Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1976)
1631.
Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat : A Novel by Kim Jiyun EN
Country: Asia / 
South Korea
South Korea
Description:
For readers who loved Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Book Shop, this heartwarming Korean bestseller tells the story of a mysterious diary left in a laundromat brings together patrons from all walks of life. Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary people unfold. Situated at the heart of rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the laundromat is a haven of peace and reflection for many locals. And when a notebook is left behind there, it becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening th... continue
1632.
La Clase de Griego / Greek Lessons by Han Kang ES
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
En Seúl, una mujer asiste a clases de griego antiguo. Su profesor le pide que lea en voz alta pero ella permanece en silencio; ha perdido la capacidad del lenguaje, así como a su madre y la custodia de un hijo de ocho años. Su única esperanza de recuperar el habla es mediante el aprendizaje de una lengua muerta. El profesor, que acaba de regresar a Corea después de pasar media vida en Alemania, se encuentra dividido entre dos culturas y dos lenguas.
También él afronta pérdidas: su vista empeora irreversiblemente a cada día que pas... continue
1633.
The Agony of Eros by Byung-Chul Han EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
An argument that love requires the courage to accept self-negation for the sake of discovering the Other. Byung-Chul Han is one of the most widely read philosophers in Europe today, a member of the new generation of German thinkers that includes Markus Gabriel and Armen Avanessian. In The Agony of Eros, a bestseller in Germany, Han considers the threat to love and desire in today's society. For Han, love requires the courage to accept self-negation for the sake of discovering the Other. In a world of fetishized individualism and technologically mediated social interaction, it is the Other that... continue
1634.
I Want to Die But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist by Baek Sehee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
The sequel to the Sunday Times and international-bestselling South Korean therapy memoir, translated by International Booker Prize-shortlisted Anton Hur*AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES & INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*'Starkly raw and vulnerable' Glamour When Baek Sehee started recording her sessions with her psychiatrist, her hope was to create a reference for herself. She never imagined she would reach so many people, especially young people, with her reflections. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki became a runaway bestseller in South Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia, and reached a community of r... continue
1635.
Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Blood of the Old Kings begins an epic adventure in which three strangers journey through a vast Empire that uses the power of dead wizards to conquer and subdue, from award-winning author Sung-il Kim and translated by the highly-acclaimed Anton Hur. Powered by the corpses of sorcerers, the Empire has conquered the world. It claims to have brought peace and stability to its conquered lands, but some see that peace for what it is—a lie—and will give everything in the fight against it. Loran is desperate for revenge after the Empire killed her family, so much so that the swordswoman climbs the vo... continue
1636.
The Silence of Bones by June Hur EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
I have a mouth, but I mustn't speak; Ears, but I mustn't hear; Eyes, but I mustn't see. 1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman. As they delve deeper into the dead woman's secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only o... continue
1637.
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
The gripping true story of a South Korean woman's student days under an authoritarian regime in the early 1980s, and how she defied state censorship through the rebellion of reading.
1638.
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
The second book of Miye Lee's whimsical and moving duology, translated from the Korean language by Sandy Joosun Lee.[Bokinfo].
1639.
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
Slave. Escape-Artist. Murderer. Terrorist. Spy. Lover. Mother. Trickster.Ms Mook made you want to listen to her, but I wasn't sure what to believe. She said she would turn 'one hundred the day after tomorrow', yet she looked at most eighty-seven. She said she'd been a slave, a spy, a murderer and more, but were these just the fantasies of an old woman, eager to fill her obituary with colourful stories?This wildly original and vibrant novel tells stories of captivity, friendship, assumed identities and spying. Moving from a nursing home in contemporary South Korea to WWII Indonesia, Seoul in th... continue
1640.
Imposible Decir Adiós / We Do Not Part by Kang Han ES
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
LA NUEVA NOVELA DE HAN KANG PREMIO NOBEL DE LITERATURA 2024 PREMIO MÉDICIS ÉTRANGER 2023 «Una novela inquietantemente bella sobre la imposibilidad de despertar de la pesadilla histórica. Inolvidable». -Hernán Díaz Una gélida mañana de finales de diciembre, Gyeongha recibe un inesperado mensaje de su amiga Inseon: después de sufrir un accidente en su taller de carpintería en la isla de Jeju, ha sido trasladada de urgencia a un hospital de Seúl. Desde la cama, Inseon le ruega que tome el primer vuelo a la isla y se ocupe de su pequeña cotorra antes de que se le acaben el agua y la comida. Pero, ... continue