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jadejesus18's review against another edition
4.0
It made me laugh and it made me miss the east coast desperately. I think I’m feeling the opposite of Mary. I hate the west.
thekarpuk's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like I just got one half of a really good dinner conversation here, which is probably one of the more positive experiences I've had with a Kindle single.
"Oh, Never Mind" seems like it shouldn't work as well as it does, because superficially these essays are essentially just Choi shooting the shit about her life up to this point.
But I bought it for the same reason I kept reading it, Choi's style. It's breezy but not superficial, with interesting insights and a good flavor for setting and pacing. It really does fulfill that old trope about how good writing is like good conversation.
More than anything, it just disappointed me to find out she didn't have any books out yet, so I'll just have to keep an eye out for new releases.
"Oh, Never Mind" seems like it shouldn't work as well as it does, because superficially these essays are essentially just Choi shooting the shit about her life up to this point.
But I bought it for the same reason I kept reading it, Choi's style. It's breezy but not superficial, with interesting insights and a good flavor for setting and pacing. It really does fulfill that old trope about how good writing is like good conversation.
More than anything, it just disappointed me to find out she didn't have any books out yet, so I'll just have to keep an eye out for new releases.
postcorporeal's review against another edition
3.0
too short to really be distinguishable (or rather really go into any topics that might make it such)
theresidentbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Lately, I have been obsessed with Mary H.K. Choi's work. I read Emergency Contact and adored it, and I bought Permanent Record as soon as it came it (though I haven't read it yet). I was excited to see that Choi had an essay collection and that I could read it for free with my short-lived Kindle Unlimited. (I feel like I talk about Kindle Unlimited a lot. Is Amazon sponsoring? No? Shame, but also Jeff Bezos is a supervillain so I don't mind.)
Choi's distinct voice translates well to essay writing. I would read a longer collection from Choi. It's like reading the stories of a cooler, older friend who knows exactly how to get me to stay for one more glass of wine. Some of her essays dragged on (like the one about her dating someone who works at an airport), but others are insightful, well-constructed, and biting without being cynical. I particularly liked the ones where she discussed her Korean identity and how she decided to move to New York.
If you like Choi's fiction, I'd recommend this short essay collection.
Choi's distinct voice translates well to essay writing. I would read a longer collection from Choi. It's like reading the stories of a cooler, older friend who knows exactly how to get me to stay for one more glass of wine. Some of her essays dragged on (like the one about her dating someone who works at an airport), but others are insightful, well-constructed, and biting without being cynical. I particularly liked the ones where she discussed her Korean identity and how she decided to move to New York.
If you like Choi's fiction, I'd recommend this short essay collection.
alindstadtcorbo's review against another edition
4.0
Star Rating —> 3.5 Stars Rounded ^
*Note: Possible triggers for some more sensitive readers ! The author does NOT hold back, and the writing is raw & most-times gritty in content. If profanity bothers you this is definitely not for you. Just a warning.*
An unabashedly honest- I mean seriously, no holds barred, AT ALL -& the best kind of snarky, yet somehow charming short story memoir on being a Korean woman living in America, & living in New York- and how that affected Choi’s life from her teens to 12 years later, when she moved to LA to write full time.
She talks about the different jobs that she went through, the boyfriends she dated (mostly, for far too long), the pressure of her mother, struggling with bulimia, & dealing with others’ perceptions of her as an Asian young woman/ woman (because the fact that you’re Asian is all people usually see, no matter where you are from) in America.
It is at its heart, a story about how happiness is the key to living a fulfilled life & becoming acclimated to the fact, which she came to learn from her quite lengthy time living in New York, that you shouldn’t take anyone else’s judgements to heart.
As she so bluntly puts it-
“I don’t take anything personally anymore because there’s nothing special about your crazy when everyone everywhere is out of their fucking minds.”
*Note: Possible triggers for some more sensitive readers ! The author does NOT hold back, and the writing is raw & most-times gritty in content. If profanity bothers you this is definitely not for you. Just a warning.*
An unabashedly honest- I mean seriously, no holds barred, AT ALL -& the best kind of snarky, yet somehow charming short story memoir on being a Korean woman living in America, & living in New York- and how that affected Choi’s life from her teens to 12 years later, when she moved to LA to write full time.
She talks about the different jobs that she went through, the boyfriends she dated (mostly, for far too long), the pressure of her mother, struggling with bulimia, & dealing with others’ perceptions of her as an Asian young woman/ woman (because the fact that you’re Asian is all people usually see, no matter where you are from) in America.
It is at its heart, a story about how happiness is the key to living a fulfilled life & becoming acclimated to the fact, which she came to learn from her quite lengthy time living in New York, that you shouldn’t take anyone else’s judgements to heart.
As she so bluntly puts it-
“I don’t take anything personally anymore because there’s nothing special about your crazy when everyone everywhere is out of their fucking minds.”
akemi's review against another edition
3.0
After getting to hear her at YALLWEST, I was really excited to check out her work. I think I will enjoy her YA novels more and this was enjoyable but I had a hard time relating a lot to it, perhaps because I am older and not part of the hip artist society. The parts I did enjoy were when she wrote about her mom, relating to other Asians growing up, and feelings about her body - I found those themes much more universal.
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