Hello, a happy 2024 to everyone.
Continuing
the habit, here is a list of books I read in 2023.
1.
The Fall of the Ottomans – The Great War in the Middle East 1914 - 1920(Non-Fiction) by Eugene Rogan; Reading it immediately after Musa Dagh
helped. One is often left to wonder how many great empires or regimes met their
nemesis in Russia. The research is exhaustive. A definitive book on Ottomans. The
post-war repatriations that would serve as the base of the 2nd World
War somehow spurred Ataturk to launch an immediate resistance and formed modern Turkey. The immoral British and French stand exposed for their shady
dealings and promises they made that they had no intention of keeping. The
continuing simmering cauldron that is the Middle East today is the sole
creation of the certified troublemaker of the modern world, The British. A
brilliant book. The withdrawal of Russia after the Bolshevik revolution from
the Entente forces that changed the course of the war is something I learned
from this book. The Ottomans were so close to a different outcome so many
times. The fleeing of the three pashas and the Armenians tracking them down to
avenge is poetic judgment.
a.
Started on 18th December and
finished on 21st Jan
b.
Recommended by Arko
and Vivek
2.
R.N.Kao: Gentleman Spymaster
(Non-Fiction) by Nitin A Gokhale; What
a shoddy piece of writing. Mr. Kao deserved a better biographer than Gokhale.
After reading Walter Isaacson’s brilliant narratives in countless biographies,
this comes across as poor. A comparison to WI is not fair, but even on its own,
this is pathetic writing. The author says he finished writing in 2 months, and
the result is evident. I wish someone else would write another biography on Mr.
Kao that would do justice to his stature and achievement. The chapters on
Bangladesh and Sikkim were better than the others. The appendix was entirely
meaningless.
a.
Started on 21st Jan and finished
on 25th Jan
b.
Recommended by Arko
3.
The Body- A Guide for Occupants
(Non-Fiction) by Bill Bryson; Such a
lovely read. Who would have thought that a book on how one’s body functions could
be such a breeze. The anecdotes. The wit. Fantastic read. For a book that
endlessly repeats, “this we do not know”, “for which science has no answer” and
so on, it transfers a great deal of information and makes you much wiser about
your own body. The more you look at what your body does, the more you stand in
awe at the completeness, the functions and the industriousness of it. If I
start sharing one quote a day, I will have quotes left after my time is up.
Fabulous writing at its best. We owe so much to chance, that played a crucial
role in most inventions to improve our health. And, as usual, out of the blue
comes certain references that drag me back to the holocaust and unit 731. Sigh.
Humans, how vile can they get?
a.
Started on 25th Jan and finished
on 5th Feb
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian and Krish Ashok (his tweet on race being a sliver of epidermis first
drew me to this work)
4.
The Thursday murder club (Fiction) by Richard Osman; After three non-fiction works, I needed
a fiction break. Fun, before anything else. Easy to read and clever at the same
time. Subtle humor on almost every page. This one is my fav though “It would be
the most uncomfortable chair that Chris had ever sat in, had he not just made
the flight to Cyprus on Ryanair”. The whole novel is a wonderful tease. A
highly satisfying read. Such a complicated plot, with so many characters, all
neatly woven in.
a.
Started on 5th Feb and finished on
11th Feb
b.
Recommended by Shilpa
(though this was on the news for a long and I had made a note of it earlier on
too)
5.
Remote Sympathy (Fiction) by Catherine Chidgey; Did not expect this book to be such
a fast read. Brilliantly written. So subtle in most places. In one of the pages
she describes the photographs of the inmates as “the stubble-headed and pebble-eyed”. How very perfect. This will stay with me forever. It describes the
countless photographs that I had seen at Auschwitz-Birkenau. I am no stranger to
books about/around the holocaust but this one is so special, so unique,
unlike any that I have read before. With alternating records between the
doctor, Frau Hahn, the recordings of Dietrich Hahn from the Dachau trials, and the
impressions of the 1000 men from Weimar, the novel unfolds exquisitely tenderly and unflinchingly. The climax is BEAUTIFUL! It is only February but I
can’t imagine another book challenging this for the best book of the year’s
reading. This is likely to be the image on the year-end blog post. Would love
to meet the author one day and salute my admiration. So truthful to the
Buchenwald account. Simply mind-blowing.
a.
Started on 11th Feb and finished
on 19th February.
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian.
6.
The Braided River A Journey along
the Brahmaputra (Non-Fiction) by Samrat
Choudhury; A lovely easy read. The humor is subtle and a constant presence.
The author has covered a vast canvas. From the Ahom empire to the Muslim
immigrant issues, NRC lives of people in villages, towns, and cities along the
river, the rhinos and elephants. He has a keen eye and a tremendous capacity to
listen and write what he has witnessed. The Bangladesh part was surprisingly
small and appeared as if he hurried to finish it.
a.
Started on 19th February and
finished on 1st March
b.
Recommended by self but
also a gift from Savitha Shetty
7.
Alai Osai (Fiction – Tamil) by Kalki; On my waiting-to-read list for a long time. The
foreword itself was gripping. This book was special fun as I could read it in
Tamil. What a wonderful book. The conversational tone, the ideas, and the narration
are all spellbinding. Kalki holds you in his grip and never lets you go. Most
ideas were so far ahead of time for the 1950s and it pains one to see that most
of the customs and practices ridiculed in the book still prevail. The character
sketches are brilliant. There is no singularly good or bad person. Sita comes
across as a strong candidate for such a complex character sketch. While Lalita
comes across as a symbol of innocence and trust, Sita is a kaleidoscope of
characters. No one is unidimensional. A correct portrayal is that people do change
over a period of time. Vast in its scope, and difficult to identify or slot it
into a genre. A family story, a mystery, a historical novel, and to have managed
to leave a final twist after 950 pages is no easy task. He must have written the
whole novel in longhand (950 pages) back then – mad respect.
a.
Started on 1st March and finished
on 21st March.
b.
Recommended by Self
and this particular copy was gifted by Raja.
8.
A Calling for Charlie Barnes
(Fiction) by Joshua Ferris; A
writer's son writing about his father who died around 2008-2009. What is fiction
and what is real? The power lies with the one who drives the narrative. Facts
are rearranged, life embellished, events exaggerated or outright redacted.
People vanish or compress into one new version. The ending when it happens,
all too fast, takes your breath away. (Serendipity – I wrote a book about my
father who died in 2008. I traded the same fiction and fact balance and many
members of my family who would read it would feel that the story was my version
of the life as I was controlling the narrative). Like V S Naipaul said, “Truth
can be edited, only fiction never lies!”
a.
Started on 21st March and finished
on 3rd April
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
9.
Embers by Saba Khan; A book of poems. The author is a friend. So
bought and read on the same day. Mothers and Pockets and Purses struck a
chord immediately. Other poems will slowly grow on me. I am not much of a poem
person. So will read it a few more times. But to hold in your hand a book written
by your friend is a special feeling
a.
Started and finished on 24th March
b.
Recommended by the author
herself.
10. Range – How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (Non-Fiction) by David Epstein; A great
read with a lot of anecdotes and insights. Early specialization is to be
avoided and late specialization (if at all) is more rewarding. Makes absolute
sense. I can feel it as I grew in my organization. I had to develop different
skills than my core competence to perform. Came to a point where my core
competence was no longer put to any use. But, how many will take this step? An
essential book for everyone. If I leave my job anytime soon, this book would
have been a catalyst. It is also a stroke of serendipity that I finished the
book on the day my beloved friend who recommended this book ran the London
Marathon for a charity! The book itself was a compelling read, alternating
between well-known sports personalities, obscure management leaders and
pioneers in science, and unknown female musicians of ancient Italy.
a.
Started on 3rd April and finished
on 23rd April
b.
Recommended by Arun
Krishnamoorthy
11. Foster (Fiction)
by Claire Keegan; In her typical short novella
style. As gripping as the other book, small things like these. A simple tale.
Told beautifully. A satisfying read. We all could have wanted a cinematic shock
event that almost came to pass or an ending that would have been more
predictable and satisfying but one that would not have been fair. A satisfying
read and the power of her books is that they are a quick read, leaving you
wishing it were longer.
a.
Started and finished on 23rd April
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian.
12. Cutting for Stone (Fiction) by Abraham
Verghese; The novel lived up to the expectations. A glorious read on the human psyche, family, relationships, and the ultimate fact that “the world turns
on our every action, and every omission, whether we know it or not”. Made me
smile and cry in equal measure. Will now proceed to devour everything he has
penned. Reminded me a bit of Amor Towles in his writing style and what is it
with doctors and literature? So many great books are written by doctors!
a.
Started on 25th April and finished
on 10th June
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
13. The Psychology of Money (Non-Fiction) by Morgan Housel; Never thought that a book on money and
finance would be such an easy read. No magical formula or a panacea, but
everyday wisdom so obvious that we often miss them. The way the book was
constructed, anecdotal, was a nice ploy to keep you engaged. You know some of
those names, the incidents and it is easy to connect and identify. I picked up
a few good points, which is win enough for me. More importantly, a few
revelations like “The illusion of control is more persuasive than the reality
of uncertainty that we choose to believe a narrative that reinforces our sense
of control”. A lovely book.
a.
Started on 11th June and finished
on 16th June
b.
Recommended by Ujval
14. Silence is My Mother Tongue (Fiction) by Sulaiman Addonia; Punches you in your gut and kicks
you while you struggle to gain normalcy. Powerful and gut-wrenching. “was
expecting womanhood to arrive through my education, character but it came via
my vagina”, “we treat women like goddesses; Treat us like human beings and half
the problems are solved” and “women were the colander through which the
suffering of their nations was purged” are just a few examples. The ending of the
book “full of generous people” is dripping with sarcasm. And the
acknowledgments where he talks about "his being an Arsenal fan was punishing
enough" reveal that the author can smile after all that he had been through!
a.
Started on 16th June and finished
on 30th June
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
15. How fascism works – The Politics of Us and Them (Non-Fiction) by Jason Stanley; Similar in scope to Ece Temelkuran’s 7
steps to lose your country and equally powerful. His clarity is stunning. One
feels so helpless when the problem and the approach of the fascists are so
clearly laid out and we still can’t do much. The book is so full of quotable
quotes, that this must be the most underlined and margin-noted book. This one line
so simply sums up everything about us and them. “We make mistakes, they are
criminals”. The world is falling apart right in front of our own eyes and we
just watch with shock at how stupid people can be or should it be gullible?
Either way, we do not learn from our history is evident. The fact that we have
a war raging in Europe (400+ days) just 80 years after the devastating WW II is
an indication that we have learned nothing. But can one lose hope? Certainly
not.
a.
Started on 30th June and finished
on 4th July
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
16. You made a fool of death with your beauty (Fiction) by Akwaeke Emezi; Disappointing! What a fall after
Freshwater! Read more like Harold Robbins writing a book over a weekend after
watching Masterchef Australia!
a.
Started on 5th July and finished
on 9th July
b.
Recommended by self
17. Africa is not a Country – Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa
(Non-Fiction) by Dipo Faloyin; Earlier
I had said, How Fascism Works should be part of the school syllabus and we can
add Dipo’s book to the list. So relevant and well researched and extremely
clear in laying out facts. As an Indian, I can relate to the colonial excesses
and the colonial baggage that we all carry. The grief expressed while visiting
the British Museum and the shamelessness of the museums all over the world in
refusing to return is absolutely spot on. A review would not be complete
without his humor. Brilliant. Isn’t humor the only coping mechanism that we all
have in facing our troubles? A satire on a Hollywood guide to making movies on
Africa stands out. I laughed as much as I sat and pondered. And wept.
a.
Started on 9th July and finished
on 19th July
b.
A random airport pick-up (as
I finished Emezi, I started this book on the flight back – A book bought and
begun at once, while earlier purchases are waiting their turn!)
18. Vajpayee – The ascent of the Hindu Right 1924-1977 (Non-Fiction) by
Abhishek Choudhary; Biography done right. The
author brings the much-needed nuance and kudos to him for having resisted the
urge to paint everything in black or white. Was surprised to learn that Babri
Masjid was an issue in 1949 and DeMo was suggested as a solution to rein in
black money in 1970. I can confidently say Walter Isaacson and R Guha have a
competent contemporary. Hope the part 2 does not disappoint. A relevant read to
understand the slow but dangerous ascent of Hindu right!
a.
Started on 20th July and finished
on 4th August
b.
Recommended by Panicker
(Twitter)
19. The Lincoln Highway (Fiction) by Amor
Towles; Does the author need an introduction? After the magnificent
Gentleman in Moscow and the brilliant Rules of Civility (the order in which I
read them) the 3rd book was naturally on the cards. “For kindness
begins where necessity ends” is a statement that shall stay with me for a long
time. Original plot and excellent writing. Chekov’s gun principle is practiced
unerringly. A lovely read. There is every potential for a Lincoln Highway part
2.
a.
Started on 4th August and finished
on 15th August
b.
Recommended by self
20. The association of
small bombs (Fiction) by Karan Mahajan; How
a small bomb impacts so many lives. The eternal Hindu–Muslim divide laid
bare. A wonderful study of human behavior. “They should all die” to “let us go
and support them” in a span of a few hours is a classic rendition of how humans
behave. Rationality is not one's forte ‘when personal tragedy clouds your mind.
A nice tie-up of all the events and characters in the end, though it felt that
the author rushed the ending.
a.
Started on 15th August and
finished on 21st August
b.
Recommended by self,
a random pick-up.
21. A pocketful of happiness (Non-Fiction) by Richard E Grant; CRAP. If I write more, I will become
more agitated.
a.
Started on 21st August and
finished on 27th August
b.
Recommended by self.
22. Pedro Paramo (Fiction) by Juan
Rulfo; Picked up the book as the foreword was written by Garcia Marquez
and his effusive praise. The book started well and had great potential but
became weirder and weirder. Can’t say I enjoyed reading it. Too non-linear, and
the dreaded magic realism in an uncontrolled way. Thankfully, it was a slim
volume.
a.
Started on 28th August and
finished on 31st August.
b.
Recommended by self
23. House of Glass – The story and secrets of a twentieth-century
Jewish family(Non-Fiction) by Hadley
Freeman; Started on the day the Second World War broke and the Glass
family starts their lives in a town, Chrzanow, 80 km from where I live. After
William Shirer introduced me to the 1000-year Reich, my life had been a
constant engagement with WW II and the Holocaust. Seven trips to Auschwitz Birkenau
and multiple volumes later, any book on Jews cca 1930s still packs a punch. “Individual
lives are always more complicated than sweeps of history” and “Being Jewish is
something to be endured, never flaunted” are two statements that define the
book. No stranger to family tragedies, still the lives of Jacques, Mila, and
Lily make your jaw drop. Alex – from stealing meatballs to getting personalized
sketches from Picasso – what a life! A most satisfying book. Shed the usual
tears. Another book that illustrates the complex nature of individuals and the
fact that there are always shades of gray; life is never black or white.
a.
Started on 1st September and
finished on 9th September
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian
24. The End of Faith – Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason
(Non-Fiction) by Sam Harris; Not for
anyone seeking subtlety. He has taken a sledgehammer and never once puts it
down. Written immediately after 9/11, the anger and the rage is palpable.
Religion is laid bare here for what it is, EVIL! And this time he appeals to
the rational men (and women) not to tolerate the nonsense anymore. Certain
parts (his exploration of pragmatist and realist for example) were a bit dense
but an honest piece of work. “The religious moderate is nothing more than a
failed fundamentalist; by failing to live by the letter, while tolerating the
irrationality of those who do, he betrays both faith and reason equally”
“Theology is ignorance with wings” and “the more educated we become, the more
second hand our beliefs are" are some of the quotes that describe how
scholarly this book is. He has not diluted his anger and this book must be
mandatory for everyone and more so for a fence sitter!
a.
Started on 10th September and
finished on 24th September
b.
Recommended by The
Guardian.
25. All the light we cannot see (Fiction) by Anthony Doerr; Superlative work. I loved all those
small chapters. I also have a bias towards authors who name their chapters
instead of numbering them. The alternate chapters flitting between the two main
characters and jumping timelines were both done so effortlessly that one never
feels lost. The author says in acknowledgments that it took almost a decade to
write this book and the result is evident. A thoroughly researched book. A
different kind of war book. Saint-Malo must be visited soon. I wanted to finish
this book before the Netflix series/film comes out in November.
a.
Started on 25th September and
finished on 3rd October
b.
Recommended by Mihir
26. So Late in the Day (Fiction) by Claire
Keegan; The third Keegan book after the brilliant Small Things Like These
and the taut Foster. She does not waste words, and one sits back and wonders at
the simplicity of the book, its short length, and the powerful messages all packed
so neatly into such a small volume. Brevity becomes beautiful in Keegan’s hand.
She is unbelievably good.
a.
Started and finished on the 4th of October. Will read it again.
b.
Recommended by self
27. Our Freedoms – essays and stories from India’s best writers
(Non-Fiction) edited by Nilanjana S Roy;
This has been on my to-buy list but Amalia decided to gift it to me. An
engaging read. “Necessity stayed on the street while privilege went home “ and
“I became an atheist when I started to think” came across loud and clear.
Gautam Bhatia and Annie Zaidi set the tone, Perumal Murugan had his signature
caste relevance, Yashica was incisive in her freedom exchange, Vivek Shanbhag
was at his usual best, Roshan Ali’s “agendas” I would rate as the best in this
collection, Salil Tripathi was brilliant, Aatish Taseer’s pain was palpable,
Suketu Mehta was extraordinary bristling with rage – how can Gandhi and Amit
Shah both come from Gujarat? -, Gyan Prakash’s probing of the untouchability from
a different pov was mesmerizing, T M Krishna was his usual reliable stuff and
Priyanka Dubey’s one on forgiveness was breathtaking. A good compilation.
a.
Started on 5th October and
finished on 10th October
b.
Gifted by Amalia,
so counts as her recommendation, even though it was on my “to buy” list
28. Nine rupees an hour – Disappearing livelihoods of Tamil Nadu
(Non-Fiction) by Aparna Karthikeyan;
Been following the works of the author on PARI and am now familiar with her
style of storytelling. It is engaging. A lot has been written about the extinction
of species but this is probably the first book to record the extinction of
skills/professions. Almost every single profession she has recorded will
cease to exist, sadly, in the coming decades. What is the price of
self-respect? 36% per annum. Confused? Read the farmers’ story and understand
why they avoid banks. Groundwater issue
– Summed up in one sentence. Punjab gets tanker water from Rajasthan! Which
doctor do you go to? Not based on experience or reputation but the one who will
not humiliate us. Sainath gives a unique perspective on why museums have not
picked up in India and also nails it when the topic is inequality and skilled labor. Also, do you know the origins of the names chickpea, cowpea,
pigeon pea, etc.. – Ask Sainath. The surprise package was the T. M. Krishna
interview. “The terms classical and folk must be abolished” and “it is you and
I who decide that poor needs no art” – with just these two quotes he had blown
to smithereens centuries of bias. Bravo! A heartbreakingly beautiful book with
so much of the inherent bias laid bare.
a.
Started on 11th October and
finished on 21st October
b.
Recommended by self
(after following the author on Twitter)
29. The Ministry for the
Future (Fiction) by Kim Stanley Robinson;
Was not sure about reading a book that came under the genre of science fiction.
What a marvelous book. A beacon of hope in the middle of all pessimists and
naysayers. It is simple to sit back and criticize but it takes a willingness
and an enormous knowledge to come out with solutions that are not far-fetched.
That chapter towards the end that spoke eloquently about dignity from the point
of view of a refugee/immigrant was so beautifully written.
a.
Started on 21st October and
finished on 3rd November
b.
Recommended by Krish
Ashok.
30. Strokes of genius – Federer, Nadal and the greatest match ever
played (Non-Fiction) by L. Jon Wertheim;
It had everything I admire. Tennis. Federer. Nadal. Wimbledon. It was
inconceivable to me that a book could be written about ONE match, even with a
bit of background to fill up the pages. It transported me 15 years back in my
life and to that wonderful afternoon when sports reached its perfection.
Effortless writing, even if some comparisons with American sports (NFL and
Baseball) did not land well. A must for any sports enthusiast.
a.
Started on 4th November and
finished on 13th November
b.
Recommended by Ujval
and gifted by Savitha.
31. Really good actually (Fiction) by Monica
Heisey; Funny in parts. The new generation with its social media online
culture may appreciate this more. Many observations and behavioral observations
were spot on. A decent read. Nowhere near the superlative level that the
reviews claimed.
a.
Started on 13th November and
finished on 25th November
b.
A random airport pick-up, so self-recommended.
32. The uncontrollability of the world (Non-Fiction) by Hartmut Rosa; A scholarly look at resonance and the
conflict between our desire to control everything and the resulting
frustrations whether we manage to control or not. His exploration of
self-efficacy was outstanding, even, or especially, to inanimate objects. As in
“we not only read but begin to process a book”. And the conclusion nails it
efficiently. Our exasperation has its roots not in what is still denied to us,
but in what we have lost because we now have it under our control. !
a.
Started on 26th November and
finished on 4th December
b.
Met this lady Ana
Maria at Dubai airport and she was reading
this.
33. Catch and Kill – Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
(Non-Fiction) by Ronan Farrow; Another
brilliant book along the lines of Bad Blood. The perseverance and fortitude
shown by the reporters are commendable. And people like Harvey Weinstein make
you sick and angry at the same time. The only complaint I have is far too many
names to keep track of. The famous/notorious ones were easy but the remaining
multitude was confusing. Had to keep a record of names for reference (who was
the lawyer, who worked for NBC, New York Times, New Yorker, etc.…)
a.
Started on 4th December and
finished on 17th December
b.
Recommended by Mihir
33
is not a bad number, I would say. Hope you pick up some from this list.
See
you around the same time next year. Insha Allah!
