Paperback Book List

My unread books shelf

One of my goals for the year is to read all the paper books I've acquired and not yet read since moving to Hong Kong. I still get most of my books on my Kindle, but sometimes I buy paper books at events and I actually really love getting them as gifts. The problem is that I get through these books much more slowly. My Kindle is always with me, but the paper books tend to sit on my shelves looking pretty. This year I am going to catch up. It helps that I no longer have a long commute. I'm much more likely to read a paperback at home than out and about. My Kindle has also been behaving fitfully lately, so I may need to order a new one soon if I can't get it sorted out.

Here are the paper books on my list for the year:

The Dreamer by Rajeev Balasubramanyam
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Paper Tigress by Rachel Cartland (from my publisher!)
Kisses for Katie by Katie Davis
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
Blind by Rachel DeWoskin
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Unexploded by Alison Macleod
Owen's Daughter by Jo-Ann Mapson
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Accident by Chris Pavone
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Rough Justice by Lisa Scottoline
Home Leave by Brittani Sonnenberg
Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (I borrowed this from someone, so it's the #1 priority!)
Petals from the Sky by Mingmei Yip

What's on your reading list for the year? Do you sometimes feel like you have a lot of catching up to do?!


P.S. Last week I recorded an interview for RTHK's State of the Art program. I'll let you know in advance when it's going to air! I was also on RTHK during the literary festival. Here's the link for the 10-minute segment.

Bookspotting Backlog + A Week Without Internet

Thank you all for following along as I've been introducing the Dragonfruit anthology contributors and beginning this exciting new phase in my life. A few days ago I announced my brand new SFF pen name and my plan to write full-time for the next six months. Here's a post about how I chose my new name.

I'm about to head to the US for the summer holidays. Before I go, there's bookspotting to report!

I've lost track of when these spottings occurred, but recently I've seen people reading Matilda, a Jeffery Deaver novel, and a book called Poor Economics. I saw a man on the train reading with his lips moving. I thought his book was called Model Dancers, but I'm not sure that title actually exists. Other readers had copies of Dan Brown's Inferno, A Sister's Gift, and a Lord of the Rings book (I think it was Two Towers). I spotted two different copies of The Fault in Our Stars. A woman next to me on the train was reading God's Plan for Pregnancy. I've spotted Chinese books, textbooks, and Hong Kong guidebooks in abundance. Finally, there's a couple that reads side-by-side on matching Kindles at a restaurant near my home almost every weekend. I'm always happy to see them.

I'm reading the third book in the Breakers series by Edward W. Robertson. My Kindle is stocked for the next few weeks, and the book I'm most excited about is The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith ;).

My husband and I are flying to the US tonight, where we'll go on a one-week Alaska cruise, celebrate our first wedding anniversary, and then visit my family. We've decided not to purchase the internet package for the cruise, so we'll be completely off the grid. I'm actually really excited about the prospect!

I expect there will be bookspotting to report when I return. Meanwhile, if you'd like to see the secret cover reveal for my new post-apocalyptic novel tomorrow please kindly sign up for the email list.

Bookspotting and some responses to PAY OFF

Yesterday I spotted a man at a cupcake shop reading a Kindle. I was on my way out of a bookstore after purchasing a paperback edition of The Mysterious Benedict Society (a gift; I rarely buy paper books for myself anymore). This morning, a man was carrying Be Excellent at Anything in Central station. Another man was reading Hotel Kerobokan on the train. Finals season is in full swing, so I've also spotted mathematics textbooks and huge stacks of notes all over the place.

My Kindle Single is hanging out in the top 5 of several best seller lists on Amazon and has received a handful of 5-star reviews. It was #1 in Kindle Singles: Essays & Ideas for approximately two hours this weekend!

There have been some nice mentions on Twitter:

Just finished "Pay Off" by @ShannonYoungHK it's a must-read for any college-bound student! #graduationgifts #studentloans
— Moriah Rees (@MoriahRees) June 3, 2014

Reader Ann wrote this response from a parent's perspective.

And this tweet from a student made me smile:

Just read "Pay Off" by @ShannonYoungHK and can't decide if I'm hopeful for the future or scared shitless
— Melissa Orlandini (@mlovball8) June 4, 2014

In other news, there's still time to enter the Goodreads giveaway for How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia. The book launches a week from today!

What are you all up to? What are people reading in your town this week?

Bookspotting (and a giveaway!)

It has been a while since my last bookspotting post, but I'm still keeping my eyes open. I saw a schoolboy carrying a Kindle with the same plain black cover I have down an escalator in Central. Twice this week, I've spotted the same man reading The World is Curved by David M. Smick on my morning commute. Another man had a copy of Everything to Lose in my favorite coffee shop. Recently, I've finished reading Sand by Hugh Howey (awesome) and Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (beautiful). Now I'm a little more than halfway through The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

In other news, I saw the cover for my upcoming Kindle Single on student debt this morning! I'm so excited to reveal it soon. If you'd like to be emailed when the book launches, please join my mailing list.

Finally, we are holding a Goodreads giveaway for the Dragonfruit anthology. You can enter to win one of five paperback copies before Launch Day on June 10th!

What are you up to lately? What are people reading in your town?

Canadian Bookspotting

I'm back in HK after spending the Chinese New Year holiday in Canada. I've learned to ski, more or less successfully. It was scarier than I thought it would be. I don't mind speed in roller coasters and airplanes; you always know that someone is in control. In skiing, you are the person controlling your movements, but you also have to give up a certain degree of control to go faster. It was hard. By the end of the trip I was handling the blue slopes and having fun, but I also learned a thing or two about my limits.

I've also been reminded what it's like to be around bitterly cold weather. Some days it was -20 degrees Celsius up on the mountain! I got acquainted with a few choice coffee shops in Whistler Village on the coldest days.

Interestingly, I didn't see that many people reading books in Whistler, but they also weren't playing on their phones like everyone does in HK. For the most part, people in the cafes chatted with each other and read the paper. It was kinda sweet.

The airport was a different story, however. Here's my bookspotting tally for Vancouver International:

-a woman reading a Sandra Brown novel

-a man reading a John Grisham novel (I think it was The Testament)

-a woman reading Rushdie's Midnight's Children

-a kid reading a Kindle in a bright orange plastic cover

-two Chinese women reading Chinese paperbacks (waiting for the HK flight, naturally)

-a Chinese man reading a Chinese hardback

I also read a lot on this holiday. I got through Dust by Hugh Howey (awesome), The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (memorable, intriguing), Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (surprisingly good), and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (one of the books I spot most often in HK, incidentally). I also started Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver and it's every bit as good as you'd expect. She's a master.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be interviewed on the Artist Think blog as a Creative Spirit. I talk a bit about my writing projects, inspirations, and how I define creativity, just in case you're interested :).

What did you do for Chinese New Year? What are people reading in your towns and airports lately?

Bookspotting, BRB

This week I spotted a kid reading a Chinese edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (with the US cover). I spotted two people sporting textbooks, one on economics and one on theoretical something something (their hand was covering part of the title). Yesterday, a man carried a paperback by Leon Uris through Central. This morning on the train, a woman was reading Sinful in Satin by Madeline Hunter, which looked like pretty spicy reading for 7:30 am.

Tonight I'm heading off to Canada for the Chinese New Year holiday. The impending 13-hour flight has given me the perfect opportunity to load up my Kindle with Hugh Howey's Dust. Do you plan your airplane reading for weeks in advance? Or is that just me...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to snow, fresh air and central heating in Canada. Hopefully I'll have many hours of fireside hot chocolate reading to report when I return. Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Bookspotting and Listening

I'll have an unusually large number of projects "out" over the next few weeks. I'm preparing some work to read with my critique groups and I have a few pieces of writing on submission with various editors. It's a little nerve-wracking to have so many people reading, considering, and judging my writing at the same time. Whether I'm looking for feedback to improve or answers about whether or not my work is good enough to publish, I plan to do a lot of listening. I have a tendency to become super focused on plans and goals. However, I also need to listen to the advice and outside perspectives of others and adjust my plans accordingly. Do you ever get so focused on your goals that you forget to listen and be flexible? Do you have any advice for someone who kinda likes to do things her own way?

In bookspotting news, I've spotted the same woman on three different mornings reading Walking Home from Mongolia by Rob Lilwall. I spotted a kid reading The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford on his way up an escalator in Central. Another young boy was reading what looked like a Harry Potter book, but I couldn't tell for sure. Yesterday, I spotted a man reading the same Kindle I have (grey 3rd generation keyboard). This morning, a woman on the train was reading Diana: Her Last Love by Kate Snell. 

I just started The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants by Alexandra Popoff. If you haven't heard the story of Anna and Fyodor Dostoevsky, you need to start Googling ASAP...or buy this book. I first heard their story from my Dostoevsky professor and it remains one of the most memorable things I learned in college.

What are people reading in your town lately? How about you?

Bookspotting and Nanowrimo

Over the weekend, I spotted a friend reading Philippa Gregory's The White Queen (I think it was the white one). Yesterday, a woman got on the train at Kowloon Bay with a battered copy of The Great Gatsby. I also spotted a schoolboy with Murakami's 1Q84. At a glance, it looked like a Chinese translation, but it could have been the original Japanese version. As usual, I spotted a smattering of Chinese books and e-readers around town. What are people reading in your general vicinity?

I'm about 10,000 words into National Novel Writing Month. I'm working on a prequel to my post-apocalyptic series-in-progress. I've had a chance to meet up with groups of writers from around HK and even had some of them over to my place for a write-in after party. Are you participating in Nano? How is it going so far?

Apocalyptic Bookspotting

It may have been a while since my last bookspotting post (no excuses here), but I have been keeping track. Each time I see someone reading on the train or in a coffee shop while I'm writing, I note it in a document on my phone. To get you up to speed: I've seen school kids reading The Last Olympian, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I've spotted textbooks on psychology, math and English. Fellow commuters have been reading Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and My Sister's Keeper. I saw a girl with a Kindle and a boy reading Frindle. I have one note on my phone that simply says north, and to be honest I have no idea what book that's referring to. Just yesterday I saw a man reading Thinking Fast and Slow while he rode an escalator in Central station--not an hour after I'd downloaded the same book on my Kindle. I spotted The Alchemists on the train and Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats in Mong Kok station. In short, reading is alive and well in Hong Kong.

For my part, I've been binging on apocalyptic fiction in preparation for National Novel Writing Month. As a direct result, I now find myself buying extra gallons of water at the grocery store and assessing my neighborhood for possible fortified locations. I have decent visibility from our apartment and there's only one entrance to the building. However, the best spot has to be the old police complex on Hollywood Road. In the event of zombies, look for me there ;).

My Nano novel will be a prequel to the series I started last year. It doesn't have any zombies. The series takes place sixteen years after the apocalyptic event, so the prequel will happen right in the middle of the disaster. Oh, and the whole thing is set at sea! I'm really enjoying the research process and looking forward to meeting up with fellow HK-based writers.

What are you reading? How about the people around you? Are you doing Nanowrimo this year?

Bookspotting and Moving

This is before we moved in. We're not quite that neat.

My husband and I spent last weekend moving into our new apartment. Naturally, my books were the first things I carried up from the old place on Hollywood Road. I'm still rearranging my bookshelves and trying to decide how to organize everything. Books by people I know together? Travel memoirs together? Hong Kong books together? What about Hong Kong travel memoirs by people I know?! I do have a prominent spot for books that I haven't read yet, including Elegance of a Hedgehog, Love in the Time of Cholera, About a Boy and Petals from the Sky. My goal is to work through them and then move them to the appropriate shelf. Of course that would be easier if I would quit buying books faster than I can read them on my Kindle...

Speaking of Kindles, I spotted a man reading a 2nd generation white Kindle on the train this morning. Yesterday, a woman was reading a Chinese book with an eagle on one side and traditional red stamp on the other. I spotted a schoolgirl with Shopoholic Abroad by Sophie Kinsella and a Western woman with an Amy Tan novel. Best of all, I saw a young woman on the MTR with a tattoo of an open book on her shoulder. She was reading Mr. Palomar by Italo Calvino.

What are people reading in your town this week? How do you organize your bookshelves?

Bookspotting in Hawaii

I didn't keep official Bookspotting notes during our honeymoon on the island of Kauai, but there were plenty of people reading on the beach and by the hotel pool. I spotted titles by Sophie Kinsella, Tom Clancy, Nora Roberts, George R. R. Martin, and Gillian Flynn. I also saw a woman reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and a teen reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Non-fiction books of any kind were noticeably absent on the beach. Surprisingly, I only saw one person reading a Kindle (besides myself).

On our way back from a drive to Waimea Canyon, we stopped in a little town called Hanapepe for lunch. We found a great little bookstore, Talk Story, which is billed as the westernmost bookstore in the United States. It has a mixture of used and new (mostly local interest) books. The most interesting title I spotted was Da Jesus Book, a translation of the New Testament and Psalms in Hawaiian Pidgin. Here's part of the 23rd Psalm quoted from the book's website: 

Da Boss Above, he take care me,
  Jalike da sheep farma take care his sheeps.
  He goin give me everyting I need.

He let me lie down wea da sweet an soft grass stay.
  He lead me by da water wea I can rest.

He give me new kine life.

  He lead me in da road dat stay right,
  Cuz I his guy.

Have you spotted any interesting books lately? What kind of books do you like to read by the pool?

Bookspotting and Scuba Diving

Island in Malaysia where I once did a trial scuba dive on Christmas Day.

A few days ago I saw a Western woman on the train reading The World of Suzy Wong. She had her hand over her mouth and a somewhat distressed look on her face, so I'm pretty sure I know what part she was reading. Yesterday afternoon, I spotted a young Chinese woman reading a Sophie Kinsella novel. Based on the cover (and some quick Amazon research), I think it was I've Got Your Number. Later, I saw a woman with a big textbook on her lap called Economics Demystified. I only spotted one Chinese book this week, and it looked like non-fiction.

I've spent almost every evening this week working on the online PADI scuba diving course and attending training sessions at a pool overlooking the Jumbo restaurant in Aberdeen. This weekend we'll do our first two open water dives (Saturday's session has been cancelled due to a typhoon warning). We will hopefully finish our open water certification in time to go scuba diving on our honeymoon this August.

Do you have any big plans for the summer? Have you tried scuba diving before?

Bookspotting and Wedding Planning

My grandparents' porch, utterly devoid of stress

Over the last few weeks, I've been wrapping up my work responsibilities, finishing the edits for the Expat Women in Asia anthology, and doing a little bit of writing when I can squeeze it in. I'm trying to get all these things out of the way this month because I am getting married in July! 

Planning a wedding from abroad has not been nearly as difficult as I expected, though I'll have a lot to do in the three weeks between my arrival in the US and the actual ceremony. We are getting married in the seaside town in Oregon where my grandparents live (I've visited them there every summer since they retired from their own expat life in Asia). Because it's a small town, we have the huge advantage of not very many choices: only two florists to choose from, one photographer, two reception-compatible restaurants, etc. The disadvantage is that folks in the town prefer to make arrangements over the phone and take a long time to respond to emails. Fortunately, my mom has been calling people when necessary and I'm sure all the details will fall into place. 

Have you planned a major event long distance before? Did you find it more or less stressful than being there in the thick of things?

In bookspotting news, I saw a woman reading a book called Women Beyond the Wire on the train. A young man had what looked like a textbook called Power System something or other. Another man was carrying Thinking Fast and Slow under his arm in Kowloon Bay. This morning, a group of teenagers standing in the MTR station were discussing a textbook called Science Mysteries. This week I also spotted one Hong Kong guidebook (Lonely Planet version), a handful of Chinese books, and one novel with flames on the cover. What are people reading in your town this week?

Bookspotting and Thunderstorms

Today was my first black rainstorm experience in Hong Kong. Throughout the night, thunder overwhelmed the city noises that usually make their way into my windows, and I awoke to flashes of lightning more than once. When I got up this morning, the thunderstorm still raged and the Black Rain signal had been raised by the HK Observatory, meaning that school and my day job were cancelled. I spent the day editing essays for the Expat Women in Asia anthology in my pajamas and having lunch with my fiance in one of my favorite cafes. I've been busy with a lot of little tasks lately, and it was glorious to slow down and focus on the project I am most passionate about at the moment.

Last week I attended the launch party for Nothing Gained, where I got to meet Phillip Y. Kim, get my copy of the book signed, and chat with some cool HK publishing people. In other bookspotting news, I saw a boy on the train reading Matilda last week. Yesterday, I spotted two people reading textbooks, one with a red cover on the MTR and one with a yellow cover in a cafe. I saw two commuters reading Chinese books, one schoolgirl carrying an English paperback with a blue cover, and one Kindle-bearing woman.

I also finished Peter Hessler's Country Driving yesterday, so you can expect a review soon! What are people reading in your town this week?

Bookspotting and Selections

Over the past few weeks I've been hard at work on a few editing projects. I sent my initial selections for the Expat Women in Asia anthology to the publisher for approval. With his input, I finalized the selections and sent out notifications to all the authors. (If you submitted a piece and didn't get an email from me in the last 24 hours, please contact me!) It was a tough process because we received so many great submissions. I could have easily put together two full manuscripts, and there were some pieces that were very difficult to turn down. Nevertheless, I now have a file of moving and varied essays by 26 terrific expat women, and I can't wait for you to read them (the anthology comes out next spring).

Despite my recent blog silence, I've been spotting books along the way. There's a woman who often crosses the platform at Mongkok station with me in the morning carrying books. Recently, she was reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. Today, I spotted the Chinese gentleman with the fancy white shoes again, and he had a white Chinese paperback. I saw two people reading Kindles on the MTR and three people carrying Hong Kong guidebooks around Central. I heard from friends about how they're reading Sophie Kinsella, Hugh Howey, and Robin Hobb. In my own reading, I've been on a fantasy kick lately. After the final Wheel of Time book, I read Brandon Sanderson's Elantris and The Emperor's Soul, and I just started Hobb's Liveship series. I also read the YA book Beautiful Creatures and saw the movie. I'm finishing up Country Driving by Peter Hessler and expect to post a review soon.

What are people reading in your town? Do you read more than one book at a time?

Also, has anyone seen the rubber duck in Victoria Harbour? I haven't had a chance to get down there yet.

Bookspotting and The Anthology

I just got back from a two-week holiday (from my day job) during which I read all of the submissions for the Expat Women in Asia anthology. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you will know I drank way too much coffee and ate a few too many baked goods while I worked. There were 85 submissions set in 17 Asian countries for a total of 263,541 words. Needless to say, there are more good essays than we will be able to accept, and I'm currently working on narrowing down my "yes file" to a publishable size. The draft manuscript will need to be approved by the publisher before I can notify the authors of my final decisions, but I wanted to keep you all updated on the process. 

Despite all the time I spent in coffee shops, I didn't spot as many books during the holiday as I usually do during my commute. My fiance pointed out a woman reading a book by Arthur Miller at Holly Brown. We went for a foot massage in Soho where, in addition to celebrity gossip mags, they had Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess and Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Last night, the Women in Publishing Society had an event on the evolution of the publishing industry, and there was a table of books being given away for free. I took home Nick Hornby's About a Boy. This morning, I spotted a schoolgirl carrying an English YA novel under her arm that had a blue and silver cover.

What are people reading in your town? Are you working on any exciting projects at the moment?

Bookspotting and Workshopping

This week I spotted a young man in a coffee shop carrying a book with the word Young written in bold colors on the mostly white cover. I spotted three different Chinese books on the MTR and one Hong Kong guidebook. Last night I attended a workshop at the Fringe Club for the Hong Kong Writers Circle. My friend brought along A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo. Another writer was reading The Dragon Book before the workshop began. When we did introductions, several of the writers shared what book they are reading at the moment. Titles included Conscious Living, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Nothing Gained (that was me), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The workshop was about the ubiquitous "show don't tell" principle. It was a great way to kick off my Easter holiday, which I plan to spend writing and making the selections for the Expat Women in Asia anthology. If you are planning to submit an essay, the deadline is this Sunday!

Bookspotting and IMPRINT

This was a productive bookspotting and literary week for me. I spotted a woman on the MTR reading a book called The Blue Door. Across the train car, another woman was reading Pearl of China. I spotted two different Kindles on different days, one in the hands of a Chinese schoolboy, which I don't think I've seen before. A young girl had a copy of a Percy Jackson book, this one with the word Heroes in the title. On my way to work yesterday, I saw a man reading a Robert Jordan-sized hardback, but I couldn't see the cover. This morning, a girl sitting two seats away from me also had a thick English book open on her lap. I snuck a peak on my way out of the train and saw the title, City of Bones, at the top of the page. Finally, I received a paperback review copy from Penguin China of Nothing Gained, a new thriller by Phillip Y. Kim set in Hong Kong.

On Friday, I was the MC for the launch party celebrating IMPRINT, the annual anthology of the HK Women in Publishing Society, and the Saphira Prize for unpublished writing. Below is the quick write-up about the party I did for the HK WiPS website. There was a special surprise for me when the Saphira Prize coordinator announcing the winner mentioned that my entry, The Art of Escalator Jumping, had also received a special commendation from the judges. It was quite encouraging for me because that entry was my first novel, and I had been thinking about banishing it to a drawer. Now, I feel inspired to rework it and see if I can find it a home.

What are people reading in your town this week? Have you heard any encouraging words lately? 

P.S. I hope you've all heard by now that Susan Blumberg-Kason has signed a book deal! She's a regular commenter on this blog and a terrific inspiration to me as a fellow American writing about a love affair with Hong Kong.

IMPRINT 12 Launch and Saphira Prize Announcement

15 March 2013, FCC

By Shannon Young

The main event on the HK WiPS social calendar is the launch party for IMPRINT. 2013 is the twelfth year that members have gathered their best works of fiction, poetry, memoir and art into a collection that showcases the many talents of Hong Kong’s publishing women. To celebrate, over 80 WiPS ladies, their partners and curious creatives from Hong Kong and abroad gathered in the FCC for a crowded, joyous party.

The Hughes and Burton rooms, decorated with covers from past editions of IMPRINT, provided a cozy venue with just enough room to mingle and make regular trips to the hors d’oeuvre table.

This year’s IMPRINT bears a striking, modern cover featuring a typical Hong Kong sign, a temple door and a pair of shoes. Designer extraordinaire Tania Willis shared that the inspiration behind this year’s cover is the way writers leave behind their everyday lives like a pair of shoes when they step into their creative work. It is sure to stand out on the shelves of bookstores and personal libraries across the city.

Attendees enjoyed readings from Jessica Wang, the winner of this year’s Student Competition, and four IMPRINT contributors: Laura Besley, Mags Webster, Elizabeth Vongsaravanh and Aparna Assomull Bundro. Elizabeth made a special trip from Laos to read her poetry at the event.

The 2013 launch party celebrated a new development for WiPS, the awarding of the inaugural Saphira Prize for unpublished writing to Elsie Sze. Elsie, a longtime WiPS member and IMPRINT contributor, made a special trip from Canada to accept the Saphira Prize in person. Her novel will be edited and published by fellow WiPS members.

Thank you to all of the IMPRINT contributors, Saphira judges and WiPS committee members, past and present, who helped make this year’s launch party a success!

Bookspotting, Instagram, Etc.

Well, I've joined Instagram. So far I've mostly been taking pictures of views and skyscrapers. You can follow me here if you want to see what I see around HK. On to the bookspotting...

This week I spotted a boy reading a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book on the MTR. I've seen that series around quite a bit recently. Later, I saw a boy reading the Chinese edition of Harry Potter while he crossed the street near my work. Not the safest practice, but I've done it too! I spotted four other Chinese books this week, and a few more that could have been in any language.

On Friday I attended the second installment of a literary salon a member of my writing group is hosting at her apartment. We read and critiqued each others work, had snacks, and enjoyed good conversation about creative non-fiction and how much to explain/reveal/hint at in the first chapter of a novel.

This Friday, the Hong Kong Women in Publishing Society will be launching their annual anthology known as IMPRINT. This will be the second year that I'll have a piece in the publication. You can read last year's essay, titled Optimism, at my writing website. There will be an open bar and copies of the collection at the launch, so good times should be had by all. I will also be MCing the event. If you're in Hong Kong, you can join the fun at the Foreign Correspondents' Club from 7-10 pm on Friday. Men are welcome too!

What are people reading in your town this week? Are there any cool literary events happening in your neighborhood?

Bookspotting and Bangkok, Revisited

Last weekend I went off to Bangkok for a quick girls' trip full of shopping, foot massages and food. On my way there, I saw three people reading Chinese books and a schoolboy carrying a copy of The Mysterious Benedict Society. The woman sitting next to me on the Airport Express was reading a book called NurtureShock. She wasn't a native English speaker, and asked her companion what corporal punishment is while she was reading. In the airport, I saw a man carrying Deception Point by Dan Brown. On the plane, my friend was reading Wicked on her Kobo and I was reading Country Driving by Peter Hessler on my Kindle (it's excellent, by the way). My friend pointed out another Kindle reader, too. In Bangkok itself, I saw several Thailand guidebooks in the hands of tourists at the Chatuchak Weekend Market and Wat Pho. On the plane home, the man sitting in front of me was reading The Snowman by Jo Nesbo.

I'm now back in Hong Kong and back to my usual routine. This includes collecting submissions for the Expat Women in East Asia anthology and attending my regular writers' group. This evening a man near me in the coffee shop was reading Confederacy of Dunces. I'm only 8,000 words into the sequel for my Nanowrimo adventure novel. It'll be a while yet before I spot anyone reading anything by me.

What are people reading in your town this week?