Hello everybody,
a happy 2020 to everyone.
Continuing the habit,
I formed last year, here is a list of books I read in 2019.
1.
The Ice Palace by
Tarjei Vesaas; Weird book. There were chapters
that completely sailed overhead. I am certain that even re-reading will not
herald newer understanding. I grabbed the general outline but beyond that
nothing. Naren’s reputation for “choosing the weird” is consolidated yet again.
😊
a.
Recommended by Naren.
2.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy; If someone told me to write about a
father and son wandering a bleak landscape, I would have written probably 10
pages. Could have stretched it to 30 pages after throwing in some encounters.
Period. This is what makes you marvel while you are reading the book. Pages
after pages where he is just describing their journey. And what a vocabulary.
No fancy big and intimidating words. You are left stunned at the words that are
used, you had never heard before. And when you look up, the use is apt. He
drags you inside. You are excited when they find food. You almost taste it when
he describes it. You are worried when
danger approaches them. The dialogues are so minimal and natural. I had an
additional pleasure of referring to the portfolio of my son that was inspired
by The Road. An excellent book. I could not sleep after turning the last page.
a.
Footnote: Surprised to realize that the “No
country for old men” was also his work
b.
Recommended by Ameya.
3.
The view from the cheap
seats by Neil Gaiman; Quintessential NG. the first part and the last two
parts were gripping. His writing is a pleasure always, however the intervening
chapters, where he talks about authors, music and books of which, at least, I
am not aware of, the connecting is poor. His style of writing is fabulous
throughout the book. Self-recommendation, but the author had been brought to my
notice by Ameya.
a.
And Neil is a powerful writer; he left an
impression, literally
4.
The sense of an ending
by Julian Barnes; Few books can rattle you as
this does. That I knew nothing about the book or the author helped. Started
reading with almost no expectations, but few pages into the book, I was already
sure that I was reading something special. I hope that this book is not even
remotely autobiographical – if it were, the author has balls, assuming he to be
the narrator! The entire premise is so palpable, one could relate it to events
in one’s life as one reads them. I have now reached an age where I do not care
anymore if what I am reading is fiction or real. The last book I read before
this gave me the tattoo that says it best. A monumental work. And a book that
follows the Chekov’s Gun principle to perfection. Not one incident is
superfluous, not one sentence is wasted and how beautifully he brings
everything together in the last 200 words or so! The last sentence of the book
is a repeat of an earlier utterance. The first time you encounter this sentence
it evokes a snigger and a smile. When repeated at the end, it delivers a
sledgehammer blow.
a.
Recommended by Manoj
Joglekar, who had, with this, been responsible for three singularly
important recommendations in/to my life.
i.
Sophie’s choice
ii.
Single Malt
iii.
The sense of an ending
b.
But do I trust my memory anymore? Certainly not,
after reading this book! But Manoj, a great many thanks.
5.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer: An easy read. Effortlessly funny.
Sample “The driver works the horn-like an outlaw at a gunfight. Stray dogs and
goats leap from the road wearing guilty expressions and people leap aside
wearing innocent ones”. Decent work with a lot of insight. Is it exceptional –
the answer is no. Is it Pulitzer winning material – again the answer is no. But I am not on the judging panel of Pulitzer.
a.
Recommended by – The Guardian
list of books.
6.
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou; Was pissed off when pages 1 to 22 were
present two times in a copy that I bought off Amazon and pages 23 to 54 were
completely missing! Mihir came to the rescue and was kind enough to scan the
missing pages to me. Fantastic piece of investigative journalism. Elizabeth
reminded me of the few toxic bosses I had, experienced first hand as well as
seen the bad boss demoralizing friends. At times, it did feel like John had a
personal ax to grind on Elizabeth, but as you approached the closing pages you
conclude if anything he had been gentle on her on the contrary. Describing her,
correctly, as a sociopath in the last paragraph of the book is poetic and
apt. As much credit goes to Tyler
Schultz for standing firm and rendering the word integrity a resounding
meaning.
a.
Recommended by Mihir.
7.
God Bless You Mr.
Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut; This book was
bought in 2006 and am reading it now! If ever you need an example for Tsundoku, I am your man. A
totally insane novel. A smile is constantly pasted on your face at the sheer
lunacy of Eliot is exhibited page after page. Cynical, grotesque and
exceedingly funny. Compassion vs corporate culture.
a.
Recommended by self – from the collection of
earlier years that was based on authors who left an impression.
8.
There is always a price
tag by James Hadley Chase; My foray into
English novels started with Chase, as it must have been for most Indians. He
had a foolproof template. Ruthless killers, femme fatale, loads of money and
riveting narration. No fancy words, no lofty ideals to preach and absolutely no
scruples. His descriptions of people are still one of the best I have seen in
writing. Of course, there is nothing to
write as a review. Regular Chase stuff. Keeps you glued. A welcome relief
anytime. And I was so pissed off when I realized that the Hindi film Maharathi
was a blatant copy – Now I need to check if they had given the credits to Mr.
Chase.
a.
Recommended by – I do not even remember who
introduced Chase to me – probably a friend of my dad or my brother.
9.
The Sixth Extinction
by Elizabeth Kolbert; Books like these and
authors who can even think of such themes, leave alone writing them, continue
to amaze me. We owe these people a huge thanks for enriching our lives. And it
is all the more humbling when you come across more such people within the book,
who labor with unwavering determination to pursue topics that impact us
globally. While reading such books I realize the need for an audiobook. No
idea how half the terms are pronounced. I am sure I have pronounced them all
wrong. Kudos to the author to make a technical subject so friendly, and easy to
understand. With examples like “similar to you trying to build a house while
someone is constantly stealing the bricks”.
a.
Recommended by Mihir.
10.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid; Lovely prose and powerful. And relevant
today. With statements like "to love is to enter into the inevitability of
one day not being able to protect what is most valuable to you” A winner all
the way. Straight from the heart. The drifting away of the couple is so
beautifully penned.
a.
Recommended by Mihir.
11.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/04/04/bjp-in-power-indian-democracy-and-religious-nationalism-pub-78677
; This one almost qualifies as a book. The subject was so captivating, that I
took a printout of the entire link – the executive summary and all the chapters
– It is almost a collector’s issue. It can become a reference material in any
study of psephology.
12.
India Unbound by
Gurcharan Das; Another precious work. As good a
chronicle as you can get about the businessman’s view of India Inc. In his
usual easy to read prose. An interesting anecdote is that I left the book behind
in a hotel room while traveling and my relative managed to collect it from the
room service people and I had to wait three months before going back to the
last 4 chapters 😊. Will be interesting to know what his views
are about some of the fallen idols like P Chidambaram, Raju of Satyam, Anil
Ambani and Sam Pitroda.
a.
Any book of Gurcharan Das now counts as
recommended by Uday.
13.
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk; Another
typical Pamuk novel. In the initial chapters you are completely disconnected,
you have no clue what’s going on. The names, a different narrator in each chapter
all muddle you up. Gradually things settle down and clarity dawns and you are
gripped. And this is CERTAINLY not meant for a breezy read. This is slow. There
is no way I could push it or cover more. This book probably ate into my numbers
for the year-end tally. But quality over quantity is the guiding line, right?
This guy writes straight from his heart. Passionate personified. Chapter 47,
“I, Satan” is one of the most brilliant few pages I have ever read. This guy is
a top-notch writer. A plot that is so unthinkable, a story about miniaturists!!
His eye for the details is a sheer jaw drop. And as the ending says it aptly
“For the sake of a delightful and convincing story, there isn’t a lie Orhan
wouldn’t deign to tell”
a.
Orhan Pamuk has become a favorite author and his
books now are now under the self-recommended category
14.
Dad you suck by Tim Dowling; After numerous Saturday columns, a move
to one of his books was inevitable. He is funny. He writes effortlessly and
proves that you just need to be observant to write something. The trademark
self-deprecating humor comes clean on each page. If I ever get to meet his
family, I will never feel like meeting them for the first time. But it is known
that authors are big liars. I was surprised at the slight emotional aspect
towards the end.
a.
Self-recommended
15.
Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz; A routine airport shop pick up. A good one to race through. A decent yarn. Am prepared for an inevitable film starring
Jason Statham.
a.
Unrecommended and
unlikely to be recommended either 😊
16.
This divided island
by Samanth Subramanian; A contemporary event closely
related to me being a Tamil. We grew up during this conflict and the
assassination of Rajiv and the killing of Prabhakaran happened when I was an
adult. This book took me into Sri Lanka that was not covered by news
channels and newspapers. The writing is effortless; the author has taken enough
pains to walk a middle path, condemning the violence by both the Tigers and the
Army, however, his scorn for the excesses by the army comes through clearly. It
is logical too. With statements like “Shrink the humanity of your enemy, and
the fighting must seem easier, more just, less complicated”, the author takes
your breath away.
a.
Picked up from a stray
tweet and I would be strongly recommending this book as well as end up gifting it to a few.
17.
Dancing lessons for the
advance in age by Bohumil Hrabal: What
can one say about a guy who is the very definition of CRAZY. He surprises you
with each book. One of the true originals. His penchant for the weird is
amazing and original. His books are such a breeze, I finished this in one
sitting with a constant grin pasted on my face. Situations like “we took the
gun apart, but could not put it back, we wanted to shoot ourselves but could
not as we did not put the gun back and a priest hammering the daylights out of
his assistant who crept out during the mass for a nip and the members of the
crowd wondering at the new part of the mass that they had watched, and his
endless takes on sex at every instant possible” leave you begging for more. And
the whole book just about 100 pages come out tumbling in one UNBROKEN SENTENCE.
Now go beat that!
a.
Any book by Hrabal is deemed as Naren’s recommendation now.
18.
The best we could do
by Thi Bui: Sounds pompous to say that this book
was recommended by Bill Gates. That was, in fact, the truth. Catching up on
what BG has been reading led to this and the fact that I was reading
Sympathizer at that point in time nailed it. It was a quick read but a
wonderful book all the same. The citizens of a country torn by war are always a
notch above when it comes to narrating their lives. That war is pointless is
once again summed up so painfully. The last chapter drawing parallels with her
and her mother as mothers is so beautiful. And the most arresting statement in
that book should be this – “This – not any particular piece of Vietnamese
culture- is my inheritance; the inexplicable need and extraordinary ability to
RUN when the shit hits the fan. My Refugee Reflex”. And the early chapters
where a child wants an audience and does not get one. I hear the same complaint
from my children.
a.
Recommended by Bill
Gates
19.
The Goat Thief
by Perumal Murugan: A collection of short
stories. Few stories were absurd. I have no clue what he wanted to convey. But
some stories were marvelous. The overall result is a disappointment. Honestly, my own
collection of short stories is better than this. 😊 each story starts beautifully, builds up
even more compellingly and ends so lamely. Appears as if he just wants to be
weird for weird sake or I am too dumb to understand his nuances! Maybe his
novels will be better. I will pick up his novels after a few other books.
Certainly, no more short-story collection from him again.
a.
Author recommended by
Naren.
20.
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi: I finished the goat thief the previous
day and this book arrived by post while I was at the office, thus a decision on
what to read next was taken out of my hand. I have never read anything like
this before, and that is a strong statement considering that I have been
reading for the past 40 years!! I will never ever feel that I am insane either.
😊 That there are authors who are capable of
such vivid imaginations is highly humbling when we have seen bestsellers that
are unadulterated trash. In the beginning, there was a sort of confusion with
similar-sounding names Ala, Ada and Aba but the moment I realized that this is
not meant to be a breezy read and the author deserves the respect of
concentration, things fell into place. What imagination and how daring. This is a
debut!!! People would sell their soul to write anything even half as good as
this. And lines like “She felt like it fit, or at least the misfit of it fit,
the wrongness was right” and “Yshwa’s teachings included a lot about repentance
and forgiveness and being white as the snow of a bleached lamb, the general
gist being that you could fuck up and start over” and the best is “is there any
story of a human loving a god that ends well?” . While doing research on the
author, stumbled upon this powerful short story of hers, winner of 2017
commonwealth short story prize regional winner Africa – use this link https://granta.com/who-is-like-god/
a.
Recommended by Sayantan
Ghosh, a twitter acquaintance.
21.
Buddha’s diet by
Tara Cottrell & Dan Zigmond; A freak book.
The whole book could have been over in a 10-page leaflet, but it never felt
dragging. Easily written and some basic guides to healthy eating (which might
lead to weight loss). I started straightaway on the 11-hour eating cycle, and
as I am writing this review am into the first week, successfully. There are
more tips on meditations, mindfulness and quality living. Would strongly
recommend it. I intend to return to this part of the review by the end of the year
and quantify the weight loss, if any, as well as how much I was able to stay on
the 11-hour eating schedule, or if I made an improvement to the final 10-hour
goal. The result is status quo, mainly due to lack of workouts.
a.
Recommended by Ujval.
22.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman; NG is a top storyteller. A good old
fairytale. Chekov’s Gun principle spot on in the book. You knew all along what
would happen, the cat decapitating the rat, the collection of marbles, the
other mother’s hand that follows, the climax but even then, it holds your
attention and it is a quick read on the top of it. The sketches are awesome
too. Particularly that of the scuttling hand. It must be presented to every girl
who is aged 7.
a.
The author was introduced by Ameya
23.
24, 25, Hitchhiker’s
guide to Galaxy by Douglas Adams; Books
23-25 as I ended up with the omnibus edition with all books in one and decided
to read the first 3. I needed to stop after 3, as I wanted a change of genre and
the evil pleasure of coming back to the last two at a later date
a.
Recommended by Akshaya
b.
And what more can be said about this book that
has not been said before? Catch-22 and Guide have become part of the folklore,
still, I can’t resist the following list
i.
The foreword is a sample of the quirkiness of
the books to follow. You read with a constant smile plastered on your face.
ii.
Enjoyed the dig at Arsenal in the opening pages,
that I missed the first time around
iii.
Realized that Petronas towers owe it to Douglas,
as the design is a clear rip off from the headquarters of the publishing house
iv.
He probably first gave the idea for the name Google!
v.
The answer is 42, but what is the question? 😊
vi.
Zaphod buried one of his faces in two of his
hands
vii.
And this statement – “That young girl is one of
the least benightedly unintelligent organic life forms it has been my profound
lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting”
26.
Poonachi by Perumal Murugan; It is ironical that I need to read a
Tamil story when it is translated into English. An effortless commentary that
transcends many layers; social relevance, women empowerment, distrust in a piece of government machinery, the helplessness of the downtrodden, exploitation of the
situation by everyone. There are no heroes and villains in this book just as in
real life. Each character, including the eponymous Poonachi, travels the gamut
of emotions, gratitude to an ingrate, benevolent to selfish, ecstasy to
depression. Strongly recommended and a must-read for anyone who appreciates
serious literature.
a.
The author was introduced by Naren, and he has redeemed himself after the
disastrous beginning to the year with the Ice Palace 😊
27.
An American marriage
by Tayari Jones; A love triangle, a man wrongly
convicted, black lives in America! All clichés. But not this book. Keeps you
glued. And so much of the vacillating emotions that touch a tender spot. Is
there anyone who is one dimensional all one’s life? We are all reasonable and
unreasonable, secure and insecure in varying measures, continuously and
alternately. A fantastic read. Strongly recommended.
a.
Self - Recommended after reading some reviews.
28.
Nine Pints by Rose George; Another book recommended by Bill Gates.
Imagine this; You get an idea about writing a book on blood. You will probably
do the time-tested route of tracing the history of blood, the myth, the ancient
rituals, the growing science in a chronological way and make it as inviting as
a root canal. Trust Rose George to throw such an idea out of the window and
keep you glued to every page. And such wit. “If Martians could shrug, Nettie
would have” “To me, all this reads as divine instructions for vegetarianism”
“Most patients reacted badly, by dying” and so many more. We can fill several
pages of quotable quotes from this book alone. I will soon be picking up her
other books. The one on human waste looks interesting. The suspense of the
young woman’s fate in the chapter code red was so full of drama. I read on
hoping she would live. A fantastic book. Strongly recommended. Will certainly
my gift in the coming year to a few of my friends when their birthdays come
along.
a.
Recommended by Bill
Gates.
29.
The Only Story
by Julian Barnes; Julian and his memory games
all over again. If Sense of an ending measured 8 on the Richter scale, then
this one measures…. At the end of the day, no one can match JB when it comes to
touching those emotions that you relate so well to. Whenever I read his books,
I often drift back to my past and wonder how this guy knows my feelings. It is
uncanny. His choice of words, the in-your-face approach, ruthless in
introspection continue to impress you. He is a pure gem. Such a breezy read of
a feelgood rebellious love story comes to a Julian Barnes type of conclusion at
the end of chapter 1 with “And this is how I would remember it all, if I could.
But I can’t”. then he drags you along time-tested paths of introspection,
ruthless exposure of all established hypocrisies and ends with another
knock-out punch. The change back to the first-person narrative in the last two
pages is so beautifully perfect. And of all the definitions and quotes on love,
this being the only story on love, the astoundingly simplistic while being
amazingly apt, is this one “In my opinion, every love, happy or unhappy, is a
real disaster once you give yourself over to it entirely”. The author is left
uncredited for this quote and hence this has naturally come from himself.
Anyone who has loved, meaning everyone in this world, will certainly fall in
love with this book. And, as love always brings on latter-day agonies, suffer.
a.
Any book of Julian Barnes is now considered a Manoj recommendation.
30.
A lesson before dying by Ernest J. Gaines;
Black man. Wrong place. Wrong time. White Jury. Predictable but wrong
sentencing. All clichés. Right? Wrong. A book that paints the plantation in
front of your eyes. One can almost hear Day O in your mind as you read those
vivid descriptions. The biggest success of the book is that it makes you cry in
the last few pages, unabashedly. The sentence, “Tell nanan, I walked”, packs in
more emotions than volumes can. Strongly recommended.
a.
Recommended by Viet
Thanh Nguyen. Picked this up from one of his tweets. A recommendation by
Mr. Nguyen could not go wrong, could it? I hope his sequel to the sympathizer
hits the stand in 2020.
Last year was
the first year I tried to compile a short summary of what I had read during the
year. As much for the record as it was for showing off. If even one book gets read,
by even one person, after this blog has been read, that would be a good deed
performed already. Most of my recommendations come from Mihir, Naren, The
Guardian and Twitter. If I can be a source to someone, the purpose would
have been served. From 19 in the last year to 30, this year is good growth. I hope I can sustain this! Have a wonderful 2020.
