My May TBR in Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! (Asian Readathon)

It’s almost May, and you know what that means!!

Asian Heritage Month takes place in May, and in celebration of it, I always pick up books by Asian authors. This year, I’m reading books that are all by authors of different countries, putting an emphasis on non-East Asian authors! (I’ve noticed that I and others tend to read a lot more East Asian authors, so I wanted to make sure I was giving some attention to other Asian authors as well.)

I kind of suck at following TBRs and have a tendency to completely go off the rails with them, for lack of a better expression. So I do have a section for other potential books to read if I decide I’m too cool to actually read the books on my TBR!

I hate her but sadly… she is not incorrect

I’ll also be participating in the Asian Readathon hosted by Cindy @ Read With Cindy! She has a great giant list of Asian authors/books to check out, which I definitely recommend taking a look at any time of the year. I’ve automatically fulfilled the first prompt by reading only Asian authors!

THE HENNA WARS

This is about two girls who have rival henna businesses and end up falling in love. I’ve been dying to read this one ever since I got an eARC of it a month ago, but I held strong and made myself wait until May!

I have really high hopes for this one, and I have a feeling all my expectations are going to met (and possibly exceeded!). I also love the author on Twitter and have been following her ever since her agent deal, then book deal, was announced, so it’s really cool to finally read her book!!

☼ This fulfills the second prompt of Asian Readathon (the author and character are sapphic like me).

⇒ author: Bangladeshi (also Muslim for Ramadan!)

HARLEY IN THE SKY

I’ll be reading this with May so hopefully we both will love it! This is about a girl who wants to be a trapeze artist and ends up joining a circus who is the rival to her family’s own circus. I’ve loved everything Akemi has written before, so I’m super excited to add this to the list. And so many of my friends have adored this as well!

This is also a perfect book for May besides the Asian rep, because it also tackles mental health (anxiety, I believe), and May is Mental Health Awareness Month!!

⇒ author: Japanese, Hawaiian, & white

LOVE FROM A TO Z

I’m so!! excited!! to read this book!! I saw it on Scribd this month and have been wanting to read it ever since then, but have been holding back just so I can read it in May. I honestly think I’m going to love this one; I just want a cute, sweet romancey book right now and I feel like this will be perfect for that.

I also can’t remember a single person I know of who’s read this and didn’t like it. So I better love it or I’m coming to all of your houses at night and eating your toes!! But not really because that’s disgusting!!

☼ This fulfills the third prompt of Asian Readathon (the author and character are Muslim, and I am not) and the fourth prompt (seeing Ikram‘s love for it recently on the TL has made me extra excited!).

⇒ author: Indian (also Muslim for Ramadan!)

LIKE A LOVE STORY

I’ll be buddy reading this one with my love, Lily, and we are both so excited for it! It’s historical fiction (everyone is surprised) and it’s gay (no one is surprised), and takes place during the AIDS crisis. It’s about discovering what it means to be gay in a time when that was only portrayed in a negative light.

I’ve heard that this is a very beautiful, heartwrenching book, and I am in the mood to just sob over book so this is the perfect opportunity!!! And I’m always here for ownvoices m/m.

⇒ author: Iranian

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE

This is a book that I wanted to read last year in May, but clearly I didn’t get to it since it’s here again now! It’s also very powerful of me that I’d been planning to read this long before the Asian Readathon announcement video came out, and then it ended up being the group book!!

I REALLY wanted to listen to the audiobook while I followed along in my physical copy, because I’ve heard the audio is super good and I’ve also been in a big audiobook mood, but unfortunately I don’t have access to it so I’ll just cry.

☼ This fulfills the fourth prompt of Asian Readathon (May made me excited for the audiobook, which only led me to disappointment but it’s FINE).

⇒ author: Chinese

FOREST OF SOULS

I feel so lucky to have an eARC of this book! I am ready to add Sirscha, the main character, to the list of female characters who can step on me. This book is about spies-in-training and shamanism and female friendship, and I am very excited to read it!

I’ve also never read a book by a Hmong author and so this is a great opportunity! I know the author has talked about how Hmong culture is infused in different aspects of this story so that makes my heart really happy.

⇒ author: Hmong

THE BONE WITCH

I’m a little bit nervous about this one, because some people I share the same taste with have hated it, but I did want to support Rin Chupeco after some Things on a certain bookish online platform! And it also Does sound like something I’d like (dark fantasy!!!).

If I get a few chapters in and end up not liking it, I’ll probably switch over to Wicked as You Wish or The Never Tilting World, but those are last resorts because I only have access to audio copies and they are LONG. (I do not have the kind of stamina for 13 hours yet!!)

☼ This fulfills the fourth prompt of Asian readathon (Shealea is always doing the most to get others to read TBW/books by Rin!).

⇒ author: Filipino

AMINA’S VOICE

I’m buddy reading this with May (yes her again), and I think it’s going to be super cute and lovely, especially being Middle Grade. It’s about a young girl dealing girl dealing with changes in her Muslim community, and she also is led to explore her identity as a Pakistani-American!

I love reading Middle Grade, so I’m really excited to read this, and I’ve heard that this one especially makes you smile. And the cover is so adorable and beautiful!!

⇒ author: Pakistani (also Muslim for Ramadan!)

ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS

I’ve been wanting to read this for a while now, especially hearing about how beautiful it is. Every time I see the line “Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you’ve been ruined” from it, I want to cry!! How gorgeous is that!!!

This is told in letters from a son to his mother, and it explores race, class, and masculinity. The main character is also gay (if the quote about tenderness didn’t give it away), so the chances I’ll love it are automatically doubled.

⇒ author: Vietnamese

OTHER POSSIBLE BOOKS

       

• The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi (Indian Filipino) [yes I’ve had an eARC and haven’t read it…]
• American Panda by Gloria Chao (Taiwanese)
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (Jordanian, also Muslim for Ramadan!)
• Emergency Contact by Mary HK Choi (Korean)
• I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn (Japanese) [Subtle Asian Book Club pick]

(I really wish I could read Steel Crow Saga but alas… I do not have access to a copy at the moment.)

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are you reading books by asian authors / participating in the asian readathon? what’s on your may tbr? have you read any of these?? let me know if you want to buddy read any of these!!