I'm Waiting For You and Other Stories comprise of two pairs of stories from Korean science fiction writer Kim Bo-young, translated by Sophie Bowman and Sung Ryu. In the title story I'm Waiting for You (tr. Sophie Bowman), a man writes a series of letters to his fiancee, as both of them undertake their separate journeys in the galaxy, making use of the concept of relativity, to return to Earth at the same time to get married. His journey gets increasingly difficult as the delays in the galactic …
Book Recommendations | Reviews
Review: Where the Wild Ladies Are
Ghost stories never felt more human and satisfying. The collection of short stories by Matsuda Aoko, translated by Polly Barton, is (true to its name) wildly fun to read. Each story is a contemporary retelling of a Japanese traditional ghost story, with a feminist twist. I didn't know two-thirds of the ghost stories before reading the book, so it was very helpful that the book lists the inspiration for each story and and I found myself googling more about them either before or reading …
Review: Shoko’s Smile
Shoko's Smile: Stories, a collection of seven long-ish short stories, is Korean writer's Choi Eunyoung's English debut, deftly and beautifully translated by Sung Ryu. I'm only on my fourth story, but already, I'm dying to write about how much I love it. Shoko's Smile: Stories is one of those books that I want to share with everybody, but at the same time, part of me wants to keep it as a hidden gem. I see myself in all the four stories that I've read thus far, and it's taking a lot of …
Review: Sweet Bean Paste
My friends know I love books, but it's actually rare that I receive a book gift. Most choose to get me book vouchers, so that I can choose to get the books I want. But somehow it's just extra special when people take the time and effort to pick out a book for me, whether it's something that they think I'll like, or a book which they love and want to share with me. I received this book as a gift from a dear fried. It came to me at a time when I was not in the best shape and going through a …
Review: 大军师司马懿之军师联盟 The Advisors Alliance
Court politics isn't my usual cup of tea, but I'm so glad I picked up this novel by Chang Jiang (常江) from the library. It's the first part of a two-part novel (and drama) based on the life of 司马懿 (Sima Yi), a government official (and later on military general) who lived in the Eastern Han dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period. I usually steer away from such books/dramas because I find them either too dry or too angsty, dragging a single conflict out for no reason. But the book hits all …