Read Women discussion

Hello members,

This is our thread for the third and final Quadrimester of 2025, running from September through December. Please use this thread to track your challenge goals and progress.

3 – RatW – South Asia* and Southeast Asia** (author origin, descent, takes place in)
*South Asia –Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Jumma, Kashmir, the Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
**Southeast Asia – Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore Thailand, and Vietnam

Well, I am doing a #20BooksByEastAsianWomen challenge this year, so this quadrimester will work quite nicely! Too bad it hasn't started already! :) :) :)

Misty wrote: "Well, I am doing a #20BooksBySEAsianWomen challenge this year, so this quadrimester will work quite nicely! Too bad it hasn't started already! :) :) :)"

Ha, you came to mind as I set up this thread. It will be a good four month prompt for you to hit those goals though at the end of the year! Hopefully you’ll be able to count a few with our first quadrimester’s WIT prompt, too.

Anita wrote: "Ha, you came to mind as I set up this thread. It will be a good four month prompt for you to hit those goals though at the end of the year! Hopefully you’ll be able to count a few with our first quadrimester’s WIT prompt, too."

For sure!!! :)

These challenges sound great, I will enjoy planning for this one!

Okay! I'm ready for this challenge. :) I am currently reading Song of the Sun God which is set in Sri Lanka around the time of independence from British rule. I'm not very far in, but I am enjoying it so far.

My very "loosey, goosey" options (can't even call it a plan):

☀ Completed YY

books readily available:
* Southeastern Asia: Laos: Bride Price
* Southeastern Asia: Malaysia: Fox Wife
* Southern Asia: Afghanistan: My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird
* Southern Asia: Nepal: Woman who Climbed Trees

Southeastern Asia: Singapore: Betel Nut Tree Mystery (#2)
Southeastern Asia: Singapore: Paper Bark Tree Mystery (#3)
Southern Asia: India: Mountain of Light
Southern Asia: India: Rosarita
Southern Asia: India: Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters
Southern Asia: Iran: Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
Southern Asia: Iran (Persia): Golden Notebook
Southern Asia: Pakistan: Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali
Southern Asia: Sri Lanka: Brotherless Nights

Also feeling loosey goosey like Gail...

What I'm considering:

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Vietnamese)
Fish in Exile by Vi Khi Nao (Vietnamese)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistani)
An Asian American A to Z: A Children's Guide to Our History by Cathy Linh Che (Vietnamese)
How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa (Lao)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Bangladeshi)
Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe (Singaporean)

GailW wrote: "My very "loosey, goosey" options (can't even call it a plan):

☀ Completed YY

books readily available:
* Southeastern Asia: Laos: Bride Price
* Southeastern Asia: Malaysia: Fox Wife
* Southern As..."

I'm really interested in Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree too, and yet it's one I always put off... Nice to have the reminder :)

If you enjoy reading nonfiction books, I want to suggest reading "Raising My voice" by Malalai Joya from Afganistan that's fits perfectly in the challenge!

Crazytourists_books wrote: "If you enjoy reading nonfiction books, I want to suggest reading "Raising My voice" by Malalai Joya from Afghanistan that's fits perfectly in the challenge!"

Thanks! That indeed sounds excellent. Added to my list.

I have another suggestion for this topic, Birth Canal by Dias Novita Wuri (Indonesia).

I'm half way through, so not a final judgement, but I'm loving it so far.

Crazytourists_books wrote: "I have another suggestion for this topic, Birth Canal by Dias Novita Wuri (Indonesia).

I'm half way through, so not a final judgement, but I'm loving it so far."

Cool! I think I might not have any Indonesian work in my TBR. Adding :)

I am going to try to make myself prioritize reading, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, if my comes in at my library. I'm 110th in line with 10 copies on order.

In the meantime, I love the idea to read Monica Ali's Brick Lane or whatever I can get a copy of. I read her Love Marriage last year and enjoyed it. Music of the Ghosts by Cambodian-American novelist, Vaddey Ratner is a possibility. Death in the Rainy Season is the second in a series of mystery/crime novels that takes place in Phnom Penh and is written by French-Indian novelist, Anna Jaquiery. I'm also interested in multi-generational historical fiction novel, Belonging by Indian-born British author, Umi Sinha, and not only because the cover is gorgeous. I own Mãn by Canadian-Vietnamese author Kim Thúy, more famous for Ru, and it's only 139 pages and purportedly about love and food, so maybe I could even include a book I own already!

I highly recommend Shamsie's Home Fire. I know reviews are mixed, but this is a novel I'm still thinking about and I probably read it 6 - 7 years ago. And you all already know I'm a big Fox Wife stan.

Crazytourists_books wrote: "I have another suggestion for this topic, Birth Canal by Dias Novita Wuri (Indonesia).

I'm half way through, so not a final judgement, but I'm loving it so far."

My copy of this came from ThriftBooks today - thank you for this comment. It wouldn't have otherwise hit my radar and it's a little outside of what I tend to pick for myself. yay!

My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associates Degree for a while now and I finally got my act together and set the wheels in motion this year. I'm currently taking Elementary Statistics coincided with a remedial version of the course because I did not pass the math diagnostic. The class is not as bad as I'd feared, but it's also very demanding and requires a lot of reading and time!

I am also taking Cultural Anthropology, which I like, except for the videos that we watch that are from the 1970s, lol.

After Anthropology ends in October, I'll be taking Contemporary Social Problems (a SOCI course) and then in November, I'm adding on Intro to Psychology. I'm determined to finish this degree sooner than later. Social and reading lives be damned, lol.

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associates Degree for a while now and I..."

You go girl! I love it. It is never too late. Trust me, you'll feel like a star when it's over!

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associates Degree for a while now and I..."

That is amazing! You rock!!!!

Carol wrote: "I am going to try to make myself prioritize reading, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, ..."

I want to do this one as well. Plus I've already reserved Rosarita by Anita Desai, Kiran's mother.

Carol wrote: "I am going to try to make myself prioritize reading, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, if my comes in at my library. I'm 110th in line with 10 copies..."

Oh cool! Good to hear. I wasn't aware of Monica Ali until recently, after a relative offered a stack of hand-me-down books and that was one I adopted after reading about it.

GailW wrote: "ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associ..."

Thanks, Gail!! I sure hope so. I think just about every 3 days I ask myself why I thought school was a good idea when I could be lounging in bed with a book for fun, lol.

But I want to get a degree so I have more career opportunities and to potentially pathway into social work, so this must be done. Plus, I just enjoy learning (usually on my own schedule, hehe).

Misty wrote: "ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associ..."

Thank you, Misty!! It helps to read things like this to keep me going!

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "My reading has taken a downturn because I started going to school this month! I am missing out on a lot of books and chats, but I have been wanting to get my Associates Degree for a while now and I..."

Best of luck and congratulations for prioritizing yourself! (I don't have a clue how I made a passing grade in stats in undergrad. the thought of that class sends shivers up my spine. It's me; not you lol)

GailW wrote: "Carol wrote: "I am going to try to make myself prioritize reading, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, ..."

I want to do this one as well. Plus I've a..."

I have bailed on two novels by Anita Desai around the 50-75 page marks. In both instances, the pacing just didn't do it for me. I'd put them down, pick up another novel and never get back to them. I'd be open to trying again, though. it's me, not her. If you like Rosarita, let us know.

Carol wrote: "GailW wrote: "Carol wrote: "I am going to try to make myself prioritize reading, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, ..."

Carol, just sent you PM re: Kiran Desai

I created a widget for this Challenge, admittedly a month late. Here's the link and it's also accessible from our landing page.

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

Yesterday I finished Rosarita by Anita Desai. Admittedly, it has very mixed reviews, but I loved it. Told in second person (which was a bit offputting at first because I was not used to it), it is the story of a young woman from India who travels to Mexico for a language immersion course. While there she meets an old woman who swears that she knows the girl's mother from when the mother came to Mexico to paint. Her mother and father are both deceased, so she can't ask. But because the mother never told her, she doesn't believe it. Huh.

That part made me chuckle. Whose mother tells a kid everything, especially about their teenage life? I only know some stories about my Mom because my Grandmother lived with us and everytime my Mom would get angry with me for doing something stupid (in high school), my Grandmother would tell me a story.

I finished a short audiobook, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Lao-Canadian author and poet Souvankham Thammavongsa. I wish I could have read them but my Libby only had the audio. I thought the narrators were great though! But she is a poet and these have something poetic about them too I think, which made me wanna see them on the page and experience the kind of pondering that comes more with reading than listening, if that makes sense... I read through some reviews and feel kinda surprised no one mentions how unsettling these stories can be. Characters and events are strange, stories often end abruptly... I quite liked them.

Also, ever since Carol mentioned Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe in the Bingo thread, I keep thinking about it. Adding to my list of considerations for this quad. Hope I can find time for it.

Jen wrote: "I finished a short audiobook, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Lao-Canadian author and poet Souvankham Thammavongsa. I wish I could have read them but my Libby onl..."

I'm excited to see your comments on this one. I've heard of it for awhile but hadn't seen a friend's personal take on it and my experience of poets can be all over the place. Moving it up my TBR also because reading the perspective of an Lao-Canadian author really appeals to me this month.

I read this last December and had mixed feelings depending on the story. At least 2 of them were 5’s but had a couple 2’s. I did write a review which I don’t often do. Ended up giving it a 4. I absolutely loved the first story.

I finished Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu today. It was cute. I figured it out, but I still enjoyed it. This book is the third in the series. They are cozy mysteries. It is set in Singapore. There are four total.

Misty wrote: "I finished Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovidia Yu today. It was cute. I figured it out, but I still enjoyed it. This book is the third in the series. They are coz..."

What's your favorite, Misty? I read the second one, Aunty Lees Deadly Specials, a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed (I think Aunty lee bugged me, but maybe not) but am open to giving this series another try. I see she's written a number of novels that aren't in the series, too. Fun.

If Aunty Lee bugged you in book 2, she will still bug you in book 3. I enjoy them, but I am not crazy about them. They're cute and fun, but I honestly see the criticism that Aunty Lee is annoying. I just had a horrible week and had read a lot of really heavy stuff, so I downloaded an Amelia Peabody book and an Aunty Lee book so I could chill and relax and veg out! I don't think I would recommend it particularly if you read one and didn't really enjoy it.