10 Must-Read Books Releasing in November 2024 By Asian Authors
November is here, and so are some fantastic new books by Asian authors that you won’t want to miss! This month’s lineup features a mix of stories that dive into culture, identity, and everything in between. Whether you’re in the mood for a gripping novel or an inspiring memoir, there’s something for everyone.
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:
- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .
They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.
Publication date: November 5, 2024
Pages: 240
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Why should you read it? Before We Forget Kindness, the latest installment in Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, continues the enchanting premise of a café where visitors can travel back in time, yet must return before their coffee cools. This book introduces four poignant stories—a father unable to bless his daughter’s marriage, a woman with unexpressed love, a boy seeking to reconnect with his separated parents, and a mother with a nameless child—each seeking closure, forgiveness, and peace. With a blend of fantasy and emotional depth, Kawaguchi crafts a moving exploration of love, loss, and healing, making this novel a heartwarming read about embracing the past to build a brighter future.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.
Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells "small" fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…
Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.
Publication date: November 5, 2024
Pages: 336
Genres: Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction
Why should you read it? This charming debut fantasy follows Tao, a wandering fortune teller with a cautious heart and a knack for predicting “small” fortunes, as she unexpectedly finds herself on a quest with a ragtag group—a reformed thief, an ex-mercenary, an adventurous baker, and a magical cat—to find a lost child. Despite her self-imposed isolation, Tao begins to find a sense of belonging among her newfound companions, who encourage her to confront the shadows of her past. Perfect for fans of heartfelt adventures, this book is a warm, whimsical tale of unlikely friendships, personal growth, and the discovery of family in unexpected places.
Under the Oak Tree, Vol. 1 by Suji Kim
Most fairytales end with a wedding and a happily-ever-after—but this is no fairytale. The updated and official translation of Under the Oak Tree, the #1 webnovel on MANTA.
Lady Maximilian is the daughter of the powerful Duke Croyso, but she is rarely allowed outside her family’s sprawling castle for fear that her stutter will tarnish their noble name. When she is forced to marry Sir Riftan, a lowborn knight caught in one of her father’s schemes, Maxi doesn’t dare hope for happiness, let alone love. Her stumbling communication and his gruff manner sour their relationship before it can begin, and Riftan leaves without a word the morning after their vows are exchanged.
Now, three years after their disastrous wedding night, Riftan has returned as a war hero. To Maxi’s surprise, despite rumors that he was offered marriage to Princess Agnes, a beautiful and renowned sorceress, Riftan still wants Maxi for his wife. And when he comes to claim her, his longing becomes a desire that bewilders Maxi, even as she is overcome by the scorching heat that Riftan’s presence ignites within her. As she learns to navigate the intricacies of her new life, Maxi will find herself and her courage, and discover that she is anything but powerless.
This volume collects chapters 1-76 of the original webnovel by Suji Kim.
Publication date: November 5, 2024
Pages: 496
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction
Why should you read it? Under the Oak Tree is a gripping romance that defies fairytale conventions, following Lady Maximilian, a noblewoman whose stutter has kept her isolated, and her complex relationship with Sir Riftan, the lowborn knight she was forced to marry. After a rocky start and years apart, Riftan returns a war hero, and Maxi must face her fears, navigate her new life, and find her inner strength. This deeply emotional tale of love, resilience, and self-discovery is perfect for fans of character-driven romance with a twist.
Guilt and Ginataan (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #5) by Mia P. Manansala
Autumn is in full swing for the town of Shady Palms—the perfect time for warm drinks, cozy cardigans, and…dead bodies?
The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town’s biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest—but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze…and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife.
The body is discovered to be a local politician’s wife, and all signs—murder weapon included—point to Adeena as the culprit. But Lila knows her best friend couldn’t have done this, so she and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha…
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Pages: 304
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary
Why should you read it? In this cozy autumn mystery, Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Café team are ready to enjoy Shady Palms' annual Corn Festival—until a dead body and an unconscious Adeena, clutching a bloody knife, are discovered in the corn maze. When the evidence points to her best friend Adeena as the killer, Lila takes on the case, determined to expose the real culprit. Filled with warm fall vibes, humor, and suspense, this novel is perfect for fans of small-town mysteries with a dash of friendship and culinary charm.
The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy
Vikram Seth and Thrity Umrigar meet Rebecca in this sweeping multi-generational debut novel by accomplished television executive Nayantara Roy, about a young Indian American book editor from Brooklyn who returns to Kolkata when she learns that she has inherited her family’s enormous ancestral home, and the secrets that lie within it.
It’s the summer of 2015, and Lila De is on the verge of a breakthrough in her career as an editor at a prestigious New York publishing house. But when she gets a call from her mother in India, informing her that she’s inherited her family’s sprawling estate, she must confront the legacy of an extended family she thought she left behind sixteen years ago. Returning to Kolkata reunites Lila with her mother after a decade of estrangement, and then there are her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all of whom still live in the house, all of whom resent her sudden inheritance. To make matters more complicated, her first boyfriend seeks her out when she arrives, and her star author— and occasional lover— is suddenly determined to make things more serious.
As Lila tries to come to terms with both past and present, long-suppressed secrets from her family emerge, culminating in an act of shocking violence, and she must finally reckon with her inherited custom of keeping everything under the surface. For fans of Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes and All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews, The Magnificent Ruins is an utterly addictive read.
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Pages: 448
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Why should you read it? The Magnificent Ruins is a compelling debut novel that follows Lila De, an Indian American book editor who returns to Kolkata to claim her family’s sprawling estate—and confront the buried secrets within it. As she navigates tensions with estranged relatives and unresolved relationships, Lila must grapple with her family’s complex legacy, leading to a shocking revelation that forces her to reckon with her past. Blending romance, mystery, and cultural exploration, this novel offers an addictive, multi-generational story perfect for fans of sweeping family sagas and self-discovery.
Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki, Helen O'Horan (Translator)
The long-awaited publication of Izumi Suzuki's debut novel.
A young woman named Izumi, details her turbulent twenties in thirteen disarmingly candid vignettes, set in the underground bar and club scene of 1970s Tokyo.
Seamlessly delivering ennui alongside snark, and tragedy nose-to-nose with apathy, Set My Heart on Fire is singular representation of young womanhood, missteps and miscommunication, and music, men and meds. With chapters titled for tracks by The Zombie, The Supremes and the Rolling Stones, as well as songs by underground Japanese bands of the time, the music of the 1960s and 1970s permeates the story.
There are distinct traces of the fraught tenderness in Marguerite Dura’s The Lover, and the raw, decadent post-war generational dissolution of Ryu Murakami’s Almost Transparent Blue. But Suzuki’s novel is carried by her own singular charm and wit, which will be readily recognised and adored by readers of her short stories.
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Pages: 192
Genres: Fiction, Japanese Literature
Why should you read it? Set My Heart on Fire is Izumi Suzuki’s raw, witty portrayal of a young woman’s turbulent twenties in Tokyo’s 1970s underground scene. Through thirteen candid vignettes, Izumi navigates love, loneliness, and self-destruction, all set to the soundtrack of iconic 60s and 70s music. Blending humor, apathy, and vulnerability, Suzuki’s debut captures the missteps and existential drift of young womanhood with a style that recalls Marguerite Duras and Ryu Murakami, making it a must-read for fans of her short stories and anyone drawn to tales of lost youth and self-discovery.
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, 楊双子, Lin King (Translator)
A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power
May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.
Soon a Taiwanese woman―who is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her name―is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko’s travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is.
Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan’s highest literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Pages: 320
Genres: Fiction, Queer, Historical Fiction
Why should you read it? Taiwan Travelogue is a beautifully layered story of love, culture, and colonial history, following young Japanese novelist Aoyama Chizuko’s journey to Taiwan in 1938. As she explores Taiwan’s vibrant landscapes and cuisine, Chizuko grows infatuated with her witty and enigmatic interpreter, Chizuru. This bittersweet tale unearths the complexities of love and power in colonial settings, deftly blending historical insight with an intimate exploration of relationships. Originally published as a "rediscovered" Japanese text, this acclaimed novel captivates with its depth and artistry, making it a profound read on language, identity, and connection.
Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham
Jacquie Pham’s transportive debut, Those Opulent Days, delivers a classic historical murder mystery centered around the glamor, violence, wealth, and opium of 1920’s French-colonial Vietnam that meshes the structural brilliance of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List with the historical vitality of Vanessa Chan's The Storm We Made, and the upstairs-downstairs drama of Downton Abbey.
One will lose his mind. One will pay. One will agonize. And one will die.
Duy, Phong, Minh, and Edmond have been best friends since childhood. Now, as young men running their families’ formidable businesses, they make up Saigon’s most powerful group of friends in 1928 Vietnam’s elite society.
Until one of them is murdered.
In a lavish mansion on a hill in Dalat, all four men have gathered for an evening of indulgence, but one of them won’t survive the night. Toggling between this fatal night and the six days leading up to it, told from the perspectives of the four men, their mothers, their servants, and their lovers, an intricate web of terror, loyalty, and well-kept secrets begins to unravel.
As the story creeps closer to the murder, and as each character becomes a suspect, the true villain begins to colonialism, the French occupation of Vietnam, and the massive economic differences that catapult the wealthy into the stratosphere while the poor starve on the streets.
Those Opulent Days is at once both a historical novel of vivid intensity and a classically structured, pitch-perfect murder mystery featuring a robust cast of characters you won’t soon forget.
Publication date: November 12, 2024
Pages: 304
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Why should you read it? Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham is an immersive historical murder mystery set in 1920s French-colonial Vietnam, where glamor, wealth, and dark secrets intertwine. When one of four powerful friends is murdered during a luxurious gathering, the story alternates between the fatal night and the preceding days, revealing hidden tensions, loyalties, and betrayals through the perspectives of friends, family, and servants. With echoes of Downton Abbey’s class dynamics and The Guest List’s suspenseful structure, this novel masterfully unravels a web of intrigue, highlighting the brutal inequalities of colonialism in a vividly depicted Saigon.
I Decided to Live as Me: An Illustrated Checklist for How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others So You Can Learn to Love Yourself by Kim Suhyun, Anton Hur (translator)
The million-copy internationally bestselling illustrated life guide about how to stop comparing yourself to others—especially on social media—and how to find the strength to be yourself
In a world where it can seem impossible to feel that you are ever good enough, and where it’s easy to judge yourself by the unrealistic standards of social media, I Decided to Live as Me offers guidance and encouragement for celebrating yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin.
With her charming illustrations and words of comfort, Kim Suhyun has reached millions of readers—including Jung Kook from the K-pop band BTS—who have found inspiration in her journey of self-love. She offers a checklist to guide you on your own journey, with advice including:
- Don't be kind to those who aren't kind to you.
- Remember that no one lives a perfect life.
- Don't be swayed by others' opinions.
- Crack corny jokes sometimes.
- Don't try too hard to get along with everyone.
Through these tips and more, I Decided to Live as Me teaches you that by freeing yourself from the pressure of other people's expectations, you can focus on what truly matters: living not for anyone else, but for yourself.
Publication date: November 19, 2024
Pages: 272
Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology
Why should you read it? I Decided to Live as Me by Kim Suhyun is a bestselling guide that helps readers break free from the pressures of comparison, especially on social media, and embrace self-acceptance. With charming illustrations and heartfelt advice, Suhyun encourages readers to value their own happiness over others’ opinions. Her relatable tips—like being selective in kindness, resisting perfectionism, and embracing humor—offer practical ways to cultivate self-love. Loved by millions, including BTS’s Jung Kook, this book is an empowering reminder to live authentically and prioritize what truly matters: being yourself.
City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim
A once-famous ballerina faces a final choice—to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her, or to walk away forever—in this incandescent novel of redemption and love
On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past.
She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall.
One of those dancers, Alexander, is the love of her life, who transformed both Natalia and her art. The other is Dmitri, a dark and treacherous genius. When the latter offers her a chance to return to the stage in her signature role, Natalia must decide whether she can again face the people responsible for both her soaring highs and darkest hours.
Painting a vivid portrait of the Russian ballet world, where cutthroat ambition, ever-shifting politics, and sublime artistry collide, City of Night Birds unveils the making of a dancer with both profound intimacy and breathtaking scope. Mysterious and alluring, passionate and virtuosic, Juhea Kim’s second novel is an affecting meditation on love, forgiveness, and the making of an artist in a turbulent world.
Publication date: November 26, 2024
Pages: 320
Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Why should you read it? City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim is a poignant exploration of redemption and love, centered on former prima ballerina Natalia Leonova, who returns to St. Petersburg two years after a life-altering accident. Struggling with addiction and haunted by her past, Natalia confronts the ghosts of her family and her two former dance partners—her true love Alexander and the dangerously brilliant Dmitri. As she grapples with the opportunity to reclaim her place in the ballet world that nearly destroyed her, this novel offers a vivid depiction of the complexities of ambition and artistry in the Russian ballet scene. Rich in emotion and insight, it invites readers to reflect on the transformative power of love, forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit.
