Asian Writers – Page 2 – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] Making A Scene, by Constance Wu

The bright red book cover of Making A Scene by Constance Wu, who is depicted in black silhouette. The background is the interior of a non-descript, grimy subway car during a morning commute. A Black woman(Mel's) hand holds the book.

(Pre-order this book!) I’m not really into celebrity culture and I’m not sure I would have read this if Scribner Books hadn’t kindly sent me an ARC. But I’m SO glad they did. What I thought about Constance Wu before reading this: Um…she was good in Crazy Rich Asians I guess. She was the momContinue reading “[REVIEW] Making A Scene, by Constance Wu”

[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!

Holy crap, how it is already August? I moved back to America ELEVEN MONTHS AGO and I honestly have no idea what’s going on here, still. What I do know is that I’ve amassed and imported an astonishing number of books that I intend to read. I haven’t made a big deal of it, butContinue reading “[READING CHALLENGE] Kill Your #TBR!”

[REVIEW] Hold Me, by Courtney Milan

A Kindle lies on an outdoor restaurant table on a very sunny day, in front of a tall iced latte. The screen displays the cover of Hold Me, which depicts a very attractive half-dressed couple making out.

(Click to buy this book.) Courtney Milan is a romantic genius and let me tell you why. Hold Me is a pretty standard romance novel in a lot of ways. The premise plays off of how normal it has become to have long acquaintanceships, friendships, and even romantic relationships online without ever meeting each otherContinue reading “[REVIEW] Hold Me, by Courtney Milan”

[Hear Me Out] The Television Adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko Wasn’t Made For Me–And I’m Both Glad and Worried

(This is an edited version of a post from the Equal Opportunity Facebook page. To buy the book the series is based on, click here.) Thanks to a kind and generous soul in The Black & Asian Alliance Network, I now have an Apple TV account and have been watching the series adaptation of MinContinue reading “[Hear Me Out] The Television Adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko Wasn’t Made For Me–And I’m Both Glad and Worried”

[REVIEW] Too Much Soul, by Cindy Wilson

(Buy this book here.) It’s January 19th. I’ve read 6 books so far in 2022. I’ve reviewed one. This year has been MAD so far, y’all. How are you doing? Moving on to a review, I suggested this book as part of my January Equal Opportunity Reading Challenge and all I have to say is…canContinue reading “[REVIEW] Too Much Soul, by Cindy Wilson”

[REVIEW] White Ivy, by Susie Yang

A Black woman's hand holds the ebook of White Ivy up in front of a little island cottage in New England. The cover depicts an Asian woman with her arms wrapped around herself on a black background. The top half of her face is not in the picture.

(Buy it on Bookshop here.) I moved to Boston recently, and as a result I’ve been slurping up books set there. Most of them are not diverse, to put it mildly. White Ivy, a book about a Chinese-American immigrant in the city, was a refreshing surprise. There are a lot of reviews of this byContinue reading “[REVIEW] White Ivy, by Susie Yang”

[Review] The Dragon Republic, by R.F. Kuang

An ebook showing the black and white stylized Chinese culture-influenced cover of The Dragon Republic lays flat on a wooden table. A big black bowl of tan tan mien, or spicy pork and sesame noodles, is in the background.

(Buy it on Bookshop here.) I spent the first quarter of this Poppy War sequel trying to remember why I liked the first book. Main character Rin is probably the most despicable hero I’ve ever encountered. Sure, she’s a fire-wielding martially-trained shaman-powered genius badass who singlehandedly won a war. She’s also a genocidal maniac.(If you’veContinue reading “[Review] The Dragon Republic, by R.F. Kuang”

[REVIEW] Sultana’s Dream, by Roquia Sakhawat Hussain

An e-reader lying on a wooden table with a lacy white tablecloth, some green leaves and an iced coffee. The reader shows the cover of Sultana's Dream, which depicts a group of South Asian women walking on a broad country path in a black and white photograph.

(Buy it on Bookshop HERE) There seems to be this weirdly pervasive idea in popular thought that modernity is the sole property of the (white) West. There are similar backwards modes of thought about science fiction, feminism, utopia, dystopia and the examination of gender roles. Somehow, it’s acceptable in certain circles–sometimes unwittingly–to really believe thatContinue reading “[REVIEW] Sultana’s Dream, by Roquia Sakhawat Hussain”

[REVIEW] The Duke Who Didn’t, by Courtney Milan

A tablet displays the cover of The Duke Who Didn't, depicting a Chinese couple embracing. They are half-dressed in Victorian clothing. The tablet is on a wooden table with a slice of cheesecake and a latte in the background

(Buy it from Bookshop) I usually cleanse my mental palate with romance after reading horror. A British-Chinese duke in Victorian England is a pretty big switch from depressed teenage ghost hunters–but the cover of this really caught my eye and Courtney Milan’s name was familiar due to her role in calling out anti-Asian racism inContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Duke Who Didn’t, by Courtney Milan”

[REVIEW] Pashmina, by Nidhi Chanani

A black tablet displays the cover of Pashmina, which depicts an Indian-American teenage girl wrapped in a red and gold pashmina shawl that floats above her and forms a background for the title of the book. The tablet rests on a blue and gold pashmina, with a tiny black statue of Ganesh peeking over the right side of it.

(Buy it on Bookshop.) Something that I’m always learning is that discussions of trauma don’t always have to be epic. There is a time to dive deep into injustice, of course. But sometimes, it’s right to acknowledge something happened, commit to examining its effect on your life and community, and fold that understanding into theContinue reading “[REVIEW] Pashmina, by Nidhi Chanani”