Task 14: Read a Book That is By an Author from Southeast Asia

[Teresa]

I found a few interesting possibilities here https://vrocampo.com/sea-writers/

[Emily]

I'm going to read The Piano Teacher. Just found it at a book exchange, and it sounds like a good one.

[Suso]

I just finished The Bondmaid by Catherine Lim from Singapore. Some of the phrasing and writing was awkward which really distracted me while I read.

[Tam]

Finished

A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder (Inspector Singh Investigates #1)
by Shamini Flint

[Teresa]

@Tam, what did you think of Shamini Flint's book? It's on my TBR list. I read Girl From The Coast for this category and gave it 4 stars.

[Sarah]

Just finished Sorcerer to the Crown which I really enjoyed. Diverse and respectful fantasy and this is due to be part of a trilogy so could also come under the "first part of trilogy written by a person of colour" category.
I'm keen to read part 2 and some more of Cho's work.

[Viv]

Oh yes, I really enjoyed Sorcerer to the Crown too!

[Anna]

So I was planning to read The Sympathizer, but the author, while born in Vietnam, was raised in The States -- so it feels not quite fair to count it here. I still very much want to read the book, but I'm going to find something else for this challenge. I now thinking Smaller and Smaller Circles, since others seem to have enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for a good mystery.

[Michael]

My choice for this task is In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is on my TBR list as well, and thanks to the comments in this thread Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan looks interesting to me, too.

[Bonnie G.]

Nicola wrote: "I'm just starting 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami for this challenge ... I've had all three books on my list for a while and have been looking for an opportunity to finally start it ... Also have Never Let..."

Murakami is Japanese, not Southeast Asian. Same for Ishiguro, though Never Let Me Go would work for post-apocalyptic and Buried Giant could be historical fiction set (way way) before 1900.

[Bonnie G.]

Nicola wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Nicola wrote: "I'm just starting 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami for this challenge ... I've had all three books on my list for a while and have been looking for an opportunity to finally st..."

1Q84 was great, and definitely fulfills the over 500 page book slot.

[Emily]

Ooops, I guess I didn't even know what southeast Asia really consisted of. According to the almighty Google:
"Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions:
Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Indonesia, East Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, East Timor, Brunei, and Christmas Island.
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, and West Malaysia"

So, I'm going to have to find a different book for this task as my author is from Hong Kong. No problem -- I am still really enjoying The Piano Teacher.

[Mary Sue]

I read The Lover by Marguerite Duras. Although her parents were French, she was born in Indochina (now Vietnam) and lived there until she was 17, so I think she meets the criteria for this task.

[Emily]

I'm reading The Garden of Evening Mists. Quite good so far!

[Robin P]

I've been trying to remember the name of this book - The Late Homecomer by a Hmong author (from the hill country of Laos). I've lived in a couple of places with sizable Hmong populations and this tells the story of one family.

[Britta]

I am currently reading Man Tiger by Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan for this challenge. And I am struggeling quite a bit. Did anyone else read this book? (It's on the longlist for the MBI 2016, by the way.)

[Maxine]

I went with A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder, it wasn't bad. I probably wouldn't read anything else by this author though.

[Trudie]

This book really appealed to me for this task The Garden of Evening Mists and it was very lush with the atmosphere of Malaysia, a beautifully evocative book, however character-wise I failed to connect. My review is here

[Lauren]

I read The Face: Strangers on a Pier by Malaysian author Tash Aw. He's written a few novels, but this particular book is a a series of short chapter-length essays about identity, post-colonial southeast Asia, and his own upbringing. It was a great read, and I will definitely read more of his work after this introduction.

[Danielle]

Britta wrote: "I am currently reading Man Tiger by Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan for this challenge. And I am struggeling quite a bit. Did anyone else read this book? (It's on th..."

I'm not reading Man Tiger, but I picked up Beauty Is a Wound by the same author and I am NOT digging it. I'm going to give it to 100 pages, but I feel like the translation is a little clunky. I don't speak Indonesian so I can't say that's it for sure, but there's something about the language in the book that just doesn't flow very well for me.

What is it about Man Tiger that you're not enjoying?

[Ashley]

I just finished reading The Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho for this task - the author was born in Malaysia. I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with added magical flair, and sassy well-developed female characters. I found the book completely charming. This could also work for First Book in a Series by a POC (this is the first book of an upcoming series).

[Carol]

Ashley wrote: "I just finished reading The Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho for this task - the author was born in Malaysia. I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with added magical flair, and sassy we..."

What a great find! thanks for sharing this *swiftly adds to TBR and TBR in 16 lists*

[Katie]

Ashley wrote: "Robin wrote: "Can anyone recommend a book from this area that is not about the horrors of war? I know that is the recent history of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, plus this area was affected by WWII,..."

I read Sorcerer to the Crown for this challenge, thanks to a few people pointing it out on this thread!
I loved it, and will definitely be looking out for more books from Zen Cho in the future :)

[Celina]

Myra wrote: "maybe there are some comics by authors from southeast asia? can someone recommend something?"

I've got Vietnamerica on my to-read list for this item. It looks really good.

[Celina]

Anna wrote: "So I was planning to read The Sympathizer, but the author, while born in Vietnam, was raised in The States -- so it feels not quite fair to count it here. I still very much want to ..."

I read The Sympathizer last year and loved it. The author is Vietnamese-American and more than half the novel takes place in southeast Asia. That would be good enough for me. Here is an excerpt from the first paragraph that shows why I loved this book:

"I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds. I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some have treated me as such. I am simply able to see any issue from both sides."

[Britta]

Danielle wrote: "Britta wrote: "I am currently reading Man Tiger by Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan for this challenge. And I am struggeling quite a bit. Did anyone else read this bo..."

It's just not my way of storytelling, it felt as if the story was told 'from a distance' & the characters stayed very detached for me, I just couldn't engage with the story. Could be a translation issue, but I think it's probably the way the book is structured.

[Stacy]

I read "Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan. It takes place primarily in Singapore. It was quite a funny read, so I read the sequel too, "China Rich Girlfriend". Hope the movie comes out this year! It's also a satirical novel, which is a category for some other challenges;-)

[Jessica]

I will be reading Smaller and Smaller Circles for this task.

[Rayne]

I thought this would be a struggle, but looking at the lists, I found Inside Out & Back Again. I think I've found the book I'll read.

[Bonnie G.]

Jane wrote: "I read "Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan. It takes place primarily in Singapore. It was quite a funny read, so I read the sequel too, "China Rich Girlfriend". Hope the movie comes out this year! It..."

Ooh, good choice! I read a book I didn't like for this category, and was thinking of reading something else. This one looks like campy fun, and its on my TBR!

[Leslie (updates on SG)]

Brooklyn wrote: "I thought this would be a struggle, but looking at the lists, I found Inside Out & Back Again. I think I've found the book I'll read."

I recently read this lovely book. It can also be applied to the Middle Grade task. Enjoy!

[Theresa]

Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Philippines).

[Rayne]

Leslie Ann wrote: "Brooklyn wrote: "I thought this would be a struggle, but looking at the lists, I found Inside Out & Back Again. I think I've found the book I'll read."

I recently read this lovely b..."

I finished in about an hour. What a great little book! I definitely enjoyed it. Another task marked off.

[Katie]

I'm looking to read A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family, Since this also fit the challenge to read a food memoir, I figured that this book would really expand knowledge of this area of the world by exploring it through the cuisine.

[quietprofanity]

I just finished Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn. I liked it, although I don't know if this was the best introduction for me to Filipino literature because so much of it seemed to rely on foreknowledge of the Marcos regime. Still, it's pretty unique. (I reviewed it here.)

Also, thanks to everyone who brought my attention to A Tiger in the Kitchen. I was going to do A Cook's Tour for my food memoir, but that seems a lot more fun.

[Brandy]

Brooklyn wrote: "I thought this would be a struggle, but looking at the lists, I found Inside Out & Back Again. I think I've found the book I'll read."

I read this for a different challenge list this year and really enjoyed it.

[Audrey]

I just purchased One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong. While the book is about China, the author is from Malaysia. I will take it since I am very excited to read this book regardless of whether it fit a category or not!

[Linda]

Ashley wrote: "I just finished reading The Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho for this task - the author was born in Malaysia. I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with added magical flair, and sassy we..."

This sounds like a perfect read for me. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Flo]

These are amazing suggestions. My favorite part of the challenge has been looking up books (and then reading them). I'm going to read Paradise of the Blind - it was banned in Vietnam when it was published and Dương Thu Hương was imprisoned for a while. Her other books sound amazing too.

[Erin]

I'm currently reading The Ghost Bride by Yangzse Choo, and it's SO intriguing. I love it.

[Danielle]

I am so thankful to the people who recommended Smaller and Smaller Circles for this challenge! If you love mysteries, I highly recommend it!

[Snowynight]

I finished the Vienames historical classic Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí, enjoyed it, and hoped I can find a copy of Tang Thương Ngẫu Lục somewhere.

[Megan]

Karena wrote: "I went with The Book of Salt."

Oh that looks really good, I think I'll read that one as well.

[Denise]

I finished reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen Great book. Highly recommend.

[Carol]

Snowynight wrote: "I finished the Vienames historical classic Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí, enjoyed it, and hoped I can find a copy of Tang Thương Ngẫu Lục somewhere."

Is there an English translation available?

[Snowynight]

Carol wrote: "Snowynight wrote: "I finished the Vienames historical classic Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí, enjoyed it, and hoped I can find a copy of Tang Thương Ngẫu Lục somewhere."

I..."

Sorry, I don't really know as I read the non-English translation available on wikimedia.

[Mindy]

I read "The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam" by Bao Ninh. It was a good read, sad at times - to be expected in a war novel, of course. I believe the novel was based on true stories that were made into a fictional novel. No matter how much opponents in war try to dehumanize each other, the stories from both sides tend to be the same of love, loss, and horror.

[Rachel]

I'm reading Bitter in the Mouth, by Monique Truong who is from Vietnam.

[Bobby]

I just finished This Earth of Mankind by Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Being the first installment of a tetralogy, it ended on quite a cliffhanger, but it was so good I want to read the other three volumes in the series now. I'm not doubling up on any of my selections, but it would also fit the categories of historical novel set before the twentieth century (just barely—it ends in 1899) and first book in a series by a person of color.

This category is an example of how eye-opening a reading challenge like this can be—when confronted with the assignment, I realized that although I own several books set in Southeast Asia and studied the music of Indonesia in college, I could not even name a single author who was born in that region.

[Bobby]

Carol wrote: "Snowynight wrote: 'I finished the Vienames historical classic Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí, enjoyed it, and hoped I can find a copy of Tang Thương Ngẫu Lục somewhere.'

Is there an English translation available?"

I checked this title in worldcat.org and the only available translations appear to be in Chinese and French.