Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1405)
381.
Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha EN
IndonesiaDescription:
**A The White Review Book of the Year** A dazzling and provocative debut story collection from celebrated Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha, putting fierce and fabulous female characters centre stage in brilliantly funny and sharp twists on fairy tale. Inspired by horror fiction, myths and fairy tales, Apple and Knife is an unsettling ride that swerves into the supernatural to explore the dangers and power of occupying a female body in today's world. These stories set in the Indonesian everyday - in corporate boardrooms, shanty towns, on dangdut stages - reveal a soupy otherworld stewing jus... continue
382.
The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermout EN
Description:
In Wild, Cheryl Strayed writes of The Ten Thousand Things: "Each of Dermoût’s sentences came at me like a soft knowing dagger, depicting a far-off land that felt to me like the blood of all the places I used to love.” And it's true, The Ten Thousand Things is at once novel of shimmering strangeness—and familiarity. It is the story of Felicia, who returns with her baby son from Holland to the Spice Islands of Indonesia, to the house and garden that were her birthplace, over which her powerful grandmother still presides. There Felicia finds herself wedded to an uncanny and dangerous world, full ... continue
383.
The Majesties : A Novel by Tiffany Tsao EN
Description:
In this “bold and dramatic portrayal of characters on the cusp of an impossible choice” (Publishers Weekly), two sisters from a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family grapple with secrets and betrayal after one of them poisons their entire family. Gwendolyn and Estella have always been as close as sisters can be. Growing up in a wealthy, eminent, and sometimes deceitful family, they’ve relied on each other for support and confidence. But now Gwendolyn is lying in a coma, the sole survivor of Estella’s poisoning of their whole clan. As Gwendolyn struggles to regain consciousness, she desperately ret... continue
384.
Cliënt E. Busken by Jeroen Brouwers NL
Description:
De bejaarde E. Busken verblijft tegen zijn wil in de gesloten afdeling van een verzorgingscentrum waar men niet spreekt van patiënten, maar van cliënten. Is hij dement? In ieder geval is hij geïnterneerd om af te kicken van een verscheidenheid aan verslavingen. Hij zegt niets en lijkt ook niets te horen. Roerloos in zijn rolstoel staart hij voor zich uit, terwijl hem inmiddels niets ontgaat van wat er om hem heen plaatsvindt en dat hij inwendig van snerpend commentaar voorziet. Met zijn medebewoners bemoeit hij zich niet, louter in beslag genomen door zijn eigen ongericht door elkaar wentelend... continue
385.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto EN
Description:
A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties. Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in ... continue
386.
Shackles: Novel by Armijn Pane EN
Description:
Doctor Sukartono, able and devoted to his work, and his wife, Tini, a beautiful and independent woman, find their marriage devoid of communication and warmth. Tini feels herself the victim of her husbands medical practice and refuses to play the role of devoted and self-sacrificing wife. Sukartono is unable to understand his wife's rebellion and, in the mists of this inner confusion, meets Rohayah, a woman who is ready to give him the security he lacks at home. Sukartono, Tini, and Rohayah, the love triangle of this story, illustrate the confusion that was felt by the pre-war and pre-independe... continue
387.
The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata EN
Description:
Andrea Hirata is an Indonesian novelist. His debut novel The Rainbow Troops (known as Laskar Pelangi in Indonesia) shattered national sales records, making him the best selling author in Indonesia to date, reached over 5 millions readers, and contributed significantly to the development of modern Indonesian literature. The Rainbow Troops, set on Belitong Island, Indonesia, tells the story of a tight-knit group of students and their teachers fighting for education and dignity, even as they face continual hardship. Fabulously rich in natural resources, Belitong is also home to chronic poverty an... continue
388.
The Fugitive by Pramoedya Ananta Toer EN
Description:
Translation originally published: New York: William Morrow, 1990.
389.
The Question of Red by Laksmi Pamuntjak EN
Description:
From award-winning Indonesian author Laksmi Pamuntjak comes a tale of profound love against the backdrop of myth, culture, and politics. In this sweeping saga of love, loss, revolution, and the resilience of the human spirit, Amba must find the courage to forge her own path. Amba was named after a tragic figure in Indonesian mythology, and she spends her lifetime trying to invent a story she can call her own. When she meets two suitors who fit perfectly into her namesake's myth, Amba cannot help but feel that fate is teasing her. Salwa, respectful to a fault, pledges to honor and protect Amba,... continue
390.
The Birdwoman's Palate by Laksmi Pamuntjak EN
Description:
In this exhilarating culinary novel, a woman's road trip through Indonesia becomes a discovery of friendship, self, and other rare delicacies. Aruna is an epidemiologist dedicated to food and avian politics. One is heaven, the other earth. The two passions blend in unexpected ways when Aruna is asked to research a handful of isolated bird flu cases reported across Indonesia. While it's put a crimp in her aunt's West Java farm, and made her own confit de canard highly questionable, the investigation does provide an irresistible opportunity. It's the perfect excuse to get away from corrupt and c... continue