Episodes
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I’m going back to my comfort genre - fantasy YA - with A Magic Steeped in Poison, the debut novel of Taiwanese-born author Judy I. Lin. This book combines all of the elements that I look for when I want to relax but also stay strongly invested at the same time: a delightful and fascinating world with a unique system of tea-based magic, a strong-willed Asian female protagonist, and a plot full of challenges and deadly intrigue. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2023/02/19/a-magic-steeped-in-poison-judy-i-lin/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This is part 2 of my Bridgerton review - which, in actuality, is less of a review, and more of a full-blown character deep dive and defense of Penelope Featherington, one of my all-time favorites from the show. When I found out that there was a vocal majority of fans who really did not like her, especially when I myself love her to bits, I had the most insistent urge to sit down and write a full-blown essay explaining why exactly I believe she deserves better. So, I did, and here is the result! Spoiler warning: this episode contains almost all of the spoilers around Penelope, so don't listen to this episode if you haven't already watched both seasons of Bridgerton. And if you do take a listen - I hope you enjoy my (perhaps excessively) passionate treatise on the wonderful and complex character of Penelope. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/bridgerton-in-defense-of-penelope-featherington-flawed-characters-and-women-who-put-themselves-first/
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Missing episodes?
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners, and happy belated Lunar New Year! In the spirit of the new year, I have finally returned from my year-long hiatus, and this episode is part 1 of my review of Bridgerton - the hit Netflix series that took the world by storm last year, and which I finally sat down to watch. Bridgerton is an escapist historical romance drama that is enthralling and totally swoon-worthy, and it was the perfect show to get engrossed in during my extended Lunar New Year break. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/bridgerton-the-netflix-series/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I’m reviewing The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo - an incredible novella that combines high fantasy, Asian cultures and lore, and feminism through the enthralling tale of Empress In-yo and her retribution. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/08/22/the-empress-of-salt-and-fortune-nghi-vo/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I’m back with another romance novel, but one that is pretty atypical of the genre. Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami is a calm, soothing romance that beautifully elevates the ordinary and highlights the need to savor every moment in life and in relationships, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/strange-weather-in-tokyo-hiromi-kawakami/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I’m bringing you guys my review of One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake - a modern, magical retelling of Romeo and Juliet that delivers all of the drama of the original play while adding new layers of nuance and emotions to the characters that I absolutely loved ❤️🔥 This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/08/08/one-for-my-enemy-olivie-blake/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! After last week’s mild disappointment from The Midnight Library, I am super excited to come back with The House in the Cerulean Sea - a novel by T.J. Klune that made me laugh and cry and laugh some more 💖 It is a dazzling portrayal of family in the most unexpected places and the beauty of kindness and differences, and is easily the best book I’ve read this year! This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea-t-j-klune/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! I’m playing catch up again with this episode on The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - a book that had tremendous hype at the beginning of the year, but didn’t completely meet my high expectations. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/07/25/the-midnight-library-matt-haig/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! So sorry for the 2-week hiatus - things were getting a bit chaotic but I’m back now, and I’m returning with a wonderful romance novel titled Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne, the author of the hit novel and upcoming movie adaptation, The Hating Game. Hope you enjoy my review of this sweet and uplifting romance! 💖 This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/07/18/second-first-impressions-sally-thorne/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I am ridiculously hyped to be reviewing Black Widow - Scarlett Johansson’s Marvel movie that we have all been waiting for since summer of last year! To give a quick one sentence summary of my feelings: I absolutely loved it, and am recommending it to everyone 🥰 Tune in to this episode of The Minhi Bookworm podcast for a more cohesive breakdown of my thoughts about Black Widow. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/07/11/black-widow-marvel-studios/
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This week l talk about my love for The Ones We’re Meant To Find by Joan He - an epic fantasy/sci-fi novel about two sisters looking for each other across space and time. He’s world is an exciting foray into what the Earth will look like in the future, and also piques a lot of important questions that make for an intense reading experience ❤️ Hope you enjoy this fresh take on young adult science fiction! This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/the-ones-were-meant-to-find-joan-he/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! In this week’s episode, I’m reviewing Marian Keyes’s standalone novel Grown Ups - a fun, complex yet intimate family drama with lots of shocking secrets that get exposed throughout the book. This was such an unputdown-able read, I’m really excited to share it with you guys! This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/06/27/grown-ups-marian-keyes/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I review The Starless Sea, a fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern that seemed so promising, but ended up not meeting my expectations. Tune in to see why I disliked this book so much despite my high initial interest. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/the-starless-sea-erin-morgenstern/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This is part 2 of my Invincible review, an animated show that’s a mix of comedy and serious violence. Special thing about this episode: I actually recorded with my lovely boyfriend Hung! In this episode we go into detail about Invincible - all the nitty gritty goriness and the shocking spoilers, so don’t listen to this episode if you haven’t watched the show yet. If you have, hope you enjoy the excited whirlwind that is us chatting about Invincible together! ❤️
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! In this (belated) episode I’m reviewing Invincible - an animated series about superheroes by Amazon Studios that gets very dark, very fast. My review will be split up into 2 parts: this is part 1, where I’m giving my solo review of the series, and in part 2 I’ll be discussing the show in depth with a wonderful special guest. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/06/13/invincible-amazon-studios/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! Today I share my thoughts on a riveting sci-fi fantasy novella titled This Is How You Lose A Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, which can be very loosely summarized as a tale of two star-crossed, time-crossed lovers, whose romance begins excitingly with letters. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/06/06/this-is-how-you-lose-a-time-war-amal-el-mohtar-and-max-gladstone/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This week I want to spotlight Esmé Weijun Wang (@esmewwang) and her incredible anthology titled The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays. Wang’s collection is heart-stoppingly raw and beautifully expressed, and gives clear, personal insight into her life with schizoaffective disorder. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/05/30/the-collected-schizophrenias-essays-esme-weijun-wang/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This episode is part 1 of my 2-part series on Alice in Borderland, in which my wonderful artist friend Chey, or @cheyalpaca on Instagram, and I go in-depth into every detail about the show, and basically have a tangent-filled fangirl session. Hope you guys enjoy this new conversational format, and do check out Chey’s instagram to support her amazing work (she is actually the person who singlehandedly designed my podcast logo, so if that’s not an indicator of her talents, then I don’t know what is).
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! This episode is part 1 of my 2-part series on Alice in Borderland, a thrilling and suspenseful Netflix series about a fantasy world and life-and-death games. In part 1, I’ll be giving my own personal review of the show, and in part 2, I’ll be joined by a lovely guest who is very special to me, so tune in to both! This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/05/23/alice-in-borderland-the-netflix-series/
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Hi bookworms and casual listeners! Welcome to the first episode of The Minhi Bookworm Podcast, in which I review Your Throne - an amazing, feminist webtoon with an intricate plot and incredible art, created by SAM (or @cedar_kr on Instagram). You can check out Your Throne for free in English on Line Webtoons, or in Korean on Naver. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://theminhibookworm.wordpress.com/2021/05/16/your-throne-sam/
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