Ho Lin

http://www.holinauthor.com

Ho Lin is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author, musician, and filmmaker, and the co-editor of the literary journal Caveat Lector. He has degrees from Brown University and Johns Hopkins University, and currently resides in San Francisco. His publishing credits include work in Pulp magazine, The Adirondack Review, Your Impossible Voice, and Foreword Reviews.

Books by Ho Lin

China Girl: And Other Stories

Bond Movies: A Retrospective

Book Reviews by Ho Lin

Image of Don’t Call It Hair Metal: Art in the Excess of ’80s Rock

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Nonfiction, Music, Rock

Don’t Call It Hair Metal: Art in the Excess of ’80s Rock

May 17, 2023

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Don’t Call It Hair Metal is a loving paean to a halcyon time in hard-rock history.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Glamping: Glamorous Camping in the Great Outdoors

Author(s):

Julia Schattauer

Genre(s):

Glamping: Glamorous Camping in the Great Outdoors

April 28, 2023

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Glamping: Glamorous Camping in the Great Outdoors aims to extoll the joys of luxurious outdoorsmanship via 60 profiles of notable glamping spots, accompanied by a generous samplin

Read Book Review >>

Image of The Double Life of Benson Yu: A Novel

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Fiction, Asian American, Mashups

The Double Life of Benson Yu: A Novel

April 18, 2023

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Folding in on itself with its fantastical loop-de-loop narrative only to start anew, The Double Life of Benson Yu is a clever confection that isn’t shy about revealing the humanit

Read Book Review >>

Image of The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Asian American, Short Stories, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Stories

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation

August 1, 2022

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“While many of the stories contained within The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories flirt with inexplicability, their charm and freshness cut through translation barriers.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 authors of color

Author(s):

Abby L. Vandiver

Genre(s):

Anthologies, Short Stories, Anthologies, Crime Mystery & Thriller, Black & African American, Asian American, Interracial/Multi-ethnic/Cultural Heritage

Midnight Hour: A Chilling Anthology of Crime Fiction from 20 Authors of Color

November 22, 2021

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Midnight Hour operates from a stimulating conceit: an anthology of 20 crime stories, all taking place at midnight, all written by writers of color.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of How High?--That High

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Single Authors

How High?—That High

October 25, 2021

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“For those familiar with Williams' work, her latest short story collection How High?—That High is more of the same: oft-perplexing, oft-illuminating.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Cowboy Graves: Three Novellas

Author(s):

Roberto Bolaño

Genre(s):

Literary Fiction, Latino Writers, Novellas, Contemporary

Cowboy Graves: Three Novellas

June 14, 2021

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Cowboy Graves lacks the wild ambition and gravity of Bolaño’s best work, but it’s still a tasty summation of his talents.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Interior Chinatown: A Novel

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Families, Literary Fiction, Asian American

Interior Chinatown: A Novel

February 13, 2020

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“In the jaunty, acerbic Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu confronts the clichés that assail Asian men by going metaphorical, conflating their plight with the quintessential American d

Read Book Review >>

Image of Beijing Payback: A Novel

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Asian American, Crime Mystery & Thriller, Suspense, Mystery & Thriller

Beijing Payback: A Novel

August 13, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Expect a few cultural grace notes and agreeable potboiler antics from Beijing Payback—just don't expect something truly original.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Delayed Rays of a Star: A Novel

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Debut, Biographical, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction

Delayed Rays of a Star: A Novel

August 3, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Blurring the line between history and myth, Delayed Rays of a Star is encyclopedic in its detail and fit to bursting with invention.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of Listen Up!: Recording Music with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, U2, R.E.M., The Tragically Hip, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Waits...

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Performing Arts, Rock

Listen Up!: Recording Music with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, U2, The Tragically Hip, REM, Iggy Pop, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Waits...

June 4, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Renowned producer Mark Howard’s Listen Up! splits the difference between celebrity insights and tech-head talk, offering up candid but affectionate portraits of some of rock’s mos

Read Book Review >>

Image of The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey

Author(s):

Rowan Ricardo Phillips

Genre(s):

The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey

February 11, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Focusing on the art of sport rather than the noise that surrounds it, Rowan Ricardo Phillips preserves the memorable moments of the 2017 tennis season in

Read Book Review >>

Image of Amsterdam Noir (Akashic Noir Series)

Editor(s):

Genre(s):

Anthology, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, International Settings, Anthologies, Short Stories

Amsterdam Noir (Akashic Noir Series)

January 18, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Although Amsterdam Noir doesn’t hit the heights of other entries in the city noir anthology series, it remains an appealing compendium, with welcome doses of local color and atmos

Read Book Review >>

Image of Guts and Genius: The Story of Three Unlikely Coaches Who Came to Dominate the NFL in the '80s

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Football, Sports, Sports, Biography, Autobiography & Memoir

Guts and Genius: The Story of Three Unlikely Coaches Who Came to Dominate the NFL in the '80s

January 13, 2019

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Those seeking an introduction to a pivotal era in pro football’s history, and three legendary coaches whose influence is still felt today, will find Guts and Genius to be a lively

Read Book Review >>

Image of Girls on the Line

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Historical, Asian American

Girls on the Line

November 15, 2018

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

“Girls on the Line is a simple, potent tale of young Chinese outcasts struggling to survive amid an unforgiving landscape of industrial and rural squalor.”

Read Book Review >>

Image of The Genius of Desperation: The Schematic Innovations that Made the Modern NFL

Author(s):

Genre(s):

The Genius of Desperation: The Schematic Innovations that Made the Modern NFL

October 5, 2018

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

For those with even a rudimentary knowledge of pro football, names like Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick may be familiar.

Read Book Review >>

Image of What We Were Promised

Author(s):

Genre(s):

Debut Fiction, Families, Historical Fiction

What We Were Promised

September 25, 2018

Reviewed by:

Ho Lin

While the works of Amy Tan, Gish Jen, and other popular Asian-American writers have charted the trials and tribulations of immigrants in the United States, Lucy Tan reverses field in her low-key, i

Read Book Review >>