庚子年的书架 2020: A (Chinese) Year in Books

It’s that time of year again, and this year I’m on time! Like everyone, my 2020 was, to put it mildly, unprecedented. My family and I left China two days after Chinese New Year, 2020, and as of Chinese New Year, 2021, we have been stuck in the U.S. for a year. We have undeniably been more fortunate than many people. We’ve had the support of family and the good fortune of being able to work online, but it has been a challenging year. Reading, as always, has brought me inspiration and enjoyment, and although the extra demands on my time have kept me from reading as much as in previous years, I can honestly say that a my reading this year has transformed me like no year before.

Continue reading

己亥年的书架 2019: A (Chinese) Year in Books

I’m a bit late getting this list posted this year. Chinese New Year found my family and I struggling to decide whether to remain in Chengdu as the coronavirus epidemic worsened. Ultimately, we chose to leave. The Lantern Festival (Yuanxiao jie 元宵节)–last night of the New Year celebrations and the usual time I write this post–found us in Japan, watching from over the waters as China took dramatic action to control the epidemic. When it became clear that situation was not going to improve quickly, we continued our journey, back to the U.S. and my family, with whom we are now living.

Continue reading

戊戌年的书架: 2018, a (Chinese) Year in Books

Today is the lantern festival (yuanxiao jie 元宵节), the traditional end for the Chinese New Year season. It’s also time to post my second annual reading journal. This year’s list is even longer than the last. In part, that’s because I included academic titles this time around. My academic and creative lives have grown closer to one another over the last year, so it no longer made sense to separate them.

Continue reading