Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls This year’s winner of the Washington State Book Award for Creative Nonfiction is a breathtaking achievement of memoir, art and Chinese history. Growing up, Tessa Hulls knew three things about her grandma, Sun Yi: She was from China, she was a writer, she was crazy. Their home … Read more
Summerhouse by Yiğit Karaahmet, translated from the Turkish by Nicholas Glastonbury To their neighbors on Büyükada, a sleepy island off the coast of Istanbul, pianist Şener and playwright Fehmi are known to their neighbors as unusual artist friends who share a lush, hilltop garden estate. Only their closest friends know the two men have been … Read more
Chlorine by Jade Song “Chlorine,” by Jade Song, is a work of literary fiction that plunges into the disquieting depths of a second-generation Chinese immigrant’s adolescence. Touching on weighty topics like abuse, self-harm and body mutilation, “Chlorine” can be a profoundly unsettling read. Yet, it also offers a look at the challenges of assimilation, self-identity … Read more
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen This sweeping epic examines themes of displacement, identity and loss through the lives of a couple separated by war and circumstance. Suchi and Haiwen meet as children in pre-WWII Shanghai. Their connection is instant and intense, and friendship eventually blossoms into love. But Shanghai is gripped by occupation and political upheaval, … Read more
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters We’re several months away from berry season here in Whatcom County but that shouldn’t deter you from reading Amanda Peters’ thoughtful debut novel “The Berry Pickers,” which won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and topped many “best of the year” lists. The book opens during the summer of … Read more
We Are Not Strangers: A Graphic Novel by Josh Tuininga Growing up in Seattle, Josh Tuininga tagged along with his grandfather to Pike Place Market, where they shopped at a Japanese seafood market. He wondered why his papoo, the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey, knew entire Japanese families by name. Using family stories … Read more
All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong When she was a kid, Teresa Wong quit Chinese lessons to watch Saturday morningcartoons. She had no idea how her choice would ripple into the future. As an adult, shelooks back on a childhood spent translating for her immigrant parents and wonders: islanguage to … Read more
James by Percival Everett (reviewed by Mary Kinser, collection development librarian)A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes by Anthony Bale (reviewed by Emma Radosevich, collection development librarian)The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (reviewed by Paul Fullner, Everson and Sumas branch manager)Held by Anne Michaels (reviewed by Mary Vermillion, community relations … Read more
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim Juhea Kim’s debut novel, “Beasts of a Little Land,” is a historic epic about the Korean peninsula during the first half of the 20th century. Set during the Japanese occupation of Korea and its struggle for independence, this vast national story is conveyed primarily through the lives … Read more
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi Longtime couple Aima and Kalu should have been together forever, but a recent move to New Lagos, Nigeria revealed the cracks in their relationship. The night after their breakup, Aima goes dancing with party-girl friend, Ijendu, while Kalu heads to an exclusive sex party hosted by his best friend, Ahmed. … Read more