Blanche’s Book Club: ‘Crying in H Mart’.

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Anyone shocked to see a book review here?!? It’s been a while!

I have still be reading, although I read half as much in May as I did in April, but my work situation changed majorly — leaving with less time to read.

But!

The reason there hasn’t been a book review here in awhile is because… I don’t like to post about a book that I didn’t like. I usually just post about books I think are really good.

I used to post about every book I read and then I realized that’s probably not very nice to highlight a book I didn’t enjoy. And do blog readers really want to hear about things NOT to read?

I doubt it.

But just in case you DO, I have been recording a YouTube video at the end of every month and I share all the books I read — the good and the bad — and I chat about them.

I haven’t been promoting the videos because they are not produced or edited — I don’t even think I’m wearing makeup in most of them… but it’s something I told myself I would do at the start of this year, just to get more comfortable in front of the camera, so that’s that.

But, I actually got into a great book, and that’s why we’re all here today: “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner.

This book was on my list of titles to read by Asian-American & Pacific Islander Authors.

The book recently came out, and I heard about it from a book podcast I like — “From the Front Porch.” This is a memoir on grief, after the author lost her mother to cancer.

I lost my dad to cancer in 2018, and since then, books with a terminally ill parent (or parent in the hospital) have been a trigger for me. So, I hesitated with this one.

But, it had so many great reviews, I figured I would give it a try… and well, I’m so glad I did.

The bulk of the book is about Zauner’s mom being diagnosed, being sick, and passing away, and there’s a bit about grief, of course.

But so much of this book is about food — Korean food — and that is what hooked me. Zauner wrote about the food so beautifully.

I should also note that I listened to the audiobook of this and it’s actually read by the author, which makes such a difference. She has a beautiful voice!

Yes, this is a book about grief, but it is also about culture and food and family. I definitely recommend it (only if you don’t have triggers related to cancer and death).

I have actually been devouring audiobooks lately because I’ve had lots of typing to do, so if you have any audiobook recommendations, please let me know!

For more book recommendations, be sure to subscribe to the blog (look to the right) and follow me on Goodreads @thebitterlemon – where I share more of my book picks. Also, check out my printable bookmarks and Book Club Journal Pages in my Etsy Shop.