Here’s a link to my recent ‘What I’m Reading’ piece on Meanjin’s blog, discussing some books I read last year with Chinese diaspora communities, reflecting on identity and the impact of seeing yourself in stories.
And if you haven’t already, be sure to pick up the books I discussed in it after!
Caster by Elsie Chapman
Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Stargazing by Jen Wang
The Pondathon is a co-operative and story-driven readathon hosted and run by CW from The Quiet Pond. The aim of the Pondathon is to read books and collect points to protect the friends over at The Quiet Pond from the encroaching malevolent forces that threaten our friends in the forest.
Have fun participating in the Pondathon readathon by joining one of five teams, each with a unique way to collect points and signing up! You can also follow the story of the Pondathon as it unfolds, and participants can also complete ‘side quests’ during the readathon to collect extra points. The readathon takes place from January 24th 2020 to March 7th 2020. More information about the readathon can be found here.
Share your updates on your blog/bookstagram/booktube and social media. You are more than welcome to tag @thequietpond or @artfromafriend on Twitter or Instagram in all your updates! We’d love to see all of the beautiful and awesome characters that you create!
Rui 瑞 means ‘auspicious’ in Chinese. I knew I had to pick the mouse/rat character for this year’s zodiac year!
I chose Team Gen as I thought it would give me a good opportunity to catch up on my backlist TBR. A couple such books are below, though I doubt I’ll be able to get to all of them in the readathon:
I was really interested in this book around the time it came out, but somehow never got around to it! Sandhya Menon’s story in Hungry Hearts was fantastic and it pushed me to finally pick it up. I love the idea of Dimple’s character — a girl who’s interested in technology — as well as the opposites attract aspect of the romance.
I got about a quarter of the way through this book late last year before being pulled away by uni and having to return it to the library. This had such a dark and intriguing atmosphere and characters which I’m keen to return to. I’ve loved Elsie Chapman’s other works (Caster, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, Hungry Hearts) and I’m excited to make my way through the rest of her books!
The book Do Not Say We Have Nothing by this author (multi-generational historical fiction about Chinese musicians during the Cultural Revolution + their descendants post Tiananmen Square) is one of my favourite books of all time, and I’ve had Certainty on my shelf for a while. Looking forward to immersing myself in this setting.
This is the sequel to This is Shyness, which I loved when I read it years ago, but I’ve unfortunately let it sit on my shelf for so long that I’ve forgotten almost everything from the first book D: Putting this here to keep myself accountable, as I really loved Leanne Hall’s writing and definitely want to catch up on all her books.
Are you joining in the #Pondathon? What are some backlist books on your TBR?
Changing things up from my usual discussions of books and writing today, as I’d like to share more about one of my other loves — animation! I’ve always found animated series/films more compelling than live-action ones, and their emotional impact on me is often deeper. There are many animated films which I’ve watched in the past and found unforgettable for how incredible and relatable they were — e.g. Whisper of the Heart (which I discussed and reflected on here) and When Marnie Was There (which I might write a separate post about!) from Studio Ghibli, and Big Fish and Begonia (from China and animated by Studio Mir in Korea).
So far this year, there have been a few new animations I’ve discovered which I really enjoyed and recommend, and have a few thoughts to share on them. Most of this is spoiler-free, and I’ve clearly marked and scrambled the text for the spoilers so you won’t see anything by accident. If you’ve already seen these and would like to read the spoilery thoughts, simply paste the scrambled text into ROT13 to decode. (or… decode it yourself if you feel so inclined, it’s a 13-step Caesar shift ;D)
Collaboration between Dreamworks and Pearl Studio in China
I’d been looking forward to Abominable since the trailer came out, because it looked like exactly the kind of film I would’ve loved as a kid. The story starts in a city based on Shanghai, where a girl named Yi discovers a yeti and goes on an adventure throughout China to return him home to Mount Everest, with the help of her friends Jin and Peng.
Highlights:
Mixed Feelings:
Netflix original series from Dreamworks
I have nothing but praise for this fantastic series which I whizzed through, and which messed around which my emotions so much (in a good way). Set on an imaginary planet, Etheria, it centres on a former child soldier from the evil Horde named Adora who defects and becomes the legendary hero She-Ra, fighting against them alongside several Princesses with magical powers.
Highlights:
Japanese animated film from Makoto Shinkai
A new film from Makoto Shinkai, most well-known as the director of Your Name (Kimi no Na wa). A sixteen-year-old boy named Hodaka runs away by himself to Tokyo, and encounters a girl named Hina who can make the weather become sunny through praying.
Highlights:
Mixed feelings:
Disliked:
Netflix original from Studio Ponoc
A series of three short films from Studio Ponoc, the creators of Mary and the Witch’s Flower, and which comprises of many people who previously worked at Studio Ghibli, titled: Kanini & Kanino, Life Ain’t Gonna Lose and Invisible.
Highlights:
Have you seen any of these films/series? What are some of your favourite animations?
I’ve praised Stacey Lee’s books everywhere since her debut Under a Painted Sky in 2015, and I was really, really excited to dive into her latest novel, The Downstairs Girl, set in Atlanta in 1890. Below are some thoughts on aspects of the book that I loved.
The Downstairs Girl will be released on August 13th, 2019. Please note that quotes are taken from an uncorrected ARC and may not reflect the final text.
A big thank you to Shenwei for passing their copy on to me!
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta.
But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby.
But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.
One of my favourite aspects of the writing in Stacey Lee’s previous books was the distinctive, engaging and humorous voice of Chinese-American protagonists. This was fully showcased in The Downstairs Girl — Jo Kuan is perceptive about society, strongly opinionated, and offers a unique perspective of Atlanta, which is usually seen through a white lens. This shines not only in the narration, but in the engaging excerpts of her columns as ‘Miss Sweetie’.
Someone needs to blow the trumpets of change. Someone who has viewed society both from the top branch, and the bottom, from the inside of the tree, and from the outside. Someone like … me.
(p39)
Along with this, so much about Jo was simply fascinating. She secretly lives in the basement of a print shop, and had a really unique upbringing: by her adoptive father, Old Gin; the string of Chinese ‘uncles’ who had previously lived with them; and through the conversations she overhears from the Bells, who own the print shop.
Towards the later parts of the book, I felt for Jo on an even deeper level — as the story about her parents and past unravels, she’s faced with revelations which she had never expected. I admired her so much for the strength which she found, and needed in order to go on, when her understanding of herself and her world is completely shaken.
Several of the supporting characters also really won my heart — Jo’s adoptive father Old Gin, the wonderful Noemi, and Nathan Bell from the print shop. Each of them were well-rounded and had a unique relationship with Jo.
If I had to narrow it down to one word, I would say that The Downstairs Girl is a story concerned with injustice. Specifically, a large part of the plot is connected to progressive ideas regarding women, the suffragette movement, and the intersectionality of this with race, in the movement led by the suffragists. Through Miss Sweetie’s columns, and well-developed characters like Noemi, a Black woman who also works at the Paynes’ and becomes involved in the movement with Jo, the book raises the issue of exclusion and marginalisation.
“They’re not colored concerns, they’re human concerns, and women make up half the humans. If we all work together, we can make some real change.”
(p248)
Further injustices which Chinese-Americans in the South specifically faced during that time in history are also portrayed or hinted at. These historical aspects are always woven into the plot and Jo’s voice, so that it never feels excessive, but instead thought-provoking and deeply tied into the experiences of the characters.
One thing which was a surprise to me about The Downstairs Girl was the multiple storylines throughout the book, and how all of them tied together beautifully and unexpectedly at the end. This is probably a good thing to keep in mind before you read it — I’d started off thinking I would whizz through it in the way I’d done with Stacey Lee’s previous books, but soon found myself introduced to many more characters and plotlines than I’d expected.
However, in a series of twists which left me completely stunned, everything came together in the last part of the book — the advice columnist plotline, Jo’s experiences and relationships with people she works with or for at the Paynes’, the mysteries about Jo’s parents, her relationship with her adoptive father, the suffragette movement, and more.
When I immediately started rereading after finishing the book, I found so many clever hints and foreshadowing that I hadn’t paid enough attention to at first. So, I’d suggest being attentive to the details in The Downstairs Girl and reading through it slowly so you’re fully immersed in what’s going on — it’ll increase its emotional impact.
Honestly, it was really difficult to write a spoiler-free review for this book because so much of what I loved about it were the aspects (vaguely described above) involving the revelations and the ending — something you really need to experience for yourself as a reader.
I’m really happy to see that The Downstairs Girl received so many well-deserved starred trade reviews, and it’s also the first of Stacey Lee’s books getting an Australian release! 😀 The author’s note in the ARC (not included in the final copy, though she posted it on Instagram here) and the book overall really shows how much of an inspiration Stacey Lee is to writers everywhere in her determination to challenge the erasure in the historical narratives which we usually have ingrained.
It’s not too late to enter the preorder/library request campaign for the book, which is open internationally (I’ve received my door handle, which looks lovely, and the images on it directly refer to aspects of the book). Be sure to pick this up in August!
Are you planning to read The Downstairs Girl? What are some other historical fiction books you’ve read and enjoyed?
Hi, everyone — there’s so much I’m excited to talk about in my discussion of CASTER by Elsie Chapman. CASTER was one of those books which I’d been anticipating since the announcement, and it completely lived up to my expectations as well as to the huge potential within its premise.
Thank you so much to Elsie Chapman and to Scholastic for the review copy! CASTER will be out on September 3rd, 2019.
Please note: quotes in this review are taken from an uncorrected proof copy of the book and may not reflect the final text.
Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Fight Club in this action-packed fantasy about a secret, underground magic fighting tournament.
If the magic doesn’t kill her, the truth just might.
Aza Wu knows that real magic is dangerous and illegal. After all, casting killed her sister, Shire. Now Aza is responsible for the money to pay off Saint Willow, the gang leader who oversees her sector of Lotusland. If you want to operate a business there, you have to pay your tribute.
When Aza comes across a secret invitation, she decides she doesn’t have much else to lose. She quickly realizes that she’s entered herself into an underground casting tournament, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Real magic, real consequences. As she competes, Aza fights for her life against some very strong and devious competitors.
When the facts about Shire’s death don’t add up, the police start to investigate. When the tributes to Saint Willow aren’t paid, the gang comes to collect. When Aza is caught sneaking around with fresh casting wounds, her parents are alarmed. As Aza’s dangerous web of lies continues to grow, she is caught between trying to find a way out and trapping herself permanently.
Here are some of the aspects of this book which I loved:
I only have endless praise for the well-developed magic system in CASTER, which was introduced in an engaging way from the first chapter. So much hinged on this aspect of the book in order for the tournament plot and the action sequences to fulfil their potential, and it did not disappoint.
Having approached this from the writing side, I know how difficult creating a magic system and building a fantasy world are. I’m going to be vague here so you can experience the enjoyment of discovering the magic for yourself throughout the book, but CASTER’s magic system was impressive in so many ways:
I want to say dread fills me at the idea of having to cast, and it does. But there’s a sick anticipation, too, because casting full magic is what we do.
(p116)
All of this was such a delight to experience throughout the book.
CASTER’s storyline naturally involves some great action sequences. As explained above, the well-developed magic system really allows it to live up to its potential, and is used in exciting new ways in each fight. I particularly love the visual aspects of these sequences, which are surprising, engaging and contributed to a sense of the scope of the world of Lotusland. All the descriptions of the physical action and casting were also really well-written.
Additionally, there is a great sense of emotional urgency within these action sequences. The stakes and tension here rose and rose throughout the tournament, from the first fight when Aza is facing the dangers for the first time, to the disadvantages and sudden decisions she had to face in the second fight, the revelations in the third, and the extreme tension and anticipation in the climactic finale. As a result, all of the fights had unique features and were memorable.
Beyond the action, CASTER has fantastic tension, which is established and maintained from the first page, yet the book never feels like it is rushed. The twists and intrigue kept me turning the pages, and every time there was a flashback to Aza’s past and her memories of her sister, Shire, I was fully immersed and intrigued by the character and plot revelations.
The book is pitched in comparison to Fight Club, which I haven’t personally watched before. But the stakes within the tournament, uneasy alliances and fear reminded me of the first Hunger Games book and of Hong Kong martial arts dramas like the Ip Man films, so I really enjoyed this premise.
There was only one aspect of the plot which I thought could have been developed better: (spoiler warning! Highlight below)
The plotline with Cormac pushed my suspension of disbelief a bit too far, and its resolution — which we didn’t completely see — seemed rushed.
However, this was minor compared to how much I enjoyed the rest of the plot. I whizzed through CASTER really quickly, and it’s a good choice if you’re trying to pull yourself out of a reading slump like I was at the time.
Aza Wu (yay, Chinese protagonist!) was a well-constructed heroine who was easy to empathise with and an enjoyable perspective to experience the story through. She’s in a tight spot with her family and the gang leaders from the start of the book, forcing her to make difficult moral choices concerning revenge, the web of lies she becomes entangled in, and whether the ends justify the means, pushing her in ways that bring out a darker side within her.
Her identity as a caster and the choices she makes as a result of this — always crucial to a character arc, especially in YA — is also a source of conflict. This gave so much depth to her character.
Because that fine line between honor and dishonor — I can’t stop it from shifting.
(p226)
I also loved how unquestionably loyal Aza is to her family — a subtle reflection of East Asian cultural nuances — in her determination to save her family’s legacy, their teahouse. Along with this, some of the lighter moments between her and her parents really made me smile. Flashbacks further reveal that the relationship between her and Shire was also filled with protectiveness, affection and loyalty.
In the letter from the author which was included with the ARC, Elsie Chapman mentioned that Lotusland is based on Vancouver and its multiculturalism, and Aza’s sector on Richmond, a location with a majority Chinese-Canadian population. Having grown up in a similar Chinese-Australian-dominant suburb at a young age, it made me really happy to see this kind of setting woven into the book.
Overall, CASTER was a fantastic ride of a book, and one I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fast-paced read. I enjoyed Elsie Chapman’s story in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings as well, so I definitely hope to read more of her books in the future!
The story in CASTER is wrapped up by the end of the book, but there’s a scene at the end which does set it up for a new conflict and potential sequel. I certainly hope that we’ll get more of Aza and Lotusland in the future — there were a few characters I’d love to see more of, and there were larger overarching questions woven within the story which can’t be fully resolved within one book.
An underrated series I enjoyed in high school which has similarly high stakes and a well-developed magic system is the Healing Wars series by Janice Hardy (Book 1: The Shifter), where healing powers have clear limitations and dark sides. The protagonist has the power to shift pain from one person to another and when she is forced into a tight spot, faces many difficult choices.
I’ve yet to completely read Jade City by Fonda Lee (I know, I know!), an adult fantasy with an Asian-inspired setting, but from what I know of it, it’s also got great action-packed plot and magic that fans of CASTER would likely enjoy, and vice-versa.
What’s the last thriller/action-packed novel you read? Have you read any of Elsie Chapman’s other books?
Happy Easter to those who celebrate/have public holidays! I’m excited to have some time to rest and to dive into books. This post includes some general updates on my reading and writing, as well as further books by Asian authors on my TBR which I’m hoping to get to at least sometime this year.
In my previous post I’d mentioned The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf, which is now out, and The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee, which is coming out later this year. As for The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim, it now has a beautiful cover! I feel so lucky to have beta-read this and can’t wait for everyone to experience the story. Keep an eye on Wai Chim’s website for more details in the next few months!
A book I recently loved was The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, which involves a girl caring for magical beasts and trying to understand nature. She comes to realise her actions have unpredictably dangerous consequences as she uncovers secrets in her people’s history, and is caught in a political conflict. The sequels haven’t been translated into English yet so I’m thinking of attempting to read them in Chinese… I’m also hoping to read the Moribito series by the same author, as I love stories involving spirit worlds.
I’ve been working on and off on a new fantasy manuscript, and I’m mainly still in the planning/worldbuilding stage at the moment. Even though I’ve written more historical/realistic fiction in recent years, some of the first few stories I loved and wrote were fantasy, and it’s been fun diving into it again now.
The key difference is that in those early stories I’d erased anything to do with my culture from it, whereas I’ve grown a lot since then. So it’s been fascinating looking into loosely Chinese-inspired elements and coming up with my own story.
If you haven’t yet come across it, check out the Year of Reading Asian Challenge that some great book bloggers are hosting, including my friend CW of The Quiet Pond. I’m not officially setting a goal but they’ve got some great prompts for those of you who are looking for inspiration. May is also coming up so Lit CelebrAsian is looking to also have something (probably more low-key this year) that you can participate in throughout the month — stay tuned 🙂 For now, I wanted to share some books by Asian authors I’d really like to read in the near future:
What are some of your favourite fantasies, and books by Asian authors you’re looking forward to reading?
I’m doing something a bit different in my recap this time round, because 1) the total number of books I finished this year (20) has been much lower than I read in past years, and 2) surprisingly, I recommend all of them in different ways, and it’s really difficult to pick 3 or 5 or 10 favourites.
I’ve listed all of the different books I read this year according to category below, and would love to hear your thoughts on any of them!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Note that these are Chinese-language books which I read in their English translations. Not all of these are from mainland China — Notes of a Crocodile was written by a Taiwanese author, Oztale Sweet and Sour is from Australia, and Cantonese Love Stories is from Hong Kong 🙂
Mr Ma and Son by Lao She
Cat Country by Lao She
Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
Cantonese Love Stories by Dung Kai-cheung
To Live by Yu Hua
Half a Lifelong Romance by Eileen Chang
Oz Tale Sweet and Sour by Leo Xi Rang Liu
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (currently finishing this up)
Young Adult fiction
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
The Bone Witch and The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco
Between Us by Clare Atkins
American Panda by Gloria Chao
The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Amulet 8: Supernova by Kazu Kibuishi
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Looking forward, here are some of the books I’m most looking forward to being released in 2019:
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim (concept covers here!)
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Thank you to Verity La for publishing my creative nonfiction piece – ‘Stories Uncovered, Stories Untold’ – which you can read here. It’s fairly different from what I’m used to writing, but I’m glad I eventually got it to a point where I was happy with it. Let me know your thoughts if you decide to give it a read.
Something I thought would be nice to do is to start sharing various links to articles, etc. I find inspiring around the Internet as a writer.
Liminal was an online magazine founded by Leah Jing McIntosh in late 2016 which publishes an interview with and photography of an Asian-Australian every Monday. I’ve loved the beautiful photos — this is especially important to me considering how rare it is to see Asian-Australians in the media — and reading through the profound questions and answers in their interviews.
So many people I admire or am friends with have been featured in it. Here are some of my favourite interviews to date, but be sure to check out everything on their website 🙂
I’ve got so many podcasts I’ve subscribed to that I should spend more time listening to! Author interviews are always so insightful, particularly in this ‘natural’ way where you hear more details and more of the emotion behind their answers than in a written interview.
The launch of Issue 3 of Pencilled In is going to be at Wandering Cooks in Brisbane on the 24th of May and it sounds like it’s going to be incredible — if you can make it, you should definitely go! So looking forward to receiving my copy.
A historical fiction piece in the anthology Meet Me at the Intersection. More details are in the media release here.
So grateful to Yen-Rong and Rachel, and Bec and Ambelin, for their hard work in putting all of these together! I’m really excited to read the rest of the stories, and honoured to have my piece alongside them.
