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
Grass
I don't read a lot of manhwa or manga, but Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim is the story of comfort woman survivor Lee Ok-seon, told in stark black-and-white art that carries the full weight of her history. A review, a look at who Lee Ok-seon was, and a list of more books to read on this history, in time for August 14th's International Memorial Day for Comfort Women.
Record of a Night Too Brief
I walked into Record of a Night Too Brief completely blind, which turned out to be both a mistake and exactly right. Three sections, one lion, and a snake wearing a mother's face later, I'm still not sure I understood everything Kawakami was doing. I understood exactly what it did to me.
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.
That Summer's End: Poems
Poems that blend Seon Buddhism and French Symbolism, translated by Anton Hur, with an unexpected link to BTS's RM behind its English release. A slow, devastating read on love, loss, and family.
People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice: Stories
A novella and three short stories about people who don't quite fit the mold, and are at peace with that. If you loved Convenience Store Woman, this one's for you.
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.
Song for Another Home
Two cousins, one year of war, told in seasons. Bora Lee Reed tells a brutal chapter of Korean history with restraint, and it loses nothing in the process.
A Plagued Sea
Kim Bo-Young reimagines "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" in a quarantined Korean seaside village. Horror, yes, but also very sad on so many levels.
Traveling Practice
A novelist takes his niece on a multiday walk across the Japanese countryside in the final days before the pandemic. A slice-of-life novel about nature, patience, and love, translated by Takami Nieda. It is a gem.
The Memory Bookshop
The cover and the comps promise cozy. A woman seven years into depression, deciding whether she wants to be alive, is something else. My honest take on Song Yu-jeong's The Memory Bookshop, translated by Shanna Tan.
Someone to Cook For
Maiko Seo's first novel in English, translated by Laurel Taylor, comes to us as Someone to Cook For. In Japan it is And So the Baton Is Passed, the million-selling Booksellers' Award winner. A book about found family, food, and a steadiness I admired more than I trusted.
Strange Weather in Tokyo
Our book group pick this month. A quiet love story between two lonely adults, one that gave me more to chew on than I expected, and one that will make some readers uncomfortable.
Sunset at Lion Rock
Matthew Wong Foreman's Sunset at Lion Rock follows a Wasian boy growing up between cultures in post-Handover Hong Kong. A hard, lyrical coming-of-age that's worth the read.
Flashlight
Susan Choi's Flashlight starts with a father and daughter on a beach at dusk and ends up somewhere much bigger: four generations, two countries, and a history most readers have never seen this close up.
The Heart of the Nhaga
I first found this book in an Italian bookstore years before it existed in English. I tried the Italian. The fantasy vocabulary defeated me. I waited. This is that translation.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Some books you finish and immediately want to press into someone's hands. Lonely Castle in the Mirror is that kind of book.
The Bookshop Woman: My Year Transforming Lives - One Book at a Time
People ask me for book recommendations all the time. So when I heard about a woman in Tokyo who signed up for a meet-up app specifically to recommend books to strangers, I felt an immediate connection.