Skip to Content

If there’s one nation that loves its cats, it’s… well, probably Ancient Egypt, but they’re gone. So, now, it’s Japan. Japan and cats go together like Murakami and Kafka. In Japanese culture and mythology, cats have been revered for centuries. The most famous example of this is the maneki-neko or beckoning cat — a statue, often …

Read More about 9 Japanese Books for People who Love Japan and Cats

If you’re wondering where to start with Japanese literature, these are the best Japanese books across sci-fi, mystery, literary fiction, and more. Japanese literature is everywhere. The nation’s stories and novels get turned into manga, anime, and movies. Their authors are as famous and legendary as Hollywood’s actors and directors. And Japanese literature is big …

Read More about 57 Best Japanese Books (In 13 Genres)

Reading international literature has its obvious benefits. The biggest and boldest of them being a lesson in empathy: learning how other cultures approach life, make their art, and tell their stories. We often think about international literature in terms of literary fiction; books that are grounded within the culture they come from. But what about …

Read More about 5 Groundbreaking Chinese Science Fiction Books

We all know that China is the nation on everyone’s lips this century. Whether you’re into politics, trade, economics, cinema, travel, history, fashion, whatever your passion, China is a colossal talking point. China is also flourishing in the realm of literature in translation. Chinese novels in translation are some of the most ground-breaking and exciting …

Read More about 19 Incredible Chinese Novels in Translation

Beastars is translated from the Japanese by Tomoko Kimura and Annette Roman The 2020 Netflix anime Beastars turned a lot of heads upon its release. Created by the animation studio Orange, Beastars stood out as being, arguably, the first great 3D animated anime series. Beastars also utilised experimental voice recording and sound engineering, a stunning …

Read More about Why You Need to Read Beastars (Manga)

Queerness comes in all shapes and sizes, and encapsulates a spectrum of human experiences. To celebrate all the facets of queerness, here are some of our favourite LGBTQ books from all around the world. From South America to Japan and everywhere in-between, these queer novels speak for a range of expereinces across the queer spectrum. …

Read More about 22 Best LGBTQ Books (From Around the World)

There is no end to the surrealism, the beauty, the variety found in Japanese literature. Japanese authors and stories expose the human heart; they travel through time and place and dreams. And the best of these tales can be found in Japanese short story collections. Many of the best Japanese authors, known for their award-winning …

Read More about 17 Amazing Japanese Short Story Collections

For several years now, YA fantasy authors have carved out a beloved and celebrated niche in the world of fantasy and science fiction literature. YA fantasy books stand on their own in this crowded genre, attracting fans new and old. However, like its parent genre, YA fantasy has also become a bustling space. Thus, separating …

Read More about 22 Must-Read YA Fantasy Books (and Series)

Alongside Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen is the biggest name in shounen manga and anime right now. Many, myself included, have praised it for revitalising the shounen space and ushering in a new age of shounen. When you watch or read Jujutsu Kaisen, you’re experiencing something wholly new; something that wears its inspiration …

Read More about Why You Need to Read Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga)

Boys’ love manga (BL manga), like other romance manga, is an all-encompassing genre. You will find anything from fantasy to your standard slice of life stories. As the name suggests, the stories in Boys’ Love manga are always about a romantic relationship between two boys (or men). These manga often also often have a larger …

Read More about 9 Sweet & Essential BL Manga (Boys’ Love)