Heyo Bookaholics!

I love my friends!

In honour of the recent release of The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wei Chim, I am creating this post to discuss my appreciation for dumplings and my friends, especially over the past three days.

This weekend (inclusive of Friday) has been an amazing one. I have seen my friends three days in a row and my productivity has been insane!

Friday 16th August (Dinner)

The YA Room (@theyaroom on Twitter & Instagram) set up a dinner for us Melbournians to fangirl over The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wei Chim.

TSPoaGD Blurb:

Anna Chiu has her hands pretty full looking after her brother and sister and helping out at her dad’s restaurant, all while her mum stays in bed. Dad’s new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren’t right at home, she’s starting to feel like she could just be a normal teen.

But when Mum finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as Mum’s condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

A nourishing tale about the crevices of culture, mental wellness and family, and the surprising power of a good dumpling.

We met at Dymocks in Melbourne’s CBD last Friday night and headed into China Town to our favourite dumpling restaurant! As expected it was quite busy so we grabbed some takeaway and sat down at a nearby food court where we ate, chatted and laughed at just about everything.

Saturday 17th August (Brunch)

TheYAPage (@theyapage on Twitter & Instagram) host the monthly writer’s brunch at Mr. Tulk monthly. I’ve posted many posts on this monthly event and so far I’ve only missed two of the eight meetings.

This meeting was pretty chill, I had a juice which tasted ah-mazing and we had a larger turn-out than usual. Melbourne weather decided to show-off for us this morning and give us some sunshine and warmth towards the end of the dreary winter we’ve been having.

I managed to write a few hundred words for my story #Realise which I have been updating on Twitter and here on Jasper + Spice. You can read my last updated, which just so happens to be an existential crisis about acceptable chapter lengths.

Sunday 18th August (Night)

Kat (@stars.and.embers), Sarah (@sarahrhatch) and I went to the City of Stonnington’s Glow Festival tonight to take beautiful photos under the glowing light installations.

It was hard choosing a photo to post here but this is one of the horizontal ones that I like the most. The pink light of the letter G cast the prettiest glow. We also took photos with blue, yellow and white lights too.

A little edit/ addition:

I really want to add in here that I am so so so grateful to have The YA Room in Melbourne and all of these events they have set up for us. It has been a way for me to make friends and connect with like minded people who I would never have been able to otherwise.

I have people who understand me and people whom I can talk to about my passions. It’s amazing and would never have been possible without this book club.

I am planning a hholiday for the end of the year which would never have been possible had I not gone out of my comfort zone and attended a YA Room meeting when I did.

If you’re ever feeling too scared or awkward to go and talk to someone, please remember that those people could be your potential best friends but you’ll never know unless you take the chance. Say f*ck it, make those connections and even if it doesn’t work out, you can say you tried.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wei Chim is out at all good book stores and you can find it on Book Depository via the link attached.

Leave your opinions in the comments or alternatively on my social media channels!
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With Love Bree xx