Welcome to my Book Spotlight introduction page! I highly recommend reviewing this page before reading an actual Book Spotlight post.

What is Book Spotlight?

Book Spotlight posts are blog posts where I discuss books I find interesting, with an emphasis on books by Nikkei/Japanese American/diaspora Japanese authors. They are not book reviews – in other words, I’m not writing them in order to encourage or discourage the reading of a particular book. Book Spotlight posts will contain spoilers and discussions of things that will probably be difficult to follow if you haven’t read the book in question.

Why did you start Book Spotlight?

As a nikkei writer myself, I think it’s critical to absorb what my fellow nikkei have written, regardless of whether I agree with them. As a reader, I haven’t come across any nikkei-run book blogs focused on nikkei work, so while I don’t purport to speak for all nikkei, I hope fellow nikkei readers will engage with me about the books I discuss here.

How do you choose books for Book Spotlight?

Currently, I’m focused on books by nikkei authors; in the long term, I would like to include books by 日本人. I’m willing to give pretty much any nikkei author at least one try. Even if I didn’t love the book, I’ll still try to document my thoughts on it.

How often do you update Book Spotlight?

My goal is once a month, but no promises. If you’ve read a book and you know I’ve read the same book and you want to talk about it in the meantime, feel free to chat me up on Twitter.

Will you feature [insert title] on Book Spotlight?

I don’t take requests, mostly because my reading pace means I might not get around to it in a timely manner. In other words, no ARCs. You can certainly ask me if I’m planning to feature a particular book and I’ll say yes or no or maybe.

Have you featured [insert title] on Book Spotlight?

Check the Book Spotlight Post Index.

The opinions expressed in Book Spotlight posts are personal unless otherwise identified. Again, Book Spotlight is not intended to function as a book review or as a promotional platform. Notice the acronym, “BS.” So, don’t take it too seriously.