Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1977)
451.
Capitalism: A Ghost Story by Arundhati Roy EN
IndiaDescription:
The “courageous and clarion” Booker Prize–winner “continues her analysis and documentation of the disastrous consequences of unchecked global capitalism” (Booklist). From the poisoned rivers, barren wells, and clear-cut forests, to the hundreds of thousands of farmers who have committed suicide to escape punishing debt, to the hundreds of millions of people who live on less than two dollars a day, there are ghosts nearly everywhere you look in India. India is a nation of 1.2 billion, but the country’s one hundred richest people own assets equivalent to one-fourth of India’s gross domestic prod... continue
452.
Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga EN
Description:
Welcome to Kittur, India. Of its 193,432 residents, only 89 declare themselves to be without religion or caste. And if the characters in "Between the Assassinations" are any indication, Kittur is an extraordinary crossroads between the brightest minds and the poorest morals, the up-and-coming and the downtrodden, and the poets and the prophets of an India that modern literature has rarely addressed. A series of sketches that together form a blinding, brilliant, and brave mosaic of Indian life as it is lived in a place called Kittur, "Between the Assassinations," with all the humor, sympathy, a... continue
453.
All This Could Be Different : A Novel by Sarah Thankam Mathews EN
Description:
2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick “One of the buzziest, most human novels of the year…breathless, dizzying, and completely beautiful.” —Vogue “Dazzling and wholly original...[written] with such mordant wit, insight, and specificity, it feels like watching a new literary star being born in real time.” –Entertainment Weekly From a brilliant new voice comes an electrifying novel of a young immigrant building a life for herself—a warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America Graduating into the... continue
454.
Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup EN
Description:
After winning India's biggest quiz show, Ram Mohammad Thomas is put in jail as authorities question how a poor orphan who has never gone to school could win such a contest.
455.
Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai EN
Description:
A wonderful novel in two parts, moving from the heart of a close-knit Indian household, with its restrictions and prejudices, its noisy warmth and sensual appreciation of food, to the cool centre of an American family, with its freedom and strangely self-denying attitudes to eating. In both it is ultimately the women who suffer, whether, paradoxically, from a surfeit of feasting and family life in India, or from self-denial and starvation in the US. Or both. Uma, the plain, older daughter still lives at home, frustrated in her attempts to escape and make a life for herself. Her Indian family i... continue
456.
The Queen who Ruled the Waves and Other Amazing Tales of Royalty from Indian History by Indira Ananthakrishnan EN
Description:
A king who composed more than 400 songs. A princess who followed a beloved temple idol to the very end. Emperors who tamed wild cheetahs and kept zebras as pets. Queens who fought the mightiest and cruellest powers on land and sea. Determined warriors, artistic temple builders, wise administrators, prolific writers, unabashed food-lovers and expert musicians... Who were these incredible, multifaceted rulers from the past who stood out among hundreds of others? From Kattabomman to Krishnadevaraya, from Abbakka to Durgavati, from Velu Nachiyar to Shantala, and from Mahendravarman to Chhatrapati ... continue
457.
The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra EN
Description:
'The first in an effervescent new mystery series. . . a treat for historical mystery lovers looking for a new series to savour (or devour)' NEW YORK TIMES 'A gorgeous debut mystery with a charming and fearless sleuth . . . spellbinding' SUJATA MASSEY 'Told with real warmth and wit. . . A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan' - ABIR MUKHERJEE A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2022 Murder and mayhem . . . monsoon season is coming. _____________________________ Solving crimes isn't easy. Add a jealous mother-in-law and having to wear a flowing sari into the mix, and you'... continue
458.
Luka and the Fire of Life : A Novel by Salman Rushdie EN
Description:
“You’ve reached the age at which people in this family cross the border into the magical world. It’s your turn for an adventure—yes, it’s finally here!” So says Haroun to his younger brother, twelve-year-old Luka. The adventure begins one beautiful starry night in the land of Alifbay, when Luka’s father, Rashid, falls suddenly into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one can rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka embarks on a journey through the world of magic with his loyal companions, Bear, the dog, and Dog, the bear. Together they encounter a slew of fantastical creatures,... continue
459.
Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla EN
Description:
"MA pass Rangnath arrives at Shivpalganj to spend some time with his uncle Valdyaji, the most important person in the village and the man who controls the grain cooperative and the intermediate college. There is a rebellion brewing among the college teachers; and Ramadhin, Vaidyaji's archi-rival, won't give up the village council without a fight. Factionalism, wheeling and dealing, and corruption take centre stage. Confronted with such chaos, Rangnath finds his textbook learning irrelevant"--Back cover.
460.
The Devourers : A Novel by Indra Das EN
Description:
For readers of Margaret Atwood, China Miéville, and David Mitchell comes a striking debut novel by a storyteller of keen insight and captivating imagination. LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST On a cool evening in Kolkata, India, beneath a full moon, as the whirling rhythms of traveling musicians fill the night, college professor Alok encounters a mysterious stranger with a bizarre confession and an extraordinary story. Tantalized by the man’s unfinished tale, Alok will do anything to hear its completion. So Alok agrees, at the strange... continue