From Monday February 5, 2024: Maximum Shelf: Ocean’s Godori Elaine U. Cho‘s debut novel, Ocean’s Godori (Hillman Grad Books/Zando, April 23, 2024), is a rollicking space adventure featuring a brave new world in which a united Korea leads the solar system, but unrest is never far away. When ace pilot Ocean Yoon’s best friend’s life implodes, she’s the …
I enjoyed Kuang’s satirical takedown of the world of publishing, young authors, cultural appropriation, pressures of creativity, commercialization of art, cancel culture, and the power of social media. — Mary, Secret Garden Books, Seattle, WA I would highly recommend this book! R. F. Kuang absolutely knocks it out of the park on Yellowface. With biting critique …
Two story elements you wouldn’t expect to find in the same book: a classic cursed-violin musical deal with the devil, and aliens from another galaxy running a doughnut shop in southern California. Sci-fi and folklore strike brilliant sparks against each other in this delightfully inventive tale of a runaway trans teen violin prodigy; her mysterious …
Ai Weiwei‘s art and story fuse together in this picture book. As you learn about his art and his story, ask yourself what the color orange means to you. That’s what author Joanna Ho asked me, and and I hope that you ask others. —Laura DeLaney, Rediscovered Bookshop, Boise, ID Think about the world in …
Here’s Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, written by Leon Carroll, Jr., and Mark Harmon. Hang on, Mark Harmon? Like the actor Mark Harmon? Let’s do a little due diligence here. Harmon has spent the last couple decades playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, a …
Sashiko’s Stitches is a new picture book from local favorite Sanae Ishida (Little Kunoichi: The Ninja Girl). Sashiko is a little girl with overwhelming fears and worries. One day, her mother teaches her about a style of decorative traditional Japanese stitching also called sashiko, which was originally used to repair fishermen’s clothes. As Sashiko begins …
When the beloved father of an interracial Korean family goes missing, the only witness is his nonverbal, severely-disabled teenage son, Eugene– who also quickly becomes the prime suspect. Mia and her brother John are home from college during the pandemic and join forces to find their father, while protecting Eugene at all costs. As clues …
By: David Mura for JSTOR April 17, 2024 I Hear America Singing Japanese American poet Garrett Hongo is a guiding spirit to a glorious cacophony, an exuberant collective thrum made of different tongues and peoples. I’ve admired Garrett Hongo, the great Japanese American poet since I first read “Yellow Light” in The New Yorker in 1980. One arm …
A retelling of the Lin Daiyu tale from 1880s China to the American West. A story about fate and reclaiming your own history. –Michelle, Edmonds Bookshop, Edmonds, WA Finish AAPI Heritage Month strong with selections from Edmonds Bookshop and other bookstores, and keep supporting Asian authors all year long.
A middle-grade fantasy full of heart. Prewitt and Calliope set off to bring hope back to Lyrica in the form of the firebird and to banish the demon back to darkness. This book is full of friendship, tough choices, incredible bravery, and nonstop action! Loved every minute. –Becky, Secret Garden Bookshop, Seattle, WA When you …
