Tag Archives: Asia

The Poppy War, by RF Kuang

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Thistle

Rin is a war orphan who does everything she can to escape the life of an opium-smuggler’s errand girl and become one of Nikara’s elite trained soldiers. With the country drifting once again toward war, Rin discovers that learning to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wires and Nerve, by Marissa Meyer

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Thistle

The events of the Lunar Chronicles series are over, but the world doesn’t just go on peacefully with perfect trust afterwards. Relations are still strained between governments, and there are consequences from former royal edicts to be dealt with. Among … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Visual, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Thistle

Subtitled: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide This book explores gender inequality around the world, focused primarily on sex trafficking, violence against women, and maternal mortality. It also discusses potential solutions and gives accounts of some successes and failures … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Without You, There Is No Us, by Suki Kim (audio)

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Thistle

Subtitled: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite In 2011, a journalist named Suki Kim posed as a missionary posing as a teacher. Using this layered disguise, she got a position at a school in Pyongyang, North Korea. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Rejection Proof, by Jia Jiang (audio)

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Thistle

Subtitled: 100 Days of Rejection, or How to Ask Anything of Anyone at Anytime Also subtitled: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible, One Rejection at a Time Okay. I think the premise of Rejection Proof is obvious by the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spark Joy, by Marie Kondo

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Thistle

Subtitled: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up This is a follow-up to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which I read and loved last summer. I spent six months last year doing a giant … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

North of Beautiful, by Justina Chen Headley

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Thistle

Terra was born with a large port-wine stain across half her face, and despite the doctor’s best efforts, nothing has helped to improve the appearance. She goes through life behind a thick layer of makeup, clinging to a boyfriend she … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Thistle

Subtitled: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing So…basically this is a kind of self-help course in decluttering and organizing, as the subtitle suggests. It’s been traveling around the blogosphere for a time now, and I first heard about it … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Prose, Wellness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

East of the Sun, by Julia Gregson (audio)

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Thistle

Viva is returning to India, and to afford her passage, she becomes a chaperone for three young people also heading to India. There’s Rose, who is going to be married to a Calvary officer whom she hardly knows. There’s Victoria, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami (audio)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Thistle

I’ve never read anything by Murakami before. He’s one of those authors that scares me, probably because a long time ago I heard a rumor about some sort of animal brutality in his book Kafka on the Shore. I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment