#asian book recommendations

[princessofbookaholics]

presenting the prettiest book cover I've ever seen 💛

[incandescent-ruins]

Asian, Adjacent: Utopian Longing and Model Minority Mediation in Disco Elysium by Takeo Rivera

[mrinafria]

Look at me,

Break my heart.

Break it a thousand times

if you like.

It was only ever yours

to break anyway.

- (TO)

[papenathys]

1 & 5 for the book ask thing

1 - Fave Books

Gun to my head, I had to narrow it down to five books and felt like drinking bleach throughout. In no particular order, they are as follows:

Providence Girls by Morgan Dante ( @ghostpoetics on tumblr): A historical cosmic horror novel set in 1940s New England which retells two Lovecraftian horror tales in the form of a tragic sapphic love story. Fucking broke me. Exists at the very specific juncture of my mind between the lesbian eroticism and healing from trauma of The Handmaiden, and the body horror and monster romance of The Shape of Water.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer: I'll be honest the movie was whatever for me but this book was what kids these days call a serve...a banger even. Don't know how the author described the surreal morphing sentient, geographic, sort of sci-fi sort of psychological– sort of straight up eldritch horror?? but it terrified the shit out of me, because everything was so beautiful, so unsettling and so distorted, that by the end I wanted to be consumed alive by the fungi and the lighthouse moss too. Also the biologist is to me what Camille Preaker and Abigail Hobbs are to vaguely sad white girls on tumblr.

Walking Practice by Dolki Min: An allegory for queer peoples' alienation in South Korea, wrapped up in a gruesome, dark and funny little story about a crash-landed alien that kills people via dating app stalking. Not only was this book fucking fantastic visually in terms of typesetting and illustrations, but also the translation was genuinely great. And while the narration was very funny, there were also many passages that were gut-punchingly tragic and raw, and captured how it feels to be trans, queer and disabled in a homophobic, conservative society.

Blue Hunger by Viola Di Grado: Gorgeous litfic novella about a young Italian teacher grieving the loss of her brother, who moves to Shanghai and has a toxic, obsessive, dreamlike affair with a Chinese lesbian, one of her new students. This one is not for everybody because the romance is extremely imbalanced, unhealthy and nasty but also I don't care because the writing was so hauntingly beautiful. Think cityscapes, urban loneliness, lesbian sex in dirty alleys and grief striking you at the oddest, sweatiest, most surreal hour of night.

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen: Scathingly powerful political-historical satire novel, about a Viet Cong spy in the South Vietnamese army who escapes to USA during the 1970s fall of Saigon, and once there, finds himself repulsed and fascinated by the heinous facade and global crimes perpetuated by the Western intellectual, political and military complex that he both loathes and lusts after. Easily the best book I read this year, banger from beginning to end, reminded me why I love historical fiction. It TEARS apart American imperialism, the politics of colonial/orientalist academia, propaganda film, and anti-communist fear mongering in the 70s, during the Vietnam war. Delicious and horrifying usage of the unreliable narrator. Extremely relevant, timely read today. If there's one book you take from this list, it should be this one.

5 - Book I would recommend to anyone

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds. It's a YA novel about a teen Black girl who moves to rural Georgia with her parents to look after her terminally ill, estranged maternal grandmother, but ends up having a whirlwind summer as the dark, violent and tragic secrets of her family's past–and that of her mother's childhood hometown–comes to light. This is possibly one of the best young adult books I ever read, it felt like a cross between a coming-of-age film, and a classic historical transgenerational family saga. It was at once a love letter to finding queer and Black joy and community in a conservative Southern town, but also harrowing grief about historic racism and police brutality and how trauma informs identity, as does love. I mean this in the most respectful way possible: in parts this reminded me of Toni Morrison's Beloved, that's how fucking good it was.

[princessofbookaholics]

Asian Readathon 2023 Wrap Up

I participated in the Asian Readathon again this year and it was a great time. I got an opportunity to read from some great authors and would like to share them with you: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu Author’s ethnicity: Chinese A historical fantasy about Mozart’s forgotten sister Maria Anna Mozart and how she was a child prodigy way before her brother. Rating: 4.5/5 stars Exes and O’s by…

[arthistoryanimalia]

Its #BatAppreciationDay so please appreciate this awesome 19th century Japanese kosode decorated with embroidered lucky bats, photographed in 2019 at The Life of Animals in Japanese Art exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in DC:

Kosode with Bats Japan, Edo - Meiji periods, 19th century silk twill, paste-resist dyed, embroidery, 67⅜ × 48⅞ in. National Museum of Japanese History, Chiba Prefecture

“In the West, bats - nocturnal in habit and denizens of dark places tend to be viewed as unlucky, but in China they have long been considered an auspicious motif (one of the characters used to write the word "bat" is a homonym for good fortune). The Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjüro VII (1791-1859) used bat motifs in his costumes, and the perception of these animals as a chic design element spread rapidly throughout Japan in the nineteenth century. Here a great number of them are arranged in right-left symmetry from the base of the collar to the hem.”

The above info is from the official exhibition catalog - this bat kosode is on p. 124:

The Life of Animals in Japanese Art (2019)

[princessofbookaholics]

Asian Readathon is BACK AGAIN 🏮

Asian Readathon Recs + TBR

The Asian Readathon is a month-long readathon from May 1st to 31st dedicated to reading books by Asian authors or with Asian characters and I'm definitely participating! I thought I should make a post with all the recommendations I have for the readathon and also all the Asian books I have on my entire TBR. My goal is to read as many Asian books as I can throughout the month.

Details about the readathon:

google doc with all details: read here

[UPDATE 2022: currently using this as a personal master list for all asian books that I recommend + the ones on my TBR; under the cut]

So let's go on to the book recs:

young adult contemporary:

-> recommendations:

to all the boys i've loved before series by jenny han

when dimple met rishi by sandhya menon

a match made in mehendi by nandini bajpai

i believe in a thing called love by maureen goo

my so-called bollywood life by nisha sharma

a pho love story by loan le

xoxo by axie oh

you've reached sam by dustin thao

summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman

starfish by akemi dawn bowman

a time to dance by padma venkatraman

everyone hates kelsie miller by meredith ireland

-> to be read:

the astonishing color of after by emily x. r. pan

noteworthy by riley redgate

kings, queens and in-betweens by tanya boteju

darius the great is not okay by adib khorram

parachutes by kelly yang

tokyo ever after by emiko jean

general fiction:

-> recommendations:

if i had your face by frances cha

the travelling cat chronicles by hiro arikawa

a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini

girls burn brighter by shobha rao

mika in real life by emiko jean

almond by won-pyoung sohn

-> to be read:

days of distraction by alexandra chang

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean voung

graphic novel/manga:

-> recommendations:

anya's ghost by vera brosgol

the prince and the dressmaker by jen wang

death note series by tsugumi ohba and takeshi obata

quiet girl in a noisy world by debbie tung

they called us enemy by george takei

orange series by ichigo takano

persepolis by marjane satrapi

stargazing by jen wang

tidesong by wendy xu

spy x family series by tatsuya endo

pilu of the woods by mai k. nguyen

-> to be read:

laura dean keeps breaking up with me by mariko tamaki

this one summer by mariko tamaki

anthology:

-> recommendations:

wise and otherwise by sudha murty

a thousand beginnings and endings by ellen oh and elsie chapman

an unrestored woman by shobha rao

no man is an island by ruskin bond

how to pronounce knife by souvankham thammavongsa

before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi

-> to be read:

once upon an eid by s. k. ali and aisha saeed

diary of a murderer by young-ha kim

mystery/thriller:

-> recommendations:

confessions by kanae minato

penance by kanae minato

can you see me now by trisha sakhlecha

the decagon house murders by yukito ayatsuji

the master key by masako togawa

detective kosuke kindaichi series by seishi yokomizo

the butcher by jennifer hillier

detective kaga series by keigo higashino

the tokyo zodiac murders by soji shimada

-> to be read:

the good son by you-jeong jeong

everything i never told you by celeste ng

miracle creek by angie kim

the widows of malabar hill by sujata massey

middle grade:

-> recommendations:

the village by the sea by anita desai

other words for home by jasmine warga

amal unbound by aisha saeed

kiki's delivery service by eiko kadono

malgudi days by r. k. narayan

the night diary by veera hiranandini

front desk by kelly yang

-> to be read:

sidekick squad series by c. b. lee

eva evergreen, semi-magical witch by julie ab

romance:

-> recommendations:

the kiss quotient series by helen hoang

marriage game series by sara desai

modern love series by alisha rai

dating dr. dil by nisha sharma

twisted series by ana huang

the unmatchmakers by jackie lau

awkward in october by teresa yea

the influencer series by amy lea

-> to be read:

jasmine and jake rock the boat by sonya lalli

donut fall in love by jackie lau

booked on a feeling by jayci lee

fantasy:

-> recommendations:

shiva trilogy by amish tripathi

warcross duology by marie lu

the daevabad trilogy by s. a. chakraborty

the poppy war trilogy by r. f. kuang

the green bone saga by fonda lee

-> to be read

wicked fox by kat cho

star daughter by shveta thakrar

the kingdom of back by marie lu

spin the dawn duology by elizabeth lim

we hunt the flame duology by hafsah faizal

non-fiction:

-> recommendations:

know my name by chanel miller

ace by angela chen

i'm afraid of men by vivek shraya

white tears/brown scars by ruby hamad

in order to live by yeonmi park

-> to be read:

minor feelings by cathy park hong

LET'S READ ASIAN BOOKS, BABY!

[clickityquacks]

I like making book post compilations so here I have Asian Fantasy Novel recommendations that are mostly YA. These are in no particular order, arranged by covers more than anything ahaha. Titles and what I liked about it under the cut. I think Asian Fantasy novels are more about world building for me than character depth. Check the character warnings as needed, She Who Became the Sun and Poppy War are probably the most brutal of this list.

Asterisks * for the ones I liked the most. *She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan - LOVE the pun for the title, She really became the Sun and the Son. A reimagining of the battle over the Ming Dynasty with literal mandates of heaven for people who have a chance at the throne. The characters are absolutely brutal. Zhu Chongba is a delightful gremlin.

Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh - Based on the myth of sacrificing young women to the water to please the Sea God to not flood the village. Mina jumps into the river to save someone else from being sacrificed. She needs to wake the Sea God to end the storms.

The Rise of Kyoshi by FC Yee - Based in the world of Avatar the Last Airbender, I think this could be a standalone even if you have no context. Kyoshi is a servant to a fire nation house and finds that she is the Avatar. I liked the mentors she had and the way she took on her signature look.

*A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee - Miuko is an innkeeper's daughter but she gets cursed one night to turn into a demon. She goes on an adventure to try and reverse the curse. I really liked the plot structure and Miuko's internal dialogue.

Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo - Chih is a cleric who is tasked with various cases with their bird, Almost Brilliant. This novel follows flashbacks of maidservant Rabbit indentured to Empress In-yo but ultimately being friends. There are 5 so far that follows Chih's other cases.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by FC Yee - Another FC Yee book, I ended up reading a bunch of books from him including Yangchen. I think they are neat! Leans a bit of younger YA but Genie Lo's reveal of who she was on the Monkey King's team was just so good.

Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart - A really solid debut novel where we follow Lin, daughter of the emperor, who is trying to inherit the art of engraving commands into bone shards to make puppets come to life. I don't love all the POVs but Melphi is a delight.

*The Poppy War by RF Kuang - A fantasy novel that is inspired by the atrocities of the Sino-Japanese War and the Opium Wars. RF Kuang's magical battle scenes are really the highlight. I don't think I need to say too much, this made a big splash on the field.

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean - In a world where humans and yokai are divided, Mari has trained all her life to win the competition to be empress despite hiding her yokai nature.

*Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart - What if someone wrote a fantasy novel that was in the style of transliterated Chinese novels? I think this book is so whimsical and endearing where it follows Number 10 Ox trying to save the village children from their endless slumber by finding a cure.

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang - Twins separated as they grew into their powers, Mokoya stays with her mother as she gained the gift of prophecy while Akeha is sold off to the monastery as a bargaining chip. Akeha detests what he sees and joins the rebels to take down his mother’s council.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim - A debut novel where only men can be Imperial Tailors so Maia dresses as a man to join the competition. She has to travel the world to see three dresses for the emperor’s new bride made out of the sun, moon and star matter.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - I think this book is like popcorn, all style! Its a pretty easy read where the best description is a video game world and palace drama blended up to be this novel.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez - There is a mix of second POV as a character is listening to his grandmother talk about this magic theatre and he gets whisked away to see the show they put on. The theatre is in third POV about two warriors who try to free the Moon Goddess and end tyranny in the land.

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier - Dragonfruit, sea dragon eggs, are able to grant wishes and Hanalei’s father steals one to save Hanalei instead of giving it to the cursed princess. They are sent to a life of exile but Hanalei eventually returns to make up for her regrets.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo - What if Hollywood was run by Fae and people make life bargains to be famous? This is probably the only book on this list that focuses on western myths. Bit a drag at some parts but the descriptions are so haunting in some cases!

I will put other books that didn’t make the cut to the graphic and didn’t like as much but maybe you will like more.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan

Descendants of the Crane - Joan He

Strike the Zither by Joan He

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan

Spin of Fate by AA Vora

Song of Silver, Flame like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

If you made it here, thanks for reading! I hope you got some new book recs!!

[thebellekeys]

Superior Subgenre: Race Satire by WOC

Here are my recommendations for satirical contemporary books by women of colour about racial fetishization and white neoliberals. Highly recommend these three books if you want to laugh, introspect, and marinate on how American society and institutions are being cooked by the culture war.

[spider4webs]

Does anyone have any good book recs about like Indian characters? something like the phoenix king or aru shah?

(and maybe w romance as a sub plot? 🫣)

[lakecountylibrary]

Entertaining Animal Nonfiction

Nonfiction reads about animals that'll keep you hooked!

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik

A tale of three birders crossing the continent and vying to become the person in America who identifies the most birds in one year. Tells the tale of a real contest, and how in its craziest year, three birders crawled through dumpsters, hiked the highest peaks, and scraped to get enough money to win the Big Year title.

(Editor's note: As you can probably guess by the cover above, there's also a movie starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Steve Martin!)

The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt

A reporter goes on a global tour in search of a wild Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium fish, to find out what about this fish inspires murder, millions of dollars, and plastic surgery on fish, and whether they're still alive in the wild.

Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show by Tommy Tomlinson

Explores the hype and realities of life for humans and dogs in the show ring. The deeper story, though is the rumination on how dogs and humans have changed one another throughout the years, and what we mean to each other.

Four Thousand Paws: Caring for the Dogs of the Iditarod: A Veterinarian's Story by Lee Morgan

This is a rollicking memoir of a veterinarian, one of dozens who volunteer their time each year to come to the frozen tundra and snowdrifts of Alaska. Their mission? To keep safe and healthy the hundreds of dogs participating in the thousand-mile Iditarod Trail Race. It's a tale not just of the extraordinary people who race the trail, but the tenacity and spirit of their dogs, and the incredible coordination that it takes to get veterinarians and support staff flown and ready to take care of canine athletes far from veterinary clinics.

See more of Sarah's recs