It sure felt different last Saturday compared to the evening our originally-scheduled Hong Kong Noir event was planned for Chicago. On January 30th, the windchill in Chicago dipped to -55 Fahrenheit. We canceled a couple days before the event and the weather forecast was exactly … [Read more...]
Evolution of the China visa
I’m super late to the party when it comes to obtaining a 10-year China visa. Americans have been getting them for some years now, and it became standard practice pretty much after I applied for a visa the last time I went to China, which was in 2015. I don’t travel to China much … [Read more...]
Easy Travel in Hong Kong with Kids
Hong Kong is a great vacation spot with kids that won’t break the bank. With convenient and historic public transportation and lots of free things to see, there's plenty to do, especially when fighting jet lag. Walking around the streets at night is safe and exciting. In Kowloon, … [Read more...]
Afternoons with Christina Matula
I first met Christina Matula four years ago in Hong Kong and bonded with her over books, publishing, and Hong Kong. Every year I return to Hong Kong, we meet up and it's always one of the highlights of my visits. Now Christina is on tour with her new picture book, The Shadow in … [Read more...]
Book of the week—White Chrysanthemum
Today I finished this difficult, yet critical novel set during WWII and recent times. White Chrysanthemum (Putnam, 2018) by Mary Lynn Bracht tells the story of Emi and Hana, two Korean sisters who grew up on Jeju Island, just south of Korea. Their mother and their mother's mother … [Read more...]