#cliff tan

[jasper-book-stash]

November 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

This month's five books were surprisingly good overall. Nothing under a 5/10, so I don't have any major bitching to do! In fact, I have nice things to say about every book!

Religious Text

None applicable.

1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?

None applicable (thank the gods).

2/10 - Trash

None applicable.

3/10 - Meh

None applicable.

4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier

Dearest: A Novel | Jacquie Walters

I read this entire book. And by the end, I have come out with literally no opinion about it. It's so fucking weird for me to have 0 thoughts about a book, especially when it falls in my horror/thriller/mystery category.

7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats

Minecraft: The Survivors’ Book Of Secrets | Stephanie Milton, Joe McLaren

I decided to reread this just for fun because I've been in a strange Minecraft mood as of late. I still quite enjoy the advice, but the caveat to enjoying this one is to know that it came out early in Minecraft's existence, so naturally it doesn't have a lot of the most updated stuff. It plays a bit into my own nostalgia...and actually playing the game on my 3DS, which I have been told is objectively the worst way to play this game.

9/10 - Very Very Good

Feng Shui Modern | Cliff Tan, Dura Lee

This one was recommended to me by friends who watch Cliff Tan's videos on YouTube (his channel is Dear Modern) and picked up the book, so I checked it out from the library to get a look at it. Learning about Feng Shui from, you know, someone who actually practices it instead of from a White Woman Appropriation source was quite refreshing. It was so good that I decided to buy my own copy of the book.

10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone

Braiding Sweetgrass For Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, And The Teachings Of Plants | Robin Wall Kimmerer, Monique Gray Smith, Nicole Neidhardt

The original Braiding Sweetgrass was fan-fucking-tastic (it was one of my favorite books overall for 2023) and the YA adaptation that Monique adapted and Nicole illustrated with Robin's permission was just as good. The illustrations really add to each section.

Gender Queer: A Memoir | Maia Kobabe

This book was actually recommended to me several times, but it wasn't until one of the ladies in my IRL bookclub read and recommended it that it truly piqued my interest. I finally checked it out to read and... Honestly, I've never felt more seen or understood. The author's experiences were so close to my own that it truly felt like e understood me. It was nice to finally see my own experiences reflected in something.

[palabasa]

Feng Shui Modern by Cliff Tan

just finished reading this! i found out about cliff tan, aka @dearmodern on youtube and tiktok, when i found his youtube vids. i'm p skeptical of anyone whose claim to fame is tiktok, but i gave it a shot anyways. the tips he shared on his channel were neat and easy to understand! youtube shorts are awful tho, so after some digging i found his book and gave it a go

like i've mentioned before, the subject's outside my usual wheelhouse, so it took a lot more focus and time to finish compared to the stuff i usually read. but it was a good, simple and straightforward introduction to all of the basic principles of feng shui. it neatly explains the logic behind why and how it's done, and a lot of it backs up what people would intuitively feel when it comes to their homes (i.e. having a bed against a wall makes you more secure; the flow of people, air and light in a room is important; your environment impacts your well-being, etc.).

he's very clear on it being a basic introduction for an audience who isn't already familiar with feng shui and/or the cultural and historical contexts of the practice. he even explicitly mentions that he won't cover the more advanced school of feng shui, the compass school / san yuan. so if yall are ppl like me who want to learn how to make your rooms and houses look better, i'd def recommend checking this out! i'm already planning to use a lot of his advice to rearrange my room hehe >:3c

[zimmbzon]

“Just like when you find a girlfriend or boyfriend or theyfriend”

I love you Dear Modern