Does your holiday shopping list include book lovers? Over the years, I’ve featured a lot of fantastic books on this blog (including AMWF titles); they could also make amazing gifts for that special someone in your life.
I’ve listed them in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name, along with a recommendation for who would love it and a link to my interview with the author and/or other post. Happy holidays! (Note: titles are linked to Amazon.com, where your purchase helps support this blog.)
For fans of love stories with lots of drama:
Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair With China Gone Wrong by Susan Blumberg-Kason (Read my interview with Susan)
For the armchair traveler fascinated by Asia:
Almost Home: The Asian Search of a Geographic Trollop by Janet Brown
Tone Deaf in Bangkok (And Other Places) by Janet Brown (Read my interview with Janet)
For fans of Pearl Buck’s wartime China stories:
Tiger Tail Soup: A Novel of China at War by Nicki Chen (Read my interview with Nicki)
For anyone interested in interracial relationships:
Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After by Diane Farr (Read my post about Kissing Outside the Lines)
For chick lit fans:
Love Me Anyway by Tiffany Hawk (Read my interview with Tiffany)
For the person who wants to be happier, but hates self-help books:
A Field Guide to Happiness: What I Learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving, and Waking Up by Linda Leaming (Read my interview with Linda)
For anyone who loves comics and stories about the ups and downs of living abroad:
My Japanese Husband Thinks I’m Crazy by Grace Buchele Mineta (Read my interview with Grace)
For fans of mysteries and thrillers:
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (Read my interview with Celeste)
For people who like reading about road trips and love stories:
Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs (Read my interview with Dana)
For readers interested in the Asian American experience:
Big Little Man: In Search Of My Asian Self by Alex Tizon (Read my interview with Alex)
For readers who love coming-of-age stories:
Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman’s Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong by Shannon Young (Read Shannon’s guest post here)
For fans of travel stories with a little heart and soul:
How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia edited by Shannon Young (See my post on favorite essays from the anthology and a post about my own essay “Huangshan Honeymoon”)
What books do you think would make great Christmas gifts?
What a good idea! Thank you, Jocelyn, for the recommendations and gift ideas.
You’re welcome Nicki!
There are a few of these books that I can’t wait to read.
I’m glad to hear it Constance!
What a fabulous idea and so timely for Cyber Monday! Thank you so much for featuring Good Chinese Wife. I’ve read most of these books and have loved them all. Can’t wait to get to the few I haven’t read yet.
You’re welcome Susan!
Thanks for the recommendations, I’m happy that most of those are available through our library system!
You’re welcome Joan!
Plenty of good reads listed thereーgoing to have to wait until after Xmas to get my hands on some of those goodies though… Too tempting to read them all, when I should be studying!
They are great reads! 🙂
“In a prior study, Americans drew themselves about 6 mm bigger than they drew their friends, Europeans drew themselves 3.5 mm bigger, and Japanese drew themselves slightly smaller. In the present study, people from rice regions were more likely than people from wheat regions to draw themselves smaller than they drew their friends. ”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/05/08/310477497/rice-theory-why-eastern-cultures-are-more-cooperative
Why East and West Don’t See Eye-to-Eye
http://www.livescience.com/45455-rice-wheat-culture.html
Now, you all know why some idiots critize China due to their ignorance and bias. It is in the genes like taste of food. Accepting the world as it is, not the world you wish.
Personally, I am very individualistic from wheat growing north China. Maybe I am far more individulistic than most Chinese even in north. So my life in USA is better than in China. Also Wealthy people tend to be more individualistic since they really do not need `friends’ help. Even I prefer western culture over Chinese one. But I am in no position to trash a Eastern culture I do not fit in well. At end, I am still not self centered like some idiot American. Accepting heliocentrism over geocentrism as fact was hard swallow for western culture. At end, science and math reveal the truth. Indoctrination (brain-wash) is only way to have idiots accept heliocentrism as fact since their primitive brain will never figure out truth (heliocetrism was figured out through math). Or let idiots die out and indoctrinate new generation of commoners to accept truth. At end, arguing with idiots is pure waste of time due to their small brain (if you wear bike helmet size less than X large, your intelligence is very limited) which can not handle sophisticated issue. A person intelligence is reflected in his or her IQ score, educational achievment, brain size.
It is even hard to have idiot to realize they are idiots since stupid people tend to have higher opinion of themself. Only way to make them accepting their limited mental power is brain size comparison. A shorty can not be good basketball player. A small brain person can not be smart.
I’m proud to say that I read three books on the list 😀 I do have Celeste Ng’s, Dianne Farr’s, and Dana Sach’s on my extra long TBR list. Here’s list of the books I read and reviewed that were Asian male/White female. (Yes, more is coming starting next year…)
http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/search/label/asian%20male%2Fwhite%20female