Welcome to Litsy!

A soft pick as the ending seemed predictable. However, the general setting and the nyonya food was accurately described. Listened to this on audio and realised that Singaporeans pronounce "syiok" different from Malaysians. ?

I have enjoyed the first book. This is book 2 seemed a little off, kinda long winded and wasn't as engaging for me. I'm not sure if it's due to my reading slump or I honestly find it quite repetitive for the first half of the book! Referencing back to the first book is fine but repeatedly or harping on the same points again and again was quite off-putting for me. As the story progresses to the actual plots, then only I started to enjoy it.

Moving on to the second in the #AuntyLee #cozymystery series #SingaporeanMystery — they‘re fun!

This is 2nd in the series of culinary cosy mysteries set in Singapore that feature a kindly old lady restaurateur as the amateur detective. In addition to being palate cleansers between heavier reads, I‘ve learned things about Peranakan cuisine. Chicken with buah keluak is a case in point; if the nuts aren‘t properly prepared, they are poisonous. The author, Ovidia Yu, is a lesbian and I like the way she slips social issues into her stories.

I‘m enjoying the (minor) queer content in this series set in Singapore.

Nina made arroz caldo like she had done so many times at home in the Philippines. The thick, savoury chicken rice porridge reminded Aunty Lee of Chinese chicken congee and Korean ginseng rice chicken soup. When it came to finding comfort in food, different peoples were often far more alike than they realized.
(Internet photo)

“I still don‘t understand why anyone would risk eating something that smells funny and could kill them!” Mark laughed again.
“Some people eat fugu fish,” Cherril snapped. She flashed a glare at Mark. He had recently shared photos of his first taste of fugu fish (350 Singapore dollars for a few translucent slices) at a top restaurant in Japan.

I really enjoyed this: it‘s as if Crazy Rich Asians had a baby with a cozy crime novel. This is definitely a good thing. Now I just need to figure out how to get more of this series!

Fresh bedtime reading tonight! I picked this up at the charity shop last month so it‘s jumped to the top of the tbr pile because Singapore has been in the news...

I actually shopped at a bookstore today. I never do that. I have 2 for Foodies Read giveaways and 2 for me.