Welcome to Litsy!

This was a fun book! The romance was a bit insta-love, but it kind of fit with the magical realism. I felt like I could smell & taste the food. The world was vivid. I loved the relationships between the main character & her neighbors, they were at times complicated, but still supportive. At times this book reminded me of Like Water For Chocolate, which started my love of magical realism. I'll definitely be reading her other books.

"If this was love, let me disintegrate into a thousand beams of light in the night sky "

"If my regrets and wishes were fireflies, the brilliance of their dance would turn night into day."

Descriptions of cooking and food were good but otherwise writing was over simplistic. I enjoyed the magical realism and sometimes the book reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate, but a weak imitation.

This is a beautiful light hearted story . I'm glad I spent most of last year pushing myself to read in spite of the pandemic . Looking forward to reading her other novels .

It‘s like the author focused so much on her beautiful sentences (and they are beautiful) that she forgot the cardinal rule of “show, don‘t tell”—or, perhaps, “if you must tell, then tell me once, not three times over two pages.”

This book was lovely. A magical realism-infused story about a Chinese-American woman dealing with her grief over lost family members while trying to re-open the restaurant of her iconic grandmother, whom she never met. If she succeeds, she might be able to save the part of Chinatown where she grew up with her agoraphobic mother. This tale mixes in yummy recipes, just enough magic, and great relationships, with a chance at love. 5 ⭐ #thereadingrush

Natalie Tan- 😁
Such a Fun Age- 😊
The Candle and the Flame- 😁
Elantris- 😁

I finished this book today and I had such high hopes for it. In the end I struggled to get through it. I thought about quitting several times but hung in there hoping I would change my mind.

I found the characters in complete, there were too many story lines that remained undeveloped. I think this one just wasn't the book for me.

I was so excited to read this one, I was sadly let down. I felt like the plot was thrown together and the author didn‘t where she was headed with her ideas, thus her novel suffered. The romance was hyped up, but was barely there. It was the epitome of insta-love, it felt like that whole subplot was an afterthought. Natalies relationship with her mother was beautiful, the author brought realistic views to her mothers mental illnesses. Overall 2/5.

Not book related at all but I'm so excited to meet this person!!!

The romance in this novel pissed me off because the female protagonist becomes very concerned about the wants of a man she has spent a total of a couple of hours with. I enjoyed the other parts of the novel though. The magical realism was fun.

Chinese food + opera + magic = a hungry reader

Sweet palate cleanser. Foodie feel good book with recipes and a touch of the supernatural and romance. Natalie Tan returns home after estranged Mothers death where she inherits her grandmothers restaurant. There she seeks to find her purpose and place in the neighborhood Can she succeed or will she run away once again when life gets too hard. Sweet quick read that left me satisfied mentally yet starving physical with the inclusion of the recipes.

A well written book but this is the quote that really stuck with me.

I finished this book today and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. This is a nice light read, if you want something easy with a predictable ending.

⭐️⭐️ I had high hopes for this one, but hey didn‘t pan out. Lim‘a writing is beautiful and her descriptions of food and place are transformative, but they couldn‘t outweigh the problems. The story lacked direction and too many plot lines were never fully developed and the supernatural element simply didn‘t work. But this book did make me very hungry, so there is that.

This was a really sweet book about finding your roots and discovering your passion in life. Warning- you will crave Chinese food while reading this book!

Roselle Lim's novel Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is a joy that hearkens back to Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate with its gorgeous depiction of a magical realism-infused world that centers on the joys of food, with a side of music appreciation. It's perfect for this weeks Unabridged Summer Reading Challenge, which is focusing on cookbooks or books about food. (continued in comments)

Bought these today at BAM! The tagged book was my penny-a-page buy and then I had the $10 gift card for signing up for the Millionaires Club to use toward the purchase so I got these two newbies for less than $10!!! #feelinlikeaMillionaire #pennyapage

I read this between July 2 & 3, and gave it 5 ⭐️ on Good Reads. This book has magical realism, Mother-daughter relationships, found family, love and food. It‘s gorgeous, bittersweet and just what I needed when I read it.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Starting

Fell asleep before posting last night, but one book done for #24B4Monday!
I am just barely giving this a pick. Mainly due to the very lovely dive into Chinese American culture. There are definitely some glorious food porn moments as well. I didn‘t live the main character though, she was just a bit drab to me. I enjoyed all the side characters though & still recommend! #audiobook #diversereads
@TheReadingMermaid

😍📖🤗❣ #LibraryHaul #BookCoverLove #Contemporary #DiverseReads #Romance 💘

So thrilled to pick this up from my local public library❣

Just because I work in a library myself, doesn't mean I don't visit and support OTHER libraries....as IF! 😜🤓 #LibrarianLife

Hope you're all having a great start to your week!🙋🏻‍♀️

Fine premise. So very repetitive, with over-the-top flowery/fussy description. I'm glad I got to read it soon after publication so I didn't have the letdown of it hogging a hold spot for long. I won't recommend it; but I won't discourage it either, if you have your heart set on reading it.

It‘s like a book version of my favourite movie, Simply Irresistible,but with Chinese characters just like me! At times it was a tad to poetic for me, but it could be because I have no sense of romance :)

Had an amazing weekend buying books. Lots of gift cards for BookPeople that I have saved.

I really wanted to love this book but in the end it was just ok. I tired quickly of the endless similes and metaphors and didn't feel there was much depth to the story. I understand the need to make your writing flow and sound beautiful but the numerous literary devices were too much and at times I found myself rolling my eyes. As far as the romance, it fell flat. I know many will love this book but it just wasn't for me. 🌟🌟

The endless similes are annoying the shit out of me and I feel like there is no depth to this story.

This book was on the shelves yesterday! Reminiscent of the movie Simply Irresistible or Chocolat, there is food & magic. It has some serious subjects but doesn‘t delve too deep, keeping it very surface-level and I doubt you‘d be very emotionally affected by this novel. Which isn‘t a bad thing, sometimes it‘s exhausted to be left so heartbroken by books. But it left me happy & intrigued. And wanting very much to visit Chinatown in SF.

Enjoy!

🎉IT‘S NEW BOOK DAY!🎉What an amazing day! Here are some of today‘s new books! There are several more out today that I am excited about, including Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad, The Outside by Ada Hoffmann, Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us by Ruth Kassinger, Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and Honestly, We Meant Well by Grant Ginder. What are you excited to read? 📚❤️📚

Yay Book Mail! I can‘t wait to read this! Thank you again to @silentrequiem for sharing and doing a giveaway (and I adore the little pin too) #whylitsyisthebest

It‘s Day 1 of the @bookriot #Riotgrams Challenge! Today‘s prompt: shelfie! This is a section of my library upstairs. I wish I could always see all my books at the same time, but it‘s fun to visit them!
📚
I‘m spending the day in the hammock reading and watching Good Omens. What are you reading this weekend? 📚❤️📚

Congratulations @DogEaredBooks for winning the ARC of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune! Thanks for entering my #ownvoicesgiveaway.

Please email your address at dylee10 @ gmail.com

I rec'd this #arc from Penguin Random House. Pub date is June 11. Thanks PRH!

This author definitely has potential. I love how evocative she makes Chinatown in San Francisco and her additions of magic to the story are fantastic. More importantly, I know this book will appeal to a large number of people/patrons. It's a perfect light summer read with interesting characters, lovely food descriptions, and a satisfying ending. Longer review later.

Thanks @silentrequiem for the chance to win in your #ownvoicesgiveaway!

Hey! Reminder I'm hosting a giveaway for an ARC of the tagged book!
***
I've received two copies of an ARC for Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim, a magical realism story revolving around food in a dying Chinatown. So I'm hosting a #giveaway for the second copy! Post about your favorite #ownvoices book, use the #ownvoicesgiveaway hashtag and tag me. Enter by May 31. Open to all Littens worldwide.

I've received two copies of an ARC for Natalie Tan's Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim, a magical realism story revolving around food in a dying Chinatown. So I'm hosting a #giveaway for the second copy! Post about your favorite #ownvoices book, use the #ownvoicesgiveaway hashtag and tag me. Enter by May 31. Open to all Littens worldwide.

This arrived today and I finished it in a few short hours. A lovely book about food, family, and community. It's magical realism, and reminds me a lot of Like Water for Chocolate or Chocolat. I really enjoyed this. Quick, light, and satisfying.

Tomorrow is the @DeweysReadathon and I will be running their Litsy account and - spoiler - reading. Here is the stack I hope to get through. I‘ve started a couple already. Are you participating? It‘s not too late to sign up! 📚📚📚

At the news of her mother‘s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn‘t spoken since Natalie left in anger 7 years before, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked when she discovers her childhood neighborhood is fading, with business failing and families moving. She‘s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmothers restaurant.
ARC sent by @BerkleyPub
Release date 6/11/19