Hsinju’s Lit Log

blending the worlds of Literature and Engineering

  • Buy AWAKENINGS!
  • Book Reviews
    • Fiction
    • Nonfiction
    • ARC Reviews
  • Bookish
    • Wrap-Ups
    • Memes
      • #5OnMyTBR
      • Top Ten Tuesday
      • WLW Wednesday
    • Reading Challenges
      • Sapphic Saturday
      • Here & Queerathon 2020
    • Book Tags
    • Blog Tour
  • Other Things I Talk About
    • Travel
      • Map of Cities Visited
    • Theatre Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Language
    • Tech
    • Miscellaneous
  • ABOUT
    • About
    • Review Policy
    • Contact Me
  • Buy AWAKENINGS!
  • Book Reviews
    • Fiction
    • Nonfiction
    • ARC Reviews
  • Bookish
    • Wrap-Ups
    • Memes
      • #5OnMyTBR
      • Top Ten Tuesday
      • WLW Wednesday
    • Reading Challenges
      • Sapphic Saturday
      • Here & Queerathon 2020
    • Book Tags
    • Blog Tour
  • Other Things I Talk About
    • Travel
      • Map of Cities Visited
    • Theatre Reviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Language
    • Tech
    • Miscellaneous
  • ABOUT
    • About
    • Review Policy
    • Contact Me
  • Book Reviews,  Fiction

    SWIM by Eric C. Wat | Audiobook Review

    14th January 2022
    Cover of SWIM (Eric C. Wat)

    SWIM by Eric C. Wat, read by Feodor Chin

    • Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, August 1st 2019
    • Genre: Literary Fiction
    • Format: Audiobook
    • Length: 9 hrs 8 mins (272 pages)
    • My Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

    Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.


    This book blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect when I started SWIM. That it was queer and Asian sold it for me, no questions asked. And I got so much more out of it than I could ever have imagined.

    At first glance, the story felt somewhat mundane, but I happen to love fiction that shows us people’s everyday lives, no matter how unexciting, so I loved it from the start. Sometimes, I needed to remind myself that this wasn’t a memoir, because Carson Chow (周遠和; 40, gay, Hongkongese American) speaking to me in first-person made it feel like one. His family immigrated to the US from Hong Kong when he was a child, and the nuances of an immigrant family are threaded throughout the storytelling.

    Read More
    No Comments
  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Serenity by Jesse J. Thoma | ARC Review

    29th July 2020
    Cover of Serenity (Jesse J Thoma)

    Serenity by Jesse J. Thoma

    • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, August 11th 2020
    • Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
    • Format: Paperback (eARC)
    • Page Count: 266 pages
    • My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

    TW: drug abuse.

    This is an amazing book. I don’t rate books outside integers, but this one is a high-four for me.

    Read More
    No Comments
  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    Storm Lines by Jessica L. Webb | ARC Review

    30th June 2020
    Cover of Storm Lines (Jessica L. Webb)

    Storm Lines by Jessica L. Webb

    • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, 2020
    • Genre: Intrigue, Romance, LGBTQ+
    • Format: Paperback (eARC)
    • Page Count: 264 pages
    • My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

    Constable Bridget “Marley” Marlowe has trouble following rules. After visiting Aimee, the eight-year-old daughter of drug kingpin Randolph West she secretly decided to take care of, Marley ends up knifed in the wrong side of town. Dr. Devon Wolfe, a psychologist on leave due to mental burnout, finds the injured Marley in a dark alley in the rain. This unplanned encounter leads Devon into West’s drug chaos. But with Marley by her side, Devon is finally able to feel herself again, and everything is going to be okay.


    Read More
    No Comments
  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Fiction

    What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin | ARC Review

    25th June 2020
    Cover of What Unbreakable Looks Like (Kate McLaughlin)

    What Unbreakable Looks Like by Kate McLaughlin

    • Publisher: Wednesday Books, June 23rd 2020
    • Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
    • Format: eARC
    • Page Count: 336 pages
    • My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

    Lex was trafficked, and in that life, she was Poppy. When Lex’s aunt Krys came to take her home after the police’s rescue, she had the chance to live as Lex again. But soon, her new boyfriend and his friends sexually assaulted her. Would Lex decide to own her past and fight back as an activist?


    Read More
    No Comments
  • ARCs,  Book Reviews,  Nonfiction

    Every Grain of Sand by David P. Wichman | ARC Review

    4th March 2020
    Cover of Every Grain of Sand (David P. Wichman)

    Every Grain of Sand: A Memoir by David P. Wichman with Heather Ebert

    • Publisher: W. Brand Publishing, 2020
    • Genre: Biography, LGBTQ+
    • Format: Paperback (eARC)
    • Page Count: 278 pages
    • My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

    TW: This book contains contents of child abuse, child molesting, alcohol and drug addictions.

    Read More
    No Comments
Follow Hsinju's Lit Site on WordPress.com

Subscribe via Email

Join 496 other subscribers

Follow Me!

  • Goodreads
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed

NetGalley

50 Book Reviews
Reviews Published
80%

Recently Finished Books

Archives

Blogger Directories

Book Blog Directory | By The Bibliofile
Asian Bookish Creators Directory | By Shut up, Shealea

About Me

Lí-hó!! I am Hsinju (they/she), a Taiwanese book blogger, writer, and full-time grad student in engineering. Here, I mainly review books featuring authentically represented LGBTQ+ characters and/or written by LGBTQ+ authors. You’d usually find me going about life with my heart stuck in the last book I finished.

Savona Theme by Optima Themes