Sabrina Ki.

Hi, I’m Sabrina (she/her)! I’m from Hong Kong and currently based in York. I have a background in anthropology and archaeology, and work and volunteer in the arts and heritage sector! I love reading, drawing, making music and theatre, and I run book and art blogs too in my spare time. I first got into reviewing via book reviews on my blog ‘Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad’ and #bookstagram (@thebooklovingpanda), and I’m excited to review other art forms with rrramble!

My ultimate desert island disc track? ‘Respiro’ by Sebastián Yatra as it never gets old, even when I listen on repeat. It’s super calming yet somehow energises me too. Bonus points because the song is all about persevering in the hopes of seeing a loved one again, so I guess it would be good motivation if I was marooned on a desert island!

What was the last book you didn’t manage to finish? The audiobook of ‘One Last Stop’ by Casey McQuiston - I was really excited for this one and we got off to a great start, but around halfway through I just couldn’t bear it anymore. The extreme PDA (if you know, you know) was overwhelming and I felt like it was overshadowing the plot, which had started dragging. Perhaps alternate-universe Sabrina would have read it in ebook/physical form, skipped over bits, and finished it. We’ll never know. The narrator Natalie Naudus was great though!

What was the last book that made you cry, or laugh out loud? (or both!) The audiobook of ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ by TJ Klune did both! The characters and narration have such hilarious moments and were so endearing that I teared up more than once. Daniel Henning did a wonderful job as narrator, especially with voicing the children.

Have you ever heard a song that feels like it HAD to be written about you? What was it and why? ‘Older’ by Alec Benjamin is so relatable. While I’m excited to see what the future holds, I’m equally (if not more) terrified; I feel like I don’t know anything! “Never thought I’d be twenty/Now thirty don’t seem so far away” - sometimes I feel like ‘getting older’ is something that’s just happening to me and I feel a bit underqualified for this tier of life.

If you could have written one play/novel/poem/song, what would it be and why? The graphic novel/webcomic ‘Heartstopper’ by Alice Oseman. Aside from loving the book itself, I also find it amazing how ‘Heartstopper’ has touched, inspired and comforted so many people (including myself) around the world, of all ages, who really needed a book like this. If I ever publish anything, I hope it could connect to people with even a fraction of what ‘Heartstopper’ has.”