When I started thinking about what I wanted to write for Shealea’s new series, talking about Singapore’s approach to Indian characters in media was one of the first things I thought about.
Growing up in Singapore — a multi-racial country that proudly proclaims racial harmony, that says racial tensions do not exist — one thing that has struck me over the years is that, despite all these proclamations, whenever there were Indian characters on TV — and there were not many of these, and they were almost always side characters — they were largely caricatures and stereotypes. As a child, this was something I didn’t notice. But as I grew older, and now as I look back on it, I feel sad that I never got to see myself represented on TV. Not on the local media, and not on the Western media that slowly started being shown as well.
Friends, it’s been ages — five months, in fact — since I last wrote a wrap-up post of any sort. And knowing that has made me feel a little bit too sad for the past few days.
One of my major goals for this year was to share more about myself and my life outside books — and wrap-up posts, I believe, are an excellent method to let all of you know what I’ve been up to both online and offline. Ironically, I’ve been so overwhelmed and busy that I haven’t been able to share much at all! And while I am still very much active on Twitter, sharing personal stuff in 280-character increments isn’t all that satisfactory or fulfilling.
Another month, another opportunity to share a bit (or a lot of) love for books written by Asian authors. In other words, a new month means the start of another monthly link-up for the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge 2019. Yay! (Although our huge, international midyear giveaway is still ongoing, so make sure you submit your link-ups there, too!)
If you’re currently participating in this fun reading challenge, then use this post to share all the Asian books you read for the month of September. I’m sure everyone, including me, is interested in which titles you picked up! Plus, read on to find fun challenge prompts and book recommendations (that just might help you with those prompts).
On the other hand, if this is your first time to hear about YARC 2019, then read on anyway and learn how you can join in on all the fun!
Am I the only one who can’t believe that we only have a quarter of the year left? Time flies so insanely fast, and it’s been a while since I’ve last talked about things that I am looking forward to before 2019 ends. Especially bookish things! Likewise, I haven’t written a bookish list in a while either.
So, put those two facts together and the result is this blog post: fourteen (14) upcoming book releases in 2019 that I am most excited for!
Needless to say, there are a lot of amazing books that haven’t hit the bookstore shelves yet, but I think I managed to successfully curate a list containing my must-have-them-right-now titles! And by that I mean: I wish these 2019 books could magically appear in my hands literally right this second.
Shealea, didn’t you just release a sign-up form for another blog tour a few days ago? Why yes. Yes, I did. And you can still sign up to read and review The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco. But okay, hear me out!
If you’ve known me or been following me for quite a while, then you may know that, despite the abundance of impulsive passion projects that I tend to do like all the time, I am also quite the planner. My lineup of blog tours had been — more or less — set in stone since the start of this year (although some blog tours, like the one for Fonda Lee’s Jade War, just somehow magically fell into my lap and I couldn’t be more grateful to the generous publishers for entrusting me with the responsibility of promoting their books).
Dear friends, this is not a drill. Definitely not a drill.
Some of you might recall that a few months ago, I did the official cover reveal for Rin Chupeco’s next novel, The Never Tilting World. In that post, I shared an impeccably written excerpt that will have you clutching your pearls. But I digress.
With an abundance of pride and happy tears, I am honored to announce that I am spearheading an international blog tour for this wonderfully diverse gem of a book! The goddesses have been really kind to me and have gently dropped this huge honor onto my lap. Of course, it helps that Rin Chupeco is incredibly generous and kind as well.
In just a week, the highly awaited sequel of A Spark of White Fire, which is an impressively structured space opera inspired by the Mahabharata and other Indian myths, will finally hit the bookshelves! I had just finished my reread of the first book, and I was fortunate enough to have had the privilege of reading the second installment — both of which I read just two weeks ago — and all I have to say is fasten your seatbelts because the ride is wild, bumpy, and thrilling (and the night is full of terror).
But I’m getting way ahead of myself, I think. As part of my recent blog tour for A House of Rage and Sorrow — which was aptly named as A Tour of Rage and Sorrow — I had the amazing chance to interview its author, Sangu Mandanna.
