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Asian Booklist Quarterly: April 2020

Discover new books by British-Asian authors

Update from Kia

Hello and welcome to the first ever issue of Asian Booklist Quarterly. New issues will be sent on 1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October, and will include a short update from me (hi!), followed by a list of books by British-Asian authors being published in the upcoming quarter.

It's a very strange time for authors. Many have worked on their books for years, but feel reluctant to promote them in these challenging times. 

I, for one, have steadily ploughed on. Take It Back was released in paperback in March and I wrote pieces for Foyles and The Bookseller, appeared on the Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast, filmed an updated 10 questions video and put together a reader playlist. Take It Back was also recommended in The Observer which was a real highlight.

Despite all this, it's fair to say that I – and my fellow authors – need reader support more than ever. With this in mind, please do take a look at the titles below and buy, borrow (but don't steal) the ones you like the sound of. Scroll to the bottom for the editor's choice and bear in mind that pre-orders really help.

I'll be back in touch next quarter – under starkly different circumstances I hope. Until then, take care and call your friends. 

New books by British-Asian authors


April

 

The Pizzeria Vesuvio looks like any other Italian restaurant in London - with a few small differences. The chefs who make the pizza fiorentinas are Sri Lankan, and half the kitchen staff are illegal immigrants. At the centre is Tuli, the restaurant's charismatic proprietor and resident Robin Hood, who promises […]



'I am writing this for everyone who was told no. 'No, you are not rich enough. No, that is not credible. No, you can't. No, you won't. No, you are not allowed. No, that is not appropriate. I was told, "No, you do not belong." Finally, I am saying, "Yes, […]

 
 

Have you ever been told to smile more, been teased about your accent, or had your name pronounced incorrectly? If so, you've probably already faced bias in your everyday life. We like to believe that we are all fair-minded and egalitarian but we all carry biases that we might not […]


 

It is New Year's Eve, 1960. Hashim has left behind his homeland and his bride, Munira, to seek his fortune in England. His cousin and only friend, Rofikul, introduces Hashim to life in Manchester - including Rofikul's girlfriend, Helen. When Munira arrives, the group must learn what it is to […]


 

Nazir Afzal knows a thing or two about justice. As a Chief Prosecutor, it was his job to make sure the most complex, violent and harrowing crimes made it to court, and that their perpetrators were convicted. From the Rochdale sex ring to the earliest prosecutions for honour killing and […]


 

Things are not going well for Maansi Cavale. Her depression is worsening, she barely passes her university exams and she winds up stuck at home, full of regret and unable to find a job. She'd do anything for a way out. Though Maansi previously considered arranged marriage an outdated tradition […]


 

In the sleepy village of Babel's End, trouble is brewing. Bilal Hasham is having a mid-life crisis. His mother has just died, and he finds peace lying in a grave he's dug in the garden. His elderly Auntie Rukhsana has come to live with him, and forged an unlikely friendship […]


 

Alone on a remote mountaintop one dark night, a woman hears a mysterious voice. Propelled by the memory and after years of dreaming about it, Jini Reddy dares to delve into the 'wanderlands' of Britain, heading off in search of the magical in the landscape. A London journalist with multicultural […]


 

May

 

In a tour-de-force that is both an homage to an immortal work of literature and a modern masterpiece about the quest for love and family, Booker Prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie has created a dazzling Don Quixote for the modern age. Inspired by the Cervantes classic, Sam DuChamp, mediocre writer of […]


 

Calcutta police detective Captain Sam Wyndham and his quick-witted Indian Sergeant, Surrender-not Banerjee, are back for another rip-roaring adventure set in 1920s India. 1905, London. As a young constable, Sam Wyndham is on his usual East London beat when he comes across an old flame, Bessie Drummond, attacked in the streets. […]


 

Jikoni means 'kitchen' in Kiswahili, a word that perfectly captures Ravinder Bhogal's approach to food. Ravinder was born in Kenya to Indian parents; when she moved to London as a child, the cooking of her new home collided with a heritage that crossed continents. What materialised was a playful approach […]


 

June
 

For millennia, dominant societies have had the habit of believing their own people to be the best, deep down: the more powerful they become, the more power begins to be framed as natural, as well as cultural. When you see how power has shaped the idea of race, then you […]

Editor's choice

The book I'm most excited about is: The Prosecutor by Nazir Afzal. Get it now at Amazon, Hive or Waterstones, or your local independent bookstore. 

Finally, if you know someone who loves books, please forward this email to them and tell them to sign up at Asian Booklist. We need the support!
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