Miss Clueless

"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles begins with a map of Moscow, 1922, showing the Metropol Hotel and an epigraph, the poem "Where Is It Now?" by Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, 1913.  Published : 2016 Author : Amor Towles  Genres : Historical Fiction, Urban fiction, Political fiction Pages : 462 My rating : 3.5/5 The novel is divided into five parts and presents a unique premise: a gentleman under house arrest in a luxury hotel in Moscow. At first glance, this premise does not seem particularly compelling for a full-length novel (at least for me), but Towles manages to craft an engaging and elegant narrative. One of the novel's highlights is its prose, sophisticated and beautiful. Towles' admiration for Russian literature is evident throughout the book, and I couldn't relate more. I found the conversations between the protagonist, Count Rostov, and his friends—Mishka, Osip, Anna, and Nina—particularly enjoyable. It shows the author's talent for di...

"The night I watch Athena Liu die, we're celebrating her TV deal with Netflix."  The opening line of Yellowface by R. F. Kuang immediately sets a tone of intrigue and suspense.  Published : 2023 Author : R. F. Kuang  Genres : Satire, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction Pages : 336 My rating : 3/5 The book centers around June Hayward, an aspiring author who becomes embroiled in controversy after witnessing the death of her former classmate, Athena Liu, a literary sensation. When June decides to rewrite Athena's manuscript and pass it off as her own, chaos ensues, and she has to deal with accusations of cultural appropriation and plagiarism. Throughout the book, there are frequent references to movies, celebrities, and pop culture topics, many of which I am familiar with (it's funny how familiar I am with Western pop culture). I was thinking it'd be fun to be friends with Kuang and chat about all these topics. I even took a break to watch Christopher Nolan...