Don't worry if you read this and thought you missed out on something, it's not anything official! Just something fun I decided to do to help expand my reading.
A photo of all the books I read in August consisting of: the Poppy War, The Night Tiger, The Joy Luck Club, Shadow of the Fox, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the Dragon Republic and Jade City
I spent the first three weeks of August reading primarily Asian authors because it was something I really wanted to dedicate my time and money to. Despite being an Asian (I am Thai-Chinese!) English Literature student, I realised I was greatly lacking in Asian literature. This is nobody’s fault but my own for not searching for authors to read. That being said, I’ve read a total of 8 books by Asian authors this month and I will be giving a short synopsis, my ratings and my overall thoughts of them all below. They are listed in this order;
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
Democracy, Shaken & Stirred: A Novel by Win Lyovarin
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Jade City by Fonda Lee
I will also list out recommendations I read before this month as well as some from some of my friends on Twitter that I have not personally read but they said were good!
I started but DNF’ed two books. First, I DNF'ed from Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon. I honestly didn’t go in with the highest hopes for this book. I wasn’t a big fan of When Dimple Met Rishi because of some of the tropes in the book and I also just generally really do not vibe with romances, especially when they’re young adult contemporary. But I tried to be optimistic.
Secondly, I started the Sword of Kaigan by M.L. Wang. I liked the few chapters I read of it but I picked it up after the Dragon Republic, a book that left me in a bit of a fragile mental place and apparently it is a very dark book so I just put it down for now. I don't know if this counts as a DNF it's more like a DNF...for now.
I have full reviews of the two Poppy War books on my blog that can be found here:
The Poppy War - https://literasea.wixsite.com/website/post/r-f-kuang-the-poppy-war-review
The Dragon Republic - https://literasea.wixsite.com/website/post/r-f-kuang-the-dragon-republic-review
If you want full reviews of any of the other books, let me know and I will gladly write one up for you. If you have any other recommendations of Asian authors, please send them my way! I am always looking to diversify my reading.
1. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Rating: ⅘
Genre: literary fiction
Synopsis: This book is set in a coffee shop in Japan infamous for their time travelling abilities. To time travel, you must sit on a chair after a ghost gets up to go to the bathroom, and you must return before your coffee gets cold or else you become the next ghost in the chair. This book follows four separate people and how they decide to use the time travelling chair.
Recommended to: anyone looking for a light read with a cool premise.
This book was a super cute, very short read. This book was only about 200 pages long with a really big font and I really enjoyed it. It’s got a really cool premise, a fun cast of characters and backstories that become deeper the longer you think about them. I also really liked the slightly awkward writing of this book and I’m not sure if that’s because of the author himself or because of the nature of the translation. Whilst I personally think the awkward writing added to it, some people might be really turned off by it, so do with that information what you will.
2. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Rating: 5/5
Genre: adult, grimdark fantasy
Synopsis: Fang Runin (nicknamed Rin) is a war orphan living in the South and has just been informed that she is going to be forced to get married to a man she has not met. Instead, she studies in an attempt to get into ‘Sinegard academy’, a highly prestigious school that trains the future soldiers. She does this because it is her only chance at being able to leave her abusive home and finding a better life for herself in the future.
Recommended to: fans of grimdark fantasy. I found it relatively similar to Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss but much, much darker. I’ve also heard it recommended to A Song of Ice and Fire fans but I haven’t read it so I personally can’t say. Basically, anyone who wants to cry reading a book.
Note: please check the trigger warnings on the full review. It is a very dark book and can be very triggering due to gore and descriptive depictions of traumatic events.
I’ve got a full review right here! https://literasea.wixsite.com/website/post/r-f-kuang-the-poppy-war-review
This book is a complete 180 from my previous book. A very dark book that explores the horrors of war in a way that is heartbreakingly realistic. My favourite thing about the Poppy War are the morally grey characters that part of me loves but part of me just wants to shake like, what are you DOING? Make better decisions. But at the same time I also completely understand why they do the things that they do and I honestly can’t tell if I would’ve done much differently (except the ending…)
3. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Rating: 5/5
Genre: classic, literary fiction
Synopsis: this book contains 16 interwoven stories about conflicts between Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-raised daughters. This book explores the family dynamics between a “modernized” child and their “traditional” mother, and the different conflicts that can arise.
Recommended to: anyone who grew up in a traditional (especially East Asian) family, anyone who fights with their parents a lot, people who like classics.
I have never felt more understood by a book when it comes to family. Family is a bit of a touchy subject for a lot of people and this book really fully explored the conflicts that can arise within a family and the misunderstanding between mother and child. Personally, I am incredibly lucky to have a mother who I am close to and listens to me whenever but like every mother and daughter duo, we have arguments too. This book explores how frustrating the generation divide can be and how sometimes, as westernized children, we might feel misunderstood or ignored. Instead, it presents the idea of “what if we are the ones who don’t understand our parents?”. A heartbreakingly real story about family, generational divides and the resentment that can arise as a result.
4. The Night Tiger by Yangze Choo
Rating: 2.5/5
Genre: urban fantasy, historical fiction
Synopsis: This book follows two main protagonists. The first person we follow is an 11 year old boy named Ren. After his master passes away, Ren is tasked with the quest to find his severed finger to reunite it with his body otherwise his master’s soul will roam the Earth and be unable to rest. In the second narrative, we follow Ji Lin, a girl who dreams to become a doctor but is unable to due to the societal expectations of 1930s Malaysia and ends up becoming an apprentice dressmaker instead. On the side, Ji Lin works as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother’s Mahjong debts. One night, she receives a severed finger from one of her dance partners and she is determined to reunite it with its owner.
This book is incredibly complex and deals with a lot of interesting issues that I was fascinated by. I loved the first ¼ of this book, it was so beautifully written, engaging and atmospheric. I also loved Ren as a character, he is so charming and I loved him. I wanted to follow him and his story. I was so excited for this book when I picked it up. It was so exciting for me because I loved historical fiction, fantasy and I love asian mythology.
So why the 2.5/5 rating?
The romance in this book threw me off massively. I completely disengaged once the romance started because I was just disgusted by the dynamics. If you don’t want to know anything that could be kind of a spoiler (it's also a bit of a trigger?) scroll to the next review but if you are interested to keep reading, continue on.
This is your last warning.
Ok, you must not mind mild spoilers if you are here. This book has incest. No, they are not blood related, they are adopted but they grew up together and they call each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’. When this started developing, I thought this was so weird I couldn’t bring myself to keep going. I honestly just couldn’t handle it.
Incest is not my thing. I don't know if incest is anyone's thing but it really shouldn't be. Step sibling incest is also not my thing. I find it very strange and I couldn't get past it at all.
If you don’t think this will throw you off like it did me and you can move past the fact that they are, in fact, family, then I would recommend this book because it was so engaging. I loved the family dynamics (apart from...that bit), and I loved the underlying story. It was so cool to read a story set in Malaysia because I find a lot of fantasy is set in East Asia but SouthEast Asia is so regularly ignored, so this was new and refreshing to read. I am from Thailand which borders Malaysia, and the setting was so familiar yet so incredibly different.
5. Democracy, Shaken & Stirred: A Novel by Win Lyovarin
Rating: ⅗
Genre: historical nonfiction
Synopsis: an exploration of Thailand’s history and political past from the 1920s to the present.
I really liked the way this book was written. This is a non-fiction book written in the same manner as Capote writes his nonfiction novels. It was a very engaging but very short novel and I learnt so much about my own country that I hadn’t known before. I went to an international school basically all my life and there are pros and cons that come with that, one of the cons being I barely know anything about my own history. This was a very short, beginners course on the troubles Thailand went through to get to where it is today.
6. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
Rating: ⅘
Genre: YA fantasy
Synopsis: Yumeko, a half fox half human girl, has been trained her whole life to hide her yokai nature by the monks she was raised by. This is until one day, her home is burned and her adoptive family are brutally murdered, and she is forced to run away for her safety whilst hiding one part of an ancient scroll (the temple's greatest treasure). Kage Tatsumi is a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan and has been tasked to retrieve the scroll at any cost. When they meet, Yumeko promises to lead him to the scroll and an uneasy alliance is formed as the best chance for Yumeko's survival.
Recommended to: anyone interested in Japanese mythology, anyone who enjoys cute romances or YA fantasy.
This was such a cute book. I really enjoyed all the characters in this novel as they were all charming and lovable in their own way. Whilst I would not say this is a completely new or innovative read, I would still highly recommend it to anyone who likes cute romances and adventurous reads. It’s got some of my favourite romance tropes and I loved the dynamic in this book. The ending hurt me in the best way possible. I’m really excited to pick up the next book and I aim to get to it ASAP.
I really recommend using the audiobook for this because I found it difficult to tell apart the different POVs on the physical book and I think that's the reason this book has such mixed reviews. I don't know if I would've liked this book as much as I did if I read it so I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrators do an awesome job.
7. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Rating: 5/5
Genre: adult, grimdark fantasy
Synopsis: Picking up from where the Poppy War left off, Rin is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions and attempts to join forces with some unlikely allies in order to increase her chances of survival.
I also have a full review up for this! Again, check the trigger warnings even if you’re usually not triggered by most books, this book is DARK. The trigger warnings are on this post that I would check out eve if you have read the Poppy War, there are some more triggers that weren’t in the first book. https://literasea.wixsite.com/website/post/r-f-kuang-the-dragon-republic-review
First of all, how amazing are these covers? I can't wait to get a physical copy and have them look gorgeous on my shelf. This book was so engaging and just deepened my love for this trilogy even more. R.F. Kuang is a master writer and I cannot wait to read the Burning God in November, as of writing this I have now preordered the book and I will devour it when it comes out. This book was a lot darker than the Poppy War but never feels like the dark elements of this book are forced in anyway. Overall, I continue to be blown away by Kuang’s masterful character work and descriptions of war. It is so refreshing to be able to read a story based on my own history.
8. Jade City by Fonda Lee
Rating: 5/5
Genre: historical, political, adult epic fantasy
Official synopsis: Jade City is the first novel in an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade. In this epic saga of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon.
This book surprised me in such an amazing way. I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked this up but it wasn’t this. I’m so surprised it isn’t talked about more. I loved everything about this book from how deeply flawed all of the characters are to the complex political landscape this takes place in. I also love the idea of the magic system and how it’s not too easy. I really love magic systems where abusing it will cause the user great consequence. This was so good and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a political fantasy.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Recommended by: valentinaaacr (and me!)
Review written by: me
Rating: 4/5
Genre: historical
Synopsis: a bildungsroman (or a coming of age) story about Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, whose closest friend is Hassan, and how his life changes after Afghanistan is torn apart by war.
Trigger warnings (written in white - highlight or copy/paste to read): on screen sexual assault, war, violence, stoning, racism
I had to study this book for my AS level English Literature and it absolutely destroyed me. Hosseini managed to make me cry at so many parts in the story and I felt absolutely hollow inside after I finished reading it. I think it’s so important to challenge our perception of certain countries and get rid of the harmful stereotypes, and this book attempts to bring light to pre-war Afghanistan. It is so important to remind ourselves how many countries prospered before external factors hurt them.
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Recommended by: blbyou on twitter
Review written by: blbyou on twitter
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Historical
Synopsis: Pachinko is an epic historical novel following a Korean family who eventually migrates to Japan, it is the first novel written for an adult, English-speaking audience about Japanese–Korean culture.
Trigger warnings (written in white - highlight or copy/paste to read): rape, comfort women mention, ableism, racism
Spanning from early 1900s rural Korea, through the terrors of World War II, and finally to the late 1980s urban Japan- Pachinko uniquely covers a lot of ground through an omniscient view of Sunja and her family. The characters in Pachinko are so human and complex that it is easy to fully invest your attention into each and every one of them. Min Jin Lee does a great job providing a broad picture of Koreans in Japan while also focusing on the intricacies of one small family. In just under 500 pages you’ll fly through 4 generations and come out feeling like you’ve aged along with them.
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro
Recommended by: me
Rating: 5/5
Genre: science fiction
Official synopsis: Friends Kathy, Tommy and Ruth grow up together at a seemingly idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. When they leave the school and the horrible truth of their true purpose is revealed to them, they must simultaneously confront deep-seated feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to tear their friendship asunder. .
Trigger warnings (written in white - highlight or copy/paste to read): death, bullying, non consensual medical experiments, very sad things
Talk about a book that tore my soul in half and made me question everything I’ve literally ever done in my whole life. This book...it hurt. I don’t know how to review this without giving things away but I still get so sad every time I think about this book. Just read it and don’t google ANYTHING. It gives away so much. Just do it. If you want more specific triggers or warnings then please feel free to message me! I’ve written an essay analysing the theme of ‘Victims of Experimentation’ on this book and the Handmaid's Tale you can find here if you’re interested: https://literasea.wixsite.com/website/post/victims-of-experimentation-the-handmaids-tale-and-never-let-me-go
4. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Recommended by: @fanqrunin on twitter
Review written by: @fanqrunin on twitter
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: historical fantasy
The Ghost Bride is the brilliant debut historical fantasy novel of Chinese-Malaysian author Yangsze Choo. Set in 19th century Malacca and the Chinese world of the dead, it's filled with vivid descriptions of the rich history and culture of Peranakan Chinese. The writing, setting, and atmosphere are spectacular and the characters are also fascinating, especially our narrator Li Lan (despite all her flaws). The plot of Part One is too slow for my liking, but the pacing definitely gets better throughout the book. All in all, The Ghost Bride is a wonderfully written own-voices book and I highly recommend it to fellow Chinese diaspora and those who love history and myths.
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