Hi angels! Two posts in one day? I know, I’m sorry! Normally I do my wrap-up on the last of the month, but time got away from me. I am really excited for this month’s reading, though. Let me know if you plan to read any of these titles!

Asian Readathon

So far, I only plan to participate in Asian Readathon. More information can be found here.

Prompts & TBR

1. Read any book written by an Asian author.

The Marks Left on Her by Di Lebowitz 

DAUGHTER is navigating her otherness as the only mixed-race child in her Hong Kongese family with a bipolar mother, absentee father, and staunchly Catholic grandmother.

GIRL is trying to navigate a world in which she is ignored and mistreated until a sexual assault sets her on a self-destructive spiral.

SURVIVOR is battling monsters both real and imagined and coming out victorious as she pieces together her history, her traumas, and her strength.

A remarkable story written with a courage inspired by the #MeToo movement.

2. Read any book featuring an Asian protagonist.

From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn

If Rika’s life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale–being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts’ business–she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn’t quite fit the princess mold.

All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America’s reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness–searching for clues about her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo’s hidden treasures with a cute actor, and maybe…finally finding a sense of belonging.

But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn’t so kind. Rika knows she’s setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don’t happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?

3. Read any book written by an Asian author in your favorite genre.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

Seven students are avoiding going to school, hiding in their darkened bedrooms, unable to face their family and friends, until the moment they discover a portal into another world that offers temporary escape from their stressful lives. Passing through a glowing mirror, they gather in a magnifcent castle which becomes their playground and refuge during school hours. The students are tasked with locating a key, hidden somewhere in the castle, that will allow whoever finds it to be granted one wish. At this moment, the castle will vanish, along with all memories they may have of their adventure. If they fail to leave the castle by 5 pm every afternoon, they will be eaten by the keeper of the castle, an easily provoked and shrill creature named the Wolf Queen.

Delving into their emotional lives with sympathy and a generous warmth, Lonely Castle in the Mirror shows the unexpected rewards of reaching out to others. Exploring vivid human stories with a twisty and puzzle-like plot, this heart-warming novel is full of joy and hope for anyone touched by sadness and vulnerability.

3. Read any nonfiction book written by an Asian author.

Know My Name: The Survivor of the Stanford Sexual Assault Case Tells Her Story by Chanel Miller

She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on Buzzfeed, where it instantly went viral – viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.

Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways – there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

5. Read any book written by an Asian author that’s not US-centric.

To the Warm Horizon by Jin-Young Choi

A group of Koreans are making their way across a disease-ravaged landscape—but to what end? To the Warm Horizon shows how in a post-apocalyptic world, humans will still seek purpose, kinship, and even intimacy. Focusing on two young women, Jina and Dori, who find love against all odds, Choi Jin-young creates a dystopia where people are trying to find direction after having their worlds turned upside down.

Lucidly translated from the Korean by Soje, this thoughtful yet gripping novel takes the reader on a journey through how people adjust, or fail to adjust, to catastrophe.

May TBR

• The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
• Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
• Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
• Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal
• How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes
• Madam by Phoebe Wynne
• In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
• Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Unbreak Your Heart by Katie Marsh

That concludes my May TBR. It is honestly just books I have commitments to this month. I really miss mood reading, but I hope to be able to again by the summertime. I will feel sooo satisfied once I am all caught up! Luckily, this is a selection I am excited to read.

Tell me your most anticipated read for May! Will you be taking part in the Asian Readathon?

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_{we are all stardust and stories…}