book review: Mochitsuki by Kristen Morita

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Chronicle Books for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Kristen Morita, the creator behind the popular Mochi Momma blog, is out with a fun new cookbook, Mochitsuki! I had so much fun poring over swoon worthy page!

Morita welcomes readers with personal stories and family traditions in a charming, album-style layout. Her humor and warmth shine through the writing, especially in the personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout. My favorite story detailed her first trip to Japan — it actually inspired me to jot down a list of unique convenience foods to try on my own future travels!

As a mochi-making novice, I appreciated how approachable this book feels. Morita provides a clear overview of the history and terminology without getting bogged down in detail, alongside handy lists of essential tools and ingredients. Living far from a major city with a Japanese grocery store, I was relieved to find that most ingredients are highly accessible.

The visual layout is exceptionally user-friendly. Every recipe features high-quality photos, including step-by-step technique shots and helpful "cross-section" views of the finished products. Paired with practical substitution notes, the variations feel incredibly straightforward once you master the base technique.

I plan to start with the Cookie Dough Daifuku, Classic Butter Mochi, and Mochi Pancakes before tackling more adventurous dishes like Mochi Pizza, Mitarashi Dango, and Ozoni — a savory soup Morita notes is "arguably the most important mochi recipe in all of Japan."

Whether you are a beginner looking to expand your skills or an experienced baker wanting to create unique delights, Mochitsuki has something to offer. It would make a fantastic gift for teens and adults alike, or a great introductory read for anyone wanting to learn about Japanese food culture.

book review: On The Equality of All Things by Carlo Rovelli

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 4/5

Thank you Scribner for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I discovered another great writer in Carlo Rovelli to continue learning about physics through his approachable teachings. On the Equality of All Things was a quick read focusing on the immense discoveries seen in quantum theory, general relativity, observers, time, space, existence, and morality.. Rovelli pushes thinkers to be open to adjustments to our beliefs as once-inconceivable ideas come to light. He also warns that the concepts we use on Earth to measure time and space simply do not apply in the broader vastness of the universe. 

Even having learned this in similar works, I still cannot get over the craziness of it. As Rovelli writes, “On Earth gravity is more or less the same everywhere... This is not the case in the wider universe. Time passes at different speeds for different travelers: when they meet again, they have generally not aged by the same number of years." Equally eerie is how general relativity describes reality as a set of fields that define spatial extension and time themselves, rather than sitting inside them. As he notes, "The location of an event only makes sense in relation to others. There is no 'where' or 'when,' except in a relative sense.”

While the book does discuss theories and their relationships, I found that as it progresses, it primarily makes a case for Rovelli's personal stances on how much value should be placed on each. I was interested in his perspectives on the flow of time and whether the future is open or fixed. However, I lacked the background in the intricacies of many other theories to fully engage with his arguments. Readers with a deeper understanding of physics will appreciate these perspectives, but I was hoping for more instruction on actual physics rather than debates on nuanced details. Even so, it successfully opened my eyes to what is important to consider so as not to fall into the trap of hyped-up theories pertaining to the flow of time and the Observer Effect.

Due to this, I found the concluding paragraph in lesson 5 gives a better synopsis of the book's true heart than the publisher's summary: “The reasonable question, it seems to me, is to ask what, given the current state of our knowledge... are effective concepts for thinking about the world, accounting for it, and navigating it?... Things all exist equally, in relation to others, each in its own way — a way that evolves as we learn.”

I highly recommend picking up this book if you have a foundation in physics and philosophy and want to engage in a discussion about the importance of certain areas of the field. The detailed footnotes are also a major benefit for those looking for a heavily researched work. I will certainly be picking up more of Rovelli's books.

The Story Graph challenge

Since joining The Story Graph, I have discovered countless new books and authors. While the platform lacks a heavy social aspect -- you can't comment or discuss new reads yet -- simply following users has expanded my TBR. I followed a few readers who highly rated my favorite books and shared my reading taste. Now, as they review books, my community feed fills with hidden gems I would never have heard of otherwise. These feel like genuine recommendations, unlike social media book influencers whose hyped titles often come with an incentive to push them.

Because they are not "pushed," many of these amazing books have very few reviews. It is such a stark contrast between books that become the "it" book to read and those that don't get the same word by mouth spread. This has made me very intrigued to find as many amazing hidden gems as I can. So, I created a challenge "5 Star Hidden Gems With Less Than 100 Reviews." I added The Truth of Time by Bryan Whelan which I absolutely loved, yet I am the only reviewer on every site I checked. So sad that clearly I was one of the few people who had the joy of reading this great book! If you have some hidden gems of your own, please share them through this challenge if you like!