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100 Must-Read Books by Asian Authors

A round-up of 100 excellent books by Asian authors

Angel Cruz

Staff Writer

Angel Cruz is a professional enthusiast, living and writing in Toronto. She has been blogging about books since May 2011–her favourite genres are magic realism, contemporary fiction, and historical fiction. You can also find her at Women Write About Comics, reviewing front/backlist books and manga, as well as critically examining Asian representation in both Western and Asian media. Her copy of The Portable Dorothy Parker is paged through more often than is probably healthy. Ice cream, Broadway musicals, and Arashi are her lifeblood. Blog: Angel Cruz Writes Twitter: @angelcwrites

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Contrary to popular opinion, Asia is not a monolith, and our literature is as diverse as our personal histories. With nearly 50 countries, and thousands of different cultures at hand, an incredible range of Asian writers and stories can be found to delight all kinds of readers.

 

100 Must-Read Books by Asian Authors

 

I’ve focused this list on Asian characters as written by Asian authors, setting out to include as many genres as I can. Romance, mystery, fantasy, science-fiction, contemporary YA–there’s something for everyone here, all featuring kickass Asian characters from across our many countries. I don’t know about you, but it’s one of my dearest hopes that I can write up a whole new list next year, with many many more books.

  1. Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj
  2. Alternative Alamat: Stories Inspired by Philippine Mythology by Paolo Chikiamco
  3. American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
  4. Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari
  5. Babaylan: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina-American Writers by Nick Carbo and Eileen Tabios
  6. Barrow by Bryan Thao Worra
  7. Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
  8. The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong
  9. A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
  10. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
  11. Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
  • The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim
  • Catch a Falling Star by Christina Pantoja-Hidalgo
  • Chorus of Mushrooms by Hiromi Goto
  • Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
  • A Different Sky by Meira Chand
  • Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn
  • Drifting House by Krys Lee
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
  • Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki
  • Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
  • The Frangipani Hotel by Violet Kupersmith
  • The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
  • The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
  • The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
  • Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
  • Girl Overboard by Justina Chen
  • The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
  • Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li
  • Growing Up Filipino: Stories for Young Adults by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • Gun Dealers’ Daughter by Gina Apostol
  • Home by Leila S. Chudori
  • Homesick by Roshi Fernando
  • Huntress by Malinda Lo
  • Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
  • In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar
  • An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes by Randy Ribay
  • Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang
  • Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani
  • Intercession by Isa Kamari
  • Interim Goddess of Love by Mina V. Esguerra
  • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days by Lisa Yee
  • Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
  • Killing Honour by Bali Rai
  • The Kite of Stars and Other Stories by Dean Francis Alfar
  • The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
  • The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai
  • Leche by R. Zamora Linmark
  • Malaysian Tales, Retold and Remixed by Daphne Lee
  • Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan
  • The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven
  • Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
  • The Mistresses of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
  • Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao
  • Monstress by Lysley Tenorio
  • My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin
  • Of Tales and Enigma by Minsoo Kang
  • On Such a Full Sea by Chang Rae Lee
  • The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
  • Please Look After Mother by Shin Kyung-Sook
  • Prophecy by Ellen Oh
  • Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-Li Jiang
  • Ru by Kim Thúy
  • Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
  • Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai
  • Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
  • Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology by Jeff Yang
  • Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
  • Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong
  • Seven Tears at High Tide by C.B. Lee
  • She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Zeenat Mahal
  • Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
  • Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki (translated by Zack Davisson)
  • Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
  • Since You Asked by Maurene Goo
  • Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
  • Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan
  • The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
  • Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
  • A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
  • Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
  • The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima
  • The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho
  • Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu
  • A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
  • Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap and Mari Araki
  • To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
  • Trade Me by Courtney Milan
  • Vanished by E.E. Cooper
  • Wait for Me by An Na
  • The Way Things Were by Aatish Taseer
  • We Should Never Meet: Stories by Aimee Phan
  • The Wheel of Surya by Jamila Gavin
  • When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
  • When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe
  • When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
  • The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
  • (You) Set Me On Fire by Mariko Tamaki

    Note: Nicola Yoon was mistakenly on this list, and has been removed and replaced.