Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

 

 

Happy Wednesday you guys! It’s almost the end of the school year and that means all the summer reading programs are starting. It’s a great way to encourage kids to keep reading all through the summer. We plan on doing several – one from Barnes and Noble (that gives kids one free book), Half-Price Books (kids can get a $5 coupon to use in store), and the library (which also gives the kids a free book and some other little things).

 Claire has the link-up this week

The Calligrapher’s Daughter – Eugenia Kim

Thanks to the focus on Asian authors in May for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I added so many new authors and books to my TBR list. This is one of them.

In early-twentieth-century Korea, Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. Smart and headstrong, she is encouraged by her mother—but her stern father is determined to maintain tradition, especially as the Japanese steadily gain control of his beloved country. When he seeks to marry Najin into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends her to serve in the king’s court as a companion to a young princess. But the king is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end.

In the shadow of the dying monarchy, Najin begins a journey through increasing oppression that will forever change her world. As she desperately seeks to continue her education, will the unexpected love she finds along the way be enough to sustain her through the violence and subjugation her country continues to face? Spanning thirty years, The Calligrapher’s Daughter is a richly drawn novel in the tradition of Lisa See and Amy Tan about a country torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love, and a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.

 

 

Beijing comrades – Bei Tong; translated by Scott E. Myers

I can’t remember where I first heard of this book, but I was wandering the shelves and spotted this and thought the cover looked so familiar. I looked it up on Goodreads just to make sure I hadn’t read it yet – it was on my TBR though! Are you good at keeping track of where you learn about books from?

When Handong, a ruthless and wealthy businessman, is introduced to Lan Yu, a naïve, working-class architectural student—the attraction is all consuming.

Arrogant and privileged, Handong is unsettled by this desire, while Lan Yu quietly submits. Despite divergent lives, the two men spend their nights together, establishing a deep connection. When loyalties are tested, Handong is left questioning his secrets, his choices, and his very identity.

Beijing Comrades is the story of a torrid love affair set against the sociopolitical unrest of late-eighties China. Due to its depiction of gay sexuality and its critique of the totalitarian government, it was originally published anonymously on an underground gay website within mainland China. This riveting and heartbreaking novel, circulated throughout China in 1998, quickly developed a cult following, and remains a central work of queer literature from the People’s Republic of China. This is the first English-language translation of Beijing Comrades.

Bei Tong is the anonymous author of Beijing Comrades. The author’s real-world identity has been a subject of ongoing debate since the novel was first published.

The totally awesome Hulk. Vol. 1, Cho time – Greg Pak, Frank Cho (Artist), Mike Choi (Artist), Takeshi Miyazawa (Artist)

I did not know there was a new Hulk! Ok not like I read Hulk comics (although I think I am kinda interested in reading She-Hulk) but I was curious about the new Hulk, a 19yo Korean-American!

There’s a brand-new Hulk in town, and his name is Amadeus Cho! Get ready for gamma-fueled entertainment as the kid genius decides he’s gonna be the best Hulk ever -and just possibly brings the entire world crashing down into chaos! Cho is taking on the biggest monsters in the Marvel Universe, but can he handle the danger posed by Lady Hellbender? What will She-Hulk and Spider-Man make of this very different Green Goliath? And what exactly happened to Bruce Banner? With monster mayhem in the Mighty Marvel Manner, all from the wild and crazy minds of Planet Hulk writer Greg Pak and superstar artist Frank Cho, this is better than incredible, it’s totally awesome! Plus: Amazing Science during Secret Wars featuring the Amadeus Cho of Battleworld!

Tiare in bloom – Celestine Vaite

The cover really attracted me when I spotted it on the library shelves. Haven’t heard of this book or the author before but I liked that it’s set in Tahiti. I only later realized that it was the third book in the series – there were no other books by the same author on the shelf.

Now that Materena is a big star with her radio talk show, Pito can’t help noticing some changes in his wife. She’s spending more and more time at work and with her girlfriends instead of coming home to cook for him. And why does a Tahitian woman need to know how to drive, anyway? He tries to shrug it off, but when Materena gives him the silent treatment and doesn’t come home after a night of dancing, Pito has had enough! How is he supposed to fix things with Materena when she doesn’t even give him a chance?

Luckily for Pito, his opportunity comes when a threemonth-old girl named Tiare–rumored to be their son Tomatoa’s daughter–is left on the Mahis’ doorstep. Anxious to pull his weight and set things right, Pito embarks on a hilarious and noble mission to prove himself to his granddaughter, his wife, and–most importantly–himself. TIARE IN BLOOM is the heartwarming story of a couple facing big changes on a small island–and a love that outlasts it all.

 

The kids’ loot:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What did you get from your library this week?

 

This post contains affiliate links from Book Depository.  If you buy via these links it means I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you).