Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1405)
291.
IndiaDescription:
The Parcel is about a transgender sex worker, Madhu, in the red-light district of Bombay who is given an unexpected, harrowing task. Now, at forty, Madhu has moved away from prostitution, her trade since her teens, and taken up begging to support the leader of the hijras, Gurumai. One day Madhu receives a call from Padma Madam, the most-feared brothel owner in the district: a 'parcel' has arrived - a ten-year-old girl from the provinces, betrayed and sold by her aunt - and Madhu needs to prepare it for her fate.
292.
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh EN
Description:
Rajkumar is a young orphan helping out in a market stall in the dusty square outside the royal palace in Mandalay, when the British force the Burmese King, Queen and court into exile. Haunted by his vision of the Royal Family and one of their attendants, he travels to the obscure town where they have been exiled, and his family and friends become inexorably linked with theirs. From this humble beginning, an extraordinary story of a century unfolds: in Malaya, amid the vast rubber plantations; in India, amid growing nationalistic fervor; in America, where ideals of democracy, terrorist skills a... continue
293.
Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi EN
Description:
This is the first book in a trilogy on Shiva, the simple man whose karma re-cast his as our Mahadev, the God of Gods.
294.
The Heart Breaks Free & the Wild One by Ismat Chughtai EN
Description:
'Gloriously provocative...fearless in her writing and acute about female sexuality in a way we still rarely see.'--Kamila Shamsie, The Guardian In The Heart Breaks Free, set in pre-Independence UP, Bua, a free-spirited woman in a conservative Muslim household, is goaded into submission by the women in the family. But even as Bua surrenders to the forces of circumstance, Qudsia Apa, an uncomplaining abandoned wife, stuns everyone by transforming into a rebel. She rejects the life of celibacy and denial forced upon her and picks her own life partner, showing future generations the value and plea... continue
296.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling EN
Description:
Kim, an Irish orphan, accompanies a holy man on his journey throughout India and his quest for a mystical river.
297.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara EN
Description:
Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India' Observer We children are not just stories. We live. Come and see. Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job). When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures i... continue
298.
Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali EN
Description:
From William C. Morris Award Finalist S.K. Ali comes an unforgettable romance that is part The Sun Is Also a Star mixed with Anna and the French Kiss, following two Muslim teens who meet during a spring break trip. A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together. An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are. But Zayneb, the only Muslim in c... continue
299.
The Bandit Queens : Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 by Parini Shroff EN
Description:
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick 2023 'Not since Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger has the rotten core of modern India been exposed in quite such blackly antic fashion as Parini Shroff manages here in this intermittently absurd, feminist revenge caper about a group of snarky, much-abused, predominantly Hindu wives...sheer gutsy verve.' The Times 'A darkly funny revenge drama rooted in the reality of rural India . . . [A] vivid, unsentimental story that succeeds in being both satirical and moving.' Guardian 'A radically feel-good story about the murde... continue
300.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay EN
Description:
An elegant, epic debut novel that follows one young woman's search for a lost figure from her childhood, a journey that takes her from Southern India to Kashmir and to the brink of a devastating political and personal reckoning.