May 22 2013
Dear Mr. Kay, I’ve been a fan of your books since I read The Lions of al-Rassan and lamented the fact that it was a standalone. While I haven’t read every GGK book published, I’ve read enough to know that they are part of an impressive and imaginative body of work. When I learned that(…)
Feb 14 2013
NOTE: Originally released as “Wife for a Week.” “The perfect Valentine’s gift? As far as women’s fashion accessories went, he was spectacular. A black-haired, cobalt-eyed, dangerous- looking toy who no doubt warned you outright not to bother playing with him if you didn’t like his rules. He was like a Hermes handbag; women saw and(…)
Feb 8 2013
“Jade Moon is a Fire Horse — the worst sign in the Chinese zodiac for girls, said to make them stubborn, reckless, and far too headstrong. While her family despairs of marrying her off, she dreams of traveling far beyond her tiny village, living out a story as big as her imagination. Then a young(…)
May 6 2012
“Tang Dynasty China, 759 A.D. Yao Ru Jiang, known as River, has woven many romantic dreams of honorable swordsman Wei Chen from her brother’s stories. Their meeting should have been a happy event; instead, Chen arrives to tell River he is duty bound to kill her brother for rebelling against the warlord they both serve.(…)
Mar 23 2012
House of Flying Daggers (2004) Genre: Romantic, Action/Adventure,Drama Grade: B- Our recent post with the luscious Asian mantitty reminded me that I’ve wanted to review this one for ages. Okay, prepare your brickbats now because this time I’m sure that a lot of you are going to disagree with my grade for this one. It’s(…)
Nov 21 2011
This will be sad and distressing news for readers. Readers are reporting that there are no Penguin books available in their libraries digital catalogs for the Kindle. Emails were sent to representatives of both Penguin and Overdrive but no response has been given at this time. I understand that this thing is done to prevent(…)
Nov 12 2011
Dear Ms. Hambly, The title of this book is what got my attention. I mean, how could it not? Once I saw it, I knew I had to read it. Who’s the Rat God? Who is his bride? What on earth is going on here? If not for her actress sister-in-law Chrysandra Flamande taking her(…)
Oct 5 2011
Dear Ms. Lin: I’m thrilled that you are writing this series and thrilled that Harlequin is publishing it and giving us such in-your-face Asian covers instead headless bodies that hint at its Eastern origins. I am not super familiar with this area of history and I read this story more as if it were a(…)
Aug 5 2011
Iron Monkey (Siu nin Wong Fei Hung ji: Tit Ma Lau) (1993) Genre: Martial Arts Action/Adventure Grade: B+ Iron Monkey was originally made in 1977 and remade in 1993. I’m concentrating on the remake. There are two editions of this movie to be found (though with varying extras and treatments) and a quick scan of(…)
Apr 15 2011
Broken Trail (2006) Genre: Western Grade: B+ Ah, the beauty of the West, of a herd of wild horses, of a campfire crackling at night, of a group of young Chinese women being driven to a fate worse than death in a rough hewn mining camp – wait, back up, strike that. Let’s start again.(…)
Apr 13 2011
Dear Ms. Pon, I read your debut, Silver Phoenix, when it was first released and enjoyed it. Like Jane, I’m a big fan of multicultural stories and it was wonderful to see a YA fantasy featuring a setting based on ancient China. So I’ve been looking forward to your follow-up for a quite a while.(…)
Apr 11 2011
“San Francisco, 1870 Huiann arrives in America expecting to be wed to a wealthy businessman. She no sooner disembarks from the ship than she realizes Xie is not looking for a bride: Huiann is worth more to him as a high-end prostitute. Though her fate is better than that of other Chinese women forced into(…)
Oct 13 2010
Dear Ms. Schama: I approached Wild Romance: A Victorian Story of A Marriage, A Trial, and A Self-Made Woman with appreciation and excitement at the possibility of an academic study of cultural history crossing over to popular contemporary readership. The volatile story of Theresa Longworth's secret marriage to an Irish peer and subsequent battle to(…)
Sep 17 2010
Thousand Pieces of Gold (1991) Genre: Historical Western/Romance Grade: B Early last month, Karenmc contacted me about a movie she thought might make a good Friday Film Review called “Thousand Pieces of Gold.” After tracking down a VHS copy, I have to agree with her. In 1880s China after years of drought, Lalu (Rosalind Chao)(…)
Jul 23 2010
Wo de fu qin mu qin (The Road Home) (1999) Genre: Drama/Romance Grade: B Ever since I first rented “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “House of Flying Daggers” among others, Netflix has been pushing this one at me. I’d always resisted because frankly it didn’t sound that interesting. Finally I threw up my hands and(…)
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