18 Fun Asian Books to Binge Right Now

Private jet hopping, exorbitant displays of wealth, bloody murders, ghosts, and romance. Behold some new fun books and light reads from Asia! As I was compiling a list of new books from Asia, I felt most of them were quite literary in scope. Sure, I love reading about serious themes of wars, displacement, and racism, but sometimes I do long for pure doses of fun. I am reminded of the chat with Tara and Freyan about fun books and why we need them, which got me thinking about fun Asian books to read. All these aren’t light reads, in fact most of them aren’t and some are literary too. BUT these books are layered to have more serious themes — female infanticide, prejudice against different communities, misogyny, beauty standards — within a good story. When I think of a fun Asian book, Crazy Rich Asians always pops to my mind. It is indulgent, extravagant and exposes a whole new luxury lifestyle that might come as a surprise to many readers. No, Asia isn’t all about poverty and arranged marriages though of course, these are very valid and relevant topics in contemporary Asia. The multi-cultural continent has many sides and you will get a glimpse of it in the following titles, be it about immigrants with new money, young girls longing to snag a rich husband, fans of K-pop idols or assassins who read. I have included a mix of books. For example, The Inugami Curse and The Plotters were un-putdownable and entertaining crime reads but there are also books like If I Had Your Face that lingered long in my mind and The Majesties that made me google about the different Chinese communities of Indonesia. In this list you’ll find books to read if you liked Crazy Rich Asians, some drama filled crime fiction as well as one-too-many Austen adaptations. (PS: I cannot wait for Kwan’s Sex and Vanity to be released later this year). Read on for Lahore weddings, Singapore’s elite, murders in Japan, scandals in India, and family secrets in Indonesia.

‘Asian’ remains a very loose definition in this list. It can mean a book by an author living in Asia or the diaspora or a book set in Asia. But they are all fun books to pick up. Read with Cindy is hosting an #AsianReadathon in May and these might be perfect picks.

On to the list. No surprise what comes first.

1. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (2013)

Kevin Kwan, who himself was brought up in a crazy, rich family (he knows his family history from 946 and his great-aunt and husband founded Tiger balm!) definitely knows how to write the fun-nest novel about Asia’s rich people. Earrings cost half a million, people buy apartments like you’d buy instant ramen, bachelorette parties take place in private islands, and sprawling mansions take your breath away. The food made me go weak in the knees — nyonya kuehs, golden brown scones, langoustine, goreng pisang, char kuay teow, Malay rojak salad — some of which I cannot even imagine the taste but I desperately want to eat. Read for couture, heirloom jewellery, kingmakers, dynasty alliances and lavish weddings. After I read Crazy Rich Asians, I fantasized about living a week as a crazy rich Asian. I still do.

PS: The book is muuuch better than the movie.

Books like Crazy Rich Asians

I remember when I read the first novel in Kevin Kwan’s trilogy, all I wanted was to find more books like Crazy Rich Asians. Hallelujah! they exist!

2. The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang (2016)

The rich Wangs suffer a big blow in the recession. So the patriarch, Mr. Wang — who made a fortune with the make up industry in America and lost everything now — comes up with the next best plan. A road trip across America to visit his elder daughter who is trying to make a career in the art industry. His second wife, fashion-blogger daughter, and wannabe-stand-up-comedian son cram themselves in this maniacal bankrupt car journey. This witty dysfunctional family story is one of the best I’ve read. It is filled with heartwarming moments, be it the escape from China to United States or rediscovering what it means to be a family. The Wangs vs the World is really funny too.

Read : The Wangs vs the World is a hilarious debut about a bankrupt family on a road trip across America

3. China Rich Girlfriend (2015)

The rich Asians can put Gossip Girl and the elite of Upper East side to shame! I absolutely adored China Rich Girlfriend, maybe even more than Crazy Rich Asians but I did wish it was longer because it wrapped up quite abruptly. China Rich Girlfriend has more glamour, more lavish spending and monied life — now we are in the company of second and third generation heirs who don’t (really) give a damn where the money goes or comes from. In addition to the usual private jet hopping, there are outrageous art bids, dogs with diamond collars, turquoise lined swimming pools, a grooming service consultant who will help you climb up the social ladder (advice includes breast reduction, getting into church circles and more). Here rich Asians crib about food rates in Europe (25 euros? Too much!), boil water to save on packaged hotel water and always pack up left over gravy from restaurants but wouldn’t bat an eye lid before splashing millions on a renovation or even shopping. Pure indulgent fun that keeps you turning the pages. I am desperate to see this adapted on-screen.

4. Sarong Party Girls by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan (2016)

After a good dip in Singapore’s elite in the Kewin Kwan trilogy, there’s the delicious, darker Sarong Party Girls — ‘an Emma set in modern Asia’ — brimming with Singlish patois, to nurture the hangover. Twenty seven year old Jazzy,  and her friends — Sher, Imo and Fann — ‘the Sarong party girls,’ dream of marrying a rich, white, expat (ang moh) and settling down quickly with ‘Chanel babies’ (the crown of it all). These girls had a fun filled twenties with dancing, picking up men and drinking, mostly thanks to their married friend Louis, but now it is time to tie the knot and settle down. Brand obsessions, brothels, nightclubs, hawkers, bar hopping, fast cars and the glorious skyscrapers make this colourful novel worth reading. It also goes deeper into gender politics, sex, why Japanese girls are a favourite, how Chinese girls do not struggle as much to get a husband, old money vs new, girls needing to snag rich husbands and the struggle to attain class and power. Wash down this good old ribaldry of Singapore life with something cold on a hot afternoon.

5. Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev (2019)

I loved this Pride and Prejudice retelling set in San Francisco where the rich neurosurgeon, Trisha Raje, and chef DJ Caine, who trained in France and specializes in fusion food, lock horns. Amidst all the bottled up pride and ego, there’s a Bollywood-esque novel with balcony jumping, ex-Bollywood actresses and Indian princes.

6. Windfall by Diksha Basu (2017)

The Jhas — a middle class East Delhi family — come into unexpected wealth when Mr. Jha sells a website domain. Life changes overnight. They shift from their cramped apartment, (leaving those clumped sugar in bottles and the saucepan handle that always gets loose) to a posh neighbourhood. Security guards, golf and Swarovski studded sofas help in Keeping-up-with-the-Chopras, their new neighbours. I loved the subplots here — a widow falling in love much to the discomfort of her gossipy neigbours, an Indian son living the American dream and kind of failing at it, and poor Mrs. Jha who is often mistaken for a servant in the affluent neighbourhood. Indian uncles showing off, desi tacos (or dosas) and spying on others — Windfall is hilarious, devoid of stereotypes and such fun!

Read : Windfall is a funny novel about a middle class family coming into new money

7. Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan (2017)

Rich People Problems is more or less Ah Ma’s death, funeral and her will (with a few surprises).  To be honest it is my least favourite among the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I wanted more of the social climber Kitty, the new-brand Colette who is a magazine favourite, Bernand Tai’s healthy lifestyle, some good old in-law fights and gossip. But I still devoured the book. Shah Rukh Khan serenades an It girl of socialite magazines for her wedding proposal from a business tycoon, Jaipur splendour, pet fish getting eye lifts and chin jobs (from plastic surgeons who specialize in arowanas no less), events with an entry fee of $20,000 (only), are some of the things that’ll make you go ‘Whoa’ in this book. There’s more history in this one, especially about the world wars and escapes which might make Rich People Problems seem more serious than the first two books in the trilogy (there’s lots of food though). But you need this in your life for closure and also because you’ll be missing the characters too much.

Some campy crime

Here are books with murders, bloody weapons, big mansions, and seedy libraries for some crime reads from Asia.

8. The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao (2020)

If you are looking for another Crazy Rich Asians, walk away. Sure, there are Paris Fashion weeks, rich husbands, Australian degrees, holiday homes in California, jewellery made of living moths (My favourite part in the novel) and inordinate wealth, but Tiffany Tsao’s The Majesties (first published as Under your Wings, 2018) set in 1990s Jakarta is darker and more thought provoking. The novel revolves around two Chinese Indonesian sisters — Gwendolyn and Estelle — and begins with Estelle poisoning 300 members at a dinner party. The rest of the novel is a flashback with Gwendolyn in near-coma trying to figure out the attempted murder. We read about the dubious history of the Sulinado family — corrupt businessmen, fake deaths, religious conversions, murders and cover-ups, abusive spouses, racism within the Chinese communities — in this literary almost-thriller novel.

9. The Plotters by Un-su Kim, translated from Korean by Sora-Kim Russell

What could be the perfect den of Seoul’s underworld? Well, in The Plotters, it is an old, forgotten library. Seedy crime deals, assassins who keep cats, cremators who grind bones of the murdered, suspicious librarians, women with secrets, safeguarded plans, plotters who sketch fool proof murders, kingmakers and more — The Plotters was a thrilling ride from start to end and I really wish I could find more books like this one.

10. The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

It has been years since I read a campy, drama-thick golden crime mystery. Set in Japan, The Inugami Curse takes us through big mansions, heirs, family heirlooms, doppelgangers, bloody weapons, secrets of the dead and clues that make no sense at all. Plus ten points for the lovely vintage-y cover. Read it and thank me later.

Read : Seishi Yokomizo’s Japanese crime fiction with a Holmes-like detective was just the right dose of golden age mystery that I was longing for

Other Fun Books from Asia

These books are fun but they also nurture thought provoking words and ideas within them. Here you will find female friendships, pulp fiction and Austen inspired stories set in Asia.

11. If I Had your Face by Frances Cha

I read If I Had Your Face earlier this year and immediately gave it five stars. Set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, my immediate thought was ‘Why don’t we see more books as this published?’. Through the lives of five women — the gorgeous, debt-ridden Kyuri with multiple cosmetic procedures done on her face and running a bar or ‘salon room’, the timid artist Miho who grew up in an orphanage and dating a rich heir, the mute Ara who is a die-hard fan of a K-pop idol, the generous Sujin who is saving up to to gift her friend a  plastic surgery procedure and pregnant Wonna who doesn’t want to lose her baby — If I Had your Face drives a knife into beauty standards, misogyny, fandom, class and women pandering to the needs of men. If I Had your Face is very character driven, so skip this if you are plot picky. But if you aren’t (and you shouldn’t be), it is insightful, heart warming and makes you feel like a silent friend to these women. Read it for a slice of life in Seoul.

12. The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha, translated by Stephen J. Epstein (2020)

The Wandering is THE book to read in quarantine. It is a follow-your-adventure styled book translated from the Indonesian. A girl is gifted red shoes by the devil and now she has to travel the world. In one chapter she would be teaching in Jakarta and in the next walking in NYC; then Berlin or Philippines or somewhere totally different — depending on how you choose her story of course. If you thought the travel to different cities in the blink of an eye (page?) was the best part — no. There are fairytale and mythological elements making appearances — Rumpelstiltskin, red shoes, kuntilanak, magic mirrors, gnomes and more. The Wandering is a cracker and if you want to do some travelling yourself, from your sofa, why not?

12. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (2019)

The perfect binge read. Three British born sisters are on a pilgrimage to India to fulfill their Punjabi mother’s last wishes. One is a disciplinarian who is worried about her son falling for an older woman, the second is an aspiring actress and the third is the good girl who married into a wealthy family in Australia. And these three do not get along. At all. Some much-needed Indian drama mixed with secrets, pushy mother-in-laws, impromptu trips and bickering makes the sisters finally stand up for one another.

13. The Moving Shadow, edited and translated by Arunava Sinha (2018)

Sex, romance, betrayals, horror; ventriloquists, femme fatales, detectives, black magic practitioners — The Moving Shadow offers the best of Bengali pulp fiction, wonderfully translated by Arunava Sinha. I needn’t say more. The stories speak for themselves.

Read : Three Bengali Translated Novels — ghosts, the first Indian circus and pulp fiction

14. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal (2017)

A creative writing class for Punjabi widows. But surprise! Many of them do not know how to read and write. Thus begins this fun packed read set in London about widows talking about sex, exchanging tips for love making and writing erotic stories that are duly photocopied and passed onto wider circles. Some men meanwhile are determined to police the sex talk. This book is ridiculously funny and entertaining.

15. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (2019)

Look no further for a Pride and Prejudice story set in Pakistan. The Binat sisters are perfect to get acquainted with. I admit I found Alys (Elizabeth) a bit over-the-top but I loved the whole cast. Mrs. Binat is the quintessential over-anxious South Asian mother worried about getting her girls married, and nagging to her heart’s content. Soniah Kamal is wonderfully imaginative in giving a different story to many of the regular Austen characters. Unmarriageable is a nugget of the different women in the subcontinent and for this, it deserves all the praise.

16. Pure Sequence by Paro Anand (2011)

What a relief to have something to read other than old women complaining about sons and wallowing in their pitiable selves. Welcome four sixty something Indian aunties aka Bitchy Biddies Bunch. They meet and play cards. The namkeen eating sessions, unapologetic swearing, profanity, and friendship will keep you glued to this book.

17. Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev (2020)

This is the second book in the trilogy by Sonali Dev and focuses on Ashna Raje, daughter of a rich Indian prince. She runs a restaurant ‘Curried Dreams’ that isn’t doing well. She decides to participate in a cooking show that pairs chefs and celebrities but is shocked to discover that she is paired with her first love Rico — now a FIFA winning soccer star — who ghosted her. I was disappointed that the book featured very little of the reality cooking show (and cooking in general — I was most excited for those bits). Recipe for Persuasion isn’t as fantastic as Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors — I cared more about the absent mother, Shobi, than for the heroine or her romance — but I liked it for the powerful toxic families, abusive parents, secrets that can destroy, middle-aged romance and forgiveness.

Expected publication : May 26, 2020

18. Polite Society by Mahesh Rao (2018)

I have conflicting thoughts about Polite Society because I found it boring and too Emma-ish (and once even abandoned reading) for at least 100 pages. But when I picked it up again, it warmed up to be an entertaining read. Set in Lutyen’s Delhi, Polite Society is a reimagining of Austen’s Emma with Ania Khurana, born with a silver spoon, at the helm. I enjoyed how Rao makes the novel his own, as the latter half grows more dramatic with dark, lovely twists — think socialites, match making, journalists, money (!), scandals and social media.

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