I used the last of my Christmas gift cards today to order online from Indigo (much cheaper than going into the store):

• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (set in China; translated from original French)
• Snow by Orhan Pamuk (set in Turkey; translated from original Turkish)
• Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (set in Egypt; translated from original Arabic)
• The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet by Michael Pearce (set in Egypt)

I can’t wait to read them. I’ve heard great things about the first three; I’ve read some of Michael Pearce’s mysteries before, but I was very young and had trouble following his plots. I’m hoping his books will make more sense now than they did when I was ten….