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For day two of the #hauntedshelf book cover scavenger hunt it‘s autumn/fall and that always says academia to me! Here‘s a campus novel I loved recently

#skeletoncrew

An autumnal rec for #hauntedshelf - if autumnal says one thing to me it‘s academia and campus novels. This satire on race in the modern American university is a very very cool and hard hitting comedy by an awesome Taiwanese-American (I believe) writer

#skeletoncrew

I really loved this satire on race in grad school and academic research. I think the balance of silly and serious was good and Ingrid was the right amount clueless, clever, relatable, sweet and frustrating. I will say I thought the plot carried on after the point where I‘d have wanted the book to end if I was an editor, but I loved the ending we got to in the end so I can‘t hold that against the book too much.

#AboutABook #Published2023

I feel like I read a different book than all the other rave reviews. I still enjoyed it, but rarely did I find it funny. Maybe it was the cluelessness of the main character? The story implies she‘s really smart, while also emphasizing she‘s people illiterate. I like how her perspective of the world slowly expanded as she (finally) matures throughout the book though. This book is a good satirical take on the current social climate in the U.S.A..

A commentary on racial relations in contemporary times, this book was humorous, entertaining, introspective and heartbreaking in turn.

At its core is the story of racial relations in a white-dominated country, where people of colour are colonised (not using earlier methods), but through the appropriation of their cultures.

Although this book focused on East Asians, I think it holds true of any BBIPOC community in a white-dominated nation.

Chou‘s work is at turns farcical and revelatory. Ingrid Yang at the behest of her advisor has spent years dutifully researching and writing her dissertation on a celebrated Chinese poet. No matter she has hated it. She stumbles on a clue that sends her on a mission to learn the truth about the poet and her own life. Thought provoking, but a little uneven…3+/5 ⭐️.

This book is incredibly accurate - watch The Chair, read this, and you will be prepared for the hellscape that is Academia - but be warned it‘s worse than depicted.
Henry is given notice that his contract will not be renewed and this leads to the twisty and long mechanizations that build the ivory tower. Who will be caught in the web? Who will be eaten? And who will be exiled?
4/5 beautiful writing and very accurate

This book is surprisingly a good portrait of academia, even though it‘s quite old. I found this passage about certain types of students to be accurate. It‘s missing the part about how often these kinds of students get mad at us when we tell them they have to actually do the work themselves

5/5 🌟

In this sequel, Selin navigates the aftermath of unrequited love with Ivan, seeking understanding and control over her life and love. Her introspective musings on aesthetic versus ethical living prompt readers to ponder existential questions. This book may not appeal to all tastes, but I totally related to it and loved the honesty, wit and humour.