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Continue reading →: Musings on When reading stops being discoveryIn an age when the entire breadth of human knowledge is literally at our fingertips—where fact-checking is nearly instantaneous and alternative perspectives are just a few clicks away—there has never been a better time to embrace this intellectual daring.
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Continue reading →: Musings on Four treasures of the sky by Jenny Tinghui ZhangKeywords: Chinese literature, modern Chinese history, Chinese exclusion act, calligraphy, Jenny Tinghui Zhang Genre: Literary fiction Length: short medium long Country: China, USA Review “Your intentions were good, she said, but your actions betrayed you. From now on, Daiyu, you must learn that the two cannot ever be separate. No…
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Continue reading →: Musings on Imperial woman by Pearl S. BuckKeywords: Chinese literature, historical fiction, Empress Dowager CiXi, last empress of China, Pearl S. Buck Genre: Historical fiction Length: short medium long Country: China Review “Who rules well is always hated.” I read Imperial Woman during a time when I was overwhelmed with exam preparation, mentally and emotionally exhausted. I…
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Continue reading →: Musings on Second sister by Chan Ho-KeiKeywords: Chinese literature, Hong Kong, mystery thriller, Chan Ho-Kei Genre: Thriller Length: short medium long Country: China Review “Dear Stranger, By the time you see these lines, I might no longer be here. Recently, I’ve been thinking about death every day.” Going into Second Sister, I wasn’t exactly brimming with…
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Continue reading →: Musings on Lady Tan’s circle of women by Lisa SeeI’ve seen that setup so many times before that I felt almost impatient. Nothing seemed particularly original. The characters felt like they came from a template, and I prepared myself for a fairly generic historical fiction experience. But then, quietly and without much ceremony, the book began to shift.
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Continue reading →: Musings on James by Percival EverettThere’s a certain dissonance that comes with reading a highly decorated book and walking away unmoved, or worse, unconvinced. James by Percival Everett—winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and several other major literary awards—was, for me, one of those reads. While I understand the cultural importance and symbolic power of…
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Continue reading →: Musings on Beware of Pity by Stefan ZweigKeywords: Austrian literature, disability, maturity, tragedy Genre: Literary fiction Length: short medium long Country: Austria Synopsis (from Goodreads) “Hofmiller, an Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer stationed at the edge of the empire, is invited to a party at the home of a rich local landowner, a world away from the dreary routine…
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Continue reading →: Musings on China Dream by Ma Jian“But utopias always lead to dystopias, and dictators invariably become gods who demand daily worship.” China Dream | Ma Jian Keywords: Chinese literature, Chinese fiction, dystopia, political commentary Genre: Fiction Length: short medium long Country: China Review . The “China Dream” is a political slogan introduced by Xi Jinping in…
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Continue reading →: Musings on The funeral cryer by Wen Yan LuKeywords: Chinese literature, Chinese fiction, death, marriage Genre: Literary fiction Length: short medium long Country: China Review . “She was Great-Great-Grandma to everyone in the village. I didn’t know how old she was at the time; we just knew she was alive. I felt a moment of surreptitious excitement and…
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Continue reading →: Musings on Kinder than solitude by Yi Yun LiKeywords: Chinese literature, Chinese fiction, loneliness, isolation, death Genre: Fiction Length: short medium long Country: China Review . “When people talk about starting over, it’s only wishful thinking: what came before, what happened yesterday, did not come or happen in vain.” Kinder than solitude | Yi Yun Li Three friends…





