Monday, July 25, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #3

This weekend was full of the three F's: Friends, Family, and Food. SO MUCH FOOD. Saturday, I had a Korean cookout with my best friends, who I rarely get to see since our schedules are crazy and I now live in the suburbs. I spent over three years teaching English in South Korea and really, really miss the food, so my friends and I decided to chip in and cook up a Korean feast. It was so delicious and nostalgic, despite the scary weather ^^
Samgyeopsal (Korean pork belly) and thin-sliced pork

Lettuce, thin-sliced garlic, ssamjang (spicy bean paste dip), seasoned veggies, kimchi, rice, sesame oil, and pork (not pictured: bulgogi)

Getting ready to make my wrap!
Last week was my dad's 58th birthday and next week is my parents' 31st wedding anniversary, so the family decided to get together and celebrate on Sunday. Our go-to celebration spot is Royal Buffet, an Asian buffet and hibachi grill located in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago. This place has the BEST bang for your buck, and I always end up eating til I hate myself. So worth it.
Mom, Dad, Me, Middle brother, Baby brother, Cousin
This coming week is another crazy one; I've got a short week at work because I'll be attending the Northwestern University Summer Writers' Conference from Thursday - Saturday and I'm sooo excited for it. It came highly recommended as one of the best writing conferences/workshops around, but it's really expensive. I was lucky enough to win a scholarship early this year, when I entered a writing contest with the Mystery Writers of America (MWA). I guess my writing has promise, after all ^^
Hosted @ The Book Date

It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading? is a weekly meme where I get to chat about the books that I was/am/will be reading.

What I Read Last Week:


Reviewed here
Reviewed here
I didn't read as much this week, but I managed to write three reviews, so that's good enough for me. Loved A Dark and Stormy Murder; Throw Away Girls, I could take it or leave it

What I Am Currently Reading:


Solstice Review Summer 2016 is a collection of short stories from local writers set in "the unrelenting heat of summer". Amazon

Rum Luck is one of my NetGalley picks, and the first in the Bar on a Beach Mystery series.

Described as "Stand By Me meets War of the Worlds," Paper Girls is a coming-of-age story slash paranormal mystery series. 

What's Up Next:




Nemesis is the July/August pick for the Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group on Goodreads.

I just picked up Brighton at the book's launch party last week, and it's already gotten some amazing reviews, including an expletive-filled (in a good way) cover blurb by Stephen King.


Death at the Day Lily Cafe is one of my NetGalley picks.
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Which reads are you most looking forward to? ^^


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12 comments:

  1. Majanka VerstraeteJuly 25, 2016 at 7:06 AM

    A Dark and Stormy Murder looks very suspenful. I love the cover! Enjoy reading this week.


    My It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 25, 2016 at 7:30 PM

      It's so good, and a really easy read. Finished it in one sitting ^^

      Delete
  2. Kathy MartinJuly 25, 2016 at 8:05 AM

    Have fun at your writer's conference. I don't think I've ever had Korean food. It looks good. Come see what my week was like here. Happy reading!

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    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 25, 2016 at 7:32 PM

      Thanks! It'll be my first time at a conference like that, so I'm hoping it'll really help me with my writing ^^

      Korean food is delicious, but some of it can be an acquired taste. If you're a meat-eater, I definitely recommend trying Korean barbecue at least once.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Laurel-Rain SnowJuly 25, 2016 at 9:16 AM

    Enjoy your week! It sounds like fun. And your books are tempting me. Paper Girls has piqued my curiosity.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 25, 2016 at 8:04 PM

      I just read the first volume of Paper Girls, and while I love the art and the premise, I think I'll need to give it another read before I can write a review. The plot gets crazy REALLY fast.

      Delete
  4. Kathryn TJuly 25, 2016 at 2:04 PM

    All the best for the writing course, hope it really helps and pushes you on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 25, 2016 at 8:05 PM

      Thanks! I really need the motivation. I started this blog at the beginning of the month since I needed to take a break from my manuscript (started going crazy staring at it, day after day after day...), but wanted to make sure I still write every day.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJuly 26, 2016 at 11:08 AM

    Congrats to your parents and your father, best wishes.
    I read and loved A Dark and Stormy Murder also. I read the first in the series that has Day Lily Cafe, so I would like that one too. Have a good week!

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    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 26, 2016 at 8:47 PM

      Thanks so much!

      P.S. Checked out your blog, love your mug collection ^^

      Delete
  6. Martha EskuchenJuly 27, 2016 at 11:56 PM

    The pork dishes look good and what a nice family photo!
    I like the looks of Dark and Stormy Murder.
    I hope you have a great time at the conference. I have been to a couple EPICons and always learn new info, make friends and have fun.
    Happy reading... and writing!

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    Replies
    1. Mia P. ManansalaJuly 29, 2016 at 8:11 PM

      The pork dishes are actually really easy to cook, and much cheaper than going out to a Korean BBQ restaurant since we all chipped in.

      A Dark and Stormy Murder was a lot of fun, I definitely recommend it.

      And yeah, this conference is a lot of fun and I'm meeting lots of interesting people. As a teacher, it does feel weird being a student again though.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete

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