Books 5, 45-50: various authors

[sumofparts]

Here's the last of my first 50 plus my new 5. Let me know if you have questions or would like more detail.

5. Story-Wallah! edited by Shyam Selvadurai
45. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
46. Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
47. Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
48. A Good Fall by Ha Jin
49. Song of the Boatwoman by Meiling Jin
50. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
 
5. Story-Wallah! edited by Shyam Selvadurai
Awesome short story collection by various authors of the South Asian diaspora. I was especially taken by the foreword by the editor (and contributor), "Introducing Myself in the Diaspora", which definitely resonated with me, as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian.

45. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
I picked this one up because I kept seeing it on the comm and I enjoyed it. It was interesting to read about the fantastical creatures but I admit some of it was a bit out-there for me.

46. Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
I really really liked this one. Not sure how to describe it but I thought the voice of the main character was really spot-on in that way you can't decide if someone is a native speaker and was very fitting.

47. Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
Short stories set in contemporary Thailand. Considering some of the subject matter, surprisingly hopeful.

48. A Good Fall by Ha Jin
Short stories set in the US mostly about immigrants from China. Funny, touching, thought-provoking and again, hopeful despite the subject
matter sometimes.

49. Song of the Boatwoman by Meiling Jin
Another short story collection. I wanted to like this more but I sometimes felt there was a distance. However, I did enjoy the new (to
me) perspectives that the author wrote about.

50. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
I really enjoyed this book but I would've liked to read more about certain characters who were integral in the story but given very little pagetime.