One of my reading goals this year was to read more content set in the South West Asian and North African (SWANA) regions. As of this post, I have read about ten books set in that region. I noticed that most of the countries I read from are Iran and Afghanistan which I'm not upset about, those countries produce amazing artists and authors as well as extremely heart wrenching tales. I'd like to read more books set in Arab countries or South Asia like India/Pakistan.
The books I read set in SWANA are usually tagged with the following: contemporary, fiction, historical, literary, and romance.
Example of books that are in this genre (contemporary fiction set in SWANA):
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni
Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseni
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (country is not named but critics say it is most likely based in Syria)
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni
The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson
I read 'Rooftops of Tehran' back in April during Ramadan and loved it very very much. I think it has to be one of my favorite books of the year. I am working on a small review on it, hoping to post it before the end of the year.
I am currently reading 'The Saffron Kitchen' and tbh, it's not what I had expected. I don't really enjoying reading much of Sara and Julien's romance since I feel it is irrelevant to the plot. However, I did like reading about Maryam and Ali. Maybe I enjoy reading more when the setting is in Iran? I feel like when I read stories that are set in the (Muslim majority) 'home' country, I am able to relate more somehow. Being a muslim, reading about muslims, who are living in a muslim country; all of it combined piques my interest. I had a similar experience when reading 'The Stationery Shop of Tehran.' I really enjoyed reading the flashbacks of Roya's childhood in Tehran compared to her senior years in the United States. But still, I did enjoy that book a lot more than I did for 'The Saffron Kitchen.'
Currently I have 'Mornings in Jenin,' by Susan Abulhawa, 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo,' by Christy Lefteri, and 'The Saffron Kitchen' by Yasmin Crowther checked out from the library, the latter which I am 72% through. I am aiming to start either of the two other books by the end of this week.
That's all for today's post. Thank you so much for reading to the end.
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