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.
Search Titles, Authors, Keywords, Themes
Elegy for Opportunity
This was a sweet and surprisingly moving collection, funny at times, sad at others, and very much a book of the moment. Some of the poems are letters to the Mars rover, reflections on family and love, and confessions about what it means to write through grief and joy.
Patchwork Dolls
Some books hit you with emotion. Others hit you with ideas. Patchwork Dolls does both sharp and without ever flinching. These stories are unsettling not because they’re impossible, but because they feel like the next step from where we are now.
What Hunger
When food can’t satisfy your hunger and rage is more powerful than grief... That’s the space What Hunger lives in. A raw, haunting coming-of-age story about trauma, survival, and the power of finding your voice even if you have to bite first.
Premonition
At first, it feels like a story about a girl with premonitions. But what unfolds is quieter and deeper not about seeing the future, but remembering what you weren’t allowed to know. Premonition is soft, steady, and more emotional than it seems at first glance.
Strange Pictures
A layered, puzzle-like novel of psychological horror and buried trauma. Told through four interlocking stories and a series of eerie drawings, Strange Pictures builds dread without spectacle and leaves a lingering unease long after the final page.
Soyangri Book Kitchen
A bestselling Korean novel about a small village bookstore where strangers come to rest and reset. Told in quiet, comforting chapters, Soyangri Book Kitchen explores burnout, grief, and second chances with warmth, food, books, and peace.
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
A Korean memoir built from therapy transcripts and reflections on depression, identity, and emotional contradiction. Fragmented, honest, and often repetitive a candid look at what it means to struggle quietly.
The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher
A lyrical Korean novella about a salmon swimming upstream in search of purpose. Through quiet allegory, Ahn Do-hyun explores identity, sacrifice, and the quiet courage of going against the current.
