Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme brought by T5W on Goodreads.

I'm excited about this week's Top 5 Wednesday topic. Today's prompt asks us to write about books that aren't set in or inspired by the Western world. We have to stay out of North America and Western Europe.

My Top 5 Wednesday list is really a Top 6 Wednesday, but I hope you'll forgive me. These books take us all over the world, from the Ottoman Empire to Japan to Columbia, Chile, and Khorasan. These books captivated me with their characters and with their descriptions of place.

Forget my "Favorite Books that Take Place Outside the Western World," these are some of my all-time favorite books, period.

Are any of these books in your favorites? Do you have any recommendations for me? Please let me know in the comments below!

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