Where a struggling college student reviews Asian books with Asian characters written by Asian authors
Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man is an in depth biography of Zheng Dai, a historian from the Late Ming Dynasty. Zheng Dai is credited with documenting the entire history of the Ming Dynasty, from its rise to its fall. Although his records of the history of the Ming Dynasty might … Continue reading Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man by Jonathan Spence [Book Review]
So my friend gifted me this book like 2 years ago for my birthday, and me being the terrible procrastinator that I am, I didn't read it until now. Honestly, I have no clue why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. My knowledge of the Middle East is lamentable, … Continue reading Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi [Book Review]
If you're a fan of anime or Japanese culture, then you might be familiar with the Sengoku Period of Japan, which is also known as the Warring States Period of Japan (not to be confused with the Warring States Period of China). The Sengoku Period was a time of great upheaval and decentralization of power … Continue reading Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa [Book Review]
You don't need to be an East Asian history buff to know about Confucius or at least recognize his name. Confucius is a philosophical and historical figure whose teachings have influenced both China and other East Asian countries like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and his influence still persists today, millennia after his death. Recently, I … Continue reading The Analects of Confucius [Book Review]
Six Records of a Floating Life is an autobiography of Shen Fu, a writer from Qing Dynasty China. Six Records of a Floating Life is split into six parts where Shen Fu writes about different aspects of his life. However, as is common with many classics of Chinese literature, some parts of this story were … Continue reading Six Records of a Floating Life by Shen Fu [Book Review]
Fun story: I went to the library the other day to find a new book to read and thought to myself, "I've been exclusively reading Asian books lately. Maybe I should try to branch out a bit." So I went into the library with every intention of picking up a Western book, but lo and … Continue reading Descendant of the Crane by Joan He [Book Review]
Guan Hanqing is considered as one of the most prolific playwrights of Yuan Dynasty China. He had written 65 plays in total, but only 14 have survived up to date (which hurts my heart a little). The Second Edition of his plays by Echo of Classics includes four plays in total: The Riverside Pavilion, The … Continue reading Selected Plays of Guan HanQing (Echo of Classics Edition #2) [Book Review]
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart is a light-hearted fantasy adventure where our main characters, Number Ten Ox and Li Kao, embark on a journey to find the Great Root of Power to cure the strange epidemic that befell Number Ten Ox's village. Bridge of Birds is "A Novel of an Ancient China That Never … Continue reading Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart [Book Review]
My love for this novel is so strong it honestly kind of hurts. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi 魔道祖师 in Mandarin) is set in a China where cultivation clans rule as opposed to the emperor. The story starts with our main lead, Wei WuXian, who is reincarnated into the body of someone … Continue reading Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu [Book Review]
Okay, so reader confession: When it comes to introductions of translated historical pieces like Travels of Lao Can, I typically read the introduction AFTER I've read the actual story. Beats the point of an introduction, doesn't it? But I have a solid reason for this weird reading habit. In the distant past (as in two … Continue reading Travels of Lao Can by Liu E [Book Review]
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