It’s that time again—lying awake, letting my thoughts spiral. Sleep won’t come. Earlier today, my friend mentioned Snow Crash, a cyberpunk novel she loves. Cyberpunk happens to be my favorite style too. Sometimes I wonder—if I were a robot, maybe I wouldn’t feel so… not unhappy exactly, but worn out. Exhausted. There was a time when I used to think, if God exists, could He just take me away? Jesus loves me, right? Recently, while watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, I found myself wishing for her kind of life—living for centuries, looking like a little cat, never growing old. During… Read more: Rambling at 3 am

I wanted to write something about The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler… but honestly, nothing profound came to mind. So I guess this will just be a casual ramble. I discovered this book through Will I met in a group chat. One night, we were all on a group call—singing, joking, talking nonsense. But as it got later, the mood shifted. People started opening up. I was building a long staircase in Minecraft’s wasteland biome at the time, but I paused my game to join the conversation. While talking and scrolling through my feed during a lull, Will recommended this… Read more: A Quiet Reflection on The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

It’s not easy to write this book review—especially because both the author and the book are quite well-known. When Hessler left Fuling, he was 29—just like me now. What amazed me most was how clearly the author laid everything out—you don’t need any prior knowledge of Chongqing to appreciate the story. I first read Other Rivers last summer. Although most of the details have faded from memory, I remember enjoying it—otherwise, I wouldn’t have picked up River Town. After finishing this book, I found myself wanting to recommend it to anyone curious about life in 1990s China. Although I’ve never… Read more: Book Review: River Town by Peter Hessler 

Writing a review after forgetting most of the book’s content is probably the best way to do it, as it helps avoid getting overly focused on a specific chapter or passage. I want to recommend this book: Dear Girls by Ali Wong. Although Ali Wong’s comedy specials are rated 18+ and the book itself starts with a warning for readers over 20, I still found myself deeply moved and laughing out loud. She talks about growing up as the youngest in her family with older brothers and sisters, her parents, her school life, college, her study aboard in Vietnam, relationships,… Read more: Dirty Jokes and Deep Truths: Dear Girls by Ali Wong

Context & My Perspective This book, The Anxious Generation, along with my review, primarily discusses Gen Z in American society. Gen Z refers to those born between roughly 1995 and 2009—often called the “Internet Generation” because they grew up alongside the internet. Those born after 2009 are considered Gen Alpha. For those born around 2010, their defining experiences likely include short-form videos, the COVID-19 pandemic, and AI. Some of my peers have been using computers since they were young, while a large portion of them could only use them at the school library. I grew up playing many computer games,… Read more: Book Review of The Anxious Generation

I read the first book of the Twilight series. For a guy, picking up a romance novel like this was a fresh experience. I had heard about the movie adaptation before, as well as Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park. I liked the song, but after realizing the book was a romance, I never listened to it again. Teenage romance dramas have always been popular among young people worldwide, whether it’s Twilight or newer hits like Love and Deepspace. The fantasy of meeting a tall, handsome, caring, and slightly temperamental boyfriend is an appealing one. Perhaps part of the reason is that this kind of… Read more: ‘Boy Culture’ and Twilight

I still can’t help taking screenshots while reading this book, Source Code by Bill Gates, but honestly, I forget a lot of details once I finish. This note only covers Gates’ life before college. 1. Family Values I don’t see the way the Gates family raised him as the typical “tiger parenting” style common in Asia. This book gave me a clearer picture of his family—wisdom, role models, and knowing when to step back. From what I understand, his family wasn’t part of the first-generation self-made rich, so their approach to raising kids was different. Whether it was hosting family… Read more: How to Become an IT Guru? Book Review of Source Code

I recently finished reading 贫穷的质感 (The Texture of Poverty) by Wang Bang, a book written in simplified Chinese. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an English version available yet, but I may have first come across it through Threads.

I just finished reading “Firefly Lane,” and today I also completed my vocabulary list, but I haven’t been able to write my thoughts on it yet. My limited life experience might prevent me from fully grasping the emotions conveyed in those stories. The story portrays a friendship that spans decades, and I’m not sure if I truly resonated with it or felt moved. I’ve seen comments online criticizing Tully’s character as unlikable and expressing sadness over Kate’s character arc. Besides, the story provides a detailed account of Tully and Kate’s different life paths. In the later parts, their contact is… Read more: The Complexities of Long-Lasting Friendship and Life in Firefly Lane (Novel)

Reading “The Most Fun We Ever Had” was akin to immersing oneself in a deeply introspective drama, much like the TV series This Is Us. The novel’s exploration of the characters’ emotional landscapes is exceptionally detailed and nuanced, allowing me to view the same events from various internal perspectives. This sense of clarity and authenticity was striking. Upon finishing the book, I came across news that Lombardo, the author, intends to write a novel set in her hometown community. She is also the youngest of five siblings, with three older sisters. Lombardo mentioned that she plans to draw from her… Read more: Reflections on “The Most Fun We Ever Had” by Claire Lombardo