Past Reads
In case you missed them the first time around, but are looking for a good book to read:
"The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones; Great book for those who enjoy books about world travel and food.
"Women Of The Silk" by Gail Tsukiyama; China 1926 - a sisterhood amidst the reeling silk factory machines.
"Death Of A Red Heroine" by Qiu Xiaolong; First book in the Inspector Chen mystery series set in Shanghai. The author is a professor at Washington University who emigrated to the U.S. after Tiananmen Square.
"Mao's Last Dancer" by Li Cunxin; An inspiring story of passion and resilience among the harsh reality of Mao's communist China.
"Bound" by Donna Jo Napoli; A Chinese Cinderella story suitable for young readers (estimated age range: grades 7 - 12).
"The Children of Huang Shi" This 2008 movie stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Yun-Fat Chow, and Michelle Yeoh. A young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.
"The Man from Beijing" by Henning Mankell; A mass murder in Sweden leads a relative of one of the slain (who is a judge) from Sweden back to Beijing when it determined there is a historical link between the current day and the year 1863.
"Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See; A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old.
"After Isaac" by Avra Wing; Written by an FCC member in New York, this book tells the story of a family who adopts a child from China after their youngest son Isaac dies. Isaac's older brother Aaron is going through a tumultuous time in his life and this story is about the family healing itself.
"Pretty Woman Spitting" by Leanna Adams; A story of one American woman's teaching experience in China
"The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan; Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories
"Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See; The sequel to Shanghai Girls; the story continues in 1957 with New Society of Red China.
"The Man Who Loved China" by Simon Winchester; The story of the brilliant Cambridge scientist Joseph Needham and his love of China.
"The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan; the novel is layered with stories that have been written down by mothers for their daughters, passing along secrets that cannot be said out loud but must not be forgotten.
"The First Chinese American: The Remarkable Life of Wong Chin Foo" by Scott D. Seligmann; with his masterful storytelling and meticulous research, the author reveals new insights into the Asian-American life.
"Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan; A novel about the uber-wealthy Asian life-style in Singapore.
"Home is a Roof Over a Pig: An American Family's Journey in China" by Aminta Arrington; a personal account of a family with 3 small children who uproot their lives and live in China.
"The Scavenger's Daughters" by Kay Bratt; inspired by a true story, and set against the backdrop of a country in transition, this novel is a sweeping present day saga of triumph in the face of hardship, and the unbreakable bonds of family against all odds.
"Beijing Red" by Alex Ryan; A bio-terrorism triller that find the hero Nick Foley racing against time while racing through the streets of Beijing... sometimes racing through the tunnels in the city below the city.
"China Rich Girlfriend" by Kevin Kwan; a follow-up to Crazy Rich Asians, still rich and still crazy!
"The Tea Girl of Hummigbird Lane" by Lisa See; A powerful story about two women separated by circumstance, culture, and distance.
"Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford; A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, it gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war.
"Hong Kong Black" by Alex Ryan; The second Nick Foley bioterroism novel. This time Nick and friends find themselves in Hong Kong.
"Rich People Problems" by Kevin Kwan; This third book in the series is a great summer read... still crazy and still rich!
"China Dolls" by Lisa See; Set in 1938 in San Francisco, three young women become fast friends while performing at the exclusive and glamorous Forbidden City nightclub.
"The Leavers" by Lisa Ko; A story of how one boy comes into his own when everything he has loved has been taken away -- and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.
"Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng; In modern day Shaker Heights, Ohio, long time residents, The Richardson Family meet and are drawn to new tenants single Mom Mia and her daughter Pearl.
"Chinese Cooking for Diamond Thieves" by Dave Lowry; A glance into the kitchens of Chinese restaurants, a sprinkle of eastern martial arts, the bang of Chinese mobsters and FBI agents... oh, and Saint Louis as a back drop!
"Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate; Based on one of America's most notorious adoption scandals.
"Departures" a Japanese film, English Subtitled, PG13; In this Academy Award-winning drama, a newly unemployed cellist undergoes a profound and sometimes comical journey with death after taking a job at a funeral home.
“Parsley & Coriander: Life in China with Italian flavor” by Antonella Moretti; a thrilling peak inside the emotional rollercoaster of being a trailing spouse in China.
“The Bride Test” by Helen Hoang; a man with autism confronts his relationship fears after his mother sets in motion an arranged marriage.
“The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See; on an island off the South Korean coast, an ancient guild of women divers reckons with the depredations of modernity from 1938 to 2008.
“All You Can Ever Know” by Nicole Chung; a profound, moving chronicle of surprising connections and the repercussions of unearthing painful family secrets.
“Song of the Jade Lily” by Kristy Manning; a lush, provocative, and beautiful story of friendship, motherhood, the price of love, and the power of hardship and courage that can shape us all.
“Beijing Payback” by Daniel Nieh; a fresh new thriller, bursting with personality and pathos, swift-moving action, and plenty of surprises.
"The Book of Salt" by Monique Truong; a mesmerizing tale of yearning and betrayal, the author explores Paris from the salons of its artists to the dark nightlife of its outsiders and exiles.
"Found" (movie) Amanda Lipitz's documentary “Found” follows three American teenage girls adopted from China who learn through DNA testing that they are cousins.
"Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning" Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America.
"The Kiss Quotient" by Helen Hoang is a heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
"Bullet Train" by Kotaro Isaka is a fast paced thriller. Five killers find themselves on a bullet train from Tokyo competing for a suitcase full of money. Who will make it to the last station?
"The Kimono Tattoo" by Rebecca Copeland takes readers on a journey into Kyoto’s intricate world of kimono design.
"The Heart Principle" bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.
"The Farewell " movie PG - 2019 - Drama/Comedy-Drama -1h 40m; Billi's family returns to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their beloved matriarch.
'The Flower Boat Girl' by Larry Feign is based on a true story of a woman who, against all odds, shaped history on her own terms.
"Lady Tan's Circle of Women" by Lisa See is a historical fiction of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See's classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.
"The Expatriates" by Janice Y.K. Lee; Current day Hong Kong, expats arrive daily for myriad reasons. A tragic incident causes three American women’s lives to collide in ways that will rewrite every assumption of their privileged world.
"Crying in H Mart: A Memoir" by Michelle Zauner; this is a exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance.
