Book Club

I’ve been asked by various readers for novel recommendations, and the answer has always been some variations of “Erm I don’t read a lot so I don’t really know.” Still, as I try over the past week to compile all the novels I’ve read, it turns out to be a pretty healthy list so I’ll include them all here. This list is highly subjective and really caters to my personal taste, which you’ll notice when you see many of them being the same fantasy genre, so do take everything I say with a grain of salt 😀

If you want to give me a rec, or if you would like to discuss any of the below novels, please feel free to leave a comment.

Title Author Genre Crowd’s Favorite
 Hamster’s Favorite
 Hamster’s Grading
A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 《孤芳不自赏》 Feng Nong 风弄 Ancient, HE X 3
A Match Made in Heaven 《佳偶天成》 Shisi Lang 十四郎 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE X 4 (Cute & funny)
Ballad of the Desert 《大漠谣》 Tong Hua 桐华 Ancient, OE X 2.5
Bewitching Fragrance 《媚香》 Gong Cha 贡茶 Ancient, HE 2 (featherbrained females, annoying to read)
Bewitching Posture 《媚骨之姿》 Gong Cha 贡茶 Ancient, HE 3.5 (bawdy & ridiculous, but feels like a comedic satire, much better than the above title)
Chang’an Moon 《长安月》 Mi Bao 靡宝 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE 3.5 (beautifully written, a smidge too short)
Chongzi 《重紫》 Shu Ke 蜀客 Fantasy/ Mythology, Student-Teacher, OE X 4 (delish angst)
Dark Night 《无明夜》 Mi Bao 靡宝 Modern, Fantasy, HE 3
Eating Grapes Without Spitting the Skin! 《吃葡萄不吐皮！》 Shui Yue Piaoling 水月飘零 Ancient, Time-travel, Teacher-Student 1 so vacuous my brain hurts
Exclusive Memory 《独家记忆》 Mu Fu Sheng 木浮生 Modern, Teacher-Student, HE X 3
Faithful to Buddha, Faithful to You 《不负如来不负卿》 Xiao Chun 小春 Ancient, Time-travel, HE X X A dazzling 5 (transcendental, sweeping romance, do not let the title turn you away. Holder of the time-travel romance 👑)
Fat is Beautiful 《 以胖为美 》 Jiu Lu Fei XIang 九鹭非香 Modern, Reverse Time-travel, HE 3
Flying Dragon Dancing Phoenix 《龙飞凤舞》 Ming Yue Ting Feng 明月听风 Ancient, HE X 3.5
Fragmented Fragrance 《 沉香如屑 》 Su Mo 苏寞 Fantasy/ Mythology, Reincarnation 3.5 (a great start, but gets too long-winded and meandering)
Generational Marriage 《世婚》 Yi Qian Zhong 意千重 Rebirth, Ancient, Slice-of-life, HE 4 (long, but a good solid piece)
Going to Kaifeng Hall and Posing as a Civil Servant 《到开封府混个公务员》 Ou’yang Moxin 欧阳墨心 Time-travel, Mystery 3
He Is Here, Close Your Eyes 《他来了，请闭眼》 Ding Mo 丁墨 Modern, Mystery, HE X 3
Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost 《香蜜沉沉烬如霜》 Dianxian 电线 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE X 3.5
Her Majesty’s Syndrome 《寡人有疾》 Sui Yu Er Yan 随宇而安 Ancient, Palace, HE X 4 (it isn’t even written that way, but this story makes me sad and sentimental every time I read it)
Hey, Stop Fooling Around! 《喂, 别乱来！》 Ming’yue Tingfeng 明月听风 Modern, Rom-com, HE 3.5
Hua Qian Gu 《花千骨》 Fresh 果果 Fantasy/ Mythology, Teacher-Student, OP X 3.5 (I’d read Chongzi and watch the drama for Hua Qian Gu :D)
Huaxu Yin 《华胥引》 Tang Qi Gongzi 唐七公子 Ancient, Fantasy, GE X 3.5
If Snails Could Love 《如果蜗牛有爱情》 Ding Mo 丁墨 Modern, Mystery, HE X 3.5
In Search of Love 《寻郎》 Ming Yue Ting Feng 明月听风 Time Travel, Ancient, Mordern, Mystery, HE X 4 (cute & funny – my favorite work from MYTF to date)
Just One Smile is Very Alluring 《微微一笑很倾城》 Gu Man 顾漫 Modern, Gaming, HE X 3.5
Liang Shi Hua 《两世花》 Jinse Wuduan 锦瑟无端 Ancient, Time-travel dropped
Lichuan’s Past 《沥川往事》 Xuan Yin 玄隐 Modern, HE X X 4 (angsty melo but oh so good)
Little Phoenix Isn’t an Immortal 《小凤不是仙 》 Shu Ke 蜀客 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE 3
Lost You Forever 《长相思》 Tong Hua 桐华 Fantasy/ Mythology, OE X X 4.5 (careful who you ship)
Man Man Qing Luo 《蔓蔓青萝》 Zhuang Zhuang 桩桩 Ancient, Time-travel, HE X 3.5
Mei Gongqing 《媚公卿》 Lin Jiacheng 林家成 Ancient, Rebirth, HE X X 4 (Holder of the rebirth/clan intrigue genre 👑)
Mind Labyrinth 《迷心记》 Dangmu Dangzhe 当木当泽 Ancient, Palace, HE 2 (so many recs for this novel, but it was so blah blah blah for me. Nonconsensual and abusive sex is not my idea of love).
Mister Liancheng of Gaming Fame 《網遊之公子連城》 Manzuo Yiguan Sheng Xue 滿座衣冠勝雪 Modern, Gaming, HE X X 4 (Holder of the gaming genre 👑)
My Retarded Husband, the Black-Bellied Prince 《腹黑王爷傻相公》 Zixue Ning’yan 紫雪凝烟 Ancient, Time-travel, HE 3
Raising a Puppy is Better Than Palace Intrigue 《宫斗不如养条狗》 Fengliu Shudai 风流书呆 Ancient, Time-travel, Palace, HE X 4
Records of the Gallant Mystic 《迷侠记》 Shi Ding’rou 施定柔/玄隐 Wuxia 2.5
One Life, One Incarnation: Beautiful Bones 《一生一世美人骨》 Mo Bao Fei Bao 墨宝非宝 Modern, Reincarnation, HE X 3.5
Sansheng, Death Exists Not at the River of Oblivion 《三生，忘川无殇》 Jiu Lu Fei Xiang 九鹭非香 Fantasy/ Mythology, Reincarnation, HE X X 4.5 (Short and oh so sweet)
Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes All Thanks to One Single Moment of Impulse 《一时冲动，七世不祥》 Jiu Lu Fei Xiang 九鹭非香 Fantasy/ Mythology, Reincarnation, HE X 3.5 (my favorite is the 1st lifetime, which really hits all the emotion buttons)
Shan Shan, Come Eat 《杉杉来吃》 Gu Man 顾漫 Modern, Rom-com, HE X 3.5 (watch the adorable drama!)
Shang Gong 《尚宫》 Yun Wai Tian Du 云外天都 Ancient, Palace, HE 2 (I may have mistaken this for Mind Labyrinth, because this was the one with overt abusive/ nonconsensual sex while the other one might be a tad less repulsive.)
Shengshi Teahouse 《盛世茶香》 Shisan Chun 十三春 Ancient, Slice-of-life, Clan intrigue, HE 3.5 (about a wealthy family and their tea business. Good plot over all and I love the male lead, but can be long and tiring.)
Shuang Gui Yan 《双归雁》 Ming Yue Dang 明月珰 Ancient, Rebirth, HE 3
Silent Separation 《何以笙箫默》 Gu Man 顾漫 Modern, HE X 3
Siming 《司命》 Jiu Lu Fei Xiang 九鹭非香 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE 2.5 (too draggy)
Step by Startling Step 《步步惊心》 Tong Hua 桐华 Ancient, Time-travel, SE X X 4 (get your tissues ready)
The Abstract Cat’s Love Bug 《抽象猫的爱情虫》 Er Ya 耳雅 Modern, HE 3
The Crown Princess’s Promotion 《太子妃升职记》 Xian Cheng 鲜橙 Ancient, Time-Travel, HE X 3.5
The Prince is Here 《本王在此》 Jiu Lu Fei Xiang 九鹭非香 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE X 3
The Killing of Three Thousand Crows 《三千鸦杀》 Shisi Lang 十四郎 Fantasy/ Mythology, HE 3
The Machiavellian Path 《帝王业》 Mei Yu Zhe 寐语者 Ancient X pending
The Old Spinster’s Seventh Engagement 《老女七嫁》 Hua Ming 花溟 Ancient, Fantasy/ Mythology, HE 2.5 (not a fan of female leads with ambiguous feelings)
The Political Bride-Princess 《和亲公主》 Xian Cheng 鲜橙 Ancient, Comedy, HE 3
The Rebirth of Tang Wan 《重生唐婉》 You Deng 油灯 Ancient, Rebirth, HE 2.5 (uneventful)
Waiting for a Sunny Day 《等一个晴天》 Die Zhi Ling 蝶之灵 Modern, Rom-com, HE X 4 (cute & funny)
Wu’yan Yaorao 《无盐妖娆》 Lin Jiacheng 林家成 Ancient, Time-travel, HE 2.5 (not a fan of wallpaper male leads)

102 thoughts on “Book Club”

  1. hi, i discovered your blog this year and i really enjoyed reading your translations so i want to thank you for your hard work. english is not my Language so sorry for my mistakes. i just saw the list of books and i know that some of them are already/ being translated so i was wondering if i could request you to translate Little Phoenix is Not an Immortal or if you know who does it because i read about it and i would really like to read it. i alredy tried to download it and use Google translator with no use since i dont know chinese at all. i really apreciate all you do and i dont want to put any presure but i would be gratefull for an answer or any help. it is my first comment so sorry if i step the line . i wish you happy hollydays and happy new year

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  2. Hello!
    I’ve been reading your translations and I cannot thank you so much!!! I love reading about Sansheng!!!
    Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me a spoiler summary of Faithful to Buddha, Faithful to You. I’ve read the short summary and I can’t find anyone who has translating anything from the book. Sadly, I don’t read Chinese, but I’m dying to know more about it because it sounds like something I would enjoy to read….

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    • Hi unforgetableme,

      In FtBFtY, a 21st-century historian time-traveled to the past in order to test the time-machine they developed. She finally managed to do it after a few tries, but it landed her in an unknown time and place somewhere in the desert. She met a monk and the caravan he traveled with and befriended them. Then she figured out that she had gone back to Xinjiang in the 4th century and the monk was the famous Kumarajiva (who did some very important Buddhist sutra translations from Sanskrit into Chinese). At the time, he was only a teenager and she ended up being his Chinese teacher and they formed a very close bond. But then she had to go back to the 21st-century.

      Then each time she went away and returned, she did so at a 10-year interval (his time) so she basically stayed the same age while he kept getting 10 years older, and their feelings grew more and more each time from friendship to love. And through all this was the turbulent times of warfare and famine and gov’t oppression, so there’s a lot going on.

      So anyway, their love sounds like it would be angsty, what with him being a monk, but it’s actually not? It’s very quiet in its passion, and they are so in sync with each other! that they just don’t have stupid misunderstanding blah blah blah. They do have their trying times as a couple, but in their situation, I think they do remarkably well to keep their relationship going.

      I’m sorry if I’ve made you interested though you can’t read Chinese. I would’ve translated it if not for the dense historical context I would need to look up. And it’s a two-volume book, so it’s lengthy too >_<

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      • Thank you so much! Now I have a better idea of the story! You are the BEST!

        What you just said about the love story is exactly what I predicted it to be! This is why I love reading these kinds of romance novels. Bummer that I can’t read Chinese, BUT I’m just so happy that you were able to give me an idea what the novel is like!!! Don’t feel sorry at all!!! You’ve saved me from a lifetime of wondering what this novel is like! ^_^

        THANK YOU!

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      • Actually, I’m dying to know… Can you tell me the ending? I’ll probably never figure out unless you tell me… I’m just so curious! Sorry for asking a lot, but I just want to know so bad!!! ^_^

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  3. thanks for your recommendations!

    thanks for your blacklist too… I know what to avoid now. I hate it when a synopsis seems really good and then the novel itself is unbelievably bad… but I cant stop reading it, because I need/want to know the ending… Anyways thanks for all your hard work!

    恩儿

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    • Hi Serendipity,

      Me too, I hate it when I’m forced to continue a bad book. But for me, it’s not because I want to know the ending, it’s more like “this has to be getting better, right?” Haha.

      I tend to not have strong feelings either way about the books I read though. Most of the times, if I don’t like it, it’s just because I’m bored. So many of the ones I don’t hate might still be awful to you.

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  4. Happy new year Hampster!

    Thank you for all your hard work translating, I started reading you work with 3L3W and love your writing style. Must have been tough working on such a looooonnnggg project!

    I also started c-novels (albeit Viet or English translated) with BBJX too while being on maternity leave where I marathoned thru the TV series in like 3 days – imagine zombie panda… So I jumped onto the books to feed the obsession. A yr on and now well n truly too far gone 🙂

    Actually came across a book recently which was cute, fluffy and so funny I nearly fell off my chair on numerous occasions, wonder if you have heard of it? It’s by an author that goes by pen name Fresh Lemon or Heavenly Lemon and the title is Princess proposing? Eik – I know I know Chinese to Viet to English talk abt lost in translation!

    I do have an image of the Chinese title if that helps, time travel comedy with HE, it’s not new, out in 2007 I think, but such a light hearted read. Highly recommend you try chapter 1, that’s all it took for me to finish the book! 😉

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    • Agh!! As sheer luck will have it you mentioned one of her other books author ” Xian Cheng” who wrote The Crown Princess’s Promotion. The title I mentioned was her first work I think.

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      • Hi super latte, do you mean Công chúa cầu thân? I haven’t read it yet, but I will now put it on my list lol. If you’ve read anything else you like, let me know. I sometimes don’t like reading because I have to go through ten mediocre ones to get to a good one, which feels like a waste of time. So I scour blogs for recs, which have resulted in some very good titles.

        Haha drama watching is certainly one way to spend maternity leave! But I’m surprised that emotional ride coupled with a pregnancy’s hormones didn’t wreck you. I was a mess when I read the ending of BBJX at work. I learned that lesson, hah.

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  5. That’s it the one! You can read viet?! Always thought you read in chinese, guess I shouldn’t assume. If only I knew it would save me so much time yesterday when I was trying to google to translate the ” cầu thân” bit from viet to chinese this cross checking the Chinese character back to English to make sure it’s right but gave up in frustration cuz I know it refers to proposal but kept getting bridge, prayer, body etc!!

    I know what you mean about referred books, that’s why I really love the bookbar, a real mine field otherwise when viet translated c-novels are like a – dollar-a-dozen. And when you finish a blah book you just wanna ask for 2-3 days of your life back! Hehe

    Try chapter 1 of this book and you will know if it’s for you or not, good thing about it is that the story stays fairly consistent unlike some of the other ones that start off really promising then you just wanna throw it out the Window by mid read! Also fairly short at only 40ish chapters.

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  6. BBJX was a rare gem, where the series actually did the book justice and there are no truly evil/bad characters just different ppl with different motivations where you may not agree with what they decide to do but you can understand why they did it. They felt so human

    Oh hell yeh I was an emotional puddle watching and reading it. Then was in a rutt suffering withdrawals because they were so real i couldnt let the characters go for almost a fortnight, thinking of all the what-if’s and if-only’s! Don’t regret the ride but Haven’t had the guts to read or watch it again since! Hehehe

    3 inch of heaven OST still kills me every time…

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    • Ugh omg, that themesong was just picking at my wound every time I listened to it. And yeah, I don’t particularly want to read or watch it again myself, but it’s on my favorite list precisely because of all the feels it gave me that first time around.

      Haha cầu thân = bridge body. I can see that rofl. Vnm is my mother-tongue. I only translate from Chinese to be more accurate but I read everything in Vnm. I started reading CCCT (about half-way?). It’s hilarious. I think it’s got a lot to do with whoever translated it too, cuz the humor has got to take on the language’s flavor for it to be funny.

      Since you’re already a mother (and less prone to blushing) maybe you can try Tiểu nương tử nhà thợ săn. It’s on my next-to-translate list. It’s about the mundane life of a married couple in a mountain village. I love how sweet it is, but it’s also really raunchy, because, well… marriage relations!

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  7. That’s really cool that you are fluent in both Vietnamese and English in addition to English of course. Vietnamese is also my mother tongue but living in Sydney since 4y/o I could speak it thanks to family and ample TVB growing up but my reading was only limited to what was needed for Karaoke!! I really only jumped into my first full book with BBJX. A yr on and a doz books later, I am more confident to start most books but still VERY slow reading it. That’s why I get so frustrated with bad books, cuz I it took so long to read! Hehe

    In truth I have been MIA since my last post because I started TNTNTS that you recommended and have only reached 1/2 the story! Thanks for the recommendation, yes it is very steamy stuff which makes the things that CCCT have warnings for seem PG in contrast hehe

    I went from 1/5 going wow where is a bucket ice when you need one, plus who is this mysterious man (that is described like Samson, hung like a horse & operates like a pro in bed!), to 1/3 when it was like a-huh! I knew there was more to him but also this to too sweet and fluffy too soon… Brace for angst, to now at 1/2 and she has set out into the big wide world with her lil donkey 🙂

    Btw if you read in Viet check out http://ebook-list.info it’s a list of 300+ Viet Ebooks some have been rated also which are useful. Only down side is it hasn’t been updated since 2013, so missing newer books.

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    • Omg I was a TVB junkie in the 90’s. We would rent dubbed VHS tapes and I’d watch literally everything under the sun. If you can read Viet w/o formal lessons then that’s a feat already. Those darn accent marks are no jokes. I had formal Vnm education til the 3rd grade so I can read and write okay. I read a lot based on context, and some idioms escape me so I have to ask my parents what they mean. I’m actually not fluent in Chinese though. I read it the same way an historian would decode hieroglyphs -_- long and tedious process

      Hahaha I was wondering the same when I saw the warnings for CCCT. And then got really confused when I read the actual contents. Like… what do u mean this is 18+? I want my money back! Isn’t TNTNTS so cute? That donkey! Wait till she meets him again and hear the first thing she says to him. Haha she’s a little cutie.

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  9. Hail to my TVB-junkie kindred spirit! I remember those VHS days fondly! Can almost plot my growing up yrs by the TVB idols/crushes I used to have or the series of the time – Andy Lau (return of the condor heroes), Ekin ( Nam Đế Bắc Cái ,young & dangerous, storm riders, legend of speed etc etc), Louis Koo (the condor heroes, a step into the past)… Oh the good old days, you know you’re getting old when your teen crushes are now pushing 50!!! gotta hand it to Louis Cha ( Jin Yong) his stories plus copious remakes so single handedly made TVB and many of their celebrities. Sadly I can’t really enjoy TVB in recent yrs, their story lines are so flat now days I struggle to finish anything they make anymore!

    Finally finished the TNTNTS and yes it’s very cute, fluffy and steamy… Good luck with translating it!! Love the 2nd half when all the questions get answered & where the balance of power in their relationship shifts because she has enough confidence to tease him!! Glad she got the donkey back and how funny was the flag pole scene?! Hehe

    Looking at the flag pole supporting the tent ahead, Person A “that’s really strange, the flag above that tent is moving!”
    Person B “what do you know? It’s the wind!”
    Person A “it’s really the wind? But there is no wind at the moment and none of the flags above the other tents are moving…” Lol

    I learnt some of the basics on Vnm for about 6mths in yr5 as part of school’s additional activities, I guess it’s fortunate that Vnm is Latinised and with the accent marks you can accurately read a word without seeing it before or knowing it’s meaning. In the early days I used to have to read it out aloud so I can understand what I was actually reading. That’s to all those TVB period dramas I actually find Han Viet easier to understand than some modern Viet!

    Oh btw, if you have not read Dong Gong (Eastern Palace), you may wanna consider avoiding it. If a SE was not enough, the body count is VERY high & you just want to punch the male lead in the face, unlike 4th prince in BBJX, you really don’t care that this guy gets a happy ending or not. Let me know if there are any other lovey dovey or funny, Wuxia or xian xia stories you enjoy 🙂

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    • My forever love is Tony Lương Triều Vỹ ever since I was 8 and all of my friends used to tease me that he was old enough to be my father haha. So no worries there about our idols becoming uncles 😅 TVB just lacks the same resources Mainland producers now have. They could either try creative ways to restructure or risk losing their piece of the market.

      Rofl that tent pole thing is pretty funny. I would tell my hubby to stop being a beast if I wer me her. Imagine the mortification once ppl found out.

      I wasn’t ever gonna do Eastern Palace. I just kinda know that author’s angsty style isn’t my thing. Out of the ones I read recently, I like:

      1. Nếu ốc sên có tình yêu (oldie, great OTP)
      2. Cung đấu không bằng nuôi cún (one of the few palace novels I like)
      3. Quả nhân có bệnh (another of the few palace novels I like)
      4. Duyên kỳ ngộ (a tad long and cliche, but readable otherwise)

      I did not like or did not find the interest to continue:

      1. Dám kháng chỉ? Chém! (promising start with strong heroine, but said heroine’s role turns out to be nothing more than hero’s love interest, which is disappointing)
      2. Vương phi thất sủng (so damn complicated with too many alter-egos to keep up with)
      3. Hủ nữ Gaga (just didn’t grab me)
      4. Heo yêu Diêm Vương (I didn’t get what I was reading -_- granted, I skimmed like crazy but that hadn’t been a problem before)
      5. Đạo Tình (intro takes too long, didn’t grab me)

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      • Hi. I love C-novel recommendations threads, so thank you for your awesome “book club” (and also your more-than-awesome translations, of course). 🙂
        I would like to look up the novels you mentioned above with their Vietnamese titles. Could you please write the Chinese titles as well (and the genre)?
        Tiểu nương tử nhà thợ săn
        Nếu ốc sên có tình yêu
        Cung đấu không bằng nuôi cún
        Quả nhân có bệnh
        Duyên kỳ ngộ
        Also, what novels do you recommend in the clan intrigue and slice-of-life genres apart from Concubine’s Daughter Minglan, Mei Gongqing, and Generational Marriage?
        Sorry if I wrote too many questions. I hope you won’t mind.

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        • Hi they are:
          猎户家的小娘子 (slice of life, explicit content)
          When a Snail Loves
          宫斗不如养条狗
          寡人有疾
          蔓蔓青萝

          For clan intrigue, try 盛世茶香. I haven’t read more in a long time so I don’t have a lot of recs to give. Hope that helps!

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  11. Hamster and Super Latte, I have to say I have enjoyed reading these comments going back and forth. since I can not read either Chinese or Vietnamese much was lost without translation but the part about the steamy novel cracked me up. HAHAHA Anyway, I am so impressed with the translation and book suggestions. I keep searching for the recommended ones. Gotten so hooked on Chinese romance novels. Have a great week. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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    • Aww thank you Ginny Hale for reading along 🙂
      What titles have you read so far and which have you enjoyed?

      Oh btw Hamster I know u have been looking for a new series to sink ur teeth into, forget “love through a millennium” (which looked pretty but that was abt all it had going for it!) – have u given the new Taiwan drama “someone like you” a go? The main couple is super cute together and the concept is quite thought provoking – if you lost the love of your life and they came back to you but looking different you would still love them right? What if they looked exactly like they used to but their memory wiped n personality had changed, you would still pursue them wouldn’t you? Well here is the bender, what if after losing your beloved, you meet two ppl, one who looks like them and the other behaves like them, what then?? Bummer is that they only release 1 episode a week and it’s only up to 8 of 20! *pouts*

      For all the ppl that can’t understand Chinese like me, it’s got English Subtitles !! Woot woot

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      • That sounds a lot like King Flower where the guy fell in love with the woman who looks like his fiancee on the outside (at his own orchestration) but is so different inside, except he didn’t have the other option to choose from in that drama lol.
        Thnx for the rec! I will give it a try once I’m home. I think I might be dying a slow death of not having dramas to watch.

        Oh, have you read Cặp đôi trời định? It’s cute and funny, with a heroine I like. I find it reminiscent of Hương mật tựa khói sương but with much less OTP and zero love triangle angst.

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  12. Yes the plan is to get u addicted too then I have someone to discuss the drama with! Hehe Hubby knows me too well, as soon as I start with a “what if” or “what would you do” scenario out of no where he’ll be like “is this from another Asian series u r watching??” Hehehe still remember debating with him abt the open ended nature of the BBJX drama and what RX would or should do! Lol

    Ohhhhh sounds like goodie!! I’ll get onto that book next after I grind thru A Stunning Eunuch.. Hopefully it won’t take more than a week? I’ve got 3 weeks til I am due to pop and just wrapped up with work last Friday so I have ALOT of time to kill!! Teehee

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    • Aahh you have another one coming? Congrats!

      I’m on ep 6 of SLY right now. Yuxi is really cute. But I’m also itching to see more of the other girl and where that leads cuz up til now that thread hasn’t been developed at all. This drama also reminds me of What Star Are You From? with Kim Raewon and Jung Ryeowon. Living sis totally dif from dead sis, but guy fell for her anyway.

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  13. Welcome back onboard Captain Hamster!! Yes the second and final lil minion is on the way, which makes a pigeon pair, def no more after this.. So cannot do anymore mentally, physically or financially!! Hehe

    Yeh I find Yuxi super adorable and the cheek to cheek moments of her and ZC so yummy!!! How funny was the shower scene?? U just wait til ep8 and the movie theatre then talk to me… Aw Mah Gawd!!! I was squealing and grinning like a lunatic 😍😍

    Btw wat is with T-dramas?! Who needs 1hr 15min episodes????!!!! When u break it down, not a whole lot actually happens each episode, wouldnt this show flow better and storyline feel more succinct if it benefited from heavier handed editing, down to like say 45-50mins?

    Ah that second love interest, I dunno, the actress is pretty weak n unconvincing, can’t seem to root for her like I do for Yuxi, but maybe it’s cuz Yuxi is such an adorably awesome energiser bunny! I think we will see things get more complicated for him and the rise of lady love #2 when he can eventually sees again. Because up til now he has been falling for his cute n quirky caretaker for just who she is. Slap on the dead fiancé’s face when he can see again and you have drama land anguish/torture.. Can’t help but hum Usher’s “U remind me”, in my head it’s sooo ZC’s theme song! Lol

    “You remind me of a girl, that I once knew.
    See her face whenever I, I look at you.
    You won’t believe all of the things she put me through.
    This is why I just can’t get with you.”

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    • That song brings me back to HS! Esp bcoz I went to school with a high population of African Americans so Usher was like every girl’s fantasy haha.

      Omg did ZC take her to a horror movie on purpose? 👍 more touchy feely please.

      I can’t wait for him to regain his sight, but I hope they won’t milk the angst too much. I’m interested in the 2nd lead cuz she’s actually stuck with these very real feelings for him… and she’s already crying even though she hardly knows who he is, so I feel really bad for her. And yeah, these long eps are crazy. They shud insert commercials like American shows and voila, 45 mins content in 60 mins showtime.

      Aww I’m sure my friend wud be very envious of your perfect pair. She wants a girl so bad but ends up with another boy. Don’t put your baby in emotional turmoil at 3 in the morning though!

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  14. Woman, I married a yellow guy, born n bred in a white suburb ( they were 1 of 3 Asian families there for like 10yrs!), who lives and breathes being black. Colour confused much?! Lol We jam to so much Usher, Babyface, BoysIIMen, Ne-yo, Chris Brown, Tupac etc in this house you would not believe. I am sure many women fancy Usher regardless of their ethnicity, like Will Smith, they’re not your classical good looking kinda guy, but it’s more the confidence and charm/charisma they exude that make them so Hawt!

    I have the crazy lil one hitting “terrible twos” with the force of a freight train atm and that’s what’s keeping bubba n I up at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning.. If anything, these dramas and blogs are a welcomed albeit brief relief from reality! Yeh one of each is a good place to be, you can stop or have a 3rd n not really worry abt what it’s gonna be. Having 2 of the same make u wonder if u want that one lil boy or girl enough to face the risk of having all 3 girls or all 3 boys! But no no, 2 is enough for me, if hubby ever comes near me with that intent, I will perform an emergency “snip” on him with a rusty butter knife!

    Cheeky ZC… She wanted to see a movie, did it have to be a horror one?! U book out the whole theatre, can pick anything you want (comedy, romance, action, cartoon, 50 Shades of Grey even, just say 😜) n u decide on horror for ur scarey-cat lover?! No red blooded male takes the girl he likes to a horror movie without somehow harbouring hopes of having their personal space invaded and being used & abused for their body! Lol don’t mind us Yuxi, abuse away hehehe

    Gotta admit coming into this series I didn’t think much of Kingone look wise, but I am such a fan now, the man can really act, he so can cry and boy can he smoulder!! Ohhhh when they have close cheek to cheek moments and his expression soften because of her! WOAH that’s even without looking at her in the eyes… Smexy! please excuse me while I melt into a puddle of fan girl bliss!

    Drama gods – y is there only 1 Sunday a wk??…..

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    • Rofl I wouldn’t know. The only other non-black was an Egyptian who crushed on Brian Littrell of Backstreet Boys and a Pakistanian who crushed on Justin Timberlake of Nsync plus the handful of Viets who were happily in our TVB lalaland.

      I know ppl on both sides, two couples who successfully got their third being a daughter and one who got three boys. My friend who has two boys currently is bent on getting a girl even if it means going to as many as four tries. Her husband even joked that they can name their kids after the ninja turtles if they end up with four boys (two already coincidentally named that way) haha. I can’t even imagine handling one, so all parents have my kudos.

      Eee I know! I love how he suddenly becomes aware of her close presence and kinda gravitates towards her. Seriously, I need more episodes per week. And making-outs please! Tw dramas are so good at that.

      I actually don’t know him previously. I don’t follow tw entertainment too closely so my knowledge of their stars is spotty. He sure is selling it though. I esp love love love the part where he opened the door for her douchy bf thinking it was her, and his indulgent face and tone as he asked “have u forgotten ur key again?” O.M.G!

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  15. Well if they finally get a daughter they can call her April! Hehe

    wow that’s pretty lop sided, so you’re saying across those 4 families they have 11 kids, of which 9 are boys and 2 girls? That gender ratio is even more skewed than the Chinese national one which is purposefully skewed!

    I am just glad to have something to take me out of the drama drought. Here is to hoping that the series which starts well, will ends well! And you’re so right, T-dramas can really produce toe curling kiss scenes!! C-dramas do them awkwardly or have one person’s head blocking the view to insinuate the kiss and K-drama just have them touch lips before freeze framing and panning around them! Seriously what’s the point of seeing a bad peck from every angle?!

    Don’t even get me started on “Douche Bigalow- good for nothing boyfriend and gigolo”! Credit to him for nailing the role of the A**hole we’re suppose to hate!

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    • Yep, my two cousins ended up with 2 boys and 1 girl each. My aunt has 3 boys. And my bff has 2 boys. But I also know people with only girls lol, it’s just that these ppl don’t complain and are not trying to get a boy for whatever reason.

      Hah, I’ll relay your idea to the couple. I’m personally looking forward to another boy so she’d call him Rafael after my fav tennis player. She’ll probably hate me for this wish lol.

      Omg don’t remind me of all the dead fish kisses I’ve had to sit through. -_- I pity their marriage life if that’s how they kiss. I remember my first tw drama was Devil Beside You and I was totally impressed with their skinship. Then later Rainie Yang revealed that Mike He has a technique to make his onscreen kisses look like French kisses without actually doing it for real… and I was like!!!! Mind blown!

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  16. Oh btw u mentioned the way ZC spoke and I can’t help but ask, how is Taiwan mando different to chinese mando for someone who watches them in raw form like you? I watch with subtitles but prefer hearing the Tw mando more as it doesn’t sound as harsh, though I often struggle to catch their dialogue cuz it’s so softly spoken compared to watching c-drama.

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    • Oh no, I don’t watch raw dramas. Haha I’m not at that level.

      I’m not really an expert myself but I think both are based on the Beijing dialect. Tw mando, though, is influenced by Hokkien, which leads to some differences in pronunciations and tones. To my ears though, tw mando simply sounds more informal with less enunciation like Southern Vnm while standard putonghua used in cdramas sounds more like Northern Vnm.

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      • You guys have totally hijacked this post, haha… Btw, what is this TVB gold you speak of? In y younger days, I was much more into TVB dramas, but after like one bad K-drama, I started seeing all tv shows in the same cliched light… Or maybe they don’t make them like the past anymore.
        Back when I was a kid, they still had VCRs, and I used to zombie marathon an ancient forensics thingy that I can’t remember anymore, just that I learned lots of killing tricks with it. Afterwards it was an anime obsession mainly revolving around Detective Conan, which further supplemented my assassination skills. Then there was a week of K-drama fangirliness–the shortest obsession ever, lol.
        Their kissing really sucked, but during that week of k-drama high I seriously memorized Korean phrases straight from the drama. My lowest point.
        After that, I was no longer interested in dramas. They never seemed to match up to the golden memories of my childhood, and rewatching is such a pain because looking back, the quality was really bad.
        Lastly, a word on crushes. I triple-dated (mentally) my actor crushes who were over twice my age, so never fear–love (or crushes) transcends age. At least I hope it does. I refuse to be labeled a reverse-pedo.

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        • Lol well the TVB gold I remember is in the 80’s and 90’s. I was converting to kdramas by the time the 2000’s rolled around.

          Who were your actor crushes, squinty? Super-latte and I already confessed ours.

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  17. Hi! I have been reading the translation of Dragons a Flying and phoenixes dancing, chi wang Fei and the accidental Bride have you read any of these 3 before?

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      • Yes. I like all three but I espcially LOVE the Dragons Flying and The Pheonix Dancing it’s like a mystery and a really romantic one at that. The lead female is a strong woman who is good at martial arts and the lead guy is a rich young master from a prominent family who is also really good looking, patient and excels at martial arts. I really recommend it. It’s actually a series but I dont know if the other two books are as good.

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            • Sorry meant to reply with my thoughts on this book earlier but got caught up w traveling. I think I liked this book okay. There weren’t many moments in the writing that stuck with me emotionally. Also didn’t like what was done with the other twin’s character arc. I feel like she just got shafted by the author so the main twin could shine. But overall not a bad read. A bit different from the conventional stuff out there.

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              • No worries!! Aww I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it as I did. I only read till chapter 21 so far because I only read the translations lol but I’m excited to know that she really isn’t the real wife. Maybe it’s one of those stories that’s unable to keep up with moments. I quite liked the beginning of the story and her interactions with her “husband”.

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                • Aww, don’t take my words too seriously. My preference has always been dif from most ppl, and what floats my boat is sometimes completely random. I did enjoy the book enough to finish it, which can’t be said for 90% of the stuff I’ve tried.

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  18. I’m also keen to hear your thoughts on Dragon Phoenix. First half was great guns, I found the pace kinda drags on in the second half though so did alot of skipping and hopscotching to the end! Cute OTP

    My current read atm is Your Majesty, Please Control Yourself (Be Ha Xin Tu Trong)which as the title suggest is hilarious. I’m at the half way mark and at times struggle to not laugh aloud and wake other ppl in the house up! You have a beautiful girl who masquerades as a eunuch and king who hates the idea of gays yet can’t help but find this eunuch bewitching, so he fails miserably at keeping his distance. His struggles were funny but I’m at the point where the king has decide to hell with denial and self control and it’s got me in tears! Most memorable part thus far – “come closer, come closer and be improper to your king, if you don’t know how to I’ll teach you” !!! oMG (O_o)

    Link from the book bar here
    http://www.books.shushengbar.com/?p=5199

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  19. Hey hamster428, I saw that you replied to my question at shushenbar about translating a short/simple novel!

    Your answer was:
    @alyschu: 佳偶天成 and 小凤不是仙 are two great candidates.

    Which do you recommend more? BTW, I plan to (slowly) read it as I translate. I checked out 小凤不是仙 and then read your chapter 1 translation of 佳偶天成. I’m so jealous of how smooth it is! I have a feeling I may do 小凤不是仙 but I also have a feeling that the Chinese terminology may hurt me because I realized that I may have a hard time translating them..

    What would be your translation of 小凤不是仙? Little Phoenix is not Immortal, or Little Feng is not Immortal because that’s her name? I think I should keep her name in pinyin, but I’m not sure if I can translate some things well.. I’m already stuck at the summary, how the heck would does someone translate 内丹 into English?

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    • Hi Alyschu, I actually think I’ve got it wrong. It should be 小凰不是仙， not 小凤. Her name is also Tian Zhen, it’s only the Phoenix King who likes to call call her Little Phoenix, and the Demon King who calls her Ugly Phoenix lol.

      You might want to consult with Decembi since she has great love for this novel while my memory is kinda fuzzy. She wrote a review on it here: http://onesecondspring.blogspot.sg/2014/07/little-phoenix-is-not-immortal-by-shu.html?m=1

      Hmm, I’ve simply left it vague and called neidan an orb before. But maybe something like an essence bead? No.idea. I’ve butchered more chapters than I can count so don’t worry. We don’t strive for perfection, just improvement right? 🙂

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  23. Hi Hamster, just want to thank u for all the effort in translating Chinese novels. For people like me who can’t read much chinese, I depend on audio books. But when audio books are not available, u are truly a real life saver.
    Are u translating 魔尊/苍兰诀 ? I can’t find any audio book or translation available at the moment. Thanks.

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  24. Hi!!! I just came across your list. I really like it. My most favorite is To Kaifeng Hall. But do you know or attempt to do any English translation for it? I’ve been dying to show my American friend how good it is but I can’t find the English version. Thank you big time!!!

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  26. Pingback: 尚宫 (Shang Gong) | Mina & Nina

  28. Pingback: 无盐妖娆 (Wu Yan Yao Rao) | Mina & Nina

  29. Pingback: 不负如来不负卿 (Bu Fu Ru Lai Bu Fu Qing) – Faithful to Buddha, Faithful to You | Mina & Nina

  30. First of all thank you for all your wonderful translation. I got a hold of your work from Scribd Three Lives, Three world. You did an awesome job there. I was wondering if you request to translate book. If you are can you transplante Meng Fu Yao or Legend of Fu Yao. If you know if a transalated version please let me know too.

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  31. Have you read the book “Tướng quân ở trên ta ở dưới ?” It’s hilarious…not what I thought from the title. Give it a try; I think you’ll like it. I’ve only read to chapter 17. I like it so far.

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  33. Hammy, I read a novel and I have to share it with you. 柔風 by 小狐濡尾. It’s short (to me) with an angst level of 10 (out of 10). 古言。Very creative but it’s not for the average faint at heart readers. It is dark and the main guy is bi. But. It’s not about xxx (there is one chapter that is locked); rather it’s about love transcending time and gender. It’s a gem of a read. I went in not knowing what to expect and I am quite pleased with what I read. Layers and layers revealing a real love story of atonement and sacrifice. It’s on my list of ❤️ = 重紫 and 媚公卿. Till next time, meow.

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    • Haha omg now I’m intrigued. Layers and layers of complex love story? I don’t know where I will find the extra time but sign me up because that sounds like precisely my cup of tea. Thanks for the rec!

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  34. I really hope so, Hammy.. just be ready to be teary eyed and your gut ripped out… Hahahaha.

    I came across this novel from Weibo posts and recommendations. I try to read daily and am on constant lookout for good reads. I go through phases of different genre (in both English and Chinese) and drop stories when I lose interest. There are fluff reads and good reads. There are few far and in between that resonates and remains with me. It’s been a few months since I finished this and once I am ready to deal with the angst and tears, I’ll go in for a second pass through.

    I went in not knowing what to expect and it took me weeks to finish it. I had to stop as I needed to process the story and savor the details. And as I came to the conclusion, I am reaffirmed in my belief that true love is selfless.

    Please go in with an open mind. Without getting into the details, even all the synopsis online doesn’t give anything away and as it should; cause damn, it is creative and imaginative. Here is a story that deals with the occult and necromancy.

    靈異神怪 三教九流 

    Extremely 虐.

    She is not an average heroine… and the guy is far from perfect. They are both haunted and impaired (she has a coarse/burnt out voice and he is blind) and as we learn how they got to where they are, one just cry. I had so many WTF moments. If this is a fairy tale, then it is the original Grimm’s. No knight and no damsel. Instead, we have selfless love, obsession, devotion and faith. Faith that love conquers all.

    Excerpt from the author’s epilogue:

    我愛你，與性別無關。
    　　
    這個世界是不平等的，但愛情仍給我們平等的希望。

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  35. Hi Master Hamster! It would be so amazing if you would translate the Three Lives Three Worlds series please… ❤ I had already read the TMOPB and currently on my PB, if there is a 3rd or 4th novel if youd be so kind to translate them as well… Please… Thank you!!

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  37. Hi, I just found your blog, I’ve been looking for a translation of “Exclusive Memory”
    from Mu Fusheng can I find it here? or where can I read it in English?

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  38. Any chance you might be interested in picking up the translation for Faithful to Buddha, Faithful to You where the previous author left off? She has done a phenomenal job translating, but looks like she isn’t doing it anymore.

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  40. Hammy. I just finished 第一侯 作者：希行. It’s good. Long but good. Author has a couple other books which I enjoyed. I like the premise. Another spin on being reborn. All the side characters are flushed out nicely and no loose ends that I can think of at the end of the book. No angst and silliness. Some light humor. Worth facing it a try. 🙂

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  41. Too funny. 君九齡 Was the book I read before this one. That was the other book that I enjoyed from this author. These two are only similar in having multiple male leads but 君九齡 for a while you can’t quite tell who the main male lead is… this one is more clear cut. But I love me a strong woman who is admired by equally talented and strong men. Hehehe.

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  42. Hello! I am a new fan to your page. I discovered it while searching for Chinese novels and found your work amazing. Thank you for taking your time to translate these novels. It’s clearly a talent and passion you have. I am writing to ask about the novel 3 Lives 3 Worlds 10 Miles of Peach Blossom translated in Ye Hua’s POV. I understand you took it offline and a copy can only be directly requested. Would it be possible to get your translated copy through email? If there’s anything else I need please don’t hesitate to ask. This is my first time contacting and requesting a novel so I’m happy to follow your lead. I’m lookin forward to your response!

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    • Hi, it’s actually not possible to get a copy whether you make a direct request or not. I stopped circulating the translation because I believe the original work to be a product of plagiarism. Which is why I’ve asked everyone to stop requesting for it. I’m only sharing Pillow Book. Thanks for your understanding.

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  43. Hammy! I am watching And the Winner is Love and long story short I spent the rest of the night online googling. .. and it lead me to 二哈和他的白猫师尊. Now. This is not my usual cup of tea but I read the first few paragraphs and I am ROFL. It is going to be a fun read. I can totally ship A and L playing the leads. Oh. I can see it. Ahhhh!!!

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    • omg I’m also reading it! just got to the point shortly after his rebirth? don’t really know what’s going on and have heard horrible things about CFY’s character but it may just be my guilty pleasure read

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      • OMG! We are reading it at the same time! I am at rebirth as well where he woke up and decided to let the guy go… Okay Yay!!! But I was just reading the reviews and crap. There is going to be a lot of angst from the sound of it. I wonder if it will be another 柔風? I am excited. I’ll be picking this up after work and I’ll reach out then. Hahaha. A real book club cause we we are reading it at the same time!

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        • I’m reading slowly and at Ch47. I don’t think it has the same nuance and atmosphere as 柔風? But yes, so much angst! I can already tell from his various recalls of what he used to do to Shizun. and omg Shizun is the greatest masochist ever, and I’m not even past 5% of the word count

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          • I spent hours after work reading last night. Prob not the greatest idea being I need to sleep and rest my eyes. I am about 35% done. Yup. Hours. And not the same. I’ve cried a couple times thus far but not the rip my gut out I wanna just cry myself to sleep kind of feels as of yet. Hoping it won’t come cause I dunno, with state of things, I need some happy. I will prob skip tonight and pick it up later this week (so I can binge as well). In the mean time. I was reading and watching 月上重火 at the same time. And then I did some research found it’s a bit dog blood towards the end of the novel and I debated if I should drop. But I’ll hang in there for the show and will skip the book (as I read the beginning and the end).

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            • I’m at where Shizun turns chibi… so cute! But I’m also dying to know what happened in the past because I need to know that Moran has Good Reasons for being SCUM.
              I know what you mean re: reading into the night when what we need to be doing is sleep. Esp with me also staring into a monitor all day for work.
              Oh I watched a couple eps of 月上重 火 but not more, mainly because my TV is in a moving truck somewhere 😆 Are you liking it? I might just wait until Husky comes out for my next 罗云熙 fix

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              • Eh. Yes. Enjoy the drama but really just cause Leo is such a good flirt. I grin like a silly girl when I see him on screen.

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  44. Commenting this way so it is easier to read. Mini me is very cute. That was a cute way for them to get to know each other. Did you make any progress today? As for me, finished? Read 1/2 and then read the ending and jumped back to the last few chapters till the end. Why did I jump? Things are going too well for them about 50% through the book. Just too well. So knowing there is the other half to go… the other shoe is gonna drop. I may go back and pick it up but I am still digesting. And yes, I can totally see Arthur and Leo… hehehe. Moving… I thought you moved already. How much longer till you are settled in?

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  45. Hi, thanks for translation some book that I really enjoy. If you dont mind, I would like to ask if.., maybe if you can translate Tang Dynasty female forensic doctor. I cant find any fine translation. Maybe you can try if you interest in detective genre. Thank you in advance :p

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