South Asian Reads

As I’ve mentioned before, I love reading the local literature of a country I’m visiting. I think it enhances my understanding of my new surroundings, giving me extra insight on the culture and past histories.

Here’re a few of the books that I read while traveling in South Asia:

The Glass Palace – One of my favorite books of the year so far. The intricate storyline tells about the final days of the Burmese monarchy, Japan’s invasion of Malaysia, and the birth of the Indian National Army. It’s a piece of historical fiction that transports you to the first half of the 20th century.

Bangkok 8 – It might be a stretch to call this literature, but it sure is a fun beach read! This is the first book in a series featuring Thai Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep and it provides a true (I think it’s fairly accurate anyway?) look at the underbelly of Bangkok. Warning: it is one of those slightly tawdry books you can’t put down.

Anil’s Ghost – This small, serious novel is by award-winning author Michael Ondaatje. I’ve been wanting to read another Ondaatje book for a long time and my trip to Sri Lanka was the perfect excuse. The pages offered beautiful, lyrical writing while giving you a gruesome glimpse of life during Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war. It’s a somewhat tough read, but well worth the effort.

What do you think – tempted? Then go to the library and borrow one of them for your next bout of weekend reading!

Tags: Anil's Ghost, Bangkok, Bankok 8, Burma, Glass Palace, Reading

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2012 and is filed under Erin Right Now.