 | The Painter of Signs (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) by R. K. Narayan
Buy new: $13.38 / Used from: $1.00 The tensions in the relationship between Raman, the painter of signs, and Daisy, dedicated to family planning, reflect their own contradictions and those of Indian society. Superb writing.
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 | The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Buy new: $11.16 / Used from: $1.38 These gracefully written stories sensitively render the conflicting emotions of the female protagonists caught at crossroads in their lives either in India or America.
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 | Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $2.50 Set in Bombay in 1971, the year of the war between India and Pakistan over todays Bangladesh, this novel narrates with empathy and wit the struggle of the honest bank clerk Gustad Noble against domestic problems and public corruption. "Such a Long Journey" was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1991, but it would have deserved to win.
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 | Kartography by Kamila Shamsie
Buy new: $10.92 / Used from: $2.37 The love story between Raheen and Karim is predestined since childhood in upper-class Karachi, but a family mystery linked to Pakistan's turbulent history puts it at risk. Witty and enlightening.
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 | A World for Julius: A Novel (THE AMERICAS) by Alfredo Bryce Echenique
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $6.44 Julius clever, funny and sensitive childhood account among Limas upper class is a joy to read. Garcia Marquez considers it one of the best Latin American novels, and I agree.
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 | Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Buy used from: $0.01 True love is patient and sometimes even very patient, but this is probably the first love story where the dream is fulfilled 50 years later. My favourite novel by Garcia Marquez, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.
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 | The Inhabited Woman (THE AMERICAS) by Gioconda Belli
Buy new: $15.45 / Used from: $10.05 In this amazing novel Lavinia is a modern Latin American woman inhabited by the spirit of an Indian female warrior who fought against the Spanish invaders. Gioconda Belli is also a poet and it shows.
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 | The Storyteller: A Novel by Mario Vargas Llosa
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.85 This very special novel shows the central role storytelling plays among the indigenous tribes in Peru's Amazon jungle. The storyteller's identity will surprise you!
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 | Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $4.14 Gabriela's arrival in the Brazilian town of Ilheus causes quite a stir! Amado would have deserved to win the Nobel prize not only for his writing, but also for his great humanity.
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 | A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories by Yiyun Li
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $2.61 Every short story by this young Chinese writer is a gem.
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 | Banquet Bug, The by Geling Yan
Buy new: $24.95 / Used from: $0.01 Satirical novel exposing various ills of today's China. With continuous twists and great characters, this brilliant book is as much entertaining as it is revealing.
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 | The Bridegroom: Stories by Ha Jin
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $0.25 These beautifully written short stories depict the absurdities and injustices people must endure in China, at a time when greater individual freedom is in sight.
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 | Empress: A Novel by Shan Sa
Buy used from: $0.08 Terrific historical novel about the first female emperor in China. Empress Wu lived during the Tang Dynasty and brought Chinese culture to its apogee.
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 | Things Fall Apart: A Novel by Chinua Achebe
Buy new: $7.92 / Used from: $0.95 Wonderful novel rendering Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism. Chinua Achebe won the Man Booker International Prize 2007.
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 | The Translator by Leila Aboulela
Buy new: $9.60 / Used from: $2.85 Love story between a Sudanese translator and a Scottish professor, but the issue of religion needs to be solved. Preachy at times, but honest and absorbing. Set in Aberdeen and Khartoum.
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 | Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy) by Naguib Mahfouz
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $0.01 Through the life of a single family, this great novel set in Cairo at the beginning of the 20th century allows the reader to discover and understand a whole society. Mahfouz remains unrivalled. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988.
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 | The Yacoubian Building: A Novel by Alaa Al Aswany
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $2.74 Eye-opening novel about contemporary Egyptian society with engaging characters from all walks of life.
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 | The Belt: A Novel by Ahmed Abodehman
Buy used from: $9.83 The characters in this autobiographical novel about childhood in a Saudi Arabian village are endearing and often wise. The style is poetic, with a tender sense of humour. A heartwarming read.
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 | The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
Buy new: $9.36 / Used from: $1.44 In 18th century Italy, young Cosimo rebels against his aristocratic family by climbing into the trees, where he happily remains for the rest of his life. Delightful.
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 | The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa
Buy used from: $0.01 Splendid novel about the decline of an aristocratic family at the time of Garibaldis landing in Sicily during the second half of the 19th century. What ensued were the unification of Italy and the rise of the middle class, with the aristocracy losing power and their opulent lifestyle.
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 | The Betrothed: I Promessi Sposi (Penguin Classics) by Alessandro Manzoni
Buy new: $11.56 / Used from: $1.76 Like all Italians, I studied this great historical novel at school and it was the first work of literature I fell in love with. Many years and many books later, it's still one of my favourites.
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 | In Search of Lost Time: Proust 6-pack (Proust Complete) by Marcel Proust
Buy new: $47.25 / Used from: $43.00 In this masterpiece introspection matters more than plot. You will discover many things about yourself and have a great reading experience, which will stay with you forever.
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 | The Ambassadors (Penguin Classics) by Henry James
Buy used from: $0.01 The most significant quotation from this refined novel: Live all you can; its a mistake not to. It doesnt so much matter what you do in particular so long as you have your life. If you havent had that what have you had?
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 | Narcissus and Goldmund: A Novel by Hermann Hesse
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $1.92 Narcissus and Goldmund take different paths: one the Apollonian, the other the Dionysian. I read this profound novel when I was very young and it influenced my outlook on life. Hermann Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946.
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 | The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Buy new: $10.79 / Used from: $3.78 This extraordinary novel taught me that love can be more complex than it seems, with all the contradictions that this entails.
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