Hello, I am Thu.
I have read a thousand books,
but I still love books.
Estranged sisters Jayne and June suddenly
become the only ones each can rely on. Choi
deftly shows vulnerability, what it takes to
accept someone into an area of trust, and the
responsibility of sharing emotional weight.
A companion piece to Strange Weather in
Tokyo where one recalls a story from their
childhood on a rainy day. It’s perfect.
What makes!Sanpaku!so special is the main
character, Marcine’s, connection to her late lola
and the lengths she takes to compensate for it
after her death. Realizing the space your loved
ones and their memories occupy in your heart. A
gorgeous and quirky coming-of-age graphic novel
that tackles love, family, and self-realization.!
Adorned in embroidered dragons and phoenixes and
draped with gold tassels, the Duck House is all the stuff
of our Chinese takeout fantasies! More than that, it is
the Han family’s legacy—a place where veteran waiters
Nan and Ah-Jack have built their lives, and where the
next generation, Annie and Pat, work out their post-
pubescent awkwardness. In the midst of disaster, this
colorful cast of characters illustrate a rich and heartfelt
story about culture and how family can be defined
outside of bloodlines.
This!is not quite your typical love story. A treat for
fans of Haruki Murakami’s love stories like
Norwegian Wood,!SWT!thoughtfully renders
humanism where Murakami’s other-worldly
characters miss. In addition, read it for the vivid
Tokyo cityscape and drool-worthy Japanese
meals.
Kwon achieves the impossible by bridging
the spectrum faith and belief in this alluring
novel about three!strangers from troubled
pasts who become tangled with a religious
cult with secret ties to North Korea.!
An energetic and wholesome Young
Adult novel about a teen that
dreams of becoming a successful
body positive Korean pop star
against all odds.
What do we know about the unnamed narrator in
Weike Wang’s!Chemistry? She has roughly a year to
finishing her Ph.D. in chemistry (and fulfilling her
parents dreams), her boyfriend Eric proposed (twice),
but all she can think is how she’s not up to the task.
Hilarious, smart, penetrating, and poignant, Wang’s
narrator is brilliant albeit lacking in social skills whose
relentless and polarizing sensibilities makes her the
greatest unsung hero.
For 18 years, fluorescent lighting, beeps and
chimes, ebb and flow, and even the food of the
convenience store courses through Keiko’s
veins. The convenience store provides for her
and it’s the life she knows. But when this life
clashes with her family’s wishes for her to meet
society’s standards, she is resigned to conform.
An entertaining and refreshing critique on the
pressures of society.
Memorial!is!about a gay couple, Benson, a
day care worker!and Mike, a chef, whose
relationship has reached a place!between
comfort and complacency. This is a
reassuring debut with rhythmic prose and
an air of unresolved positivity that
percolates hope throughout the story.
The main character thinks she's an alien, but
that's not the only twist. Not even close.
This sensuous and weird little book sees our
world through iridescent, fish-eyed goggles,
and our social constructs as inscrutable
ciphers. Absorbing and other worldly.
A beautiful story about two
neighbored widows in a small, rural
town who develop a friendship in
spite of their loneliness and an
opportunity to seize happiness.
Part Japanese ghost story and a young boy’s
reconciliation and catharsis from unspeakable
brutality. 10 year old Takeru casts a pure lens to
heartless and dark places from his memories. In
this eerie and breathtaking novel, the reader’s
path teeters on the verge of peace and anguish.
How often do we get to grow along with and spend
the greater part of our lives with another person?
Would creating and nurturing something together
help us anticipate and strengthen our bonds? Can
loss and change define relationships? The
Ensemble!affords us a rare opportunity to witness
bonds that surpass time and what defines and
strengthens them through the lives of the Van Ness
String Quartet.
What I love about this enigmatic story
collection is how each ending leaves your
consciousness teetering between hope
and ambivalence without forcing your
hand. Each story is a delicate and
precious gem.
Morayo Da Silva is an elderly woman living in
San Francisco who is making the rounds to
celebrate her birthday. She falls down, and
while nothing serious happens, her
rehabilitation becomes a reflection of a
brilliant and imperfectly radiant life.
A retelling of Liberia’s past that combines
history, magic, and myth from the
perspectives of the invincible June Dey,
the stealthy Norman Aragon, and the
indestructible Gbessa.
Gifty is a young, Black scientist who studies
the brain to understand her brother Nana, a
gifted athlete lost to addiction. An intimate
story that draws on the relationship between
immigrant children and parents, mental
health, and grief. Gyasi’s writing is a wealth
that enriches my soul with every word.
P
icture books aren’t just for kids.
I’m not a minimalist by any
means, but I think less is more
when it comes to words and
expressions. These books will resonate
to anyone with a heart. In other words,
they are magical.
A grumpy old man and a boy with his
frog jacket cross paths on a rainy
day. A silly reminder to lighten up and
splash in all the puddles.
A grandson and grandfather find a
way to bond in a world with no
words. The messaging and
illustrations in this book are equally
gorgeous!
A mother and daughter’s beloved
ritual is almost ruined until they
realize that the best part of every
Saturday is being together.
My boyfriend is the space freak and I
asked him why he loves space. He
said, “because it makes you wonder.”
We both love Curiosity because it
gives this symbolic machine a soul.
This tiny book is poetry about the
colorful world around us and how
that vibrancy feeds our energy.
I
love cooking. I love the toil of
challenging recipes, the lush history
behind a beloved dish, experimenting
with new ingredients, and single use
appliances. For the most part, the
cookbooks you’ll see at our store steer
towards the accessible and delicious.
Here are a few of my favorites which are
balanced in practicality and adventure: