Once the clock strikes 10:06 p.m. CST today, it’ll officially be Persian New Year, or Nowruz. The holiday coincides with the Spring Equinox—thereby kickstarting Spring—and it’s arguably one of the biggest holidays to those who celebrate.
As someone who is Iranian-American, what better way to celebrate than with Persian book recommendations? If you follow me on Instagram, there’s a strong chance you’ve already seen me or others share this carousel of recommendations, but at the end you’ll also find 2024 new releases.
Happy Nowruz and Happy Reading!
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Literary Fiction
Pictured:
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar Deljani
The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi
Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
Queer Fiction
Pictured:
A Nearby Country Called Love by Salar Abdoh
In Case of of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali
Rana Joon and the One & Only Now by Shideh Etaat
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
More Fiction
Pictured:
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia
Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Non-Fiction
Pictured:
The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season by Forugh Farrokhzad
2024 Releases
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Literary Fiction)
All this Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi (YA, Fantasy - book #3 in the ‘This Woven Kingdom’ series)
Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari (Poetry, YA, Queer - Sapphic)
Women, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Novel)
The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram (YA, Queer - Achillean); pub date 4/2/24
Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour (Contemporary Fiction); pub date 6/11/2024
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction); pub date 7/2/2024
The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia (Contemporary); pub date 9/17/2024

Upcoming This Week:
On Sunday: Sunday Synopses, March 24th
ICYMI:
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