May Wrap-Up ft. #AsianReadathon & #StanAsianAuthors Reads

Twelve books might not be my batting average number per month, but these 12 books were very rewarding and provided a great reading experience due to their quality content. So here’s a run down of the things I’ve consumed for the past month!

#AsianReadathon & #StanAsianAuthors Wrap-Up

Prompts: Read any book written by an Asian author & a Fantasy Book

The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu

I received an e-ARC of this book, and I really reserved it just for this readathon even though I really wanted to read it as soon as I got it on my kindle. This collection of Marjorie Liu’s short stories were a wild mix of fantasy, post-apocalyptic science fiction, and alternative history. This book will be out on June 15th, 2021, and I’m really excited for people to love this as much as I did.

Rating: 4/5 stars. Full review to follow.

Prompts: Read any book featuring an Asian protagonist & A book set in East Asia

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki

Set in around 1970s at Hiroshima, Japan, this middle grade historical fiction novel that follows the events of the devastating Hiroshima bombing during WWII was a very surprising shock to me because I expected it to be light and fun, but it was the total opposite. This book was also highly recommended to me by a dear friend, and I have no regrets picking this up, and I would also recommend it to other readers no matter what age they are.

Rating: 4/5 stars. Check my full review here.

Prompts: Read any book written by an Asian author that is not US-centric & A translated book

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

This very quirky and whimsical novel featuring a coffee shop in Tokyo, Japan that not only offers coffee and pastries, but also provides time travelling services was another recommendation by a couple of my friends from bookstagram and book twitter. It was really short and sweet, but I really enjoyed the intricacies of the time travelling aspects of this novel. I’m definitely going to read the sequel books soon.

Rating: 4/5 stars. Check my full review here .

Prompts: Read any book written by an Asian author in your favorite genre & A book with an animal on the cover

Orchestra of Treacheries by J.C. Kang

Yes, I do consider a dragon as an animal, and this majestic fire-breathing creature on the cover counts. Orchestra of Treacheries is the second book of The Dragon Song Saga series, and it just wow-ed me so much further than its predecessor. I got even more excited when the author saw my brief review on bookstagram, and sent me a complimentary e-copy of the third book! I cannot wait to delve back into this massive world full of fierce characters, music, and of course, a huge and strong dragon.

Rating: 4/5 stars. Full review to follow.

Prompts: Read any book written by an Asian author in your favorite genre & A book by your favorite Asian author

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Rating: 5/5 stars. Check out my full review here.

Aside from my picks above, I’ve also managed to squeeze in a hodge podge of books that I’ve been really excited to read, and finally got to. I also noticed that I’ve been picking up a bit more science fiction than usual, so I’m thinking I might be slowly going into the sci-fi mood – finally.

Before they Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie – 4/5🌟
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson – 5/5🌟
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson – 4/5🌟
Act your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert- 4/5🌟
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells – 4/5🌟
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn- 4/5 🌟
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (reread) – 3/5🌟

June TBR

The only carry-over book I’ll be focusing on finishing is The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso, as I’m currently 30% into it now. Aside from that, I don’t really have a concrete list of books I want to read, so I’m mostly relying on my mood-reading abilities and the scheduled buddy reads I have with my friends. I’m just lucky that these buddy reads are here, because it pressures me more to read books with other people so i don’t have to slack off. It’s also a huge plus that some of our picks are in line with Pride Month (yay!)