Since I read 40 books this year, I am considering myself eligible to make “My top 10 books for the year” list. These were the ones that stood the test of being read in bits and pieces, in nooks and crannies of time, without a care for ambience or setting, or medium, started on the kindle, continued on the phone, finished on the kindle or the other way round.
So, here goes, in no particular order:
Bad Blood - The con that was Theranos
Investigative journalism can be a potent tool, something we do not see much of in this day and age of click bait articles and hurried breaking news. This book talks about how one start up conned Silicon Valley out of billions of dollars, with only a vision and a dream, and no output at all.
Circe - When a God wants to be human
Circe is a riveting book, and for no particular reason. It is neither a thriller, nor a murder mystery. It is mythology, fantastical, about Helios and Odysseus and a slew of other characters we have read about in various other books. Circe, the ‘weird’ daughter of Helios, goes through thousands of years of existence with Gods and Humans before figuring out what she wants.
Less - No reason to avoid this Prize winner
I am very wary of prize winning books, particularly Pulitzer Prize ones. I have had more than one “struggling to finish” experience. Less is nothing like that. Less is more than any prize winner. It is hilarious, breezy, deep, easy to read, nuanced, joyful. It’s the story of a mildly successful but perfectly forgettable gay author and his lovers, young and old. Makes you root for a happy ending, for no particular reason!
American Gods - A shopping Mecca
I have feared picking this book forever. It’s long, for one. And, it sounds a bit too quirky for my liking. I don’t really relate to this genre much, except I really really like Neil Gaiman’s works. “What genre is this?” you may ask. I don’t know. It seems like fantasy, but also reads like a thriller, is humorous, but also makes you think philosophically. If this book were refreshed today, a number of the “Modern Gods” that we swear by day in and day out will join the list. I still get nightmares of Shadow’s dead wife, Laura, so is it horror? Perhaps. But it’s worth the time, as you shop around for Gods.
A gentleman in Moscow - Very gentle, very Russian
If I had to choose a favourite book this year, it would be this. And since I dedicated an entire post to this book, I am not going to trouble you going into the details again. But, pick it up. If you want to refresh your memory about or learn about 1900s Russia, through the eyes of this very perfect gentleman.
The Testaments - A story of hope
I read Atwood’s now universally famous (thanks to Hulu), Handmaid’s Tale quite late in life, only a couple of years back. I have a thing for the dystopian. I have read that notorious 1984 but also many of the not so popular dystopian novels with the abject goal of wanting to feel terrified about the future. This was no different, I thought. But Handmaid’s Tale left me hopeless and desolate, giving up on the world in general, waiting with fear for the day when my bank account would be wiped out because I don’t matter anymore as a person. The Testaments gives me much needed hope, that it will all be ok in the end. Much needed hope in this rabid world. Perhaps, that’s the reason she deserves the prize this time. I don’t know, I am no judge, only a fan.
The widows of Malabar Hill - The early days of India’s equality movement
The only paperback I read this year, because it isn’t available on the Kindle. This story is a mystery of sorts, but for me, it is just an eye opening account of how far we have come as women. Set in 1920s Bombay and told through the eyes of the first woman lawyer (fictional character based on more than one living person of those times), it puts out the struggles of being accepted in a fully male profession. Of course, privilege and her dad’s backing help; despite that it’s an uphill task. As you read about how men wouldn’t listen to an intelligent and successful lawyer because she is a woman, you do tend to think, “Have things really changed fully?” No, there’s so much work on our hands yet.
City of Thieves - Fun yet sorrowful
I was quite wary of picking this book given Benioff’s horrible Game of Thrones season finale. But, it turned out to be a surprisingly good read. My second book for the year set in Russia, right in the middle of World War II, where two accused set out in search of eggs for a senior military official’s daughter’s wedding cake so they can be given back their food coupons. It is tragi-comic, and the ending made me tear up a bit. But, let me not give the story away, in case you plan to read this one.
She Said - For all the Me Too movement supporters, and the non supporters too
This book takes us behind the scenes of how the Harvey Weinstein story was broken, and the ripple effects it caused across the US and the world. Investigative journalism at its best, it is a must read to understand how important it is to corroborate evidence, put together events in chronological order, identify credible witnesses and test them. Because, “He said, she said” is the trap we need to come out of to take it a notch beyond just what’s ‘said’ by both parties and provide watertight proof so the movement endures the test of time.
A Crooked House - Only comfort food
My reading lists are never complete without an Agatha Christie or a PGW thrown in. I am just old fashioned like that. This book has no Poirot, no Marple. The story’s a bit strange, crooked if you may. The ending even more so. There’s standard Christie template at work, but it does leave you with a strange after taste. That’s what murder mysteries are supposed to do, after all.
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