BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press

John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith
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A fun look at fiction and non-fiction on East Asia and further afield. Hosts John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith (co-founders of Plum Rain Press and the Formosa Files Taiwan history podcast) share their love of this fascinating region by exploring the best books on Asia’s culture and history.

  1. Mar 28

    E-18 - THE CRUSHED CAN by F.E. Beyer (2025, Sandfly Press)

    New Zealand writer Frank Beyer (who goes under the name F.E. Beyer) talks to John about novels featuring a much maligned creature: the Western English teacher in East Asia. Frank is something of a connoisseur of these stories, and his latest novel, The Crushed Can, adds to the canon. This fun page-turner is set in Shanghai in 2002, where a young protagonist called Kurt has just made his life more complicated by taking in his friend’s former girlfriend, a Chinese woman called Ronghua. Exploring the tropes of the foreign English teacher in China, Japan, and South Korea, Frank talks about: Tuvalu by Andrew O’Connor; White Monkey by Carlos Hughes; Foreign Teachers by Sam Wade, American Fuji by Sara Backer; and River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure. Other titles discussed or mentioned include: Peter Hessler’s acclaimed River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, which gets some good-natured ribbing (and is the subject of a running joke in The Crushed Can, where it appears as Lake Town by Paula Hess). Also mentioned are Hessler’s Country Driving (2010) and Other Rivers: A Chinese Education (2024). John mentions books he’s been involved in publishing: The Cuttlefish by Chris Tharp, Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside by Quincy Carroll, and Tom Carter’s An American Bum in China. He also praises John Dalton’s Heaven Lake. To learn more about or purchase The Crushed Can (and Frank’s first two works, Buenos Aires Triad and Smoko) visit Amazon. You’ll find some of his articles and book reviews at www.febeyer.com.

    30 min

  2. Feb 12

    E-17- JENNA CODY’S FAVORITE TAIWAN FICTION

    John chats with Jenna Cody about some of her favorite works of Taiwan fiction. Jenna, an American based in Taipei, is the author of the long-running blog Lao Ren Cha (now on Substack). Lao Ren Cha (“Old Man Tea”) is the most popular English-language blog on Taiwan; it focuses on Taiwan culture, politics, and books. In this Bookish Asia episode, the four main works discussed are Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan (2016), The Butcher’s Wife by Li Ang (Chinese 1983; English edition 1986), Migrante by J. W. Henley (2020), and Taipei People by Pai Hsien-yung (Chinese 1971; English edition 1982). Jenna is known for her strong opinions and she doesn’t disappoint in this wide-ranging discussion. Make sure to listen to the very end to hear about the Plum Rain Press book giveaway.

    38 min

  3. 11/25/2025

    E-16 - THE WONDROUS ELIXIR OF THE TWO CHINESE LOVERS by Tim McGirk (Plum Rain Press, 2025)

    The first emperor of China dispatched a Taoist priest named Xu Fu to bring back the elixir of immortality. Xu Fu and his fleet vanished. Some legends say he settled in Japan. In Tim McGirk's novel, Xu Fu goes beyond Japan, traversing the Pacific Ocean and landing upon the shores of the land of the Maya. In this fun conversation, John Ross and Tim McGirk discuss Xu Fu, Tim's novel and his work as a foreign correspondent for Time magazine. Note: John also talked with Tim on the Books on Asia podcast, but they cover different ground in this Bookish Asia episode. Learn more about the novel at Amazon.com,  Plum Rain Press, or at Tim McGirk's website. A video version of this chat is available on YouTube.

    25 min

  4. 07/31/2025

    E-15 - THE CUTTLEFISH by Chris Tharp

    Busan-based author Chris Tharp chats with John about The Cuttlefish, his hilarious novel set in the fictional East Asian island nation of Sukhan. The protagonist, an American called Zach, finds himself in Sukhan’s toughest prison: National Correctional Facility Number 4, nicknamed “the Cuttlefish.” That might sound bleak but this story is a huge amount of fun. Listen and learn what the the author and the main character have in common – and whether the miraculous gayabonga is an actual Korean delicacy.

    30 min

  5. 05/26/2025

    E-14 - CHINA RUNNING DOG by Mark Kitto

    China Running Dog by Mark Kitto Controversial China figure and author Mark Kitto chats with John about his new novel, China Running Dog, set in the days of peak Shanghai Fever. It’s a brilliant novel and arguably more revealing than Kitto’s excellent memoirs; China Cuckoo and That’s China.

    27 min

  6. 05/22/2025

    E-13 - TAIWANESE FEET: MY WALK AROUND TAIWAN by John Groot (Almas Books, 2020)

    Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan by John Groot (Almas Books, 2020)   Canadian John Groot first came to Taiwan in 2001, fell in love with the island and its friendly people, and decided to stay. Years later, looking for a big adventure and a way to forge deeper bonds with his adopted home, he decided to walk around the entire coastline of Taiwan. He set off on foot from his home in Tamsui in the far north of the country, traveling clockwise around the island on weekends and holidays. It would turn out to be an eight-year trek. This unique ground-level look at Taiwan resulted in a very special travelogue: Taiwanese Feet.   For more information about the book, and Groot’s other writings on Taiwan and beyond, visit his blog: The Culture Shack.

    29 min

  7. 02/07/2025

    E-12 - FOR FUKUI’S SAKE: TWO YEARS IN RURAL JAPAN by Sam Baldwin (2011, Baka Books)

    Sam Baldwin chats about his life-changing two years as an English teacher on the JET Programme in the Japanese town of Ono, Fukui Prefecture. Snow-loving Sam made the most of his time in this backwoods location, especially during the winters, one of which was a record-breaker.  For Fukui’s Sake is a standout among the books written by JET participants, which is why John asked Sam to contribute to an anthology, Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan. This Bookish Asia episode also touches on Sam’s latest book, Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia, a beautiful account of his travels around the former Yugoslav republic and his adventures buying a 300-year-old sausage-curing cabin in the Slovenia mountains.

    29 min

  8. 01/06/2025

    E-11 - SHOOT, ASK... AND RUN! by Chris Stowers (2025, Earnshaw Books)

    John talks with Taipei-based photographer Chris Stowers about his new book, “Shoot, Ask ... and Run!,” an account of his journalistic travels and life in Asia in the early 1990s. On this episode adventures are discussed, the romance of pre-Internet travel fondly recalled, and favorite books given praise.   If you want to hear about Chris’s first travelogue, “⁠Bugis Nights,” you can listen to the three-part “Free China Junk” story told on Formosa Files: the History of Taiwan podcast. Chris also discussed photographing Taiwan in a bonus FF episode.   For weekly stories about Taiwan history, check out FORMOSA FILES. Other social media: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube.

    33 min
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About

A fun look at fiction and non-fiction on East Asia and further afield. Hosts John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith (co-founders of Plum Rain Press and the Formosa Files Taiwan history podcast) share their love of this fascinating region by exploring the best books on Asia’s culture and history.

Information

  • Creator
    John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith
  • Show Website
    BOOKISH ASIA with Plum Rain Press