Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors

What an enjoyable and fresh take on Pride and Prejudice!! A lot less campy than the movie "Bride and Prejudice;" this Indian version flips around some of the gender roles (Wickham is a girl who cozies up to Darcy and Trisha tries warning him off) and sets it in modern day San Francisco. Dr. Trisha Raje is an acclaimed neurosurgeon and DJ (Darcy) is an acclaimed chef who has moved to the US to help his sister deal with a tumor affecting her eyesight. Dr. Raje is the one helping Emma with her tumor and that puts her in direct contact with DJ. They immediately get off to a bad start; especially when they realize that they have to work together for a catered event for Dr. Raje's brother. Deliciously cute, a realistic slow burn take on a classic. I can't wait to read more in this series!

China Dolls

Man - I really enjoyed this book! Three young Chinese Americans meet up in San Francisco during the late thirties and become fast friends. They bond through their love of the spotlight. They love being on the stage and dancing, dazzling the audience with the grace and wit. From Forbidden City Nightclub to other venues; they delight in sequins, lace, and silk. Grace is outgoing but escaping a hard past in Plain City, Ohio. Helen is smothered in her family compound in San Francisco's Chinatown. Ruby left her parents in Hawaii to find stardom in California. The three share many ups and downs, lots of prejudice from White Americans, especially when America enters the war. Can their friendship survive all? Told through alternating perspectives; this is a timeless, complicated, and unique story of friendship. Wonderful!

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

This book was charming and made me SOO HUNGRY. Seriously my stomach kept growling the whole time, that is how good Roselle Lim's descriptions are! When Natalie comes back to San Francisco it's not to celebrate. Her mother has just died and she needs to come to arrange the funeral. As the only surviving family member Natalie must wrap up all the affairs, but those hardest to wrap up ,are the affairs of the heart. Natalie and her mother hadn't spoken in 7 years after Natalie ran away to pursue her dream of being a cook when all her mother wanted for her was to stay at home. When Natalie come home she see how down and out her little part of Chinatown is, if only there was something that could help rejuvenate it... When Natalie discovers that her mother owned not only the apartment but the whole building including the small restaurant below, she thinks that maybe she can continue her family's legacy. Paired with the magical recipe book of her grandmother's she is set to change the luck of those around. Cute, charming, and filled with amazing recipes. A nice fluffy read :)

Tales of the City

A fun and quaint little read about living in California. Tales of the City jumps around between different people trying to fulfill their dreams and find happiness in San Francisco. A midwestern secretary, a dope smoking land-lady, an unfulfilled wife, and more find their paths crossing as the plot weaves between many unlikely individuals and explores the gay scene, the modeling scene, and the free love scene to name a few. Not groundbreaking per se, but still an enjoyable and quick read.