4 Books I Fell In Love With -All Written by Authors from Asia

I love a good book.

As someone who grew up reading with a torchlight under the blanket, I know how books can be one’s best friend.

But I’m not here to preach about the importance or goodness of reading.

I’m here to give credit to some books from authors I’ve read in the last year or so that have truly struck me as amazing.

While we all know about the bestsellers that line the shelves at your favourite bookstore, I’ve decided to feature a handful of books from authors who live in Asia (I mean the whole of Asia) or hail from this side of the world.

Here’s my list of books that blew my mind.

Impractical Uses of Cake

The book title has cake in it. Sold.

Okay, that’s not why I liked this book so much (maybe a little? maybe. no!). I found the book to be a refreshing take on a situation that is not often given light in Singapore. After co-authoring a book like Homeless, it was nice to see a fictional take on something that we take for granted. Housing and little luxuries in life like… cake. What I enjoyed most about the book was the flow that it was written in and the mixed feelings that it build up inside of me.

A mazon link.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

My first foray into Murakami.

I know, I know; what took me so long? But to be honest, I’m so glad that this was one of the first few books of this much-loved author that I picked up. There was a depth of emotion that I felt reading this book as it touches upon friendship and all that entails relationships that are forged from childhood. There is a certain mystery that kept pulling me in, making me turn page after page, losing sleep, and finally getting to the last word in this much-loved book… at least in my, erm, books.

A mazon link.

The Fisherman King

That one book that makes you upset when it ends. Upset because you want more. Upset because WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE PAGES?

I cannot put this more simply: Katrina has a gift for writing that I have not seen in any other Bruneian writer. Every line in this book is written with a purpose and doesn’t seem out of place. The storyline that The Fisherman King revolves around is one that I could almost visualise, having lived in Brunei for so long. This book gives so much to a person’s imagination, and what with her beautiful writing, it just makes you crave for more. This is why I was rather upset when I read the last few sentences. As much as I tell Bruneians to read this to feel something close to home, I also think others should read this to get a grasp of refreshing fiction.

Amazon link.

The Sialkot Saga

Have you had a book that you’ve kept in your TBR (that’s to-be-read, for my dear non-bookworm readers) pile for so long and when you finally pick it up and read it, you kick yourself for not getting to it sooner?

Sialkot was that book for me. Now I know when you check out the Goodreads page, you’ll think, pssh, Manisha, it doesn’t have that great of a rating. Sure. In fact, I’ve read so many reviews that deem this book too … lame (for the lack of a better word). But this is why I don’t read reviews until after I’ve read a book. This book was such a page-turner for me. The plot, the suspense, the Indian melodrama that ensues with every character development — I absolutely loved it. One could argue that it’s the Bollywood lover in me that kept me going (this is a rather thick book). So be it, I say. Looking forward to reading the other Ashwin Sanghi books I haven’t gotten to just yet.

A mazon link.

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Do I have more books to give credit to? Yes, definitely.

Some worthy mentions that I’ve read in the last 1–2 years (at least the ones I remember off the top of my head — because I’m sure there are many more) include:

• The Ram Chandra Series by Amish Tripathi
• The Chronicles of Tebuanman Comic Series from Brunei
• The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
• Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda

Do you have any worthy books from Asian authors to recommend? Drop it in the comment section, please.

www.manishadhalani.com

Originally published on Medium.