Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Book Recommendations for General Fiction, set in East Asia (except China)

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 67

Page 1 of 9
Reset Filters
Filter by Genre
Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 36
Historical Fiction - 16
Thrillers - 9
Mystery - 5
Romance/Love Stories - 1
Short Stories - 4
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 1
Poetry & Novels in Verse - 1

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 25
1st in Series - 2

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 2
Humor & Satire - 1

Families
Generational Sagas - 8
Parenting & Families - 7

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 6
Coming of Age - 15
Mid-Life Onwards - 1
Dealing with Loss - 11

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 20
Immigrants & Expats - 14
Black Authors - 2
Asian Authors - 47

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 4
Strong Women - 12
LGBTQ+ - 6

Philosophy & Spiritual
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 3

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 3
Magical Realism - 5

Miscellaneous
Small Press Titles - 10
Books about Books - 1
Physical & Mental Differences - 2
Books About Animals - 2
War Related - 19
Nature & Environment - 2
Music and the Arts - 1
LibraryReads Picks - 1

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 6
250-400 Pages - 67
Less Than 250 Pages - 18

Filter by Time Period
Time Period
17th Century or Earlier - 1
18th Century - 2
19th Century - 2
20th Century (multiple decades) - 12
Early 20th Century - 2
1920s & '30s - 3
1940s & '50s - 12
1960s & '70s - 9
1980s & '90s - 9
Contemporary - 27
Across The Centuries - 1

Select your view:
Order books by:
  • The Puzzle Box
    Danielle Trussoni
    Hardcover: 10/08/2024
     
    Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world's greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the ...
  • Mina's Matchbox
    Yoko Ogawa
    Hardcover: 08/13/2024
     
    From the award-winning, psychologically astute author of The Memory Police, a hypnotic, introspective novel ...
  • The Night of Baba Yaga
    Akira Otani, Sam Bett
    Hardcover: 07/02/2024
     
    A fierce mixed-race fighter develops a powerful attachment to the yakuza princess she's been forced to protect...
  • One Hour of Fervor
    Muriel Barbery
    Hardcover: 01/30/2024
     
    From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a family story with a difference, a novel ...
  • Skull Water
    Skull Water: A Novel
    Heinz Insu Fenkl
    Paperback: 12/26/2023
     
    A "mesmerizing" (PW, James McBride) "magnificent" (Ha Jin) intergenerational coming-of-age novel set in South ...
  • My Heart Underwater
    Laurel Fantauzzo
    Paperback: 11/21/2023
     
    Fans of Adib Khorram and Randy Ribay will love this coming-of-age debut about a Filipina American teen ...
  • The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
    Franny Choi
    Paperback: 11/07/2023
     
    From acclaimed poet Franny Choi comes a poetry collection for the ends of worlds—past, present, and ...

Full results are for members only - but you can cross-reference more than one theme by using the buttons in the right column. Members please login. Interested in becoming a member? Explore the many benefits of membership here.

The reviewer of each book decides which categories it belongs in - but we're only human, mistakes happen. If you see a book that you think is in the wrong place, tell us!

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.