Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Glamour magazine said it best in their review, “It’s impossible not to get sucked into this satirical novel.” Crazy Rich Asians is simply fun entertainment. I can totally see why they made a movie based on this book – the fashion, the architecture, the opulence, OH MY! Now, I can’t wait to see it. Also, when I started the book, I assumed it was a stand-alone novel. I had no idea it was the first in a trilogy. As soon as I ended on a juicy, […]
In Order to Live: a North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers
First, I feel a little bad rating In Order to Live: a North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom three stars. Park’s life story to the point of her writing this book, just 21 years, is full of the sort of deprivations, suffering, drive to survive, and eventually hope that make you want to love the work. Yeonmi Park’s life deserves notice and her book deserves to be read. Unfortunately for me, it felt more like homework than a captivating read. Second, there are some books […]
Under the Broken Sky by Markio Nagai
I was taught that if writers have a negative comment about what they are reviewing, they should start with a positive comment. However, I am going to be a rebel and start with the negative: If I have one complaint about Under the Broken Sky by Markio Nagai it is that the language is too modern. The contemporary voice of the narrator occasionally took me out of the (historical) moment, making me backtrack to get back to Manchuria mid-1940s. Now that is over, the good […]
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
#CBR11 Bingo: Far and Away (book set in fantasy version of historical China) Official book description: In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life’s questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask […]
Boxer & Saints V02 Saints by Gene Luen Yang
A couple of spoilers are below. Saints is the second book in the two book graphic series, Boxer & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang. While it is shorter than Boxers, it still packs a lot of story. However, I would have liked to have seen more of back story of Four-Girl (or Vibiana as she will become known). We see how she is the unwanted fourth-girl of her family and how she defies the odds by living and having to deal with a strict, old-school […]
The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes by Ying Chang Compestine
I saw the cover dragon of The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes peeking up off the cart, hidden behind several other titles, it was sitting on. I enjoy a good story from Asia (particularly if it is about Japan or Chinese New Year). I was hoping this was a Chinese New Year story, instead what I got was the “true story” of the Emperor’s New Clothes. I also like alternative tellings of stories we know and this was a delightful treat. Ying Chang Compestine’s story differs […]
