So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ (trans. Modupé Bodé-Thomas)

Recently widowed, Ramatoulaye is required to take sole responsibility for the long mourning process of her late husband. A husband she has not seen in over four years – not after he married his second wife. In a letter to her friend, Ramatoulaye recalls both of their experiences as students impatient to change the world, as wives suffering in the private sphere of marriage, and as mothers witnessing the dangers of Westernisation.

I started this at the end of July but I haven’t finished it yet, so it’s at the top of my August TBR.

Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zĭ (trans. Lin King)

Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, Taiwan Travelogue is a bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history and power. May, 1938: The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko sails from Japan to Taiwan where her interpreter proffers tantalising glimpses of island life and helps her to taste as much of cuisine as her larger-than-life appetite can bear.

Apart from the fact that I’m really looking forward to this book, I’m also going to a book talk about it on the 20th, so I kind of need to have it read by then.

Café. Waiting. Love by Giddens Ko (trans. Shanna Tan) (ARC)

Si-ying, a young woman working at a café in Hsinchu, Taiwan, harbours a secret crush on the handsome Tse-yu, who regularly visits with a new girlfriend. However, her life takes a turn when she befriends the quirky and earnest Ah Tuo. He takes her on adventures and introduces her to an eclectic mix of people who aren’t what they seem to be – a triad boss who is a cinephile and a laundrette owner who whips up exquisite dishes worthy of Michelin stars (but only on a Sunday!).

This comes out on the 27th of August, so hopefully I get to it before then.

The Serpent’s Longing by Namita Kumari (RC)

She has worn a thousand shapes and never wanted to keep a single one. He crossed a sea with nothing but a dream of her. But loving her is quietly spending the powers it took him a lifetime to gather. And loving him will cost her every shape she has ever worn, until she is only one woman — mortal, ageing, with a single life to give.

I received a copy of this book from the author and said I’d probably get to it in August – here’s me keeping my word (hopefully).

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (trans. Ros Schwartz)

Thirty-nine women are kept isolated in a cage deep underground with no memory of how they got there and only a vague recollection of their lives before. But as numberless years part, a young girl – the fourtieth prisoner – sits alone and outcast in the corner. She will be their key to escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them. The woman who will never know men.

A friend recently read this and gave me his copy to read because he wants to know what I think, so I should definitely get to it sooner rather than later.

An Empire in the Clouds by Ai Jiang (ARC)

When Xilian discovers a plot to overthrow her brother, Yun, the Emperor, by creating a deadly flood, she flees to the drowning continent of Opera. There Xilian seeks out her exiled brother Lang to help in her efforts to disrupt the advisors’ plans and remove them from court.

No Face, abandoned by the empire of Piao, plots to destroy those who tore their family apart. When Xilian is caught and imprisoned and No Face discovers the shocking truth about their past, the two must work together to stop the advisors and unify their two lands or lose everyone they love to flood and revolution.

This book comes out on the 8th of September, but I have a couple of ARCs for the beginning of September, so I’d like to get this one started before then.

A History of Korea by Kyung Moon Hwang

An overview of Korean history from early state formation (c. 50 BCE) to the modern day.

This was the first book I started reading on Korean history aged 17 when I decided to do my IB History assessment on Korean history, which eventually led me to study Korean at university. Now, 7 years later, I’m finishing my master’s degree in East Asian studies and I *still* haven’t finished this book. That changes in August.

Scotland’s Geomythography by Stuart McHardy

An exploration of Scotland’s prehistoric and later societies through their ties to the Scottish landscapes, and the deep-rooted cultural connections of communities to the land and traditions.

August is my last month living in Scotland (at least for the foreseeable future), so I thought I should probably try and read one of the books I bought about the area before I leave.

The Apothecary by the Sea by Victoria Bennett

Victoria and her family move to the Scottish islands of Orkney. Inspired by the local landscape and folklore, she starts to build an apothecary garden by the sea.

This one is on here for a similar reason to Scotland’s Geomythography but it’s written in lots of small sections, so I think I need a bit longer to read it. I’d like to get through about half in August.

異人茶跡 [Formosa Oolong Tea] Vol 1 by 張季雅 [Kiya]

The story of how a Scottish merchant and Xiamen trader brought Taiwanese oolong tea to the world in the late 19th century.

I’ve read the first chapter of this but then paused it whilst I was busy with my dissertation. I plan on reading a chapter a month now until I finish it.

Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie

Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe.
Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower.
Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.

Yes, this is third month I’ve put this on my TBR. Blame the thesis. I will read the three Imperial Radch stories before we start the Provenance buddy read in September though.