These are a few books by Asian authors or with Asian themes that I have read. I welcome suggestions for more books to read, even though my "To Read" pile is already twice the size of my "Have Read" pile.
Now Read This:
Tasty Baby Belly Buttons by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Meilo So. This new children's book is a variation on the classic Japanese folk tale of Momotaro the Peachboy. The hero of this story is Uriko-hime, the melon princess, a little girl born from a melon. When giants kidnap all the babies from her town to make a meal of their belly buttons, Uriko sets out with the family dog to save them. The story would be great to read aloud to a child, but in my opinion the pictures are the main attraction. "Whimsical watercolors" is the best way I can describe them, and the battle scene is my favorite. The author's note on the last page gives some background information about the origin of the story. A great way to introduce your child to a fairy tale from another country. (Click on the book cover to see the wonderful cover illustration!)
Baba: A Return to China upon My Father's Shoulders by Belle Yang. Another book with noteworthy illustrations, though this one is not a children's book. Belle Yang recounts stories from her father's childhood in China. ("Baba" is "Papa" in Chinese.) Each chapter is a story about a family member or event, local legend, or religious ritual, prefaced with a full color painting by the author (here's one). The writing is not heavy with detail and history, it's lighthearted and poetic, as are the paintings. This book is a treasure. I wish I could give such a gift to my father.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. This was the first book that I read by Banana Yoshimoto, and when I arrived at the last page, I thought, "What a strange book!" because it didn't seem to have an ending. But it really intrigued me and stayed on my mind for weeks. I recommend reading this one first because it's a small, thin paperback that you can read quickly (and inexpensively), and then decide whether to read more of her books.
Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto. I adore this book. It is probably one of the strangest books I have read, but one of the best. It's about a young Japanese woman whose life is changed after she suffers a head injury, losing half her memory but gaining some psychic powers. Look for more of Banana Yoshimoto's books to appear here - I just can't resist them.
Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto. This is a collection of short stories about young men and women trying to deal with events from their past (mostly). Though each story is very short, Banana Yoshimoto has a gift for conveying the heart of each character without long descriptions, which makes for some very satisfying character sketches. A quick read and highly recommended for those long airport layovers (very packable, too!).
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin. At 611 pages, this is definitely the longest, strangest book I've read. So many interesting side stories are involved, it could have been made into three or four strange books. I finished this book a week ago, and I'm still trying to digest it. More comments to come, highly recommended though!
Seven Years In Tibet by Heinrich Harrer. The author's memoir of his escape from a British POW camp in India during WWII into Tibet, where he became a close friend of the Dalai Lama (who was 14 yrs. old then). The book was made into a big-time movie starring Brad Pitt, and adds some details about the author which he chose to leave out of his book. Read the book, then rent the video!
Martin Yan's Asia by Martin Yan. Okay, so it's a cookbook! It's still a great read, with lots of photos and interesting sidebars about life and food in places like Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. And it's got some great recipes, too, even for non-cooks like me. For more info, go to my
