I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember—truly. I don’t have a single memory of my life before books. They’ve always been there, woven into every season of my childhood and every version of who I’ve become. Continue reading
We arrived in Taipei just an hour before lunchtime, so we decided to dedicate the rest of the day to roaming around Ximending. We visited Don Don Donki, Jinart, Pop Mart, and other stores. We also had dinner at one of the local noodle and dumpling places called Xiao Xiao Hong Dumplings & Soup Dumplings (小小虹水餃小湯包). 🥟
I like being known as “the girl who reads”.
I like that when people see a book, they think of me. That when someone stumbles across a cozy bookstore or a bookish meme, they send it my way. That when they need a recommendation, they ask me.
I love when people notice my heavily tabbed books and ask, “What do all the colors mean?” I love when someone gives me a book because they know it’s the best gift I could ever receive. I love when a friend picks up something I raved about and messages me in all caps because they finally understand why I was so obsessed.
Being known as the girl who reads means being known for curiosity, for wandering into different worlds, for getting a little too attached to fictional characters. It means being the person who always has a book on hand, who will absolutely ignore reality for a good story, who disappears into books and comes back just a little changed every time.
Some people are known for their sense of humor, their aesthetic, their passions. I’m known for my love of stories. And if that makes me seem boring to some people, that’s fine. My whole personality might revolve around books and reading, but honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So I’ve finally done it. I’ve started my journey into The Realm of the Elderlings—Robin Hobb’s epic fantasy universe that everyone seems to either lovingly weep over or warn you about with a knowing nod and a tissue.
Technically, I’m already well into the journey. I read Assassin’s Apprentice back in November, and now I’m currently in Book 2 (Royal Assassin)—not yet halfway through, but already incredibly invested. Even though I didn’t start documenting from page one, the story’s been living rent-free in my head, so I figured: it’s not too late to start tracking it all.
Hence, this little blog series.
I’m calling the overall series the RoTE Chronicler’s Log, but it’ll be divided into different “series files” within The Realm of the Elderlings sequence. It’s going to be a mix of:
I wanted a place to record my reading journey through this massive series—not just to remember what happened, but to capture how I felt while it was happening. The Realm of the Elderlings is the kind of story that asks you to live with it, sit with it, ache with it… and I want to have something to look back on after the long emotional road.
Whether you’re a fellow Hobb reader, curious about the series, or just here for the screaming—welcome. Entries or logs can be accessed via Menu Bar > Books > RoTE Chronicler’s Log here on the blog, and I’ll be cross-posting over on my bookstagram and Facebook page as well.
Let the deep dives (and inevitable heartbreak) begin.
I honestly can’t remember a time when books weren’t a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories involve flipping through pages, completely absorbed in stories that felt more vivid than reality. It started with fairy tales—talking animals, lost princesses, enchanted forests—and over time, my taste shifted, but the love for reading never faded.
As a child, I didn’t quite understand the gravity of reading. It was simply a way to pass the time when I wasn’t playing or watching TV. But looking back, I can pinpoint numerous moments where books influenced me, and I realized that reading has been one of the most constant threads in my personal development. They’ve taught me patience, perspective, and how to sit with uncertainty. They’ve kept me company through different phases of life, whether I was completely overwhelmed or just needed an escape. Through books, I’ve traveled to places I’ve never been, slipped into the minds of people who see the world differently, and experienced emotions I might not have encountered otherwise.
I’ve always been drawn to stories that make me feel something—romance that tugs at my heart, thrillers that keep me on edge, horror that unsettles me just enough, and fantasy that demands full attention. Some books stick with me long after I finish them, while others are just quick distractions. Either way, every book I’ve read has added something, even if it’s just the memory of how it made me feel at the time.
And while I don’t always have the time or headspace for heavy reads, I know I’ll always come back to them. Reading isn’t just a hobby—it’s one of the few constants in my life. Even when I take a break, I always find my way back.
Title: The Last House On Needless Street
Author: Catriona Ward
Publication Date: September 16, 2021
Number of Pages: 363
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Viper
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
‘I haven’t read anything this exciting since Gone Girl’ – STEPHEN KING
‘Books like this don’t come around too often’ – JOANNE HARRIS
This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.
All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.
You think you know what’s inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you’ve read this story before. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it’s not what you think…
Continue reading
Title: My Mother’s Eyes
Author: Jeremy Ray
Publication Date: December 17, 2021
Number of Pages: 39
Format: E-book
Publisher: Ray Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
“You’re wrong, Jordie. You’ll see. Draw me just one more time.”
No one knows if his mother will come out of her coma, so fourteen-year-old Jordie memorializes her in the only way he knows how: by drawing her. His older brother doesn’t approve of these sketches, but Jordie’s determined to capture the person she used to be.
Unfortunately, Jordie must draw her from memory because his mom didn’t keep pictures, and her body in the hospital no longer looks like her. But the images of her are quickly fading, and if he doesn’t get a drawing right soon, the mother he remembers may slip away forever. No matter how close Jordie gets to completing a drawing, his mom’s most vital feature always evades him.
Will Jordie capture his mother’s eyes? Or are they and his mother gone forever?
Continue reading
Title: My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward
Author: Mark Lukach
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Number of Pages: 320
Format: Audiobook
Publisher: Harper Wave
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Mental Illness
A heart-wrenching, yet hopeful, memoir of a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.
Mark and Giulia’s life together began as a storybook romance. They fell in love at eighteen, married at twenty-four, and were living their dream life in San Francisco. When Giulia was twenty-seven, she suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break that landed her in the psych ward for nearly a month. One day she was vibrant and well-adjusted; the next she was delusional and suicidal, convinced that her loved ones were not safe.
Eventually, Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. But, soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended.
A story of the fragility of the mind, and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: How do we care for the people we love? What and who do we live for? Breathtaking in its candor, radiant with compassion, and written with dazzling lyricism, Lukach’s is an intensely personal odyssey through the harrowing years of his wife’s mental illness, anchored by an abiding devotion to family that will affirm readers’ faith in the power of love. Continue reading
Lenn of Spades ♠ 