Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1984)
1381.
Wild Boar in the Cane Field : A Novel by Anniqua Rana EN
PakistanDescription:
One day, a baby girl, Tara, is found, abandoned and covered in flies. She is raised by two mothers in a community rife with rituals and superstition. As she grows, Tara pursues acceptance at all costs. Saffiya, her adoptive mother, and Bhaggan, Saffiya’s maidservant, are victims of the men in their community, and the two women, in turn, struggle and live short but complicated lives. The only way for the villagers to find solace is through the rituals of ancient belief systems. Tara lives in a village that could be any village in South Asia, and she dies, like many young women in the area, duri... continue
1382.
The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa EN
Description:
Faredoon (Freddie) Junglewalla Is Either The Jewel Of The Parsi Community Or A Murdering Scoundrel. Freddie S Mother-In-Law, Jerbanoo, Thinks He Is Planning To Do Away With Her, But Freddie Has Always Been A Pragmatist: If The Old Woman Were To Die (Be Murdered?) The Body Would Have To Be Placed On The Open-Roofed Towers Of Silence, In Keeping With Custom, And That Would Never Do. Insurance Fraud And Arson, However, Are Well Within Freddie s Repertoire-In Fact He Thinks He Has Invented The Idea, So Advanced Is It For India, In 1901. As His Skills Grow He Becomes A Man Of Consequence Among The ... continue
1383.
In the City by the Sea by Kamila Shamsie EN
Description:
_______________ 'Full of fun, longing and wit ... a debut of spirit and imagination, loaded with intelligent charm' - Ali Smith 'A touching and engrossing story ... an assured debut' - The Times 'A colourful and peripatetic view of politics in Pakistan ... an interesting and promising novel' - Guardian _______________ BY THE ACCLAIMED WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN LLEWELLYN RHYS PRIZE _______________ Hasan is eleven years old. He loves cricket, pomegranates, the night sky, his clever, vibrant artistic mother and his etymologically obsessed lawyer father, and ... continue
1384.
Description:
When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other overworked and abused chidren there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that despite their master's promises, he plans on keeping them as his slaves indefinetely. But it is also Iqbal who inspires the other children to look to a future free from toil...and is brave enough to show them how to get there. This moving fictionalized account of the real Iqbal Masih is told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is changed by Iqbal's courage.
1385.
The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad EN
Description:
Brutal and beautiful traditions have lasted for centuries create a rigid structure for life in the wild, astonishing place where Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan meet. Ahmad has written an unforgettable portrait of a world of custom and compassion, of love and cruelty, of hardship and survival.
1386.
Other Names for Love : A Novel by Taymour Soomro EN
Description:
Fahad hopes to spend the summer with his mother in London, but his father, Rafik, is hauling his son to Abad, the family's feudal estate in upcountry, Pakistan. Rafik wants to toughen up his sensitive boy, to teach him about power, duty, family-- make him a man. He enlists Ali, a local teenager, in this project, hoping his presence will prove instructive. Attraction blooms between the two boys, and Fahad finds himself seduced by the wildness of the land and its inhabitants. Decades later, Fahad, living abroad, receives a call from his mother summoning him home. His return will force him to fac... continue
1387.
If They Come for Us : Poems by Fatimah Asghar EN
Description:
“A debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice.”—Booklist “Elegant and playful . . . The poet invents new forms and updates classic ones.”—Elle “[Fatimah] Asghar interrogates divisions along lines of nationality, age, and gender, illuminating the forces by which identity is fixed or flexible.”—The New Yorker NAMED ONE OF THE TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY • FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD an aunt teaches me how to tell an edible flower from a poisonous one. just in case, I hear her say, just in case. From a co-creator of the Emmy-nomin... continue
1388.
1389.
The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto EN
Description:
'Bhutto's new novel will move you with its profound wisdom and sharp grasp of our turbulent times' Elif Shafak 'This is a bold and probing novel, from a writer strikingly alert to something small and true' Guardian ______________________________ How far would you run to escape your life? Anita lives in Karachi's biggest slum. Her mother is a maalish wali, paid to massage the tired bones of rich women. But Anita's life will change forever when she meets her elderly neighbour, a man whose shelves of books promise an escape to a different world. On the other side of Karachi lives Monty, whose fat... continue
1390.
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree by Tariq Ali EN
Description:
Tells the story of a family in Moorish Spain and their attempts to survive after the fall of Granada.