This time, he invited my mother and me to tag along. 

The first show that we saw was Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a remake of Cats that recreates the gay balls of the 80s and 90s. The actors were voguing across the stage, their asses moving like jello. They were doing the most intense dancing you’ve ever seen, while making it look effortless, then slinking, cat-like, across the stage. The whole show was an enjoyable assault to the senses, onstage and off, as theatre-goers shouted things like “YES BITCH” and “YES QUEEN” at the performers. Everywhere people were flapping their fans to the beat of the music whenever they heard something that they liked. There was nothing but pure joy and energy in the audience. 

(I recommend watching the documentary Paris is Burning before seeing this show in order to get context about the different houses and mothers).

The next day, we went to see Masquerade, an interactive remake of The Phantom of the Opera. It was like being in a haunted house and a musical at the same time. We went up and down escalators, being waved through the building by ushers, as the show churned around us. I sat close enough that the phantom’s cloak touched me more than once, as did Christine’s dress. 

It was an interactive performance in which we drank complimentary champagne as a violinist played the ouverture, were handed flowers to throw at the performers, and wore masquerade masks. I waltzed with one of the performers and during the freak show segment, a woman hammered nails into her nose, and then selected me from the audience to pull out one of the nails. It truly was deep in that woman’s nose: I can attest. 

Everyone had flawless singing voices. This play was also an assault to the senses, but the kind where you feel immersed in the dark world of the show, inhaling dry ice.

If you’re not already familiar with the plots of Cats and Phantom of the Opera, don’t try to follow the plot of these musicals.

They were the definition of “no plot, just vibes.”

After that, we watched Chess, starring Lea Michele. 

The story was told mainly via narration and had no set pieces. There were soporific ballads, clunky chess metaphors, and attempts to modernize its political commentary by making snarky jabs at Trump and Biden. I zoned out during nearly every song, not interested in whatever they were singing about. Chess is the kind of musical where they start singing a song two seconds after the previous song has ended and if they need to explain something they do it through a musical number. 

Parts of it were enjoyable, like the Russian dancing and the One Night in Bangkok number but overall, Chess was my least favorite show of the weekend.

Following Chess, we went to see Death of a Salesman, starring Nathan Lane as Willy Loman. 

Attention was PAID.

It was the creme della creme of Broadway theatre with Laurie Metcalf playing Linda in a play written by Arthur Miller. Lane nailed every monologue, his face turning beat red as he shouted through his miserable life.

The car and dirt were on stage the entire time, foreshadowing his looming death. Spoiler: the salesman dies.

It is an existential play that questions what the point of life even is. It covers universal themes about the human condition, with an American lilt, as it depicts how unattainable the American Dream truly is. This production used modern costumes and props that convey how little has changed in corporate America since the time that Arthur Miller was writing about.

I found Willy Loman to be a complicated and largely unsympathetic character who represented much of American life at the time through his role as a salesman, living a meaningless life and then dying a meaningless death.

Nathan Lane as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller on Broadway: it doesn’t get any better than that. 

For our final performance, we watched Operation Mincemeat, the number one musical on Broadway. 

It has a gender-bent, replacement cast and a Nazi hiphop musical number that takes you VERY much by surprise. There were two second costume changes in every scene. A few times I blinked and missed the wardrobe change. Every one of them could sing and dance and had flawless comic timing. As if that wasn’t enough, they all had phenomenal chemistry. 

It was funny, but poignant as it talked about the human cost of war. The theater was full of weeping patrons during a musical number that explores the personal consequences of warfare. 

It was the perfect note to end our broadway tour on. 

But wait, there’s more…

A few days later, because I hadn’t had enough theatre, I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong with a friend.

As the title implies, a theater troupe is putting on a play– a whodunnit set in the English countryside– and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. The entire stage falls apart around them, people get knocked unconscious, and bodies are dragged away, but the show must go on. The stage manager and the light and sound guy are integral characters in the show, trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. The show is all physical comedy, bordering on parkour at one point. The audience was losing its mind, shouting at the actors on stage the entire time. I laughed so hard I cried. 

All in all, it was an amazing week of theater. I laughed, I cried, but overall I enjoyed.

I had the chance to see six different shows, each one completely different from the last, but all of them were feasts for the senses. I was able to witness some incredible talent all around. 

My favorite was easily Operation Mincemeat, followed by The Play That Goes Wrong, Death of a Salesman, Jellicle Ball, Masquerade, and Chess in that order. Hopefully, if you’re in New York City soon, you’ll be able to attend some spectacular shows as well. 

(I’m holding out hope that I’ll be able to see Megan Thee Stallion in Moulin Rouge)

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my latest blog post on a different New York City experience from when I attended The Experts Only Music Festival

It was the inaugural Experts Only festival, a music festival hosted by DJ John Summit on Randall’s Island. The DJ played house music the entire afternoon. 

Experts Only was the whole nine yards: food stalls, merch stands, beach balls bouncing off the top of the crowd, a woman dancing on stage at all times, and someone who was clearly on ecstasy and therefore not dancing at all to the beat. The whole thing was like a big high school football game, only instead of tailgating you’re eating from a food truck in the middle of a field surrounded by 300 strangers and instead of showing off your school spirit you’re showing off every inch of your body that you’re legally allowed to show.

I was entirely unprepared for the music festival that I walked into, wearing a long sleeve black shirt and jacket. I was the most fully clothed person there, aside from my mom. I looked like a narc.

Everywhere I looked, there were sheer body suits and crop tops. Ass crack and butterfly tattoos were also very much in, as were pashminas and chainmail waistbands. Influencers and wannabe influencers posed for pictures in their outfits. The event was in full swing.

We danced our way to the front of the crowd, squeezing through the mesh of bodies, and when we needed a break from the dancing, we sat in a field drinking vodka lemonades and eating street tacos. 

My mother nodded along to the music. I jumped up and down like a lunatic.

We got there in the early afternoon and then stayed late into the night, technically morning. At the end of the night, we caught the ferry, with me limping from how hard I danced. I ended up pulling a muscle in my leg and then freaking out that I had a varicose vein, because of how it was bulging out of my calf, but it was worth it to experience such an awesome music festival.

It’s not often that I get to be pleasantly surprised when an impromptu weekend hanging out with my mother turns into a wild night of drinking and dancing at a New York City music festival. My mother, despite having a good time, has decided not to join me next year.

This was my first time at a music festival, but I am determined for it not to be my last. This year, I will be sure to return to Expert’s Only in a crop top with my friends, ready to have more vodka lemonades and street tacos, like the twentysomething that I am. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

This was my first time traveling to Asia and somehow, it exceeded all of my expectations. 

For years now, I have been saving every reel and picture of travel destinations that have crossed my Instagram feed in the hopes that I will one day be able to see all of it for myself.

In Singapore, I drank dragon fruit tea in Chinatown, licked chrysanthemum-flavored ice cream, sipped out of a coconut, and ate Michelin-star chicken and rice and prata at hawker centers. In Bali, I drank mojitos of every flavor in an infinity pool, had wagyu steak for the first time, and tried deluxe tea at a tea garden.

I saw some spectacular views from rice terraces, to sunsets over the ocean, beautiful waterfalls, and temple walls crawling with monkeys. I got a glimpse of the Singaporean jungle, as seen from the treetops, and the forests of Bali from a glass bridge. 

The Tegenungan waterfall in Ubud was my favorite part of the trip, followed closely by the swing ride I took in a flowy red dress. 

I bought many red dresses, silver jewelry, and some inauthentic, but pretty artwork, all of which I have hauled back to the states.  

In Singapore, the air was fresh and hot at all times and the feeling of being there was indescribable. Bali was a tropical paradise with a bustling urban center that lives up to its name the island of the gods. 

I realize how lucky I am to have been able to travel so widely so early in my life (or at all). I know that so few people in the world get this opportunity and if you’re lucky enough to travel, then you’re lucky enough. 

One day, I might learn how to surf and return to Bali, but until then, I’ll have the memories that I made walking down a stretch of beach in Bali with my aunt. 

Thank you to my aunt and uncle for hosting me. It was truly the trip of a lifetime. 

I want to go back to both Singapore and Indonesia in the fullness of time and experience more of what these great countries have to offer, but in the meantime, I will be returning to my life in New York City, ready for more American adventures.

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out how I spent my favorite day in Bali

We started our day with a stop at a jewelry store. (Silver is incredibly cheap in Bali and so no trip would be complete without buying a few rings and earrings).

After that, we set about exploring. 

My aunt and I were very brave and went to check out a glass bridge overlooking a gorge and treetops. While it was mildly concerning to walk across something made entirely of glass, we enjoyed seeing Ubud from a whole new angle. 

From there, we took a stroll through The Kemenuh Butterfly Park where we saw butterflies nuzzling into all of the flowers that lined the garden paths. 

After a hot day walking through Ubud, we decided to cool down at the Tegenungan Waterfall. I had known that I wanted to go to a waterfall when visiting Bali. I was told that it was a must-see experience when visiting the country. 

The waterfall in question is buried a little ways into the jungle, but with changing stalls like at a water park. 

The place was full of tourists milling around in the water, all of us overjoyed by the waterfall scaling the cliffside in front of us. 

I walked across the mini bamboo bridge and then a patch of rocks, before getting into the water. Plunging my head underwater felt like being baptized. My body became instantly cool, making the hot and sweaty trek down the hillside to the waterfall completely worth it. 

I swam as close as I could to the waterfall, feeling the cool spray come off it. The little bit of water that got in my mouth tasted earthy and even a little sweet. 

After I was done swimming around the waterfall, I got into the surrounding pools. It made for a refreshing end to a long, hot day. 

The waterfall was, without question, my favorite part of the trip. 

I’m not sure what is so magical about seeing a waterfall. It might just be the abundance of nature staring you in the face or it just might be that it is pretty to look at. Either way, it was the type of bucket list material that I had hoped to do while traveling.

In order to get into the water, you have to walk over some rocks, so I recommend river shoes. This destination mostly served as a photo-op for tourists, but if you’re lucky enough to go to the Tegenungan Waterfall, be sure to take a dip.

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my most recent blog post about my trip to a monkey sanctuary

It was impossible not to see why. 

This might seem like the kind of place that you would read about on the internet then show up to and see about three monkeys. It is not like that at all. 

The temple was literally crawling with monkeys. Everywhere you looked the monkeys were scaling the temple walls. 

It was strange how natural it felt to walk amongst monkeys. The mothers had their babies strapped to their chests, walking with so much ease that it was like they didn’t even notice. 

You’re not supposed to make eye contact with or feed any of the monkeys, making it like a petting zoo where you weren’t actually allowed to pet the animals. 

The three connecting temples were beautiful with moss-covered stones, massive statues, rushing streams, and monkeys lounging around like they owned the place, which, I suppose, they do. 

When I wasn’t staring at the monkeys, I was looking at pools of koi fish and a ceremony with dragon masks that was taking place for children.

The Monkey Forest was a fun excursion. I got to watch the monkeys come and go as they pleased, walking through a jungle that was draped with vines and seeing statues that were fuzzy with moss. 

If you ever find yourself in Bali, be sure to check out the Monkey Temple in Ubud. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my previous blog post in which I was flying high

On an outing in Bali, I got to go for a joy ride in a giant swing overlooking the beautiful Bali countryside. I was taking part in a service in which you are given a long, flowing dress and have people take pictures of you as you swing over a rice terrace. 

It was a gorgeous sunny day, perfect giant swing weather. The people who ran the service provided me with a beautiful red dress and helped me into the swing. 

As I got situated into my harness, about to take flight, it felt like I was going to be slingshotted across the rice terrace. Despite being harnessed in pretty tight, I still got a stomach flip right before they let go and sent me flying. I screamed at the top of my lungs pretty casually when they first let go of me, but if anyone asks, I swung at a death defying height and flew through the air with the greatest of ease. 

Once I got over how panic-inducing it was, it was actually very fun. I relaxed into the swing and took in the view. I was trying to listen to their instructions as they told me to hold onto my dress, then let go of my dress, while swinging. A breeze blew through my legs and bare feet, cooling me down on a hot day, as the dress flapped around me.

This is the shape my adventure travel has taken so far. I’m enjoying the ride. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

The guy who sold it to me insisted that it is an original painting, but when I went to the Ubud art market afterwards, I discovered that there were about fifty or so exact copies of that painting. 

I bought what is basically the “live, laugh, love” poster of girls who have gone to Bali.

But I still like it.

I bought the painting because it reminded me of myself: her strong nose, full lips, the eccentric way she is clasping her hands, and the way that she is staring off into space, lost in thought. Some of them were in black and white but the one that I chose was in full color, looking kaleidoscopic to me.

Once I’d gotten my fill of the Ubud Art Market, I walked across the street to the temple and looked around. It was like a beautiful public garden.

It’s not everyday that you get to casually walk up to a temple by crossing a busy street.

Later, we stopped by a market that sold inexpensive clothes and I bought several red sundresses, so while I don’t have original artwork, I am ready to run with the bulls in Pamplona.

All and all, we had a very art-filled day. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my languid first day in The Island of the Gods

It seemed like it was impossible to do a trip to Bali wrong. With its rich, vibrant wildlife, fun nightlife, and deeply spiritual culture, it seemed like the island could pack an adventure for any type of person. If you want to sit idly by the pool, you can. If you want to trek through a jungle, you can do that too. Bali struck me as the perfect place to travel if you want the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation, a place where you can drink and hike, although ideally not together.

My family arrived in Seminyak in the midafternoon. We were staying at a hotel right at the water filled with palm trees, paper lanterns, and almost panoramic views of the ocean.

Between its breathtaking waterfalls, long, glittering coasts, and 13-foot-waves that are in every surfer’s dreams, it’s not hard to see why Bali is considered the island of the gods. Everything was stunning. 

When I asked my aunt if I could learn how to surf she said “not a chance in hell,” since everything that goes wrong with me must later be explained to my father and how I got whisked out to sea on a surf board would not be one of those things. Bali is not for beginner surfers anyway, with waves that sound like thunder when they crash. Red flags were out on the beach from dusk to dawn, so there would be no swimming in the ocean for me during this trip.

Instead, I spent my first day out by the hotel pool, floating around on a raft and drinking mojitos. I was blitzed out of my mind within minutes. 

I had a wonderful time soaking up the sun, water, and booze, my dreamy, lackadaisical trip to Bali well underway.

We spent four days in Bali where there were more mojitos by the pool, but also trips to see waterfalls and temples and going for a swing ride over a rice terrace. The Island of the Gods treated me well. 

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my blog post about my previous day in Singapore

It’s that time of year again, where I review all of the books that I read during the second half of the year and tell you whether or not you should read this book or that book. 

I gave myself the lofty goal to read 80 books this year. Unfortunately, instead of reading 80 books, I read 58. If reading my master’s thesis counted towards my reading goal then I would have read 300 books this year.

I’m reminding myself that I still read more books this year than your average American has read since graduating high school and that I still read more books than there are weeks in the year. 

The books I read this year ranged from the light, feely-goody to the denser, more intense novels.

Here are all of the books that I read during the second half of 2025.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think in the comment section.

FCC Disclosure: 

If you click on one of the links embedded in the book titles and purchase a book, I may receive a commission. Enjoy! 

Skip Ahead:

• Top Three From This Stack
• Top Three for the Year
• Honorable Mentions
• Recommendations

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus– I’m a little late to the game when it comes to Lessons in Chemistry. After experiencing every setback imaginable as a result of her sex, Elizabeth Zott goes from brilliant chemist working in a lab to daytime cooking show personality. Never one to back down without a fight, Zott takes the opportunity to educate the housewives of America on the basics of chemistry, manifestly changing society. I did not plow straight through this book like I did with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s modern historical fiction novels, but I found it inspirational and enraging with a satisfying ending. The plot was more complex than I had expected, weaving together numerous storylines seamlessly.

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin– I read this American classic as my first Baldwin novel. It is one of the first mainstream American novels that explicitly incorporated a same-sex relationship at the heart of the story. I loved the Parisian atmosphere utterly and completely and wish that I read it before venturing to Paris myself earlier that year. This felt like a nice foray into Baldwin and I can’t wait to dive into his other works. I could tell that I was in the presence of a great author from the jump.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover– If you enjoyed Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a novel that takes place in Africa and focuses on an abusive, hyperreligious patriarch, told from the perspective of a young girl, then this is the book for you. It oscillates between perspectives, assuming the voices of children, as they follow their pastor father to the Congo where he hopes to save souls. Kingsolver is excellent at writing in different voices, letting you know which characters are young and which ones are stupid without coming right out and saying it. 

Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte– This book hurts. Rejection is a collection of short stories and is a national book award winner. Each story is told via escalation as the character’s lives get progressively worse. Each short story contains a chronically lonely character that digs themself into a deeper hole, unable to escape the modern hellscape in which we are all collectively living. Tulathimutte’s writing is smart and confident as he makes sharp observations about the trials of modern-day dating and superficial friendships. He points out the ways in which we muzzle out all intimacy and meaningful relationships through the ubiquity of porn and the intersection of internet culture into our daily lives. Despite how tried and true this expression is, Tulathimutte “holds a mirror up to society.” Upon reading this collection you will never want to touch porn, social media, and dating apps ever again in an attempt to get your life back. He uses many conventions of modern writing: the obligatory short story that is told in second person, playing fast and loose with the quotation marks, and, of course, being meta.

Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson– I have been left physically unwell by this book. It is a horror novel and it is indeed horrifying so it is successful in its aim. I proceeded to watch Golden Girls as a chaser once I was done reading it. The protagonist ignores a series of red flags in pursuit of a beautiful, alluring stranger. I spent the entire time reading it, saying the Whoopi Goldberg quote from Ghost over and over again in my head: “you in danger girl.” I am not sure why I decided to read a horror novel. I do not like horror novels and yet I read it, so I should probably not leave a review of something that I am biased against. It is a slim novel and if horror novels are your thing, you can knock this out in a matter of days or hours. 

The Maid by Nita Prose– Everyone shits on the protagonist for the duration of the novel, making it brutal to read at times. This novel has much to do with grief. If you enjoyed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata you will like this one as well, with its chronically misunderstood protagonist that is heavily implied to be autistic, and the way in which no one around her can comprehend how she finds her menial job fulfilling. The novel turns into a whodunnit in the end and I did not like who did it, but other than that, the novel is an enjoyable read. 

My Dead Book by Nate Lippens– After losing his friends to drug addiction, suicide, and AIDs, the narrator reflects on his relationships. This novel serves, not just as an elegiac story about his deceased friends, but also as a reminder of what life was like in the 80s and 90s, offering no nostalgia for an era marred by the AIDS epidemic. For the narrator, it was a lawless, thankless time as a teenage sex worker. The prose is neat and pretty. I felt like the book could have been longer, so that I could sink my teeth deeper into the topic of lost friends and grief, but I enjoyed what I did read.

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan– Monaghan does a great job of depicting people as stodgy without coming right out and saying it. This book is for lovers of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune and Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, but who want to read a version with less trauma and less sex. 

It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan– In order to bring her dream project to fruition, Jane must work with her annoying coworker who also happens to be smoking hot (eyebrows raised). Monaghan keeps her sex scenes as broad strokes, never getting too graphic. If you like endless discussions of The Notebook– the film, not the book– then this book is for you. If you enjoy depictions of child stardom, ala I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, then this book is also for you. 

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune– Like Carley Fortune’s other books, this book is sweet and hopeful. There is hot sex, sexual tension, and more sex. It is repetitive at times, as the narrator feels something every time she looks at the novel’s brooding male love interest. The main character is a woman who is on the wrong path in life and, through the events of the story, learns how to prioritize herself. 

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune– Carley Fortune is a master of female-centric beach reads. The men are hot. The women are relatable. It is escapist fiction. This novel is a sequel to Every Summer After, which was heavily inspired by Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, but the book is good fun. 

Post Traumatic by Chantal V Johnson– Despite being about a lawyer who represents children in psychiatric care, the novel focuses more heavily on the day-to-day life of a woman as she diets and dates, all in the shadow of her past traumas, hence the novel’s title. This novel leans too heavily into the mundane: dating, possibly having an eating disorder, snooping on someone’s instagram page, getting high with your best friend, having sociopolitical, echo-chamber-clad conversations with said best friend, and feeling self-conscious about your partner’s ex. It is, unfortunately, not interesting. Her past traumas are never fully explained, leaving a gap in the narrative. This novel contains so much commentary on social issues throughout, being conveyed mainly through dialogue, but in a manner that feels clunky and sanctimonious. 

Sandwich by Catherine Newman– Sandwiched between her parents’ generation and her adult childrens’ generation, Rocky reflects on her life before and after having kids and the choices that she has made while on a family vacation to Cape Cod. She is expected to act as a caregiver to her children, parents, and to a lesser extent, her husband, stretched thin across them. The story is very frank about abortion and miscarriage, making for a strong commentary on motherhood and womanhood. 

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl– In this acclaimed memoir, Frankl describes what life in the concentration camps was like and his search for meaning afterwards as a Holocaust survivor. As a neurologist and psychologist, Frankl is able to break down purpose in human life, which he yokes into three categories. This is obviously, not a light, rompy read, but a serious examination of life as we know it, told from a narrator who has faced suffering that most of us, hopefully, will never be able to fathom. Pick this book up and see if it enriches your human experience. Fingers crossed that it will. 

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz– Long live Cara Romero. This novel takes place in the shadow of the 2008 recession as the protagonist, Cara Romero, tries to find work. She is likable and interesting even as she confesses to some unsavory things, while rattling on about her day. It was a bit of a nail biter for me as she tried to get a job and keep her apartment in a terrible job and housing market.

Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookstore, edited by Otto Penzler– Is a short story collection of 12 mysteries, each written by various authors. Every story is centered around the holidays and the mysterious bookstore, the oldest mystery bookstore in the world. Like most short story collections written by multiple people, the stories are pretty hit-or-miss, but what’s clear is that every author is very talented. This is a fun, cozy read before the holidays about a bookstore that I have personally been to and enjoyed. If you like mysteries and the holidays, I would pick up this collection. 

Favorite Short Story: Here We Come A-Wassailing by Thomas Perry

Atonement by Ian McEwan– Atonement is a stylish novel set against the backdrop of World War II and is all about how one lie can ruin countless lives. The novel deals openly with children being in danger, false accusations, and warfare. It’ll make you question what truly counts as atonement. Those familiar with the Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy film will know all about the iconic green dress, but there is also serious betrayal and heartbreak. 

My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby– This self-published debut is the start of my reading of Cosby’s work. For those who don’t know, he’s a thriller writer who sets his novels in the south. The novel is gory and violent, filled with vigilante justice. I felt that this novel was a strong debut, even if it was lacking in a few places. I look forward to reading more of Cosby’s work in the future. 

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld– This novel sums up the pains and awkwardness of adolescence: the crushes, the insecurities, and the bad decisions that only present themselves as bad decisions years after the fact. For all of her faults, the protagonist, Lee, feels honest and believable, as she gets in her own way at every turn. The novel investigates class, race, and first romances (if they can even be called that) in a way that feels organic. Sittenfeld captures the gut-punches of growing up, set against the backdrop of an elite prep school, a world that I don’t know and, based on this book, do not want to know.

I read so many great books this year that I found it hard to narrow it down to a top three.

Top Three From This Stack:

Prep
Atonement
The Poisonwood Bible

Top Three for the Year:

The Wedding People
The Bluest Eye
Prep

Honorable Mentions:

Lessons in Chemistry
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
Rejection 

Recommendations:

Giovanni’s Room
This Summer Will Be Different
It’s a Love Story
Same Time Next Summer
One Golden Summer

Even though I did not hit my reading goal this year, I am setting the same goal for 2026. This time I am far more determined. 

I finished 2025 ready to enter 2026 with a fat stack of books.

Happy reading!

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my blog post about all of the books that I read during the first half of the year

My aunt knows all about my love of tea, which some might call an obsession (I have an entire tea cabinet) and so we set out to learn what it takes to have a proper tea party.

We went to “Teahouse by Yixing Xuan,” for a private tea lesson, in which I learned more about tea than I ever thought possible, like how all tea contains caffeine, including caffeine-free tea, because of how it grows in nature, and that white tea is often in skincare products due to its skin benefits. The takeaway was clear: drink white tea if you want to delay the aging process and only drink tea if you want to stay up at night.

The instructor walked us through a traditional tea ceremony while we ate dumplings. We watched as he strained hot water through loose leaf tea in an almost mesmerizing display and then we got to partake on the tea that we made. I was able to practice being the one to pour and make the tea until I felt ready to repeat the steps with my daily tea. 

After that we stopped for ice cream at a place called, “Birds of Paradise.” They specialize in unique ice cream flavors, which is how I ended up having chrysanthemum-flavored ice cream, a sweet, but not too sweet treat that I cannot recommend enough.  

I spent some time that afternoon at the Asian Civilization Museum, learning about Asia’s history from the silk road to the opium wars, and all of the major world events that I learned about in AP world history class. 

We ended our day by going to the Van Gogh immersive experience, a traveling art show that projects Van Gogh’s artwork while a narrator tells you about his life. You’re bathed in the artwork until you feel like you’re a part of it, soaking up the paint. It’s calming in a way that you wouldn’t expect, lulling you to sleep if you’re not careful. We learned about Van Gogh’s life, while mixed in with his stars and sunflowers.

Overall, it was a nice day of sipping tea, eating ice cream, and staring at art. What could be better?

Shortly thereafter, we called it a day, so that we could prepare for our trip to Indonesia the next day. More on that later.

The Tragic Queen,

Raquel

P.S.: Check out my previous blog post about my eventful day of gambling, drinking, and meditating, the perfect combination.