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 steadily 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.
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 you may have missed otherwise
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
Where to Start with Asian Women in Translation: 12 Books Written and Translated by Women
Not sure where to begin with Asian women in translation? These 12 books, all written and translated by women, are organized by reading mood, from quiet and healing fiction to history, psychological suspense and speculative horror.
The Memory Museum: Stories
I saw this one on Instagram when it was first coming out and figured I'd get to it eventually. Then I started chatting with the author, we were in Chicago at the same time and honestly we had the same camera roll. That's what actually bumped this debut collection up my list.
The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre
This is going to be a wild ride." That's what I told myself before I was even a full chapter into The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre by Cho Yeeun, translated by Yewon Jung. At New Seoul Park, a stranger hands out jelly candy that promises an unbreakable bond with the people you love, and that premise alone should tell you this isn't going where it looks like it's going.
My Dear You
What a way to begin a story collection. You have just been eaten by a crocodile on your honeymoon in Australia. Now you are in heaven, and you get to choose your face. That is the energy of My Dear You, Rachel Khong's debut short story collection, and I could not put it down.
Counterweight
The premise is genuinely inventive and Djuna builds a world that feels layered and alive. Neuro-implants called Worms, fake identities stacked inside fake identities, a corporation behaving exactly the way you would expect one to behave if no one was watching. The pacing is relentless. This book moves.
Klara and the Sun
Told through the voice of an Artificial Friend, Klara and the Sun is a tender, uncanny look at what it means to love, serve, and quietly disappear. Speculative fiction at its most human.