My Asian Era

A curated journey through Asian literature

Thoughtful Reviews. Quiet Stories. Literary Depth.

For the past two years, I’ve been reading, reviewing, and quietly building a curated archive of books by Asian authors, mostly translated fiction, contemporary literature, and underrepresented voices that often get missed by mainstream reading lists.

What started as a personal reading habit has evolved into a full platform: a growing collection of spoiler-free reviews, thematic roundups, and quiet reflections meant to help more readers discover the emotional and cultural depth of Asian literature.

This isn’t a listicle site.
It’s not trend-based.
It’s intentional, built slowly, post by post, with care.

You’ll find:

  • Honest reviews from across Asia: Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Chinese, and Asian authors writing from around the world

  • Mini features for short books and chapbooks

  • Book club picks with community conversation prompts

  • Emotional clarity over academic critique

  • A calm space to discover books that linger

This is a living archive, part ongoing project, part reflective journal.
I’m in the process of centralizing older reviews and continuing to explore both contemporary releases and classic titles from across the region.

If you're tired of the same dozen titles getting recycled across book feeds — you're in the right place.

Welcome.

P.S. If you're looking to read along, I host a quiet book club through Fable. It's casual, thoughtful, and open to anyone curious about Asian literature.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

The Fourth Daughter

The number four is unlucky in Taiwan. Iit sounds like the word for death. For Ah-Ma, Liv Kuo’s grandmother, that superstition became a lifelong wound when her husband gave their youngest daughter away without telling her. In The Fourth Daughter, Lyn Liao Butler blends Taiwan’s hidden history, family secrets, and the comfort of food into a story about resilience, memory, and the power of never giving up.

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