How I Read 100 Books A Year (and How You Can, Too) + Book Recommendations
I’ve tried to read 100 books a year ever since I moved to Switzerland. And so far, it’s been successful. But how do I do it?
Let’s quickly go back to the beginning:
I’ve always been a big reader. I started reading a lot earlier than my peers, starting at the age of 4.
When I was a child, I pictured the world as a kind of library.
I always saw my dad reading and watched people on the subway or in cafes in New York with a book in their hand and I came up with the conspiracy that everyone in the world knew how to read except me. I was terrified that I’d start preschool being the only one that was illiterate, and pictured my future classmates laughing as they browsed the shelves I just knew the classroom would be covered with.
So, with determination in my soul, I went up to my dad with my older brother’s copy of Stuart Little and asked him to teach me how to read. He laughed and said he would.
I entered preschool in the opposite situation that I had imagined — I was the only one of my classmates that knew how to read, which you can imagine was a big disappointment. However, being different didn’t stop me.
I dived into the world of books and have never looked back.
I’ve always been a voracious reader but I never actually tracked my reading until 2016, when I rediscovered Goodreads. The Goodreads Reading Challenge set me on a path of reading more books, more often.
That’s how, for the past two years, I’ve read 100 books. This year is no different.
How do I do it?
Many people ask me how I manage to read 100 books a year and still juggle my day job, my bookish newsletter, and my avid social life. And to be honest, I think it’s completely manageable if you just fit reading into your routine.
Here are some of the things I do that help me read 100 books a year and how you can, too:
Learn to DNF
DNF means Did Not Finish. Yes, I’m telling you to not finish a book. I know, it seems controversial but I’m putting this first because from what I hear from others, I truly think that people not DNFing a book is one of the biggest reasons why they don’t read that much. If you don’t like a book, stop reading it. I know it’s easy to feel guilty about not finishing a book but let me give you a little tip: life is too short to continue reading bad books.
If you’re struggling with a book you don’t like, stop reading it. I’m serious. Reading a book that you hate can put you into a reading slump, which in turn makes you not want to read, which forces you to read less. Nothing bad is going to happen if you DNF books. Instead, you can give up on forcing yourself to read that story and find a book that you actually like. This’ll help you get closer to reading 100 books per year.
DNF the book and move on. You’ll read more and be happier. Trust me. PUT THE BAD BOOK DOWN.
Join the Goodreads Reading Challenge
Tracking your reading and setting a yearly reading goal can really help motivate you to read more. I like the Goodreads reading challenge because it tells you how many books you need to read to catch up if you fall behind and really gives you a sense of satisfaction once you’ve finished it. They also give you a list of stats about the books you’ve read so far and I always enjoy looking at that in December to see how many pages I’ve read, etc.
Don’t just set your goal to be 100 if you don’t actually think that’s manageable though. Instead, set a smaller goal and if you reach that, then go higher. In January, I usually set my reading goal to 50 books just to manage my expectations but I’ve already had to reset to 100 books a year because I’m already at 54 books. Setting a lower goal can really help you feel motivated to read as much as possible.
Make A TBR List
TBR means To Be Read. Every month, I write down all the books I want to read in a reading journal that I got from Owlcrate last year. Then, I look at that list whenever I am in need of something to read. I found having a set TBR can really help me get out of a reading slump and relieve the pressure of not knowing what to read.
Join a Book Club
Joining a book club is a great way to read at least one book a month, plus, it allows you to read a book with like-minded individuals and discuss it. It’ll also help you hold yourself accountable because no one likes the person who comes to the book club having not read or finished the book. And if you have anxiety like me, you’ll never want to be that person. There are also a lot of online book clubs that you can join, including mine! #Shamelessplug.
My friend Jess (who also reads 100 books a year) and I put out a biweekly newsletter/book club, wherein we read one book a month and send out reviews about it at the end of the month. If you read along with us, you’ll have a chance to send us your review to be featured in our letter. It’s called Bookmess! Subscribe here.
If you don’t want to join my newsletter, though, you can look up book clubs in your area, online, or even ask a few friends to come over once a month, drink some wine, and talk about books. It’s truly a win/win. If you do that monthly, you’ll have read 12 books in a year! One step closer to 100 books a year!
Listen to Audiobooks
First off, if you’re going to say that listening to an audiobook is not “ real reading,” stop right there. That’s an extremely ableist statement and listening to audiobooks is 100% a form of reading. Some people rely on audiobooks as their sole way to read, and some people just prefer to listen to a story. There’s nothing wrong with that. Frankly, there are some books out there that are BETTER as audiobooks.
And it’s still reading. Don’t @ me.
Plus, listening to an audiobook is a great way to fit in more reading into your schedule. You can listen while you workout, on a long commute, while you travel, or even while you work. I often listen to audiobooks on 1.5x speed in the office and it helps me SO MUCH with getting my reading done for the week.
I also listen while I cook dinner or when I’m cleaning or doing somewhere where my eyes need to be elsewhere. I listen to maybe 10-15 audiobooks per year (I am very picky about audiobook narrators) and it helps so much in getting me towards my goal. Also, sometimes when I’m in the middle of the book, I can check if Scribd has the audiobook so that I can listen to it while I’m doing something else if I can’t be reading my kindle.
I usually use Audible and Scribd. There will be some good audiobook recommendations down below.
Read Novellas or Short Story Anthologies
Sometimes, the best way to get you out of a reading slump is by tackling shorter books. I see so many people trying so hard to read books that are like 500+ pages, and while that’s absolutely fine, sometimes it’s good to just read something under 200 pages.
It’ll count towards your goal and you’ll still have read something that week. Short story anthologies are also great because you can read a story a day, which tricks your mind into thinking you’re reading less when actually you’re reading more. Again, I’ll pop some good novella/anthology recommendations down below.
Read on Your Commute
you can also read in the ruins of a castle as I did here
Being on the train is one of the biggest chunks of time that I spend consecutively reading. My commute to work every day is about 20-30 minutes depending on the day, and it really helps me get some serious reading done. Most people are on their phones or listening to music when they commute, so you can swap that out with a book or audiobook. If you drive to work or school, listen to an audiobook!
If You Can Binge Watch A Show, You Can Read A Book
Hi, yes, I’m calling you out. Yes, you.
I, too, spent the last two days binge-watching season 3 of Stranger Things. That’s literally like 9 hours of devouring content. Of course, you should still binge watch the show if you want to binge watch the show, but you can also put that same energy into reading. Once a week, instead of watching a show or a movie, just replace that time with reading.
Set a Daily Time Limit
and that date is with a book
While this isn’t something that I necessarily do, my bf Michael has adopted this and it’s greatly helped him read more yearly. Give yourself an attainable daily goal. Say you’re going to read for 10 or 20 minutes a day. 10 minutes is not a lot of time but you can at least get a chapter finished in that time and it’ll help you read more often.
Also, if you get lost in the story, you may find that you read more, which is never a bad thing.
Implementing these little things into your daily routine will help you read more books, more often. Before you know it, you’ll be reading 100 books a year. Or just 10 books a year.
Either way, you’ll be reading more and feeling happier about it. And that’s always a good thing.
Now, for some quick book recommendations to get you started:
Favorite Audiobooks:
Daisy Jones + The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Remember when I said some books are much better as audiobooks? THIS ONE HAS A FULL CAST. It’s amazing. Please read it.
Sleeping Giants (The Themis Files Trilogy) by Sylvan Neuval
This reads like a podcast and just like Daisy Jones, has a full cast and sound effects. It’s incredible.
Michelle Obama’s voice is calming and her words are exactly what you need in this political climate.
This story is like teenage Groundhog Day with a creepy twist and the audiobook is enchanting.
Thrilling, sad, and with a full cast and sound effects. It’s I N C R E D I B L E.
Favorite Novellas/ Anthologies:
Feminist as hell, this is the perfect short story anthology for October. My favorite stories were The Resident, The Husband Stitch, and Inventory.
Every Heart A Doorway (The Wayward Children Series)
There are five books in this series so far but they’re all about 100-150 pages each so they’re super quick and take you into a magical world that asks the question: what happens when children like Alice come back from Wonderland and what if there are other doors to other worlds that whisk children away? It’s perfect.
Written by Vivek Shraya, a trans, Muslim woman, this book is short but deeply powerful.
A thriller that goes down nice and easy.
We stan Gillian Flynn in this house and MY GOD this story is so good.
The Princess Saves Herself in This One
A poetry anthology that’s deeply personal and yet somehow resonates with every human experience. I read it in less than an hour.
A dystopian novel about a British Citizenship test, with a crazy twist.
Favorite Horror/Thriller:
Highly recommend the audiobook. Shirley Jackson is the mother of modern horror.
Somehow this book is both extremely insane and absolutely perfect all at once.
If you haven’t read Gone Girl yet, what the hell are you doing with your life? It’s perfect and one of the best books of all time. It also changed the landscape of thrillers and my god, go read it already.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
This book scared Stephen King. And it definitely scared the hell out of me.
Cabin At The End of the World by Paul Tremblay
Tremblay’s most recent book, this one is less scary and more edge-of-your seat thrilling but it’s still very good.
One of the only books since Gone Girl to legitimately catch me off guard. It’s great.
Favorite Nonfiction:
Roxane Gay’s collection of stories about feminism and being a woman is so deeply beautiful and raw. I read it three years ago and I still think about it often.
The book that makes you remember how crazy people in this world are
One woman’s search for the Golden State Killer that, unfortunately, literally killed her. One of the best books written by a brilliant woman taken from us too soon.
Favorite Books of The Last Two Years:
The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air Series)
If you like fantasy, political intrigue (think House of Cards with Faeries) and hate-to-love romance, you’ll love this series.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
A book about a fictional Cuban-American old Hollywood star (ala Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor) that is entirely not what you’d expect and deeply heartbreaking.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
This book had me laughing out loud in one chapter and literally sobbing the next. I love it so much.
Lyrical and dreamy, this is the perfect ideology to whisk you away to another world. Speaking of, the world building is incredible and every wannabe fantasy writer should take note.
A book about the end of the world but also a book about the human condition. I read it in one night and still think about it every single day.
This isn’t just a book about hockey or a hockey town, it’s a book about all of us and one I think everyone should read.
One of the best books of all time. Period. Please read it. It’ll make you cry.
Soon to be a Hulu series produced by Reese Witherspoon, this book is a gorgeous character study about the lives of small-town people, motherhood, and the ways we alienate each other. It’s perfect.
I hope this helps you get on the road to reading more! Do you have a favorite book? What is it? Tell me in the comments!
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Looking for the perfect Scotland Itinerary? Look no further!
Last May, Michael and I went to Scotland for my 25th birthday. Even though it’s almost been a year since we were there, I still can’t stop thinking about how incredible that country was. Scotland was this magical, gorgeous, wild place where we met some of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met in my life. Going on a trip to Scotland is guaranteed to be life-changing. Which is why I wanted to share my Scotland Itinerary with you, so you could experience some of the magic for yourself.
We didn’t have a chance to go to any of the Isles and we definitely missed a few must-see cities, but that just leaves room for next time. But trust me, there will be a next time.
The Perfect 10-Day Scotland Itinerary
Day .5: Arrive in Glasgow
Michael and I took KLM airlines from Zurich to Glasgow Airport. This was my first time trying out my new registered traveler status and it was amazing being able to go through the e-passport lanes!
Where to Stay: Holiday Inn – Glasgow Airport
I think the best way to start out your Scotland itinerary is by driving to the Highlands, so I’d suggest booking a room at the Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport to get a bit of a shut-eye before the long day ahead.
Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport was one of the best airport hotels I’ve ever stayed in because the people were so nice and they even gave us a free drink voucher just because it was my birthday! Book Your Stay.
Where to Eat: Hotel bar or Weatherspoon’s (because what’s a UK trip without a trip to Spoon’s?)
What to Do: Get some sleep! You’ve got a long day ahead of you!
Day One: Fort William
From the top of Ben Nevis, we were greeted with a rainbow!
After renting a car with Europcar, we were on our way! Fort William should be your first spot because it is home to a very important literary landmark, The Jacobite Steam Train aka the Hogwarts Express. It’s also nestled in the middle of the Highlands, so driving there is incredibly scenic and you can reach any of the Isles or Inverness/Loch Ness pretty easily. Remember: this is your Scotland Itinerary so you can make any changes you want to create the perfect trip!
Things to See and Do On The Road from Glasgow to Fort William:
Driving from Glasgow to Fort William is a huge part of the adventure! There’s so much to see and do that you should definitely add an extra hour or two to your driving time because I guarantee you’ll want to stop and take pictures along the way!
Here are some suggestions for your drive:
- Have breakfast or lunch at Duck Bay Marina Hotel. Gorgeous Loch Lomond views with delicious traditional Scottish brekky.
- Take the scenic route and drive through Trossachs National Park!
- Glencoe is on this route, which has many Harry Potter and Game of Thrones sites to see.
- Stop at the Green Welly Rest Stop in Glencoe, cutest rest stop I’ve ever seen.
Cheesin’ on the side of the road at Loch Lomond
What to do In Fort William:
- Ride the Nevis Range Mountain Shuttle up to Ben Nevis (UK’s highest mountain range) and hike up the mountain (this was the most magical experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone! There are trails for all levels of athleticism).
- Visit Ben Nevis Distillery after hiking for a whisky tour (The distillery closes at 5 pm).
- Glenfinnan Viaduct and watch the steam train pass by (this is the shot used for the Hogwarts Express) The times for the trains vary, but you can find a schedule here.
- Hike Steall Waterfall, a 10 min hike after the parking lot
If I can climb Ben Nevis, so can you!
Where to Eat: Garrison West Pub
Nestled in the old town of Fort William, Garrison West is not your ordinary pub. All the food is farm to table and the menu changes constantly. They have an extensive whisky list, with some rare whisky’s that you can get for cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen and delicious craft beers on tap. I’d suggest trying the Haggis here, paired with a Ben Nevis whisky. Incredible.
Where to Stay: The Garrison Hotel or The Imperial Hotel
We stayed in the Imperial because it was literally 50 quid for the night but I’ve heard incredible things about The Garrison. Book Your Stay.
Day Two: Jacobite Steam Train aka The Hogwarts Express (Fort William Continued)
Jacobite Steam Train
I’m planning on writing a whole post about riding The Hogwarts Express (it’s on my bucket list), but if you’re a Harry Potter fan this is a MUST. If you’re not a big HP fan, you can choose to take advantage of the hiking that Fort William has to offer or just move straight to our next stop, Loch Ness.
The Jacobite Steam Train drops you off in Mallaig, a small fishing town, for about two hours before you board the train and head back to Fort William.
Book your tickets for the steam train way in advance, they sell out quick! We bought ours literally 6 months beforehand and they were already almost sold out. Book your tickets here.
What To Do For Two Hours in Mallaig:
- Visit all the Harry Potter shops
- Have to-die-for fish and chips at the Steam Inn or Cornerstone. They get pretty crowded so maybe make a reservation ahead of time.
We ended up driving straight from the train in Fort William to Loch Ness but you can choose to stay another night in Fort William or any of the surrounding areas! Or, you can get off at Mallaig and take a ship to the Isle of Skye. Up to you!
Day Three: Loch Ness
Even if you don’t believe in Nessie, Loch Ness is one of the most gorgeous towns I’ve ever had the privilege of being in. It was literally breathtaking.
Things to Do:
- Go on a Boat Tour (We Took the Monster Hunting Tour with Jacobite and it was AMAZING!)
- Visit the Nessie Museum
- Watch the sun go down over Urquhart Castle
- Hike through the South Loch Ness Trail
We caught Nessie
Where to Stay: Loch Ness Inn
This was an adorable little B&B right on the Loch (so you can search for Nessie outside your window). They have beers on tap in their second bar that is brewed in house.
We accidentally showed up on 60s night, where they had a Rod Stewart impersonator named Bob Wyper who sang 60s show tunes all night. We were the youngest people in the restaurant and it was…hilarious. Book Your Stay.
Where to Eat: The Boathouse Loch Side
Day Four: Inverness
I’m amending this itinerary because we didn’t stay the night in Inverness but I wish we had. There’s so much to see, eat, drink, and do so I would highly suggest sticking around and staying a night here. We’re definitely going back so, this list is also for me (lol). It’s for my next Scotland Itinerary, right?
Things to Do:
- Drive to Cawdor Castle – the Castle where the fictional Macbeth became Thane. It’s gorgeous
- Go to the Victorian Market for some delicious eats and whisky tastings
- Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
- Inverness Castle Tour
- Inverness Botanic Gardens
- Tomatin Distillery Tour
Where to Stay: Caledonian Hotel (recommended to me by a friend)
Where to Eat: There are so many places to eat in Inverness so just going to list a few places that look good:
- Dores Inn (Culture Trip advises booking ahead)
- The Mustard Seed
- The Kitchen Brasserie
- Cafe 1
Days Five and Six: Glasgow
Glasgow’s motto is “People Make Glasgow” and it’s so true. Out of all the places that we stayed while in Scotland, everyone we met in Glasgow was the kindest and most interested in some banter. The original Scotland Itinerary that I wrote had us staying for three days in Glasgow but honestly, I think two days is enough to get a taste of everything the city has to offer. It’s a workers city, so it’s a bit spread out and not as breathtaking as the other places on this list. However, Glasgow had the best people and the best food. We mostly just sat in bars and ate in Glasgow and I’m not sorry about it.
Things to Do:
- Kelvingrove Museum (free entry! A really cool museum)
- University of Glasgow (basically Hogwarts)
- Gin Distillery Tour
- Duke of Wellington Statue
- Riverside Museum
- Hynland Bookshop
- A Play, A Pint, and A Pie
Where to Eat (And Drink)- I’m writing a separate post about all the places to eat in Glasgow because there are SO MANY but here are some of my faves:
- Crafty Pig
- Porter & Rye
- Ben Nevis Bar (Dogs are allowed here!!!)
- Drygate Brewery
Day Seven: Stay In A Castle Outside Edinburgh
I’ve always wanted to stay in a (preferably haunted) castle in Scotland. So, I decided to treat myself and book us a stay for me to spend my birthday night in Melville Castle. If this isn’t in your budget or doesn’t seem like your thing, just go straight to Edinburgh and stay there! As I said, make your Scotland Itinerary yours! However, staying in a castle in Scotland was literal magic so I would recommend it to anyone.
Where to Stay: Melville Castle
I’m writing an entire post about this but here’s a quick history: Melville Castle is located just 40 minutes outside of Edinburgh and has been a staple in Scottish history since 1155. Mary Queen of Scots was a frequent visitor here and when her lover, David Rizzio, was murdered, she planted two majestic Spanish Chestnut trees on the grounds in his memory. The trees still survive and the hotel managers told me that Mary still haunts the halls today, among other guests who never left. Best. Hotel. Stay. Ever. Book Your Stay.
Things to Do:
- I mean, you’re in a castle so lounging, reading, and exploring are all you should be doing during your stay.
- The Library Bar is open 24 hours a day (yes, you heard that right) and has beers on tap, cocktails, and whisky. You can borrow some books from the shelves or play some board games. We celebrated my 25th birthday at midnight at the bar, drinking whisky with the lovely staff and looking for ghosts. It was perfect.
Where to Eat: Melville Castle Brasserie Restaurant
The Castle restaurant’s chef prides himself on making everything from scratch daily. And it shows. Located in the dungeons of the castle, you’ll find some of the best food and banter. They’ll seriously treat you like royalty!
Day Eight: Edinburgh – Harry Potter Edition
If you didn’t know by now, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and Edinburgh is the birthplace of Harry Potter. I’ll be listing all the Harry Potter stuff to do here and in another blog post, but the next two days afterward will list normal things to do if HP isn’t your thing.
Things to Do (Harry Potter):
- Breakfast at The Elephant House – the cafe where JK Rowling wrote parts of Sorcerer’s Stone on napkins. They don’t take reservations but if you get there early enough, you shouldn’t have to wait.
- Have a coffee at Spoons, the cafe where JK Rowling also wrote HP.
- Walk down Victoria Street (the inspiration for Diagon Alley)
- Go to Diagon House — Diagon Alley themed shop
- See Tom Riddle’s Grave at Greyfrair’s Kirkyard (Check out this handy Harry Potter Graveyard Map that’ll help you find all the relevant tombstones)
- Peek over the fence at George Heriot’s School (the inspiration for Hogwarts)
- Have High Tea (with champagne) at Balmoral Hotel— the hotel where JK Rowling stayed to write and finish Deathly Hallows. She often had tea at Palm Court, where they serve a delicious high tea.
Where to Eat: The Albanach
For amazing Haggis and burgers. Don’t knock haggis till you try it.
Where to Stay: Bruntsfield Hotel
An adorable and very comfy Best Western hotel that’s just a bus ride away from everything good! Book Your Stay.
Days Nine-Ten: Edinburgh
Things to Do:
- Scotch Whisky Experience – even if you don’t like whisky, this is a must. You may even be converted. I’d recommend the Platinum Tour because you get the best bang for your buck. Book tickets here.
- Edinburgh Writer’s Museum
- The Royal Palace
- Edinburgh City Chambers (cast of JK Rowling’s hands)
- Browse the many Edinburgh bookshops
- Optical Illusion Museum
- Mary King’s Close tour
- Gin Distillery Tour
- Museum of Scotland
- White Hart Inn (most haunted pub in Edinburgh)
- Maison de Moggy (a cat cafe!! Tickets have to be booked in advance).
We took the Hidden and Haunted Tour with Mercatt Tours, which Michael thought was silly but it brings you down into the catacombs underneath Edinburgh and I thought it was spooky AF. Book it here with Tiquets.
Where to Eat (and Drink):
- Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food (AMAZING)
- Frizzante Proseccheria
- The Witchery
- Viva-Mexico
- The Devil’s Advocate.
- The Voodoo Rooms
- Heads and Tails
- Cool quirky vintage bar
- Panda and Sons
- The Edinburgh Gin Distillery
Day 11: Fly Home and Be Prepared to Miss Scotland Everyday Afterwards
And there you have it, 10 wonderful days in Scotland with a full Scotland Itinerary!
I hope this Scotland Itinerary can help you plan the trip of your dreams. Please let me know if you go to any of the places I’ve recommended or tag me on Instagram @femalehemingway! I want to hear your thoughts.
Have you ever been to Scotland? If so, where are your favorite places to go? Let me know in the comments!
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My Favorite Books of 2025
2025 was the year I spent editing and re-editing my novel, figuring out how to write a query letter, and almost losing my entire mind in the process. I also started a new job, celebrated one of my best friends’ weddings, and did a fair amount of traveling. And I tried desperately to stay sane during this political climate where every news cycle feels worse than the next, where everything is horrifying, and where I’m completely unsure if we’ve entered into a nightmare we can’t escape from.
All the while, I read books! Lots of them! And most of them were really good.
So let’s talk about those, shall we?
My Top 12 Favorites of 2025
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
This was the first book I read in 2025, and damn, what a banger. I’m a sucker for a sentient AI bot story, and this is that and more.
Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend, and she is. She’s pliable, a good cook, wears cute outfits to bed, and does everything her boyfriend Doug asks of her. Doug loves how much of a “real woman” Annie is, but when Annie starts to learn more about her own agency and what it’s actually like to be a woman, the less perfect she becomes to Doug.
This is a story about finding your voice in a world that doesn’t want you to have one — a story that feels especially timely in today’s climate. It was fun and gripping, and I read it in one sitting.
Also, no spoilers, but fuck Doug.
My Brilliant Friend (The Entire Neopolitan Novels Quartet) by Elena Ferrante
Me for like 3 months this year
Is it dramatic to say this series changed me? I honestly don’t feel like I’m the same person I was before I read this quartet. For the first half of this year, I was consumed by these novels and the story of two Italian girls growing up in 1950s Naples.
My review of the first book was that I was unsure if I would continue in the series, which is hilarious, because for about a week, I could not stop thinking about it and immediately ran to get the rest of the books.
I have never read a story that so perfectly encapsulates the complexities of female friendship. While Elena and Lila were incredibly frustrating, often making me huff in exasperation at their stubbornness, I wanted to live in their lives for as long as I could.
If you’re wondering whether to pick up this series, take this as a sign. Read it! There’s also an excellent HBO miniseries in which each season follows one book; it’s fantastic and left me in tears.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Susan Collins
If you’ve known me since I was 16 or 17, you’ll know the vast lore of my obsession with The Hunger Games. Working at Borders Books (RIP) and reading the last book in the trilogy under embargo before anyone else was me at my most powerful.
I have so much respect for Susan Collins, who keeps writing banger book after banger book before receding out of the spotlight until she’s ready to hurt you again. It’s so refreshing that at least one of my childhood heroes hasn’t disappointed me (Looking at you, JOANNE).
Me every time I pick up a Hunger Games book
Anyway, Sunrise on the Reaping gives us the truth behind Haymitch’s games, and it’s safe to say I was in a puddle of my own tears by the end.
Oh, Haymitch, the world never deserved you.
Sky Daddy by Kate Folk
Okay…hear me out. I know this is a book about a woman who wants to…have sexual relations with a plane and who thinks that if she dies in a plane crash, that means the plane has chosen her as its soulmate. BUT IT’S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT, OKAY? (kind of)
This was my most anticipated book of the year, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s not some weird smutty book that’s poorly written and full of bad puns. It’s genuinely endearing and had me laughing out loud. It’s a bit like Eleanor Olliphant is Completely Fine just…weirder.
A totally normal and sane thing to want
This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it absolutely was mine. Just maybe don’t read it before you’re about to board a plane, like I did.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong is one of the best writers of our generation, and The Emperor of Gladness is probably my favorite book of the year.
This is a quiet story about ordinary people living ordinary lives in an ordinary town, and found family, and what it means to want to live. The writing is so beautiful it’ll make you ache, and Vuong is such a genius at turning those small, ordinary moments in life into massive, emotional scenes.
A remarkable novel. Please read it.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
I love Charles Dickens and modern Dickensian retellings. Based on Dickens’ semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield (NOT the magician), Demon Copperhead follows a boy growing up in the Appalachian mountains, in poverty and amid the opioid crisis.
Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield as a direct critique and as a survivor of institutional poverty and the damage it does to society, which, unfortunately, is not a problem that’s been solved in our time. It’s the same crisis in a different font.
This book took my breath away.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harrison
What would you do if, after your perfect life as an actress falls apart, you book an impromptu trip to your college town in Ireland, only to find you’ve slipped into an entirely different life, where everyone in the city knows you, the hot bartender is giving you the cold sholder for some reason, and your best friend, who died ten years ago, is still alive?
That’s the premise of The Other Side of Now, and man, it was so good.
I. Love. Time. Loops.
If you give me a book that plays with time, I’m very likely to rate it 5 stars. No different here. This was such a cozy, lovely little read.
Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
This may be (in my opinion) Stephen Graham Jones’ magnum opus. Set in 1912 Montana, the novel follows a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab, who has been turned into a vampire and seeks revenge for the pain inflicted on his family and people.
I love a good revenge story, and I also love a story that teaches you something. I knew nothing about the Blackfeet massacre (thanks for NOTHING, US education system) and was horrified to learn about it through the eyes of Good Stab. It’s a chilling novel that also made me cry.
Also, the novel uses many indigenous words throughout, which was amazing. For those curious about what each word means, I found a great online lexicon that will make your reading experience even richer.
This was just an A+ reading experience. I’ll be thinking about it for a long, long time.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle
I love Love Island. I also love weird, freaky little books. This book combines the two and becomes a weird, freaky book about a reality TV show that’s only a few steps removed from reality.
20-something Lily wakes up on a remote desert compound alongside nineteen other contestants, where she must compete for luxury prizes (like a fancy hairbrush and designer clothes) and compound necessities (like food, water, and a front door).
The world outside is falling apart, but in this compound, where survival and being pretty are all that matter, why would you ever leave?
I ate this book UP. I read it in one sitting and was chilled by how closely it mirrored the actual Love Island. Like, sure, the real Love Island contestants don’t have to fight for survival, but they do have to fight for fame, and that feels almost dystopian, too.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
What would you do if a demon already occupied the house you inherited? A demon your mom always said existed, but no one believed her, including you?
When Clio’s estranged mother dies, Clio must face the demons of her past and an actual, living, breathing demon, as well as her memory and the lies that stripped her mother of custody when she was a child.
This book is one of the most surprising on this list because I read it expecting a cute, three-star read to get me through the Halloween season, and it became one of my favorite books of the year.
It’s about complicated mother-daughter relationships, memory, and is actually, genuinely very scary. Like, there’s one scene in this book that made me turn on the lights and double-check there was nothing in the house.
Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
I support women’s rights and wrongs. And Julie Chan commits many, MANY wrongs in this book.
Me reading this
When her twin sister, Chloe, a famous influencer, dies in front of her, Julie, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, decides to assume her identity, take her place, and pretend to be her. They are twins, after all. Julie takes on Chloe’s fabulous life but soon finds out that the shiny, perfect life she portrays online is far from the truth. And I don’t want to spoil anything, but after that, shit gets really, really weird.
This was a dark, ridiculous read. I loved it SO MUCH.
Woodworking by Emily St. James
Unfortunately, a lot of popular books about trans people tend to be incredibly depressing and full of violence. So color me surprised when this book was uplifting and laugh-out-loud funny.
Following 35-year-old Erica, who is a closeted trans woman and teacher at her local high school in rural South Dakota, and her student, 17-year-old Abigail, known as “The Only Trans Girl” in town, this story is about found family, and the fact that sometimes, there’s nothing more radical than letting the world see you for who you really are.
Loved it. Wanted to hug it to my chest, it was truly lovely.
Honorable Mentions:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This is the 7th year in a row I’ve read this book. It’s my favorite book. Sue me.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
I honestly don’t remember much about this book other than that it’s a modern Little Women retelling, that it was beautifully written, and that it made me cry on the Elizabeth line in London. Perfect, five stars.
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
The reason this book isn’t on my absolute favorites list is that it was often ridiculous. And not in a weird, silly way, but in a “oh, come on, you cannot be SERIOUS?!” way. It felt like the author was spinning a wheel, picking random tragedies to befall the main characters throughout their lives. He may have played too much of The Sims before finishing the book, idk.
The author probably
But it had me hooked, and I read it in two days, so it deserves a place in my honorable mentions anyway.
The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas
This was my first Isabel Cañas novel, and it absolutely won’t be my last. It’s a book about possession (both by demons and men) and bodily autonomy and romance; it was impeccable. The only reason it didn’t get five stars was because it dragged a bit in the middle but I cannot wait to read more from this author.
Also hi, that cover:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book had me ugly sobbing in bed for about 20 minutes. It’s got space travel! Lesbian relationships! Friendship! Tragedy! TJR never disappoints.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
A book about robots in a dystopian society running a noodle shop? And it’s less than 250 pages? Sign me the F up!!!
Finding out the noodle shop was based on my favorite noodle place in NYC, Xi’an Famous Foods, made this an even richer reading experience.
I was inspired to make this after reading
Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
When I was little, my brother and I religiously watched Indiana Jones over and over again. This book scratched that itch because it’s about a Victorian woman who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the fact that it’s a man’s world and who goes on an adventure to find a lost civilization. It also does a great job discussing the negative impacts of archeology and colonization, and there’s also a really hot male sidekick, too.
I just wanted more hijinks, but I will definitely be continuing in the series.
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Today, I woke up and looked in the mirror, and I didn’t hate what I saw. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me, it’s revolutionary.
I’ve been trained my entire life to hate myself. Words from well-meaning family members to bullies have conditioned me into thinking I’m not good enough. Childhood bullies called me everything from Shrek to The Jolly Green Giant to even worse names that are too unkind for the internet. My mom once sent me a pair of jeans three sizes too small as “inspiration.” A family member once told me that a fit man could never love me unless I were also fit (this is extremely untrue, by the way, as evidenced by my very fit husband), and another person once told me I would never get a job unless I were thin (also very untrue).
Five years ago, when I was officially diagnosed with Body Dysmorphia, I breathed a sigh of relief. It meant that my self-hatred didn’t hold the permanence I’d given it for 27 years. It meant it was something I could change, something I could heal.
And so, for the past five years, I’ve been working diligently to do everything I can to learn what it’s like to love yourself. I’ve got not one but two therapists who have helped me work through the intricacies of my trauma and reshape the way I look at my mental health. I have also made significant strides in my physical health. I finally found a doctor who believed me, who told me about the various deficiencies I knew I had but couldn’t get anyone to check for. I’ve fixed my hair loss caused by said deficiencies.
As of the day of posting this, I’ve lost 70 pounds (or 32 kilos, depending on where you’re from).
Weight loss has always been a difficult thing for me – I’ve always tackled it in an unhealthy way. When I first lost weight at 17, I did an insane diet. It wasn’t remotely sustainable, and I used my self-hatred as a tool to propel it. I hated myself so much that I tricked myself into thinking that I didn’t deserve to enjoy food.
Now, I’ve noticed how people become kinder to me with every pound I lose. As much as I can fix my own self-hatred, I can’t fix the systemic issue of the way people treat people when they’re thin versus when they’re not. However, I can fix the way I take it.
The number on the scale does not define my worth.
I no longer restrict what I eat but try to make healthier choices. This journey is not about weight loss; it’s about running faster, climbing higher, and being happier. A compliment about my weight loss no longer makes my entire day. Yes, I say, I have lost weight. I’ve also become stronger. I’m also happier. And that’s what I’m most proud of.
In the society we live in, it often feels like being fat is everyone’s biggest fear. I can’t tell you how frequently I hear people talk about calories like they’re the devil, openly telling me how they’re going to starve themselves because they had a cookie someone baked. They act like enjoying food, loving sweets, and gaining a pound is the most significant moral failing.
I’m here to tell you, it’s not.
My therapist had me do an exercise where she asked me to talk about different parts of my body and how I felt about them. The first time around, I mentioned that I didn’t like my legs or stomach. She looked puzzled and said, “Do your legs not let you travel, swim, and hike?” and “Does your stomach not nourish you and allow you to enjoy the foods you love?” I was dumbstruck. I’ve spent almost my entire life thinking of my body in terms of form over function. I’ve been punishing myself, hating my legs, my stomach, and my arms while never thinking about how much they do for me.
At my highest weight, I swam in the Aegean Sea with my friends, drank champagne under the stars in Porto, and hiked the faerie pools in Edinburgh.
I have lived a beautiful life, regardless of what the number on a scale indicates. My legs, arms, and stomach have always been there for me, pushing me to do the things I want to do, and I’ve spent years unappreciative of them, not giving them the recognition they deserve.
And yes, sure, I have less pressure on my knees now, which means I can hike for longer and do pilates without feeling like I’m going to die. I feel lighter and my clothes fit better, which is great, but my focus has shifted. It’s more important to spend time celebrating the non-scale victories instead and doing my best to appreciate getting stronger, swimming faster, and improving my tennis serve.
I am so proud of who I’ve become. The only thing I’m sad about is that it took me until my thirties to learn how to love myself. I wish I could go back in time and hug the little girl I used to be, the one who would cry in her room because she didn’t think she was good enough, and tell her: You are beautiful. You’re worthy. You are kind. You are, you are, you are.
And the most important thing I’ve learned?
Body Dysmorphia is not something that will go away. There are days when I’ll wake up and won’t like myself as much. There are days when I’ll see a picture of myself and think, my god, I look terrible. Self-criticism is, unfortunately, a part of being human, but the difference now is that I have the tools to fight against it. I can let the bad thoughts slide off my shoulders like water droplets. And on the days when I can’t do that, I can recognize that it’s just a bad day. We all have them. It doesn’t reset my progress.
I love myself, regardless of the bad days I have. I love myself, despite living in a world that is less than kind.
I love myself because I can, because life is too damn short not to.
If that’s not a success story? Then I don’t know what is.
Guide to Making Reservations at the Pokémon Café in Japan
When we were in Japan, Michael and I got reservations at the Pokémon Café in Tokyo, which was a true feat considering that getting reservations there was on par with getting into Berghain. It was challenging, but I’m here to give you my tips and tricks for getting the coveted reservation, navigating the website, and letting you know if all the hassle is worth it.
Is the Pokémon Café really worth it?
For us, it was.
Michael and I are lifetime Pokémon fans. When I was a little girl, my older brother, Ian, and I used to act out episodes of Pokémon. He’d be Ash, I’d be Eevee, and we’d run around the house battling imaginary Pokémon until the sun went down. On the weekends, we’d rush to the store for Pokémon cards and play the games on my brother’s Game Boy.
Pokémon are engrained in Michael and I’s history, so we knew that visiting the Pokémon Center and eating at the Pokémon Café were non-negotiable.
Look at this little face!
There was a moment when we were sitting at our table, and Chef Pikachu came out to say hello, and I started tearing up. It could have been the jet lag or the fact that I still had no idea what time zone I was in, but I felt so unbelievably happy to be there. My inner child was bursting with joy.
It was worth it for that feeling alone.
However, if you’re not a big Pokémon fan, there are plenty of other places in Tokyo or Osaka where you could go instead.
How is the food?
While Japan has exceptionally high standards for food (we genuinely didn’t have a bad meal our entire trip), character cafes tend to get away with serving food a bit lower in quality than every other restaurant because they know you’re not there for the food — not really, anyway.
The food at the Pokémon Café was more for the aesthetics than anything else. Everything you eat there is cute, almost too pretty to eat. I’d done my research and read that the savory options were subpar. A YouTuber I watched recommended only getting the sweet things off the menu for a better dining experience, so that’s what we did. And that’s what I’d recommend you do, too.
We ordered the Pikachu pancakes, a character latte, and a black coffee with a Pikachu tail cookie on the side, and an Eevee milk tea.
Was it the best food I’ve ever had? No, it wasn’t even the best food I had that day. But it wasn’t terrible, either. It was just fine.
All that to say, you’re not going to the Pokémon Café to have a great culinary experience. You’re going for the vibes, the ambiance, the experience.
And I can testify: the vibe, the ambiance, and the experience were a 10/10 for us.
How are the prices?
Compared to most other cafes in Japan? Expensive.
Compared to how much the food at a place like this would cost anywhere else in the world? Cheap. If there were a Pokémon Café in Zurich, I’m sure you’d need to sacrifice your firstborn to finance it.
For everything we ordered (plus some souvenirs we purchased), we paid around 6000 yen, which is 34 CHF (42 USD).
You can go down the street and get cheaper, better-tasting pancakes or ramen, but it won’t be shaped like a Pokémon, so…
What you need to know about making reservations at the Pokémon Café
Reservations for the Pokémon Café in Tokyo and Osaka open exactly 31 days in advance at 6:00 PM Tokyo Time. For us, that was 11:00 AM CET, but be sure to convert the time to your own time zone. You can make the reservation here.
Step 1: Prepare Ahead
Before reservation day, mark emails from @mail-pokemon-cafe.jp as “not spam.” The confirmation emails are in Japanese and can easily be mistaken for spam. If you miss this email, you may also miss your reservation.
Step 2: Be Ready With Backup!
Reservations sell out incredibly fast, often in less than a minute. The site also tends to crash under high traffic, so be prepared for a bit of stress. We had a whole team trying: myself, Michael, my friend Shervin, and her husband Dali. Despite all four of us trying simultaneously, we didn’t get a reservation right when they ope due to how quickly everything sold out and the technical issues (the site kept crashing constantly).
Step 3: Use the 20-Minute Window Trick
Here’s the key tip: Keep refreshing for the next 20 minutes. When someone gets a reservation, they have 20 minutes to confirm it by clicking a link in the email. If they don’t, their spot is released back into the system.
Most people don’t realize this, mainly because the confirmation email:
- Looks like spam
- Is in Japanese only
- Requires you to click a link to lock in your spot
We got lucky at 11:20 AM CET when a slot reappeared. I grabbed it as soon as it popped up and, most importantly, went straight to the email and clicked the confirmation link. That’s what secured our booking. We ran around the house, hugging and squealing like we’d won an award.
Step 4: If It Doesn’t Work, Try Again
Still no luck after 20 minutes? Try again at 40 minutes past the hour. People continue to miss or ignore the confirmation emails, and some slots will likely reopen. But be aware: the reservation window officially closes after one hour.
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All in all, our visit to the Pokémon Café was a magical experience. If you or your kids love Pokémon, I’d highly recommend going.
I wish you all the luck in the world getting reservations!
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Everything You Need to Know About Traveling to Japan Plus My Japan Travel Tips
Michael and I went to Japan for three weeks in 2024; it was the best trip of our lives. I fell in love with everything Japan had to offer, from the food to the people to the temples to the quirky cuteness. And I became addicted to gashapon (aka capsule toys). It instantly became one of my favorite countries in the world.
Are you thinking about traveling to Japan? You should! But I wouldn’t recommend just showing up without researching first; it’s not one of those destinations. I spent a year diligently planning our trip and gained a lot of knowledge about traveling in Japan. Michael said it was the best planning I’ve ever done, and thanks to that ego boost, I now consider myself a bit of an expert. So, I thought I’d combine all my knowledge and create this handy Japan travel guide.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
What to do before traveling to Japan
- Research which destinations you’d like to visit in Japan and book your flights and hotels. Below are some hotel recommendations and a sample itinerary.
- Decide which airport you’ll fly to: You’ll most likely be flying into Tokyo first, so your options are Haneda or Narita Airport. We flew into Narita, but I’d recommend flying into Haneda because Narita is about an hour and a half away from Tokyo on the Narita Express and even longer with local transit. Another option is flying into Osaka, but they have fewer international options, especially in Europe.
- Make an account on Visit Japan Web: This will help you skip long immigration and customs lines in Japan. You fill out your information, put in your passport information, and declare any goods, and it generates a QR code for you that you can then show to an immigration officer when you land. Narita Airport has designated lines for QR codes, which got us through customs and immigration in less than 30 minutes! I’d recommend doing this the day before you leave. Don’t forget to screenshot your QR code!
- Get an E-SIM: There’s no need to bother with pesky portable Wi-Fis or physical SIM cards these days! We used the Unlimited E-SIM from Ubigi. I chose Ubigi because it runs on the Japanese network, and we had 5G almost the entire time in Japan, even in rural areas. Use code WELCOME10 to get 10% off your order. (I’m not sponsored; I just found this discount code and wanted to pass it along.)
- Decide if you’ll need a JR pass: If you plan to go outside Tokyo or Osaka, you’ll need to get on the bullet train or Shinkansen. In the past, many tourists used the JR pass, an unlimited travel card on JR lines. With the recent price hike in 2024, the JR pass no longer makes sense for most Japanese travel itineraries, including ours. Use the JR Pass calculator to see if it makes sense financially. If it does make sense, book your tickets on the official JR pass website here. Note that if you do get a JR pass, you’ll have to pick it up when you arrive in Japan, and lines can get pretty long! Make sure to factor that into your itinerary on your first day.
- Download a SUICA card on your phone: If you have an iPhone, download your SUICA card directly onto your Apple wallet. SUICA is a travel card that you can use for all public transport in Japan. You can also use it at vending machines, convenience stores, and some restaurants! That way, you’re not fussing with buying tickets whenever you want to get on the metro or the bus, and you can tap and go! This was such a timesaver. I loaded about 20,000 Yen ($130) on the card before we went, which was more than enough. I still have some yen left over!
- Book your Shinkansen tickets one month in advance on Smart-Ex: If you decide not to get the JR Pass, book your Shinkansen tickets using Smart-Ex. Many travel bloggers tell you to use Klook for this but to be honest; I found Klook a bit annoying. Instead, I booked our bullet train tickets on Smart-Ex, the official Japanese Shinkansen platform. You can find a handy guide on how to use it here. Also, you can link your Smart-Ex tickets to your Suica card, so you can tap in and ride the Shinkansen! Click here for my step-by-step guide.
- If you have a food allergy, get an allergy card: I have a shellfish allergy and got this handy allergy card from Equal Eats. We printed and lamented 2-3 of them and brought them everywhere. Everyone we showed it to was diligent and ensured no cross-contamination. I only had two minor allergy attacks during our trip, which was a win in a land of shellfish! (It should also be noted that I didn’t show the card for one of those attacks, so it was my fault, lol).
- Learn a few useful Japanese phrases: English is much more common now in Japan with the tourist boom, but it’s still recommended and polite to learn a few key Japanese phrases and words to get you through. The locals are incredibly kind and appreciate you trying. We even had people telling us “Good Japanese” when we spoke, which I know was a lie, but it still made us feel good! Here’s a handy guide on basic phrases you should know.
- Respect local customs: Many videos on TikTok nowadays (Things you should NEVER do in Japan, etc.) are dramatic. The locals in Japan understand that you’re a tourist, so if you do something they wouldn’t necessarily do, they’re not going to fault you for it. That being said, you are still a guest in the country, and it’s good to read up on what’s polite and what isn’t. Here are, in my opinion, the most important to know:
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- Be quiet and respectful on public transit. It’s impolite to talk loudly or blare music. It’s not like you can’t speak, but keep your voice down if you need to chat. You’ll notice how quiet the subway is, even during rush hour, so try to mimic the sound level around you.
- Don’t eat or drink on public transit: Eating and drinking while riding public transport is rude. However, these rules don’t apply to Shinkansen, so remember to get snacks or a bento box before you ride! Also, if you take a sip of water or eat a protein bar, no one will be weird about it, but keep it to a minimum.
- Bow when saying thank you to service personnel: It’s polite to bow slightly when you say thank you, especially to cashiers, servers, etc. You’ll see everyone doing it, so you can mimic what they do. It honestly becomes second nature after a day or two. I struggled more to break the habit when I returned to Switzerland! I was bowing to everyone for a few days when I got back.
- Figure out which side to stand on escalators or walk on stairs: In Tokyo and Kyoto, everyone stands/walks on the right. In Osaka, everyone stands/walks on the left. This one can be confusing, but it’s about looking at your surroundings and following what the locals are doing.
- Don’t Litter: There are fewer trash cans on the streets in Japan than you may be used to. So, if you have trash, keep it with you until you find a trash can. Tip: Most vending machines and train stations have trash cans you can use!
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Useful Apps to Download
- Google Translate
- Suica Card (or the Welcome Suica App)
- Klook
- Japan Travel App
My Top Tips & Learnings
- Don’t only go to viral spots: There is an influx of videos online that tell you all the places you HAVE to go when you visit Japan. And while some of these places are worth it, don’t spend your entire trip going to viral, popular places. The beauty of Japan is the vast amount of things there are to do there, and some of the best moments of our Japan trip were spontaneous. Also, some of the best restaurants we went to in Japan were the ones we just stumbled into.
- To Queue or Not to Queue: Some of the most popular restaurants in Japan don’t take reservations and require you to stand in line. Sometimes, this is entirely worth it, and other times, it’s not. Japan has some of the best food in the world and very high standards for restaurants, so if you’re hungry and the restaurant you planned to go to has a 2-hour line, you’ll likely find something equally as delicious (and less crowded) just a few steps away. It’s good to decide in advance which restaurants are a must and which ones can be skipped if the line is too long. That being said, Japan is efficient, and many of these restaurants take your order while you wait in line, so by the time you’re in, your food is already waiting for you!
- Show up at off-peak hours: The best way to experience a popular sightseeing location or restaurant without all the crowds is to show up at off-peak hours. Waking up early is worth it. Trust me.
- Don’t judge a restaurant by its review score: The Japanese have high standards for food. Like, really high. So, while a restaurant with a 3.62-star rating on Google would be a meh restaurant anywhere else, it means a very good restaurant in Japan. If you go on Tablelog (Japan’s Tripadvisor equivalent), you’ll very rarely find a restaurant with a rating of more than 3.90 – including restaurants with Michelin stars! So, if you find a restaurant on Google in Japan with a 3.60 rating and above, know you’re in for some of the best food of your life.
- Search for foods in Kanji on Google Maps: Many good restaurants in Japan only have Japanese names that may not show up when you look in your native language. Look up the kanji for the food you’d like to eat (i.e., the kanji for ramen is 拉麺) and see what restaurants pop up!
- Cash is King: Japan is a mix of the old and new world, and as of 2025, cash is still king. Ensure you have cash—many places still don’t take cards! I’d recommend getting out at least 20,000 yen ($130) to start. Tip: Go to 7/11 for no-fee ATMs.
- Don’t Tip: Even though customer service is next level in Japan, tipping is considered rude.
- Wear good socks or bring some with you: In many shrines, restaurants, and even hotels in Japan, you’ll have to take your shoes off to enter. Make sure you’re wearing good socks that don’t have holes or, if you’re wearing shoes without socks, bring socks with you that you can slip on and off. Tip: The Family Mart stripe socks are incredible and only $3. I wish we bought more. They’re my favorite socks!
- Bring comfortable shoes: You’ll be walking a lot. We averaged 20,000 steps a day without even really trying. Make sure you have shoes that won’t hurt your feet and can be worn all day.
- Ship your luggage: One of the best things we did was use the luggage shipment option between hotels and cities in Japan. Japanese train stations are vast and have many stairs, so don’t add extra stress to your life by lugging your luggage around. Every hotel we stayed in offered luggage shipping and delivery – they handled everything for us, and it was quick and efficient. Usually, you only need to ship your luggage a day in advance, and it was already there waiting for us in our room when we arrived! Watch this video for more information
Three-Week Japan Travel Guide – Sample Itinerary
How Long: 5 Nights
Where to Stay: Tokyo Strings International Shinigawa (no laundry facilities)
Recommendation: Split your itinerary up by areas, as I did below. Tokyo is massive and you can better see each area this way.
Day One – Shinigawa
Was so jetlagged that this felt like a dream
Arrive at Narita or Haneda Airport
Take either the Narita Express or Public Transport to Shinagawa station
This is a day to get over jet lag and get your bearings.
Shinagawa station and the surrounding area have so much to see and do, so depending on your level of exhaustion, explore a little!
Things to do:
- Croissants at City Bakery
- There’s a Family Mart, Lawson, and 7/11 in Shinagawa station. Grab some snacks or drinks and sit in the Shinagawa Central Garden.
- Conveyor belt sushi at Kura Sushi – no reservation needed, and this is a much less crowded location compared to their other locations in Tokyo
- Grab highballs at Shinagawa Highball Bar
- Eat gyoza at Gyoza Mania Shinigawa Honten
- Get some green tea or red bean ice cream at Azabusabo
Day Two – Ginza, Asakusa, and Shimbashi
Walking around Ginza
Morning in Asakusa—Things to do:
- Head to Senso-ji Shrine. Tip: It can get very crowded, so take advantage of your jetlag and get there early.
- Get a sweet potato snack at Imo Pippi.
- Nakamise Shopping Street—I found this quite crowded and touristy, so skip it if you’re short on time!
- Stop by Pelican Cafe for Japanese milk bread and toast
- BIC Camera for cheap, high high-quality electronics
- Kappa Bashi Street for Japanese kitchenware
Afternoon/Evening in Ginza and Shimbashi—Suggested things to do:
- Go to the Ginza Uniqlo Flagship Store — hot take: I hated this location. It’s the biggest in the world but very warm and cramped. We preferred the Asakusa or Harajuku locations!
- Other shopping:
- Muji
- Loft
- Itoya
- Antennae shops – shops dedicated to different regions in Japan that have local delicacies and trinkets
- Nagano – a three-floor antennae shop dedicated to the Nagano prefecture. Has a soba noodle restaurant inside.
- Tokyo Midtown Hibiya – shopping mall
- Today’s Special
- Shiseido Flagship store – you can get engraved lipstick!
- SANRIO World Store
- Ginza Six Rooftop – rooftop garden with benches to rest your feet
- Ginza Tokyu Plaza – place to rest
- Coffee:
- Nissan Crossing Cafe (lol, they print your face on a latte)
- Cozy Corner Ginza
- Mitsukoshi Food Basement – gourmet fruit sandwiches
- Most of the antennae shops also have coffee.
- Glitch coffee roasters
- Food:
- Ichiran Shimbasi Ramen – popular chain ramen where you don’t have to talk to anyone. Some say it’s overrated, but honestly, it was solid, cheap, and delicious!
Not having to talk to anyone helped a lot when you’re jetlagged
- Musashi No Mori, Happy Pancake, or Flippers for souffle pancakes – we didn’t go here, and I’ve heard it gets crowded
- Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten Ginza – delicious ramen
- Yukou – more ramen
- Temari Izakaya Shimbashi – there are cats here!
- Ichiran Shimbasi Ramen – popular chain ramen where you don’t have to talk to anyone. Some say it’s overrated, but honestly, it was solid, cheap, and delicious!
Day Three – Shibuya + Harajuku
Before heading to Harajuku, head to Shindaita Station and Shiro-Higa’s Cream Puff Factory for Ghibli Totoro Cream Puffs, owned by Miyazaki’s sister. She served us our cream puffs, and I genuinely almost cried—she was so sweet! It opens at 10:15 AM, and I’d recommend getting there at that time. We were the first ones in!
You don’t need to wait in line if you take the cream puffs away. This area is super cute and scenic, filled with parks and an excellent coffee shop called Light Up Coffee Shimokitazawa. You can eat the cream puffs in the park with a coffee before heading to Harajuku Station.
Suggested things to do in Harajuku:
- Go to Purikura for Kawaii photo booth – this was so fun and a lot of work lol
- GachaGacha no Mori for Gashapon machines
- Meiji Jingu Shrine & Park
- Kiddyland for cute merch
- Get coffee at ANAKUMA cafe – a cafe where Bear Hands serve you coffee
- Cafe Reissue for 3D latte art
- Daiso for 1 yen store
- Stroll along Cat Street for great vintage shopping
These still make me laugh
Suggested things to do in Shibuya:
- Go to Shibuya when the sun is setting so you can see all the lights
- Head to the Mugiwara One Piece Store and the Nintendo Store (there’s also a rooftop in the Nintendo store with a great view)
- Note for coffee and chocolate cake
- Shibuya Crossing – genuinely so fun!
- Hachikō Memorial Statue – so crowded, so we skipped it
- Get overstimulated in the Mega Don Quijote – a multi-level convenience store with everything you can imagine. You have to go at least once, even if it’s exhausting.
- Walk around some more and see all the lights/take a picture of Shibuya crossing at night
Food & Drink recommendations for both Harajuku & Shibuya:
- Family Mart Whisky Bar – a whisky bar in a family mart
- Menchirashi Ramen Udon: We waited in line for the viral carbonara ramen. We waited for 30 minutes, and it was worth it, but I don’t think it would be worth waiting longer than that.
- Katsudon-ya Zuicho – small, family-owned Katsudon place
- Toritake – yakitori restaurant
- Igu&Peace speakeasy
- LOST, the bar opened by the Youtuber, Abroad in Japan who lives there
Day Four – Ibekuro + Shinjuku City
all aboard the cat tram
Suggested things to do:
- Take the cat tram from Sangen-jaya Station to Gotokuji Temple (the cat shrine) and wish on a cat figurine. You may even meet the cat owner himself! Tip: Check the cat tram schedule ahead of time so you don’t miss it!
- Cat cafe Mocha
- Lunch at Coco Ichibanya – Famous Katsu Curry chain, so delicious
- Pokemon Center Sunshine City
- Go to Jimbocho – the Japanese book street
- Go see the 3D Cat billboard
- Stroll over to the Nakameguro area
- See the Godzilla statue
- Get a coffee at OPEN Nakameguro.
- When the sun sets, head to Shinjuku and go look at the 3D cat billboard (appears every 15 minutes)
- Book a Bar-Hopping Tour with MagicalTrip—this was one of the highlights of our Tokyo stay! Our guide, Yuki, was incredible and took us to four different izakayas down Golden Gai and other Shinjuku areas. We continued our night out after the tour and did Karaoke together! It was such an incredible night and a great way to make friends! It was 100% worth the hangover.
Our new friends we made with MagicalTrip!
Day Five – Chou City + Akihabara + Minato City
The Pokemon Cafe healed me
Morning in in Chou City/Tokyo Station—Suggested things to do:
- If you can, grab reservations for the Pokemon Cafe. These are very hard to get, but if you love Pokemon like I do, it’s totally worth it! Here’s a handy guide on how to get tickets.
- Gyukatsu Motomura for Katsu that you grill yourself on a hot stone
- Get lost in the labyrinth that is Tokyo Station
- Shop in Tokyo Station Character Street
Afternoon in Akihabara—Suggested things to do:
Locked in at Super Potato
- Super Potato for vintage games
- Book-Off for mangas and thrift shopping
- Browse all the quirky shops and stores – there are too many to list here!
- Kanda Myojin Shrine
- Otsu Coffee for gourmet drip coffee
- Namaiki for yakiniku
- Hitachino Brewing Lab for craft beer
Evening in Minato City—Suggested things to do:
- Check out Tokyo Tower at night – it’s beautiful up close!
- Have the best pizza of your life at PST Higashi Azabu – Coming from a New Yorker who lives 4 hours from Milan…this was genuinely the best pizza I’ve ever had. I still dream about it. You can only make reservations by phone. Otherwise, you must wait in line, but it’s WORTH THE WAIT.
The pizza at PST was so good
How Long: 2 Nights
Where to Stay: Hotel Alza Kyoto
Recommendation: Kyoto is a beautiful place, but unfortunately, it has fallen victim to overtourism. Try to go off the beaten path a bit; otherwise, you’ll be stuck in many crowds!
Day Six – Head to Kyoto
Grab snacks before heading to Shinagawa station to catch your Shinkansen to Kyoto.
Shinagawa station has plenty of bento options, so make sure you show up early to grab something you’d like! We had a teriyaki chicken katsu that we bought at the station, and…omg, I am still thinking about it.
We saw Fuji on our Shinkansen ride!
Things to do on your first day in Kyoto:
- Get something sweet at MACCHA HOUSE Kyoto Kawaramachi – this was fully worth the hype. The matcha tiramisu was to die for.
- Grab Ramen at Sugari – a small, family-owned ramen place
- Drink coffee at Weekenders – a cafe that is only open on weekends.
- Go to Nishiki market for matcha beer, snacks, and snoopy tataki. It gets very crowded, so it’s better to go during off-peak hours.
- Yōgen-in Temple – a temple off the beaten path filled with black cats
- Stroll down Philiosopher’s Path
- Ginkakuji
- Toji Temple at night – Check here to see if they have any illuminations!
- Sit and have a drink by the Kamo river
- Kurodani Temple
Dinner Ideas:
- Burger Revolution Kyoto for Waygu Burger (reservations can be made up to 3 months in advance)—this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Make sure to make a reservation because they were completely booked up.
- Sushitetsu for cheap, delicious sushi – they don’t take reservations so you just have to wait in line)
- Yuzugen Pontocho – Hotpot place that specializes in Yuzu flavors and they have dumplings shaped like lemons!
- Menbaka Fire Ramen – they light the ramen on fire in front of you
- Masayoshi Japanese Dining – high-end steak place, on the more expensive side.
Drink Ideas:
Go to bed early because I highly recommend waking up at dawn for day two.
Day Seven – a full day in Kyoto
- Wake up very early (4:30 AM)
- We got breakfast from Lawson’s the night before to be caffeinated before our long hike.
- Take the first train (5:20 AM) to Fushimi Inari Station
- Head to Fushimi Inari Shrine (1-and-a-half-hour hike) – this was one of the most magical experiences of my life, but you have to be there early. At 5:20 am, there were still people there, but we had periods where we were the only people around – and we met some of the shrine cats. It was magic; the farther you go up, the fewer people there are. By the time we got back down at around 8:30 am, there were already hoards of people going up, and I felt it would be not very nice if we didn’t go as early as possible
Before the sun came up
Fushimi Inari as the sun came up
A shrine cat chose me!
- Head to Arashiyama – if you want to see the bamboo forest, it’s also worth to go there as early as possible. I heard before 9 am is good! We ended up skipping this entirely.
- Get creme brulee donuts at the Arashiyama station
- Miffy Store Arashiyama
- Kiyomizu-dera Shrine – check online, as this was open late at night for Fall illuminations!
Food recommendations:
- Ogura Cha-Ya for udon noodles near the shrines
- Monk: a pizza omakase restaurant. Reservations are almost impossible to get, though and you can only book 3 months in advance.
- Book a Geisha Experience and 12-course Wagyu beef omakase at Wagyu Ryotei Bungo Gion— To book the Geisha experience, you have to book a private room first and then inquire via DM on Instagram. However, if you don’t want to splurge on the Geisha experience, you can just book a standard table 6 months in advance. This was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip to Japan, and the food was incredible!
How Long: 3 Nights
Where to Stay: Citadines Namba Osaka Hotel (Has laundry)
Recommendation: Osaka is a great hub for day trips to Kobe and Nara! I’ve included some recommendations on how to do that below. We didn’t do Universal Studios because I lived in Orlando for a few years and did enough Universal for my lifetime. However, if you plan on doing that, add a day to your trip!
Day Eight – Half-Day trip to Nara
Wake up and check out of the Kyoto hotel
Head to Nara – Book a Limited Express Ticket from Kintetsu Tambabashi Station to Kintetsu Nara Station or just take local transit (it’s just longer)
Leave any luggage you have (which shouldn’t be much if you did the luggage transport) in the coin lockers at the station. Make sure you have coins because they’re cash only.
The deer take over all of Nara – some say Nara wasn’t worth it, but I think if you treat it like a stopover from Kyoto to Osaka, it’s very worth it!
Nara Tips
- Buy deer crackers from the street vendors (cash only). The money from these crackers goes towards maintaining the park and the deer. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THEM ANYTHING ELSE!
- The deer are mostly very polite – bow to them before giving them food, and they will bow back! To show them you don’t have any food left, put both hands in the air and wave them. They are usually quite respectful – but sometimes they want your food and can nip at your clothes to get it. I only encountered one aggressive deer, who headbutted me for crackers. I forgave him despite the slight bruise he gave me 😉
- Grab the famous redbean Mochi at Nakatanidou – but try to go as it opens because it’s chaos after 11 apparently. It opens at 10 am, which is when we went and we didn’t have to wait in line at all.
- Grab a coffee and croissant at Rokumei Coffee
- Don’t forget to get a deer plushie at a souvenir shop!
- Lunch recommendations: Tonkatsu Ganko Nara or Mentouan (if you put your name on the list at 11 otherwise, forget it, lol).
Head to Osaka (don’t forget your stuff!) – Take the Rapid Express Kobe Sonnomiya Kintetsu Nara Line train from Kintetsu Nara Station 7 stops to Kintetsu Nippombashi Station (45 minute ride). This is a local train so you don’t have to buy tickets in advance and can just tap in with your Suica card.
Things to do on your first day in Osaka:
- Round1 Stadium Sennichimae arcade
- Ghibli Store in Shinaibashi (has special photo spots) – 6th floor of Parco
- Godzilla store in Shinaibashi (less crowded than Tokyo store)
- Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel located in the Mega Donki – the first ever rectangular Ferris Wheel and only $4 for a ride. This was a little scary but fun! And you get beautiful views of Osaka
- Hozen-Ji temple
- Take a picture with Running Man
- Dinner: Dotonburi Food Stalls (Takoyaki, Gyoza, Taiyaki, 10 yen cheese coin, Teriyaki, Fatty Tuna, Strawberry mochi, Egg tart.) If you want something more hearty, Kushikatsu or Ajioya
- Drinks: Sunny Day Dumpling for highballs and gyoza
Day Nine – Full Day in Osaka
- Go to Glitch Coffee for a fantastic coffee experience – these people know their coffee. I had a black strawberry chocolate drip coffee that changed my life. It’s a bit more expensive but completely worth it. They also have a location in Tokyo.
- Head to Osaka Castle (it opens at 9 a.m.). We just explored the grounds and didn’t go in because the line was very long.
- Chill in Namba Parks Garden (9-floor garden which was tranquil)
- Explore the Nakazakicho area for trendy, chill cafes and thrift shopping
- Kitahama (for drinks or coffee by the river) and Nakanoshima (cute little island by Kitahama in the middle of Osaka)
- ABC Mart for shoes – the location in Osaka has bigger sizes. I have big feet, so this was great.
- Maruzen & Junkudo Bookstore – large selection of English books on the 4th floor)
- America-Mura – trendy location with lots of cool shops and cafes
- Namba Yasuka Shrine (coolest-looking shrine)
- Visit Matsuya Udon for $1 standing udon
- Grab a Japanese knife at Tower Knives Osaka. The people who worked here were so knowledgeable and helped us pick out the perfect chef’s knife!
- Go to Izakaya Toyo – made popular by Netflix, for beers and a fatty tuna snack (closed on Thursdays)
- Wander around Shinsekai (in the evening) for yakitori and drinks
- Umeda Sky Building
Dinner recommendation:
Go Izakaya hopping in Tenma Market (Taishu-Sakaba HASSEN Tenma for super cheap drinks and food) or in Umeda Underground, which has a bunch of izakayas and good food.
Drinks recommendation:
Check out a game bar where you can have drinks and play vintage video games. Some suggestions:
- PC and Retro Bar Space Station
- The Hearth Board Game Bar and Café
- BARエンカウント
- bar moon walk Shinsaibashinagahoriten
Day Ten – Day trip to Kobe
Kobe is such a beautiful city! If we were to return to Osaka, we’d spend a night in Kobe, as there was so much to see and a great vibe. It was one of the first cities in Japan to open up for trade with the West in the 19th century and is littered with many cool European-style buildings. It’s gorgeous!
- Get up early
- Send luggage to Hiroshima before you leave for Kobe
- Leave the hotel by 8:40/ 9 AM and take the train from Namba station to Shin-Osaka
- Take the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Shin-Kobe
Things to do in Kobe:
- Go to Nishimura Coffee – a Euro-style cafe for coffee and breakfast
- Make lunch reservations for Tor Road Steak Aoyama for Kobe beef: Reservations can be made via their Facebook page. This was an INCREDIBLE Kobe beef experience with the kindest chef in the world. Make sure to make reservations way in advance, as some people I’ve recommended this to tried, and their date was already sold out. I made reservations 6 months in advance. Tip: if you book for lunch, it’s cheaper for the same meal you’d get for dinner!
Kindest chef – he called himself the Tom Cruise of Japan
- Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art (opens at 10 am – 6 pm)
Stroll through Chinatown - Head over to the Nada district for Sake (Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum – no prior reservation required, and admission is free)
- Stroll by the ocean pier and take photos in front of the BE KOBE sign
- Visit the Kobe Earthquake Museum (opens 9:30 am – 5:30 pm)
- Go to Jesus Pizza if you want a snack; they have NYC-style pizza
When back in Osaka, do whatever you didn’t have time to do the day before.
How Long: 2 Nights
Where to Stay: The Knot Hiroshima (No laundry facilities)
Recommendation: You could potentially do Hiroshima in one day, but I’d recommend staying at least two nights so you can make a day trip to Miyajima island – one of our trip highlights!
Day Eleven – Hiroshima
Check out of the Osaka hotel and take the Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima.
Note: if you want to take the Hello Kitty Shinkansen, you have to take the 11:37 train from Osaka to Hiroshima, which gets to Hiroshima at 14:08. Check Hello Kitty Shinkansen times here.
Things to do in Hiroshima:
- Prayer Fountain and Peace Memorial Park—I was so impressed with Hiroshima. The city is filled with lush greenery, and though it was home to such a horrible tragedy, it’s a reminder that peace always wins and always perseveres.
- Visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum – this museum does not sanitize the tragedy that happened here. I and many people around me spent the entire time in the museum in tears. It’s heavy but essential. Tip: Buy your tickets online on Klook. We got in much faster because I did this!
- Hiroshima Castle and Gardens – a nice change of pace from the sadness!
- Try the famous Okonomiyaki at Hiroshima Okonomiyaki ROKU (on the 4th Floor of Okonomimura with blue sign/blinds with white kanji)
- Grab lunch at Taiko Udon Nakamachi
- You can have drinks at the hotel’s rooftop (you get drink tickets). The cocktails were delicious!
- Hiroshima has a lot of really trendy thrift shopping – it’s worth exploring!
Day Fourteen – Day trip to Miyajima Island
Shrine at low tide
Grab Breakfast at Wildman Bagel – Try to get there when it opens for warmest bagels, the cream cheese is pre-baked INTO the bagel.
Try to take the earliest ferry to Miyajima Island to avoid the crowds. And bring a sweater, as it can be pretty windy there depending on the time of year you go!
Things to do in Miyajima:
- Take a picture in front of the floating Tori gate – when you arrive, it should be low tide, and when you leave, it’ll be high tide (depends on the time of year you go)
- Miyajima Itsuki Coffee for Yuzu and honey tea
- Make a reservation in advance for the Miyajima Ropeway. They’ll email you a QR code, and you must pay in cash or SUICA when you arrive (4000 yen total). Note: The ropeway entrance is a scenic and uphill walk, so it’s best to walk towards your reservation as early as possible so you’re not in a rush.
- You can either take the ropeway back down or walk—just keep in mind that it’s a 2-hour and very beautiful but strenuous walk.
- Take a break at Tenshinkaku for a beautiful view, coffee, and desserts
Perfect way to start the day
- Go to Iwamura Momiji Ya – for traditional sweet Momiji Manju (maple leaf pastry). Get there early because they sell out fast!
- MIYAJIMA Rilakkuma Sabo for maple leaf pastry with a bear on it
- Walk across Momiji Bridge
- Explore Daisho-In Temple
- Depending on which ferry you take, the last ferry back to Hiroshima leaves at 17:30 or 18:30. Remember that as you explore!
Top of the ropeway
Dinner recommendation in Hiroshima: Pizza at Mario Espresso. We stumbled in here, and the pizza was insanely good – and cheap!
How Long: 1 Night
Where to Stay: Lamp Light Books Hotel (Laundry)
Recommendation: I always have to do something literary on any trip, so when I saw this book hotel, I had to go! Nagoya was a cool place, but you can always add an extra day in another city if you’re not a bookworm like me. That being said, Nagoya is a foodie paradise, and I would still highly recommend going here!
Day Fifteen – Exploring Nagoya
Will travel anywhere for books
Things to do in Nagoya:
- Nagoya Tsutaya – a famous and beautiful bookstore
- Osu Shopping Street for anime shops
- Nagoya Castle
- Atsuta Shrine
- Maruyoshi for karage chicken
- Go to Dai Sky Garden – check out their seasonal illuminations
- Yurt for fluffy pancakes (in the same building as the sky garden)
- Sky Promenade for beautiful views
- PaoPao-tei for bao buns
- Venture to Obara Fureai Park – a place where cherry blossoms bloom in autumn. Not in Nagoya City, though
- Moricafe Kodama (Studio Ghibli-themed cafe)
- Spend a day at Ghibli Park (tickets have to be reserved in advance)
- Have dinner at Misokatsu Yabaton – for Misokatsudon, a Nagoya specialty. You usually have to wait in line. We waited for only 10 minutes!
How Long: 2 Nights
Where to Stay: Hakone Kowakien Mikawaya Ryokan – we stayed in the villa with the private onsen!
Recommendation: Get the Hakone Free Pass, which allows you free access to most public transport in Hakone. Because most public transport is via bus, it’s a bit more expensive than other regions in Japan, and the Hakone Free Pass is a great way to save money on transportation without worrying about tickets.
Days Sixteen & Seventeen – Stay in a luxury Ryokan in Hakone
I’ll be honest with you all—we didn’t do any real sightseeing in Hakone. We stayed in the Ryokan, where meals were included, and we had a private onsen on our balcony. We just wanted to relax because we were exhausted from averaging almost 20,000 steps a day for almost three weeks. So, we spent 90% of our time in the onsen or reading in bed until it was time to go to dinner and ventured out only once to go to the Family Mart down the road. However, the recommendations listed below were on our itinerary (planned from a less tired version of me) and have been confirmed as worth it by friends who have been to Hakone.
With this on our balcony, can you blame us?
Things to do:
- Open Air Museum
- Okada Museum of Art
- Hakone Jinja Shrine
- Go on the Hakone Sightseeing Pirate Cruise – (included with the Hakone free pass)
- Take the above sightseeing cruise to Togendai-Ko and then take the Hakone Ropeway/cable car (also included in the Hakone free pass) to the Volcanic Valley and get a black-boiled egg to eat – which adds 7 years to your life supposedly.
- Nukafuku for donuts (closes at 4 pm)
- Coffee Camp for food & coffee (closes at 4:30 pm)
- Hakone Venetian Glass Museum and Glass Forest
- Day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko / Chureito Pagoda
Michael enjoying his traditional Japanese breakfast at the Ryokan
How Long: 1 Night
Where to Stay: Tokyo Hotel Resol Ueno
Recommendation: There’s so much to see and do in Ueno – one day definitely won’t cut it! We’ll be going back to Tokyo for 2 weeks in a few months – I’ll report back with a full guide then 😉
Day Eighteen – Ueno + Last Full Day
Use this day to do anything you didn’t get a chance to do your first time around.
Bar Bookshelff
Things to do:
- Stroll through Ueno Park
- Go shopping at Ameyoko – one of Tokyo’s most beloved shopping streets!
- See Pandas at Ueno Zoo
- Learn about Japanese art and history at the Tokyo National Museum
- Visit Ueno Toshogu Shrine
- Go to Bar Bookshelff for great cocktails and to talk about books – We went here on our last night, and it was one of the best experiences. The bartender curates all the liquor and books in the bar himself and gives you book recommendations based on your vibe. Once he figured out we loved books, we spent an hour just chatting about the books we loved while sipping delicious gin cocktails made from local Japanese gin.
- Head to a jazz bar – there are so many of them in Ueno!
- Yanaka Ginza – shopping street filled with vintage shops and cats!
- Shabu Shabu and Grilled Cuisine at Kagayaki
- Take the time to get souvenirs for friends and family
Day Nineteen – Say goodbye to Japan
Staying in Ueno makes getting to Narita super convenient with the Ueno Skyliner. Book your ticket here, but just note that even if you make a reservation online, you still have to pick up your ticket in person at Ueno station.
And that’s it—your Japan trip is finished…for now. But I’m sure you’ll be planning your next trip the moment you get on the plane—at least we were!
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How To Book Your Shinkansen (Bullet Train) Tickets with Smart-EX
If you’ve decided not to buy a JR Pass for your travels throughout Japan, you’ll need another way to book your Shinkansen, or bullet train, tickets. Many other travel bloggers and influencers recommend Klook, but I found it a bit confusing and saw that the prices were sometimes inflated. So, instead, I turned to Smart-Ex, the official Tokaido Shinkansen ticket booking platform in Japan. Note: Smart-Ex does NOT cover JR East or Hokkaido.
I found booking Shinkansen tickets with Smart-Ex to be user-friendly and painless. Plus, you can easily generate a QR code ticket or even link your ticket to your Suica card for an easy travel day when you arrive in Japan! More on that below.
This is a handy guide on how to use Smart-Ex and book your Shinkansen tickets easily.
Mount Fuji from our Shinkansen window
Quick Things to Note:
- If you want to pre-book your seats (which I highly recommend, especially during peak tourist season in Japan), you can only do so one month in advance. For example, if you plan on going from Tokyo to Osaka on November 3rd, you’ll need to book your ticket on October 3rd, etc. Otherwise, if you book your seats more than a month in advance, Smart-Ex will choose your seats for you.
- If you book a regular ticket (not a discounted one) and miss your train, you can board any Shinkansen on the same route and sit in an Unreserved train car. So, you won’t have to buy new tickets, but you won’t be able to guarantee you’ll have the seat you want.
- Sometimes Smart-Ex has special discounts on tickets for regular and Green class (aka First Class). You can see these discounts when you book. Just note that if you book a discounted ticket, you can only board the exact train you booked. If you miss your train with a discounted ticket, you can’t just board the next train in an Unreserved car, and you’ll have to buy a new one at the station at full price. So get there early (you should do this anyway).
- Speaking of picking seats, if you want to see Mount Fuji on your ride anywhere from Tokyo to Kyoto, sit in seats C&D in the Green car and seats D&E in the Ordinary car. We saw Fuji three times!
- The website “closes” (lol, only in Japan would a website have closing times) from 11:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Japanese time. So, you can only book tickets for up to three people during that time.
- If you plan to bring baggage larger than 160cm in dimensions, you must book an oversized luggage seat. I’ll show you how to do that below. However, I highly recommend using luggage transport during your time in Japan so you don’t have to worry about it.
- If your bank/credit card doesn’t do two-factor authentication, you may not be able to book tickets on Smart-EX.
Step-by-Step Guide to Booking Tickets with Smart-EX
This is everything you need to know about booking Shinkansen tickets with Smart-EX
Make an Account
- Go to the Smart-Ex website and click member registration
- It will take you to the next page, which shows a picture of the credit cards they accept. Make sure your credit card is accepted, and then press Register.
- Fill out the email information and captcha and press Send.
- You’ll then get an email from @expy.jp with a confirmation link inside. Click the link depending on whether you register with a computer or phone. If you don’t see it, check your spam and set up your email so it doesn’t mark emails from that domain as spam in the future.
- You’ll then receive another email with the subject line “Membership Registration Complete” and your Membership ID inside. You’ll also be asked to set up a PIN number that you’ll use as a password.
Login
Type in your membership ID and password, and press login.
Start booking!
- Click Search Train
- When you get to the next train, enter the date, time of departure, number of people at your party (adults and children), and route. For this example, we’ll be using Tokyo to Nagoya.
- If you are traveling with oversized luggage, click the drop-down menu labeled “Seat Type” and choose “Seat with Oversized Baggage Area.” You can also select a wheelchair-accessible seat designation from this drop-down menu.
- Press Continue, which will take you to the next page.
- You can select the train you’d like to take here. A discount tag will appear next to Select if discounted seats are available.
- Once you’ve chosen the train that works best for you, press Select.
- This will take you to a page showing the different classes. The Ordinary car is second class, and the Green car is first. If discounts are available, you’ll see it in the last two rows. A non-discounted ticket is in the first two rows and says either Smart EX or Smart Ex (non-reserved seat). Note: If you book a discounted ticket and miss your train, you must buy an entirely new ticket. So just be aware.
- Choose the price that works best for you and press continue
Book Seats
- If you’ve chosen to take a Reserved car and book one month in advance, you can choose your seats. If you selected a non-reserved seat, you are booking between 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Japanese time, or if you are booking more than one month in advance, skip this step. Smart-EX will choose your seat for you once your purchase is confirmed (unless you’re in a non-reserved car, in which case, you’ll select your seat when you board).
- Click “View Seat Map”
- Choose the seat(s) that work best for you. As mentioned above, if you want to see Mount Fuji, sit in seats C&D for Green Car and D&E for Ordinary Car.
- If you need an oversized baggage or wheelchair seat, you’ll see them clearly marked.
- Click continue.
Purchase your tickets
- You’ll now be taken to a page where you can purchase your seats. Enter your credit card information here, and then you can choose to save it for future purchases.
- Once everything is entered, press Purchase.
- You’ll then get a confirmation email.
- 24 hours before embarking on your trip, you’ll also get an email reminder with all of your seat and booking information inside.
Ticket Options
Here, we’ll quickly discuss the options for redeeming your ticket.
Linking your IC Card with Smart-Ex
This is the easiest and most convenient way to get your Shinkansen tickets. However, you can only do this with an iPhone or a physical IC card. Sorry, Android users. They don’t yet have a digital IC card for your Google Wallet (unless you have a Japanese phone). Maybe soon! If you’re an Android user, scroll down to the other two options. I used Suica, but the other digital IC cards have the same process.
- First, you must get your SuicaID. If you have a physical Suica card, look on the back for the number that starts with JE. For digital Suica cards, you must download the Suica app from the App Store.
- Once you download the app, it will sync with your Apple Wallet. The app is in Japanese, but don’t worry; you only have to press the Suica card, which will take you to another page. You’ll see the SuicaID above your balance (it even says SuicaID in English).
- Copy this number or write it down to move on to the next step.
- Go to the Smart-Ex home page (you may have to login again) and click My Trips.
- Click on your reservation.
- You’ll see a full breakdown of your journey. Click Designate IC Card at the bottom.
- Type or copy in the SuicaID and designate your ticket.
- You can also designate other tickets you’ve purchased under the same reservation to friends and family; they will just have to do the same process on their phones and give you their IC ID.
- Designate your IC card for every trip you plan to take on the Shinkansen.
And you’re done! On the day of your trip, all you have to do is swipe your IC card on the designated Shinkansen gates and a piece of paper will print out. Don’t forget to grab it, it has your seat designation and is important for if there is ticket control.
It’s super easy and fast! Truly the best option, in my opinion.
Getting a QR Code Ticket
For those without an IC card, you can do the second easiest option, generating a QR code ticket which you can swipe in with on the day.
- Go to the Smart-Ex home page (you may have to login again) and click My Trips
- Click on your reservation.
- Click display QR Ticket
- If you have an iPhone, you can save the ticket to your Apple wallet. Otherwise, screenshot it or print it out.
And you’re done! On the day of your trip, all you have to do is swipe your IC card on the designated Shinkansen gates and a piece of paper will print out. Don’t forget to grab it, it has your seat designation and is important for if there is ticket control.
Picking up a Physical Ticket at the station
If you like physical tickets, Smart-EX can generate a code that allows you to pick them up at ticket machines in the station.
- Go to the Smart-Ex home page (you may have to login again) and click My Trips
- Click on your reservation
- Click issue pick-up code. Note: You can only do this 24 hours in advance before pick-up
- Screenshot the pick-up code and bring it with you to the station
- Go to a dedicated JR ticket machine and press pick up ticket (you should see the Smart-EX Logo on the button you need to press)
- Press “by pickup code”
- Either scan your QR code or type in the 16 digit pick up code
- Select the reservation you’d like to redeem
- Confirm your details
- Click print
I didn’t do this, so if you need further guidance, Smart-EX has a handy step-by-step guide here.
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Voila! Those are all the ways to book and redeem your Shinkansen tickets with Smart-EX. Happy travels! Check out my full Japan itinerary here.
Unfortunately, I can’t provide guidance on booking tickets for areas not covered by Smart-EX (JR East or Hokkaido). However, I plan to return to Japan soon, so you’ll be the first to know once I’ve done it myself.
In the meantime, here are some links that might help you:
My Favorite Books of 2024
2024 was the year I finished the first draft of my novel, which made it a bit of a weird year for books. For the first time in the six years that I’ve been reading 100 books a year, I almost didn’t make it. But I did it! Thank god. I made it at the last second, but I read 100 books and can bring you my favorite books of 2024!
Go me! Also, can we take a moment to appreciate that I finished the first draft of a NOVEL? I am so proud of myself. It wasn’t easy, and now the real work begins (aka editing…oh god). I hope one day that book can be out in the world and be one of YOUR favorite books of the year. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
There’s been a topic online recently about whether books should be political, which makes me laugh because all books are inherently political. In a world where literacy rates are rapidly declining, where people are using AI for everything and not creating art that is their own, where I’m watching with my own eyes as friends and family fall into an alt-right pipeline, reading and writing feel more important than ever. Reading as much as I do has given me critical thinking skills, has taught me about worlds I’ll never see, has given me empathy, and has taught me quite literally to read between the lines. In a year like this one and on the cusp of the coming year, I can’t talk about reading without mentioning these things. Reading has always been political, and I am grateful to be a reader.
Anyway, before I dive into a tangent that will never end, let’s get into my favorite books of 2024, shall we?
My Top 11 Books of 2024:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
I read this book in the first half of the year and think about it weekly. For a book written in 1995, I Who Have Never Known Men feels timeless.
We begin the story with our unknown narrator imprisoned in a cage with thirty-nine other women. It is the only world she knows; the older women do not remember how they got there and only have a slight recollection of their lives before the cage. Our unnamed narrator is the key to their survival and escape, and she leads them to an unfamiliar world above. What unravels afterward is a post-apocalyptic story about female friendship, intimacy, and survival.
This is a quiet novel, short and beautifully written. I don’t want to say too much lest I spoil the story, but I think everyone should read this. It’s impeccable.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Along with I Who Have Never Known Men, Pachinko is tied as my favorite book of the year. This feels fitting because I went to Japan this year and finished this book only a few weeks before our trip.
Starting in the 1900s, this book spans multiple generations of a family, set in Korea and Japan throughout the 20th century. It’s a book about trauma, love, and ambition – and how culture shapes and defines our lives, for better or worse. From the political turmoil of Japanese colonization to the criminal underworld of Pachinko parlors, Pachinko dives into Korean history and what it means to be Korean-Japanese.
I fell in love with this book on the first page and devoured it in less than a week. It’s astounding to see the historical details that went into writing this atmospheric story. I felt like I knew these characters, wept with them, and laughed with them throughout their lives.
Books “aren’t political.” Okay, sure, Jan
Min Jin Lee said this book took her 30 years to write, and I can see why. Fact and fiction are woven together effortlessly — it’s just so lovely to read historical fiction this good.
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
Minor Detail knocked me off my feet. For a book so short (only 144 pages), it packs a heavy emotional punch, and I think about it all the time.
This book begins in 1949 during the Nakba, where over 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and follows the brutal killing of a Palestinian woman. The rest of the book flashes forward many years later to a woman living in Ramallah who becomes obsessed with this “minor detail” in history.
As you can probably guess, this novel has many trigger warnings and is by no means a light subject matter. But it’s powerful. It’s not trying too hard to preach at you or tell you who the bad guy is and who is good; it instead just lays out this story in such an eloquent, beautiful, horrifying way.
When I finished the last page, I sat in bed, stunned and heartbroken. The story is comprised of “minor details”—how the soldier dresses and cleans himself, the barking of a dog, and sand in a shoe. It shows how minor details can make a lasting impression on the world.
It’s a heartbreaking, devastating novel that’s so important to read.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
What would you do if suddenly, a man came out of your attic saying he’s your husband even though you’ve never seen him before? And also, you’re not even married? And then what would you think if said husband went back into the attic, disappeared, and was then replaced with an entirely new man you’ve never seen before also claiming to be your husband?
This is the premise of this wacky, silly little novel that I absolutely fell in love with. Lauren comes home from a night out, drunk off her ass, greeted by a man who says she’s her husband, even though she’s positive she’s never gotten married. The next morning, this mysterious husband goes up to the attic, disappears with a flash of light, and is replaced by an entirely different husband. Lauren doesn’t like this man very much, so she sends him up to the attic and watches as a new husband climbs down. This keeps repeating as Lauren tries to figure out wtf is going on and tries to find a husband she can live with.
This book may not be for everyone, but it was SO FOR ME. I loved every single minute of this strange little novel about time loops, multiverses, and many, MANY husbands.
Some reviews mentioned they thought The Husbands was too long, but I dare to disagree. I would have read 100 more pages of Lauren trying to get potential husbands back into the attic.
Exquisite. Chef’s Kiss.
Read this if you want to let joy into your life.
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
As we all know by now, I love a book about women being completely unhinged. I live for it, even.
Nightbitch is a book about a mother who has had enough and is also slowly turning into a dog, and, of course, her husband doesn’t believe her.
Even though I’m not a mother yet, am in a very happy marriage and do not turn into a dog at night, I still felt this book deeply in my bones.
As strange and insane as this novel was, it was also a compelling look into contemporary womanhood. What would it mean to strip away all the expectations of being a good mother and a good wife and be free from the constraints of modern society? Dogs don’t have to follow the rules of goodness that women do. They simply exist and are loved because of it.
Oh, and in case you were afraid of a lot of raw meat stuff like I was, there’s barely any, and it’s fine.
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Monstrilio has two things I love in books: women being unhinged (which we already discussed) and a strange little guy. And in this one, the strange little guy is queer and looks like this for a large portion of the story:
What’s not to love? I mean, sure, he eats people and is a monster and a danger to society, whatever, whatever. Semantics. He’s perfect to me.
At its core, Monstrilio is a story about the lengths a mother will go to protect her child. It’s sad, horrifying, and stunning. It’s a story about grief, pain, and love.
Please read this.
Me and every character in this book
Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
I will read any story about children taking a portal to another world. I eat that shit up.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a delightful story about Japanese kids who aren’t accepted, hiding from school for one reason or another, who find a portal in a mirror that leads them to a magical castle run by a little girl in a wolf mask.
This novel was full of whimsy and joy. I cried.
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
Delphie has never done much with her life. She has few friends, is not close to her family, and has never been in love. When she chokes on a microwaveable burger and dies, she ends up in limbo, face to face with who she believes is the love of her life. But he’s sent back to earth because it’s not yet his time.
Her Afterlife specialist, a quirky woman bored of the same old deceased people coming in all the time, makes her a deal. She’ll send her back to earth for a limited amount of time, and if the man she believes is her soulmate tells her he loves her, she’ll be allowed to live again.
I loved this book so much. It surprised me, and I laughed out loud throughout. I love books about second chances at life, and it was beautiful to watch Delphie try to learn that living is so much more than going through the motions.
If you are in the mood for a whimsical, funny book that will maybe also make you cry, read this right now!
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
When strings appear in boxes at every doorstep in the world, an unforgettable cast of characters discovers that this mysterious string shows the length and measure of the person’s life. Some decide not to look, some do. Either way, it defines the course of their existence and reshapes the world.
The Measure is a beautiful story about how short life is and what you choose to do with the fate you’re given. The audiobook was chef’s kiss.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
I totally understand why this won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction – it blew me away.
In another story about second chances, Pheobe Stone shows up at a hotel prepared to kill herself. However, fate intervenes when she realizes she’s the only guest at the hotel not part of an elaborate week-long wedding party. When the bride learns of Pheobe’s plan, she does everything in her power to get her to change her mind, not because she cares about her but because she doesn’t want Pheobe to ruin her perfect wedding.
This is a book about imperfect people, and it is both hilarious and introspective. Was it predictable? Absolutely. Did that change it from being a 5-star read for me? No way.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
What if the Underground Railroad was a real, functioning railroad?
Colson Whitehead reimagines history and tells a harrowing tale about Cora, a woman in the 1800s escaping enslavement, and her journey along the underground railroad, which, yes, is an actual railroad, and the large cast of characters who either want to help or harm her.
I’m so angry at myself for putting this novel off for so long. It was brilliantly done. Some people may not love the bird’s eye narrative style, but I felt it gave the story just enough distance to give readers a keen view into history.
I’d argue that this novel is one of the most important books of the 21st Century.
Honorable Mentions:
Station Eleven By Emily St. John Mandel
I reread it for the 6th year in a row, and you can’t stop me!
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
This was almost the perfect horror novel—it was genuinely terrifying and kept me on the edge of my seat. The only reason it wasn’t a 5-star, though, was that the ending felt too abrupt. I hope to God there’s a sequel.
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
I love Gilmore Girls. I rewatch it every year, and I’ve always thought Emily Gilmore had the most growth of the three of them. Kelly Bishop’s memoir made me fall even more in love with her and her personal story. I had no idea how much Kelly Bishop has done and gone through in her life – from A Chorus Line to Dirty Dancing to Gilmore Girls.
I listened to the audiobook, and it felt like Kelly was telling me her life story over a glass of wine. God, what I would give to have a glass of wine with Kelly Bishop!
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Because of the covers, I always thought Elin Hilderbrand was only for middle-aged women. If that’s true, call me 59 years old because I am Hilderbrand-pilled.
As you may remember, The Nantucket Hotel was one of my favorite books of 2022. It took me only two years to pick up another one of her books, which is a murder mystery and a story about family dynamics. It was great.
The House of Hidden Meanings by Rupaul
I love drag, RuPaul, and the gays. I’d be nothing without the gays.
Seeing RuPaul remove his stage persona and unmask his life and most private thoughts was lovely. I’ve known that RuPaul has been at the forefront of drag since the 1980s, but it was incredible to hear him talk about it. He has lived a beautiful life. I was fascinated by how he spoke about how he had to commercialize himself to make himself palatable so that he could be in the living rooms of even the most conservative people, hoping that someone would see themselves in him and his queens.
It was fascinating and beautiful. I cried.
Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz
If you knew me in 2003, you’d know I was a huge One Tree Hill fan obsessed with Chad Michael Murray. As the show went on and I got my first laptop, I was constantly discussing my OTH OTPs and fan theories on message boards.
However, I never knew that while Bethany Joy Lenz, who played Haley, was filming this show I loved, she was also trapped in a cult run by her husband and his family.
Lenz tells her story with humor and strength. It’s an honest and raw memoir about being on a cult TV show while in a cult. Even if you never watched OTH, I’d still recommend it.
Oh, and fun fact: all the people are named after famous characters from vampire novels since she can’t use their real names. I thought that was cute.
The Manicurists Daughter by Susan Lieu
I love a memoir about complicated mother-daughter relationships.
Such a beautiful book about grief, intergenerational trauma, immigration, the American dream, body image, mother-daughter relationships, and motherhood in general. The things Lieu wrote about motherhood hit particularly hard for me, and I cried on the bus lol.
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My favorite books of 2023
2023 was a year that happened and now it’s over, hurray! No, I mean actually it was a fine year – not particularly bad, but not a year I’d tell my grandchildren was the best year ever, either. Just a middle of the road, okay year. Iykyk.
I feel like this is also reflected in the 100 books I read this year, too. I don’t have a stand out as my absolute favorite book of 2023, but I did read some amazing books in 2023 that deserve all my praise. Also, I started a Booktok! So, if you’re on Tik Tok, you should follow me there to get more updates about what I’m reading.
I was in my fantasy reading era this year and leaned heavily into horror. I also only DNF’d two books, which is way lower than usual. Go me!
So, are you ready to hear about my favorite books of 2023?
Let’s go!
My top 10 favorite books of 2023:
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Actually, I lied. This is probably my favorite book of the year. The Reformatory is a sweeping ghost story set in 1950 JimCrow Florida and sheds light on the horror of reformatory schools in the deep south.
If you don’t know anything about reformatories, this book is a good, horrifying intro. They were basically schools where boys who were “troubled” were sent to be reformed, but of course, they were not a place for learning and atoning, but a place filled with racism, sexual and physical abuse, toxic masculinity and everything in between. Boys, especially if they were boys of color, could be sent there for as little as looking at someone the wrong way. It was the place for poor, disenfranchised young kids to be abused and murdered.
Did you know Reform schools were still running and functioning until 2011 (!!!) in Florida? The last one closed the year I graduated high school. When I read that stat, I wanted to vom because my god, Florida needs to pay for it’s sins.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due follows twelve-year-old Robbie, who is sent to one of these horrific schools after kicking the local plantation owners son for groping his sister. Robbie can see ghosts, or haints, and when at the school, sees so much more than he bargains for as he does his best to survive his six month sentence.
This book was beautiful, horrifying, and sad. I cried. I couldn’t put it down.
10/10 would highly recommend.
Slewfoot by Brom
Not only do I support women’s rights, I also support women’s wrongs!
Set in Colonial New England, this witchy story follows a young English woman just trying to the Puritan society she was forced to marry into – but of course everything goes wrong, the devil intervenes (and he’s a hot goat man!), and the evil, misogynistic men in town find out what happens when a strong, independent woman is scorned.
I loved everything about this delicious little novel. Please read it so we can discuss.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
When an unpopular white author watches her Asian rival choke and die right in front of her, she steals her unpublished manuscript, changes her name to sound more “Asian” and does everything she can to rise to fame as a writer.
Yellowface is a scathing look into the world of publishing, racism and the lengths some people will go to get their name in lights.
And tbh with the whole Cait Corrain drama that just happened…this story is probably closer to nonfiction than we’d all think.
R.F. Kuang is such a genius. I would read her grocery list.
Emily Wilde’s Encylopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
We love faeries in this house! 2023 was definitely my cozy fantasy era, and what a great way to get into it than this book.
Do you like Norwegian faeries, hot, brooding professors, and academia? Than this book is perfect for you.
It’s so cute! I cannot wait for the sequel coming out this year because hi, Austrian/German/Swiss Fae! Take all my money!
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Did you know Russian literature is funny? I had no idea Russian Lit would be so damn funny!
C&P was the surprise read of my life. I was expecting a brooding murdery story, which it is, but it’s also a comedic look into 1880s Russian society.
When an anxious little freak decides to kill his pawnbroker for some extra cash, all hell breaks loose and he’s not even remotely trying to hide what he’s done (aka he is fainting and sweating anytime the police even look his direction… like my dude, you’re so bad at this whole murder thing).
I was actually laughing out loud. It was so good! But I would highly suggest making a list of everyone’s names because I was struggling.
Here’s a peek into my list if you need inspo:
How to Survive a Plague by David France
This is a story about the AIDS epidemic and the sick activists who became scientists because the government turned their backs and let them die.
David France was there through the whole thing, and he expertly tells the story from the beginning of the epidemic and shows how these young, gay activists were fighting back to save themselves and the people they love, and how they changed the way we produce medicine today. We honestly have these people to thank for getting the COVID vaccine as quickly as we did.
This was such a great, necessary read that had me in tears and boiling with rage.
I hope Ronald Reagan and Jesse Helms are burning in the deepest, fiery pits of hell. xoxo
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
I loved Hamnet, so I’m so thankful to my friend Shervin for letting me borrow O’Farrell’s latest book.
And as always, she gives a voice to the voiceless. Based off of the poem, The Last Duchess, this is the story of Lucrezia de’ Medici and the marriage she’s forced to have after her sister dies.
I honestly don’t want to say too much about this, because the less you know the more powerful the story. Just trust me! Read it, okay?
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
What would you do if your college best friend writes you out of the blue to ask you to be the live-in nanny for her two kids? Seems like a no-brainer, right? Except there’s one little, teeny-weeny catch: when the kids get angry, they spontaneously burst into flames.
Nothing to See Here is a weird, beautiful little story about found family and the lengths we’ll go to keep the ones we love safe.
I loved it so much.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
It’s no surprise to anyone who has been following this blog for a while that I love time travel stories.
Octavia E. Butler, who is the mother of Sci-Fi, may have written one of the best time travel stories of all time.
Dana, a black woman living in 1970s California, is aprubtly thrown back in time to the antebellum South, which is horrifying for many reasons. In a race against time (literally), she needs to figure out why she keeps being thrust back into time in order to save her ancestors and herself.
I was just blown away by this novel. It’s so intricate, beautiful, and sad.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinback
Honestly, I’m just going to leave you with my Goodreads review:
Honorable Mentions:
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
When a woman goes back to her small town to attend a wedding on a plantation, she finds out quickly that the spirits who roam the land are angry, and they want revenge.
God I loved this book.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I love The Hunger Games and I love Suzanna Collins for disappearing for YEARS to only come back with this absolute BANGER of a prequel. This was so brutal and Snow is a hot, evil bastard.
The ACOTAR Series by Sarah J. Maas
Was this well-written? Not even remotely. I wanted to throw myself off a bridge every time the word “hissed” is written – which would maybe be over 2 million times.
And yet, I had so much fun.
The Stonewall Reader curated by The New York Public Library
An oral history of The Stonewall riots – this curated book of essays and interviews that go minute by minute into the Stonewall riots and it’s aftermath was so beautifully done. It’s also a curious look into memory – and how little details change with time.
Confessions by Kanae Minato
Again, I support women’s rights AND wrongs!!!
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldtree
This was my first forray into low-stakes, cozy fantasy and I had an amazing time! When an Orc decides to put away her bloodied swords to open a coffee shop, she finds love, home, and family. There’s also a talking mouse who bakes bread! We love to see it!
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How are we halfway through 2023 already? The passing of time is infinite and scary. Anyway, I’ve always wanted to do a mid-year book freak-out tag, and everyone has been yelling at me to talk about books (and write) more, so let’s dive in.
2023 Mid-Year Book Freak-Out Tag
How much have you been reading?
So, I’m slightly behind schedule on my reading. Usually, in June, I aim to have read 50 books already. Right now, I’ve read 42 books so far this year. But the month is still young, and I have time! It’s fine!
haunted by the “4 books behind schedule”
What have you been reading?
What haven’t I been reading is the real question. This year has been a mixed bag for genre; I’ve read everything from dystopian YA to horror to romance and even read two very hefty nonfiction books last month (one that included science! Who am I?).
As you can see by the graph below, I’ve read 15 5-star books and 22 4-stars. And no 1-stars yet, which is a miracle!
I just read a really amazing thriller, The Last Word by Taylor Adams, about an author taking revenge on a woman for rating his book one star. And I finally read Seven Days in June by Tia Williams IN JUNE, so I’m thriving.
I’m currently listening to Big Swiss on audiobook and it’s…a lot. It’s like a trainwreck, though, I can’t look away.
Best book you’ve read so far
I don’t have a clear ABSOLUTE favorite for this year yet – which is surprising.
But if I had to pick a favorite as of right now, it would be Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. It’ll definitely be in the top 5 at the end of the year.
When I was a little girl, I not only believed that faeries were real, but I believed I secretly was one. So, this book really spoke to my inner child.
It’s about a professor at Oxford who is writing the first-ever encyclopedia about faeries and fairy lore. She goes to a small town in Norway to research the local Fae called The Hidden Ones, the most elusive of the Folk. However, the town is not happy to have her there, and, annoyingly, her handsome rival Wendall Bemblayy arrives and causes even more chaos in what was meant to be a simple research mission.
I read it in one sitting and loved every second of it. 10/10 would recommend. And the sequel will be set in Austria! Which maybe means she’ll pop by Switzerland! I can’t wait.
Best sequel you’ve read so far
I’ve only read three sequels this year, one incredible, one fine, and one so bad it put me into a reading slump for a month (spoiler: it was the Atlas Paradox – how the mighty have fallen).
The best sequel I’ve read is not really a sequel as it’s the 10th book in a series: Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan Mcguire. I look forward to these books every January. If you haven’t read the Wayward Children’s series, what are you doing with your life?
All the books are less than 100 pages and take you into the most magical story full of doors leading to different worlds, ala Alice in Wonderland. All the children end up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where children who come back from their door worlds go, most of them hoping and praying that their door will appear for them once more. Some books are set at the school, and some are set in the different students’ worlds.
Lost in the Moment and Found follows one of the characters we saw in the previous book, in a world where all the lost things go. It made me cry. Please read this! It’s so diverse and beautifully written. I never want this series to end.
Just going to leave you with the author’s note, which made me cry.
New release you haven’t read yet but want to
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, which is about a white author who steals the work of her Asian rival after she watches her die and pretends to be ethnically ambiguous to get on the bestseller list.
It’s one of my most anticipated releases, and I am so excited to read it. But does anyone else put off reading a book you’re excited to read for fear of reading it too fast? That makes zero sense, but this is what’s happening with Yellowface.
R.F. Kuang is an evil genius. The Poppy War was so brutal, and Babel was one of my favorites (you either love it or hate it), so I expect nothing less from Yellowface.
I’ll read it soon, I promise.
Most anticipated release(s) for the rest of the year
Oof, so many good books are coming out in the second half of the year!
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
His last two books have been a major disappointment, so I’m BEGGING for a good one this time.
I love every thriller Ruth Ware puts out. It’s always an amazing, no-think, twisty time.
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
I’ve found a love for cozy, low-stakes fantasy. Legends and Lattes was truly no stakes, just about an orc opening a coffee shop. I cannot wait for the prequel!
Opinions by Roxane Gay
I would read Roxane Gay’s grocery list, so OBVIOUSLY, I will read her latest essay collection. I mean, duh.
A book that’s out of your comfort zone
TBH, I don’t have a comfort zone because I’ll read anything from any genre as long as it’s well written, but I’d say the closest thing to being out of my comfort zone was reading How to Survive a Plague by David France – which is about the AIDs crisis. France literally lived through the movement and the book goes back and forth between his personal experiences losing everyone around him to the science and history behind AIDs research.
Gay activists were dying, and the government was failing them, so they became scientists themselves. It’s harrowing and will make you angry (like I always hated Reagan, but I hate him even more now). And honestly, it was one of the most well-written and captivating nonfiction books I’ve ever read.
I would highly recommend it.
Biggest surprise
Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky
I had no idea how gruesome but also hilarious C&P would be. I literally laughed out loud multiple times.
New favorite author
Octavia Butler! I read Kindred for the first time this year and I want to read everything she’s ever written.
Underrated gems you’ve read recently
Hex by Jenni Fagan! I bought it in Scotland, and it’s a reimagining of the execution of Geillis Duncan, one of the many women killed for suspicion of being a witch in Scotland during the witch hunt.
I’ve only heard one or two people talk about it, and it’s a shame because it’s so well-written. It’s also less than 200 pages. Such a gem.
Books to read by the end of the year
How much time do you have? I have SO many books I need to finish this year; it actually is making me break out into hives just thinking about it. Can someone please pay me to read full-time? Because if I’m going to read every book I want to read, I need this to be my full-time job.
Anyway, here are 6 of the books I’m definitely going to be reading this year:
Everyone is talking about this book right now, and I need to know if it’s worth the hype. Will report back.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic was one of my favorites, and now Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back with a book about ghosts, maybe werewolves, and definitely Nazis?
The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
You all know I love books that intertwine two storylines throughout history, and that’s exactly what The Wind Knows My Name is – the story of six-year-old Samuel whose father disappears during Kristallnacht. Then he’s shipped off on a boat out of Nazi-Occupied Austria to New York alone. The story of a girl, who is stuck in an immigration camp in 2019 Arizona and finds out she has a relative who is the caretaker for the now eighty-something-year-old Samuel, linking the two lives. I have chills and cannot wait to read it.
Midnight Is The Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
I didn’t love In My Dreams I Hold A Knife but I did love Winstead’s writing so I’m hoping I love her latest novel!
I have no idea what this is about, really and I want to go in blind.
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
All of Steven Rowley’s books have been five stars and have made me cry, so I can’t wait for my annual Rowley sob fest!
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It’s been a year and a half since my last entry. I didn’t want to write a new post until I had made some progress in my self-love journey. And I have to say: it’s been a ride. Unfortunately, I don’t have big revelations for you. I can’t tell you that I finally figured out how to love myself fully or that I look in the mirror and feel beautiful. If I told you that, it would be a lie. I have made progress, though. It’s small, but it is progress. For me, any progress counts.
a photo I probably would’ve never posted 3 years ago
I went to Greece and wore a bathing suit on multiple occasions in front of groups of people and didn’t have a panic attack or end up in tears. I just enjoyed the warmth of the Aegean sea and the sun on my skin and lived my life. Also, a cat fell asleep on my lap at the beach, which helped. You can’t be self-conscious when a cat chooses you.
For a long time, I’ve wondered: will I ever be able to come here and tell you that I love every aspect of who I am? That it’s been years since I looked in the mirror and cried? Months since I spent hours being anxious about what people think about my body? Hours since I thought about the curve of my stomach or how my thighs rub together? I’m not sure.
I’ve learned that loving myself isn’t instantaneous. I won’t wake up one day and suddenly be so full of self-love that I’ll want to burst. Loving myself takes work. I have to actively try to do it all day, every day, for the rest of my life. I must constantly battle the inner voices telling me I’m not pretty enough. Skinny enough. Good enough. It’s hard work, a chore. Something I have to do because it’s worth it.
I find myself being less afraid of having a body. Less afraid of going out into the world and existing just the way I am. That’s progress, isn’t it? Compared to the alternative?
I’m less critical of my appearance, but I still constantly worry that everyone thinks I’m ugly. I’ll look back at photos from two weeks ago and wish I looked like that until I have to remind myself that it was Two. Weeks. Ago. I do look like that. Don’t I?
I hope, at least, that my struggle can give you a little solace if you’re struggling too. We have to exist in a world with FaceApp and filters that drastically warp the way you look, that give you bigger lips, smoother skin, a smaller waist. We compete daily with airbrush, Photoshop, and influencers who aren’t honest about their stretch marks or acne scars.
It’s exhausting, and I’m sorry that the world has to be this way. If anyone understands, it’s me.
So, no, I don’t love myself. Not yet. But I am starting to like myself. And maybe, for now, that’s good enough.
My Favorite Books of 2022
It’s that time of year again when I actually take a minute to update this blog—no, just kidding. It’s the time of year when I get to gush about all of my favorite books! 2021 was a bizarre reading year. 2022 was an exciting year filled with travel, weddings, stress, and joy. I traveled to three new countries (and a new territory), went to three weddings in one month, got my third vaccination, got COVID twice (and survived thanks to said vaccination), quit my job, and got a new one. And in all the chaos, I still managed to read 100 books!
I read some absolute bangers this year, with a whopping 44 five-star reads. 44! In comparison to last year’s 20, this marks 2022 as an epic success for reading. I only had two one-star reads and 15 two-star reads, which isn’t horrible – though I will say the worst books I read this year were probably some of the worst I’ve ever read.
I’m blaming Tik Tok for forcing me to read Forbidden; I will NEVER forgive the booktok girlies for telling me that was worth a read. It was NOT. I also read Fried Green Tomatoes and the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was the most racist book I think I’ve ever read. Like, there were more instances of the N-word than in Huckleberry Finn. A book written in the 1980s should not be more racist than a book written by Mark Twain in 1884. I was shooketh, especially because I loved the movie growing up.
Anyway, you’re not here to hear about my least favorite books, are you?
As always, my favorite books were a mix of genres and authors, though I do notice that I leaned heavily toward literary fiction in 2022. My favorite authors, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Celest Ng, and Emily St. John Mandel, put out new books this year, which you’ll find in both the favorites and honorable mentions sections below.
Let’s get into it!
My top 14 favorite books of 2022:
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I feel like I don’t have to pitch this book to you – most likely, you’ve already heard of it.
And if you haven’t and are extremely offended by the title, don’t be. Jennette McCurdy, of iCarly fame, grew up with a terrible mother who treated her like an object, sexually objectified her, and forced her into an eating disorder. She has every right to be glad her mother died.
Told in straightforward prose, it felt like Jennette was talking directly to me. I cried a lot. This book was like a sucker punch to the gut, and it is by far my favorite book of the year.
Look up the trigger warnings before reading, though. It was intense.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This was my first five-star read in 2022, and my god, what a surprise it was!
Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. He is supposed to save humanity, but he doesn’t know that yet. He’s the lone survivor on his ship, and he doesn’t know his name, his mission, or how his shipmates died. With the help of an unlikely ally (that you will absolutely fall in love with but no spoilers), Ryland begins to get back the threads of his memory and figure out how he will save the world.
This book was a marvel. It’s about humanity, friendship, science, and the lengths we will go to help a friend. I laughed out loud dozens of times. Unlike The Martian, I felt like Andy Weir made the science portion of this a bit more palatable for those right-brained folks reading (i.e., me). I didn’t feel lost ever and was completely absorbed by the story.
Please read this. I also heard the audiobook is incredible as well.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
In 2030, a scientist, trying to carry on his daughter’s legacy after she dies, accidentally unleashes an ancient virus onto the world. This is just the beginning. Spanning hundreds of years, How High We Go in the Dark follows different characters throughout the aftermath of a plague. Each chapter is a new decade and a new story. These little vignettes into life hundreds and thousands of years into the future showcase how hard humanity will fight to survive and what it means to keep on living after disaster.
Ugh, this book! As you know, Station Eleven is my favorite book of all time, and though this did not fill the void in my heart that SE left behind, it got pretty close. It’s a book about hope – which after the last three years, is exactly what I needed.
The writing was gorgeous and atmospheric. I truly got sucked into this universe and could imagine myself living in this world.
As is the case with most anthologies (and though the characters are all linked, I would consider this an anthology), some of the stories were better than others. One of them will stick with me forever (the one about the pig, iykyk).
This was me by the end:
The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore
If you know me, you know I LOVE a time travel story. If a story involves time travel and is well written, there’s a 99% chance I’m going to give it five stars. The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart (or Oona out of Order if you’re in the UK for some reason) was no exception.
I picked up this book in a train station bookstore because I was obsessed with the cover.
The story begins on New Year’s Eve, 1982, and at midnight, Oona Lockart will turn 19. She’s got her entire life ahead of her, and she can’t wait to see what happens next. However, Oona faints at midnight, and the next morning, she wakes up to find that she’s fifty-three years old, with only her secretary and a letter from her past self to guide her. Soon, Oona finds out that she’s destined to live her life out of order and that every year on her birthday, she’ll wake up the next day at a different time of her life, at various different ages. Sometimes she wakes up and she’s young and alone; other times, she’s in bed with someone she’s never met.
I honestly could’ve read 600 more pages of Oona’s life. It was fascinating and so well written. This was just one of those stories that stick with you and make you think about how fragile and beautiful life is. I wanted to read about every year, every decade. This story took the time travel trope and turned it on its head.
I laughed, I cried, and I was anxious and excited. This was, in my opinion, an excellent book. I don’t know too many people who have read it – so please pick it up so we can gush about it together.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
read this for Marvin the cat
I am, and forever will be, an Emily St. John Mandel stan. If Emily has 100,000 fans, I’m one of them. One fan? It’s me. If she has no fans, then I’m no longer on this earth. I love her writing and stories; Station Eleven has changed me forever.
The summary of Sea of Tranquility is convoluted and a little bit complicated, but don’t let that deter you. Set in a different universe than Station Eleven and in one a bit closer to our own, this is the story of a plague, but it’s also the story of what would happen if you could reach through time and change the world. I’m not even going to try and get into the nitty-gritty of the plot because I don’t think it’s necessary for you to know before you read it. Just read it. Trust me. It was also one of Obama’s favorite books of the year, so if you don’t believe me, at least believe him.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by John Krakauer
I would like to formally apologize to everyone who I forced to listen to me talk about Mount Everest while I was reading this book, especially Michael, and also apologies to my (now former) co-workers who had to listen to me babble about dead bodies as trail markers and the unfair treatment of Sherpas during our lunch break. This book sent me into…a hyper-fixated spiral. It’s fine! I’m fine!
One of many texts from Michael telling me to stop reading about Mount Everest because I was having nightmares lol
My fixation with Everest began not with this book but with a Tik Tok of an influencer documenting her climb to the summit. After watching a few of her Tik Toks, I thought, “Why in the absolute fuck would ANYONE do this to themselves?” which sent me down a Google rabbit hole, which led me to read Into Thin Air.
On May 10, 1996, a rogue storm hit Everest, killing dozens of people on the mountain. John Krakauer, a journalist, and writer of Into the Wild, just happened to be summiting during this storm. What was supposed to be a review of the summiting tour he was on turned into a first-person account of one of Mount Everest’s deadliest disasters. He talks about witnessing his friends and colleagues die on the mountain and explores why people continue to throw caution to the wind and climb Everest.
Krakauer approaches this disaster with care and precision. You can feel his survivor guilt dripping off the page, but he still manages to tell the story in an extremely informative and honest way.
By now, this book is a classic, and I don’t think I will ever forget it. I get chills just thinking about it.
If you’re ever thinking of climbing Mount Everest, read this book first and then talk to me. I think I can talk you out of it.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
This is now…the third time travel book on this list. Whoops. What can I say? 2022 was the year for time travel, I guess!
What if you could take a vacation to your past? On her 40th birthday, Alice finds herself back in 1996, at 16. It’s not just being a teenager again that’s enticing; it’s the fact that Alice sees her dad, who is no longer sick and back to his charming, fun-loving self. Thus begins Alice’s journey to see if she can save her father in the past so she can have more time with him in the present.
I loved every moment of this book – I couldn’t put it down. It was thought-provoking and sad and gorgeous. A story about family and what it means to love someone.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
This was the novel that inspired me to book a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon, aka Shakespeare’s hometown, and book tickets to see Richard III at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford. It was Michael’s first ever Shakespeare play, and he is now just as obsessed as I am. Love that for us. I got COVID while seeing Richard III, but if I was going to get the plague…where else than where Shakespeare lived and died, am I right?
The set of Richard III – omg this show was INCREDIBLE
Hamnet is not the story of Shakespeare, though. Not really. Shakespeare isn’t ever named. He’s just called The Father or The Playwright throughout the novel. Hamnet is the story of his wife, Anne Hathaway (not the actress), and his son, Hamnet, whose death from the Black Plague inspired him to write Hamlet.
O’Farrell takes a literary look into the lives of these elusive family members of the world’s greatest playwright. The beginning was a bit slow. I had to get through about fifty pages before I could get into it. But once I did, I fell in love with the way O’Farrell deep-dived into the life and death of Hamnet and dealt with the intricacies of grief. There’s even one chapter told through the perspective of a flea that is carrying the Black Death on its back. Not everyone appreciated that chapter, but I loved it.
If you’re in any way a Shakespeare fan, you have to pick this up. And you definitely should go to Stratford-Upon-Avon if you have the chance.
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
Oh, hi, it me, a girl who thoroughly sobbed over the fact that the hotel in this book is not real and I cannot go to it.
I mean, talk about fluff. Perfect, beautiful, escapism fluff. That’s what this book was. It’s a book about a hotel, and it’s a love story, but it’s also a ghost story, too. It has all of my favorite elements of a cozy read: a beautiful setting, witty characters, and POV from the perspective of an 18th-century maid who haunts the halls of the hotel and intentionally brings the hotel business by doing ghosty things and also fights a rapist. ALL. OF. THE. THINGS. I. LOVE.
After reading this, the urge to quit my job and buy a hotel by the sea was so real. I did quit my job, though (thank god), but not to buy a hotel by the sea, unfortunately.
Read this book if you love ghosts, hot chefs, and beautiful hotel settings. I promise you won’t regret it.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
If that cover alone doesn’t make you want to read Remarkably Bright Creatures, then I don’t know what to tell you.
This is the story of second chances, unlikely friendships, a mysterious death, and the ways in which we’re connected to each other. It’s also the story of an extremely intelligent octopus who befriends a grieving old lady and is the only one holding the key to the answer that has plagued her for years: what happened to her son?
I listened to the audiobook, which I would highly recommend. It’s a full cast and brilliantly done.
I laughed. I cried. It was breathtaking.
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Notes on an Execution is a complex, wondrous novel. The novel centers around Ansel Packer, a serial killer who is on death row and hours away from his execution. But the real story is not about Ansel; it’s about the women who have defined his life. His mother, the female detective on his case, and his ex-wife’s twin sister. Told from their perspectives as well as Ansel’s perspective in the last hours of his life, we begin to build up the story of Ansel’s past and unravel the complexities of a monster.
“Human nature could be so hideous, but it persisted in this ugliness by insisting it was good.”
I was immediately absorbed into this novel – it was unputdownable.
A Psalm for the Wild Built + A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers
So, technically, these are two novels, but they’re both so short (about 160 pages each) that you can read them back to back. They’ll make for a full-length novel.
In a distant future, after robots become sentient, they decide that humanity does not need them and make a mass exodus into the wilderness, never to be seen again. That is, until a few hundred years later, a non-binary tea monk named Dex comes across a robot named Mosscap who cannot go back into the wilderness until they answer the question: “What is it that humans need?”
Dex and Mosscap then begin a heartwarming adventure to figure out the answer to what seems like an impossible question. Adorable and hilarious hijinks ensue.
A world where labor is not a chore or a necessity. IF ONLY
This was SO COZY and cute. I loved Dex – they were such a relatable character, and omg, I would literally die for Mosscap. It made me CRY because it’s just so NICE. I love the prospect of this future – it’s a kind and diverse and inclusive one. It’s the kind of future you can only dream of.
If you’re looking for a quick and heartwarming fantasy to cuddle up with, I would highly recommend this duology.
Sourdough by Robin Sloan
Have you ever wanted to read a book that’s like if The Great British Bake-Off and Fight Club had a baby? Then boy, do I have a book for you because that’s exactly what Sourdough was: a weird little book about baking sourdough and underground secret societies and sourdough starter that’s haunted and alive.
This was sitting on my shelf for like two years, and I’m angry with myself for depriving my brain of this wild, strange, and perfect book. It also made me want to bring my sourdough starter back to life (because it’s currently sitting dead in my fridge) and perfect the art of baking bread.
Piranesi by Susanna Clark
I can’t really tell you anything about this book without spoiling it in some way or another. But, if you like Greek Mythology, labyrinths, mysteries, and unreliable (yet adorable) narrators, then you will love Piranesi. Also, if you want a book with the baffling ambiance of A Starless Sea and The Secret History‘s dark academia/mystery, then you’ll definitely love this book.
A quick tip to make your reading journey more enjoyable: no need to keep track of the dates or places in each of Piranesi’s journal entries. It’ll all make sense later.
Also, this was me:
Honorable Mentions:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (a reread…for the fifth time in four years)
I know, I know. I have a problem. This is my favorite book!!! Leave me alone!
Next year and the year after that. You can’t stop me!
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I will read anything, and I mean ANYTHING, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, including her grocery list. I also love tennis, so this was destined to be a perfect book for me.
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
A memoir about complex PTSD. Not a walk in the park. Tears guaranteed.
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
A beautifully written book about Alice, a woman slowly losing her memory. Truly unforgettable.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
I will also read Emily Henry’s grocery list. This was the perfect summer rom-com, and it got extra kudos for having a tall protagonist who is actually tall (and not 5’7. Hate to break it to you, but 5’7 is not tall. xoxo, your 6 ft tall friend).
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
I thought this would be a rom-com, but it wasn’t! It was yet another time-travel story about grief and mother-daughter relationships. I laughed, I cried, I must go to Positano immediately.
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanen McGuire
Seanen McGuire never misses!! Yet another perfect installment of the Wayward Children series.
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Filling the magic middle-grade void in my witch-and-wizard-loving heart. Except it’s diverse and not even a little TERFy! #Blessed
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Will I ever not love a book by Kazuo Ishiguro? Not sure! Hasn’t happened yet, though! We love robots and social commentary in this house!
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
Finally, read the inspiration for the Hunger Games and a million other dystopian novels. Brutal AF!
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How this blog started
When I first started this blog in 2015, I was in my last semester of college and dreaming desperately of seeing the world. Or rather, I was dreaming of getting out. Out of school, out of New York, out of my life.
It’s not a surprise to anyone that I was unhappy back then. And if it is a surprise, you most likely only knew my life from the pictures I posted online. Pictures of bars and selfies and drinks I couldn’t afford.
Oh, I was SAD sad.
I started FemaleHemingway after my friend Dylan introduced me to Travel Massive, and I met so many wonderful people whose job was travel blogging. It had never occurred to me that you could actually travel blog for a living, and the thought of being a traveling nomad was thrilling.
This blog became a manifestation journal: If I want it bad enough, it’ll happen.
And in some ways, that manifestation became reality. But it also didn’t, too.
A year later, I had gone on a solo trip to Montreal and a solo trip to the Hudson Valley and my life was completely in shambles. I’m not being dramatic, either. My life was a mess. I found myself crying myself to sleep six out of seven nights a week. I didn’t blog about those trips because it didn’t feel right to talk about them. They were fun trips that I couldn’t afford and I used them as a way to escape my life. It didn’t feel authentic to pretend. I had just turned twenty-three and I was exhausted.
The best thing about Montreal were the friends I made
Then, my friend Nick died. His death, in many ways, put me on the path that lead me to where I am now.
I have begun,
when I’m weary and can’t decide an answer to a bewildering questionto ask my dead friends for their opinion
and the answer is often immediate and clear.Should I take the job? Move to the city? Should I try to conceive a child
in my middle age?
They stand in unison shaking their heads and smiling—whatever leads
to joy, they always answer,-excerpt from My Dead Friends by Marie Howe
Most of you know of the batshit decision I made to completely pick up my life and move it to Switzerland. My dad had lived here since I was 16. After Nick died, my need for escape became insurmountable. So I asked my dad if he could bring me to Zurich.
I know, despite how genuinely broke I was, that I’m privileged to have had a dad who could buy me a ticket to Switzerland. Though to be fair, it was a 400 USD ticket on AirBerlin, a year before the airline went defunct, with a long layover in Frankfurt. I’ve never found a ticket that cheap from New York to Zurich again (trust me, I’ve searched).
The beginning of that trip was a series of right places, right times. I call it luck but I also call it fate.
You all know what happens from there.
It’s funny because back in 2016, I was adamant that I didn’t just move to Switzerland for “a guy.” I told everyone that I moved there “for me.” I only saw things in black and white when I was twenty-three. What I didn’t realize was that moving to Switzerland for love and moving there for me was very much the same thing. Also, I’m not sure that anyone can call Michael just “a guy.”
This blog became what I had always wanted, a real-life travel blog. I was seeing new countries and writing about them! Living the dream, writing literary tours, doing everything I said I wanted to do.
But, I wasn’t a traveling nomad. In fact, I didn’t really want to be one.
All I’ve ever needed to succeed has been stability, and I have it here. I did the impossible thing of moving to a brand new country and actually thriving. I was like a little seed, planted in a village just outside of Zurich, and it’s taken me the past few years to really grow.
In writing this, I can actually say that I’m happy. It’s not a lie like it was in 2015. I’m so bloody happy that even on bad days, my happiness shines through. It reaches my eyes.
I have a home and friends and new family, too. New York City is where I’m from but Switzerland is where I belong.
However, after I realized I’m not cut out to be a traveling nomad, I also realized I’m not a travel blogger, either.
My consistency in updating this blog has been sporadic at best. I think it’s mostly because I put myself in a box. You have to only write about travel, I would tell myself. I should have known better than to try and thrive in a box. That’s never worked out for me.
So, what’s next?
Since 2020, I haven’t been doing much traveling. Obviously. I’ve only traveled a few times, and now planning a trip comes with the added anxiety of a new COVID wave.
Instead, I’ve just been working on becoming the best version of myself. I go to therapy every other week and I’m learning how to love even the worst parts of me.
This blog was started with every intention to become a travel blog but now, I want something else.
I still want to write about travel, but I want to write about home too. Switzerland has so much to discover, and I want to show it to you. I don’t want to travel with the sole plan of writing a post, but I do want you to know about the places I’ve seen so maybe you can see them, too one day.
I want to continue my blogs about mental health and books and share my journey of recovering from body dysmorphia. I’ve gone back and forth between rebranding this blog all together with a new name, but the inspiration hasn’t hit me yet so I think FemaleHemingway is here to stay.
I’m just not entirely sure what FemaleHemingway means anymore. Back when it started, FemaleHemingway was an escape, a moniker I could call myself to show everyone how tough I was (god, Ernest would’ve been proud). But now, I’m not sure who FemaleHemingway is to twenty-eight-year-old me.
I guess we’ll find out together.
What I’m really trying to say is, I want 2022 to be the year I stop trying to fit this blog into a box.
I have a few trips planned that will (hopefully) happen and I want to share those with you. But I also want to share some of my favorite places in Switzerland, tell you about my favorite books, and talk honestly with you about mental health.
I hope you’ll stick around for the ride because I am SO excited for what might happen next.
I think you’ll be excited, too.
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2020 was rough, but I read so many incredible books that at least I can say something good came of that horrible, exhausting year. 2021, on the other hand, has been weird. I say weird because I’m not entirely sure how else to describe it. I got vaccinated (and you should, too) and for a few months, things shifted into an alternate reality of normal where I could travel again and see my family and friends. Now, we’re back in lockdown hell.
I’m not sure I need to explain the weirdness to you, you experienced 2021, too. As far as reading goes, I still made my 100 books a year goal, just barely. Though I read 100 books as I do every year, the quality of books I read in 2021 just wasn’t as high as I expect.
Since my 2020 favorites list was so successful, I knew I wanted to write a 2021 version. However, unlike last year, sitting down to pick my favorite books of the year was difficult. I still had clear favorites but the quality of reads overall was just meh. I had to really think about the books that made an impact on me instead of being able to bring up a list from the top of my head.
For context, in 2020, I had 37 five-star reads. This year, I had only 20. I know for some who don’t read as much as I do, 20 seems like a lot, and it is! But the 20 books were spread out through the entire year, the rest of my reading falling between 3-4 stars. So I only had a few books I absolutely despised and a few I really loved. The rest were just fine.
For me, a favorite doesn’t necessarily have to be 5 stars, though. A favorite means a book that will stick with me for years to come, that I’ll want to scream about from the rooftops and tell everyone I know to read it immediately. I only had a few of those this year, and I’m listing them here.
me trying to explain why it was a weird reading year to you
Anyway, it’s still an accomplishment that I managed to find any joy at all this year. So let’s celebrate that joy.
As always, there’s a mix of genres and a plethora of diverse characters written by diverse authors. And a few honorable mentions, because even if it was a meh reading year, there were still some other reads that I think everyone should pick up.
My top 10 favorite books of 2021:
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
This is by far my favorite book of the year. A memoir about grief and mother daughter relationships that is both hilarious and so incredibly sad. I related to so much and it had me sobbing throughout.
Michelle Zauner, the lead singer of the band Japanese Breakfast, writes a love story to Korean food, music, and her mother. After her mom passes away, she finds herself often crying at H-Mart, a Korean-American supermarket chain, when she’s picking up ingredients to make her mother’s favorite foods.
The book flows between the past and present of Zauner’s life, and paints a picture of Zauner’s mom, a woman who is far from perfect but who did her best to raise Zauner the only way she knew how.
This is a joyful and sad book about daughterhood and will have you craving Korean Food after every chapter. It’s perfect.
Paralian – Not Just Transgender by Liam Klenk
I have the honor of knowing Liam in real life but even if I didn’t, I would still feel like he was a friend after I finished his memoir.
With each chapter themed after a body of water that shaped his life, Klenk tells the story of growing up in the wrong body and his journey towards transition, love, and acceptance.
This book is such a raw, authentic look into the waves of life, from growing up by the Swabian sea to joining the circus, and I found myself laughing out loud and crying tears of joy.
Though this is the story of a trans man navigating the world, anyone of any gender identity or sexuality can relate to this book. There are so many moments in Liam’s memoir that describe what it’s like to be human and I often find myself thinking about these moments even now.
Please read Paralian! You won’t regret it.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
This book could be best described as a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day, a fuzzy blanket, and a hug. It’s quite literally a hug in book form. I’m kind of surprised that I read this book this year, because I had convinced myself that I read it years ago, which is a testament to how good it was.
We’re introduced to Linus Baker, an up-tight man who lives a quiet and solitary life. However, his work takes him to an orphange filled with children that are far from ordinary – including a green blob named Chauncey whose only dream is to be a bell hop and Lucy, the literal son of Lucifer. These children and their handsome yet mysterious caretaker will prove to be more than Linus bargained for and he learns that maybe a solitary life spent following the rules isn’t a life he wants to live after all.
I would absolutely die for all of these characters, especially Chauncey, who I wish was my son.
If you need escapism ASAP, this is the book for you.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
I recommend this book ONLY if you read the trigger warnings first. Because oh lord is this full of triggers, including on page grooming, pedophillia, and sexual abuse.
Grown is inspired by the horrors of the R. Kelly case, which should give you an inclination about how triggering it might be. Instead of R. Kelly, though, we have Korey Fields. Korey is an R&B singer who takes a liking to our protag, Enchanted, a sixteen year old with dreams of becoming a star.
The book begins with Enchanted waking up with blood on her hands and a dead Korey in front of her. She has no memory of what happened. We’re then taken back in time to when Enchanted meets Korey and learn of the horrors before his murder.
Despite the many, MANY trigger warnings, I think this book is extremely important, especially for teenagers to read. As an adult, it’s easy to get frustrated with Enchanted as she falls for Korey’s obvious grooming, but this book could literally save lives. It shows all the signs of grooming and emotional abuse that a teenager may not be aware of or able to pick up on. Jackson does an amazing job of showing how grooming can often disguise itself as romance.
Despite how difficult the themes are, Grown was unputdownable and thus deserves a spot on this list.
The One by John Marrs
All I have to say is: Get. The. Audiobook. It’s incredible.
This book was wild. WILD! I can’t say much without spoiling, but this book follows a group of people who use the genetic-matching service, Match Your DNA, which promises that with one quick mouth swab, you can find your soulmate. Our characters all find out they’ve been matched, and it will change the coarse of their lives forever and sometimes, it will end in blood.
This was an unconventional thriller that had me on the edge of my seat, and it’s nothing like the Netflix show. It’s better. I loved every bloody second of it.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
84, Charing Cross Road is delightful epistolary memoir about a life-long love of books. When I first started reading this, I had no idea it was nonfiction because Helen’s voice was so funny and quirky that I didn’t think it could be real. But when I found out it was, I literally squealed (seriously, you can ask Michael) because that made this book all the more charming.
Me reading this book
This story begins when Helen writes a letter to a British bookstore called Marks & Co in London. This starts a twenty year correspondance between Helen and her bookseller Frank Doel. They begin to create a friendship that spans across oceans and borders.
This is a very short book but it’s filled with so much heart. Anyone who has a love for books and bookstores should definitely pick this up.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Convenience Store Woman is the story of Keiko Furukura. Keiko has never fit in her entire life until she turns eighteen and gets a job at “Smile Mart”, a japanese convience store. It’s then that her life really starts. Her family and friends can’t understand why she would want waste her life away working in food service, and they don’t get why she won’t get a “real job” and get married already.
Keiko doesn’t understand why her family and friends don’t want to just let her be happy. She can’t be human the way they expect her to. So, they’d never understand that it’s at Smile Mart where she learns to belong.
This is a short but witty book about the people who don’t fit in to the boxes of ordinary society, and it’s both triumphant and sad. I loved every second of this little novel.
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
A creepy, unsettling sci-fi fairytale about two twins who were seperated at birth and they’re not fully human. Once they find each other, they realize that they have the power to become gods.
It literally took me a year to finish this book. I kept picking it up, setting it down, reading it, and then forgetting everything and having to start over.
The beginning of this story is filled with so much information and it can get a bit confusing. I felt like I really had to be in the mood to read a very science-filled, alchemical story in order to finish. However, once I got into the story and found myself getting comfortable, I could not put it down. For this reason, I would recommend physically reading it instead of opting for the audiobook. I tried to listen to it and if you zone out for even a second, you may be like “Wait, what just happened???”
So, if you’re willing to feel a bit lost and confused for around 20% of this book, I would say it’s completely worth it for the journey this story takes you. Absolutely brilliant. The ending made me breathless. I cannot wait for the sequel.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
A sapphic love story set in McCarthy era San Fransisco? Sign me UP!
This was wonderful and such a bittersweet look into the lives of two girls who love each other, in a time when loving another woman was a radical, dangerous thing.
America in 1954 was not a great time to be queer, especially in Chinatown, where Red Scare paranoia was running rampant. 17-year-old Lily Hu meets Kathleen Miller at school. It’s the first time she’s ever met someone who is like her.
Kathleen takes Lily to the Telegraph Club one night, a lesbian bar. It’s here where Lily discovers an underground world filled with women who are unapologetically themselves. Despite the world working against them and her father’s deportation for being a communist looming, Lily and Kathleen risk everything to allow their love to thrive.
It’s always important to remember that queer people have always been here and this novel encapsulates that so well. I fell in love with all the patrons of the telegraph club. I think you will, too.
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Every year, Michael and I read a Stephen King novel in October for spooky-season. This year we chose Salem’s Lot and oh my god I loved it.
This is modern vampirism at it’s best. If you love vampires and punk horror as much as I do, you should pick this up ASAP.
Also, Netflix’s Midnight Mass is loosely based off this novel. So, if you watched that this October and loved it, you’ll love Salem’s Lot, too.
Honorable Mentions:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (a reread…again)
This is the fourth time I’ve read this book in three years. Whoops! It also made it on to last year’s list. I think it’s safe to say this is one of my favorite books.
The HBO Max adaptation just came out (and it’s great), so it’s a good time as any to read it again.
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
I described The House in the Cerulean Sea as “like a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day, a fuzzy blanket, and a hug.” I would say the exact same thing about Under The Whispering Door, except I’d swap out coffee for tea and a rainy day to a crisp Fall day, one of the perfect ones where the sun is shining and the leaves are a shock of vibrant oranges and reds.
I’ll also leave you with this:
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
I don’t usually like to put sequel’s on favorite lists, which is why this is under honorable mentions. I personally liked this better than the first book. It was so poignant and funny. It discussed many of the themes we deal with on a daily basis, like the affects of social media fame and how computers run the world.
I loved every second.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Want to laugh and cry at the same time? Then you’ll love reading Guncle.
As someone with my own Guncle, this really pulled at my heartstrings.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my all time favorite authors. I read Malibu Rising in one day. Though this didn’t have the same impact on my soul as some of her other books, it’s still a favorite.
If you love gossip, old hollywood, and the Beach Boys, you’ll love this book.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Concrete Rose is a prequel to The Hate U Give, following Starr’s father when he was a teenager.
I liked THUG more, but I was so happy to be back in this world.
Disfigured by Amanda Leduc
I gave this a bit of a low rating because I felt like it could’ve gone further, but I find myself thinking of it when I watch movies these days. Disfigured is a novel that explores how we percieve disability in fantasy. Often times, the disabled person in fantasy is a villian or evil or “scary”. Leduc, who is disabled herself, talks about the impact this perception had on her own life and makes you think about how even in stories able-bodied people don’t make space for the disabled.
As I mentioned, I wanted Leduc to go further into this analysis, but I would definitely recommend this book as a start for anyone looking to dive deeper into how ableism affects the world and the stories we tell.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the plot of this book because it was literally EVERYWHERE in 2020 and early 2021. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t talking about it. And I have to say, it definitely lived up to the hype.
This was a gorgeously written novel about priviledge and I would highly recommend it.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A time travel book where you can travel back in time but you have to get back before your coffee gets cold? I was hooked from the start. Points deducted because the cover shows a cat and there was not a single cat in this book 🙁
