28 Comments

Thanks for the book recommendations! I look forward to reading the two nonfiction books that you listed :-)

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Yay! I hope you share your thoughts with us when you do read them.

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Thanks so much your book recommendations and reviews. I haven't read any of this and will add them to my TBR list of books by Asian writers. I'm a summer person so I'm hoping the warm weather will last a bit longer. But cooler weather is nice for curling up with a book and a cup of tea.

I'd like to recommend "Permission to Come Home" by therapist Jenny T. Wang. An excellent book on mental health written for Asian Americans.

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Ooh yay! I will add your recommendation to my list. Always looking for more books by Asian authors to read. Making this list made me realise how few I’ve read……

Haha I’m the total opposite. I read a LOT more, come fall/winter. Summer is not my season.

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I'm going to have to increase my reading budget now ;-) Thank you for these recommendations and the reviews! I'll have to reshuffle my reading list now ;-)

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In my opinion, my book budget is never high enough for all the books I wanna get hahaha. Thank goodness for Libby/the library.

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Thanks for the recs! Adding to my TBR.

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Thanks for the recs! I’m especially curious about “Sorry I’m Late”.

I’ve got a couple recs by Asian writers: Stay True, by Hua Hsu, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin.

I also have a question about them that I’m curious what others think but don’t know anyone who’s read both books. Is Asian Writers Collective’s chat forum a place where we can post random questions?

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Added those to my list. Thanks, William!

Yes, you can ask the questions here or in the chat.

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Alright, thanks, Tiffany! I'll try the chat--might get more eyes and chance of a hit.

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Thanks, so many new writers to explore!

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Thank you for the recommendations. I'll be requesting for the library I use to get To Live (they only had the audiobook and a movie adaptationp; neither are my preference).

I have a few reccomendations by Asian authors.

Fiction:

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a classic.

The Vanished (Ang Nawawala) by Chuckberry Pascual is immersive and compelling.

Nonfiction:

Back from the Crocodile's Belly: Philippine Babaylan Studies & The Struggle for Indigenous Memory is a collection of essays edited by S. Lily Mendoza and Leny Mendoza Strobel that intimately examines modern Filipino identity.

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Thanks for the recommendations, Cheshir. I’ve seen the film adaptation for “To Live,” but the angle is quite different from the book. Much more political, which I didn’t enjoy as much..

Pachinko has been on my list for a while. I feel daunted by the length, though!

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I haven’t read any of these yet! Thanks for the recommendations! Earlier this year, I picked up “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and it was amazing Really tugged at my heartstrings.

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Ooh I’ve heard good things about that one! It’s on my list. Thanks, Sandra!

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I hope you enjoy it!

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When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka and Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong are faves. Also Pachinko by Min Jin Lee! Oh and for essays, try Western Journeys by Teow Lim Goh.

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Thank you, Kate! I do want to find more essays to read. This is great.

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As an introvert, I'm particularly interested in the one by Jess Pan. Thanks for the recos! I've added the others to my to-read pile, too.

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You're welcome, Alyssa. It'd be lovely to hear what you think of them if you read any.

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Thank you so much for the mention and for the amazing recs!!!!!!! Honored to be on this list! xoxoxo

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Oh I love a book rec. thanks! ❤️

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I loved Crying in the Hmart. And then a really great modern historical fiction I read this year is Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim. I love modern retelling of mythology, but they are mostly Greek myths, so I have Daughter of Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan on my list when I finish the Earthsea series.

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Thanks for the recs! I will add Beasts of a Little Land to my list. I've heard of Daughter of Moon Goddess; please share what you think of it when you read it.

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Zhang Yimou's movie adaptation of Too Live is one of my favorites. I actually didn't realize it was based on a novel. I'll checking looking for it on my next library visit.

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It’s a wonderful film, but much more political than the book.

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I've been meaning to read "Where I Belong...." thanks for this reminder, I should see if it's at my library. Trauma and Asian Identity seem to be so tightly woven together.

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Yes it is, unfortunately. I hope you find it at your library! If not, you can request it. That’ll signal to them this book is important and needed.

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