Is it Tuesday? No. Am I doing this anyway? Yes.
Why, you might ask?
- The linky is still open – to my mind that mean’s it’s not too late.
- I really liked the topic this week (honourifics are found most commonly in historical and fantastical titles, I find, which are two of my favourite things; also, I study a lot of languages with complex honourific systems and did multiple reports and presentations on honourifics for linguistics classes at university). So I really couldn’t skip it!
Rewind slightly. For people who don’t know Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a topic and participants list 10 books related to the topic.
This week’s topic is “books with honourifics in the title”. An “honorific” here includes titles (like Mr, Miss, Lady, King) as well as other forms of address (usually that denote respect) that can be used without a name (like Captain, Doctor, Father).
I will be splitting this list in two and doing five books that I really liked with honourifics in the title, and five books from my TBR that I’m looking forward to read.
Click on book covers to see more information about the book (redirects to The Storygraph). Books in series always link to the first book in the series to avoid spoilers.
Books I Loved
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong
One of the great masterpieces of premodern Korean literature, this is a collection of four autobiographical works written by Lady Hyegyong between 1975 and 1805, recounting the events surrounding her husband Crown Prince Sado’s death at the hands of the King (indirectly, via rice chest).
Honourific: Lady
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
A historical fiction novel set during the Ming dynasty and inspired the real historical figure of Tan Yunxian, an official’s daughter and the granddaughter of a physician, who herself became a physician for women.
Honourific: Lady
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman
Seven-year-old Elsa’s best friend is her wacky old grandmother whose stories weave magical worlds for her at night. When she dies and leaves behind letters -apologies – Elsa’s adventure begins. (I remember loving this, I do not remember the plot… time for a reread.)
Honourific: Grandmother
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
When his father and elder brothers die in an “accident”, the shunned half-goblin son of the Emperor is forced to ascend to the throne, learn to become Emperor, and uncover the plots that led to the death of his family – if not for their sakes, then for his own safety.
Honourific: Emperor
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
The fourth book in the extremely popular YA fantasy Throne of Glass series (which truly made my teenage years).
Honourific: Queen
Books I Hope I Love
The Legend of Lady Byeoksa: Die Perlen des Todes by Esther Park
Lady Bin Seomoon is a “byeoksa” – someone who hunts out and dispels evil spirits and energy. A romantasy steeped in Korean tradition, this book is available in Korean, German and Italian (but not English – yet).
Honourific: Lady
brother. do. you. love. me by Manni & Reuben Coe
A memoir about two brothers, Manni and Reuben, who reconnect as adults after Manni takes Reuben, who has Down syndrome, out of a care home for adults with learning disabilities. Moving in together, they begin to rebuild their relationship as brothers, connecting through Reuben’s art.
Honourific: Brother
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The first book in the epic fantasy Dandelion Dynasty series about a bandit and the son of a deposed duke who work together to rise up against the Emperor. I started reading this before I moved to Taiwan, but couldn’t continue it as my library doesn’t have a copy. Time to pick it up again soon, I think.
Honourific: King (little bit of a cheat here)
The Book of Master Mo by Mo Zi [Master Mo]
You might have heard of Confucius and The Analects? This is a similar kind of ancient Chinese philosophical text, except for the school of thought known as Mohism, which is truly fascinating and one I enjoyed discussing during my undergrad. I’ve read excerpts, but I definitely want to read more.
Honourific: Master
The Vanishing Princess by Jenny Diski
A collection of short stories that pairs cutting social commentary with vivid, dreamlike landscapes. Apparently, both darkly humorous and subversive.
Honourific: Princess
So here’s the full ten:
Question Time
Have you read any of the books on the list? If so, what did you think of them? If not, do any of them catch your eye?
Until next time,
Keira x
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