Steph Cha Book Recommendations & Book Mentions

Steph Cha

So much concern trolling over @hhavrilesky’s marriage while we’re still mourning Didion, who once wrote in a piece edited by her husband (whose death launched “A Year of Magical Thinking”), “We are here on this island in the middle of the Pacific in lieu of filing for divorce.”

Steph Cha

“I think realism fails to capture the essence of Los Angeles.” Love this ⁦@JimVermin⁩ profile of ⁦@jordan_harper. I’ll be helping Jordan launch his sordid, maximalist L.A. masterpiece “Everybody Knows” at Stories in Echo Park, 1/10 at 7:00PM. https://t.co/iiW4F9fnam

Steph Cha

I reviewed @JohnTheCho’s middle grade debut “Troublemaker” (written with @_sarahsuk) for @nytimesbooks. It’s a book I wish I’d had when I was a young reader. He writes against the model minority myth in a way that is very specifically Korean American L.A.

Steph Cha

"Born for Trouble," out in March, was my intro to Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard, "a raucous duo with more lives each than the proverbial cat. Their adventures are a pleasure to follow, the hijinks and shenanigans anchored by the warmth of camaraderie and excellent jokes."

Steph Cha

Loved "Sag Harbor" like I loved the Boyhood Island book of Karl Ove Knausgaard's "My Struggle." It's a loose, plotless, exuberant, nostalgic immersion in 1980s adolescence, in a part of the Hamptons that was a summer community for middle-class Black families. Touching and funny.

Steph Cha

Three incisive, personal books on identity and finding one’s place in America: “Conditional Citizens” by @LailaLalami, “My Time Among the Whites” by @crucet, and “The Loneliest Americans” by @jaycaspiankang. I also finally read Kang’s (crime!) novel, “The Dead Do Not Improve.”

Steph Cha

I reviewed "Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight," Riku Onda's second novel published in English, for @nytimesbooks. I didn't love it (and it wasn't as good as "The Aosawa Murders"), but it was a swift, atmospheric read from a very unusual crime novelist. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/books/review/fish-swimming-dappled-sunlight-riku-onda.html?smid=tw-share

Steph Cha

Thank you @davidulin for this wonderful write-up on why you should read my book! "Your House Will Pay" is a forthcoming selection for @AltaJournal's California Book Club. I hope you'll join us on June 16. https://www.altaonline.com/california-book-club/a39179008/why-you-should-read-steph-cha-your-house-will-pay/

Steph Cha

"Two Nights in Lisbon" by Chris Pavone is a "richly imagined novel with a compelling personal story that collides with the politics of sex and violence and international government intrigue." It's an immensely satisfying thriller driven by NDAs. Look for it in May.

Steph Cha

I interviewed @colsonwhitehead this year and took the opportunity to read through some of his epic backlist, which means I have several recs from this one author you maybe already know. First, read "Harlem Shuffle" (and while you're at it, this profile). https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-09-14/colson-whitehead-new-heist-harlem-shuffle