Reading the Room
'What a Time to be Alive' is a dive into the fragmented realities of influencer fame
Jade Chang’s newest novel mirrors internet stardom itself: messy, fast-moving and some unexpected moments of connection.
Literature
Reading the Room
R.F. Kuang turns academia into a descent through hell in ‘Katabasis’
Kuang’s newest release is a departure from the gossip-filled thriller that was "Yellowface" toward a hellscape, exposing the cost of academic ambition.
Reading the Room
‘Julie Chan is Dead’ and the dark side of influencer fame: A Q&A with author Liann Zhang
In her gripping debut novel, Liann Zhang taps into her own past and explores twin identity, influencer culture and internet infatuation.
Unmasking
Isa Garcia's journey of home, grief and renewal
Isa Garcia finds resilience through loss, showing us that through pain, there is room for joy, connection, and growth.
Reading the Room
Love, War and Yuanfen: Karissa Chen's stunning debut
"Homeseeking" is a heartbreaking tale exploring the choices that shape two lovers bound by fate, separated by circumstance.
Reading the Room
Shepherd's 'All This and More' delivers a captivating adventure
The first thing readers will want to do after finishing Peng Shepherd’s ‘All This and More’ is flip it over and start again.
Reading the Room
Yulin Kuang on romance debut, book adaptations and tropes
Kuang calls “How to End a Love Story” a “contemporary romance that felt like a historical romance novel.”
Literature
College, class and money moves in Kiley Reid’s ‘Come and Get It’
Kiley Reid’s sophomore novel “Come and Get It” brings readers to contemplate money, early adulthood and relationships.
Literature
Inside the parallel worlds of Aube Rey Lescure’s ‘River East, River West’
Set in 2007 Shanghai and 1985 Qingdao, “River East, River West” alternates between a mother’s and daughter’s perspectives, highlighting the massive cultural shifts in China both after the cultural revolution and the late aughts.
Commentary
I wrote a book and it failed, but the lessons carried me through my writing career
South Africa-based writer Nobuhle N Nyoni self-published a book in 2019. While she says it failed, she shares tips for others wanting to expand their writing careers.
Reading the Room
Exploring the mythical experience of Jami Nakamura Lin’s ‘The Night Parade’
“The Night Parade” is part ghost story, part myth anthology, part memoir but full of heart.
Literature
Writer Jen Soriano speaks trauma, colonization and healing ahead of ‘Nervous’ debut
Jen Soriano is a Fillipinx writer and movement builder whose debut collection of essays “Nervous” is out now.