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USA Today
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
10 new books by Asian authors to read this AAPI month, from memoir to romance
10 new books by Asian authors to read this AAPI month, from memoir to romance Every May, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and that means it's the perfect time to read new titles by AAPI authors. Though this year's AAPI month comes amid the Trump administration's unrelenting offensive against diversity initiatives, film and media leaders continue to speak about the importance of representation. 'I'm DEI until I D-I-E,' said 'Never Have I Ever' star Poorna Jagannathan at this year's Gold Gala in Hollywood. And in publishing, diversity needs to be a priority at 'every level,' bestselling romance author Ana Huang told USA TODAY earlier this month. New releases by AAPI authors to read this AAPI Month From eerie dystopian to poignant memoirs and chance-encounter romances, this list of 2025 releases from Asian authors has something for every reader. Here's what we recommend: 'Saving Five' by Amanda Nguyen She's been in the headlines for more than just her time on the Blue Origin spaceflight this year. Astronaut Ngueyn's memoir tells the story of her activism in conversations with her younger selves, including when her life changed forever after she was raped at Harvard University in 2013. Her survival and advocacy led to Congress unanimously passing the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016. 'Time Loops & Meet Cutes' by Jackie Lau Reminiscent of 'Groundhog Day,' this romance novel finds a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again after she eats dumplings that are supposed to give her 'what she needed most.' To complicate matters more, she falls for a good-looking brewery owner who appears in multiple places in her repeating day, but not remembering her the next time it starts again. 'Dirty Kitchen' by Jill Damatac This memoir by filmmaker Damatac takes us through her time growing up in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, then traveling to her native Philippines and London to pursue an education at the University of Cambridge. 'Dirty Kitchen' combines colonial history, Indigenous tradition and Filipino cooking as Damatac searches for identity, tradition and comfort through food. 'The Girls of Good Fortune' by Kristina McMorris 'Sold on a Monday' author McMorris returns with a historical fiction novel about a woman disguised as a man who is 'shanghaied' – drugged and taken to an underground cell with the intent of being forced into labor. As she retraces her steps, she realizes how she got there, including a violent, anti-Chinese massacre that killed her father and the young daughter she left behind. 'Audition' by Katie Kitamura 'Audition' is a literary study of the performances and masks we put on for those who think they know us best. In it, an accomplished actress and an attractive younger man meet for lunch. Her husband walks in. The dynamic between the three is ambiguous, but as two parallel narratives unfurl, readers search for who this younger man is: Is he her long-lost son? Her lover? A yearning student? 'Spiral' by Bal Khabra The author of hockey romance novel "Collide" returns with another "Off the Ice" story. "Spiral" follows Toronto Thunder hockey player and paparazzi magnet Elias Westbrook and Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina. A fake relationship might just be what Sage needs for her shot in the spotlight and what Elias needs to get the tabloids off his back. 'Mỹ Documents' by Kevin Nguyen 'Mỹ Documents" is a timely and important dystopian novel about four young half-siblings whose paths diverge when the government begins forcibly detaining Vietnamese Americans. While two siblings are interned and forced to work, cut off from the outside world, the other two are exempt and work to expose the horrors of the camps. 'We Do Not Part' by Han Kang The author of the Booker Prize-winning 'The Vegetarian' returns with the story of two friends during a reckoning with a period of hidden Korean history. Kyungha receives an urgent message from her friend Inseon that she's been injured in an accident and begs Kyungha to save her pet while she's hospitalized. Kyungha gets caught in a terrible, blinding snowstorm, arriving at Inseon's house only to realize there's something even darker awaiting. 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)' by Jesse Q. Sutanto If you loved Sutanto's first Vera Wong mystery, check out the anticipated sequel. The meddling teahouse owner is feeling a bit bored after her high-stakes investigation into a murder in her shop, but then a chance encounter with a distressed young woman leads her to another rookie investigation into the death of an enigmatic influencer. 'When Devils Sing' by Xan Kaur (out May 27) This YA Southern Gothic horror novel follows four unlikely allies investigating a local teen's disappearance. As Neera, Isaiah, Reid and Sam investigate Dawson Sumter's bloody disappearance, they uncover that the nearby rich community may be harboring a power that connects to an ancient urban legend about three devils. 15 books to read this summer: Most anticipated releases for 2025's hottest months Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@ Contributing: KiMi Robinson
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Literary Rehab: How to balance Life with Lit
Dear Reader, This is my week of non-reading. I've been forced into literary rehab. As someone who spends all their free time between the pages of a book, this is pure torture. The only times I haven't read were when I was forbidden to —maybe there were exams, or maybe my mother decreed I was straining my eyes too much. Even then, there were always inventive ways around the ban: reading a Five Find-Outers mystery between my science textbooks or reading Gone with the Wind under the sheets. But now, even I know it's time to stop reading. I've returned to Mumbai to a house filled with cartons that need unpacking, a desk cluttered with unpaid invoices, and chaos in every corner. I have a week to fix it all before leaving again. The writing is on the wall: I need to stop reading—even my to-be-read list. Sonya, don't look at Audition by Katie Kitamura, never mind that your book club is reading it. Or How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, by your bedside after your girls recommended it as riveting. Or Fasting—no, you can't call it 'health research.' and pretend that's not reading. Sonya, read the writing on the wall. Stop Reading. My friends say, 'You read so much!' like it's a virtue. (The truth? I've long disguised my escapist addiction as self-improvement. My notebooks are plastered with lofty quotes: 'Reading fiction allows us to explore the depths of our own emotions, question the world around us' 'Readers are leaders,' etc. All true—but did those wise souls mean for me to neglect life entirely?) I skim from story to story, drunk on make-believe. Monday: Chinese spies in The Hidden Hand by Stella Rimington. Tuesday: Shanghai murder mysteries. Wednesday: Nigerian sci-fi in Death of the Author. Friday: House of Huawei. And on the weekend, real life scams in Empire of Pain and The Everything War. Sounds perfectly bookish I know. Except that at this point, between you and me, and strictly off the record - it's time to stop. My binge-reading has left me mired in a mountainous mess. And it's just a week of not reading—how bad could it be? Plus I've done it once before. Six years ago, following Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way program, I was forced to quit all reading as part of the course. For a whole week ! The first days were hell—what to do in queues, waiting rooms or winding down before bed? But slowly, I re-learned to play the piano, sketched, even tidied drawers. Shockingly, not reading had unexpected perks. Also Read | Book Box | Reading without rules Now on Day 1 of literary detox, I clear my desk, my cupboard and my hard drive. Afterwards, I slump onto my reading spot (red cushion, propped pillows) with no soothing prospect of a book before me. Instead I stare into space, at my walls full of bookshelves, and wonder: Did I always read this much? At 21, studying at IIM Calcutta, I barely touched novels—just MBA notes. Work life weekends in Mumbai revived my habit. Motherhood pared reading down to Saki and Maugham short stories, read in bits between baby cries. Now, with grown kids, I read 100+ books a year, and binge on book clubs. This week is different. With no books to gobble my attention, I discover life beyond the pages. I sit about more, I day dream. The girls and I go buy flowers, we go hunting for light fixtures. I make mango ice cream, egg sandwiches and homemade mustard. I write more. I start writing a screenplay. I also end up irritating my family ! Suddenly I am noticing all their little misdeeds and their messes. Go back to your murder mysteries, they beg me. As the week draws to a close, I am strangely content. This literary detox feels like a palate cleanser, like breathing in the scent of coffee beans between glasses of wine. I am more intentional and more mindful about my reading life. I shift away from the latest bestsellers and decide to begin a long planned project - re-reading old classics, beginning with The Brothers Karamazov. It feels like this break - even from a good habit - has sparked creativity in me, and given me more focus. Going back to reading is amazing - for reading is magic—it deepens our empathy, stretches our imagination, and connects us to lives we'll never live. But I realise there's another kind of magic too: unhurried conversations, homemade mustard, swimming with your daughters, noticing the shape of your day. The best stories aren't just the ones you read—they are also the ones you pause long enough to live. (Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya's Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@ The views expressed are personal.)
NZ Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Auckland Writers Festival special: Pip Adam
To celebrate the 2025 Auckland Writers Festival, we've teamed up with some New Zealand publishers to showcase some of the authors who will be on stage over the festival weekend. This extract is from Audition by Pip Adam, a book described as part science-fiction, part social commentary. Adam will appear
Los Angeles Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, May 11
1. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 2. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 3. Audition by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books: $28) An accomplished actor grapples with the varied roles she plays in her personal life. 4. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (Simon & Schuster: $29) A love triangle unearths dangerous secrets. 5. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $29) An L.A. artist pursues creative and sexual freedom after having an extramarital affair during a road trip. 6. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books: $30) The third installment of the bestselling dragon rider series. 7. The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Henry Holt & Co.: $29) An unexpected wedding guest gets surprise help. 8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron Books: $29) As sea levels rise, a family on a remote island rescues a mysterious woman. 9. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press: $20) During the 1985 Christmas season, a coal merchant in an Irish village makes a troubling discovery. 10. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $29) Two grieving brothers come to terms with their history. … 1. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can't control. 3. Notes to John by Joan Didion (Knopf: $32) Diary entries from the famed writer's journal. 4. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer on how to be a creative person. 5. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (Random House: $30) A guide to the art of journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem and others. 6. The Next Day by Melinda French Gates (Flatiron Books: $26) The former co-chair of the Gates Foundation recounts pivotal moments in her life. 7. Conquering Crisis by Adm. William H. McRaven (Grand Central Publishing: $26) The retired four-star admiral's personal stories illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis. 8. Who Is Government? by Michael Lewis, editor (Riverhead Books: $30) A civics lesson from a team of writers and storytellers. 9. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books: $33) An insider's account of working at Facebook. 10. Matriarch by Tina Knowles (One World: $35) The mother of singer-songwriters Beyoncé and Solange tells her story. … 1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17) 3. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $19) 4. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 5. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Grand Central: $20) 6. Table for Two by Amor Towles (Penguin Books: $19) 7. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial: $19) 8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Anchor: $18) 9. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19) 10. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne: $18) … 1. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 2. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $36) 3. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 4. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 5. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17) 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Modern Library: $11) 7. The White Album by Joan Didion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $18) 8. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 9. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley (Simon & Schuster: $19) 10. Sociopath by Patric Gagne (Simon & Schuster: $20)
Irish Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Audition by Katie Kitamura: This hotly anticipated novel is psychologically chilling
Audition Author : Katie Kitamura ISBN-13 : 978-1911717324 Publisher : Fern Press Guideline Price : £18.99 American author Katie Kitamura has acquired a reputation as something of a writer's writer – her work meditates on writing craft, interrogating the relationship between the ideas underpinning her work and the form of their delivery. Her previous novels have been well received; the most recent, Intimacies , was longlisted for the US National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and named by Barack Obama as one of his favourite books of 2021. As such, Audition , her fifth publication, has been hotly anticipated. This is Kitamura's third novel with an unreliable, unnamed first-person narrator – a point of view that allows the author to activate her great strength as a puppet-master of perspective and interpretation. The short novel is constructed in two parts; both are narrated by the same accomplished actor who is contemplating the roles she must play both on stage and off. In her current production she is challenged by a scene where the character undergoes a subtle transformation with little direction: 'the movement from the woman in grief to the woman of action'. This is echoed in the structure of the novel where between parts one and two the reader is thrust into a different dimension with no explanation. At the beginning of the novel, the actor is meeting an attractive young man, Xavier, for lunch when her husband happens upon them. The nature of their relationship, and the tense, unstable, dynamic between them, is psychologically riveting and propels the narrative forward. READ MORE In part two, Xavier has situated himself in an entirely different position in her life. The connective tissue between the two set pieces is the narrator's hypnotic unspooling of the narrative, but the world in which this novel is set is an abstract one, with little concrete detail to ground the reader. The degree to which that alienates or tantalises is a matter of taste. [ The 'other Americans': 20 books that celebrate US literature's rich diversity Opens in new window ] This is the third of Kitamura's novels where the theme of interpretation has been central to the narrative. Not least of all is the question of how people, and therefore her characters, interpret their own agency or lack thereof in their lives. It is interesting that both parts of this novel could be read in either order and provoke similar questions of interpretation and understanding. It would be miscategorising to position this novel as a psychological thriller, but it is nonetheless psychologically chilling. If you are drawn to novels that raise more questions than answers, this one is for you.
