Alexis Yi

Jun 13, 2024 | thetech.com | Alexis Yi |Charli XCX

The queen of innovative pop is back and better than ever★★★★★bratby Charli XCXAtlantic Recording CorporationJune 7, 2024I first listened to brat while sitting in an Oreo-themed diner in Hamad International Airport, jet-lagged out of my mind, and moist from walking around for half an hour in search of a table. The lighting was fluorescent; the tall suited men who stood in front of every nearby store were creepy.

Mar 7, 2024 | thetech.com | Alexis Yi

Babel is heavy on history and light on plot, characters, and everything else. ★★✩✩✩Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. KuangHarper VoyagerAugust 23, 2022I read R. F. Kuang’s first novel, The Poppy War, an epic fantasy novel inspired by mid-1900s China in high school, and to this day it remains one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. That book, and the trilogy it kicks off, is an excellent blend of violence, psychopathy, and East Asian-inspired fantasy worldbuilding.

Feb 22, 2024 | thetech.com | Alexis Yi |Heather Fawcett

Tag along with the titular character for a lighthearted magical adventure in Scandinavia★★★★✩Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather FawcettDel ReyJanuary 10, 2023As a reader, there is no character trope I like to see more than that of the foppish man who cares so much about the line of his coat that he’s functionally useless at anything else. If an author writes this kind of character well, I’m pretty willing to excuse any and all plot defects.

Feb 8, 2024 | thetech.com | Alexis Yi |Megan Bannen

This book is 415 pages long, and for what? ★★✩✩✩The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan BannenOrbitAugust 23, 2022In my opinion, romance is the hardest genre of writing to do successfully. My metric of success is highly scientific: does the storyteller convince me specifically that these two made-up people connect on a level we could call love?

Jan 25, 2024 | thetech.com | Alexis Yi

I now care less about productivity than I did before. ★★★✩✩The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and EnergyChris BaileyCrown BusinessJanuary 5, 2016One of the goals I have for this lovely new year is to start reading again for enjoyment. With The Productivity Project, I’m off to a mediocre start. Just kidding. The Productivity Project is good for what it is: an anthology of tips to help you get a little more out of your day than you currently do.