Your Asian Veggie Patch
By Connie Cao
It is a great book that teaches you how to grow and cook Asian vegetables, herbs, and fruits. She shares her love for gardening and cooking, inspired by her Chinese heritage.
The book is easy to follow, with over 40 plants explained step by step – how to grow, care for, and use them in tasty meals. It also includes 50 simple recipes, like edamame with pickled mustard greens and meat and chive dumplings, so you can enjoy what you grow.
Cao writes in a warm and friendly way, making gardening fun and easy. The book has beautiful pictures and helpful tips that make it even more enjoyable.
Your Asian Veggie Patch is more than a gardening book – it’s a guide to growing fresh food and cooking delicious meals. Whether you’re a beginner or already love gardening, this book is full of great ideas.
Review by Aryani Siti
I am an Amazing Asian Girl
By Yobe Qiu
Illustrated by Jade Le
This wonderful book helps young Asian girls feel happy, strong, and proud of who they are.
The story is filled with kind and positive words that remind children they are smart, brave, and special. Each page has an easy-to-read affirmation, like ‘I am active’ or ‘I am appreciated,’ helping children feel good about themselves.
The bright and colorful illustrations show happy and confident Asian girls, making the book engaging for young readers. Perfect for children aged 3 to 6, it encourages self-belief and positivity.
This is a great book for parents and teachers who want to teach children about confidence and self-love while helping them feel proud of their culture.
Review by Aryani Siti
Time Together
By Luke Horton
Time Together is a recently published literary novel by Melbourne resident Luke Horton, of The Fogging. Phil is grieving the death of his mother alone in his family’s NSW coastal holiday house. He is nearing middle age and thinks it would be a nice distraction to invite a group of old friends to spend time together – only they are no longer twenty year olds, and the simmering tensions and hostilities threaten to boil over as mentally unstable Bella negotiates the difficult relationship with her tween daughter, who is drawn to her old friend Annie.
The fragmentation of long-standing relationships occurs against a backdrop of stunning beaches and bushland, on territory unceded by First Nations peoples, which is explicitly elucidated. Can grieving, disillusioned Phil and his motley crew enjoy a drug-induced hedonism without fracturing their fraught bonds?
Time Together is a searing exploration of friendship, love (both romantic and parental), and the slow ravages of time. An atmospheric novel steeped in the Australian landscape which acutely renders how we live now.
Review by Khanh X. Nguyen
