by the amazing @mohammedelkurd!! his poems are just so so powerful and definitely one of the most important poetry collections i've ever read 🩷

now, to end this post: reminder that people in 🍉 are still in constant danger. please keep on donating, sharing, and supporting them and don't stop fighting for the liberation of them and all oppressed people around the world 💜💓 by @brokebookmt

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2 years ago

"I still couldn't shake the fear I'd always felt, not completely, of what might happen if I got too close to someone. Although that's exactly what I wanted to do in dance, to pair up with someone, it's unnerving, maybe even unnatural, to get that close. Behind that appealing image of intimacy might be violence and control. I couldn't get over my apprehension, which sometimes turned into desperation."

this one is a hidden gem. i saw a review of this book by @whatafireads, and that cover immediately charmed me. pink covers have always been my weakness, and Afi's review really made me want to read this book as soon as possible 🤭

The Mermaid's Tale was more than ballroom dancing. it centres ballroom dancing as a theme, but i would say that it focuses more on what it feels like to be a woman in the world of ballroom dancing. like most fields of art, patriarchy seeps through the rituals and traditions of ballroom dancing. however, the main character, Summer, has a strong passion for this art. the dilemma of pursuing an art scene that is inherently misogynistic or leaving a dream of her own tortures her mental and physical state.

i think an interesting commentary made here is how misogyny is entrenched in the world of art, and how queer men are not excluded from participating in patriarchy. queer men often believe that by virtue of their queerness, they are excluded from the criticisms of patriarchy. Summer's closest confidante, a gay man, uses patriarchy to his own benefit when he requires it. it was enlightening to have this conversation in translated literature.

this book was mostly Summer's stream of consciousness while she lives through her life in ballroom dancing, so there was no clear plot points in this book. it touches on so many themes and ideas, such as domestic abuse and mother-daughter relationship. it's definitely not a book for everyone, but i really liked it. the monologues in here are just relatable, especially the one that i put before the review.

all in all, it was a fantastic read for me. this is my first translated taiwanese lit, and definitely not the last.

5 ⭐️
Translated by Darryl Sterk. by @brokebookmt

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3 years ago