Hello fellow readers! I was going through my bookshelf the other day and realized that I don’t have any eastern books. I love reading books from everywhere in the world from Japan to America, but I feel like Arabic and Hindu books are not very popular in the western countries (my opinion). Does anyone from that part of the world have any suggestions for books that you feel like any westerner should read or at least know about? Thanks in advance!
by TempusFugit13
2 Comments
this is sososo true i think i just commented the same sentiments on another post in the sub LOL; honestly? i don’t know what’s ur vibe… like literary fiction, fantasy with south asian / arabic elements? here’s a mix of both (i’m actually south asian! tmi LOL but i feel qualified to give good recs :3)
[Empire of Sand](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39714124-empire-of-sand?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_14) by Tasha Suri: inspired by mughal india, desert spirits, court politics, and forbidden magic (also see: [The Jasmine Throne](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50523477-the-jasmine-throne?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_14) – same author), [The Daevabad Trilogy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32718027-the-city-of-brass?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_4) by S.A. Chakraborty: middle eastern-inspired fantasy with djinn politics, islamic folklore, class tensions, and a gorgeous magic system (also see: [The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61294937-the-adventures-of-amina-al-sirafi?ref=rae_18) – same author), [This Woven Kingdom](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554281-this-woven-kingdom?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_10) by Tahereh Mafi: more romantasy but the atmosphere is gorgeousss, it’s dense with arabian folklore,
there’s a hugeee gap in the fantasy market for well-written south asian inspired worlds, but i tried to rec the ones i love most! hope these fit your vibe / taste
for more realistic works, [A Thousand Splendid Suns](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128029.A_Thousand_Splendid_Suns?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_10) by Khaled Hosseini: stunning. visceral. it made me cry so much. a story about womanhood in afghanistan. some more rapid-fire recs: [As Long as the Lemon Tree Grows](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57390604-as-long-as-the-lemon-trees-grow?ref=rae_3) by Zoulfa Katouh, [The Lion Women of Tehran](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199798217-the-lion-women-of-tehran?ref=rae_0) by Marjan Kamali, [Minor Detail](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52045757-minor-detail?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12) by Adania Shibli (palestinian), [Midnight’s Children](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14836.Midnight_s_Children?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_19) by Salman Rushdie, [The God of Small Things](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9777.The_God_of_Small_Things?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_22) by Arundhati Roy, literally anything by [Jhumpa Lahiri](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3670.Jhumpa_Lahiri); i love that woman
sorry for the ramble, this is like my literary niche LOL so i wanted to include as many as i could think of at the top of my head. hope i helped!
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi comes to mind! I’d recommend any of her graphic memoirs honestly. Informative and entertaining!