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.

Reviews Published 10 Book Reviews Professional Reader

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

The Healing Season of Pottery

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin is a tender Korean novel about stepping away from burnout and finding comfort in creativity, friendship, and the quiet rhythm of making something with your hands.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

Hot Chocolate on Thursday

Michiko Aoyama’s Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a comforting, quietly magical story about connection and kindness. Told through interwoven vignettes, it’s a warm reminder that even the smallest acts can change a life.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

To the Moon

A sharp, funny, and honest novel about three women who take a leap and change their lives, proof that risk and courage sometimes pay off.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

Days at the Torunka Café

A reflective novel of three intersecting lives at a small Tokyo café. Each story holds both sadness and hope, showing how people continue and connect in deeply human ways.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

Tokyo Ueno Station

Incredibly sad and quietly devastating, Tokyo Ueno Station made me see the unseen. Through Kazu, a common man who lived an ordinary life and then slipped into homelessness, Yu Miri shows how every loss, every choice, and every silence adds up. It is about not being seen in life or in death about being ignored even when you are right there.

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Maria Johnson Maria Johnson

What a Time to Be Alive

What happens when grief, internet fame, and accidental self-help collide? Jade Chang’s new novel follows Lola Treasure Gold — a woman thrust into the spotlight by a viral video and forced to reckon with what it means to be seen, believed, and followed. Part social satire, part character study, this one isn’t always fast, but it stays messy in the right ways.

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