Daren’s Comments (group member since Aug 31, 2012)

Daren’s comments from the Read a book from each country group.

Thanks Osho, but it is not. The one I refer is by a NZ author who also wrote You Must Die Once and Gantsara: Alone Across Mongolia, both excellent books.

From the south Roddy Doyle and from the north Colin Bateman, good easy reads there with heaps of excellent characters.

Lots here, classics like Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, anything by Xinran, or Jan Wong, Amy Tan. Colin Thubron's Behind the Wall: A Journey Through China, and Simon Winchester's Bomb, Book & Compass: Joseph Needham & the Great Secrets of China good non fiction reads.

ilona wrote: "The Last Empress
I totally enjoyed reading it."

Yes, The Girl Who Played Go by the same author was also good.

Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light: Travels In Afghanistan is a fantastic non-fiction book, also enjoyable are A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby, The Carpet Wars, by Christopher Kremmer and Tea with the Taliban by Ian D. Robinson (it is not on Goodreads for some reason).

Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy, Manjushree Thapa was a very interesting summary of the royal family massacre.

When Elephants Fight, Vannary Imam is a fantastic read, or for something of less literary value Off The Rails In Phnom Penh: Into The Dark Heart Of Guns, Girls, And Ganja, about seedy expats in the capital.

So many books for India.
Non fiction all the Dalrymple William books, Christopher Kremmer's Inhaling The Mahatma, Tahir Shah's The Sorcerer's Apprentice is fantastic.
For fiction, Amitav Ghosh's novels are brilliant, also lots of those above, Aravind Adiga, Shantaram ...

Pauline wrote: "I actually loved Rushdie's 'Enchantress of Florence'- though pretty different from his other books."

I also really enjoyed this book. This and Shalimar the Clown are my favourite Rushdie novels, although I enjoyed all the others i have read.

Anything by Isabel Allende is going to be a good read.

Anna wrote: "Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran by Jason Elliot"

I think Jason Elliot is excellent. Liked this book, but liked An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan even more. Sorry, wrong thread, I know.

Historical fiction Shōgun and Gai-Jin,James Clavell both are excellent. I also enjoyed Cloud of Sparrows, which was a lot 'lighter' but a good quick read.Takashi Matsuoka

For non fiction The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War is a really good read.