Seasons Change: Reflecting on reading over the year + YARC Sign-up

I haven’t had many chances to really disappear into a book lately but I hope this update is a small step to regaining that space to breathe this year.

Year of the Asian started the #YARC2019 reading challenge earlier this year, which anyone can join at any time, so I thought this might be a good time to join up too. Learn about the team (CW, Lily, Shealea & Vicky) behind the project, the guidelines and how to sign-up at the Year of the Asian.

For my sign-up, I’ll also link a Twitter thread of the books I read over 2019 for #YARC2019 here.

I’m aiming low with an adorable Philippine tarsier #YARC2019 badge below designed by CW of Year of the Asian for 1 – 10 books in 2019. (I’ve just finished Jade City for a different readalong by Lit CelebrAsian, so it’s a great overlapping start for #YARC2019 too).

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Outside of reading challenges, my general reading has been erratic with slow progress, which has more to do with life than anything else. Though I seem to able to finish books tied to upcoming events or specific goals.

To help, I’m planning to read a few books before Syd Writers Fest:

• America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo. (Filipino adult historical fiction)
• Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina. (YA Indigenous Supernatural thriller)
• Meet Me At The Intersection. (YA own voices anthology. Though I’ll probably only finish a few stories before the end of April)

Finally, a throwback before I move forward – I didn’t get a chance to really wrap-up last year, so here’s a couple of compelling books I read in 2018:

• The Devourers by Indra Das. (Adult fantasy. Very mythic and dark)*
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. (YA f/f fantasy after my heart)*
• The Swan Book by Alexis Wright. (Adult speculative fiction. Indigenous own voices. The audiobook narrator is brilliant)*
• Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. (Powerful middle-grade)
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. (Afro-futuristic sequel. Just a must-read)*

*Content warnings for SA.

I’ll try to drop by here every now and again too. What have you been reading in 2018/2019?