Moonlake’s Book Discoveries- June 2026

Memoir

The Dressmaker’s Daughter by Kate Llewellyn

This is the first book going towards my mini-reading challenge this year and possibly my first official memoir (I had read a partial one from a beta-reader swap that I was in from being a women’s writer group some years back) but the book itself has nothing to do with Waterlily. It’s just that the author had written another memoir whose title had the word waterlily in it. 

A memoir is not some usual foray since I prefer fiction. This book most preserves what I find absorbing with fiction except for specific chapters containing snippets from the author’s diary or letters. Those I find on the boring side and I was sorely tempted to skip a whole chapter that is just concatenated from a series of diary entries or letters. But overall, an okay read that I can treat as a historical fiction about a decade before I was born. 

Mystery

Deep Water by Peter Corris

This is also part of my mini-reading challenge but has even less relevance to waterlily. But it’s an okay mystery. Not sure that I would come back for more but okay. 

Preface to Murder by M.S Morris 

I listened to this in audiobook format and the narrator was okay but sometimes I can’t distinguish between various male police officers very well. Also, I expected this to be a single protagonist book but actually this seems more of a teamwork approach. Not that this is an issue per se. The twist is functional but I’m not pleased or displeased with it particularly. 

Fantasy

Well of Darkness by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I haven’t been reading epic fantasy lately and I’m just returning to one of my comfort authors. This is okay, a bit refreshing because it seems like it actually starts off with an anti-hero story even though I’m not too enthused about the anti-hero presented. For that reason, I’m not sure whether I’m keen to read book 2 even though apparently it reverts back to a more traditional epic fantasy according to the blurb. We will see. 

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Refer to my Broadening Horizons Reads 2026. 

Romance

The Lord I left by Scarlett Peckham

Refer to my Broadening Horizons Reads 2026.

I didn’t know I enjoy…

The jump-off line is from Things I didn’t know I loved by Nazim Hikmet. 

I didn’t know I enjoy stories featuring animals or emphasizing cuteness. I’m not much of an animal or cutesy person but I’m very much empathic. I can dive into others’ passions and what they enjoy, through reading. 

I didn’t know I enjoy travelling. There is a caveat though: I like to travel with Mum. Just the two of us. No rush. We just casually stroll at our pace. I hate being rushed. 

I didn’t know I enjoy watching dating shows. There’s some kind of goodwill and hope associated with seeing a successful, seemingly right match. Even when I realised later that they were set up just like other reality shows, they were largely entertaining. In various ways. Showing a glimpse into the skewed, anxious society of the modern mainland China. I was born there but I was never quite part of it. So I could look with a critical outsider’s eye upon the scene. I don’t like much of what I see. That is the honest truth. 

I didn’t know I enjoy spy thrillers. Apart from James Bond, I never thought of it as being a genre onto itself. Not until Mum and I started getting into mainland Chinese spy thriller dramas. I grew up in Hong Kong and everything there was just fast-paced. Down to TV dramas. So that’s the pace I’m used to and like. So spy thrillers it is for me. 

I didn’t know I enjoy… I tried to take on a new experience every week with an activity that I have never done or have not done for years. But that faded out. Perhaps I should take it up again. There’s a thought. 

Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (2): Heroes versus Questors for Immortality

When we talk about “heroes”, we tend to assume a shared structure. But once you compare Chinese and Western contexts, the difference becomes clearer.

Broadly speaking, Western stories tend to centre on the idea of a hero. Chinese traditions are less consistent on that front, and in modern fantasy, the structure shifts again.

In the Western tradition, the structure is fairly familiar.

A hero sets out on a journey, encounters obstacles, overcomes them, and returns. The emphasis is on what the hero does.

Figures like Odysseus or Hercules follow this pattern. Even in modern fantasy led by LOTR, the idea remains similar—there is a problem to be solved, and the hero moves outward to deal with it.

So the structure is:

  • leave
  • confront
  • resolve
  • return

The world presents a challenge, and the hero responds through action.

In Chinese material, it is less straightforward.

Classical texts and folklore don’t consistently organise themselves around a single “hero” figure in the same way. There are important characters, but the focus is not always on a structured journey of departure and return.

Instead, there is often more attention on:

  • position within a social or cosmic order
  • consequences of behaviour
  • shifts in circumstance rather than a single arc

So the structure is less tightly centred on one protagonist driving events through action.

Modern Chinese fantasy changes this again.

In web novels and related media, you do get a clear protagonist with a long-term goal, often framed as the pursuit of power or immortality. In that sense, it becomes closer to Western fantasy, especially more adventure-driven or episodic forms.

The difference is that progression is usually framed as self-development over time, rather than a single quest.

So instead of:

  • leave → resolve → return

it becomes something more like:

  • start weak → improve → overcome → continue

There isn’t always a final “return” point. The story can keep extending as long as progression continues.

Because of that, action still matters, but it is tied to advancement rather than resolution.

Conflicts are less about solving one central problem and more about:

  • overcoming successive obstacles
  • increasing capability
  • moving through stages over time

So while both traditions involve action, they organise it differently.

Another way to put it is:

  • Western structure tends to be quest-driven
  • Modern Chinese fantasy tends to be progression-driven

The surface elements can look similar—fights, journeys, enemies—but the underlying structure is not quite the same.

Broadening Horizons 2026

P

The Lord I left by Scarlett Peckham 

This is the replacement Religious Romance novel I found but it’s actually more religious romance with elements of erotica. Not saying it bothers me but nothing about the story really speaks to me personally. But I mean, most romances don’t. I am only attracted to certain types of romance dynamics. Overall, solidly written. 

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

I didn’t realise how much romance features in this story but it’s acceptable romance as far as I am concerned of the dynamic duo type. Overall, an enjoyable read but not quite sure I’m keen for more. I mean, I came into this book for the setting that mixes magic and technology and it is somewhat interesting. But the rest is okay but not particularly my type of book. 

Why you should Pick Me 

The jump off line is from Why you should pick me by Zoe Wagner. 

Why you should Pick Me:

  1. I’ve got long black hair that I’m proud of that flows like a waterfall 
  2. I collect lyrics
  3. I’m intelligent, quick to grasp ideas
  4. I’m honest that I don’t quite know how to lie. Which means you catch me easily
  5. I don’t cook but I think I can cook some dishes
  6. I learnt/tried my hands at some with Mum. I do okay overall even though they were minus preparations. 
  7. I love learning, especially self-directed learning 
  8. I am strong in ways you wouldn’t know just looking at me
  9. I know how to handle being alone 
  10. I am learning to celebrate the small victories 
  11. I am moving forwards one step at a time 
  12. I don’t rush. I move forwards at my own pace
  13. I’ve got the right values. I learnt these from Mum, the most important gift from her to me. 

Revisiting the Character Grid

I had actually switched back into doing the character grid for the twin sister story (the other project is now officially on hold although now I am itching to turn my Fate-turned-Cortex game into a novel with a different campaign premise than the one I am running now and have started plotting it as a Fate game). 

But I am stopping at 50 grids as opposed to the whole grid of 100 for the twin sisters. This has now created a grid for the abducted sister that is full in Relationships and Moods and mostly filled out for Talents and about 3 or 4 things under most of the other categories. For the other twin, Relationships and Talents still win but the spread is more even for the other categories.

Remarkable Woman in Ancient China (28)- Empress Dou Miao

Who is she?

An Empress in the Eastern Han era, one of the six Empresses who reigned at Court during that era. 

Notable life events:

  • Born in approximately 149 AD, as the eldest daughter of the general Dou Wu, a descendant of Empress Dou’s brother. 
  • Chosen to join the Imperial Harem in 165 AD and later made the Empress in the same year but much neglected by the Emperor- she was actually the third Empress that he’s had now
  • Being jealous and cruel by nature, she killed the favoured Royal Concubine and wanted to kill all of them except she was persuaded against that by eunuchs. She installed the next Emperor into place and began her reign at Court as the Dowager Empress
  • During her reign, she installed capable officials into key positions that advanced the prosperity and military prowess of the country while leaning on enunches and palace maids such as Zhao Rao at the same time. 
  • She was eventually ‘deposed’ with power reverting back to the Emperor she installed due to betrayal from Zhao Rao and enunches. 
  • She passed away in 172 AD. 

Moonlake’s thoughts on her:

I just thought it interesting that she combines political acumen and jealousy (deemed a dismerit in women back in those days). Of course, it’s not that that combination doesn’t exist in history but certainly it’s rare that a Chinese historical woman was portrayed like that because back in those times, womanly virtue specifically included being non-jealous of the other wives and concubines of your husband such that one of the seven rules for disowning your wife was that she was a jealous woman. 

English reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dou_Miao

Small kindnesses

The jump-off line is from Small Kindnesses by Danusha Lameris

Small kindnesses: 

  • The rain that fell to disperse the heat
  • The free days that laid in your path
  • Those words that were just right for you today
  • The key piece of information that had fallen into your lap
  • That tiny advice you gave out because you could
  • That direction given that sent you on your way
  • That something you read which blew everything wide open
  • That hunch of yours that turned out to be true 
  • The lady that asked you whether you were all right after you had been accosted by some weird racist who verbally assaulted you
  • The Spanish lady on FB who stood up for you who you recounted this to and said she was sorry and it was not OK
  • The reception lady who became kind whenever you had a nose bleed or fell down that time and got a big cut on the knee and lower leg
  • Sponsoring a badge for a courageous child
  • Words offered that took you forwards
  • Waking up rather than already fading into the Great Oblivion
  • Able to enjoy a book
  • Finding a good drama to pass the time
  • Able to work from home
  • Able to control your own schedule, more or less
  • Having enough to wear
  • Knowing what to do every day
  • Having food prepared to your liking everyday

Broadening Horizons 2026 (1)- Religious romance 

I have decided on religious romance for the romance part of this year’s Broadening Horizon Read.  I was reading The Italian by Anne Radcliffe. But then I decided to abandon it- it was published in the late 1700s so had some archaic English that I don’t quite take to and plus the pace is really slow.

Instead, I am starting on the Lord I left by Scarlett Peckham. Also 4 chapters in currently and it’s okay. So I’m reading this instead. And my other pick for this year would still be Magic Bites. I read the blurb for it just now and it seems okay so expecting no more changes for this year. 

Chinese vs Western Fantasy: A comparison of Elements (1): Dragons

I am starting a new post series that compares elements of Chinese fantasy versus Western fantasy. For the very first post, I am going to focus on dragons. 

When we say “dragon”, we are often assuming a shared idea. But that assumption doesn’t really hold once you compare Chinese and Western contexts.

Broadly speaking, the Chinese dragon is not a monster. It is closer to a force of nature. The Western dragon, on the other hand, is typically framed as something to be fought.

The Chinese dragon: Regulator, Not Monster

In the Chinese context, dragons are tied to water—rainfall, rivers, seas, and seasonal cycles. This already places them in a very different role. They are not sitting on treasure; they are part of how the natural world functions.

Because of this, they are not inherently hostile. They can bring floods or drought, but that is less about malice and more about imbalance. There is an implicit idea that human behaviour, ritual, and cosmic order are connected, so the dragon becomes something to respond to, rather than something to defeat.

This also carries into political symbolism. The dragon is associated with the emperor, not because it is fearsome, but because it represents alignment with Heaven and the ability to maintain order.

So the same figure moves quite easily between nature and governance. It doesn’t change role; it stays as a kind of regulator.

The Western Dragon: The Enemy

The Western dragon is positioned very differently.

It is usually:

  • territorial
  • destructive
  • associated with treasure hoarding

More importantly, it exists as an obstacle. It sits outside the normal order of things and disrupts it.

So the narrative pattern becomes fairly straightforward: the hero encounters the dragon, defeats it, and restores order.

A Difference on Morality 

There is also a difference in how morality is framed.

Western dragons tend to symbolise greed or excess. They represent something that has gone wrong and needs to be removed.

Chinese dragons don’t really carry that same moral weight. If something goes wrong, it is more likely understood as imbalance rather than corruption.

So while both are called “dragons”, they operate on very different assumptions.

In one case, power is something to be brought back into balance. In the other, it is something to be overcome.

That difference is small on the surface, but it shapes how entire systems of mythology and fantasy are structured.

I have kept this fairly broad, but it should give a basic frame for how the same creature can function so differently across cultures. If you want to dig into any part of this further, feel free to comment.