Author Archives: Lily

About Lily

East Coast Chinese American. I like thick-skinned dumplings and hard-covered books.

8Books Review: “I Love You So Mochi” by Sarah Kuhn

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Lily

Sarah Kuhn’s new YA novel I Love You So Mochi is an utterly delightful book about self-discovery, romance, family relations, and good eats. Kimi is at the end of her senior year in high school when she receives an unexpected … Continue reading →

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8Questions with Brian Jian

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Lily

Former 8Asians writer Brian Jian has just published his very first graphic novel, Broken Toys, Extraordinary Machines, so we’re asking him the really important questions (hint: it’s the last one). 1. Your book has a pretty intense plot. What was … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: “American Sutra” by Duncan Ryuken Williams

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Lily

American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War by Duncan Ryuken Williams revisits Japanese American internment through the lens of Buddhism. Williams begins as World War II breaks out and Japan becomes an enemy of … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamay

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Lily

Half Gods is a fascinating set of intertwined short stories spanning Sri Lanka and America, charting a story about family, survival, and home. Akil Kumarasamay’s debut collection is captivating and engaging. Two brothers, named after characters in the Mahabharata, lie … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: “The Bird Catcher and Other Stories” by Fayeza Hasanat

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Lily

Fayeza Hasanat’s debut short story collection, The Bird Catcher and Other Stories, is set in the Bangladesh and the United States. It is filled with questions about identity and belonging, about those who are seeking answers under the weight of … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Lily

If you need some last minute inspiration for your Thanksgiving extravaganza, take a look through Marvin Gapultos brightly-colored book of finger foods, Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats. Now given if you don’t cook a lot of Filipino food … Continue reading →

Posted in 8Books, 8Series, Food & Drink, Reviews | 1 Comment

NYC Theater Review: “The Chinese Lady” by Lloyd Suh

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Lily

Lloyd Suh’s new play, The Chinese Lady, takes us on a journey with the first Chinese woman to set foot in the United States. Her name was Afong Moy. She arrived in 1835 at the age of 14 and was put on … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Lily

Heroine’s Journey brings an end to Sarah Kuhn’s delightful Asian American superheroine trilogy. In the first of the series, Heroine Complex, we meet Evie Tanaka, assistant to superheroine Aveda Jupiter. In the second, Heroine Worship, we explore Aveda Jupiter aka Annie … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: “The Chinese Must Go” by Beth Lew-Williams

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Lily

Beth Lew-Williams’s new history, The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America, is a thorough examination of anti-Chinese violence in the West in the 1880s and its relation to U.S. immigration policy. If the history … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: “Emergency Contact” by Mary H.K. Choi

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Lily

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi is such a delightful YA novel, I can’t even tell you. Penny is starting college in Austin, TX hoping to be a writer. Sam works at a cafe and sleeps there too, stuck on … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: “Bury What We Cannot Take” by Kirstin Chen

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Lily

Bury What We Cannot Take, the latest novel from author Kirstin Chen set in Mao’s China, is a doozy. After 12-year-old Ah Liam reports his grandmother to the Communist Party, the family must flee their little island off the mainland. … Continue reading →

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8Books Review: Though I Get Home by YZ Chin

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Lily

Though I Get Home by YZ Chin is an intricate series of short intertwined vignettes following a small host of characters tied to Malaysia. Isabella Sin’s time in a notorious prison. Grandfather’s stories about working for a white man when … Continue reading →

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