BookDragon Love Tag

The Playwright by Daren White, art by Eddie Campbell

28 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center 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...

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

18 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center 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...

Dengeki Daisy (vol. 1) by Kyousuke Motomi, translated by JN Productions

10 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Teru Kurebayashi is pretty much all alone in the world. Her parents are gone, and her beloved older brother is dead … but before his tragic too-early passing, he left her with a...

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins

09 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Indian American, Middle Grade Readers, Myanmarese (Burmese), Southeast Asian, Young Adult Readers

Inspired by three years of living in Thailand with her family and visiting refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, Mitali Perkins’ latest novel follows the lives of two boys on...

What Janie Found by Caroline B. Cooney

07 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

The final title of Caroline B. Cooney's award-winning Janie Johnson quartet begins with a newspaper article that marks the anniversary of the "Missing Child Milk Carton Campaign" that – for better...

The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney

07 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

If you haven’t read the first two titles of the Janie Johnson quartet, then skip this post for sure … no fun knowing too much! And, as the third volume proves, knowing...

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin

04 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, African, Fiction

Bolanle is the only one of Baba Segi's four wives who is literate, has a college education, and retains her own name. When she becomes the prized final wife of...

Author Interview: Audrey Niffenegger [in Bookslut]

03 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Author Interview/Profile, British, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Nonethnic-specific, Repost

Sometimes jet lag has its advantages. Amazingly enough, I caught Audrey Niffenegger soon after her London arrival, when she wasn’t sleeping – “I am very bad at jet lag,” she confesses....

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

31 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

As today is Halloween, here's a story that promises to scare, chill, and thrill you ...

Migritude by Shailja Patel

26 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Drama/Theater, Indian African, Indian American, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, South Asian American

Given the sheer number of books that arrive in the mailbox, I rarely pick up a title and start reading immediately. But something about Migritude (debuting from fabulous indie publisher Kaya Press: 'Smokin' Hot Books'!!) demanded 'read me NOW!' Once opened, I could hardly put...

Cross Game 1 (vols. 1-3) by Mitsuru Adachi, translated by Ralph Yamada and Lillian Olsen

23 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

How cool is this? You can read the serialized version of this manga by clicking here. Or, you can watch the anime version online by clicking here. Although, I'll have to admit that I much prefer having it all right here in one book (the first...

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

21 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

If you had any doubts before, pick up some of Laurie Halse Anderson's titles – her now-classic Speak and Wintergirls, to start – and you can't help but realize that today's high schools can be utter hell. [You could also go check out the new...

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger

10 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

If you're of a certain age (like me), you probably still remember some of the titles that made you wide-eyed those many decades ago ...

Gente: The People of Ristorante Paradiso (vol. 1) by Natsume Ono, translated by Joe Yamazaki

09 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

While the story of abandoned Nicoletta in search of her wayward mother was a single-volume deal fully contained in Ristorante Paradiso, the staff of said Ristorante, the charming Casetta dell'Orso, merit their very own series. And why not ...

Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono, translated by Joe Yamazaki

08 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Nicoletta arrives in Rome with a very specific goal: she's determined to confront the mother who abandoned her 15 years ago. The reason her mother gave then remains just as inexcusable now: "'There's a man I'm destined to be with. But he'll never marry a...

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

07 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, British, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific

Audrey Niffenegger's second novel begins with "The End" – the title of the book's opening chapter – and the words "Elspeth died ...

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

02 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific

Tending toward contrary (ahem!) means I can't seem to read ubiquitous bestsellers when everyone else does. Nope, haven't read a single Stieg Larsson (one the last hold-outs, I'm sure) or Evanovich or Cussler or Patterson. I know, like an ostrich am I. So while Time Traveler's Wife was...

The Boy in the Garden by Allen Say

28 Sep, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Japanese, Japanese American

Jiro and his father arrive at Mr. Ozu's to wish him a happy new year. As the grown-ups talk, Jiro wanders first out of the room, then into the garden where he sees a striking, unmoving large bird. As he approaches it, laughter breaks out...

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

18 Sep, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Latina/o/x, Nonethnic-specific, Young Adult Readers

Marcelo marks quite a memorable moment in our family's dynamics: For the first time ever, our daughter actually shut us out with her headphones (I realize it's coming relatively late in modern teenage life), demanding that she be able to finish this book right now (it was...

Manazuru by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Michael Emmerich

17 Sep, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Fiction, Japanese, Translation

Manazuru is the first of Akutagawa Prize-winning Japanese writer Hiromi Kawakami's novels to be translated into English. It's one of those unexpected titles that wear better with time; it needs to sort of 'sit' after reading to fully appreciate. While the overall story might initially seem almost...