Hello, a happy 2022 to everyone.
Continuing
the habit, here is a list of books I read in 2021.
1.
The English Patient (Fiction) by Michael Ondaatje; Was a disappointment. There is
consistency in the last 3 years, as the first book continues to fail to
impress. I do not understand all the acclaim the book had gathered. Probably I
am too dumb to appreciate this book. Am taking nothing away from the author. We
did not click, that’s all.
a.
Started on 3rd January and
Finished on 20th January
b.
Recommended by Self
2.
People, A-Z drabbles for every
occasion (Fiction) by Natasha Ramarathnam; The foreword says drabbles is a
story of 100 words, not about 100, not nearly 100 but exactly 100. Trying to
write a story in exactly 100 words will be a task. And then you raise the bar
by saying I will to 26 by running through the alphabet. Like solving a Rubik’s
cube blindfolded. A wonderful task. And that each story is a gem by itself. I
am likely to be biased as I know the author well. But my reviews are usually
honest. A breeze of a read. A relief after the previous one which was
incredibly slow at times.
a.
Started on 21st January and finished on 21st
January
b.
Recommended by the author
(How often does one get to say it)
3.
How not to be wrong – the power of
mathematical thinking (Non-Fiction) by Jordan
Ellenberg; A wonderful book with interesting anecdotes, case studies,
and a writing style that is so easy to relate to. Some basic grasp of
mathematics is needed, but most possess that. A compelling topic and an easy
read. Would strongly recommend this to anyone. Statements like “Linear
regression to social science is like a screwdriver to home repair” and “Torture
the data till it confesses” are so effortlessly written. At least two or three
birthdays are taken care of from the gift point of view.
a.
Started on 22nd January and
finished on 14th Feb
b.
Recommended by Bill
Gates
4.
Buddy and papayi – The true story
of an Indie pup and his best friend (Non-Fiction - Biography) by Lalita Pulavarti; What a fantastic book. Tugged at my
heart and then ripped it open. Felt personal at so many levels. I can write a 10
000-word review about what this book meant to me but enough is to say that this
is BEAUTIFUL. Will surely feature in my top 10 list and maybe this should not
have a number. It is above such trivialities.
a.
Started and finished on 14th Feb
b.
Recommended and gifted by Savitha
5.
Gandhi – The years that changed
the world 1914-1948 (Non-Fiction) by Ramachandra
Guha; At 930-pages (without notes), it was never meant to be a quick
read. But it was a pleasure to read this one. This is one of those books that
requires two bookmarks. One for the reading part and one for the notes section.
Mr. Guha surely is a fine biographer of Gandhi. He is not a blind devotee to
extol everything done by Gandhi as right. He has questioned him often
throughout the book. So much new information (at least for me) – Gandhi’s son
married Rajaji’s daughter, one of his sons wanted to marry a Muslim that was
discouraged by Gandhi, his son converted to a Muslim, his “affair” with
Sarladevi Chaudharani, his secretary Mahadev Desai, the Nehru-Patel friction,
Jinnah, Ambedkar tussle. A great book. One statement stays with me “Assumption
of superiority by any person over any other is a sin”!!!!
a.
Started on 15th Feb and finished
on 6th April.
b.
Recommended by Ujval
6.
When I hit you (Fiction) by Dr. Meena
Kandsamy; “Love is not blind, it just looks in the wrong places”. The
last chapters that address the questions “Why did she not walk away” were the
best. To preempt what the readers might think and answer them, and not leave it
open-ended with the author’s license to addressing the matter is amazing. That she
used Tamil in many places makes a closer connection, as it is my first language
too. An essential read to men more than women. And if someone concludes abuse
only means physical abuse, think again. To me, the message is that a woman must
leave a marriage when abuse creeps in, in whichever form! A searing work, and
as relevant as <insert most topical issue>.
a.
Started on 6th April and finished
on 10th April
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
7.
Say Nothing – A True Story of
Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (Non-Fiction) by Patrick Radden Keefe; History is a delicate matter.
When events as recent as 50 years ago can be so unclear and left to multiple
interpretations, what hopes do we have on the veracity of the history or how
the future generation would read our times as. With spin doctors manipulating
contemporary events and doctor existing narratives, it sure looks scary. Back
to the book; A lovely well-researched book on the Troubles, reads like crime
fiction, with an abduction in the first chapter and the (potential) killer
revealed on the last page. Strongly recommended.
a.
Started on 10th April and finished
on 22nd May.
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
8.
Rules of civility (Fiction) by Amor Towles; What a gem of a book. Quotes galore. Mr.
Towles has a grip on writing superlative stuff. “If we only fell in love with
people who were perfect for us, he said, then there wouldn’t be so much fuss
about love in the first place” – this reminded me of his quote about fate in
his second book, the gentleman in Moscow. His command over the language is
something extraordinary, comparable to that of Julian Barnes among his
contemporaries.
a.
Started on 24th April and finished
on 22nd May (due to testing positive for Covid, which robbed 15 days
of reading time)
b.
Recommended by self
9.
The name of the rose (Fiction) by Umberto Eco; This book probably took the longest time
I had ever taken to finish one book. There were multiple reasons. First was my
shuttling between two cities for almost 6 months on a daily basis, and then
spending another 3 months living in two cities, the workweek in one and the weekend
in the other. Secondly, the book was SLOW. The writing style had aged and it is
not easy to stay comfortable with the style. And lastly, there were too many
theological arguments and debates. But on the whole, his wit and his capacity
to weave a stunning story remain intact. Out of the blue pops a statement that
clears what scores of pages can’t. His postscript was hilarious. A typical Eco
albeit a trying one.
a.
Started on 23rd May and finished
on 3rd December
b.
Recommended by self.
10. Cold Blood (Fiction) by Robert
Bryndza; A birthday gift. I was stuck on the rose for so long, I needed
to have a sense of having finished reading something. The book is crap. As
expected.
a.
Started on 19th September and
finished on 23rd September
b.
Gifted by Iveta
11. Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 (Fiction) by Cho
Nam-Joo; “If you must read one book this year, let this be the one” has
been reduced to a cliché but applies well to this book. What a lovely beautiful
book. The last two pages knock off any breath still left inside. One of the
most beautiful books I have read in my life. I thought South Koreans can only
make weird films and TV series and write even weirder books (a la The
Vegetarian) but this one changed that opinion. A GEM.
a.
Started on 4th December and
finished on 5th December
b.
Recommended by Akshaya
12. The lost decade (2008-2018) (Non-Fiction) by Puja Mehra; A book that a person like me can
understand is a sure recommendation. If the policy paralysis destroyed the
economy in UPA2 then the speedy implementation of unprepared policies
implemented without preparation spelled the doom in Modi’s years. Can you get any
simpler than this? And then this line – If Mr. Singh’s government ignored the
advice then the Modi government removed the advisers. I learned a lot about
Pranab Mukherjee through this book. A great impartial look at just the economy without
yielding to the temptation of blaming one over the other.
a.
Started on 5th December and
finished on 23rd December
b.
Recommended by Ujval
13. Interpreter of maladies (Fiction) by Jhumpa Lahiri; Bit of
an anticlimax. The eponymous story and Mrs. Sen’s were brilliant. The remaining
7 stories were just about ok. Describing daily activities, looking for nuances
and terrific observations capturing most of the gestures and the activities
were all spot on.
a.
Started on 24th December and
finished on 27th December
b. Recommended by self
