BookDragon Audience

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

06 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Chinese American, Fiction, Hong Kongese

I didn't actually read most of Jean Kwok's debut novel, but Grayce Wey who read it to me made it un-put-downable. Wey's gentle, lilting accent which fades in and out depending on...

Buddha’s Orphans by Samrat Upadhyay

05 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Fiction, Nepali, Nepali American

First off, Samrat Upadhyay is one of my favorite short story-tellers. His debut Arresting God in Kathmandu remains one of the most memorable collections I've ever read, and a quote from the review I...

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

02 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, European, Fiction, Jewish, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

Given the somber subject matter of this title, I realize this probably verges on sacrilegious, but no disrespect is intended in any way ...

The Year of the Rabbit: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin, illustrated by Justin Roth

01 Dec, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Fiction

How did 2010 whoosh by so quickly? Is it really December already? Since 'next year' is just a month away, take a sneak peek at 2011 with baby Rosie! With her especially huge...

Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale by Karen Henry Clark, illustrated by Patrice Barton

30 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Fiction

Oh my, oh my ...

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

29 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Biography, Mongolian, Nonfiction

Hurray (itself a word of Mongol origin) for cultural anthropologist and Macalester College professor Jack Weatherford who reclaims Genghis Khan from a much maligned history that defines him as "the quintessential barbarian," leading an...

The Playwright by Daren White, art by Eddie Campbell

28 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Australian, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha

The unnamed playwright here is one lonely man. He "lodges" in Uncle Ernie's spare room as his own family stopped talking to him in 1978 when his screenplay "based upon his older, retarded brother" aired...

Out of Iraq: Refugees’ Stories in Words, Paintings and Music by Sybella Wilkes, foreword by Angelina Jolie, in association with UNHCR

27 Nov, by SIBookDragon in British, Children/Picture Books, Iraqi, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction

Alas, tragic headlines continue to repeat over and over: The front page of today's New York Times reports, "Iraq's Ills Lead Former Exiles to Flee Again." [An online version of the article is available...

MAOH: Juvenile Remix (vol. 1) original story by Kotaro Isaka, story and art by Megumi Osuga, translated by Stephen Paul

26 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Ando, now in 11th grade, is more or less going through the motions of fitting in: "If I said I didn't feel empty inside for putting up an act ...

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama, illustrated by Loren Long

24 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Biography, Children/Picture Books, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Yes, President Obama's first picture book is, of course, a gorgeous gift to his two young daughters. But it's also quite a legacy for every child anywhere as it reminds us that...

Mirror by Suzy Lee

23 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Korean

A lone little girl looks up to see a reflection of herself on the other page. Surprised, she checks again with just one eye, making sure the reflection is still there. No longer alone,...

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

22 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

I fully admit that had Mockingbird not won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature last week, I probably wouldn't have read it. I'll also tell you that by page 9, I...

Toriko (vol. 1) by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, translated by Christine Dashiell, adapted by Hope Donovan

21 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

We've all heard the stories of palate-adventurers willing to go to extreme lengths to try some of the most ...

Country Road ABC: An Illustrated Journey Through America’s Farmland by Arthur Geisert

20 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction

While today's country roads might seem to resemble life from centuries past, subtle contemporary reminders are unmistakable ...

Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Robert Byrd

19 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Mongolian, Nonfiction

Let's start with the last pages first: Kathleen Krull notes in her "Author's Note" that "[i]nformation about Kubla Khan is sketchy." Her illustrator Robert Byrd adds that "[p]ictoral references dealing with the...

Bakuman 1 by Tsugumi Ohba, art by Takeshi Obata, translated by Tetsuichiro Miyaki

18 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

At 14, Moritaka Mashiro figures he's "just going to live a normal life." For a teenager, that translates into "getting into a good high school, a good college and a good company to work...

Shadow by Suzy Lee

17 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Korean

Here's unforgettable testimony to the endless possibilities of childhood imagination, brought to the page by the phenomenally inventive Korean-born, Singapore-based Suzy Lee. Surrounded by the usual basement detritus, a little girl climbs on top...

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

16 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Israeli, Jewish, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Having grown up Catholic (I'm still in recovery), nothing works better than leftover Catholic guilt to get me to do something I'm whinge-ing about. The supreme irony about my former Catholicism is...

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey

14 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Bangladeshi, Indian, Indian American, Nonfiction, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

What perfect timing! Madhur Jaffrey's newest cookbook makes for a toothsome companion to one of last week's posts, Indivisible, the first anthology that brings together contemporary American poets...

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff

14 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers

Whether a soldier or a civilian, no one ever escapes the consequences of war. While those on the fighting front face the greatest risks, those left behind have excruciating challenges, as well. Two-time Newbery...