Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April and ends 30 June. If you opt to participate in our group reads in May, you'll read two novels that fit our theme: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by South Korean author, Cho Nam-Joo, and The Mountains Sing by VietNamese author, Nguyễn Phan Qu� Mai.

This thread is the place to capture our plans, thoughts and conversations about our challenge reads. We encourage everyone to engage in this thread in order to have more conversations between members about the books we're reading and choosing; however, if it's important to you to set up and maintain a separate thread to capture your progress, feel free to do so in this Quarterly Challenge folder.

Do you plan to participate? Let us know what you're thinking about reading, share lists and suggestions, seek resources and recommendations at your option, and share your reading experiences along the way.

Here's a link to our Asian /Pacific Islander American Heritage Month thread, where you might find some ideas and recs.

/topic/show/...

On my planning list are:

Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra (second in her Bangalore Detectives historical mystery series; library book)

The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng (born and raised in Singapore; historical fiction covering Japanese occupation of Singapore mid-century, coming of age; on my library wait list)

The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma (new release, American author of Chinese descent, upbeat, immigrant coming-of-age)

our group read, The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Qu� Mai (VietNam)(reading now)

A Show for Two by 23-year old New Yorker, Tashie Bhuiyan (YA contemporary romance!)

Activities of Daily Living by Lisa Hsiao Chen is a book I recently finished and would recommend. I also finished Bliss Montage by Ling Ma recently and would recommend that as well.

A few titles on my TBR list include:

- What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

- Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen

I'm currently reading Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin, but I don't think she is an AAPI writer so that may not count.

David wrote: "Activities of Daily Living by Lisa Hsiao Chen is a book I recently finished and would recommend. I also finished Bliss Montage by [author:Ling Ma|1..."

Any woman author of Asian descent, wherever they might have been born, lived or currently reside is eligible. The AAPI tent is substantially more circumscribed, but I'm glad it happens once a year to raise awareness of whom I'm reading because I can easily get into an Asian-American, Asian-Brit, Japanese rut if I don't think about it, and it's a rut I love, just to be clear.

I'm adding Activities to my TBR - really appeals. I'm also interested in Wandering Souls notwithstanding the mixed responses of our various common friends. Are you currently thumbs up, thumbs down or jury remains out?

Have you read Gish Jen before? If you have, what have you liked? I haven't and she's an author whose books I've often checked out of the library and returned without reading, not due to any animus, but not enough of a push to prioritize them over other shiny objects.

I definitely recommend Activities if it appeals. Chen explores some interesting ideas in a very thoughtful way.

I've just finished Wandering Souls. I'm unfortunately thumbs-down on it, but that's mostly because I just didn't click with the prose or some of the narrative choices. However, it's an important story to tell, so I wouldn't hesitate to read it if you're interested.

I have read a story by Gish Jen, which might be included in this collection. I haven't read anything else of hers. She's a writer I've been wanting to read for ages but just haven't, similar to your experience.

I am going to be reading The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. I actually started it already, but only got a couple chapters in before I focused on finishing a couple of other books. It started off strong. I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

Yiyun Li won the 2023 Pen Faulkner Award (announced yesterday afternoon) for The Book of Goose. I tried Kinder Than Solitude a couple of years ago without success, but it's time to give myself another run at Li and maybe this is the one to try.



Has anyone loved a book of hers? Recs welcome, please.

I just finished Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Allison Markin Powell. This was a quiet novel about a May-December relationship. I enjoyed its vibe and would like to read more by this author.

Will definitely lean on our expertly designed group reads to boost my quarterly reads, thanks Carol, but am also reading Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura now. It was last months group read but I got it late from my library. Bonus, it's in translation so I get to add it to my yearly #wit challenge.

I've had Gish Jen in my hands before also, specifically The Resisters, but funnily enough I also returned it unread.

My first for this is Han Kang's Greek Lessons: A Novel complex and by no means without flaws but thought-provoking and deftly written.

Link to my review:

/review/show...

Thanks for the lists and recommendations. I'll check them out for sure. I'm excited to participate in the quarterly challenge.

Carol wrote: "Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April and ends 30 June. If you opt to partic..."

I plan to participate. Will you be opening what you call a "widge" i.e. a place under challenges where you can keep track of your reads and what others have read as well. Thanks in advance.

This morning I finished The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. This one didn't work for me. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but the humour fell flat for me and the novel was a bit too madcap. I got bored and then trudged through the rest of it.

I have created a widget here:
/challenges/...

Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April and ends 30 June. If you..."

Mj - I apologize for not catching your comment when you posted it. Oops on the widget. Completely got past me. My bad.

Thank you, Anita!

I finished and loved The Bandit Queens but haven't posted a review because I haven't landed on how I want to approach it yet. There's so much commentary about it, and figuring out whom I think would like it most is a subject of more pondering.

I'm reading I'm a Fan but am not nearly as excited as others are. It's "fine" for me at the 1/3 mark, but the protagonist is wearing me down, not because she's unlike-able but her choices are self-destructive and I'm not seeing any growth or learning, just re-hoeing and re-hoeing the same row. Plenty of time for it to win me back, though.

I'm also really looking forward to our May group discussion of The Mountains Sing. It's a little off of my sweet spot (which is good) and I'm eternally interested in VietNam.

I had to return The Chinese Groove to the library because the wait list required it, and am conflicted about immediately requesting it back. I think The Great Reclamation: A Novel is due to come in this week and I'll give it a go.

Anita wrote: "I have created a widget here:
/challenges/..."

Thanks Anita. Appreciate your assistance and what you do for this group.

Carol wrote: "Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April and ends 30 J..."

Carol wrote: "Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April and ends 30 J..."

No problem Carol. It's not your bad. Everyone is very busy and has lots going on outside of this group and you do so much for this group. Truly appreciate your contribution.

Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "Mj wrote: "Carol wrote: "Our second quarterly challenge for 2023 is to read nonfiction or fiction books written by women of Asian descent.

Our Asian authors challenge starts 1 April..."

Thanks, Mj :)

I finished I'm a Fan and am disappointed. Emperors- New-Clothes-level disappointed. But the benefit of challenges sometimes is, while everything doesn’t float your boat, you give more works in a certain space or theme an opportunity to do so. On to another more enjoyable novel.

I really enjoyed Lonely Castle in the Mirror, and now moving on to The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - a classic I've never gotten around to reading.

Anita wrote: "I really enjoyed Lonely Castle in the Mirror, and now moving on to The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - a classic I've never gotten around to reading."

I haven't either, Anita. There are certain books that were mega-bestsellers in my teens and twenties and their certain omni-presence has lingered to turn me off, none of which is fair to Tan. I'll be looking forward to reading what you think of it.

Carol wrote: "Anita wrote: "I really enjoyed Lonely Castle in the Mirror, and now moving on to The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - a classic I've never gotten around to readi..."

It was a fine read. I didn't feel quite enraptured by the stories, but it was generally a good book.

Also read Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong which was pretty on par with her humor.

I finished A Few Right Thinking Men by Sri-Lankan-born author Sulari Gentill for my IRL book club. It was my second in the series and will be my last. The other members of the club thought it was better than I did, though, and one of them rarely likes any mystery that isn't a Nordic noir, so I'm the outlier.

I started our group read, The Mountains Sing and am wowed. It has all of the history I want in historical fiction reads, plus culture, plus it's well-paced. Doing the online research for our discussion thread this morning only enhanced my interest and enjoyment. Even if you don't read the book, check out the pronunciation guide the narrator did - it's less than 4 minutes long and invaluable for anyone with an interest in Viet Nam.

I put A Show for Two, a YA contemporary romance novel by Tashie Bhuiyan on hold at my library and expect all of my GR friends to raise an eyebrow when I start reading it, but something about the author intrigued me so I'll give her 30 or so pages and see if it's a winner.

I finished my fourth book for this challenge, The Mountains Sing and am glad I read it for the history and culture. On the other hand, the simplistic writing and overall sweetness, and bad-YA-level dialogue, was disappointing. I’m not the best target audience for sincere, multi-generational, book club oriented debut novels.

Carol wrote: "I finished my fourth book for this challenge, The Mountains Sing and am glad I read it for the history and culture. On the other hand, the simplistic writing and overall sweetness, ..."

I liked this one more than I thought I would, so I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe going in with low expectations let me enjoy it more than I would usually a YA. I'm glad we read this one though, I wouldn't have read it on my own. It did put Dust Child on my radar, which I will hopefully work in this year, if not this month or quarter.

I also read The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin, which I thought was just fine.

Moving on to The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo which I think is a good selection for AAPI Heritage month, and will be my 5th for this quarterly challenge. May has really bolstered my numbers.

I listened to Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho on audio. If you use the Libby app, this is the Big Library Read this month which means there are unlimited copies available until May 17th. It is a memoir about the author and her mother who experienced the onset of schizophrenia later in life. Cho, her mother, and her brother immigrated to the US from South Korea during the early 1970s when Cho was very young so there is quite a bit about the immigrant experience and about living in a xenophobic small town with a mostly white population. I found it extremely interesting regarding her mother's increasingly disturbing symptoms of schizophrenia and about her mother's past in Korea during WWII and the Korean war.

I finished my fifth book for this challenge: a graphic novel, Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu. I liked the art - loved the cover - and the adaptation of the classic story to take place in Chinatown in NYC, within the LGBTQ+ community. But the story itself didn’t work for me.

Laurie wrote: "I listened to Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho on audio. If you use the Libby app, this is the Big Library Read this month which means there are unlimited copies ava..."

I've seen this on the Libby app and wondered about it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

I read picture book, Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki. Highly recommended. The story of Chinese immigrant artist, Tyrus Wong, is told with just the right amount of detail yet still not an overwhelming amount for a child reading or listening to picture books. The artwork is stunning. This is a special one.

Carol wrote: "I read picture book, Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki. Highly recommen..."

Lots of great books! Particularly tempted by the Amy Chu, Julie Leung and Grace Cho.

I finished three more that fit the challenge.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop from Japanese author Satoshi Yagisawa which is slight but a nice escapist read that's very much designed to appeal to book enthusiasts.

Korean American author Esther Yi's debut novel/novella Y/N which uses a story about a K-Pop obsessed woman to explore questions about identity and existence. Not great as a narrative but fascinating territory.

South Korean author Kang Hwagil is part of the group of feminist authors linked to writers like Cho Nam-Joo and like Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, Kang's novel Another Person focuses on life for women in South Korea. Kang is exploring the aftermath of sexual violence and rape culture in South Korea but in doing so constructs a portrait of the social and cultural features of Korea that produce a world that's hostile to women - and to many men. I found the structure a bit awkward but the portrayals were persuasive and I liked her commitment to solidarity and her underlying political commitment. Although as a story I preferred her short piece Demons

I recently read two more for this challenge.

The Shape of Family by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, a Canadian author of Indian descent. This novel traced the impact of a child's death on his sister and parents. I found some of the plotting to be a bit silly and wished there had been better character development.

When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar, an American author of South Asian descent. Asghar is a poet and this novel is very lyrical and fragmentary. I enjoyed it but wish it had a stronger narrative - the fragments didn't always add up for me. This recently won the inaugural Carol Shields Prize.

We’ve read a wonderful range of books this month, and from a more broad selection of countries and cultures I think than in past years.

I’m glad this is a quarterly challenge since we’ve got another month to enjoy Asian authors from around the globe. I’m in the middle of Yellowface, and have 2-3 more checked out from my library.

Carol wrote: "We’ve read a wonderful range of books this month, and from a more broad selection of countries and cultures I think than in past years.

I’m glad this is a quarterly challenge since we’ve got anot..."

I can not decide if I want to read Yellowface or not Carol but have been kicking it around my head for a while. Look forward to your thoughts on this one, for sure.

R. F. Kuang is rapidly becoming a favourite, I love the combination of accessibility with more complex ideas about race and identity.

So I finished Yellowface, and have conflicting thoughts. Spelling it out here vs a (more) public review.

The basic plot was brilliant and for the first half brilliantly executed. The description of the MC’s writing activities came across believably. The initial editing process, accusations, conversations with Athena’s mom, were credible. I liked her writing style and the pacing was generally good. I’m really interested in learning about the Chinese workers supporting Britain’s WWI efforts.

Somewhere around where June releases her novella, it began to drift. The writing workshop where she is simply an ass to some students, then quits with no notice? Over the top and not necessary to the plot. Does confirm she’s totally unprofessional. Visiting her mom, all the very many references to her sister Rory? Should have been excised. She drinks she doesn’t return calls to her agent she says she can’t not read social media she doesn’t return calls to her publisher. I didn’t buy the June character as a character. She can be evil and racist and immature and whatever, but what she never is, is real. And if the second half had been as well done as the first, no one cares. But the longer you make me spend with her, the inconsistencies, the flatness, the immaturity, all of her reactions and responses are just off. It’s not that she’s unlikeable. She doesn’t hang together. Gone Girl works because Amy works. Racist white author with lousy judgment could certainly have worked. And it does - at the 3.5 star level. 5 stars for the first half. Just under 3 for the second.

BUT : if you’re interested I recommend it. It’s not that long. It’s overall a worthwhile read and Kuang’s take on the industry is its own reward. Alternate between audio and tangible book and it could go swiftly. Tell me what you think.

Carol wrote: "So I finished Yellowface, and have conflicting thoughts. Spelling it out here vs a (more) public review.

The basic plot was brilliant and for the first half brilliantly executed. ..."

Thanks so much for sharing Carol. I'm definitely teetering on this one and appreciate your insight!

Anita wrote: "Carol wrote: "So I finished Yellowface, and have conflicting thoughts. Spelling it out here vs a (more) public review.

The basic plot was brilliant and for the first half brillian..."

Also its most-awesome cover made me smile for every day I had it checked out of the library : )

I read an ARC of a novel from 2012 by award-winning South Korean writer Hye-young Pyun The Owl Cries: A Novel, it's one of those slightly frustrating novels, incredibly gripping but it just didn't lead anywhere that interesting.

Link to my review:

/review/show...

MJ’s Q2 2023 Asian Book Read Challenge Update

My goal was to read 3 books for this challenge and I've met the challenge. I also have 2 other books on hand that I may be able to read before June 30, 2023, but at least before the Annual Wit deadline.

Have read and enjoyed The Story of Us: A Novel by Catherine Hernandez - a Canadian-born award-winning author and screenwriter. She is a proud queer woman of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian descent who married into the Navajo Nation. While the story is fictional, it is very typical of the real lives of many Filipino women. It takes place in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Canada. Single and married women leave their family behind to work as caregivers, nannies and personal care workers overseas, sending all their money home. Hong Kong is close and a frequent choice. Canada offers the opportunity to apply for citizenship after two years of working in Canada and then to have their families join them. The conditions can be difficult, depending upon your employer. I also learned about the heavily negative biased attitude in the Philippines towards any members of the LGBTQ2+ community. Great writing, character development and demonstrations of personal growth. It was my favourite of the 3 reads so far � 4 1/2 stars rounded to 4 stars.
.
I also read What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, a U.S. author of mixed Asian descent. It is a debut collection of 9 short stories, with a variety of animals who are the narrators telling us their own stories and viewpoints. The author writes beautifully, her character development is good and she demonstrated a strong ability to connect with my heart. In addition, she provided good information about climate change impacts, poaching, overhunting and fishing resulting in dwindling food sources and causing the reduction and elimination of many wildlife species. It is an informative and touching read. 4 stars

I also read Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 a debut novel by Cho Nam-Joo translated by Jamie Chang - a May 2023 monthly group read in the Read Women book club where you can read many comments on the book. I consider it to be a very strong feminist book and thought the first 40% of the book was 5 star worthy. Then it started becoming less interesting and more repetitive and mostly in the 3 star range. It is certainly worth reading as it really opened my eyes about how paternalistic South Korean society is and how little females are valued. Their life choices and responsibilities seem to be determined at birth based on being born female. It read much like a non-fiction which which I enjoy in addition to fiction. I rounded 3 1/2 stars to 4 stars due to the strong start, information provided, research and resulting conclusions.

I also have Em Em which takes place in Vietnam and was written author Kim Thúy, who was born in Vietnam, spent time in refugee camps and immigrated to Canada in her youth. It is translated from French to English by
Sheila Fischman. Thuy’s first book Ru received a lot of acclaim.

Also have Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu for the Asian challenge also for a bingo square. Kim was born in Canada to parents who emigrated from Hong Kong.

I finished Natsuko Imamura's debut novella This is Amiko, Do You Copy? which started out as a series of linked short stories. It's a compelling read but I found it quite frustrating too, mainly because it's such a broad conception of what it might be to be neurodiverse. Everything's also filtered through the perspective of a child Amiko so it can also be difficult to follow and unclear what points Imamura wants to make about neurodivergence and about child abuse/neglect which is another key element. It's one of the problems with translated fiction that the translations often lag behind the original work, this was originally conceived over a decade ago so at the time it's possible this was seen as fresh and revelatory. I haven't read The Woman in the Purple Skirt which came out not long ago, so not sure if this one is representative of her approach or not.

Link to my review:

/review/show...

The other day I finished A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, an American author of Indian descent. I enjoyed this family drama about the clash between tradition and assimilation as well as the small family events that can send people's lives in dramatically different directions.

In the end I read six books for this quarterly challenge:
Strange Weather in Tokyo (3.5 stars)
The Bandit Queens (2.5 stars)
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (3.5 stars)
The Shape of Family (2.5 stars)
When We Were Sisters (3 stars)
A Place for Us (4 stars)

Looking forward to the Q3 challenge!