The ETG Book Club

Whether you are looking for an inspirational read before you travel or the perfect book to take on holiday, we can help. Here, you'll find a collection of our favourite books about Asia, with contributions from the team and some of our travellers.

Simply click on a country below to view our recommendations for your particular destination or dive into ‘Miscellaneous’ for great writing on travel more generally.

Children will find recommendations especially for them in ‘Younger Readers.’

We’d love to develop these lists further so please do let us know if you make any great reading discoveries of your own!

Sri Lanka

Explore our Sri Lanka book club recommendations.From ‘Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan Karunatilaka to ‘An Island’s Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket’ by Nicholas Brookes, these are just a few of our favourites.

If you’re tempted to buy any of these titles but you don’t have a local bookshop, we’d like to suggest using Hive, a website which supports independent bookstores (and offers free delivery).

India

Explore our India book club recommendations.

From ‘A Brief History of Tea’ by Roy Moxham to ‘The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company’ by William Dalrymple, these are just a few of our favourites.

Vietnam

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Vietnam, from ‘Vietnam: Rising Dragon’ by Bill Hayton to ‘Saigon: An Epic Novel of Vietnam’ by Anthony Grey.

Cambodia

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Cambodia, from ‘A Dragon Apparent’ by Norman Lewis to ‘River of Time’ by Jon Swain.

Thailand

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Thailand, from ‘Thailand: A Short History’ by David K Wyatt to ‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland.

Laos

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Laos, from ‘Voices from the Plain of Jars: Life under an Air War (New Perspectives in SE Asian Studies)’ by Fred Branfman to ‘Moon Bear’ by Gill Lewis.

Indonesia

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Indonesia, from ‘The Malay Archipelago’ by Alfred Russell Wallace to ‘A House in Bali’ by Colin McPhee.

Bhutan

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Bhutan, from ‘The Hero With A Thousand Eyes’ by Karma Ura to ‘Dreams Of The Peaceful Dragon: A Journey Through Bhutan’ by Katie Hickman.

Borneo

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for Borneo, from ‘Into the Heart of Borneo’ by Redmond O’Hanlan to ‘Land Below The Wind’ by Agnes Keith.

Miscellaneous

This section includes books that span multiple countries in Asia and so are not easily catalogued by destination. We’ve also chosen some great recipe books so you can go on a culinary journey before your holiday or keep the memories of your trip alive long after you return. Finally, we’ve included our recommendations if you’re interested in travel writing more generally.

Younger Readers

Here are a few of our favourite reading recommendations for younger readers travelling to Asia, from ‘Beato Goes to Indonesia’ by Suchesta Rawal to ‘The Girl Who Stole An Elephant’ by Nizrana Farook.