Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (996)
911.
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Safak EN
TurkeyDescription:
*As mentioned on BBC's Desert Island Discs* 'A fascinating exploration of faith and friendship, rich and poor, and the devastating clash of tradition and modernity' Independent Set across Istanbul and Oxford, from the 1980s to the present day, Three Daughters of Eve is a sweeping tale of faith and friendship, tradition and modernity, love and an unexpected betrayal. Peri, a wealthy Turkish housewife, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground - an old polaroid of three you... continue
912.
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk EN
Description:
The Museum of Innocence - set in Istanbul between 1975 and today - tells the story of Kemal, the son of one of Istanbul's richest families, and of his obsessive love for a poor and distant relation, the beautiful Fusun, who is a shop-girl in a small boutique. In his romantic pursuit of Füsun over the next eight years, Kemal compulsively amasses a collection of objects that chronicles his lovelorn progress-a museum that is both a map of a society and of his heart. The novel depicts a panoramic view of life in Istanbul as it chronicles this long, obsessive love affair; and Pamuk beautifully capt... continue
913.
Honour by Elif Shafak EN
Description:
An honor killing shatters and transforms the lives of Turkish immigrants in 1970s London in this novel from the author of The Island of Missing Trees (a Reese's Book Club pick) Internationally bestselling Turkish author Elif Shafak’s new novel is a dramatic tale of families, love, and misunderstandings that follows the destinies of twin sisters born in a Kurdish village. While Jamila stays to become a midwife, Pembe follows her Turkish husband, Adem, to London, where they hope to make new lives for themselves and their children. In London, they face a choice: stay loyal to the old traditions o... continue
914.
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak EN
Description:
Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. The taverna is the only place that Kostas and Defne can meet in secret, hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic and chilli peppers, creeping honeysuckle, and in the centre, growing through a cavity in the roof, a fig tree. The fig tree witnesses their hushed, happy meetings; their silent, surreptitious departures. The fig tree is there, too, when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas ... continue
915.
L'architecte et le sultan by Elif Shafak FR
Description:
Istanbul, XVIe siècle. Le jeune Jahan débarque dans cette ville inconnue avec pour seul compagnon un magnifique éléphant blanc qu'il est chargé d'offrir au sultan Soliman le Magnifique. En chemin, il rencontrera des courtisans trompeurs et des faux amis, des gitans, des dompteurs d'animaux ainsi que la belle et espiègle Mihrimah. Il attirera bientôt l'attention de l'architecte royal, Sinan : une rencontre fortuite qui va changer le cours de son existence. Au coeur de l'Empire ottoman, quand Istanbul était le c... continue
916.
La vida nueva by Orhan Pamuk ES
Description:
Novela ubicada en Turquía acerca de un grupo de estudiantes obsesionados con un libro. Uno de ellos aún ha abandonado sus estudios para hacer copias a mano para poder compartirlo con otra gente. Nunca se aclara el contenido el libro, pero aunque los jóvenes se entusiasman, sus ancianos creen que el contenido es degenerado, otro ejemplo de la influencia extranjera que está arruinando el país.
917.
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali EN
Description:
"The pain of losing something precious can be forgotten over time. But our missed opportunities never leave us, and every time they come back to haunt us, we ache.' A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade and discover life in 1920s Berlin. There, amid the city's bustling streets, elegant museums, passionate politics and seedy cabarets, a chance meeting transforms his life forever. Caught between his desire for freedom and his yearning to belong, he struggles to hold on to the new life he has found."
918.
Labyrinth : A Novel by Burhan Sönmez EN
Description:
Notable International Crime Novel of the Year – Crime Reads / Lit Hub From a prize-winning Turkish novelist, a heady, political tale of one man’s search for identity and meaning in Istanbul after the loss of his memory. A blues singer, Boratin, attempts suicide by jumping off the Bosphorus Bridge, but opens his eyes in the hospital. He has lost his memory, and can't recall why he wished to end his life. He remembers only things that are unrelated to himself, but confuses their timing. He knows that the Ottoman Empire fell, and that the last sultan died, but has no idea when. His mind falters w... continue
919.
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali EN
Description:
A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost love” and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink. Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handso... continue
920.
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak EN
Description:
Discover the forty rules of love . . . Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, she is shocked out of herself. Turning her back on her family she embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work. It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us ... continue